Governance is essential to the functioning of RID. Our Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws, Board Meeting Agendas and Motions, and other guiding documents are available for our members to review.
Board and Business Meetings.
Containing the essentials for Board and Business meetings.
Board Meeting Agendas and Minutes
2025 RID Board Meeting Dates
- June 4, 2025: 8-10 pm ET (Zoom) REGISTER HERE!
- September 3, 2025: 8-10 pm ET (Zoom)
- December 3, 2025: 8-10 pm ET (Zoom)
2023 – Board of Directors’ Meeting Minutes: Click to view folder
2007-2022 – Board of Directors’ Meeting Minutes: Click to view folder
2023 RID Board Meeting Dates
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April 12-16, 2023 FTF in Baltimore, Maryland
- Open meeting: April 14, 9a-12p FTF/ZOOM
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July 24-26, 2023 at the 2023 RID National Conference in Baltimore, Maryland
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October 4-8, 2023 FTF – Location TBD
Guiding Documents.
Containing the most fundamental principles and rules.
Guiding Documents
The organization bylaws contain the most fundamental principles and rules regarding the nature of RID, such as how directors are elected, how meetings of directors are conducted, and so on. These bylaws are amended according to member motions and referred to in every act of legislation for RID. RID also seeks partnerships with organizations that share common goals through memorandums of understanding. RID is committed to compliance with the antitrust laws of this country, which laws prohibit anti-competitive behavior, regulate unfair business practices, and encourage competition in the marketplace.
The RID Bylaws govern the internal management of the association, as well as the board of directors, members and staff. The bylaws contain the most fundamental principles and rules regarding the nature of RID, such as how directors are elected, how meetings of directors are conducted, and so on.
You can either download the Bylaws as a whole document or views the separate sections linked below. This document is in PDF file format.
Bylaws Complete Document – Edited April 2020
| ARTICLE NUMBER | ARTICLE TITLE |
|---|---|
| Article I | Name |
| Article II | Objective |
| Article III | Membership |
| Article IV | Directors |
| Article V | Committees |
| Article VI | Meetings of Members |
| Article VII | Regional Organization |
| Article VIII | Affiliate Chapters |
| Article IX | Referendum |
| Article X | Inspection Rights and Corporate Seal |
| Article XI | Fiscal Year of the Corporation |
| Article XII | Fees, Dues, and Assessments |
| Article XIII | Amendment of Bylaws |
| Article XIV | Non-Discrimination Policy |
| Article XV | Amendment of the Articles of Incorporation, Dues, and Assessments |
| Article XVI | Dissolution of the Corporation |
| Article XVII | Parliamentary Authority |
Related Links:
The purpose of the Policies and Procedures Manual (PPM) is to contain the policies set by the Board of Directors of RID. The PPM establishes procedures for the key elements and operations of the national association, including its headquarters, affiliates, committees, and member sections. The policies and procedures contained in this manual are general guidelines for the association. Exceptions to the policies and procedures noted herein are permitted with board approval, except for the provisions of the Bylaws which cannot be waived or altered except as noted in the Bylaws.
The policies defined here are the basic principles and associated guidelines, formulated and enforced by the governing body of the organization. The policies define what the association does.
The procedures explain how the association implements policy. Procedures are the sequence of activity required to carry out a policy statement or move the association toward one of its stated goals. Procedures are also the rules and regulations that entities within the association abide by when conducting their business. They are a consistent guide to follow through any decision-making process.
You may view the updated 2021 RID Policies and Procedures Manual here.
Related links:
RID constantly seeks partnerships with organizations that share common goals. Through teamwork and collaboration, we can achieve more of our strategic goals.
RID currently has Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with these organizations:
- The National Association of the Deaf (NAD): Updated July 2013 (link coming soon), Original 2009
- Conference of Interpreter Trainers (CIT) : October 2014
- Commission on Collegiate Interpreter Education (CCIE): July 2011
- Mano-a-Mano: July 2011
RID is committed to compliance with the antitrust laws of this country, which laws prohibitanti-competitive behavior, regulate unfair business practices, and encourage competition in the marketplace.
