by Jeannine Bindl, Board President
Hello Willy Street Co-op community. April has arrived, hopefully with some sunshine! Thank you for being part of our community.
Union contract
A couple weeks ago, the Board was notified that our union staff voted on and approved the union contract negotiated by bargaining teams. Thank you to everyone who was involved in the process. Many people put in an incredible amount of time and effort to make this happen in such a short period of time. Willy Street Co-op has once again exceeded expectations. Thank you also to the Owners who spoke up during the negotiation; our Co-op is stronger when we all participate.
Board meetings
March 17 was the date of our last Board meeting. To avoid further spread of COVID-19 we canceled our Board meeting and dealt with any time-sensitive agenda items via email. These Board decisions will be reflected in the April meeting minutes. So far, these decisions consisted of a vote on disbursement of equity and continued participation in the National Co-op Grocers.
We are working now to make sure that everything is in place for our next meeting to be executed electronically if we are unable to meet in person. We are also working to ensure Owners can listen to the Board meeting electronically, should we not be meeting in person. Please check the Co-op’s website and social media platforms (such as Facebook and Instagram) for more information as the April Board meeting gets closer. The date for that Board meeting is April 21, 2020.
Board retreat
In lieu of a Board meeting in February, we met for a full day Board retreat. At our retreat we continued to learn about grocery industry trends, strategic planning and preferred shares, to name a few topics. We also had the opportunity to learn more about and practice using generative decision-making. If you haven’t already, look it up! Generative decision-making is a useful way to move through the decision-making process in a group setting.
Minutes and agendas posted in stores
We continue to work to make our Board and Co-op stronger. Strategic planning, our governance policies, and ways we can communicate with Owners are some of the topic areas we are investing in right now. One new way we are trying to communicate with Owners is posting our meeting agendas and minutes in stores. This information and details on running for the Board of Directors is available in stores, please check with the Co-op Services staff for the specific location at your site.
Thank you
As always, thank you for your continued support of our Cooperative. Things seem to be changing rapidly; your continued support of our local Madison economy is important and appreciated. Please do not hesitate to reach out to your Board with questions, comments, or concerns at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (includes some of our management team). Cheers to you and the spring season on its way!
Run for a Seat on the Board
Are you interested in running for one of the three Board of Directors seats up for election this summer? Check out our Board candidate application at willystreet.coop/pages/run-for-the-willy-street-co-op-board or at the Owner Resources area in the stores. Candidate applications are due by noon on June 1. One of the requirements is to attend a Board meeting, and there are two coming up before voting starts in July:
• April 21, 2020
• June 16, 2020
Board meetings start at 6:30pm and are held at our Central Office (1457 E. Washington Ave. in Madison).