Monday/Rā Hera 27th September/Haratua 2021, 3:00PM.
VENUE: Online via Zoom
Attending: Toby Cooper (interim Chair), Rāhera Harris (interim Secretary), Chloe Ann-King, Alicia Lloyd-Jones, Peter Moore, Anna Krykunivsky, Anne-Lise Mornard Stott, Tan Tsu Chuen, Camila Rios, Asni Warli, Bhupendra Bhattarai, Nicolas Gonzalez Ordonez, Solange Figueroa Munoz, Debbie Jay Saunders (left early), Samuel Devon Bennington (arrived late).
Meeting commenced at 3:20PM.
- Welcome
Interim Chair Toby Cooper and Founder Chloe Ann-King introduced themselves and thanked Members for their attendance.
- Apologies: None.
- Annual Report from RBHU Founder Chloe Ann-King
Chloe provided an introduction into her background and hospitality experience, explaining that she formed RBHU to organise the hospitality industry and improve work conditions for hospitality workers. Chloe detailed some of the work undertaken by RBHU and its small team of volunteers over the past two years, including helping redundant workers of the New Zealand arm of an international restaurant franchise, running 14 online employment law clinics, and answering over 2,500 emails on employment law matters. Chloe also spoke about speaking out in the news media about hospitality worker issues.
Finally, Chloe provided specific details of the achievements over the last year, including participation in the Human Rights Commission consultation session for FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Human Rights Risk Assessment Project and organising workers at a large hospitality business and taking steps to appoint a delegate at that organisation.
Members were then invited to put any questions to Chloe Ann-King.
Motion: To adopt the Annual Report.
Moved: Toby Cooper
Seconded: Peter Moore
All in favour: 14
All opposed: 0
Motion Passed
- Treasurer’s Report from RBHU Founder Chloe Ann-King
Chloe started by informing Members that as RBHU is not yet incorporated, it does not exist as a legal entity, and so there are no assets, debts, liabilities or financial position of RBHU to speak of. Chloe continued by explaining how funding had been obtained for work to date, which involved a privately-run Patreon page and occasional crowdfunding campaigns in order to meet necessary digital expenses and provide small ad hoc koha payments to volunteers. Chloe also discussed how she had crowdfunded for a trip to Melbourne to volunteer with Hospo Voice: a digital union for hospitality workers.
Chloe expressed that formal fundraising would need to be pursued to ensure sustainability, but that RBHU needs to be incorporated formally before we can proceed with this. Chloe then indicated that future General Meetings could be used to vote on the introduction of membership fees. Finally, Chloe informed Members that the next steps for RBHU included incorporation and opening a bank account so that core expenses would be able to be paid. After this, the Committee could consider hiring employees in order to broaden the scope of its advocacy work.
Members were then invited to put any questions to Chloe Ann-King.
Motion: To adopt the Treasurer’s Report.
Moved: Toby Cooper
Seconded: Camilla Rios
All in favour: 14
All opposed: 0
Motion Passed
- Proposal to establish Raise the Bar Hospitality Union Incorporated
Toby Cooper explained to Members that RBHU needs to be a registered union under the Employment Relations Act 2000 in order to exercise many union powers, including collective bargaining and accessing workplaces. Toby informed Members that RBHU first needed to meet the rules for establishing an incorporated society, before an application to be a registered union could be submitted.
Members were then invited to put any questions to Toby Cooper.
Motion: To take all steps necessary to apply to incorporate Raise the Bar Hospitality Union as a society.
Moved: Toby Cooper
Second: Chloe Ann-King
All in favour: 15
All opposed: 0
Motion Passed
Motion: To take all steps necessary to apply to register Raise the Bar Hospitality Union as a union.