Neither RID, nor any of its affiliate chapters, member sections, councils, committees, or task forces shall be used for the purpose of bringing about or attempting to bring about any understanding or agreement, written or oral, formal or informal, express or implied, between or among competitors that may restrain competition or harm consumers . In connection with membership or participation in RID, there shall be no discussion, communication, or agreement between or among members who are actual or potential competitors regarding their prices, fees, wages, salaries, profit margins, contract terms, business strategy, business negotiations, or any limitations on the timing, cost, or volume of their services. This includes any RID-related listserv, online discussion groups, sponsored RID social media, RID publications, or other RID sanctioned event, program, or activity.
Please see RID’s Antitrust FAQs below for further information.
RID Publishes an Annual Report for its members, outlining our achievements for the year as well as an annual financial report. Please click below to see the most recent annual reports, or feel free to browse through our Annual Report Archive!
Most Recent: FY 2022 Annual Report
You may find RID Annual Reports here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Nto4CPUuq_cdyo_182nBPYqxt_lT1ClR?usp=share_link
Antitrust Policy FAQs
While you may prefer to leave antitrust law up to the lawyers to discuss, it’s important for members of a professional association to know what kind of conduct puts the association at risk. This policy is designed to protect RID and our members, committees, task forces, work groups, member sections
and state affiliate chapters from legal exposure.
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), enforcement of antitrust laws aims to “prevent unfair business practices that are likely to reduce competition and lead to higher prices, reduced quality or levels of service, or less innovation. Anticompetitive practices include activities like price
fixing, group boycotts, and exclusionary exclusive dealing contracts or trade association rules ….”, Professional associations are expected to provide guidance to their members about antitrust law to ensure that any discussions, projects, or work done within the scope of RID is not in violation of
antitrust laws.
The key difference between a professional association and a union is that a professional association works to promote the industry/profession as a whole, while a union works to promote the interests of the workers it represents in-collective bargaining. This may seem like a difference without a distinction, but it’s important when looking at what activities a professional association can and cannot engage in. While unions actively advocate for their members’ personal financial interests and specific terms and conditions of employment, professional associations work to improve public perception of an industry or professional, e.g., through the establishment of standards and informing government decisions. Also, as discussed below, unions have the protection of the “labor exemption” to the antitrust laws.
Price fixing is illegal under antitrust law. Economic competitors cannot come together and agree on a price they will charge for their goods or services. For example, gasoline stations are prohibited from getting together and deciding how much to charge for a gallon of gas. Interpreters in independent practice in a particular market area are viewed as economic competitors. Thus, they cannot agree, through RID committees, task forces, work groups, member sections, or state affiliate chapters, on a price that they will charge for their services.
It is important to note that individual interpreters are always free to set their own rates or decide what rates they will or will not accept. Individual interpreters are also free to access and consider the published rates of other interpreters in setting their own rates. It is only when they act in concert with competing interpreters that antitrust law comes into play.
Unions have the protection of the “labor law exemption” to antitrust laws and, therefore union members, who would otherwise be viewed as competitors, may engage in concerted activities through their bargaining unit without raising concerns about antitrust violations. RID and groups acting within its organizational structure are not unions and do not have the benefit of such an exemption.
It does not fall within the mission of RID or its affiliates to form or to facilitate the formation of a union to collectively bargain with employers on behalf of employees who are RID members with respect to their terms and conditions of employment. Interpreters who are members of RID may, obviously, choose to participate in their individual capacities as employees in a collective bargaining process with their employers through a union. As previously noted, there is an exception in antitrust laws that allows a group of employees, through their union, to collectively bargain with their employer. Also, it is worth noting in this context that many RID members are interpreters who are independent/freelance contractors who do not have an employee-employer relationship with the entities that contract with them.
