by Sarah Larson, Board Member
December brings with it a focus on reflection, family and friends, self-made or long-held traditions, and celebration. Whether that means a house full of people, a kitchen full of sustainable food, or quiet time full of reflection, we hope you find tools and sustenance to support your year-end rituals at our Co-op. For me, at year’s end, I look forward to reflecting on how my relationships have grown in the last year and how I can best show my appreciation for that growth—whether through a thoughtful gift, note, or taking the time to treat a loved one to a shared experience.
First education session
Amidst all this, there is also still work to do and balls to keep in the air. In November the Board held our first education session. We are excited to bring education sessions into our Board routine; not only do they provide an opportunity to keep Board members current on best practices in governance, they allow us to hear from experts on issues most relevant to our Co-op’s unique needs. This helps your Board be better informed and it enables us to become better Board members and better representatives, of you, the Ownership.
In November, our education session focused on:
• Unionization/Collective Bargaining Process: The Board received an overview of what to expect during the collective bargaining process.
• Bylaws: We have been reviewing the bylaws with various Board committees, management and legal counsel. The last full review was carried out in 2008, two years before Willy West opened. We plan to present proposed changes as part of our review process to Owners for input in January and February with ample time to consider Owner feedback ahead of the July ballot.
• General Manager Evaluation Best Practices: Just like our bylaws, there are other practices or processes that should receive an occasional review. Another one that came up was the evaluation process of the Board’s one employee—the General Manager. Thus, we incorporated this into our education session and spoke with Columinate (a national consulting cooperative serving mission-driven organizations, including food co-ops) about ways they see evaluations best occuring within the Policy Governance model.
We learned a lot from this session and feel we are working through the unionization process in a way that is both fair and consistent with and in a timeframe in line with other co-ops who have gone through similar journeys. We have also been left with some additional perspectives to take into our policy monitoring report reviews to affirm we are incorporating the best practices and best metrics to inform General Manager evaluation.
Watch for some of your Board members helping bag groceries during this busy time of year. It’s all hands on deck as we focus on the end of the year rush. Thank you for your continued support and for being a part of another year of collective cooperative impact!