It’s the date of the next General Membership Meeting, and the future of the HWFC depends on how we vote. Please spread the word.
As you probably know we have just gone through a very painful transition, which thankfully resulted in the Membership preserving their right to democratically control the policies and capital of the Honest Weight Food Co-op.
Websites to Catch Up On
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, there are a couple of places where you could catch up:
- The Board’s Bulletin Board and the HWFC website http://www.honestweight.coop have some of the details.
- The Members created a website which has ongoing discussion: https://hwfcinfohub.wordpress.com/
- Unofficial, Member-generated minutes of Board meetings are posted promptly after each meeting: https://memberownedhwfc.wordpress.com
Take part in Membership Meetings
Over 620 eligible member-owner attended the Special Membership Meeting [SMM] on November 30 and voted! There is no arguing with the outcome of such a large turnout.
It is these numbers that I am urging us to match at the April 17, 2016 General Membership Meeting, which could be just as important as the November 30th meeting in continuing to maintain Membership control of the Co-op.
A Crucial Vote for Board Members
We will be electing 7 Board members. Of the 5 current Board Members, the terms of only two will not be expiring this April: Nate Horwitz (elected on Nov 30 to a term ending in 2017) and Daniel Morrissey (elected previously to a term ending in 2017). Ned Depew was previously elected to a term ending in 2016. The other 2 members, Kate Doyle and Carolynn Presser (elected on Nov 30 to finish the terms of vacated seats) are also up for re-election. If they are re-elected, the Member Labor supporters will still have a majority and only 4 vacant seats will need filling.
Member workers will always have the last word as long as we maintain the Bylaws that give us that power, no matter who is on the Board. So stay informed, attend Board meetings, attend Governance Review Council meetings, and read the Bylaws until you thoroughly understand them. We need informed voters, because the General Membership meetings cannot do the job of fully educating us.
Participate, and be Sure You Can Vote!
It’s time to organize again. It’s time to table, to put back on the orange t-shirts and, for some of us, it’s time to run for election. Make sure that on April 1 you are up to date on your share payments and have put in the required hours to get your discount and to vote.
Call our new Owner Services Coordinator, Janet Sorell, or email her at memberservices [AT] honestweight [DOT] coop if you any questions about your voting status.