Moved: Toby Cooper
Second: Alicia Lloyd-Jones
All in favour: 15
All opposed: 0
Motion Passed
- Proposal to introduce Constitution and Rules
Toby Cooper stated that there was no written Constitution or Rules for RBHU, and that a written Constitution and Rules document was a requirement in order to register as a union. Toby and Chloe referred to the “Proposed Constitution and Rules for Raise the Bar Hospitality Union Incorporated” document, drawing Members’ attention to particular clauses which were drafted with the RBHU in mind. Toby expressed that the intent here was that the wording of the Constitution would function as a starting point, and that the incoming Committee should review the Constitution and suggest changes to be considered at a future General Meeting.
Members were then invited to put any questions to Toby Cooper and Chloe Ann-King.
Motion: To approve the proposed Constitution and Rules and adopt the proposed Constitution and Rules as the Constitution and Rules for Raise the Bar Hospitality Union.
Moved: Toby Cooper
Second: Anna Krykunivsky
All in favour: 15
All opposed: 0
Motion Passed
- Call for Nominations of Committee Members
Toby Cooper and Chloe Ann-King explained that RBHU needed a governing Committee to make decisions about where the Union focuses its efforts and how the Union delivers its services. Toby and Chloe then led a discussion on the expectations of each position on the Committee. The option of having Co-Leaders was raised, as was the alternative of having a Leader and a Deputy Leader. Toby explained that this would depend on the nominations put forward for Leader (namely, whether there was more than one nomination).
The interim Chair then listed all persons who had written to RBHU in advance to put themselves forward as nominations for a place on the Committee. The following nominations were received:
– Alicia Lloyd-Jones: Deputy Leader or General Committee Member
– Bhupendra Bhattarai: Treasurer or General Committee Member
– Debbie Saunders: General Committee Member
By a show of hands, the interim Chair called for others in attendance to put themselves forward for nominations to be on the Committee and to indicate additionally if they were nominating themselves for a specific position. The following nominations were received:
– Toby Cooper: Secretary or General Committee Member
– Chloe Ann-King: Leader, Co-Leader, or General Committee Member
– Anna Krykunivsky: General Committee Member
– Anne-Lise Mornard-Stott: General Committee Member
Toby Cooper acknowledged the potential for a conflict of interest arising out of his nomination for a position on the Committee and his role as interim Chair of the Initial General Meeting. Toby expressed that he expected that this potential conflict of interest was effectively addressed by the fact that votes would be counted by two independent scrutineers, not the interim Chair. An opportunity for Members in attendance to object to this conflict was provided, and no objections were received.
- Election of Committee Members
Each nominated person gave a short speech to the Members in attendance, presenting reasons why Members should elect them to the Committee.
Peter Moore and Rāhera Harris were appointed by the interim Chair to act as scrutineers to count the votes. Voting was taken by a show of hands.
Leader:
Chloe Ann-King vote – 14 no confidence – 0
Chloe Ann-King was elected to the position of Leader of the Raise the Bar Hospitality Union Committee.
Deputy Leader:
Alicia Lloyd-Jones vote – 14 no confidence – 0
Alicia Lloyd-Jones was elected to the position of Deputy Leader of the Raise the Bar Hospitality Union Committee.
Secretary:
Toby Cooper vote – 14 no confidence – 0
Toby Cooper was elected to the position of Secretary of the Raise the Bar Hospitality Union Committee.
Treasurer:
Bhupendra Bhattarai vote – 14 no confidence – 0
Bhupendra Bhattarai was elected to the position of Secretary of the Raise the Bar Hospitality Union Committee.
General Committee Members:
Debbie Saunders vote – 14 no confidence – 0
Anna Krykunivsky vote – 14 no confidence – 0
Anne-Lise Mornard Stott vote – 14 no confidence – 0
Debbie Saunders, Anna Krykunivsky, and Anne-Lise Mornard Stott were elected as General Committee Members of the Raise the Bar Hospitality Union Committee.
- General Business
No general business was raised by Members.
- Adjournment
Meeting adjourned at 5:10PM.
