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Gail Forsyth-vail:
OK, welcome, everyone.

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It is February 26, 2015.

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And this is our monthly Faith
Development Office webinar.

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And this one is called "Seeking
Greater Financial Security

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for Staff of UU Congregations."

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Our presenters are
Richard Nugent,

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the director of the UUA Office
of Church Staff Finances,

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and Betsy Gabriel, the UUA
Compensation Program Manager.

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I'm Gail Forsyth-Vail,
and I'm your host.

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I'm the Adult Programs
Director at the UUA.

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And Susan Lawrence--
the managing editor

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of Tapestry and
other resources--

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is our technical support
person, and she's

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going to disappear pretty soon.

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But she is here in
the background in case

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there are technical issues.

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A little bit of housekeeping
before we begin.

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Please mute your microphone and
turn off or stop your camera.

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If you have questions
or comments,

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would you type them,
please, in the group chat,

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which is in the lower
left-hand corner.

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And you're free to ask questions
during the presentation,

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but type them in.

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If we have time at the end,
we may invite you to unmute.

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We'll have to see how time goes.

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You can watch the chat box
for links and information,

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which you can then cut and
paste to your own computer.

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If you have audio problems,
mute the audio on your computer

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and call in by telephone.

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And when we are done,
the recorded webinar

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are will be posted at the
web address on your screen.

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So I am going to turn it
over to the Reverend Richard

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Nugent, who will do
the opening reading.

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Richard Nugent: Thanks, Gail.

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The opening words
for this evening

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is from the 1994
meditation manual

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by Barbara Rohde entitled
"The Unexpected Stairway."

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"My spouse and I had been
at a small hotel in Bergen

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for two days before we
discovered the stairway.

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We had known it was
there, of course.

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We had seen the sign,
if not the thing itself.

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But we used the elevator.

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At the time, we thought,
and the energy we

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needed for exploring that
charming town on misty October

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days.

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After breakfast
on the third day,

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when the elevator
seemed slow in arriving,

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my husband decided to walk up.

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He was waiting at the elevator
door when I, and the elevator,

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arrived on the fourth floor.

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'Let me show you
something,' he said,

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and led me back down the
stairs he had just come up.

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I was dazzled.

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Instead of the sterile
institutional look

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of most hotel
stairways, this one

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had the warm beauty of
an art lover's home.

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There were bright
paintings on all the walls

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and at each landing, a
rug in jeweled tones,

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a table with fresh flowers,
an exquisite chair or two.

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When we reached
the first floor, we

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walked up again, filled with
energy, drinking in the beauty.

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'We might have
missed this,' I said.

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'Have to be careful about
saving time and losing life,' he

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said."

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These words are
presented because many

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of the topics that we
are going to cover today

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tend at times to be
glossed over because they

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can be complicated, in
terms of the details,

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because we don't want to
actually look at how much we

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have in the retirement
plan, because it's

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sort of depressing.

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But the more
information we have,

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the time of opening the stairway
and walking up and finding

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all these treasures, the better
we'll [AUDIO OUT] actually

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live life, rather than rushing
through life or retirement,

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as the case may be.

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So thank you, Barbara Rohde,
for your opening words.

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Today we're going to talk
about what constitutes

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fair compensation within
the UUA, our future plans,

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the Office of Church Staff
Finance's future plans

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around fair compensation,
and then close

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by offering a few suggestions on
steps that you, we, each of us

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can do if in fact, we believe
that there are some issues that

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need to be resolved at our
congregational employer.

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So that's our agenda for today.

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Let me begin my own remarks--
my opening remarks--

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by thanking, first off, Susan
and Gail for inviting us,

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and also for Betsy Gabriel
who so ably directs

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our compensation programs.

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And Betsy is a half-time
employee of our staff group.

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I wish she were a
full-time employee.

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But she is insistent
upon spending

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some time of her retirement
actually retired.

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She's an HR professional
who retired two years ago

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but has been a very active
Unitarian Universalist.

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Both Betsy and I were at the
fall conference in Atlanta.

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And at the conference,
I opened my remarks

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there talking about
"Lilo and Stitch."

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My now 15-year-old
loved "Lilo and Stitch."

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And the concept that
that show introduces

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of ohana, meaning
family and the fact

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that no one is ever left
behind or forgotten,

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is a driving force for my
staff, in terms of the benefit

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plans of the UUA.

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We don't want anyone
left behind or forgotten.

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The Office of Church
Staff Finances,

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we have seven
employees, in total.

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We manage five program
areas-- the UUA health plan,

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the retirement plan,
our group insurance,

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which is life, disability,
and dental, the compensation

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program, much of which
we're going to cover fairly

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thoroughly this
evening, and then last

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but certainly not
least are the aid funds

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that my office
has to administer.

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And the aid funds are for
all religious professionals

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and administrative staff of
our congregation, just not

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ordained clergy.

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And we'll say a few
more words later

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in the course of a presentation.

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Around many of these issues
we receive ongoing advice

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from the Council on
Church Staff Finances.

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This is an entity that has about
40 some odd years of existence

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and includes representatives
of all the professional groups,

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including some professional
groups that I never even knew

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existed until I took this job.

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And we come together
a couple times a year.

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For us, it's a vehicle for
us to present new directions

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that we're thinking about, in
terms of the Office of Church

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Staff Finances.

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But as importantly,
or more importantly,

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it's an opportunity for
the professional groups

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to present their concerns,
their ideas to us.

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And LREDA has been ably
served the last few years

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by the Reverend Jude Geiger.

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And we're glad to have
him around our table

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when we gather.

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So I'll be back in a
few moments to discuss

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some of the insurance plans.

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And let me turn the
microphone over to Betsy.

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Betsy Gabriel:
Thank you, Richard,

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and good evening everyone.

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We're going to be talking
for the next several minutes

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about the fair
compensation guidelines.

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And the first and most important
thing I want to say to you

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is that the fair
compensation guidelines are

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a series of recommendations.

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They were developed
for congregations,

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for congregation staff.

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And they're comprised of
salary ranges and benefits.

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They apply to most church
staff, occasionally

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church's staff positions that
do not fall into our guidelines,

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and it takes us a little
while to catch up.

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But many of you
who are on with us

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tonight and most church staff
are covered by the guidelines.

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First, I want to
give you a little bit

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of history about them.

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Back in 1990, the UUA realized
that we have some compensation

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concerns about staff
in our congregation.

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And they developed the
compensation committee

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to study the problem.

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The problem resulted
in a report which

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was published in 1993
titled "The Price We Pay."

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And what the committee
determined was that--

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and they were looking at
ministers at this point--

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most of our ministers
were paid very poorly

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and were provided benefits
very poorly in comparison

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to ministers in
other denominations--

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to religious leaders
in other denominations.

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So they suggested that
we do a further report

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to come up with some
solutions to the problem.

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This report was
released in 1995,

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and it was a title "To
Sustain the Living Tradition."

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It contains 20
guidelines which churches

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could follow to establish
a fair compensation.

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That report was
approved by the board

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and was sent to the delegates
at the General Assembly in 1995.

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And the General Assembly
accepted the recommendation.

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Based on the
recommendations a committee

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put together the first
basic salary guidelines.

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And they were published in 1997.

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And because this study
was done for ministers,

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the first guidelines
actually just presented

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salaries for ministers.

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But it only took a
year for the group

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to realize that all church
staff needed to be covered.

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And they did quickly become
a part of the guidelines.

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The information
in the guidelines

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is reviewed annually.

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It's updated as necessary.

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But we need do look
at all the information

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that results in the pay
ranges on an annual basis.

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The fair compensation
guidelines contains

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all of the elements of
pay and compensation

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and all of the
recommendations that you

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see listed here on this slide.

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We're actually going to
talk about each one of them

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in detail.

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So I'm not going to repeat
them to you at this point.

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But what I would like
to say is that one

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of the most important
aspects of this program,

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or the theological
basis, or the theological

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values that underlie all of the
guidelines that were developed.

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When we look at some
of our principles,

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we look at respecting
work and dignity.

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And we consider fair
and equitable treatment.

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And these were certainly
very strong focuses

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that were kept in mind as
they put all of these reports

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and programs together.

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One of the very strong opinions
that-- we who work with

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[INAUDIBLE], and I know those
who put the program together

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was that-- our fair
compensation program is

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a way for our congregation
to live their values

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and to live their
values at home, which

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is a very good place to start.

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When competition consultants go
out to work with congregations,

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they all say things like, you
all probably picket Wal-Mart,

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because Wal-Mart hires
employees with so few hours

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that they're not
eligible for benefits.

