MINUTES
UNDEREARNERS’ ANONYMOUS GSB MEETING
Friday, June 20, 2014
VIA TELEPHONE (712) 775-7100
The meeting opened at 5:00 PM Pacific Time (8:00 PM Eastern Time) with the Serenity Prayer. Cynthia volunteered to keep time. John N. read the Traditions.
Roll Call
Officers:
- Tamyah, Chair
- Matt, Vice Chair
- Ed W., Secretary
- Janis, Tradition Keeper
Committee Chairs:
- Bella, world service committee
- Mary Joan, phone and technology committee
General Service Representatives:
- Glenda, 7:15 Monday night last gaspers
- Crystal, Monday Night, Berkeley, California
- Susan, Alaska
- Phyllis, New York
- John N., Basic Recovery
- Peggy Q., 8:30 AM Prosperity
- Linda H., 9:45 Step and Tools meeting
- Ed W., Wednesday afternoon meeting in lower Manhattan
- Mike M., Saturday 11:30 AM meeting at the LGBT Center in New York City
- Janis, 8:30 AM Steps and Tools phone meeting (alternate line)
- Toni T., Saturday 8 PM meeting in San Francisco
- Susan H., Sunday LA Farmer’s Market
- Karen B., Sherman Oaks, Wednesday night
- Marcie E., Selling with Serenity, 6 AM
- Mindy, Altadena
- Aviva, Wednesday, Upper West Side
- David, Arizona, Beyond 6 Figures
- Chris, 7:15 AM Underearning and Solvency Meeting, Baltimore
Secretary’s Minutes: The minutes of the last meeting were approved after the following corrections:
- Personal references were replaced by references to committees.
- The statement that Tamyah would reinstate Sonia to the Google group if Sonia sent her an email was omitted.
- The motion that “That discounted tickets be offered to GSB officers and committee chairs, given the need at the conference for their services” should have read “That discounted tickets be offered to active GSB officers and committee chairs, given the need at the conference for their services”
Treasurer’s Report: The Treasurer’s report was also posted on the Google Group, and can be summarized as follows:
| UA GSB Account | |
| Prior Balance | $6,733.34 |
| Expenses: | |
|
$396.00 |
|
$20.03 |
| Income: | $735.00 |
| Current Balance | $7,052.31 |
| UA GSB Account | |
| Prior Balance | $2,284.00 |
| Expenses: | |
|
$200.00 |
| Income: | $3,219.00 |
| Current Balance | $5,303.00 |
Notes:
- The current total in both accounts is $12,355.31
Finance Committee: (presented by Mike M., in place of the chair, Andrew D.):
Mike M. noted that Form 990-N was successfully filed this month, thus preserving our tax exempt status (Note added by Secretary: tax exemption means only that UA, as an organization need not pay taxes. We have filed a request to the IRS that UA contributors be allowed to deduct contributions on their personal income taxes, which is obviously something additional. However, as of June 21, UA’s tax ID, 30-0514194, does not show up in the IRS database of organizations eligible to receive tax deductable contributions, accessible via the web page
)
The Committee plans to issue quarterly and year-to-date balance sheets, income statements, and spending plans.
There was considerable discussion about the separation of monies intended for the WSCC from the main GSB account.
The discussion about a co-signer for the USB bank accounts is tabled for now.
The committee meets on the 3rd Monday of each month at 7 PM Eastern Time, except when the 3rd Monday of the month follows the GSB meeting.
Literature (given by Danny L., as requested by the Chair, Peter S.):
A draft of a pamphlet discussing artists in UA is being circulated to gather feedback prior to formal submission to the GSB.
In addition, Peter S. submitted the following via email:
Preparation for WSC:
The Literature Committee is well prepared for the WSC; we will be presenting the motions that were previously approved by the GSB but there wasn’t enough time for at the last WSC, including the procedures for creating/approving new literature, and the first pieces of conference created literature (Symptoms, Tools, About UA). Danny L. will be representing the committee at the conference.
Printed Material
We continue to work with Intergroups to print and distribute material from the website. To date, the Action Cards have been used at New York and Los Angeles Share-a-Days, to great success. (They may have been used in London too, we don’t have clear feedback on that.) If a group would like to obtain either the Action Cards or UA Newcomer Cards, they should contact us.
Creation of New Literature:
UA 12&12: we are coming to the end of the first phase of compiling material, i.e., Steps 1-3. We want as broad participation in this effort as possible, and we encourage everyone who hasn’t responded to the writing exercise yet to please do so! (The link is http://9thtradition.org/writing/) The next phase is 1) gather material for Steps 4-6; 2) compile the material from Steps 1-3, and this will run until Sep 30.
Work on other pieces of new literature proceeds, including UA guides for newcomers (are you an underearner?), artists, starting a business, and service.
The next meeting of the committee will be July 3, at 9pm EDT, everyone is welcome to listen in or participate – details are on the websites! We particularly need someone to act as delegate to the GSB calls!
Tamyah noted that there have been no literature committee reports to the GSB for a while. Danny L. replied that “things are decentralized”, and that items will be reported to the GSB when they are completed, but not before.
