Easy Does It Board of Directors Meeting
January 23rd, 2003
Attendance: Jonathan Gold Peter Trier Hale Zukas Jesse
Townley Dina Valicenti Winston Ching Jonah Markowitz Leslie Gordon Kyle
Eminger
Todd Groves (by phone)
Staff Present: Felix Knauth
6:35 Meeting called to order by Peter Trier
Public Comment:
Jonah: I had a great time bowling with BORP. I acquired
a prize for “the attendant
of the month” – a bowling party. Call 510-843-4398 Laurie
if you are interested in a bowling outing.
I began an attempt to get Assembly Bill #524 revived. Contacted State Assembly Person Lonnie Hancock’s Chief of Staff.
We lost some important people recently, Doug Martin and Drew Batavia who were both advocates for Medicare.
Minutes
Jonathan: I did a new style, how does everyone like it?
Dina and Jonah like the new style
Jesse: Motion to approve the minutes from November 25th, 2002
Jonah: Seconds
Motion passes
Agenda
Peter: I want to add Jesse’s new by-laws and put
them in the President’s Report, I also want to go into Executive
Session by 8:30.
Jonathan: Hire Dina to take minutes should be an action item
Peter: Make it the first Action Item
Jonah: Right of Refusal for ED we have to get to tonight, means that
the ED can say whether attendant works in a particular environment.
I would like it to be the first Discussion Item. We also have to talk
about Kyle’s Employees Bill of Rights.
Peter: When we get to it we will talk about it. Put at letter i in Action
– Respiration Care Update.
Kyle: Rapid Response collaborating with IHSS poses a threat to EDI;
I would like to see that as a Discussion Item.
Jonah: Motion to approve the Agenda with changes.
Jesse: Seconds
Motion passes.
President’s Report
Peter: I had a meeting with Felix and Earl Johnson; we
feel that it should be an open process for the grant. The city thinks
that we should just get it. There will be a meeting at Peter’s
this Monday; we will eventually have to discuss the proposal. Administratively
things are moving along. We had a functional Judicial meeting with appeal
at the last meeting. I hope that Leslie will talk about the Personnel
Committee. Any questions?
Jonah: I wanted to bring up some concern about the Judicial hearing,
I will wait to Executive Session.
Peter: I would like to talk about the proposed by-laws’ changes
by Jesse.
(Jesse then reads the new paragraphs of the by-laws)
Jesse: The Board has the right to put anyone on a committee.
Jonathan: Does the Board have the final say? Can they pull someone off
a committee that the President put on?
Peter: Yes
Jonathan: Might want to include the hierarchy into the by-law.
Hale: I was going to object to taking this up with no notice. This discussion
is a good example of why I object. I don’t know what you are talking
about.
Peter: I wanted to bring it forward; I have no problem waiting until
next meeting.
Winston: Is it a change or a new idea?
Peter: There is no statement. We created a Fundraising Committee, I
asked Todd to chair, but that was not before the Board. There should
be somewhere in writing about procedure of Committee appointments.
Jonah: I would like to try and move the first proposed by-laws’
change. Motion to accept the first proposed by-law.
Jesse: Seconds
Peter: Motion to table until the next meeting.
Winston: Seconds
Motion to table passes.
Peter: I would like to talk about the second proposed
by-law.
(Jesse then reads the second new by-law)
This has been discussed with Felix.
Jonathan: Was this at a regular meeting?
Peter: Yes
Jonathan: Can other things be added?
Leslie: Will it take effect in July?
Peter: If we approve it before then.
Leslie: When will the evaluations take effect?
Peter: In April if we vote before that. If the Board votes on a new
ED then the Board at that time calls the dates.
Jonah: Motion to accept the second new by-law.
Hale: Motion to table until next meeting.
Peter: Seconds
Roll Call Vote: Aye’s Nay’s
Todd Hale Jonah
Peter Kyle Dina Leslie Winston Jesse
Jonathan
Motion to table passes.
Hale: When did it go out on e-mail?
Peter: Today. I apologize for that, things will go out earlier.
Executive Director’s Report
Felix: Everything is in the report that was sent out.
With our outreach we are getting more seniors. Today alone, we signed
up 3 new clients, 2 of which were seniors.
Jesse: I would like to thank you for your constant updates. It is nice
to know what is going on all the time. The incident report dated Jan
21st. (then reads the letter) I have two questions. 1. The sentence
that states the attendant has 2 refusals; this attendant had already
had 2? (then reads the refusal policy) the fourth “by-law”
we need to change.
Jonathan: The attendant refusing is at the client’s hurt.
Felix: Take a look at the rewrite of the handbook. (then hands out the
draft of the rewrite).
Jesse: Second question. Never mind.
Kyle: Seems ironic and neurotic that “client refusals” go
both ways. On the surface it looks confusing. It’s 100% inaccurate;
make a clarification of workplace, based on working relationship, not
all the way client needs.
Jonah: There are certain situations that the ED can refuse to send an
attendant in. The attendant doesn’t refuse client but the ED can
refuse.
Peter: There is a limitation, if an attendant has already refused 2
clients and the attendant then gets harassed, the ED has to do something.
Jonathan: The attendant has 2 refusals that don’t have to be fully
explained.
Todd: It is like the unexplained refusals an attorney has.
Peter: Our attorney is going to look at the rewrite of the handbook.