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You probably marched
for a minimum wage.

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If you live in
Philadelphia, you've

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been marching for
sick pay for workers.

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And yet, many congregations are
not providing these same things

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that they feel are
important for people outside

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of our congregations for
their own congregations.

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So adopting and adhering
to fair compensation

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is a way for all of
our congregations

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to live their values.

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Another important
value that I think

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leaders within our congregations
need to be aware of

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and respond to is that there's
a responsibility of stewardship

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of the resources of
the congregation.

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When employees are
compensated fairly

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and feel like they are being
provided a reasonable standard

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of living, they work harder.

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They are more loyal.

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They are happier.

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And they do help
the congregation

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grow in a number of ways.

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When they're not taken
care of and treated fairly,

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they may not necessarily
be good employees.

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They may not last
very long, and it's

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very expensive and
stressful for congregations

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to be replacing
employees all the time.

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So in order to be a good
Steward of the congregation's

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resources, they should be
protecting the congregations

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by taking good care
of the employees.

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One of the
recommendations in the

249
00:14:04,960 --> 00:14:07,780
"To Sustain a Living Tradition"
and the fair compensation

250
00:14:07,780 --> 00:14:10,080
guidelines is that
when congregations

251
00:14:10,080 --> 00:14:12,940
are making a decision
about compensation,

252
00:14:12,940 --> 00:14:14,570
the first thing they
should establish

253
00:14:14,570 --> 00:14:16,840
is a basic benefits package.

254
00:14:16,840 --> 00:14:21,270
And this should be established
prior to determining a salary

255
00:14:21,270 --> 00:14:24,080
figure for the employee.

256
00:14:24,080 --> 00:14:26,176
So the basic
benefit package will

257
00:14:26,176 --> 00:14:27,800
consist of health
insurance-- and we're

258
00:14:27,800 --> 00:14:29,883
going to talk about each
of these in more details.

259
00:14:29,883 --> 00:14:32,600
So I'll just briefly mention--
health insurance, life

260
00:14:32,600 --> 00:14:36,630
insurance, long-term disability
insurance, dental insurance,

261
00:14:36,630 --> 00:14:43,580
a retirement plan, and for
ordained staff, FICA, or SECA

262
00:14:43,580 --> 00:14:45,010
taxes.

263
00:14:45,010 --> 00:14:47,320
We'll talk about that in detail.

264
00:14:47,320 --> 00:14:51,550
We also recommend that employees
receive professional expense

265
00:14:51,550 --> 00:14:55,230
reimbursement, that
salary and housing should

266
00:14:55,230 --> 00:14:58,320
be within the recommended
salary ranges,

267
00:14:58,320 --> 00:15:00,320
and that the congregation
establish and maintain

268
00:15:00,320 --> 00:15:04,350
personnel policy, so that they
can assure that employees are

269
00:15:04,350 --> 00:15:09,790
treated fairly and equitably.

270
00:15:09,790 --> 00:15:12,320
When we talk about the fair
compensation guidelines,

271
00:15:12,320 --> 00:15:15,950
we will present to you
what the fair compensation

272
00:15:15,950 --> 00:15:17,810
expectation is.

273
00:15:17,810 --> 00:15:21,420
Congregations who meet fair
compensation expectations

274
00:15:21,420 --> 00:15:24,980
can be considered fair
compensation congregations.

275
00:15:24,980 --> 00:15:28,600
We will also share with
you our recommendations,

276
00:15:28,600 --> 00:15:30,370
and these are usually
recommendations

277
00:15:30,370 --> 00:15:34,370
as to how the fair compensation
expectations will be met.

278
00:15:34,370 --> 00:15:38,260
And then there are other details
for many of these benefits

279
00:15:38,260 --> 00:15:41,232
or other compensation elements
that you need to know.

280
00:15:41,232 --> 00:15:52,110
And we'll be discussing
those as well.

281
00:15:52,110 --> 00:15:57,380
Richard Nugent: So the
first of the specific areas

282
00:15:57,380 --> 00:16:01,630
that we are going to explore
in slightly more detail

283
00:16:01,630 --> 00:16:03,640
is health insurance.

284
00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:08,830
So the expectation, presently
of the fair compensation

285
00:16:08,830 --> 00:16:12,620
is that employer's
congregations provide

286
00:16:12,620 --> 00:16:16,820
employees and their dependents
access to health insurance.

287
00:16:16,820 --> 00:16:24,420
Now, since the time
these guidelines

288
00:16:24,420 --> 00:16:27,470
were developed, of course the
terrain about health insurance

289
00:16:27,470 --> 00:16:32,490
has changed radically with
the Affordable Care Act.

290
00:16:32,490 --> 00:16:36,990
Our recommendation is that
congregations contribute

291
00:16:36,990 --> 00:16:43,070
80% of the cost of that health
insurance for the employee's

292
00:16:43,070 --> 00:16:48,640
coverage, and 50% of
the incremental cost

293
00:16:48,640 --> 00:16:50,990
of bringing a family
onto the health

294
00:16:50,990 --> 00:16:54,350
insurance from the individual.

295
00:16:54,350 --> 00:16:56,990
And those are for
full time employees.

296
00:16:56,990 --> 00:16:59,420
We also further
recommend that premiums

297
00:16:59,420 --> 00:17:03,740
can be pro-rated as a percent
of full-time employment.

298
00:17:03,740 --> 00:17:06,740
Now the year UUA
health plan, we are now

299
00:17:06,740 --> 00:17:09,970
in the ninth year of our plan.

300
00:17:09,970 --> 00:17:14,510
And I'm happy to say that
our plan is remaining a very

301
00:17:14,510 --> 00:17:18,160
robust, comprehensive plan.

302
00:17:18,160 --> 00:17:20,660
At some point, about
300 congregations

303
00:17:20,660 --> 00:17:24,310
have participated in our plan.

304
00:17:24,310 --> 00:17:26,839
And we offer about
four different levels

305
00:17:26,839 --> 00:17:30,590
of plan details at
the moment, according

306
00:17:30,590 --> 00:17:35,760
to the bronze, silver, gold
under the Affordable Care Act.

307
00:17:35,760 --> 00:17:37,780
Now, what's important
about the health insurance

308
00:17:37,780 --> 00:17:40,160
with regards to the
fair compensation,

309
00:17:40,160 --> 00:17:45,450
again, is that it only
constitutes the offer of health

310
00:17:45,450 --> 00:17:48,180
insurance be provided.

311
00:17:48,180 --> 00:17:54,120
And we several years ago
introduced the concept

312
00:17:54,120 --> 00:17:57,120
of a leadership level
for fair compensation,

313
00:17:57,120 --> 00:17:59,960
which is a heightened
level of participation.

314
00:17:59,960 --> 00:18:01,870
And that's where
the recommendation

315
00:18:01,870 --> 00:18:06,130
of 80% for the individual
and 50% for family coverage

316
00:18:06,130 --> 00:18:09,960
was introduced.

317
00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:14,910
The leadership level
actually at the moment

318
00:18:14,910 --> 00:18:20,700
has been on hold,
pending our redesign

319
00:18:20,700 --> 00:18:22,900
of what constitutes
fair compensation, which

320
00:18:22,900 --> 00:18:27,200
Betsy will address later
on in our presentation.

321
00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:30,750
So for the moment, in
terms of health insurance,

322
00:18:30,750 --> 00:18:35,100
it's providing access
to health insurance.

323
00:18:35,100 --> 00:18:38,860
For health insurance, unlike
retirement, one employee

324
00:18:38,860 --> 00:18:44,270
can be given a higher
percentage premium contribution

325
00:18:44,270 --> 00:18:45,830
than other employees.

326
00:18:45,830 --> 00:18:48,180
So it doesn't have to be
the same percentage given

327
00:18:48,180 --> 00:18:50,010
to all employees.

328
00:18:50,010 --> 00:18:53,810
And in part, that's
a reflection of many

329
00:18:53,810 --> 00:18:56,490
of the employees of
congregations secure health

330
00:18:56,490 --> 00:18:59,520
insurance through
different means--

331
00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:04,750
many through their
spouse's plans,

332
00:19:04,750 --> 00:19:07,870
some through individual
policies, and now, of course,

333
00:19:07,870 --> 00:19:11,170
the Affordable Care Act is yet
another mechanism, in addition

334
00:19:11,170 --> 00:19:13,570
to the employer offering
health insurance,

335
00:19:13,570 --> 00:19:17,430
whether it's the UUA
plan or another plan.

