SECU "middle of the night" Bylaw Shenanigans - Killing Off Democratic Member Control, End of An Era?

   

SECU democratic member control (b. 1937, d. 2022)

🔆 The SECU Board has illegally stripped the SECU membership of the right to democratically participate in the annual meeting of the members!

✅ The SECU Annual Meeting Agenda was codifed in the SECU bylaws for the last 85 years, until 6/30/2023! 

✅ "New business" for example is where members could introduce "polite resolutions" and make motions requiring Board action.

✅ Here was the required agenda in 2022 and all prior years:

(a) Ascertain that a quorum is present.
(b) Reading and approval (or correction) of the minutes of the last meeting.
(c) Report of directors
(d) Report of the financial status
(e) Report of the loan activity
(f) Report of audit/examination
(g) Unfinished business.
(h) New business other than elections                                                                                                       (i) Report of nominating committee                                                              (k) Elections                                                                                                  (l) Adjournment ... no other rules!

 

✅ The "new rules" agenda for the SECU 2023 Annual Meeting.

✅ The SECU Board changed the bylaws 6/30/2023 (3 months ago!) to assure SECU members - that means you and all 2.7 million SECU members - no longer have any opportunity to introduce "polite resolutions" nor make "substantive" motions at the Annual Meeting. If you haven't googled the word "substantive" recently, it means anything important or meaningful! So, the SECU Board still welcomes members to attend the Annual Meeting, as long as you don't plan to do anything important or meaningful.

1) Call to Order/Confirmation of Quorum/Polls Open
2) Approval of 2022 Annual Meeting Minutes
3) Recognition of Board members and current and retired SECU employees
4) Report of the Chair & Bylaws Update
5) Report of CliftonLarsonAllen
6) Report of Nominating Committee
7) Report of SECU Foundation
8) Report of the President and CEO
9) Voting Concludes
10) Member Feedback Forum***
11) Election Results
12) Adjournment

*** Plus these new rules [link to all new rules - see pg. 6]:

Rule 5. Up to one hour will be set aside during the meeting for comments from members.  

Rule 6. Before a member can speak, the member must seek recognition from the presiding officer. Upon recognition, members shall provide their name and city of residence and then make their comments. All comments should be directed to the Chairman.  

Rule 7. To permit as many members to make comments as possible, and to conclude the meeting within a reasonable time, no member may speak more than twice on the same day or longer than two (2) minutes each time, without permission of the Chairman. No member is entitled to the floor if another member who has not spoken desires to speak. Unused time may not be yielded to another member. Due to time constraints, we cannot assure that we can recognize every member who desires to make a comment.  

Rule 8. No substantive motions shall be permitted from the floor other than those provided in the notice of the meeting.

Rule 10. No materials, other than materials approved in advance by SECU, may be distributed at the Annual Meeting.  

Rule 11. Phones shall be turned off or placed in silent mode. Unauthorized videoing or recording of the Annual Meeting is prohibited. 

 

Is Chris Ayers chairing the 2023 SECU Annual Meeting or the "1984" SECU Annual Meeting? "This Board" never ceases to amaze...