Meeting Minutes July 27, 2007

In attendance: Stritt, Velten, Carroll, Durkin, Skelton, Reilly, Squires, Brown, Lohiser, McCluskie, Horowitz, Bianco

1. The minutes of the April 27, 2007 meeting were approved unanimously.

2. Treasurer's Report - a. WU Foundation has not published procedures for grant applications. b. 80 members were dropped for failure to pay 2005-6 dues. c. Dues and contributions are running slightly ahead of expectations. d. Membership has declined by nearly 1,000 over the past eight years.

3. Web Site: Jack Durkin reported that there have been 14,726 hits on the web site since its inception. The end site most frequently accessed was Member Search.

4. Regional Affairs: Jerry Horowitz has visited and made presentations to members in Philadelphia, San Francisco and the Breakfast Club in New Jersey. He will make a presentation at the Samuel Morse facility in Poughkeepsie on August 25 at one p.m. Jack Skelton nominated Mr. Horowitz to be V.P. Regional Affairs. This nomination was approved unanimously.

5. Newsletter: Jack Durkin gave high praise to Bobbie Macy for her work in the newsletter and on the web site. It was suggested that she be given two free tickets for the next banquet. The Secretary was instructed to write, making the offer. Lorraine Schwacke is to be notified.

6. Membership: In the absence of Jim Forbes, no report was given.

7. Database: LoAnn Carroll reported that we now have 2,443 members, 4 of which are new.

8. Fall Banquet: The fall (10/27) banquet will be at the DoubleTree Hotel on Route 17 South in Mahwah. (later changed to Courtyard by Marriott in Montvale)

9. New Business: Since Tom Shoop has moved and will be unable to serve on the Board, the Secretary was requested to redo the Board Address list accordingly. The Secretary was also requested to send out the new address list to all Board members.

10. Chairman of the Audit Committee, Jim Reilly distributed a report showing that the accounts of the RWUEA Treasurer had been audited and were found in order.

11. The meeting was adjourned at 11 a.m.

12. The next meeting will be at the Western Union facility in Montville at 10 a.m. on October 26.

posted August 14, 2007

Meeting Minutes January 26, 2007

Attending: Skelton, Stritt, Horowitz, Strunz, Velten, Lohiser, Brown, David, McCluskie, Schwacke, Kay Doyle (guest)

1. The minutes of the October 27, 2006 meeting were amended to show Jack Durkin instead of John Skelton on Item #5.

2. Audit Report - In the absence of Jim Reilly, no audit report was available.

3. Treasurer’s Report – M. Brown reported: (1) Revenues exceeded the budget in 2006 by $4,114 mainly due to increased investment earnings (2) Expenses were $6,644 below the budget (3) Without the First Data grant both of the above results would not have been achieved. (4) Membership declined by 108 during the year.

4. 2007 Budget – G. Strunz proposed a 2007 budget showing expenses of $34,550 and revenues of $40,000. The proposed budget was accepted unanimously.

5. Surety Bond- In response to questions, M. Brown advised that the surety bond covered the Treasurer, the Asst Treasurer and the Secretary for up to $10,000.

6. Investment Funds – M Brown advised that any of the three approved signatories could withdraw the investment funds. The discussion that followed questioned the propriety of such, given the amount in our investment accounts. M. Brown agreed to see if an agreement could be reached with the investment depositary so that it would require two signatures to withdraw investment funds. He will make a report at the next meeting.

7. Nominating Committee – Jack David, in the absence of W. May and J. Durkin, that generally he and J. Durkin had intended to nominate the present officers for the same positions. He was unable to reach W. May. No action was taken on the nominations. J. Skelton will contact W. May about his intentions to continue with the Committee.

8. Board Membership – The secretary was advised to drop J Falkenberg from the RWUEA board. J. Skelton’s proposal of Charles Squires as a member of the Board was approved unanimously.

9. Newsletter – J. Durkin was ill and could not attend the meeting. A discussion on who should back up J. Durkin ensued. J. Horowitz volunteered to help. He was urged to work on a newsletter with J. Durkin to determine what is required.

10. Membership – In the absence of J. Forbes no report was given.

11. Regional Affairs – J. Horowitz repeated his intention to visit Washington, Philadelphia and Boston in the near future.

12. Spring Banquet – L. Schwacke advised that the Spring Banquet would be on April 28 at the Crowne Plaza in Paramus. She is looking ahead to having a “Gala” banquet in the fall.

