Take a little responsibility people...

This morning I had the great joy of attending the Massage Therapist Association of Saskatchewan's annual general meeting. Typically the only reason I attend these 2-3 hour snooze fests are to get the three continuing education credits that are given to everyone who attends. I have to say that this year's meeting wasn't too bad. They have brought in a parliamentarian for the last couple of meetings I have attended, and it helps the technical side of the meeting run a little more smoothly. There is more discussion of relavant topics than trying to figure out how to make a motion and amend a motion, etc.

The one thing that got my eyes rolling was a proposed amendment to the bylaws that would remove the two month grace period for people to pay their membership fees. Membership fees are always, and have always been due by October 31st each year (at least as long as I have been a member, anyway). They have allowed a two month grace period until December 31st to allow the slow pokes to get their payments in without penalty. However they want to ammend that to make it mandatory to pay by October 31st or risk being removed from the association.

I could not believe the number of people who were against it. Like I said above, it has always been due by that date, what is the problem? Don't you pay your power/water/telephone/gas/tax bills on time or risk having your services cut off? I am sure that you would likely get a warning letter/phone call/etc before they go ahead and cut off your services, but can we not take a little responsibility people? This one member got up to speak, and I know that she has been a therapist for at least 20 years. She whined that last year she had lost her renewal letter and so had forgotten to renew her membership on time. Is that MTAS's problem? Just felt like shaking my head, and maybe I did a few times.

So after a whole whack of people got up and spoke for or against it, it was voted on and it was a close vote, but there were more people in favor of changing it, than not. I was happy to see that, and hoping that a few irresponsible people might learn to get their acts together or lose their membership. However, a little later in the meeting, the parliamentarian spoke up and appologized for missing another bylaw that stated that for an amendment of a bylaw to be approved that there had to be at least 2/3 of the votes in favor and we were just shy of that. So no change :P Seems like an awful waste of time.... Oh well, at least I got my credits, and got to have my say, even if it didn't amount to anything happening!