336
00:19:17,430 --> 00:19:23,150
And depending upon how the
individual employee gets

337
00:19:23,150 --> 00:19:27,600
the health insurance, the rules
governing what's reimbursable

338
00:19:27,600 --> 00:19:30,430
and what's tax free
has changed radically

339
00:19:30,430 --> 00:19:32,700
with the Affordable Care Act.

340
00:19:32,700 --> 00:19:36,530
And if you have any questions
around health insurance,

341
00:19:36,530 --> 00:19:40,590
we're certainly happy to
answer, if not tonight,

342
00:19:40,590 --> 00:19:42,750
by e-mail, because
of the complexity

343
00:19:42,750 --> 00:19:48,700
of individual circumstances.

344
00:19:48,700 --> 00:19:51,850
Long-term disability
insurance is

345
00:19:51,850 --> 00:19:56,740
the great overlooked benefit, I
believe, of fair compensation.

346
00:19:56,740 --> 00:19:59,470
So long-term
disability insurance

347
00:19:59,470 --> 00:20:01,960
provides ongoing
financial support

348
00:20:01,960 --> 00:20:08,660
to individuals who have been
determined to be disabled

349
00:20:08,660 --> 00:20:13,160
and/or have a disability
after 90 days,

350
00:20:13,160 --> 00:20:17,140
according to the particular
policy that we offer,

351
00:20:17,140 --> 00:20:21,500
which is currently through
the Guardian Life Insurance.

352
00:20:21,500 --> 00:20:24,830
Our expectation is
that congregations

353
00:20:24,830 --> 00:20:26,940
provide long-term
disability insurance

354
00:20:26,940 --> 00:20:30,610
to all eligible employees.

355
00:20:30,610 --> 00:20:33,190
For our particular
plan, the eligibility

356
00:20:33,190 --> 00:20:42,250
is for employees who work
750 or more hours a year.

357
00:20:42,250 --> 00:20:46,750
We strongly recommend that
congregations pay the premium

358
00:20:46,750 --> 00:20:48,920
on behalf of the employees.

359
00:20:48,920 --> 00:20:52,280
But they also impute the
income to the employee.

360
00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:53,760
What does that mean?

361
00:20:53,760 --> 00:20:57,820
So the premium is paid
by the congregation.

362
00:20:57,820 --> 00:21:00,510
The value of the premium--
and the premium for our plan,

363
00:21:00,510 --> 00:21:03,470
for instance, is 1% of salary.

364
00:21:03,470 --> 00:21:10,080
So if you're earning, let's say,
$50,000, that's $500 a year--

365
00:21:10,080 --> 00:21:12,950
would be to take
that $500 and add it

366
00:21:12,950 --> 00:21:16,120
to the salary
amount on your W-2,

367
00:21:16,120 --> 00:21:19,460
so that you're paying taxes
on the value of the premium.

368
00:21:19,460 --> 00:21:20,850
Why is that important?

369
00:21:20,850 --> 00:21:25,060
It's important because if
you were to need this benefit

370
00:21:25,060 --> 00:21:29,150
and receive this benefit,
if the taxes had been paid

371
00:21:29,150 --> 00:21:32,380
on the value of the
premium, then the benefit--

372
00:21:32,380 --> 00:21:35,536
all the money you're
getting-- will be tax-free.

373
00:21:35,536 --> 00:21:40,600
If the benefit had been purely
provided without paying taxes

374
00:21:40,600 --> 00:21:43,870
on the value of the
premium, then it's

375
00:21:43,870 --> 00:21:46,480
taxable income, which
is a sizable difference,

376
00:21:46,480 --> 00:21:49,500
in terms of the individual.

377
00:21:49,500 --> 00:21:58,610
Our particular benefit-- the
UUA plan-- is 66.6666%-- 2/3--

378
00:21:58,610 --> 00:22:00,730
of salary.

379
00:22:00,730 --> 00:22:03,090
And it would continue as
long as the individual is

380
00:22:03,090 --> 00:22:03,950
found disabled.

381
00:22:03,950 --> 00:22:06,840
And every year we
get about 10 people

382
00:22:06,840 --> 00:22:12,440
who are found eligible for
this benefit-- strokes, cancer

383
00:22:12,440 --> 00:22:17,890
diagnoses, accidents.

384
00:22:17,890 --> 00:22:21,260
You name the human
condition, and somebody

385
00:22:21,260 --> 00:22:25,050
has been diagnosed
or experienced

386
00:22:25,050 --> 00:22:28,330
this illness or disability.

387
00:22:28,330 --> 00:22:32,840
But at the same
time, many people

388
00:22:32,840 --> 00:22:36,960
in our congregation staff do
not have disability insurance.

389
00:22:36,960 --> 00:22:38,940
Either they opted
against signing up

390
00:22:38,940 --> 00:22:41,870
when that was offered when
they first began employment,

391
00:22:41,870 --> 00:22:44,760
or perhaps the congregation
never offered it

392
00:22:44,760 --> 00:22:47,400
to the non-ministerial staff.

393
00:22:47,400 --> 00:22:50,210
If that's the case, if
a congregation has never

394
00:22:50,210 --> 00:22:52,780
offered it to the
employees, we are often

395
00:22:52,780 --> 00:22:54,710
able to work with
the insurance company

396
00:22:54,710 --> 00:23:00,650
in being able to get
the staff covered.

397
00:23:00,650 --> 00:23:03,640
So you could work
with Patti Angelina

398
00:23:03,640 --> 00:23:07,940
on our staff [INAUDIBLE]
on disability insurance.

399
00:23:07,940 --> 00:23:11,610
This is a major protection both
for the employee-- for you,

400
00:23:11,610 --> 00:23:13,110
if something were
to happen to you--

401
00:23:13,110 --> 00:23:17,900
but also for the congregation,
because it's just terrible when

402
00:23:17,900 --> 00:23:21,460
a much-beloved staff member,
something terrible happens,

403
00:23:21,460 --> 00:23:24,100
and this person doesn't
have a source of income.

404
00:23:24,100 --> 00:23:28,060
And the congregation feels
like they want to do something,

405
00:23:28,060 --> 00:23:30,770
but clearly they can't
do what they need to do,

406
00:23:30,770 --> 00:23:35,430
which is pay 2/3 of the
salary indefinitely.

407
00:23:35,430 --> 00:23:37,970
So it's a major protection
both for the employee

408
00:23:37,970 --> 00:23:45,630
and for the congregation.

409
00:23:45,630 --> 00:23:47,712
Betsy Gabriel:
And life insurance

410
00:23:47,712 --> 00:23:50,390
is very similar,
in some respects,

411
00:23:50,390 --> 00:23:51,860
to disability insurance.

412
00:23:51,860 --> 00:23:54,320
It's great protection
for your employees.

413
00:23:54,320 --> 00:23:57,850
It's great protection
for the congregation.

414
00:23:57,850 --> 00:24:00,850
And it's relatively inexpensive,
particularly compared

415
00:24:00,850 --> 00:24:04,720
to getting individual
life insurance.

416
00:24:04,720 --> 00:24:08,210
Our fair comp expectation
is that congregations

417
00:24:08,210 --> 00:24:10,010
will provide life
insurance that's

418
00:24:10,010 --> 00:24:15,175
equal to 200% of-- or two
times-- the employee's

419
00:24:15,175 --> 00:24:19,350
annual salary, which
includes housing for clergy,

420
00:24:19,350 --> 00:24:22,150
up to a $200,000 maximum.

421
00:24:22,150 --> 00:24:25,040
And this covers and
includes accidental death

422
00:24:25,040 --> 00:24:27,060
and dismemberment
benefit, which means

423
00:24:27,060 --> 00:24:29,340
that if you are
accidentally killed

424
00:24:29,340 --> 00:24:32,410
or you are dismembered as
a result of an accident,

425
00:24:32,410 --> 00:24:36,970
you receive more than
your $200,000 maximum.

426
00:24:36,970 --> 00:24:40,910
So the expectation is that
the congregation provide it.

427
00:24:40,910 --> 00:24:44,020
The recommendation is that
congregations paid the premium

428
00:24:44,020 --> 00:24:46,520
for employees for
this insurance.

429
00:24:46,520 --> 00:24:49,350
The life insurance is also
available for dependents,

430
00:24:49,350 --> 00:24:51,520
although in a much
smaller quantity.

431
00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:54,680
And it is not the expectation
that congregations

432
00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:57,506
will pay the premium for
the dependent insurance.

433
00:24:57,506 --> 00:25:15,350
[AUDIO OUT]

434
00:25:15,350 --> 00:25:18,290
It sounds like we're not
able to hear Richard,

435
00:25:18,290 --> 00:25:22,850
so I will go ahead and
present this slide.