Time for Literature Committee questions and answers was extended by 2 minutes, which allowed Bella to request that the Literature Committee provide literature and motions beforehand.
Phone and Technology (Mary Joan/John N.):
Mary Joan resigned as Chair, turning the report over to John N. He reported that the committee would like to split itself into a separate Phone Committee and a separate Technology Committee.
Marcy E. asked whether email sent to carrythismessage@nullgmail.com will still be attended to. Peggy Q., who is on the committee, said that she would attend to such email.
Regarding the phone meeting moderator training document, Chris asked about how to avoid the tone of “UA Police”. She was reassured that everything in the document was only a suggestion.
Sonia asked about the status of the earlier motion to get a new web master. This was discussed, but no decision has been made. They noted that they would like to upload audio clips to the UA website, but the current design does not support that.
Their meetings are on the 2nd Saturday of the month, at 1 PM Pacific Time (4 PM Eastern Time)
Service Structure Committee (presented Chair, Janis, who has returned after attending to some personal issues):
Janis noted that:
- No other fellowship requires that people need to complete all 12 steps in their program before entering into a service position
- Banning people from service and removing people from the Google Group without due process, especially without open discussion, is against tradition.
- The Committee is working on a Service Manual.
Tamyah asked if Janis had read our by-laws.
Ed explained that Andrew used the by-laws of DA when he filed the incorporation papers of UA in 2008, so our legal by-laws (and the ones to which Tamyah referred) are, in fact, the 2008 DA by-laws.
World Service Conference Committee (WSCC) (presented by Bella, Chair):
The deadline for final payment for GSR stipends has been extended to July 1. After that, the assumption will be that neither the Group sending the GSR nor the GSR themselves can raise the remainder of the cost to attend the conference. The stipend money will therefore re-allocated to a GSR who can raise the money.
The June 22 WSC Town Hall will feature
- Ed W., GSB Secretary, on note taking at both the GSB and at Group business meetings
- Andrew D. on “The Authentic Self”
The WSCC had previously requested the following information from all committee chairs:
- A brief statement of what the committee does
- What officer positions exist (Chair, Secretary, etc.)
- Whether the current officers plan to continue in their positions, or, if they do plan to step down, what plans for training for the new officers has been made
- What motions relevant to that committee were passed at last year’s WSC
- Progress/challenges in implementing these motions
- What motions would the committee like to propose at this year’s WSC
- How to join the committee both before and during the WSC
The WSCC requested an additional appropriation, itemized under New Business.
Ed W. asked if this appropriation would be the final one, and he was told that it would be.
Ed W. also asked what the status of the agenda was for the WSC. He was told that additional work beyond the skeleton agenda assembled in January had been made, and he was invited to work with Bella in refining it further.
Mike M. asked about whether 7th Tradition contributions would remain in the WSC account, and he was told that the answer was yes.
NOTE: At this point, Ed W.’s phone battery was nearly depleted, so Phyllis supplied the following:
Public Information Committee (presented by Sonia):
The Committee did a group inventory.
They are preparing a manual for public information, which they will present at the WSC.
They completed a piece of literature on underearning to give out to professionals.
They wrote flyer to reach out to professionals.
They are working on literature on how to start a meeting.
They are answering questions that come in from the media, and making sure that the media upholds the traditions.
Started a group to meet on the phone twice a month dealing with relationships and the traditions, how to use traditions in healthy relationships.
Sonia also mentioned that they are requesting a conference call with the literature committee.
Old Business
The Old Business item concerning proposed requirements for treasurer was tabled, as the motion to make the WSC appropriation was considered time sensitive.
New Business
An additional appropriation of $3960 for various items for the World Service Conference, as itemized below:
| Item | Cost ($) | Comments |
| Drinks, ice, and cost of transporting them | 500 | It is anticipated that most of the cost of drinks will be recouped, as we will have people to collect drinks payments. |
| UA Birthday Party | 250 | It is anticipated that NY/LA intergroups will also contribute $250 towards the $500 total cost of the party. |
| Various workshop props, including stationary, badges, flip charts, files | 200 | |
| UA literature and printing | 350 | |
| Dietary special needs | 150 | |
| Recording equipment and electronics | 370 | |
| Miscellaneous | 250 | |
| General hospitality over 5 days | 200 | |
| Merchandise | 500 | This cost is expected to be recouped, as volunteers will be on hand to collect money for these items. |
| Co-founder weekend accommodations | 420 | double room (shared) |
| Traditions speaker | 100 | One day commuter pass plus expenses |
| Parliamentarian | 350 | |
| Weekend taper accommodation | 320 | Does not include editing of audio services, software, or any special equipment |
Total appropriation: $3960
After two people spoke in favor of the appropriation and nobody spoke against it, the appropriation was approved with 15 “yea” votes, no “nay” votes, and 3 abstentions.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:07 PM Pacific Time (10:07 PM Eastern Time)
Respectfully submitted,
Ed W.
Secretary, General Service Board of UA