UUP’s Oneonta Chapter sponsored a film series about labor to attract new members to the chapter.

Fredonia UUPers held membership lunches. The Alfred, Purchase and Plattsburgh chapters held forums for professionals and academics.

And in March, the Stony Brook Chapter hosted a social justice program called “Loaves for Fishes” at a local friary. They baked bread and sold the loaves, raising $1,200 to help build a fish farm in Mexico.

These are just some of the events hosted by UUP chapters to expand membership, and energize those who may be considering a leadership role.

“Most members know they get a contract and raises through the union, but they don’t realize what we do,” said statewide UUP Membership Development Officer Edward Quinn. “We need to inform them of what the union is about.”

Quinn raised those points at a March 11 regional meeting for membership development officers (MDOs) at Oneonta. Representatives from Oneonta, Albany and Cobleskill attended the daylong seminar, which focused on ways to structure chapter-building activities. This was one in a series of regional MDO meetings staged by Quinn; another was held May 4 at Buffalo State.

One of the biggest stumbling blocks for MDOs: convincing members who think that union activism will take too much time from their already busy lives.

Hanfu Mi, Oneonta’s new membership development officer, can attest to that. Mi said he toyed with becoming involved for a while before making the jump this year. What stopped him? He didn’t think he had the time.

“People are stretched so thin they may see (chapter involvement) as a long-term commitment,” said Oneonta Chapter President William Simons. “You have to generate interest and enthusiasm to get them involved.”

Almost every UUP chapter has seen membership increases from 2005 to 2010 for a variety of reasons, according to UUP membership figures. But placing a focus on growing membership certainly hasn’t hurt chapters like Stony Brook (up 18.2 percent), Cortland (up 17 percent) and Oneonta (up 11.7 percent).

There are a number of ways MDOs can increase membership, starting with inviting new employees to orientation meetings or training sessions. Creating and improving chapter newsletters keeps members in the know and publicizes union activities that may spur their involvement.

Staging picnics, mixers, lunches and other social events are other ways to attract members. Oswego, Cortland, Stony Brook, Oneonta and Fredonia are a sampling of chapters that have held membership luncheons, dinners and end-of-semester mixers to bring members together, according to chapter newsletters. Several others held benefits to aid survivors of January’s catastrophic earthquake in Haiti.

“If people have an interest, we can find a niche to go with that interest,” Mi said.

On April 27, the Oneonta Chapter hosted “College and Community III: The Dialogue Continues,” a two-hour panel discussion about how the college and community can work together. Nearly 70 UUPers—who each got a free box lunch—attended the event, which featured Oneonta Mayor Richard Miller Jr., financial analyst Erna Morgan and bank president Douglas Gulotty.

Hosting workshops for professionals and academics can increase chapter awareness. Alfred, ESF, Oswego and Plattsburgh were a few of the chapters that held professionals’ workshops this year.

Vice President for Academics Frederick Floss and Vice President for Professionals John Marino throughout the year hold a regional workshop for professionals and academics; Marino is slated to host a Long Island professionals’ workshop June 5.

But one of the best and easiest ways to promote the chapter is through word of mouth. An active, organized chapter, one that’s always ready and effective when it comes to helping members in trouble, won’t be a secret for long.

— Michael Lisi