March 27, 2015 meeting minutes (Orlando)

Minutes: UALE Membership meeting, March 27, 2015

Approved by membership April 15, 2016

Upcoming key dates:

  • Nov 18, 2015: Curricula exchange
  • Nov 19, 2015: Director meeting
  • Nov 20-21, 2015: UALE Executive Board mid-term meeting

Upcoming Annual Conferences:

  • April 12-15, 2016 in Washington DC
  • 2017 in Detroit (date TBD)

Secretary Report (Kitty Conlan)

  • Reference to these and all minutes on the website
  • Approved by the membership

President Report (Cheryl Teare)

  • Midyear curricula exchange; new initiative prior to the board meeting was popular
  • Bookkeeping system has improved
  • Women’s Schools Research project funded by Berger-Marks; retreat and plan to move forward
  • UALE and AFL-CIO joint funded study on status of labor education programs in higher education
    • $10,000 cost shared by AFL-CIO and UALE 50/50
    • Helena Worthen’s report is complete; gathered important information
    • Still some additional interviews to complete and needs to be formatted for the near future for full use and application
    • Full report coming in the near future
  • Joined forces to support our members in labor education where they are attackedConference success; thanks to Tony Michael and the conference committee
    • UALE letter support for Sarah Laslett at South Seattle College LERC; coordinating with a state based advisory report
  • Thanks to the Executive Board for their work throughout the year

Treasurer Report (Lynda DeLoach)

  • Financial reports provided for years 2014 and 2015 to date (Exhibits A and B)
  • Reminder that we operate on a cash basis
  • 2014 Close out: Finished in the black with $3,300 surplus
  • 2015 budget to dateReport accepted by the membership
    • Still concern over individual membership numbers; below previous years
    • Conference expenses should be within budget
      • 142 persons registered at the conference

2016 budget (Cheryl Teare)

  • High projections of income based on 300 individual members (double our current level)
  • Committing the UALE membership to more active recruitment (one per member)
  • We don’t want to have to cut important UALE programs
  • Interpretation services important to include in conferences to create accessibility for more non English speakers; interpretation services are expensive.
  • Budget is reasonable and doable but depends on more recruitment
  • Budget approved by the membership

Labor Studies Journal (Bob Bruno)

  • Need a new coeditor for the journal
  • Michelle Kaminski is resigning from that post
  • Lynn Feekin is resigning as book editor, need a new one
  • 80 articles submitted, 20% accepted
  • Special RTW in the Midwest edition is coming up
  • Pitch for submissions
  • Recognition for Lynn and Michelle for their work

Committee Reports

Constitution and bylaws (Guillermo Perez)

  • (Major changes circulated; full revised Constitution and New Bylaws made available on the website and at registration)
  • Committee worked on over several months with Board input and Membership Committee
  • If passed will go into effect January 1, 2016
  • Because of the current language of the Constitution, no amendments can be made from the floor; will be able to propose changes in this way if the proposed changes to the Constitution are approved by the membership to go into effect next year.
    • Proposal must be voted up or down in totality
  • Concerns about taking amendments from the floor even with 90% threshold for approvalSubmit recommendations for next year to the Constitution and bylaws committee; look for window period to submit changes
    • Vocal members may drown out voices of less vocal members
    • Potential impact on the budget (still requires 15 day notice for financial changes)
  • Speaking in favor of the motion
  • Move in the right direction; time consuming process to come to where we are

Constitution and Bylaws Committee recommends adoption of the proposed resolution:

Motion:   Be it resolved that the UALE Constitution be amended by deletion of Articles I-XV, substitution of the proposed Articles I to XV and addition of bylaws 1-11 subject to adjustment for error and omission.

  • Passed with a some “nays” and 2 abstentions

Conference Planning (Tony Michael)

  • Gratitude to the committee members

Membership (Elissa McBride)

  • Appeal to each current member to recruit one additional member
  • Assisted with the dues structure changes
  • Worked with the LSJ with respect to a UALE membership ad
  • Promotional of UALE at regional meetings
  • Reminder we are about 1/2 way to the individual membership levels and 2/3rds of the way to the institutional membership levels that have existed at their peak. UALE needs to increase these numbers to survive and thrive financially.

