I just joined the Freelancer’s Union. This is a non-traditional union — it’s not focused on a single industry, instead of dues it charges fees for services. Yet as a union, it gets directly involved with the political process to fight for rights of workers. So, for example, about 30% of the U.S. workforce can currently be classified as freelance workers, yet our health insurance system is designed so that employers provide health insurance only to workers who are permanent employees. Freelancers (all the way from day laborers to high-priced consultants) may find themselves either unable to get health insurance, or forced to pay far more per individual than big employers do.
I joined the Freelancer’s Union because in many ways clergypeople function as freelancers. Yes, I’m a full-time permanent employee right now, and yes I’m lucky enough to work for a congregation that provides me with adequate health care — but lots of Unitarian Universalist ministers (and clergy of all faith traditions) are not so lucky. In my case, I do belong to a professional association, the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association (UUMA), but frankly the UUMA useless when it comes to helping me with things like health insurance, and advocating for me in the political arena. Indeed, the only reason I belong to the UUMA is that I am required to do so to stay in fellowship with the Unitarian Universalist Association — other than that, the UUMA is a useless drag on my professional expenses.
So I’m putting the word out to other clergypeople I know — think about joining the Freelancer’s Union. It’s a national membership organization for independent workers, and we think independent workers should ahve the same rights as traditional workers. We’re a big political constituency, and we can organize around issues, and make politicians listen. It’s all about working together to make all of our lives more secure. Check it out, and see what you think.
I believe you’re mistaken about a requirement that you belong to the UUMA in order to retain your Fellowship status. There is no such requirement. The UUMA is a voluntary association and has nothing to do with the MFC of the UUA.
You belong to a strong and supportive UUMA chapter. If you believe that it is nothing more than a drag on your expenses, then something is wrong. Please talk to your chapter Good Officer or a trusted colleague to help you figure out what’s going on.
The Freelancer’s Union does NOT offer health insurance in Massachusetts.
Judy @ 1 — You write: “I believe you’re mistaken about a requirement that you belong to the UUMA in order to retain your Fellowship status.”
You may be correct — I’m thinking back some years to old MFC rules, and I just reread the new MFC rules, and it does seem to hold open the possibility of not being a member of the UUMA, while adhering to the UUMA professional guidelines (which are, by the way, pretty good guidelines but don’t go far enough in setting good professional boundaries).
You write: “Please talk to your chapter Good Officer or a trusted colleague to help you figure out what’s going on.”
Judy, of course I’ve done exactly this! — and I know “what’s going on.” In particular, I feel the UUMA not only has not provided the kinds of services the Freelancer’s Union provides, it also has an unfortunate history of (in my view) enabling clergy misconduct (and yes, I have been very vocal with my criticisms on this topic, and yes I have even talked with people on the exec about this; interestingly, I talked with one person on the UUMA exec who I felt quite agreed with me, and there has been some (not enough in my view) movement towards holding our colleagues accountable through the new covenant).
As for the local chapter — I love my local UUMA chapter, and they do provide excellent professional support, and have a history of holding ministers accountable for behavior. But even still, at no level of the UUMA do I see the kind of political advocacy the Freelancer’s Union can provide.
Ed S @ 2 — I’m disappointed to learn that. I thought I looked things over pretty carefully, but I guess I didn’t. How disappointing. Nevertheless, I feel that the Freelancer’s Union does provide a good model of what might work given more time. But yeah, they won’t live up to my expectations until they cover the whole country — because after all, part of being a freelancer is having to move to follow the work….
UUMA will arbitrate disputes with your fellow ministers too I believe.
@Ed, one of the GOPs reforms –vetoed by the Dems if I’m not mistaken– would allow easier sales of insurance between States and make it easier for outfits like the Freelancers to offer such benefits. It’s a good example of how the Dems are locked into a 1950’s economy and benefits model, instead of something that an economy of today with plenty of freelancers.
If you need health insurance, check out the national Association of Small Business Owners…another group that ministers fit into nicely.
You don’t have to belong to the UUMA to stay in Fellowship. Chapters which continue to have their own bylaws can welcome persons who are not members of the continental organization if they want to. I hear that the “one-size fits all” chapter bylaws from national do not permit this, but I don’t know it for sure.
Bill Baar @ 4 — I think you’re right that the Democrats are pretty much locked in to traditional labor unions, and are fairly blind to this issue. Big labor has critics on both the left and the right on the issue of freelance workers — on the left, critics don’t like the way big labor has ignored day workers and contract service workers — on the right, critics don’t like the way big labor has ignored various contract workers and white collar freelancers.
The UUMA is blind to the labor issues of ministers in its own ways. It’s interesting to contrast the approach of the Freelancer’s Union, with its pay-for-services approach, with the approach of the UUMA, which is increasing dues by a phenomenal percentage (could be over 300% for some ministers). And the UUMA seems to be focused to a large extent on continuing education and denominational advocacy for higher salary and benefits, while remaining weak on issues like political advocacy for minister’s labor issues, professional accountability and quality of work performed, and providing direct services. Contrast the UUMA, for example, with the Eastern Massachusetts Unitarian Universalist Ministers and Employees Group (EMUUMEG), which provides affordable health insurance to its members, and which is an alliance of ministers and other church workers. EMUUMEG represents a more entrepreneurial approach to labor issues (not unlike Freelancer’s Union), and is directly addressing needs — by contrast, the UUMA looks more like a Rotary Club for ministers, a private club full of good fellowship and good works, but ignoring the immediate needs of working ministers.
What’s also interesting is the degree to which the UUMA is resistant to thoughtful criticism — and Bill, if you wanted to draw comparisons between the UUMA and Democrats on this score, I’d agree with you!
Christine @ 5 — You write: “You don’t have to belong to the UUMA to stay in Fellowship.”
But you do have to be a member of the UUMA to get initial fellowship, right? I remember I had to do that, and put it off until the last minute because of the UUMA’s inability to address clergy sexual misconduct at that time.
And let’s also be clear — there is, in my experience, substantial pressure for ministers to belong to the UUMA, e.g., if a minister is not a member of the UUMA s/he will probably have to do some explaining to search committees when looking for a new job. I guess I don’t have the courage to not be a member at this time.
Some other time, I will have to write a post on how the UUMA is dominated by ministers from large congregations (they’re the ones who can afford to attend the UUMA annual meeting each year, and they’re the ones who get chosen for top leadership posts) — and this affects the kinds of issues that the UUMA is interested in addressing. Thus, ministers in big congregations can count on decent health care (I am one such minister now), so the UUMA leadership has no personal incentive to do political advocacy for health care for all ministers, nor did the UUMA leadership look at what EMUUMEG did and think to themselves, Hey we could be that entrepreneurial too, and provide affordable health care for all our members. As for addressing the needs of community ministers — who are generally the most entrepreneurial of all UU ministers — I’d bet that most community ministers are not as satisfied with the UUMA as most ministers working within congregations.