436
00:25:22,850 --> 00:25:25,740
Fair compensation expects
that congregations

437
00:25:25,740 --> 00:25:28,670
will provide dental
insurance for employees

438
00:25:28,670 --> 00:25:30,530
and their dependants.

439
00:25:30,530 --> 00:25:34,400
The recommendation is
that the premium for this

440
00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:36,070
can be covered by the employees.

441
00:25:36,070 --> 00:25:41,330
It does not necessarily need
to be paid by the congregation.

442
00:25:41,330 --> 00:25:44,340
Dental insurance is an
extremely important benefit,

443
00:25:44,340 --> 00:25:46,580
because it helps
protect your income.

444
00:25:46,580 --> 00:25:48,590
And one of the things
that many people who

445
00:25:48,590 --> 00:25:50,390
don't have dental
insurance don't realize

446
00:25:50,390 --> 00:25:52,650
is that when you
have dental insurance

447
00:25:52,650 --> 00:25:56,560
and go to the
dentist, what you pay

448
00:25:56,560 --> 00:25:58,760
is actually discounted
significantly,

449
00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:02,010
not just because the insurance
company pays some portion of i,

450
00:26:02,010 --> 00:26:06,250
but because the dentist charges
the patients and insurance

451
00:26:06,250 --> 00:26:10,030
companies much less than they
charge an uninsured patient.

452
00:26:10,030 --> 00:26:13,920
So it's definitely a benefit
that you would like to have.

453
00:26:13,920 --> 00:26:15,790
But you may not
realize that until you

454
00:26:15,790 --> 00:26:22,080
have some dental issues.

455
00:26:22,080 --> 00:26:25,550
It's the expectation
of fair compensation--

456
00:26:25,550 --> 00:26:50,130
[AUDIO OUT]

457
00:26:50,130 --> 00:26:53,290
Susan Lawrence:
Can anyone hear me?

458
00:26:53,290 --> 00:26:54,020
You can hear me.

459
00:26:54,020 --> 00:26:56,710
I can't hear anybody else.

460
00:26:56,710 --> 00:26:58,540
I'm going to mute
our participants

461
00:26:58,540 --> 00:27:10,896
and see if others can speak.

462
00:27:10,896 --> 00:27:28,754
[AUDIO OUT]

463
00:27:28,754 --> 00:27:30,920
Richard Nugent: Betsy, have
you been waiting for me?

464
00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:35,170
Susan Lawrence: Oh,
there's Richard.

465
00:27:35,170 --> 00:27:41,420
Richard, we can hear you.

466
00:27:41,420 --> 00:27:44,480
Richard Nugent: I can't
hear what Betsy just said.

467
00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:47,380
Did Betsy just present
on the retirement plans?

468
00:27:47,380 --> 00:27:49,239
Susan Lawrence: No.

469
00:27:49,239 --> 00:27:50,780
Richard Nugent: In
that case, let me.

470
00:27:50,780 --> 00:27:51,706
Hold on.

471
00:27:51,706 --> 00:27:55,368
Let me just see.

472
00:27:55,368 --> 00:27:57,290
The best laid
plans of technical.

473
00:27:57,290 --> 00:28:02,680
It was working fine all day.

474
00:28:02,680 --> 00:28:09,120
Once again, for the
UUA retirement plan

475
00:28:09,120 --> 00:28:13,300
the expectation is that
congregation's employers

476
00:28:13,300 --> 00:28:19,080
will provide a retirement
benefit for all employees who

477
00:28:19,080 --> 00:28:22,260
are eligible for the plan.

478
00:28:22,260 --> 00:28:26,170
The vast majority-- 90 whatever
percent-- of our congregations

479
00:28:26,170 --> 00:28:27,980
are in the UUA retirement plan.

480
00:28:27,980 --> 00:28:32,570
There are a few who
may be elsewhere

481
00:28:32,570 --> 00:28:35,480
with a different company, but
only a handful of congregations

482
00:28:35,480 --> 00:28:37,660
have opted for that.

483
00:28:37,660 --> 00:28:41,460
And the fair
compensation expectation

484
00:28:41,460 --> 00:28:48,050
is that an employer
contribution of at least 10%

485
00:28:48,050 --> 00:28:51,855
is offered employees.

486
00:28:51,855 --> 00:28:53,620
Now, it gets a
little complicated,

487
00:28:53,620 --> 00:28:57,750
but basically the hope is that
congregations will actually

488
00:28:57,750 --> 00:29:04,140
make a 10% employer contribution
on behalf of their employees.

489
00:29:04,140 --> 00:29:08,760
However, under the revision
of our retirement plan

490
00:29:08,760 --> 00:29:13,510
last year, we established a
minimum for the first time

491
00:29:13,510 --> 00:29:20,570
in our retirement plan of
a 5% employer contribution.

492
00:29:20,570 --> 00:29:23,070
There had not been a
minimum contribution

493
00:29:23,070 --> 00:29:27,287
and some congregations are
actually paying only 2% or 3%

494
00:29:27,287 --> 00:29:27,870
into the plan.

495
00:29:27,870 --> 00:29:30,700
So we required 5%.

496
00:29:30,700 --> 00:29:36,050
And so we also are
allowing for a match

497
00:29:36,050 --> 00:29:39,940
to encourage participants to
put some of their own money in.

498
00:29:39,940 --> 00:29:43,750
So if a congregation
says, we will put 10%

499
00:29:43,750 --> 00:29:46,530
in no matter what
for all employees,

500
00:29:46,530 --> 00:29:49,800
or if they say we're
going to put 5% in,

501
00:29:49,800 --> 00:29:54,410
but we'll match up to 5%
so that the offer of 10%

502
00:29:54,410 --> 00:29:56,580
is on the table, then
that congregation

503
00:29:56,580 --> 00:29:59,780
would meet the fair
compensation standards.

504
00:29:59,780 --> 00:30:04,160
To be in our plan,
the basic rules

505
00:30:04,160 --> 00:30:07,170
are if you have been in
the plan before, if you

506
00:30:07,170 --> 00:30:11,520
shift congregations, you are
in the plan from day one.

507
00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:15,850
If you have never worked
for a UU congregation,

508
00:30:15,850 --> 00:30:18,300
but you go work
for one, you have

509
00:30:18,300 --> 00:30:22,460
to satisfy a 12-month waiting
period, during which time

510
00:30:22,460 --> 00:30:25,660
you have to have
worked 1,000 hours.

511
00:30:25,660 --> 00:30:28,900
After that requirement--
1,000 hours

512
00:30:28,900 --> 00:30:32,070
within 12 months--
after that is met,

513
00:30:32,070 --> 00:30:36,110
then you must be in the
plan, must receive employer

514
00:30:36,110 --> 00:30:40,370
contributions, and if
your hours are reduced

515
00:30:40,370 --> 00:30:43,080
below 1,000 once
you're in the plan,

516
00:30:43,080 --> 00:30:47,200
you get contributions based
on whatever your salary is.

517
00:30:47,200 --> 00:30:49,140
So it doesn't have
to be 1,000 hours.

518
00:30:49,140 --> 00:30:51,640
So if somebody started
out full-time ends

519
00:30:51,640 --> 00:30:55,940
up working only quarter
time after a few years,

520
00:30:55,940 --> 00:31:01,630
they would still receive
retirement plan contributions.

521
00:31:01,630 --> 00:31:03,720
All of these benefits,
but the retirement plan

522
00:31:03,720 --> 00:31:07,040
in particular, some of the
details are complicated.

523
00:31:07,040 --> 00:31:10,640
That's why we have a great
staff like Betsy, Linda Rose who

524
00:31:10,640 --> 00:31:15,560
administers our retirement plan,
Patti Angelina, who I mentioned

525
00:31:15,560 --> 00:31:19,700
on the disability, where Jim
Sargent and Patti on the health

526
00:31:19,700 --> 00:31:23,210
plan are certainly available
to answer questions,

527
00:31:23,210 --> 00:31:31,020
specific questions, with regards
to particular benefit plans.

528
00:31:31,020 --> 00:31:33,340
Betsy are you back in?

529
00:31:33,340 --> 00:31:37,150
Betsy Gabriel: I'm
on the telephone.

530
00:31:37,150 --> 00:31:40,410
Richard Nugent: So
we're up to FICA.

531
00:31:40,410 --> 00:32:04,180
[AUDIO OUT]

532
00:32:04,180 --> 00:32:16,780
Am I the only person
not hearing Betsy?

