With a handful of leagues having officially come out
The New York CU Association, Michigan CU League, and the Ohio CU League have come out in favor of allowing credit unions to choose to belong to their state leagues without having to also belong to CUNA, while the Mountain West CU Association and the California and Nevada CU Leagues say they support the status quo of league/CUNA interdependence—though the California and Nevada Leagues President Diana Dykstra did promise member credit unions that there would
As reported, in late September, CUNA's board
Rick Stanton, VP of media relations & data analysis at the California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues, told Credit Union Journal that each league is now going through its own process in evaluating their position in response to the CUNA board action.
"The California and Nevada Leagues are no different and are in the process of evaluating all of the opportunities and consequences of any action," Stanton said. "We recognize that the power of one system is envied by all trade associations and we know we are better together. We also support the task force recommendation to enhance CUNA/league cooperation and interdependence in delivering strong advocacy."
Stanton added that the California/Nevada League board "will study the issue of optionality as we contemplate change and will engage our credit unions during the process."
However, Jim Blaine, president of the $31-billion State Employees Credit Union of Raleigh, N.C., praised the NYCUA's move.
"Sounds like a positive step forward for [New York] credit unions," said Blaine, whose credit union disaffiliated from CUNA early last year. "[The resolution is] certainly much in keeping with the core democratic, cooperative principles of credit unions."
Tom Dorety, CEO of Suncoast Schools Federal Credit Union, a $6.6-billion institution based in Tampa, Fla., told Credit Union Journal that he believes we'll see more leagues move in this direction in response to the desire of their member credit unions to have a choice with their league/CUNA membership.
"As a result, CUNA finds itself in the difficult position of opposing the wishes of a growing number of leagues and credit unions," he said. "They are also in the awkward position of enabling a growing number of credit unions to have the option of joining a league and not CUNA without having the option of joining CUNA and not the league. That just doesn't make sense."
Dorety, who is a former CUNA chairman, also
"Once that happens I think we'll see more focus from CUNA and the leagues to work together to prove their value proposition as separate but interdependent trade associations," he said.
It should be noted, however, that some leagues currently support the stance taken by CUNA. For instance, the board of directors of Mountain West Credit Union Association (MWCUA), which represents credit unions in Arizona, Colorado and Wyoming, endorsed the CUNA board's existing dual membership structure.
The MWCUA board stated that "the most effective model for credit unions is one in which credit unions are members of both their league/association and CUNA."
The Ohio Credit Union League (OCUL) said that its board had unanimously voted in support of the CUNA Task Force's league-level membership optionality.
"We agree with the CUNA Task Force that choice presents the strongest long-term framework for robust CU engagement in a strong three-tiered system of CU unity, advocacy, and support" OCUL stated. "We agree with the CUNA Task Force that interdependence between the Leagues and CUNA provides the best operating model for CU advocacy."
OCUL also noted that a "majority" of Ohio credit unions favor membership optionality.
"We will work in close collaboration with CUNA to earn the membership of Ohio credit unions in both the Ohio League and CUNA," it added.
Michigan Credit Union League and the American Association of Credit Union Leagues declined to comment.
