Our Recording Secretary Role

You get to cast a vote on our executive board, something only you and 4 others get.

You are guaranteed your regular rate for 2 hours of meetings per month, plus any stewarding work, plus 2 hours of administrative time per month.

You can attend meetings and steward for our members during your normal workday, and you only need to inform your manager (you don’t have to ask permission).

You can do administrative work during your normal workday, with permission from your manager. 

For work done outside of your usual hours, fill out a “supplemental pay” form to be compensated.

Take notes at every membership meeting, officers meeting, and any other meetings, and share those notes appropriately. If you are not able to take notes at a given meeting, you are responsible for finding someone who can and making sure they know how to do this task properly. See below for more on meeting notes.

Check the union’s PO box at least once per week, and make sure all mail finds its way to the right person or people promptly. Our PO Box is #6, at the Montpelier post office. Another officer can show you where to find the keys.

Manage correspondence with the Local’s membership. This includes:

• Membership meeting announcement emails, one week prior to meetings

• Membership-wide updates, calls to action, etc.

• Managing union posters, such as meeting announcement posters–making sure they go up and come down in a timely manner

Manage general correspondence with management. This might include:

• Scheduling housekeeping meetings

• Replying to inquiry emails sent to the whole e-board, once we have discussed and decided on a response

• Sending inquiries on behalf of the e-board, once we have discussed and decided what should be sent

Traditionally, the Recording Secretary is also the point person for the Local’s newsletter

The constitution also says the Recording Secretary verifies whether nominees for any office accept their nominations. However, the practice of this Local has been that often election committees do this instead

Participate in decision making, as a member of the e-board

Monthly membership meetings: 1st Tuesdays, 1-2pm

Any special membership meetings (often last Tuesdays, 1-2pm)

Stewards meetings: 2nd Tuesdays, 1-2pm

Executive Board meetings: 3rd Tuesdays, 1-2pm

Housekeeping meetings: as scheduled with upper management

Membership meeting notes should always include:

• The date and time of the meeting, and whether it is a regular membership meeting or a special meeting

• A list of all attendees. UE staff (e.g. Abbie), executive board members, members at large (all non-officer members), and any guests (these could be people we invite, or new hires who are not yet union members) should be listed separately from each other.

• The exact language of all motions, names of people who made each motion, names of people who seconded each motion, and the result of all votes. If a motion is amended during the process, the final language is what should be recorded. Please ask for language to be repeated if needed, to ensure the exact language is recorded. 

• Key points from reports and key points of discussion that we may want to refer to later. Keep these minimal and brief.

• Note that meetings minutes should NOT include the exact amounts of money reported during the Financial Report, or any sensitive information. 

Once the notes are typed and finalized, please put them in the following two places:

• In the “membership meeting notes” Google drive folder 

• A printed copy in the “UE 255 minutes” binder in the break-room

A PDF of the previous month’s minutes should be included in each meeting announcement email, along with a PDF of the agenda for the upcoming meeting.

What goes on posters? 

• Meeting announcements (1 week in advance for regular meetings)

• Key takeaways such as major decisions following meetings

• Announcements of events (regional meetings, conferences, etc.)

• Anything else we want to make sure everyone knows about

Where do posters go?

• Union board in the break room

• “Union news” clipboard near the top of the stairs

• Stairwell 

• Union board by the doors to the sales floor near the beer & wine desk

• Community board behind the cull carts

How to print at HMC:

• Use any “shared workspace” computer, or any computer you have permission to use

• The two printers we usually use are “Canon [PS01]” and “Downstairs Color Printer”

• Record pages printed on the clipboard on top of our black filing cabinet. 

We have two filing cabinets. One is black and one is white. Both are upstairs near the conference room. In addition, some union materials are stored on the bookshelf outside the conference room. 

Membership lists including member emails are emailed to all executive board members by payroll each month.

Check out the union library in the breakroom for many useful reference books

Many shared documents, forms, etc. are to be found in the “shared UE 255 resources” Google folder