533
00:32:16,780 --> 00:32:22,110
We all apologize for
these technical glitches.

534
00:32:22,110 --> 00:32:25,500
So let me go ahead with the
payment in lieu of FICA.

535
00:32:25,500 --> 00:32:32,630
So for the anomalies of
the federal tax code,

536
00:32:32,630 --> 00:32:38,380
ministers are treated as both
employees and as self-employed.

537
00:32:38,380 --> 00:32:42,110
Self-employed for purposes
of Social Security,

538
00:32:42,110 --> 00:32:45,300
for everything else ministers
are considered employed.

539
00:32:45,300 --> 00:32:49,840
As a result, it is illegal
for a congregational employer

540
00:32:49,840 --> 00:32:53,860
to pay Social Security
for a minister.

541
00:32:53,860 --> 00:33:00,020
So all regular
employees, the employer

542
00:33:00,020 --> 00:33:04,170
pays 7.65% for both
Social Security

543
00:33:04,170 --> 00:33:07,060
and for Medicare taxes.

544
00:33:07,060 --> 00:33:10,310
And the employee
contributes 7.65%.

545
00:33:10,310 --> 00:33:11,430
Employer pays half.

546
00:33:11,430 --> 00:33:12,830
The employee pays half.

547
00:33:12,830 --> 00:33:16,790
For ministers, they have
to pay the full 15.3%.

548
00:33:16,790 --> 00:33:20,280
And so our recommendation
for fair compensation

549
00:33:20,280 --> 00:33:24,540
is for the congregation
to provide a stipend

550
00:33:24,540 --> 00:33:27,250
to the minister of the
employer's share, which

551
00:33:27,250 --> 00:33:38,440
would be 7.65% to offset what
would be the employer's share.

552
00:33:38,440 --> 00:33:40,310
That amount is
taxable income, so you

553
00:33:40,310 --> 00:33:43,302
have to pay taxes on
the 7.65% percent.

554
00:33:43,302 --> 00:33:46,700
But it's a payment
in lieu of FICA.

555
00:33:46,700 --> 00:33:52,470
So that's what the
expectation is.

556
00:33:52,470 --> 00:33:55,854
Betsy Gabriel: So I'm back
on, and on the telephone.

557
00:33:55,854 --> 00:33:59,640
So I hope you all can hear me.

558
00:33:59,640 --> 00:34:04,060
I'm hearing myself echoing.

559
00:34:04,060 --> 00:34:06,220
Fair compensation
is not just about

560
00:34:06,220 --> 00:34:08,250
your financial compensation.

561
00:34:08,250 --> 00:34:10,840
It's also about your life needs.

562
00:34:10,840 --> 00:34:14,060
And it includes elements
which will allow

563
00:34:14,060 --> 00:34:18,139
you to achieve life balance.

564
00:34:18,139 --> 00:34:21,090
Fair compensation
guidelines recommend

565
00:34:21,090 --> 00:34:25,150
that congregations provide
time for continuing education.

566
00:34:25,150 --> 00:34:31,750
This is for employees to pursue
study or educational offerings.

567
00:34:31,750 --> 00:34:39,330
For ordained staff, it's usually
offered at one month per year.

568
00:34:39,330 --> 00:34:43,760
And this is in addition to
vacation and sabbatical time.

569
00:34:43,760 --> 00:34:47,120
Fair compensation also
recommend that employees

570
00:34:47,120 --> 00:34:50,650
be paid vacation and sick days.

571
00:34:50,650 --> 00:34:53,409
And we actually think that
even part-time employees

572
00:34:53,409 --> 00:34:55,750
should receive this,
although they receive it

573
00:34:55,750 --> 00:34:58,100
on a pro-rated basis.

574
00:34:58,100 --> 00:35:01,540
And fair compensation
recommends that

575
00:35:01,540 --> 00:35:06,330
all religious professionals
be provided with sabbatical.

576
00:35:06,330 --> 00:35:08,990
This would be one
month for every year

577
00:35:08,990 --> 00:35:19,540
of service for full-time
religious professionals.

578
00:35:19,540 --> 00:35:22,830
Fair compensation also
expects that employees

579
00:35:22,830 --> 00:35:25,220
will receive a
professional expense

580
00:35:25,220 --> 00:35:27,030
allowance, which
is reimbursement

581
00:35:27,030 --> 00:35:29,510
for professional expenses.

582
00:35:29,510 --> 00:35:33,990
And we recommend that
this expense allowance

583
00:35:33,990 --> 00:35:37,660
is paid through an accountable
reimbursement plan, which

584
00:35:37,660 --> 00:35:40,810
means that these professional
expenses can be paid

585
00:35:40,810 --> 00:35:44,460
for the employee without any
tax liability on the employee's

586
00:35:44,460 --> 00:35:45,890
part.

587
00:35:45,890 --> 00:35:50,700
We recommend that churches
provide 10 of salary, including

588
00:35:50,700 --> 00:35:55,650
housing, or $5,000,
whichever is greater,

589
00:35:55,650 --> 00:35:57,840
for religious professionals.

590
00:35:57,840 --> 00:36:01,640
And that is pro-rated
for part time,

591
00:36:01,640 --> 00:36:04,510
or it can be pro-rated
for part term.

592
00:36:04,510 --> 00:36:08,130
And we also recommend they
provide adequate training funds

593
00:36:08,130 --> 00:36:10,970
for all other employees.

594
00:36:10,970 --> 00:36:13,330
These training or
professional extensions

595
00:36:13,330 --> 00:36:16,360
can be used for travel
expenses when you're

596
00:36:16,360 --> 00:36:20,590
attending a professional
meetings, conferences,

597
00:36:20,590 --> 00:36:22,840
they can pay
association expenses,

598
00:36:22,840 --> 00:36:26,340
including your LREDA dues
and your registration

599
00:36:26,340 --> 00:36:29,150
expenses for General Assembly.

600
00:36:29,150 --> 00:36:31,610
Other travel expenses
beyond mileage

601
00:36:31,610 --> 00:36:34,620
would include
meals if you needed

602
00:36:34,620 --> 00:36:40,120
to purchase them when you
were out on church business.

603
00:36:40,120 --> 00:36:41,950
It's not provided by
your organization.

604
00:36:41,950 --> 00:36:45,550
They can include
malpractice insurance,

605
00:36:45,550 --> 00:36:48,520
provide for cell
phones, and also

606
00:36:48,520 --> 00:36:51,070
work-related purchases,
including computers,

607
00:36:51,070 --> 00:36:56,540
and equipment, and books.

608
00:36:56,540 --> 00:36:59,240
Now, let's talk about
the salary ranges,

609
00:36:59,240 --> 00:37:01,500
which are a little bit
more complicated than some

610
00:37:01,500 --> 00:37:03,300
of the basic benefits.

611
00:37:03,300 --> 00:37:05,160
The guideline for
fair compensation

612
00:37:05,160 --> 00:37:08,090
is that congregation
will pay all employees

613
00:37:08,090 --> 00:37:10,785
within the recommended
salary ranges.

614
00:37:10,785 --> 00:37:13,420
And the recommended
salary ranges

615
00:37:13,420 --> 00:37:18,910
were determined based on
position descriptions, job

616
00:37:18,910 --> 00:37:21,220
descriptions, and
definitions of the work

617
00:37:21,220 --> 00:37:23,660
that the employee does.

618
00:37:23,660 --> 00:37:28,140
They are also determined based
on the geographic location

619
00:37:28,140 --> 00:37:32,960
of the congregation and the
size of the congregation.

620
00:37:32,960 --> 00:37:39,200
Our assumption is that different
geographic areas pay wages

621
00:37:39,200 --> 00:37:40,760
at different levels.

622
00:37:40,760 --> 00:37:44,680
Employees who work in
Honolulu, Hawaii, or Los

623
00:37:44,680 --> 00:37:46,680
Angeles, California,
earn more money

624
00:37:46,680 --> 00:37:50,220
than employees who work
in Bozeman, Montana.

625
00:37:50,220 --> 00:37:54,450
And so our salary
recommendations recognize that.

626
00:37:54,450 --> 00:37:59,140
We also recognize that employees
of larger organizations

627
00:37:59,140 --> 00:38:02,940
are often paid more than those
in smaller organizations.

628
00:38:02,940 --> 00:38:08,800
So our salary recommendations
recognize that.

629
00:38:08,800 --> 00:38:13,040
This is just another
slide that provides

630
00:38:13,040 --> 00:38:17,680
that same understanding that
your pay recommendations are

631
00:38:17,680 --> 00:38:22,490
based on your job description,
your geographic location,

632
00:38:22,490 --> 00:38:25,660
and the congregational sized.

