Wisconsin CU League Endorses Dual Membership

PEWAUKEE, Wis. – The board of directors of the Wisconsin Credit Union League on Tuesday said it has signed a "Resolution of Interdependence" that affirms its commitment to dual membership in the league and CUNA.

Brett Thompson, president and CEO of the Wisconsin Credit Union League, said by signing the Resolution of Interdependence at a special November board meeting, "Our league board's action to support not only the interdependence of the leagues and CUNA, but also the dual membership model, is based on a firm belief that advocacy is significantly enhanced when we all work together with one focus in mind: removing barriers that limit credit unions' ability to serve their members," he said in a statement.

"The dual membership model gives us the best opportunity to be successful in that endeavor," Thompson added.

The move is the latest development in a controversy that has been the hottest topic in credit union land over the last three weeks: whether credit unions should be required to belong to both CUNA their respective leagues, or whether they should have the choice of belonging to just one of them. The Wisconsin League joins the Mountain West CU Association (representing Colorado, Wyoming and Arizona) in issuing a formal statement supporting the longtime requirement that credit unions belong to both CUNA and their respective state leagues. At the California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues' recent Annual Meeting and Convention, president and CEO Diana Dykstra asserted sticking with the present system makes sense from the standpoint of preserving CUs' strength in advocacy (CUNA CEO Jim Nussle also spoke at the CCUL/NCUL meeting and lobbied for credit unions to stay with dual membership).

On the other side of the argument, on Nov. 13 the Carolinas CU League said it favored eliminating the dual membership requirement, which put it in line with the state associations representing Michigan, New York and Ohio.

CUNA, meanwhile, is not standing pat. According to an Oct. 20 memo from Nussle to league presidents across the U.S., makes it clear the trade group sees the need for change.

"The credit union industry is changing rapidly, as you all know well. In order to thrive, CUNA must change as well. This is not a proclamation or my opinion alone. It's just reality," Nussle wrote in the memo. He noted that CUNA staff is reviewing the trade association's bylaws and will draft proposed changes for the board to consider, "including most importantly, those related to membership structure."

These proposed changes are to be presented at the CUNA board's next meeting, Dec. 9 and 10.