Are You a Joiner ?

[Johns]

Ophthalmologists, optometrists, & opticians all seem to agree that in order get the goals of their respective professions accomplished, it must be done through legislative channels; however, none of these professions have 100% membership in their local associations. We know why people join, but what are some of the reasons for not joining ? This info may help your local association in upcoming membership drives. Then again, there's always the chance that many of the people that don't join their locals, also wouldn't get involved enough to participate on OptiBoard.

[John R]

Originally posted by Johns
We know why people join, but what are some of the reasons for not joining ?

Thats life Johns, Some people are Doers and others are just to plum lazy to do anything to help other's.
Maybe its time for legeslation to make membership part of being a optician or such, but there would still be the problem that there would be active members and then the members who are just there because they have to be..
These non doers are a pain in the neck as they are the ones who you will here moaning about things they could have done something about if they only had the bottle to get off their fat butts.....

[Joann Raytar]

Originally posted by Johns
We know why people join, but what are some of the reasons for not joining ?

I will not join our national organization, the OAA, because it refuses to accept our State's largest and most diverse organization, The Connecticut Opticians Association, as a Society Member. Instead, the OAA has chosen to accept only SOCO, the smallest organization and least representative of the varied backgrounds of our State's Optician population.

The Connecticut Opticians Association has close to 325 members while SOCO has about 50 out of the State's approximate 700 Opticians. The board and most of SOCO's other members are firm members from Guild shops. There is nothing wrong with being a member of The Guild; however, they do not make up the majority of Opticians in Connecticut. Modern Opticians are a diverse group. By not representing Opticians from major chains, professional offices and non-Guild independent dispensaries SOCO and the OAA are diregarding the majority of Connecticut's Opticians, including myself. As far as I know, our State has offered to pay Society Membership dues a couple of times; each time their check was returned as unaccepted.

Why would I put money and time into an organization that is ignoring me in return? :(

[ts]

jo,

the national org did not refuse to accept COA as a state member the COA chose not to join the national org. They were offered membership and had many conversations concerning membership long before the other org in CT paid dues. we are talking about the national meeting in ca. as the last attempt to get coa to join and they chose not to join at that time. I do not Know what is going on in Ct but it is time to put the ego's away and get back to one org. no one gains when there is more than onr association

[Joann Raytar]

Originally posted by ts
jo,

...I do not Know what is going on in Ct but it is time to put the ego's away and get back to one org. no one gains when there is more than onr association

Then, would you be able to respond to Jerry Sherman's post under the thread The OAA and Our Future

Originally posted by MVEYES
...I heard OAA helped establish another association in Connecticut to replace the old organization ...

I believe he is also on the State Leaders List. Or is there miscommunication and diagreement among the State Leaders also?

PS - Johns, please let me know if you would like me to split this off of your thread and create another thread on this topic alone.

[CTOpt]

the national org did not refuse to accept COA as a state member the COA chose not to join the national org. They were offered membership and had many conversations concerning membership long before the other org in CT paid dues. we are talking about the national meeting in ca. as the last attempt to get coa to join and they chose not to join at that time. I do not Know what is going on in Ct but it is time to put the ego's away and get back to one org. no one gains when there is more than onr association

The Board of Directors of the Connecticut Opticians Association, Inc. (COA) has been monitoring the Optiboard threads regarding our Association and the OAA with great interest. Our Association has declined comment until this recent post. Continued unsubstantiated comments originating from hearsay will only create additional rumors, apathy and animosity among professional opticians. Our profession cannot tolerate additional splintering of its leadership.

We now recognize our responsibility to respond accordingly

. . . the COA chose not to join the national org. They were offered membership and had many conversations concerning membership long before the other org in CT paid dues.

Founded and incorporated in 1934, the Connecticut Opticians Association, Inc. was a charter member of the OAA. The COA DID NOT refuse to pay its OAA dues. Current with a previous arrearage, we continued to make monthly payments against an expected dues billing. For a period of 10 months, we paid a monthly assessment, without benefit of a dues statement. We stopped payment only when a former OAA staff member questioned where to apply our monthly checks. (She had no invoice to apply our payments against) Repeated requests for an accounting of monies already paid to the OAA went unanswered for more than year. Any responsible business would NOT pay fees 1) without proper invoicing and 2) when accountability questions went unanswered.

When a simple accounting was finally rendered, we disputed the application and amount of our payments. A request for explanation still remains unanswered. It appears that we paid more than was accounted by OAA. We now consider that a moot issue and are no longer concerned with it. Too much time has passed.

We have several unanswered letters and emails to the OAA stating our belief in its mission and objectives. Before we would pay a significant amount of money to reaffiliate, we asked for an indication that the OAA would have the financial stability and sufficient staff to fulfill its mission.

During this period, the only correspondence ever received from the OAA was a letter to disassociate us for non-payment of dues.

