UIC UNITED: A Chapter of SUAA

Minutes of the Spring Meeting

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

President Irving Miller called the meeting to order at 10:10am.

1. Minutes of the Fall 2007 meeting were approved.

2. President's Report (Irving Miller): Irving Miller gave a synopsis of Chapter activities:

Two forums were presented on Medicare and Social Security; both were well attended.
The organization co-hosted the Annual Retirement Conference in March; over 250 employees attended the event.
Collaborative meetings were held with other organizations that share our common goal of educating faculty, staff, and annuitants on issues of pension, health care, and legislative matters.
The UIC Chapter has been deeply involved with the State organization; to that end, Dick Johnson was elected President of SUAA and will take office in the coming weeks.
A number of organizational changes are underway in SUAA, resulting from the recent appointment of a new Executive Director.
SUAA as an organization is taking a proactive stand on educating and informing our constituents on pension and health care matters. A greater emphasis is being placed on advocacy, membership, and outreach to like-mined groups.

3. SUAACTION Report (Richard Johnson): Dick reminded members that SUAACTION champions the interest of all SURS members, and support for the organization is funded entirely by voluntary contributions. This allows key legislative work to be conducted without threatening the not-for-profit status of SUAA.

In January SUAACTION sent a letter to members, soliciting a donation for political action work. The overall fundraising organizational goal for 2008 was $150,000. The UIC goal was set at $20,000; as of April 18, our chapter had met 66% of that pledge. Dick has been pleased with the generosity of the UIC community and expects to meet our goal by August. Some of the funds will be contributed to individual candidates seeking office in November.

SUAA is sponsoring legislation in the state Senate on an amendment to the College Insurance Program (CIP) which supports a healthcare benefits package for community colleges. Members were urged to contact their state senators for endorsement of the pending legislation.

Members were encouraged to participate in the Higher Education Lobby Day on April 9. It was pointed out that the primary focus of this event is to show support and should not be thought of as a lobbying tool. Face-to face meeting with your representatives is needed to actually impact policy.

4. Treasurer's Report (Charles Stanislao): Chuck gave the following financial report:

Savings Account $14,002

Checking Account 2,119

Certificate of Deposit 27,122

The Audit Committee has been unable to conduct an annual audit due to discrepancies of membership counts offered by the central office versus those of the Chapter. The matter is being resolved.

5. Membership Report (Sue Sindelar): Sue reported that, based on information received from the central office, membership counts have increased from 1601 to 1624 since October 2007. However, she is not convinced that the figures are accurate and is working with the Chapter Treasurer and central office to verify counts. Membership activities included the following:

An ad was placed in UIC News inviting employees to join UIC UNITED, followed by an appeal letter from President Miller.
A half-page ad was placed in UIC News announcing a UIC UNITED program on Social Security and Pensions.
A full-page ad was placed in UIC News inviting SURS members to attend the annual retirement conference.
A survey will be sent to current UIC members to determine the type of activities and programs that are most desired.
Faculty members of UIC UNITED are being encouraged to participate in employee orientations to introduce new workers to the organization.
Efforts are underway to develop partnerships with trade unions and other organizations that share our goal of educating members on pension and health care matters.

6. Program and Social Report (Carol Humble and Rose Kirk): The following events are planned for the 2008-2009 year:

September	An evening forum (panel format) will be presented on the pros and cons of a State constitutional convention. A wine-and-cheese reception will follow.
October	The Fall Chapter meeting is scheduled. Coffee and sweets will be provided before the meeting. Lunch is optional.
November	brown bag lunch/discussion on post election results
December	holiday luncheon at Costa's (first week in the month)
February	an evening forum on the interplay between Social Security and SURS
March	annual retirement conference
April	Spring Chapter meeting

7. Newsletter (Larry Poston, Editor) Larry introduced Judy Curry as the new co-editor. They are looking at various formats and content options for the newsletter, including frequency of distribution.

8. Nominating Committee (Jake Starks, Sue Sindelar, and Chuck Stanislao): The following slate of candidates was presented to the membership for consideration:

1st Vice President	Merrill Gassman
Secretary	Carole Koch
Directors-at-Large	Marsha Borders, 1-yr term; Leonard Ramirez, 2-yr term; William Troyer, 2-yr. term

The slate as proposed was unanimously approved by the membership.

9. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 10:55am.

Respectfully submitted,

Marsha Borders, Chapter Secretary

to the Chapter's home page

Last modified: Dec. 6, 2008

webmaster: suaa@uic.edu

Savings Account	$14,002
Checking Account	2,119
Certificate of Deposit	27,122