UIC UNITED: A Chapter of SUAA Minutes of the Board of Directors Meeting June 9, 2006

Members Present: Marsha Borders, Irving Miller, Susan Sindelar, Jacob Starks, Frank Tachau

Members Absent: Kathleen Crittenden, Merrill Gassman, Richard Johnson, William Jones, Geraldine Piorkowski, Lawrence Poston, Wally Wadycki

The meeting was called to order by President Irving Miller at 10:05am.

1. Approval of Minutes: There were no minutes to approve.

2. Membership Report (Geraldine Piorkowski): Gerry reported that the membership numbers are fantastic. The latest total is 1,605, which is 344 higher than last year's figures, and the total is still climbing. There are 70 additional persons who signed up for the dues deduction option in May, and these are still pending. The university mailing sent from Springfield was a tremendous success. Apparently, letters were sent to all SURS participants 50-years old and over who were not SUAA members.

3. Treasurer's Report (Frank Tachau): The Treasurer's report containing the Statements of Cash Receipts and Disbursements for the checking and savings accounts for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005 was submitted to the Audit Committee for review. The Audit Committee discussed the information included in the report with the acting Treasurer. The audit appears to reflect fairly the financial activity reported for the Chapter. The Audit report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005 was accepted and approved by the Board.

As of April 30, 2006, the balance in the savings account is $41,900 and $1,750, in the checking account. A request from the Audit Committee to move a portion of the cash in savings to a higher yielding fund was unanimously approved by the Board. A 1-year Certificate of Deposit will be purchased in the amount of $25,000.

4. Political Involvement Committee Issues (Dick Johnson): Dick submitted a written report. He noted that UIC along with NIU had the largest growth in membership in SUAA and leads all chapters in voluntary contributions to the developing SUAACTION. SUAACTION is spearheading a movement that will lead to a much different organization in the future. SUAA is becoming a much more decentralized grassroots organization with political involvement as its primary goal. This notion will be a major feature of the June SUAA meeting in Springfield. Dick indicated that the State committee has worked to put together the organizational structure and will now focus on more substantive issues such as message, approaches, and funding.

By Board action, we have created our own UIC SUAACTION committee. Two meetings have been held in which the majority of discussion has centered around identifying the message. Dick believes this issue should receive more attention at the State level. A third meeting is planned for late summer to continue the discussion about the message and to develop a program of political involvement for 2006-2007.

5. Building bridges to other organizations: To reach more employees with our message and potentially expand membership, Marsha recommended that UIC UNITED collaborate with established organizations on campus that are already interacting with current employees. UIC UNITED will ask for an opportunity to engage the organizations' membership. Among those to be approached are SEIU, faculty senate, SAC, and APAC, to name a few. The Board unanimously endorsed the recommendation; President Miller will contact the organizations.

6. Program Issues (Susan Sindelar): The Board welcomed Susan as the new Program/Social Chair. Susan prepared and distributed the following slate of suggested topics and speakers for the Fall and Spring Annual Meetings:

Given the current political issues facing employees and annuitants in the State, the Board felt that Dan Slack and Fred Giertz should be asked to deliver the keynote addresses in 2006-07.

Four speakers were considered for the Brown Bag lecture series. The Board agreed that one program should be offered in the Fall and one in Spring. Sylvia Manning and Dick Ward are the preferred speakers.

7. Newsletter (Larry Poston): President Miller informed the Board that the next newsletter will be published in the Fall. All were urged to submit news items to Editor Poston as soon as possible.

8. Retirement Planning Conference: The UIC Retirement Conference was held on April 1, 2006. Judy Curry and Gerry Piorkowski reported that the conference was one of the best ever, with over 200 participants attending. Regrettably, there was insufficient participation by the SUAA Board with respect to overall planning, organizing, and implementation of the program. The Board agreed to rededicate itself to working collaboratively with the UIC Office of Special Programs. Jackie Burger will contact the Board in late Fall to set up an initial planning session.

9. Appointment of Historian: President Miller named William Jones as the Chapter Historian. His appointment was unanimously supported by the UIC Board of Directors.

10. Springfield SUAA Meeting, June 14-15: President Miller announced that three Board members will attend the State meeting. He expects the gathering to be very informative; speakers include SEIU President and IBHE Executive Director Judy Erwin. Additionally, sessions will be offered on chapter service initiatives, SUAACTION, strategic planning, and health benefits.

11. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 11:10am.

Respectfully submitted by Marsha Borders, Secretary

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