COMMENTARY: The UNA's proposed by-laws and our organization's future (02/04/01)

COMMENTARY

The UNA's proposed by-laws and our organization's future

by Taras Szmagala Jr.

Imagine an organization that controls tens of millions of dollars in assets, operates a 400-acre resort in New York, publishes two weekly newspapers, and has tens of thousands of members. Every year, this organization generates approximately $6 million in revenue, and incurs about the same amount in expenses. It's a company that is heavily regulated by state authorities, and is engaged in one of the most competitive industries in the United States.

Now suppose, further, that you are a shareholder in this organization, with a vested personal interest in its success. One day, you receive a letter in the mail from this organization, and it asks you the following question: "In what manner would you like us to select our chief executives?" Reading on, you discover that you have two choices: first, you have the option to select your full-time chief executive at a convention once every four years. At this convention, prospective executives will undergo a particularly interesting review process: they will be required to pass out leaflets, flyers, pens and buttons emblazoned with their names in an effort to secure employment. Whether they receive the job will depend on the determination of more than 300 convention delegates who, while mostly wise and intelligent, possess limited information about each candidate, and are given only one day to decide whom to select. Once selected, the lucky executive will be accountable essentially to no one, receiving little guidance and even less oversight.

The second option provides for the selection of a chief executive by an 11-member board of trustees. This board would be responsible for recruiting, interviewing and eventually hiring the full-time head of the organization. The board would also exercise general oversight into the affairs of the association, formulate its policies and strategies, and oversee the implementation of those policies and strategies. Significantly, this board would also have the power to dismiss non-performing executives, thereby providing a degree of accountability not found in the first option.

As you may be aware, this is exactly the choice facing UNA members today. Shortly, delegates who served at the last UNA Convention will be receiving a ballot in the mail, asking them whether they prefer option one (UNA's current system) or option two, which was outlined previously in The Ukrainian Weekly. The future of our organization depends upon our delegates selecting the second option.

I am the first to admit that no governance structure is perfect, and that the UNA's current method for electing a president has served us well through much of our history. But we need a change - our organization simply cannot continue to run as it has been running. As we look forward to selecting a new president in 2002, it is imperative that we attract the best possible professional talent to our organization. To do that, we need to rid ourselves of our "hiring by convention" system.

The changes being proposed are not radical. Today, Ukrainian credit unions throughout the country operate on a board of trustees system. Many other fraternal associations have adopted the same system, and still more are considering changes similar to ours. In fact, most non-religious Ukrainian organizations operate exactly in this manner. Most importantly, a switch to this system would preserve our fraternal status - we will still operate using a branch system. Indeed, our branches' delegates to conventions will have a major responsibility: to elect a qualified and competent board of trustees.

Change is never easy, and it is rarely pleasant. And certainly we should be very, very careful about changing a system that has worked well for us for many years. But it is clear to me, and to many members of the Ukrainian National Association, that this change is necessary for the well-being of our organization. We can no longer pretend that our current system works, or that we can depend on it to recruit new executive leadership into our ranks.

So what can you do to help? Plenty. If you were a delegate to the last UNA Convention, you will shortly be receiving a ballot in the mail. I urge you to vote "yes" to adopt our new by-laws. If, like most UNA-ers, you were not a delegate at the last convention, please call the delegates from your branch and urge them to support these by-laws changes. These delegates represent you, and your voice should be heard.

Finally, I invite your comments, questions and opinions. Please do not hesitate to voice them either to me via e-mail at Szmagala@telocity.com), or, preferably, on the pages of Svoboda or The Ukrainian Weekly. We look forward to hearing from you.

Taras Szmagala serves as an advisor on the Ukrainian National Association's General Assembly and is chairman of the UNA By-Laws Committee.

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