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MINUTES OF THE

TNG-CWA Human Rights and Equity Committee

August 16, 2008

PRESENT: Michael D'Souza, Chair; Yoko Kuramoto-Eidsmoe; Joe Lapi; Carl Younger; Randye Gilliam; Vernon Clark; Sheila Lindsay; Melissa Nelson, TNG-CWA Sector Rep.; Arnold Amber; Carol Rothman

ABSENT: Olivia James; Fareed Mohammed; Sherri Borden Colley; Natalie Hill;
 
MINUTES PREPARED BY MICHAEL D'SOUZA.

Checked by Yoko Kuramoto-Eidsmoe 

The budget was the primary topic for discussion at this meeting. Carol Rothman informed the committee that the union was going through difficult financial times and was underfunded by about $180,000. She reported that she had taken the committee’s budget presentation for 2008 and spread the proposals over three years. She has also added expenses for attendance at the NLOS to the committee’s budget. Rothman said she was looking at the Anti-Discrimination Fund as the source of funding for the committee’s work. She had also forwarded the expenses of the conference on Human Rights and Equity in Las Vegas to the committee. Committee members had just received all this information and not had an opportunity to review it. (The Rothman documents are attached.)

Michael D’Souza said he was disappointed that the union was considering funding the committee’s activities from a limited fund, the Anti-Discrimination Fund. He noted the committee had presented a solid program that needed to be paid for properly. He said that the committee agreed to drawing on this fund to pay for the conference on Human Rights because the overall budget had yet to be approved. He noted that this was his first look at the Rothman proposal and that the rest of the committee had probably not seen it at all.

Arnold Amber said that the committee’s work was important and suggested that the TNG should look for other was of financing it.

Randye Gilliam asked why the union was using a limited fund, the Anti-Discrimination Fund, to pay for the committee’s work.

Rothman told the committee that president Bernie Lunzer had directed on funding the committee. She added that this was her first exposure to the committee and its workings and would review the matter.

Yoko Kuramoto-Eidsmoe recalled that there had been a discussion about using up this fund, but that neither Lunzer nor Rothman had been on that call.

The committee agreed that it should take the time to review the matter and talk about the budget at its next meeting on Saturday, September 6. This is an effort to have a presentation ready for the TNG Executive before its meeting on September 24.

UNITY:

Vernon Clark reported on his attendance at the UNITY Conference as the committee’s delegate. He said there was great alarm at the conference about the state of the newspaper industry. He added that the NABJ noted a commitment to preserving diversity in the industry

SCHOOL OUTREACH:

Carl Younger reported that the Boston local was meeting with the school board in Quincy, Mass., about talking to school students about the role of unions in society.  He reported that he is working on a syllabus for this program. D’Souza suggested that he talk to the Next Generation committee about the syllabus it was working on for outreach to university and college students.

The committee adjourned at 13:28 Eastern and agreed to meet again by telephone conference on Saturday, September 6, 2008, at 2 p.m. Atlantic; 1 p.m. Eastern, 10 a.m. Pacific. 

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