633
00:38:25,660 --> 00:38:28,120
And we don't have a slide
showing the capsule job

634
00:38:28,120 --> 00:38:28,790
descriptions.

635
00:38:28,790 --> 00:38:31,720
But they are available
on the UUA website.

636
00:38:31,720 --> 00:38:34,890
And I think Susan has already,
or will soon, put up the link

637
00:38:34,890 --> 00:38:38,030
to fair compensation.

638
00:38:38,030 --> 00:38:40,040
If you look on the
right-hand side,

639
00:38:40,040 --> 00:38:41,640
you can see that
our congregations

640
00:38:41,640 --> 00:38:44,490
are divided into six sizes.

641
00:38:44,490 --> 00:38:50,030
And this division is based
on number of members.

642
00:38:50,030 --> 00:38:53,200
This is the membership number
that your congregation provides

643
00:38:53,200 --> 00:38:56,710
in their congregational record.

644
00:38:56,710 --> 00:38:58,970
No, it's not a
congregational record, sorry.

645
00:38:58,970 --> 00:39:02,150
It's in the certification
that they send to the UUA

646
00:39:02,150 --> 00:39:06,140
in February of each year.

647
00:39:06,140 --> 00:39:10,690
And we also have seven
geographic areas.

648
00:39:10,690 --> 00:39:14,840
We call them geographic indices.

649
00:39:14,840 --> 00:39:21,740
These are a representations of
wages paid in different areas.

650
00:39:21,740 --> 00:39:25,930
So our geographic index number
three, which we call average,

651
00:39:25,930 --> 00:39:28,350
actually represents
the average wages

652
00:39:28,350 --> 00:39:33,450
paid for a variety of different
jobs in the United States.

653
00:39:33,450 --> 00:39:38,080
And geo indices that are below
three, such as one and two,

654
00:39:38,080 --> 00:39:42,840
represent wages that are lower
than the national average.

655
00:39:42,840 --> 00:39:46,600
And the four, five,
six, and seven geo index

656
00:39:46,600 --> 00:39:48,770
represent areas
where wages are paid

657
00:39:48,770 --> 00:39:55,030
above the national average.

658
00:39:55,030 --> 00:39:57,540
This table shows you
a little bit more

659
00:39:57,540 --> 00:39:59,390
about the geographic indices.

660
00:39:59,390 --> 00:40:02,440
Again, if you look at
geo index number three,

661
00:40:02,440 --> 00:40:04,280
you see that that's average.

662
00:40:04,280 --> 00:40:09,040
Geo index two, we find that
wages are approximately 6%

663
00:40:09,040 --> 00:40:11,510
below the national average.

664
00:40:11,510 --> 00:40:14,470
And geo index one
will have waited

665
00:40:14,470 --> 00:40:17,390
that are 12% below
the national average.

666
00:40:17,390 --> 00:40:23,250
And likewise, going above three,
each increase in geo index

667
00:40:23,250 --> 00:40:28,570
increases the wages by 6%.

668
00:40:28,570 --> 00:40:31,820
When you're looking at the
fair compensation salary

669
00:40:31,820 --> 00:40:36,540
ranges to determine where
you should be paid, be

670
00:40:36,540 --> 00:40:39,990
sure to look for the
correct geo index,

671
00:40:39,990 --> 00:40:44,508
because each of the pages
represents a different index.

672
00:40:44,508 --> 00:40:47,970
Be sure that you've looked at
the capsule job descriptions,

673
00:40:47,970 --> 00:40:51,950
so you understand where your
responsibilities are matched.

674
00:40:51,950 --> 00:40:57,640
And make certain that you
know your church size.

675
00:40:57,640 --> 00:41:01,880
This very tiny little
hard-to-read slide

676
00:41:01,880 --> 00:41:05,060
is a salary recommendation.

677
00:41:05,060 --> 00:41:09,720
This is for congregations
in geo index three.

678
00:41:09,720 --> 00:41:12,860
And if you will look down the
left-hand side of the slide,

679
00:41:12,860 --> 00:41:16,820
you can see the various
position titles listed.

680
00:41:16,820 --> 00:41:18,710
And across the very
top of the slide,

681
00:41:18,710 --> 00:41:22,500
you'll see the
congregational sizes.

682
00:41:22,500 --> 00:41:26,110
So let's assume that you
work for a mid-sized two

683
00:41:26,110 --> 00:41:27,670
congregation.

684
00:41:27,670 --> 00:41:33,860
You're going to be in one
of the middle columns.

685
00:41:33,860 --> 00:41:39,110
And we are already assuming that
you are in a geo index three.

686
00:41:39,110 --> 00:41:41,780
If your congregation's
a geo index 5,

687
00:41:41,780 --> 00:41:45,410
you will have an entirely
different salary recommendation

688
00:41:45,410 --> 00:41:46,990
sheet.

689
00:41:46,990 --> 00:41:50,870
This is available on
the UUA website as well.

690
00:41:50,870 --> 00:41:54,150
And if you have trouble finding
it, get in touch with us

691
00:41:54,150 --> 00:41:55,780
at the Office of
Church Staff Finances,

692
00:41:55,780 --> 00:42:02,290
and we can help you get there.

693
00:42:02,290 --> 00:42:04,770
I'm really excited
that we are just

694
00:42:04,770 --> 00:42:09,700
embarking on a complete review
of the entire fair compensation

695
00:42:09,700 --> 00:42:11,130
program.

696
00:42:11,130 --> 00:42:16,460
We began this program
back in the mid 1990s,

697
00:42:16,460 --> 00:42:19,550
s so it's approximately
20 years old.

698
00:42:19,550 --> 00:42:22,830
And there's no question that
we've made a number of updates.

699
00:42:22,830 --> 00:42:26,270
Certainly the pay ranges
have changed since 1990.

700
00:42:26,270 --> 00:42:29,690
And other aspects of the program
have been modified as well,

701
00:42:29,690 --> 00:42:31,880
but we've never done
a complete review

702
00:42:31,880 --> 00:42:36,520
of all of the assumptions on
which the program is based.

703
00:42:36,520 --> 00:42:39,600
We know we have jobs out
in congregations that

704
00:42:39,600 --> 00:42:42,190
are not in our pay hierarchies.

705
00:42:42,190 --> 00:42:45,030
And we know we have many, many
questions from congregations

706
00:42:45,030 --> 00:42:49,290
that we need to readdress
in reviewing its programs.

707
00:42:49,290 --> 00:42:51,820
So this is what the
comprehensive review

708
00:42:51,820 --> 00:42:53,920
is designed for.

709
00:42:53,920 --> 00:42:55,680
Among some of the
elements of things

710
00:42:55,680 --> 00:42:59,750
we have to get accomplished
include updating and broadening

711
00:42:59,750 --> 00:43:02,300
job descriptions for employees.

712
00:43:02,300 --> 00:43:04,990
We'll be working with an
independent compensation

713
00:43:04,990 --> 00:43:10,090
consultant to help us ask
and answer all the questions

714
00:43:10,090 --> 00:43:13,300
that we have about the program.

715
00:43:13,300 --> 00:43:17,470
We expect that we
will be recognizing

716
00:43:17,470 --> 00:43:21,040
current compensation
theory and technology

717
00:43:21,040 --> 00:43:23,560
and the current
economic climate.

718
00:43:23,560 --> 00:43:25,560
And certainly all
throughout this review,

719
00:43:25,560 --> 00:43:30,050
we will be reflecting back and
making certain that it's always

720
00:43:30,050 --> 00:43:33,220
responding to our UU values.

721
00:43:33,220 --> 00:43:37,900
We hope to have significant
volunteer involvement.

722
00:43:37,900 --> 00:43:41,230
For one thing, we will need
help with job descriptions.

723
00:43:41,230 --> 00:43:44,240
I personally don't know
everything that you do,

724
00:43:44,240 --> 00:43:46,560
and so many of the
professional groups

725
00:43:46,560 --> 00:43:50,570
will be helping us put together
a number of job descriptions

726
00:43:50,570 --> 00:43:55,500
that cover several of the
jobs that are in our hierarchy

727
00:43:55,500 --> 00:43:58,580
and that are not currently
in our hierarchy.

728
00:43:58,580 --> 00:44:03,380
We are also planning
to conduct focus groups

729
00:44:03,380 --> 00:44:06,850
with all of our
professional organizations.

730
00:44:06,850 --> 00:44:08,980
And I think most of you
all are LREDA members

731
00:44:08,980 --> 00:44:13,599
and know that we did that
in November at the Fall Con.