13. Database. In the absence of L. Carroll, no report was given.

14. Members were urged to attend the memorial service for Al Purviance, who was the previous publisher of the Newsletter; and for Don Dube, who was a former member of the RWUEA Board. The passing of both was noted and regretted by the Board.

15. M. Brown recognized the death of President Jerry Ford, who was a good friend of Western Union.

16. The next meeting of the Board will be at the Western Union building in Montvale at 10 a.m. on April 27.

17. The meeting was adjourned at 11:45am

Respectfully submitted, Robert McCluskie, Secretary

posted March 4, 2007

Meeting Minutes October 27, 2006

Attending: Forbes, May, Reilly, Durkin, Skelton, Strunz, David, Brown, Lohiser, Bianco, Schwacke, Horowitz, McCluskie

1 The minutes of the July 28, 2006 meeting were approved as distributed earlier.

2 Chairman Reilly advised that an audit of the RWUEA funds would be available at the next meeting.

3 Treasurer's Report: Messrs Brown and Lohiser reported:

(a) Despite declining membership the RWUEA remains fiscally sound.

(b) The grant from Western Union was received Oct. 13. Of it, $10k will be used to cover expenses; $10k will also be deposited in the money market account for future expenses.

4 Western Union spin-off from First Data -- Jack Durkin reported:

(a) The latest report showed that the new Western Union

(b) Appears fiscally able to make necessary contributions to the pension plans.

(d) All retirees will receive a notice from Western Union prior to January 1.

(e) An endeavor will be made to repeat the changes in the January newsletter, and to get that newsletter to retirees in late December or early January.

5 Change in Contact: John Skelton will include a section on how to use and how to get pin numbers on an interior page replacing his usual January commentary. The space on the front page will be used by J. Durkin to explain the new procedures.

6 Gift Newsletters: M. Brown advised, in reponse to a suggestion by J. Reilly, that he will endeavor to put "A contribution from_________ " in bold print in the address header when applicable.

7 Nominating Committee: The nominating committee consisting of (Chmn) May, Skelton, and David, was requested to submit a list of candidates for the next board meeting.

8 Regional Affairs: Chmn May advised that he was pleased at the number and frequency of regional meetings that are being reported in the newsletters. He will endeavor to visit several regional meetings in the coming year.

9 Regional Affairs: J. Horowitz reported on his visit to the Washington DC meeting where he ran his videos for an audience of approximately 50. He said that the videos are available for others to use at such visits.

10. Banquet: Chmn Schwacke reported that 45 had signed up for the Nov. 4 banquet. A suggestion was made that she plan on a Gala Banquet for the 25th Anniversary of the RWUEA in NJ, and that consideration be given to a subsidy to make the gala attractive to more people.

11. Membership: Chmn Forbes reported that he was considering using the banquet list to attract new members.

Jack Durkin offered to contact the new Western Union to determine if they would send out a notice about the RWUEA to all retirees. Chairman Forbes would develop the language if the new Western Union is amenable.

(a) Old Business: Jack Durkin reported that he will provide the number of web site hits at the next meeting. John Skelton and Lorraine Schwacke will contact Doris D’Souza to help with the web site and as a possible candidate for the board.

12. New Business: J. Horowitz reported on the attractive give-aways that are available from Western Union, and that they would be useful at our banquets. Jack Durkin advised that he will make inquiries.

13. The next meeting will be at the Western Union Building in Montville at 10 AM on Friday, January 26. Secretary McCluskie is to confirm the accommodations.

14. The meeting was adjourned at 11:35.

Respectfully submitted, Robert McCluskie, Secretary

posted November 19, 2006

Meeting Minutes RWUEA July 28, 2006

Attending: May, Forbes, Strunz, Carroll, Stritt, McCluskie, Reilly, Lohiser, Brown, Schwacke, Skelton, Durkin, Horowitz

1. The minutes of the April 26, 2006 meeting were approved as distributed.

2. M. Brown distributed the financial report covering the last quarter. He inserted the following comments: (a) No word from First Data on the grant application; (b) the second and third quarter expenses were distorted by early payments; (c) the anticipated revenues for the 3^rd and 4^th quarters will not be sufficient to cover expenses, funds will be transferred from savings to cover; (d) The money market account on savings is now yielding 4.30% interest.

3. Grant application: (see 2A)

4. Web site: M. Brown advised that the charge for web site maintenance was $60.00 per month. Jack Durkin said that was reasonable in view of the good job that is being done. He will provide the number of web site hits at next meeting. J. Stritt will contact D’Souza as a possible candidate to join the board and manage the web site.

