May 25 GM Reminder and Other News

Hello Coop Member,

The Coop’s next General Meeting (GM) is on Tuesday, May 25 at 7:00 pm via Zoom. Come to hear the Coop’s financial report, General Coordinator reports, and make your voice heard in the Coop’s democratic governance system. There are two voting items on the May agenda. A link to the agenda is provided below.

Register to Attend the GM and VOTE

  • To participate in and vote at the May GM, you must register by 5:00 pm on Tue., May 25: https://www.foodcoop.com/gmsignup/
  • Members who pre-register, and are eligible to attend, will receive a Zoom invite and GM materials via email on May 25 after 5:00 pm.
  • Get prepared for the GM by reading the meeting agenda here: https://www.foodcoop.com/gmagenda/
  • No work credit is given for your virtual participation.

FINANCIAL REPORT

The Coop’s 12-week financial statement will be presented during the Treasurer’s report at the May GM. Time is allowed for questions from members. Follow this link to preview the financial statement prior to the meeting.

SEEKING MEMBER INPUT REGARDING COOP FACE MASK policy

As you are aware, the CDC issued updated face mask guidance for fully vaccinated individuals. On May 19, New York State issued its guidance for businesses regarding face mask and social distancing policies. NY State’s guidance is based on the CDC. The GCs are considering changes to the Coop’s face mask and social distancing policies in light of these developments. We are seeking member input in this deliberation process. Please follow the link below to give us your input.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YHVPW2R

SMALL CHANGES TO SHOPPING HOURS

Starting on Monday, May 24, member-shoppers must be online inside the Coop by 8:15 p.m. The Coop closes at 8:00 pm and members will have 15 minutes to get online to check out. This change is a reversion to the long-standing, pre-COVID shopping policy that gave members 15 minutes after the Coop closed to finish their shopping.

Senior and high-risk hours on Thursday have ended. There are no longer any special shopping hours for this group. All Coop members are welcome to enter the Coop starting at 8:00 am on Thursdays. Over the past couple of months as vaccination rates increased and positivity rates decreased, the Coop staff noticed fewer members in these groups utilizing these hours. With decreased need, it no longer made sense to set aside these special hours.

PREPARING FOR THE RETURN OF MEMBER LABOR IN JULY

As the Coop prepares for the return of the member-labor work requirement in July, members may use features and forms in Member Services to apply for a leave from the Coop or to request to be moved to a work exempt committee. Please login to your Member Services account to view these options. Not familiar with Member Services? Follow this link to sign-up https://foodcoop.com/services/

We are asking Coop members who know that they will not be available to resume working a shift in July to notify the Coop now. Your notification will help us a lot in our planning.

  • Temporary or permanent leave from the Coop: For members who will be out of town in the summer or are planning a move, for example, we are asking that you take a leave from the Coop. If you know now that you will not be around on or after July 12, let us know! By taking a leave, you will help us have a more accurate understanding of the size of the Coop membership available to work.
    For more information, follow this link https://foodcoop.com/leave/
  • Temporary COVID work exemption: For our Coop members who are at high risk for severe complications from COVID, or are caring for someone at high-risk, and will not be ready to return to a work shift, the Coop has made available a special COVID work exemption. This temporary exemption will allow Coop members to continue to shop at the Coop without having to fulfill the work requirement before August 31. To learn more about this exemption and to apply, please use the Virtual Office feature https://members.foodcoop.com/services/request_member/
  • Joining a Work-exempt Committee: Members who want to apply for one of the Coop’s regular work exempt committees — disability (permanent or temporary), parental, elder, or bereavement leave — will need to go to the second-floor service desk for assistance. The service desk is staffed from 9:00 am – 7:00 pm daily. We are hopeful that in the next week or so week you will be able to apply for work exemption via Member Services.

We look forward to seeing many of you at the GM on May 25. Your participation in our governance process is important to our member-labor participatory model. The GM is where you get to discuss and vote on important proposals and also to hear directly from the General Coordinator team about the finances and operations of your Coop.

In Cooperation,

Ann Herpel, General Coordinator
On behalf of the General Coordinator Team