D4—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 15,1981
‘Block Vote 9 Bill
(Continued from Page D 2)
farmers.
House Bill 767 seeks to amend
the Pennsylvania Agricultural
Commodities Marketing Act of
1968, which sanctioned cooperative
bloc voting.
Our organization polled every
state represented by the National
Farmers Union and discovered
that Pennsylvania was the only
state issuing carte blanche votmg
rights to cooperatives in com
modity referendums. The accepted
practice of cooperatives in other
states is to let the individual
producer decide if a mandatory
advertising program is suitable tor
their commodity.
If HB 767 is enacted, it will
restore the co-op member’s right
to control the result of a referen
dum by voting for, against or
deciding not to vote.
By allowing cooperatives to bloc
vote for its membership, the co-op
automatically assumes that all
"no-show” votes are m agreement
with that cooperative board’s
decision. The last referendum that
relied heavily on cooperative bloc
voting was the 1973 milk
referendum. Of the number of
cooperatives castmg bloc votes,
only eight of the thirty five agreed
with the majority of individual
producers who cast ballots.
For example, one cooperative
cast its bloc votes in favor of the
referendum, but 90 percent of the
votes cast by individual producers
disagreed with the co-op’s
decision. Farmers Union members
feel a cooperative is remiss to
assume that all no show votes are
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in agreement with the opinion ot
the board, especially, when the
votmg members do disagree at
such a substantial rate.
When the referedum vote con
cerns a mandatory promotion
program, shouldn’t the ultimate
decision be in the hands ot each
producer and not the co-op board?
We have yet to see a cooperative
agreement stating that the co-op
.board shall cast the votes ot all
members who tail to vote.
If the political parties in this
country were given permission to
bloc vote tor its registered
members who tailed to vote, the
electonate would be up in arms.
Think ot the havoc bloc voting
would cause to our representative
term ot government.
The same havoc is occurring in
rural Pennsylvania. Farmers want
to have sole control of their vote in
reterendums, even if it means
exercising their right not to vote.
To clarify a question earlier
submitted by a member of this
committee, an elected official in
the General Assembly does not
bloc vote for his constituents. His
vote on legislation is a represen
tative form ot votmg. It his
decisions do not coincide with the
wishes ot his constituents, they
have the power to vote him out ot
office.
In a cooperative structure,
members elect delegates who then
vote tor cooperative board
members. The cooperative board
member, who decides which way a
bloc vote is submitted, is not at the
mercy of his members His seat on
the board was chosen by delegates.
800000015
Box 128 R D #4, Lititz. PA 17543
Wood Corner Rd
1 Mile West of Ephrata
Phone 717-738-1121
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So in reality, he is one step
removed trom the democratic
process.
In response to other portions ot
HB 767, we teel that a three year
review ot the marketing order is
tune enough tor produceis to
determine whether they are in
vesting their dollars wisely. Under
current law, it a program does not
meet the expectations ot the
producer, he must continue to
subsidize it tor a tive year period.
We teel a three year review is an
adequate time trame in which to
determine the etfectiveness ot a
marketing order.
HB 767 also increases the votes
needed tor passage ot a reteren
dum trom a simple majority and 56
percent ot production, to a two
thirds majority without regard to
production.
By eliminating the production
clause, the individual producer
stands to gam on two points. First,
it would simphty the process ot
conducting check-otts. Tabulating
production in addition to total
votes is a complicated and costly
tormula. Secondly, by taking
production into account, the vote ot
a tarmer who produces an abun
dant supply ot that commodity has
a stronger vote than the small
tamily tarmer with less produc
tion. So a man with a million
dollars has a stronger voice than a
man with a thousand dollars.
By elumnmating production
considerations and increasing the
votes needed tor passage ot a
referendum, administrative costs
tor tabulation will also be reduced.
Under the basic principles ot a
democracy, the concept ot "one
man-one vote”, with each vote
carrying the same weight, is the
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however, do not have this same
basic freedom in commodity
referendum votes.
Many ot the cooperatives
testifying have said that House Bill
767 will inhibit them trom
adequately representing their
membership in commodity
reterendums. What they tail to
mention is that bloc voting con
tradicts the main principles that
guide cooperatives.
The Rochdale Principles, which
date back to 1644, are the basic
rules that most member-owned
cooperatives follow. The Rochdale
Principles clearly state that the co
op is democratically controlled,
with each member having an equal
vote. There is no consideration tor
production or monetary status,
and each member controls his own
vote.
Current law is a direct defiance
to these set ot guidelines that
cooperatives have followed tor
over a century. House Bill 767 will
change all that.
In closing, may 1 say that the
Pennsylvania Farmers Union is
Luzerne agent presents
paper at nat’l meeting
NANTICOKE E.V. Chadwick, /nmistrative management was
Luzerne County Extension' judged a state and northeastern
director, has been selected to United States regional winner,
present a Search for Excellence
paper Monday at the annual
meeting of the National
Association of County Agricultural
Agents at Cornell University.
Chadwick’s paper on
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not attempting to be anti
cooperative. In fact, the Farmers
Union has a long and illustrious
history ot forming farmer-owned
cooperatives. National Farmers
Union has organized more
cooperatives in the last 79 years
than all other organizations
combined.
Our mam concern is that each
tanner in this state has an equal
vote, equal representation and lull
control ot their own vote.
Producers in Pennsylvania are
responsible enough to make their
own decisions, especially when it
comes to mandatory advertising.
It advertising is a good thing in the
eyes ot the producer, the vote will
retlect it under the proposals ot
House Bill 767.
But under current law, the
mandate ot an advertising
program is controlled by the
wishes ot a cooperative board, and
not the individual tarmer. For
these reasons, the Pennsylvania
Farmers Union is in tull support ot
House Bill 767.
He is one of 21 county Extension
agents from throughout the United
States named to take part in the
national association’s professional
improvement program.
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