Dear Colleagues:
As many are aware, the Deposition Reporters Association of California is proposing an amendment to the NCRA bylaws to allow more than one affiliate association in states with ten percent of the total NCRA membership. We appreciate the feedback we have received to our prior posts and have compiled them into a Q&A format. We hope you’ll take a moment to look through this and become familiar with the proposed amendment and our rationale for it and that you will feel it merits your vote of support on the 24th. We welcome any further questions or comments! Thank you all!
INTRO:
The Deposition Reporters Association (DRA) is a large state association, representing over 500 self-identified NCRA members and hundreds of other reporters at our state level. We want to extend that representation to the national arena via full participation at NCSA. We believe we have much to share with NCRA and the NCSA reps.
Our members deserve the benefits and representation that their dues currently support. With more NCRA members than most other state associations, we feel it is fair to allow our members to have their interests represented at a national level. A bylaws amendment is the only way for NCRA to fully include our members.
LANGUAGE:|
The language of the proposed amendment is purposefully very narrow, with a 10 percent threshold, to ensure that it will not affect any other state and address solely the situation in California. The word "shall" was changed to "may" in order to give full discretion to the NCRA board to set criteria and evaluate our association in determining whether to offer us the opportunity to become an affiliate. The intent is not to make it automatic.
What should those criteria be? DRA should not be the one to write the criteria, in order to avoid the appearance of being self-serving. Further, it is our belief such specifics do not belong in the Constitution & Bylaws. It is important to trust NCRA's leadership to make those determinations.
ANSWERING QUESTIONS:
***** Why does California have multiple associations? Why can't they just get along?
It would be disingenuous to say that there was not animosity involved years ago when the split of the associations occurred. However, we believe the ensuing years have resulted in mutual respect. There are still philosophic differences, but communication is open, and we are able to agree on some things and agree to disagree on others.
Both DRA and COCRA (California Official Court Reporters Association) have thrived because reporters appreciate the choice, with or without NCRA affiliation. The question becomes whether NCRA’s membership chooses to allow the possibility of including ideas and viewpoints of hundreds of fellow reporters or chooses to support the automatic exclusion of a newer state association.
***** Don’t all reporters suffer when there is a split?
If that were true, we expect California reporters would have recognized that during the past ten years. Instead, as a result, California reporters have the choice of working with an association that targets their specific aspect of the profession, actually resulting in greater overall membership and participation.
***** Don’t multiple associations diminish California’s influence with the legislature?
The coverage in the CA legislature has actually increased as a result of having three lobbyists working to heighten awareness of the profession and its needs, rather than just one.
***** Don't multiple associations dilute resources?
This has not appeared to be a problem for our association. In fact, California reporters now have more opportunities to obtain continuing education points and network with other reporters. We have plenty of members to support our organizations, and our members value the choices.
***** Is this a power struggle of state associations trying to sway or control NCRA?
We are not power-mongers. We are dedicated stenographic reporters who care deeply about our profession and only wish to participate as an equal with other members through a nationally recognized state association.
Also, NCRA often chooses its board members from state affiliate leaders, which makes it much harder for any of our dedicated volunteers to aspire to NCRA leadership.
***** If one state is allowed to have multiple associations belonging to NCRA, where does the line get drawn?
Any state that can obtain 10 percent of the total NCRA membership would have the same opportunity, if it has multiple associations for consideration. Absent meeting that 10 percent threshold, another bylaws amendment would be required to accomplish this.
***** Isn't this amendment only about California? Is that fair?
We can only ask members to consider the alternative, that one of the largest associations in the nation (within the top ten of NCRA membership) is excluded because another organization previously had been designated as the California affiliate. There is no provision in the bylaws to change the single state affiliate, and we absolutely would neither promote nor endorse replacing CCRA, which has long served California reporters. We are trying to address the current situation that exists with minimal impact to NCRA and the affiliate program.
***** Would this mean that California has more votes at NCSA?
Yes, if there is recognition of an additional affiliate or affiliates. It would mean adding two votes per affiliate to the existing 100. Our hope is that other NCRA affiliates/members will not feel threatened by the small increase and will welcome the input from representatives of hundreds of their fellow reporters.
***** Does it make sense to change the NCSA structure to a proportional voting system?
A concern is that California is so huge it could dominate, with a little help from some other states. We do not want to diminish the voice of other states and are merely looking for a way to incorporate the unique situation of California.
***** Under your proposal, could an affiliate-candidate organization count as members reporters who are also members of another organization in its state? Is NCRA going to ask members to designate which of their state’s affiliates their NCRA membership should go to? If so, will this be done yearly and will it be decided yearly if California gets two, four, or six votes?
That is down the line. Only if the amendment passes will those decisions be necessary. At the risk of being repetitive, our goal is only to have the opportunity for consideration, and we will trust the NCRA board to determine fair criteria.
However, that question perhaps addresses the concern that multiple associations dilute resources. There are reporters who belong to more than one state association, which brings more money into our legislative and educational advocacy.
***** If the recognized state affiliate had 90% of the California members in NCRA and the other only had 10%, would they both still get to have separate representation?
As a conservative estimate, California NCRA membership is over 3,500. Ten percent of that is 350. Approximately 30 states have fewer than 350 NCRA members. If NCRA is truly about members and not about associations, then we are only advocating that a state association with 500-plus NCRA members should be able to have an equal seat at the table as those with fewer members. On the flip side of that question, if the recognized state affiliate had only 10% of the NCRA members and another association had 90%, would it be fair for 90% of the reporters to be unrepresented at the national level?
***** If geographic boundaries don't matter, why not include user groups or STAR, for instance, which have substantial mutual NCRA membership?
Both user groups and associations such as STAR have a more singular focus, software and technology, whereas professional state associations deal with reporter interests in the legislature, ethical considerations, student recruitment, etc., hopefully benefiting the entire profession, even their nonmembers. It's hard to argue that all reporters should join a particular software user group, easier to argue that reporters should support their local professional associations.
We thank all of the reporters throughout the nation who have given their time and consideration to our efforts.