MC Meeting Minutes Tuesday February 24, 2008
Meeting opened: 7.05pm

Attendance
MC: Gemma Beall, Lara Daley, Genevieve Derwent
Others: Warren McLaren, Stevie Bee, Lisa Durante, Dominika Grossy, Jann French, Olivia Lovell, Monika Baumann
Apologies: Cecilia Jensen (Jann is deputy MC for this meeting only)
Chair: Lara Minutes: Gemma

Confirmation of previous minutes
That the December 2007 meeting minutes be accepted. Genevieve/Lara CARRIED

Business arising from previous minutes

That Alfalfa House purchase a new computer server. CARRIED BY CONSENSUS

That Genevieve draw up a template for staff performance reviews. CARRIED BY CONSENSUS

That Genvieve, Lara and Nassim (new MC member) establish a working group for staff pay, performance reviews, CPI & holiday pay and that documents and protocols for these procedures be produced. CARRIED BY CONSENSUS

Membership

That new members #4695-4803 be accepted. Lara/Jann CARRIED BY CONSENSUS

Resignations: One (1), member moved to NZ

Reports

As all reports are now submitted prior to MC meetings, reports are not read at meetings; those in attendance can ask questions about the reports.

TREASURER
Profit and Loss. Would have broken even except for phone bills carried over. December profit $8700, January loss $550. Many bills were held over until January so small loss is good. Year-to-date profit is same as year overall last year!
Genevieve/Gemma ACCEPTED

CO-OP COORDINATOR

Questions are:
• Lara: Has Nat resigned?
Answer: She has notified but not formal yet. May not need to hire a new person as we could share out her shifts.

• Lara: How do we take on Gab's suggestions (re: bookkeeper position/general feedback) on leaving?
A: Gab to get back to Warren soon with her comments.

• Lara: Why do we need to buy new scales?
A: Only one is legal now as numbers are wiped on old keypad, needs new faceplate but they aren't available so need a whole new set. POS Systems to provide information on ergonomic scales that provide weight when first searching a product (staff will still have to enter container weight). We are aware that the scales are out of certification and are working on getting new ones, so any current discrepancies in weighing are not an attempt to cheat anyone. Scales have been tuned and are now weighing more accurately.

• Lisa: What have been the customer complaints?
A: Email complaint, that some staff are not respectful when members have been shopping.
• Lisa: Will we speak to staff member?
A: Last week someone called with a complaint about a particular staffer. Warren spoke to the staff member directly but it was not an harmonious discussion. It was expressed to Warren by the staffer that customer service is not what AH staff are there for but to facilitate transactions only.

• Jann/Stevie: problems that new members have when shopping may be alleviated by new member tours which used to occur regularly. These ended because there were too many new members to fit easily into a monthly shop tour and there weren' sufficient willing members/staff to run them. Current Shop Coordinators say shifts are super busy and there are already lots of questions, but they don't have the time to show people around.
• Lara: there is a working group on vollies and memberships. Often people are bewildered by not being able to join immediately in the store. We need to make sure they know they are becoming part of a co-op that involves some ownership.
• Genevieve: It seems that sometimes membership often means “Yay-discount!” rather an understanding of what co-op membership means. People need a verbal introduction and a tour to feel welcomed and empowered.

• Gemma: Just to reiterate, the original complaint wasn't from a new member but one who felt judged.
• Genevieve: Complaint management should lead to an wholistic staff discussion, not just a singled out staffer being told to change.
• Lara: Perhaps we need an MC-staff check-in/meeting twice a year to get an understanding of everyone's role and vision for AH. Perhaps on a Sunday, we could help each other with the close and then chat.
• Lisa: previously when we've talked about vision for the year that was good, very helpful, good at beginning of year.
• Lara to send suggested agenda and times for MC-staff check-in to all staff and MC. Perhaps at larger venue.