Hale: It all comes down to the extent of the extenuating circumstances.
i.e. of what happened the previous time. If not much actually happened
then the attendant is liable. However, the ED has to decide.
Kyle: The attendant should have told the office that they didn’t
want to go. This is something that I refer to as a “Breach of
Contract”.
Winston: Were there 3 or 4 reasons for refusals in the old handbook?
Jonathan: 4 reasons: physical, environmental, psychological and legal.
Jesse: In the handbook we have “Refusal Policy”, not just
“client refusal”.
Peter: This is a proposal; I hope we can get it.
Jesse: I remember that I have refused to allow some attendants to go
to certain client’s homes.
Secretary’s Report
Jonah: I would like to move Dina getting paid to take
the minutes here.
Felix: I think you should check the by-laws to see if she can get paid
through the organization.
Jesse: It is ok; we have had paid employees on our Board already.
Peter: Jonah has asked to move the motion to pay Dina to now.
Jonah: Motion to pay Dina a $45 stipend per meeting for taking the notes.
Peter: I would like to make a friendly amendment, we try this out for
three months to see if either she wants to continue or we want to try
something else.
Jonah: In April we will make decision for a permanent
notetaker.
Peter: Seconds.
Motion passes. Dina abstains.
Executive Committee Report
Peter: There is none.
Fundraising Committee Report
Todd: Felix has it written up. It is ok for Felix to read
it.
Felix: It is in the ED report.
Peter: I would like to ask Fundraising Committee to keep a record of
who to re-contact and when, someone in addition to the ED.
Todd: We have to make a work plan.
Jonah: Remember that Winston wants to have a different Fundraising letter.
Peter: It is important to say how you put a letter together and who
you contact.
Hale: I found it revolting that the one [letter] talking about [things]
that we would do, that we have never said that. In terms of programs
we are claiming to do stuff we have never done.
Peter: I have no problem of collectively putting it on the agenda.
Jonathan: I would like to see it earlier.
Jesse: How can the other Board members let the Fundraising Committee
hear our critiques?
Peter: You can tell Todd or bring it to the Board.
Jesse: Maybe we can put it on the e-mail list.
Peter: Todd: see that members get copies of the letter.
Todd: I will post it and let people know when things are going to happen.
Jonah: I support other Board members’ supporting letters and ideas
but the meetings are for the committees.
Peter: There is no rule that the meetings are closed.
Personnel/Judicial Committee Report
Leslie: I have class on Tuesday’s at noon so I can’t
attend a meeting if it is then.
Jesse: Judicial side met; that is in President’s report. As for
the Personnel Committee, I would like us to come back to the next meeting
with having already looked at the new Handbook, Bill of Rights and the
attendant evaluations. If that is ok with the Board.
Peter: We have to consider Kyle’s Employee Bill of Rights at the
next meeting.
Jesse: I was lucky enough to attend a meeting with our lawyer about
brand new labor laws that we need to put in the handbook.
Action Items
1. Employee Bill of Rights –
Kyle: I would like to ask staff a question before I go
to the Bill of Rights.
Jonathan: Should Kyle meet with Personnel Committee?
Peter: He is on the Personnel Committee.
Kyle: I have concerns with the Fundraising Committee around the letter.
Peter: We are at the Bill of Rights on the agenda.
Kyle: I would like to table and go to the Personnel Committee. The second
fundraising
letter was a diminished perception of EDI. The statement about EDI’s
mission looks like we try to put clients back to work. That is different
than what we do. This is an angle that misrepresents EDI. I am concerned
about the approval process for the letter. I feel the Board was denied
a chance to decide.
Peter: The reality is, I made a proposal that the Fundraising Committee
approve the draft. We have accepted what goes in letters. We have never
put on the agenda to vote for the Fundraising letter.
Kyle: Look at my write-ups, and less around the structure of committees
and more about the procedure.
Peter: I have no problem when people want to change procedures.
Hale: I debated for some time whether I had any business saying anything
about the Fundraising letter. Finally I decided that anyone had a right
to prevent a crime.
Jesse: I have 2 comments on the packet we jut got from Kyle. 1. We are
set up on a committee basis. There are good points to force the Board
to participate in fundraising but it cuts down to that the ED and the
Committee Chair.
Jonathan: I think we should all get a chance to read this first.
Peter: We are all responsible for the Board.
Kyle: I became aware of different columns that can be used on a Fundraising
Letter. What kind of oversight there is? I looked into it and found
a few things that might help. Organizations that are watch dogs.
Peter: We have a committee that deals with this.
Kyle: There is a statement in Business law that says Fundraising letters
have to be real.
Jonathan: What is the process that Board members can protest about a
certain committee? A process to which Kyle can show Fundraising Committee
what he found.
Peter: Yes, he can appropriate, ask for something in writing.
Jonathan: I would like this all to be at the next Fundraising Committee
meeting. When is the next meeting?
Jesse: Things will have to go directly to the Chair of the committee.
Felix: Second Tuesday of each month at noon at the UC Café.
Jonah: Motion to move to Executive Session.
Jonathan: Seconds
Motion passes.
Time is 8:30 pm.
Return from Executive Session
Jonah: Motion to adjourn.
Jesse: Seconds
Motion passes.
Time is 9:15 pm.
Minutes taken by Dina Valicenti