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News at a Glanceby Nancy Ellegate The HWFC Board of Directors met on Wednesdays, March 3, March 26 and April 10. March 3rd Meeting Corporate Credit Cards The Board treasurer and the Coop's accountant have written a new policy for the use of credit cards. The only department that needs its own card is HaBA. Staff from other departments will sign out a card from the accountant when needed. Users are to turn in the card with receipts the next business day. Human Resources A consultant working with the Board on staff training has recommended that the staff person to be hired as human resources manager sit outside the management collective. The concern is that this person will be key in any grievance process and is to be a neutral party, one not seen as a partisan of either the staff or the Board. The pros and cons of the person being part of or separate from the collective were discussed. A Board member suggested that perhaps a compromise would be to have this position be a non-voting member of the collective. The Board planned to invite the consultant to a Board-management team meeting to facilitate a discussion on whether the human resources staff person should be part of the collective, to whom they will report, and by whom they will be evaluated. Reset The Board agreed that they would like the management team to present their ideas for rearranging and reallocating Coop space, rather than making piecemeal changes in the store. Collective Management Goals The Board approved a list of goals for the Collective Management Team that will be presented to the staff for discussion. Executive Session Part of the meeting was spent in executive session. March 26th Meeting Bylaws Members of the Bylaws committee presented a draft of the revised bylaws. Revisions have been made to provide more clarity. The bylaws are now divided into sections concerning membership, Board and management. The committee hopes to have a special membership meeting in May or June for a vote on this document. The revision process has entailed much work over several years, and the committee asked the Board for its endorsement of this document. The Board wanted the bylaws to be a topic of discussion at the April Annual Membership meeting. Therefore, Board members were all to review the document and send any comments to the Board president by April 4, and the endorsement of the bylaws was to be considered during a meeting on April 10 (discussed below). The Bylaws committee was charged with reviewing voting procedures with the Coop's attorney and was authorized to find a site for the special membership meeting. The committee will provide copies of the bylaws revision draft at the Coop. Legislation The Nutrition and Education committee presented a letter of support for legislation sponsored by New York State Assemblyman Jack McEneny and Senator Kenneth LaValle. The legislation would require a moratorium on planting food crops containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and would require labeling of all food products containing GMOs. The Board approved the letter. Front End Expansion The Board approved requested funds for expanding the Front End office. The janitor's closet will be removed and this space will become part of the office. Green building materials will be used. It was specified that laminated particle board will not be used. Collective Management Team The operations and administrative coordinator reported that the team supports recent recommendations on increasing member labor, but questions linking job performance and bonuses to member labor use in departments. She and the member coordinator will be meeting to devise a form to audit member labor use. A Board member asked about how personnel issues are being handled in light of the new management structure. For now, the team is choosing the best person to deal with any individual issues that arise. The hiring of a human resources staff person is a high priority. The staff representative to the Board reported that the Collective Management Team structure is working well. At first, he noted, it was somewhat intimidating, but now things are generally working as originally planned. Problem resolution among the staff has been productive. Summary on Coop Website One of the staff suggested that Board meeting minutes be posted on the Coop's website. After discussion, it was decided that the Board's secretary will write a short summary of major decisions made at each meeting. Non-Traditional Work Hours Minutes of the December 18th Board meeting were amended to indicate that a procedure authorizing the membership coordinator to give work-hour credit for non-traditional tasks had been approved. This involves member labor for lectures and presentations, and by practitioners. Annual Meeting Part of the meeting was devoted to preparations for the Annual Membership Meeting on April 14. Executive Session The Board met in executive session at the end of the meeting. April 10th Meeting Bylaws This special Board meeting was called to discuss the revised bylaws and whether the Board would endorse them. The Board discussed numerous points and changed wording in some instances. The Board voted to endorse the bylaws with their revisions. The bylaws were to be discussed by the membership at the Annual Membership Meeting on April 14. The Bylaws committee has reserved a room at Sage College's Albany Campus for a possible May meeting. (This can still be changed without cost if need be.) Wine An additional issue was brought up. A Board member indicated that she was interested in the Coop selling wine and the possibility of a referendum on this issue. A staff member questioned whether this could even be a possibility, thinking that it may be illegal to sell wine in grocery stores in New York State. Questions about liquor licenses and underage workers were noted. A considerable amount of research would need to be done before the Coop could potentially consider this more seriously. It was noted that product mix is a subject of the strategic planning process. The consultant has just been hired who will be helping the Coop put this process in place. Minutes Minutes of all meetings are available at the Coop. Minutes of the most recent meeting area posted on the bulletin board. Upcoming Meetings A meeting is planned for Wednesday, May 28. Meetings begin at 6:30 and are held at the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany, Channing Hall, 405 Washington Avenue. However, please note that the new Board elected at the Annual Meeting on April 14 will set the schedule for the upcoming year. If you plan to attend the upcoming Board meeting, it is recommended that you confirm date, time, and location. |
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