Lara/Genevieve ACCEPTED

STAFF MEETING
That the Staff Meeting minutes (February 2008) be accepted.
Lara/Genevieve CARRIED

STOCK COORDINATOR (FRUIT+VEG)
• Gemma: Rik noted on email that stock loss was high?
A: Stock loss is due to delicate fruit that is picked ripe, loss will happen

Lisa wants to see stock loss redefined as what the actual food could contribute to a kitchen or something charitable. Let's not focus on figures.

Lara/Gemma ACCEPTED

STOCK COORDINATOR (GROCERIES)
• From now on the report will be sent to all staff.
• Genevieve: any peanut butter feedback?
A: Some push to bring back conventional but Lisa isn't convinced.
Stevie: Let's dig up the dirt on conventional peanuts!

Gemma/Genevieve ACCEPTED

Current Matters

WATER FILTER
• Received Gab's proposal. Gab will look into a purchase plan
Genevieve/Lara ACCEPTED

STAFF HOURS
• Genevieve: some shifts had vollies and now don't thus overtime occurs, can it be paid in those circumstances?
All: it's reasonable but in future try to increase vollies to take extra load.
• Dom's proposal: read by her, wants 19 paid hours rather than 15 now (but does 19 now with 4 unpaid), could add a lot to F&V job, information systems would be emphasised, roster will be adjusted with Warren.
Stevie: this kind of negotiation should be done in review time

That AH approve an increase in the Stock Coordinator (Fruit and Vegetables) rosted hours be increased to 19 hours per week. The increase to take effect from the next pay slip.
Jann/Lara CARRIED

WEB FORUM
Stevie: The partner of member-naturopath Rebecca Goldhurst, who offers nutritional info on products via our website, is a web designer and has offered to help set up a forum if we wanted one.
MC has given some in-principle support, should we invite him in to talk more about it?
• Lara: could be vollie moderators to expand vollie job definitions?
• Warren: trick would be choosing the right moderators
• Stevie: could be a great way to reinvigorate our membership.
• Jann: what are the pros and cons?
• All: forums are better than blogs and daily digests.
• Stevie and Gemma will meet him to talk over the forum idea.

MURAL
• Council not coming to spray again as we complained about the use of chemicals (Go Dom!)
• Lara: is the mural organisation in Rick's hands?
• Jann: is the landlord going to paint whole wall as a graffiti deterrent?
• Warren: Sarah left a file on the mural, council might help with materials, in-principle support for materials. AH to provide scaffolding. we have submissions from the mural artists group. Let's meet with them to talk specifics
• Warren: Any choice needs to survive the life of the co-op, can't be a whim
• Committee: Jann and others from staff meeting

FOOD GRANTS (regular agenda item):
• Warren: there was one request from a Steiner playgroup but wanted ongoing grant, which is more commitment than we can give.

VOLUNTEER WORKING GROUP
• Vivienne and Nick not here so no updates.
• Rick is coming up with a brief for this group.
• Lara: is this actually a “vollies on till” working group? Would be very difficult to have vollies behind the till due to the depth and breadth of questions they will be asked.
• Olivia: liked working on the till as a vollie, to facilitate staff lunchbreaks.
• Stevie: those days are gone, people don't commit to vollie times anymore.
• Jann: need to have a fair bit of experience in the shop to work the till.
• Warren: what happens if the vollie doesn't come? Who fills in their shift – vollie or paid staff?
• Monika: at UNSW food co-op there was always a coordinator there even if a vollie was on the till, but that was stopped.
• Dom: at the Wollongong co-op, which was entirely vollie-run, self-rostering didn't work due to lack of time commitment.
• MC will emphasise to Rick that there are strong voices against vollies on till.
• Stevie: focus of the group should be linking members to specific tasks

• By next MC meeting, we should hopefully have each working group brief available for others to read.

Correspondence
Directors' and Officers' insurance: increase from $500K to $1 million, due in a week, a couple $100 more. Warren suggests to approve, ask for layperson's terms next year! No signatures needed.

That AH approve theDirectors' and Officers' insurance porposal as tabled.
Genevieve/Gemma ACCEPTED

Meeting closed: 9.10pm

Next meeting: Wednesday March 26 from 7pm @ Black Rose Bookshop,
22 Enmore Road (next to Sydney Buddhist Centre)