Communications (Paul Iversen in place of Don Taylor)

  • New committee needs to follow up with the committee’s strategic plan

Grants (Sarah Laslett)

  • No student paper prizes; not enough submissions; need more next year
  • Awarded UALE research grant to Ali Rudolfo Bustamante for Unpacking Labor Systems: Analysis of Nicaragua’s EPZ Labor Policies

Working Group Reports

  • CLCs (Jason Kozlowski)
    • Case studies of labor centers and CLCs working together
    • Seeking a labor rep to co-chair (David Reynolds is stepping back)
  • Immigration and Globalization (Mary Bellman)
    • Harvest of Empire screening was successful
    • New co-chair, Camilo Viveiros
    • Recommitted to posting more on line
    • Reviewed the CSE globalization module
  • Popular Ed (Tess Ewing)
    • Haven’t met yet but will meet today
    • Need at least one new co-chair
  • Worker Writers (Tim Sheard)
    • No report
  • K-14 Labor Education (Helena Worthen)
    • Intense discussion as to the urgent need for labor education in the schools
    • Show and tell of California Federation of Teachers materials
    • Need to move things forward
    • Curriculum on workplace rights for High School classes is available on Washington State LERC website
  • Labor Filmmakers
    • No report
  • Online Education
    • Will be meeting online

Caucus Reports

Women’s Caucus: (Kate Shaughnessy)

  • Over 70 people attended luncheon at conference
  • Excited to release the upcoming report on the summer schoolsAnnouncement of upcoming regional women summer schools DePaul (Midwest), FIU (Southern), PSU (Eastern) and Reed College with University of Oregon (LERC)(Western)
    • 430+ women at the four regions
  • UALE Regional reps should coordinate with the women’s schools and help with recruitment for the women’s schools
  • Berker Marks Foundation increased scholarship money by $8000/school, in addition to the $4000/school they already receive. These scholarships are targeted at women 35 and under.

People of Color Caucus (Keturah Raabe)

  • Racial and language justice was the basis and focus of the meeting March 25
  • Report and Resolution (attached) inclusive of the following abridged points:
  1. Plenary on “Racial Justice” at the 2016 UALE conference in Washington D.C.;
  2. Include the newly proposed “Race Commission” of the AFL-CIO, as well as the newly proposed SEIU Committee on Race; discuss ways that the UALE could work with them on plans to advance racial justice;
  3. Special efforts to recruit people of color from the AFL-CIO, national unions, and constituency organizations such as CBTU, APRI, LCLAA, and APALA to attend the 2016 conference;
  4. Should provide interpretation in Spanish to allow for the full participation of immigrant workers;
  5. The UALE should encourage labor educators and labor education programs to integrate racial justice as part of their curriculum

 documentPoC Caucus Report and Resolution (15 KB) document

New Business

  • 2016 Conference in DC (no conflict with Labor Notes dates); Kellogg Center, Gallaudet University
  • 2017 in Detroit Wayne state, move to have the conference planning committee to explore locations in Detroit; passed.
  • Need Committee Volunteers, posted for sign up

Good and Welfare

  • Amalgamated Transit Union: mandated training and education in 2013 and purchased NLC campus. Will rename it after Rosa Parks and Tommy Douglas. 2015 opening the doors of the campus for using the facility.
  • Rutgers: Lima Peru trip Sept 5-7 for International Federation of Workers’ Education Associations (IFWEA)UCLA Labor Center (Wong): Trade Union College of Vietnam will have Helena Worthen and Joe Berry teaching for 6 mos.   Kent Wong is recruiting a delegation to go and watch them in action.
    • Honduras in May 22-31 investigating privatization of universities,
  • Labor Arts Exchange going back to the ATU (former NLC) campus June 25-27
  • Recommendation for establishing a Young Workers Caucus (under 35) to the UALE Executive Board.
  • UALE should establish a Working Group that looks at internal monitoring by employers and what unions and others can do to push back.
  • Reminder of our overall commitment to follow up on membership recruitment
  • Acknowledgement of the retirement of Dawn Addy (FIU and former UALE board member)
  • Encouraged to promote attendance at the morning meetings

MEETING ADJOURNED

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