Re: How can we have a successful national conference
From: Grace Kim (graceschemataworkshop.com)
Date: Mon, 30 May 2011 14:30:24 -0700 (PDT)
I'm writing as a former employee of the Bricklayer's Union (not an actual 
mason, but I ran their university outreach programs for a couple of years) as 
well as general advocate of unionized labor...and a current member of the 
CohoUS board.

This is a challenging situation.  One that I grappled with since I was first 
alerted to the situation.  I, too, was struck with the ethical question of "do 
I cross the picket line?"  I have heard strong arguments for both sides.  I 
even stayed at a hotel in San Fran earlier this year with a similar boycott 
situation (same hotel owner, and I wasn't aware of the boycott issue until I 
was about to walk out the front door for a meeting - they were only there for a 
few hours during my entire stay.  They were boycotting many hotels in San Fran 
and I was told they did their rounds).

However, as a board member, I ultimately have to wear a hat of fiduciary 
responsibility to the Association.  The Association is a non-profit entity that 
operates on a modest budget (without a lot of cushion I might add).  With the 
challenging economic times we've seen the past couple years, we have endeavored 
to do more with less (I hope you will agree).  While I typically hate to 
compromise my values, the reality of this situation is that holding firm to our 
values on the boycott could result in a major financial setback for the 
Association (and depending on the level of conference attendance this year, 
dare I say financial demise?  Ok, my fellow board members would probably say 
that is too strong a statement...but I say it to convey the potential gravity 
of the suggestions to change venues at all costs.)

We have attempted to engage with the union to find alternative venues for the 
conference, but these attempts have unfortunately fallen into the category of 
too little/too late - meaning, the proposed venues would cost the Association 
considerably more to host our event (not to mention the huge penalty we would 
have to pay the current hotel for breaking our contract) and equally as 
important, the change would also result in a higher cost for the conference 
attendees.  We recognize that attending the conference is a significant expense 
for many attendees...we certainly don't want to increase that cost.  What I 
will say is that we have learned from this current situation and it will inform 
us in our contract negotiations for successive conferences.

Rather than focus on the negative aspects of the boycott, I'd like to draw your 
attention to the aspects that excite me about my attendance at the national 
conference:
Presentations by national affordable housing experts.
Keynote from architect and author of "Pocket Neighborhoods", Ross Chapin.
Attendance by DC experts in community development, funding, and fair housing 
laws.
Opportunity to engage in advocacy at federal or learn how to at the local level.
Meeting with old cohousing friends from around the world...and making new 
friends.
Sharing my knowledge of common house design with anyone who wants to learn more 
(I hope to have books for sale at the book store).

I hope you will join us to learn, share, and celebrate in DC.

 
grace h kim aia 
architect & cofounder
grace [at] schemataworkshop.com
 
 
schemata workshop inc.                                   
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www.schemataworkshop.com             
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