March General Meeting: Status of the BDS Vote, Potential Board Members and Personnel Policies

By Jess Powers

The March General Meeting returned to the Picnic House in Prospect Park. It addressed the status of the Boycott Divestment Sanctions (BDS) vote, provided introductions to potential Board members and discussed personnel policies and other Coop business. Roughly 150 people were in attendance. Attendees receive a detailed email with the agenda, a four-week financial statement, draft February minutes and materials on Coop governance.

Update on the BDS Vote

Ahead of the member Open Forum, the Chair Committee decided to invite General Coordinator Joe Holtz to speak. When questioned about this decision by a member, Joseph Senda explained that the Chair anticipated questions and comments about the BDS vote and wanted to address the current status of the vote. Holtz explained that after an eight-year search for a venue that can accommodate more than two thousand people, anticipated for a “referendum on Israeli products,” the Claire Tow Theater at Brooklyn College could be secured for the May 28 General Meeting. Four members submitted agenda items for a vote; all four members declined to put forward their item for the May meeting. Members for and against the BDS movement voiced their positions. Before beginning the Treasurer’s Report, Holtz added that “boycotts in the past had 87-100% support” whereas “this one has thousands of members who are upset on both sides.” He offered: “The Coop is open to different groups. It’s a challenge. I don’t know how our Coop is going to resolve this.”

One member made a comment regarding a lack of hooks to hang carts (which were already replaced) and another spoke about food waste in the compost bins. Another member questioned how agenda items are prioritized and why, as a person with a disability who had difficulty attending in person, their item about hybrid meetings was bumped in favor of an agenda item from staff.

Holtz said that the agenda item on personnel was of “vital importance to the Coop” for “succession planning.” During the Treasurer’s Report, Holtz elaborated on employee health benefits: “Each financial report is an opportunity to learn more about some important aspect of the financial statement,” he said.

Compost, Sewage and Tortillas

General Coordinator Elinoar Astrinsky responded to an Open Forum question about composting. She explained that with thousands of new members and no squads with specialties that were refined over time, there is a “constant training battle.” Blemished food suitable for the soup kitchen winds up in compost. A video has been made to better train produce workers.

Recent long lines at the Coop for the bathrooms had to do with “untoward stuff [making its] way down to food processing.” Raw sewage was leaking and repairs included snaking, water jetting and cameras in the pipes (“kind of like a colonoscopy,” she added). A sagging pipe is being properly pitched and a new pipe connected to the sewer.

Astrinsky also explained that spring produce is still growing, so besides an “unusual crop of strawberries, under $2 a quart,” there are Vista Hermosa tortillas, Rancho Gordo beans, and other specialty items to try, as well as Easter chocolates and chocolate matzah for Passover.

Board of Director Candidate Presentations

Nine candidates are competing for two open seats on the Board; elections will be held at the June 25, 2024 Annual Meeting. All of the candidates expressed their love of the Coop community and interest in participating as Board members.

Tess Brown-Lavoie has a background in agriculture, land and food justice. JulieAnn Buzzanca was unable to attend but created a video message; she works in financial and accounting services. Avery Houser founded an all-natural hard seltzer company. Ramon Maislen is a project manager for complex construction projects who attended the Sudbury Valley School, a democratic school where elementary school students had votes equal to teachers. Jimmy Royston is a partner at a global consulting firm who works with many of the brands found at the Coop. Sondra Shaievitz, a Coop member for 30 years who attended “so many GMs and almost every single Zoom meeting,” is a corporate lawyer who became an energy healer and spiritual teacher. And finally, Keyian Vafai was a field organizer for Julia Salazar’s State Senate campaign.

When asked if they could envision not following the advice of the membership in a controversial vote, the prospective Board members said they could as long as no legal or financial hardships would come to the Coop as a result. Maislen added that he was probably one of the few people in the room to have visited multiple Palestinian cities, adding “[Coop members] have to live together, live in a democracy.” Candidates Richard Alvarez and Ralph Yozzo were not in attendance.

Please refer to full candidate statements here: https://linewaitersgazette.com/2024/03/19/board-candidates-who-they-are-and-why-theyre-running/.

Coop Employees and Personnel Policies

General Coordinators Joe Holtz and Lisa Moore proposed changes to personnel policies, citing “deficiencies” in the policies approved by the GM in 1981, which need to be updated to reflect widely accepted HR practices. The goal is to have all policies in one place and to codify existing policies. Holtz also noted that they cannot advertise for new members to the Personnel Committee, which currently has two members, without approval of the proposal, which clarifies the role of the Committee.

Moore explained the four-part proposal. The first part restated a policy that had already been passed, which states that all HR matters related to staff under the supervision of the general coordinators will be decided by the general coordinators. She stated that the employee handbook is regularly reviewed with an employment lawyer and that changes are reviewed with staff. The second part dealt with HR matters related to the general coordinators and the general manager. According to Moore, the general coordinators worked with the Personnel Committee and sought input from an employment lawyer recommended by National Co+op Grocers to revise the hiring, disciplinary actions and termination policies for the general coordinators and the general manager. All general coordinators agreed to these changes. The third part established that personnel policies would only be decided by the general manager, general coordinator team and/or the Personnel Committee. The final part stated that this new policy would replace all previous decisions related to these HR policies.

Coop member Andy Feldman cited a Gazette article that alluded to “deep divides [among] Coordinators.” Holtz acknowledged “deep and painful divides” and suggested that committee members could assist with “actively trying to heal them.” Moore added that the Coop works with the New York Peace Institute, an organization that helps mediate workplace issues, and noted that it has been “a path that helped us” with “developing a policy that we could all agree to.” Both acknowledged a need to balance transparency with confidentiality on workplace and performance issues. Chair Committee member Imani Q’ryn pointed out that with only two open board seats, some of the candidates might consider using their skills in this important role.

Jason Weiner, a membership coordinator, spoke as an hourly employee and responded to a question about the status of the union. He believes that the personnel proposal serves to protect his rights as a paid employee at the Coop. He described a need to balance membership and paid staff, to have more transparency and a codified plan. Lastly, he recognized the two remaining members of the Personnel Committee: “They are amazing, and hopefully [there will be] more [soon].”

The minutes for the previous meeting were approved and the meeting was adjourned.

Jess Powers works in emergency management and enjoys adventures in nature and cooking. She’s on IG @foodandfury.