Fraternity-Testvériség, 1979 (57. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
1979-07-01 / 3. szám
REPORT of the PRESIDENT for the year of 1978 Distinguished Members of the Board: During the year of 1978 the Executive Committee (EC) held 55 meetings. From the minutes of the meetings mailed to the Board members you were informed of the major events, the important actions and the resolutions voted by the National Officers throughout the year. My report will be a chronological review and a concise summarization of these events, actions and resolutions related to my office as prescribed in the By-Laws of the HRFA. STUDENT AID AND LOAN FUND of the HRFA On January 3, 1978 the treasurer and my secretary made a financial report on the Fund. On April 3rd the Fund received tax exempt status from the IRS. IRS EXAMINATION The IRS sent an examiner to our Home Office. At the National Fraternal Congress meeting we were informed that approximately 55 fraternal insurance organizations were examined by the IRS. We were pleased that the examiner fouqd our financial records in good order. However, he stressed his concern about the branches holding regular monthly meetings and stated that the branches must carry on charitable and fraternal activities. The National Secretary was instructed to ask the branches to mail copies of the branch meeting minutes to his office. He was also requested to encourage branches to have charitable and fraternal activities and to include their documentation in the branch minutes. UNION On August 1st 1 was notified that a number of our employees signed a petition to belong to the Insurance Workers International Union, AFL-CIO. On August 2nd I was notified that the HRFA have proper representation concerning the petition submitted by the employees for a union. The election was scheduled for Monday, August 28th. I was officially notified by the regional director of the U. S. National Labor Relation? Board that of the 12 eligible voters 6 votes wore cast for the union and 6 against. This means that for one year period of time the employees cannot make another petition for unionization. MOVING Following the settlement of the sale of the Kossuth House building a temporary administrative office was rented. June 3rd and 4th, Saturday and Sunday were the moving days. On Saturday the work went on from early morning to the late evening hours. Everything was moved from the Kossuth House to the Home Office in Washington, D.C., and the Administrative Office. The Executive Vice-President deserves recognition for being in charge of the moving operation. It was well planned and excellently executed. The National Officers deserve thanks for their share in the moving. They were in charge of moving the furniture and the material of their respective departments. The employees also cooperated with the National Officers and helped us to make the moving a team work. The members of the EC inspected many properties in Washington, D.C. MISCELLANEOUS The resolutions voted in 1978 by the Board of Directors were carried out by the EC. The Federation fulfilled all its obligations; the death and sick benefit claims were paid in the shortest period of time. Calvin Synod and the Hungarian Reformed Church in America did not hold youth camps in 1978. The Bethlen Home also did not hold its two weeks Hungarian summer school camp. The reason for the cancellations was that in every case only a small number of young people registered for the camps. In 1978 the Field Force meeting was held on February 18th in Washington, D.C. The 1978 quota requests of the Field Force members were approved by the EC. District meetings were held in Indiana Harbor. McKeesport and New Brunswick. Four issues of the Fraternity was published by the Bethlen Press, Inc., Ligonier, Pa. I thank the National Officers and Board members for writing articles. More fraternal material is published in the Fraternity on the branch level. The amount of assets ($19,534,901.00) is the highest in the history of the Federation. It may be interpreted as the result of the sale of the Kossuth House building. However, the EC decided "‘to clean up" all the defaulted commercial mortgages in 1978. We had foreclosure procedures in the past, year after year. From 1979 hopefully we will no longer be haunted h\ defaulted commercial mortgages. I i