5. Newsletter: A suggestion to insert the contact telephone number opposite the Western Union name on the front of the newsletter was taken into consideration by J. Durkin. J. Skelton will insert a notice on his next “President’s Letter” alerting recipients to their payment status on the line above the address insert.

6. Regional Affairs: W. May advised that he has reestablished contact with most regions; that Minneapolis and Milwaukee are groups that he has been unable to contact. J. Skelton suggested assigning Board members to certain areas for visits is under consideration. J. Horowitz advised the he will visit Washington, D.C. during the next quarter.

7. Database: L. Carroll advised that we now have 2,603 members. (From the Treasurers report, it was gleaned that, of that number, close to 10% are honorary, non-paying members).

8. Membership: J. Skelton advised that due to family sickness, Warren Bechtel has resigned from the board and from his position as Membership Vice President. J. Forbes was unanimously approved as Membership Vice President by the Board. May, Horowitz and Schwacke offered to serve on the Membership Committee to assist him. The importance of the annual “delinquent” letter, which has been prepared by the Membership Chairman and released by M. Brown the past several years, was impressed upon the new Chairman.

9. Fall Luncheon: L. Schwacke advised that the Fall Luncheon will be delayed until Saturday November 4, due to the temporary unavailability of the Crowne Plaza, Paramus site.

10. New Business: The Secretary was instructed to write Warren Bechtel, thanking him for his service and asking him to consider returning to the Board should his personal circumstances change.

11. The next meeting of the RWUEA will be at the WU building in Montvale on Friday, October 27 at 10 AM. The Secretary was asked to call L. Arlotta and confirm the availability of the site for that date.

12. The meeting was adjourned at 11:45 AM.

Respectfully submitted, Robert McCluskie, Secretary

posted November 19, 2006

Meeting Minutes April 26 2006 – Amended

Attending: Brown, David, Durkin, Horowitz, Lohiser, May, McCluskie, Schwacke, Skelton, Stritt, Velten

1. The Minutes of the January 27^th meeting were approved unanimously. After a discussion it was decided that the minutes, once disseminated and corrected by email, would be put on the web site as soon as possible.

2. Membership Legitimacy: The policy of permitting membership in the RWUEA was reviewed. The by laws restrict membership to those who worked for Western Union. However, the Board may waive that requirement in extraordinary circumstances.

3. Speaker Transportation: Providing a transportation allowance for speakers at the RWUEA banquet was visited without any resolve.

4. Treasurer’s Report: First Data confirmed receipt of the request for the annual contribution for financing the newsletter. The matter is still unresolved especially since the spin off of Western Union from First Data is underway. Some one from the Board will write Western Union on the contribution once Western Union is spun off.

5. Treasurer’s Report: The revenue exceeded the expenses in the first quarter for the first time in many years. The IRS informed us that the RWUEA was determined to be a Not For Profit organization. However, contributions to RWUEA are not tax exempt.

6. Members Durkin and Stritt will arrange a meeting with Doris D’Souza to determine if she would be available to replace John Wilkinson.

7. Web Site Count: Jack Durkin will provide the Board with the number of hits, that is, the usage of the web site, at the next meeting..

8. Regional Visits: President Skelton urged Board Members to consider visiting regional meetings. Travel compensation is available.

9. Regional Affairs: Wally May reported that he had talked with several Regional Managers, and that he would make an effort to contact more before the next meeting.

10. Membership: John Skelton will approach Western Union after the spin off for a list of retirees who are not members of the RWUEA. If the list is provided, Secretary McCluskie suggested a $1 introductory annual membership to induce retirees to join the RWUEA.

11. Board Officers: President Skelton advised that the present officers would continue through 2007.

12. Database: In the Absence of LoAnn Carroll, who was absent, Mike Brown advised that the database is up to date.

13. Membership: In the Absence of Warren Bechtel, Mike Brown offered to send out the “reminder” letter to the members who have neglected to pay their 2006 dues.

14. New Member: President Skelton proposed Jerry Horowitz as a member of the Board. It was approved unanimously.

15. Newsletter: Jack Durkin reported that the Third Quarter Newsletter went out as scheduled.

16. Spring Banquet: Lorraine Schwacke reported that the event was scheduled for Paramus on April 29.

17. Incapacitated Members: The Board suggested that a “get well” letter be sent to Messrs Bianco and Reilly.

18. The next meeting will be at the Western Union office in Montvale on July 28 at 10 a.m. If W. Bechtel is not available, Jack Durkin will confirm the availability of the accommodations.

19. The meeting was adjourned at 11:45.

Respectfully submitted: Robert McCluskie, Secretary