732
00:44:13,599 --> 00:44:15,390
We still have the other
professional groups

733
00:44:15,390 --> 00:44:16,820
to work with.

734
00:44:16,820 --> 00:44:18,520
And then finally we
will put together

735
00:44:18,520 --> 00:44:22,040
some form of a task
force of individuals

736
00:44:22,040 --> 00:44:25,300
who will determine what fair
compensation should look

737
00:44:25,300 --> 00:44:29,970
like going forward, perhaps
for the next 10 years,

738
00:44:29,970 --> 00:44:33,530
in our UU congregation.

739
00:44:33,530 --> 00:44:36,030
Richard Nugent: One of
one of the next steps

740
00:44:36,030 --> 00:44:39,240
is in early June--
before General Assembly.

741
00:44:39,240 --> 00:44:41,360
Not that we don't
have plenty to do

742
00:44:41,360 --> 00:44:44,400
in preparing for
General Assembly--

743
00:44:44,400 --> 00:44:47,390
we're having a two-day
summit here in St. Louis.

744
00:44:47,390 --> 00:44:54,500
"We" meaning the UUA Church
Staff Finance staff group.

745
00:44:54,500 --> 00:44:57,280
Sarah Lammert, the director
of ministries and faith

746
00:44:57,280 --> 00:45:01,520
development, is
coordinating the gathering.

747
00:45:01,520 --> 00:45:02,900
And we're going
to bring together

748
00:45:02,900 --> 00:45:06,800
about 50 people,
roughly 50 people,

749
00:45:06,800 --> 00:45:11,610
to talk about the challenges
around the economies,

750
00:45:11,610 --> 00:45:13,930
the sustainability
of ministries,

751
00:45:13,930 --> 00:45:20,160
the economics of ministries, not
ministry but ministries, in all

752
00:45:20,160 --> 00:45:22,180
the various
dimensions that exist

753
00:45:22,180 --> 00:45:28,480
within a congregation, given
the fact that graduate school,

754
00:45:28,480 --> 00:45:33,470
whether seminary or other
graduate education, costs are

755
00:45:33,470 --> 00:45:38,070
skyrocketing on top of
what might be punishing

756
00:45:38,070 --> 00:45:42,340
undergraduate debt depending
upon the age of the individual.

757
00:45:42,340 --> 00:45:45,680
The fact that congregations
for the most part,

758
00:45:45,680 --> 00:45:48,770
their budgets are not
growing substantially--

759
00:45:48,770 --> 00:45:54,640
even if their membership may be
holding steady or increasing,

760
00:45:54,640 --> 00:45:58,390
the budgets generally
are not increasing

761
00:45:58,390 --> 00:46:03,750
with the costs of
insurance increasing,

762
00:46:03,750 --> 00:46:07,190
pressure around salaries,
and pressure around

763
00:46:07,190 --> 00:46:08,520
fair compensation.

764
00:46:08,520 --> 00:46:14,180
Pay everybody the same benefits,
not just the ministers.

765
00:46:14,180 --> 00:46:18,150
There are serious
concerns about how

766
00:46:18,150 --> 00:46:21,740
ministry and congregational
ministry is going to play out

767
00:46:21,740 --> 00:46:25,410
and whether it's sustainable
going into the next decade,

768
00:46:25,410 --> 00:46:27,890
or whether some
substantial changes are

769
00:46:27,890 --> 00:46:29,350
going to have to be made.

770
00:46:29,350 --> 00:46:31,790
So we're inviting
representatives

771
00:46:31,790 --> 00:46:33,110
of all the professional groups.

772
00:46:33,110 --> 00:46:35,250
LREDA will be represented there.

773
00:46:35,250 --> 00:46:39,050
All the professional
groups-- the seminaries,

774
00:46:39,050 --> 00:46:40,820
the Ministerial
Fellowship Committee,

775
00:46:40,820 --> 00:46:44,480
the credentialing committee,
a little bit of everybody

776
00:46:44,480 --> 00:46:46,510
that has a stake in
this conversation--

777
00:46:46,510 --> 00:46:50,570
will spend two days in
early June in St. Louis.

778
00:46:50,570 --> 00:46:53,980
Not expecting major
solutions, but at least

779
00:46:53,980 --> 00:46:58,070
begin the conversation
in a cross-deliberative

780
00:46:58,070 --> 00:47:02,240
conversation, and to try to
come up with what might we

781
00:47:02,240 --> 00:47:02,970
do differently?

782
00:47:02,970 --> 00:47:06,650
What experiments
could we initiate

783
00:47:06,650 --> 00:47:09,880
to see if we can get a
better handle on reducing

784
00:47:09,880 --> 00:47:14,562
the cost of this
whole credentialing

785
00:47:14,562 --> 00:47:17,050
process and ongoing process?

786
00:47:17,050 --> 00:47:22,660
So be on the lookout for
reports on that meeting

787
00:47:22,660 --> 00:47:29,080
come GA and after GA.

788
00:47:29,080 --> 00:47:32,050
Betsy Gabriel: And finally,
the question that we get asked

789
00:47:32,050 --> 00:47:35,190
quite frequently
is what can I do?

790
00:47:35,190 --> 00:47:38,480
I don't think that
my congregation

791
00:47:38,480 --> 00:47:39,750
has fair compensation.

792
00:47:39,750 --> 00:47:41,440
I don't think that
I am, or I don't

793
00:47:41,440 --> 00:47:43,550
think that some of the
other employees are.

794
00:47:43,550 --> 00:47:45,686
What can I do about it?

795
00:47:45,686 --> 00:47:47,060
I think the first
I would suggest

796
00:47:47,060 --> 00:47:49,540
is that you research
the program.

797
00:47:49,540 --> 00:47:52,370
You've learned a little
bit about it tonight.

798
00:47:52,370 --> 00:47:54,290
There's much more
information online.

799
00:47:54,290 --> 00:47:57,490
So get online and
read or print out

800
00:47:57,490 --> 00:48:01,430
and learn as much as you
can about all the elements

801
00:48:01,430 --> 00:48:02,790
of the program.

802
00:48:02,790 --> 00:48:04,670
When you have questions,
reach out to us,

803
00:48:04,670 --> 00:48:08,540
and we'll be glad to try
to help you understand.

804
00:48:08,540 --> 00:48:10,729
Then go to your supervisor.

805
00:48:10,729 --> 00:48:12,520
For many of you, this
may be your minister,

806
00:48:12,520 --> 00:48:14,310
but for some of you
that may not be.

807
00:48:14,310 --> 00:48:16,775
But go your supervisor with
your information in hand

808
00:48:16,775 --> 00:48:20,290
and say, look, this
is a great program.

809
00:48:20,290 --> 00:48:25,420
What can we do to get
it implemented here?

810
00:48:25,420 --> 00:48:28,510
And ask about what
you need to do

811
00:48:28,510 --> 00:48:33,460
and what can be done to
effect these changes.

812
00:48:33,460 --> 00:48:36,630
Be sure to go through
proper channels.

813
00:48:36,630 --> 00:48:39,590
I think most of you know that.

814
00:48:39,590 --> 00:48:43,890
If you don't have a supervisor
to talk to hopefully

815
00:48:43,890 --> 00:48:47,710
you have a dispute policy,
or complaint-- a dispute

816
00:48:47,710 --> 00:48:49,890
resolution policy,
or complaint policy,

817
00:48:49,890 --> 00:48:52,570
or a personnel committee
that you can go to and talk

818
00:48:52,570 --> 00:48:54,970
to about fair compensation.

819
00:48:54,970 --> 00:48:57,550
If you're having trouble
framing some of your questions

820
00:48:57,550 --> 00:49:03,075
or communicating, seek help
from your good offices person.

821
00:49:03,075 --> 00:49:04,450
Richard Nugent:
I think it's also

822
00:49:04,450 --> 00:49:09,240
important to point
out, as a minister who

823
00:49:09,240 --> 00:49:13,470
speaks to ministers fairly
often around these topics,

824
00:49:13,470 --> 00:49:18,260
that most ministers did not go
into ministry because they have

825
00:49:18,260 --> 00:49:23,660
a particularly good handle
on HR and financial issues.

826
00:49:23,660 --> 00:49:25,360
As a good friend
of mine once said,

827
00:49:25,360 --> 00:49:30,750
I didn't go to seminary to be an
administering, but a minister.

828
00:49:30,750 --> 00:49:37,730
And so there is the need
for conversation, education,

829
00:49:37,730 --> 00:49:41,260
around these issues among
all the professional groups,

830
00:49:41,260 --> 00:49:43,840
not the least of
which are ministers.