A decision by or on behalf of a group of economic competitors (like the interpreter members of a state affiliate chapter) to explicitly or implicitly threaten to boycott any proposed or existing contract in order to influence the rates set forth in that contract raises very serious antitrust concerns. While there is no clear definition of what constitutes an implicit boycott threat, all members and RID affiliates must be very careful in making statements that might be construed as a veiled boycott threat.
Although it may seem obvious that below-market rates will decrease the pool of interpreters willing to work under a given contract, stating such on behalf of a RID-associated group may still be construed as an implicit boycott threat. If there are interpreters who are willing to accept the proposed contractual rates and/or those stated rates appear to benefit the consumers / providers of interpreting services, the risks of antitrust exposure are even greater.
While the impact of proposed contractual rates on the available pool of interpreter and the Deaf community’s access to services is a logical argument against rates that are perceived by some to be sub-market, statements made by or on behalf of competing interpreters regarding appropriate rates need to be carefully crafted, need to focus upon the consumer’s perspective and not the financial interests of the interpreters, and warrant careful review, including the advice of counsel prior to dissemination.
There are several things that RID, through its member sections, councils, committees, and task forces, and that state affiliate chapters, can do that may relate to rates/fees and other conditions of employment / engagement. These things must still be done with extreme care and consideration and the antitrust risks associated with them should be assessed prior to implementation.
a. You can petition the government.
There is an exception to antitrust laws that allows associations and its affiliates to petition government entities, such as state agencies and commissions and legislators, and raise issues that would otherwise trigger antitrust concerns. The goal of representing RID members before such entities is to improve the information upon which governmental decisions are made.
b. You can collect and share historical price data.
The FTC, a federal agency that enforces antitrust laws, created a safe harbor for collecting and disseminating historical rate/fee information. (A safe harbor is a provision that specifies that certain conduct will be deemed not to violate a given law, in this case antitrust law.) So, if an affiliate chapter, member section, council, committee, or taskforce follows the safe harbor guidelines, it can collect data on rates and fees in the market area and disseminate it to members. Here are some key factors to consider before collecting and disseminating this kind of information:
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- Rate/fee information must be at least 3 months old.
- The information must be collected confidentially. Interpreters cannot learn what rates/fees other interpreters are charging. To ensure that raw data isn’t shared among competitors, it would be prudent to work with an outside entity to conduct the survey.
- When the results are disseminated, there should be no information included that would enable members to ascertain the identity of those charging a specific rate or fee. This is particularly true for listing information by geographic area when there is only one interpreter working in that area.
c. You can communicate your members’ concerns to the appropriate entity.
Affiliate chapters, member sections, councils, committees, and taskforces can communicate members’ concerns to a hiring entity, if extreme caution is exercised. The concerns cannot be communicated in a way that could be construed as an express or implied threat to collectively boycott a particular contract or hiring entity. Any message should be prefaced by an explanation that every member acts independently in the market and that you are not attempting to influence rates or negotiate rates on behalf of your members Show that you understand antitrust law, say “We are not negotiating rates on behalf of our members.”
Each affiliate chapter is responsible for retaining and consulting with local legal council for guidance related to antitrust law. A resource that can assist affiliates in locating local counsel is your state Center for Nonprofit Advancement. Please contact info@rid.org if you need assistance locating your local center.
Do not post queries or information, and refrain from any discussion that may provide the basis for an inference that the members agreed to take action relating to prices, production, allocation of markets, or any other matter having a market effect. Examples of topics which should not be discussed include current or future billing rates, fees, or other items which would be construed as “price”, fair profit, billing rate, or wage level, current billing or fee procedures, imposition of credit terms. Do not post regarding refusing to deal with anyone because of his/her pricing or fees.
U.S Department of Justice – Antitrust Division
http://www.justice.gov/atr/
Federal Trade Commission
http://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/anticompetitive-practices
Antitrust Guidelines for Collaborations Among Competitors
http://www.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/documents/public_events/joint-venture-hearings-antitrust-guidelines-collaboration-among-competitors/ftcdojguidelines-2.pdf