A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the fiasco that was the ARRL Board’s decision to publicly censure Dick Norton, N6AA for allegedly speaking out against the draconian ARRL Policy on Board Governance and Conduct of Members of the Board of Directors and Vice Directors (more commonly known as the Code of Conduct). Since then, this issue has gotten a lot of publicity. There’s been a lot of chatter on various amateur radio mailing lists. Ham Radio Now produced an episode that discussed this decision, CQ has published a white paper titled “What is the ARRL So Afraid Of?”
The latter discusses some other questionable board actions, including:
- Instructing local ARRL Public Information Officers to not talk to the media about ham radio activities but rather to direct all media inquiries to ARRL Headquarters, even though they had not yet hired a communications manager after the departure of Sean Kutzko, KX9X.
- Shutting down the PR mailing list, which many PIOs used to compare notes and discuss how to do their jobs better.
They also write:
Interestingly, it has been pointed out to us that a majority of the current League board members have not actually been elected, but rather have been either appointed to fill a vacancy or put into/kept in office by virtue of potential opponents being disqualified from running, sometimes on very questionable grounds and, again, shrouded in secrecy.
Having said all that, question is what can we—as rank-and-file ARRL members—do to address this situation?
Several hams have suggested that we put together a petition and present it to the League. The question is what would we actually be petitioning them to do? Throw out the Code of Conduct? Stop acting so secretly and un-democratically?
Others have suggested bombarding our directors with emails and letters, much as they asked us to do with the antenna legislation, stating in no uncertain terms that you are displeased with the Code of Conduct as its currently written and the actions they’ve taken as a result. I think that this might be the best thing to do. The board is due to meet in January, and if enough hams voice their displeasure, we’ll get a good read on whether or not they actually care about members’ views.
I’ll come up with a sample letter and post it here over the weekend. If you have any suggestions, please email me and let me know.
Another option is to recall the directors who supported the code. Unfortunately, a quirk in the by-laws actually makes it easier for appointed directors or directors who ran unopposed to keep their seats. The bylaws state that to recall a director, a recall petition must be signed by 10% of the number that voted in the election, or in the case of an unopposed election, 10% of the number of ARRL members in that division.
For example, if a division has 15,000 members, then the petition to recall an appointed director, or one that ran unopposed, must be signed by 1,500 ARRL members in that division. But, take an election in which only a third of the members voted. For a division with 15,000 members, perhaps only 5,000 will vote. To recall that director, the petition would have to be signed by only 500 members.
Another, although longer term, strategy would be to organize a group that would find and support Board candidates that pledge to truly represent their division and be transparent. Every year, five directors (and vice directors) come up for re-election. Finding and supporting candidates in a more organized way would probably be the most effective strategy in the long run.
I’m truly interested in hearing what you think. Am I making too big a deal out of this? If not, what do you think we should do about it?
MJ - WO9B says
Hi Dan,
Good follow up.
If you are putting a letter together, and that is a great idea, please consider to include:
1. Removal of the gag rule from the Code of Conduct. This of course is the very issue that got the ball rolling in the first place.
2. Elections need to be run and votes tallied, even if the position is unopposed. That would remove the penalty for removing an appointed representative.
Understand, I’m not trying to grind any axes here. I do think the ARRL has labored for quite some time with little attention from the members. Under those circumstances, bad policy tends to work its way into organizations. A little sunshine can clear up a lot of problems. This looks like one of those situations.
Thanks.
Dan KB6NU says
I like the idea of requiring elections to be run even if a candidate is running unopposed. And, of course, removing the gag rule is of primary importance.
Walter Underwood says
For the PIOs, immediately set up an informal, non-ARRL mailing list to talk about publicity for amateur radio. This means that ARRL has accidentally replaced a list they control with a list they don’t, but they could fix that at any time.
I did the same when our city shut down the ARES/RACES list.
I recommend groups.io for mailing lists.
Trap Canterbury says
At this point I think we try and fix the ARRL but at the same time I think we need to be starting a guerilla movement outside the lines. It might be time to start an alternative even if it’s only to scare the pants off these board room stiffs.
Repressed says
It is behavior that seems consistent with Unions. What is interesting is if you follow the chain it leads back to the United Nations.
This whole issue and others in my section have a smell that when identified should be familiar to most. I have contended and still do, that this organization walks, talks, and acts like a UNION! There is a reason they like the organization structure the way it is. Have you noticed that the ARRL is part of a larger organization?
http://www.iaru.org/constitution.html
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the leading United Nations agency for information and communication technology issues. Based in Geneva, Switzerland, the ITU includes in its membership 193 Member States and several hundred Sector Members and Associates.
The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) is a Sector Member…
… the ITU holds a World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC), usually in Geneva…
http://www.arrl.org/itu
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the United Nations agency that deals with information and communication technologies.
