I have had a lot going on and have not had the energy to update everyone on the L&L situation, but here is an update(a few weeks old now) from someone else who was involved with this rather intense process that has been going on since last December.
I appreciate everyone on the board, especially the athletes, for coming to the table and bargaining in good faith so we could come up with changes to the bylaws that everyone can live with.
The good news is that the USATF Board on Monday evening passed compromise Temporary Amendments after four months of negotiation with the rank-and-file. The compromise is expected to be acceptable to the USOPC and easily to be ratified by the delegates at the USATF Annual Meeting in Orlando after Thanksgiving.
The compromise still gives the delegates the final say on key “carved out” bylaws & regulations, but lets the Board have the final say on more business-oriented items. For a few things, both the Delegates and Board approval will be needed in the future.
The other sticking point had been whether the elected President is automatically the Chair of the Board or the Board picks it’s own Chair. The compromise is that the President is the Chair unless 2/3s of the Board picks someone else.
With the compromise, it is expected the Annual Meeting will be quiet with no floor debate as happened the past two years when Temporary Amendments by the Board were defeated.
Tracy Sundlun and Olympic Race Walker Curt Clausen were the prime negotiators for the rank-and-file and assisted by a group of about ten including our friend Becca.