While we were still attempting to communicate with the OAA, it voted in May 2001, to recognize a newly organized splinter group in CT as its State affililiated member. That group of 6 – 7 independent owners had no By-laws, officers or members. The organization was a private club of owners that is not incorporated in the State of Connecticut.

. . . we are talking about the national meeting in ca. as the last attempt to get coa to join and they chose not to join at that time.

The COA Board of Directors sent its Executive Director to the OAA meeting in Anaheim. He had a blank check authorizing payment of dues, providing the COA be singularly recognized. Personality conflicts prevented that from happening. He was informed by an Executive officer of the OAA, as witnessed by several people, that the COA was not wanted by the OAA.

We asked for a mutually agreed upon, authorized mediator to resolve those conflicts, investigate the OAA By-laws and provide answers of accountability. The requested mediator was never provided.

Through email, personal and conference telephone calls, the Connecticut Opticians Association, continued to seek and received informal advice from an OAA Vice-president. Recognizing the cash flow problems of the OAA, we understood that our dues payment, representing more than 200 CT opticians, would be beneficial to the planned restructuring of the OAA.

. . . They were offered membership and had many conversations concerning membership long before the other org in CT paid dues

Although accepted as an affiliate in May, as of late October, the splinter group had not paid any dues to the OAA. Perhaps its dues assessment was unclear, as it had no recognized membership. Acting on the advice of the OAA Vice-president, the COA sent an Express letter and a check for affiliation addressed to OAA Acting Executive Manger, Mike Robey. Our advice indicated that sending a dues payment would force the OAA Board to vote on whether to accept or decline COA State member affiliation. It would finally resolve the situation one-way or the other. The Express Mail was returned to our office unopened and marked REFUSED. By telephone, Mr. Robey acknowledged that the letter was never delivered to him. The OAA VP informed us that an Executive officer of the OAA instructed the OAA office staff to return that letter.

The OAA VP told us that the splinter group in CT finally made dues payment just days before our Express mail was received and refused.

The Connecticut Opticians Association represents by its membership, opticians in all aspects of our profession, not just independent owners. Our motto, No matter who you are, or where you work, we represent you is meant to include opticians who work in a corporate environment, for optometry or with ophthalmology.

As the OAA claims to be looking to restructuring in the immediate future, it will be imperative to decide if they will represent the interests of all optical personnel or to represent just a select few.

. . . I do not Know what is going on in Ct but it is time to put the ego's away and get back to one org. no one gains when there is more than onr association

We agree with this statement. If you cannot document facts pertaining to the COA, you should refrain from making unsubstantiated comments. It has been the position of the COA that only ONE State association be recognized by the OAA as a state-affiliated association. While a splinter group of some 50 members is recognized in Connecticut, the COA will be hard pressed to provide any financial support to the OAA.

In the meantime, the rumors concerning the Connecticut Opticians Association refusal to join the OAA must stop! We are a viable, well managed organization that recognizes its fiduciary responsibility to its membership.

With sincerity,
Jannie B. Shapiro, M.Ed, LO
1st Vice-president
Connecticut Opticians Association
www.CTOpticians.com

[Johns]

Jo:

No need to start another thread. The previous posts confirm some of the reasons why (our) professional associations are in such dire straits.

I think the last thread hit a major theme that seems to be running through these organizations at all levels:

Lack of (fiscal) accountability.


Why is it that local organizations can be so viable, but when the State Orgs get involved it gets bad, and when the National Orgs get involved it gets worse? It's too much like goverment; the higher up you go, the less mission focus there is, and the less acountability there is.

[Joann Raytar]

Originally posted by Johns
Jo:

Why is it that local organizations can be so viable, but when the State Orgs get involved it gets bad, and when the National Orgs get involved it gets worse? It's too much like goverment; the higher up you go, the less mission focus there is, and the less acountability there is.

Perhaps there are two variables at work. One being the size of the organization and the second being the ability to know when to farm certain tasks out to a third party.

All organizations are funny creatures. You seperate out a group of individuals that have the task of running the organization. I would think that it would be difficult for a group of individuals who have been pulled out of the ranks and exposed to the real working of an organization to maintain a balance between the board's own ideas and those of the organization's members. This job must get even more difficult as the organization gets larger and spreads out over different geographical boundaries. I think the most successful national organizations are those that set up chapters, as is the case with the American Red Cross or the Lions' Clubs, etc. When an organization sets up chapters it has an easier time touching base with its members. The chapters are small and more representative of their members.

Size creates another issue; who does what. If a commercial business grew to be a large scale operation certain accounting functions would be farmed out. Perhaps by keeping with traditional organizational structures the organizations are taking on too much. Wouldn't it be more prudent to hire an accounting firm then to elect a treasurer if your membership gets hard to organize due to either its size or the amounts of dues being collected?