One of the primary activities of the IARU is to work within the ITU structure …
UN=United Nations
ITU=International Telecommunication Union
IARU= International Amateur Radio Union
ARRL=Amateur Radio Relay League
Does the UN (United Nations) represent the interests of the United States? If so, why do we only have one vote when other countries have two?
Consider this, the United Nations is the birth mother of the ITU (International Telecommunication Union), of which the IARU is a sector member.
http://www.arrl.org/itu
Repressed (Name/email withheld for obvious reasons?)
Tom Friess says
Repressed,
Great work! Now discover who/what controls the ITU. Read “The Global Vatican” by Knight of Malta and former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, Francis Rooney.
signed,
Repressed and Censored
David says
Dan,
Firstly keep up the good work!
I plan to head straight to the ARRL booth at Dayton 2018 and have a chat, as a lifer I would hope they might at least hear me out if only in stoic silence.
A group letter or petition might be a good idea, I just hope it will have some effect.
Having a CoC is not a bad idea but having one that pretty much says “1st rule of fight club is don’t talk about fight club” “2nd rule refer to rule 1” is not what most of us would want.
73
David
N8DAH
Steve C - KE8HXM says
I concur that a board such as this one is behaving is out of control and there can be no good purpose served when silencing rules and secrecy shroud their actions. We are not talking national security here, it is amateur radio, licensed and controlled by the FCC, yet these people seem to think they are running the Pentagon or something.
I will support your efforts in wresting “control” from these individuals and reestablishing the representative form of the organization again. If it is a petition I will sign it, a letter or whatever form it may take you can count me in.
Perhaps ARRL in it’s current state has doomed itself – I can’t see myself paying dues to any organization that ignores me and makes rulings in secret while shutting down the people who would make public what they are doing. As a new ham, I see little to no benefit in belonging to ARRL.
Coopdog says
Steve, I agree wholeheartedly with you letter. Of all the responses, your’s hit the nail on the head. and I also agree that I cannot pay dues to an organization that doesn’t listen to their members or make everything they do absolutely transparent to the members. That’s also why I believe in draining the swamp in DC. The ARRL has become another swamp that needs to be drained.
Rick Duff says
How about just totally removing your radios and not get on air at all? It should then get thru that the board has no control of other hobbies many will do. Stop paying dues to them. Drop memberships. Since bands are so poor now to add to this. Hard to have and board members if no income? Cut off supply of it. I got disgusted with the “good ol boys stuff” on bands back in 80s and myself and many others just quit doing any ham related radio activities. And if many remember it almost died out in late 80s on hams. Few were coming in hobby. And many was put off if listened in on conversations about how stupid most were. So that was also added to problems. Things changed in early 90s to get more tech class hams on air. But AGAIN the block of “good ol boys” did everything they could to prevent any techs from actually using repeaters they WAS by licence class to do. Many was “general or higher only use”. And many was turned off if a tech ID’d to say hello. So again many come in. Get disgusted and leave. And of course this posting of the truth will ruffle bunch of feathers. But no matter. SK is just around corner for many of em soon..
James Adams says
I’m going to just withhold my money. No money, no positions. With all the ways to contact each other, maybe it’s just better to start a new organization. I’m thinking “David’s radio club.”
Michael Coslo N3LI says
If you don’t like what they are doing, simply forget to mail in your membership check the next time it comes due.
Petitions seldom work, comments seldom work. As recent F.C.C. decisions prove. Power will do whatever it pleases until the money starts drying up.
Richard H Flint II says
Very misleading to use the ARRL logo in your rant.
Henry Mensch N6HCM says
Why is that? That’s exactly what this is about.
Dave New, N8SBE says
Witholding membership money doesn’t work for lifers, and unless a highly coordinated effort takes place, will have little to no effect on ARRL’s bottom line. It smacks of cutting one’s nose to spite one’s face.
Change happens from within. That includes using your vote (one good reason to keep your membership) and getting elected to positions where you can make a difference (again, need to keep your membership).
As far as the Code of Conduct goes, I heard that it was required by the state of Connecticut, as applied to all corporate boards that operate within the state. Obviously, it is written for a non-representative type board, which is typical for a for-profit corporation, where the board members are all appointed and not voted on by the share holders.
It would seem that there would be a variant for non-profit, representative-type boards, such as ARRL. I understand that ARRL General Counsel was instrumental in helping them implement the current Code of Conduct, including interpreting the various clauses.
So, the ARRL board believes they are doing what is required of them by state law, backed up by their own attorney(s).
John Wright, K6CPO says
I’m the Public Information Coordinator for the San Diego (CA) Section and I’ve heard nothing about PIO’s being told to refer all media inquiries to headquarters. You would think that if this were the case, the league would have advised all the PIOs and PICs directly. Can you cite specifics on this and the supposed shutdown of the PIO mailing list?
Dan KB6NU says
CQ Magazine reported this. I personally haven’t seen this directive because I am not a PIO. I did subscribe to the ARRL PR mailing list, and I haven’t received anything from that list for at least several weeks.