831
00:49:43,840 --> 00:49:49,950
So more often than
not, folks just

832
00:49:49,950 --> 00:49:53,080
haven't paid close
enough attention

833
00:49:53,080 --> 00:49:57,570
to what the compensation
ramifications are.

834
00:49:57,570 --> 00:49:59,800
So they welcome an opportunity.

835
00:49:59,800 --> 00:50:02,540
And of course, we're
available to consult.

836
00:50:02,540 --> 00:50:05,490
The compensation
consultants that

837
00:50:05,490 --> 00:50:07,940
exist throughout
the United States--

838
00:50:07,940 --> 00:50:11,650
we have over 20 compensation
consultants available to go

839
00:50:11,650 --> 00:50:15,830
in and do a free-- actually
something from the UUA

840
00:50:15,830 --> 00:50:20,980
still is free-- a free
consultation at no expense.

841
00:50:20,980 --> 00:50:23,740
And it's just not about
ministerial compensation

842
00:50:23,740 --> 00:50:25,770
around the search
process, but they're

843
00:50:25,770 --> 00:50:29,860
prepared to talk about
compensation within the larger

844
00:50:29,860 --> 00:50:31,430
staff.

845
00:50:31,430 --> 00:50:34,000
So do some research.

846
00:50:34,000 --> 00:50:36,290
Ask for help.

847
00:50:36,290 --> 00:50:37,290
Get some ideas.

848
00:50:37,290 --> 00:50:39,380
Get talking points.

849
00:50:39,380 --> 00:50:41,850
And understand
that it may not be

850
00:50:41,850 --> 00:50:44,350
an immediate overnight solution.

851
00:50:44,350 --> 00:50:45,750
But it's something
that phased in

852
00:50:45,750 --> 00:50:47,470
over the course
of several years,

853
00:50:47,470 --> 00:50:57,420
depending upon how the
budget can be managed.

854
00:50:57,420 --> 00:51:06,140
[AUDIO OUT]

855
00:51:06,140 --> 00:51:09,630
And it looks like we
may have just lost Gail.

856
00:51:09,630 --> 00:51:10,550
Oh, there's Gail.

857
00:51:10,550 --> 00:51:14,840
She's back.

858
00:51:14,840 --> 00:51:19,950
So questions-- do we
have any questions?

859
00:51:19,950 --> 00:51:23,390
We'll try to unmute
people at this point,

860
00:51:23,390 --> 00:51:27,110
since there aren't
that many folks.

861
00:51:27,110 --> 00:51:28,860
Betsy Gabriel: You can
raise your hand and

862
00:51:28,860 --> 00:51:34,052
by going up to the top of your
screen and clicking on my mood.

863
00:51:34,052 --> 00:51:35,510
There's a pull-down
menu which will

864
00:51:35,510 --> 00:51:37,540
allow you to raise your hand.

865
00:51:37,540 --> 00:51:39,700
If that does works for
you, just type a question

866
00:51:39,700 --> 00:51:43,100
into the message chat
on the left-hand side.

867
00:51:43,100 --> 00:52:00,250
And we'll be happy to answer it.

868
00:52:00,250 --> 00:52:10,980
I don't see any
questions at this point.

869
00:52:10,980 --> 00:52:13,830
I do say some
questions, or a comment.

870
00:52:13,830 --> 00:52:16,170
Let me read it, and
we'll decide which it is.

871
00:52:16,170 --> 00:52:17,920
"I always find that
it is a difficult line

872
00:52:17,920 --> 00:52:20,350
to walk trying to balance
this, because of the budget

873
00:52:20,350 --> 00:52:22,560
not being very good
from year to year.

874
00:52:22,560 --> 00:52:25,270
It isn't realistic to
ask for fair compensation

875
00:52:25,270 --> 00:52:30,380
when the budget is
often so stretched."

876
00:52:30,380 --> 00:52:33,840
My reaction to
that is that it is

877
00:52:33,840 --> 00:52:36,490
reasonable to ask for
fair compensation.

878
00:52:36,490 --> 00:52:38,800
It's the responsibility
of your congregation

879
00:52:38,800 --> 00:52:41,580
to achieve the balance
between the budget

880
00:52:41,580 --> 00:52:46,900
and the money coming in
and the money going out.

881
00:52:46,900 --> 00:52:50,640
But I don't think it's
unreasonable for an employee

882
00:52:50,640 --> 00:52:54,010
to expect to be
compensated fairly.

883
00:52:54,010 --> 00:52:57,700
So I don't quite
agree with this.

884
00:52:57,700 --> 00:53:04,240
Richard Nugent: I mean, I
served seven congregations

885
00:53:04,240 --> 00:53:11,780
as an interim minister, and I
arrived with varying degrees

886
00:53:11,780 --> 00:53:14,710
of compliance with
fair compensation

887
00:53:14,710 --> 00:53:18,360
at each of those congregations,
including one congregation that

888
00:53:18,360 --> 00:53:22,160
basically provided no
benefits to anyone on staff

889
00:53:22,160 --> 00:53:23,950
other than the minister.

890
00:53:23,950 --> 00:53:30,190
And through advocacy and some
effective of fundraising--

891
00:53:30,190 --> 00:53:33,020
most congregants
don't have a clue

892
00:53:33,020 --> 00:53:35,890
that folks aren't being
fairly compensated.

893
00:53:35,890 --> 00:53:39,680
So I would argue that
it's important to raise

894
00:53:39,680 --> 00:53:46,160
the issue and the
expectations and ask

895
00:53:46,160 --> 00:53:50,030
that the congregation be fully
brought into the conversation,

896
00:53:50,030 --> 00:53:55,040
because I think most
UUs will find a way

897
00:53:55,040 --> 00:53:58,320
to take the incremental
steps to bring people closer

898
00:53:58,320 --> 00:54:03,010
in line to fair compensation
if they know the fact that they

899
00:54:03,010 --> 00:54:04,982
aren't being really compensated.

900
00:54:04,982 --> 00:54:06,190
But they've got to know that.

901
00:54:06,190 --> 00:54:08,340
And often we don't talk.

902
00:54:08,340 --> 00:54:10,140
Including ministers
don't talk about it,

903
00:54:10,140 --> 00:54:12,440
because they feel like it's
self-serving to be talking

904
00:54:12,440 --> 00:54:19,920
about salaries and benefits.

905
00:54:19,920 --> 00:54:21,350
But I acknowledge
it's difficult.

906
00:54:21,350 --> 00:54:27,060
And I also understand
that it's complicated.

907
00:54:27,060 --> 00:54:37,500
Let's see.

908
00:54:37,500 --> 00:54:40,810
Betsy Gabriel: Theresa, this
is a very good question.

909
00:54:40,810 --> 00:54:43,450
And I think one of the
things we forgot to say

910
00:54:43,450 --> 00:54:47,740
was we would be happy to talk
individually with people who

911
00:54:47,740 --> 00:54:50,710
have specific
individual questions

912
00:54:50,710 --> 00:54:54,720
and that tonight was to talk
more about the program itself.

913
00:54:54,720 --> 00:54:58,614
So you have our emails.

914
00:54:58,614 --> 00:55:00,530
In fact, they're on the
screen looking at you.

915
00:55:00,530 --> 00:55:02,030
Please feel free
to reach out to us,

916
00:55:02,030 --> 00:55:12,930
and we can give you
some suggestions.

917
00:55:12,930 --> 00:55:16,320
Richard Nugent: And again,
one of the big challenges

918
00:55:16,320 --> 00:55:19,390
is the fact that a lot of this
is complicated, especially

919
00:55:19,390 --> 00:55:22,620
when you start talking about the
retirement plan and the health

920
00:55:22,620 --> 00:55:24,010
plan.

921
00:55:24,010 --> 00:55:28,900
And we're generally
working with volunteers.

922
00:55:28,900 --> 00:55:30,540
In my experience,
good treasurers

923
00:55:30,540 --> 00:55:32,980
serve one or two terms
and then want nothing

924
00:55:32,980 --> 00:55:35,310
to do with being a
treasurer ever again.

925
00:55:35,310 --> 00:55:37,320
The treasurers that
are less than stellar

926
00:55:37,320 --> 00:55:39,770
are the ones who stay forever.

927
00:55:39,770 --> 00:55:43,100
And you can't blast them
out of their position.

928
00:55:43,100 --> 00:55:46,640
But for the most part,
the lay leadership

929
00:55:46,640 --> 00:55:50,210
wants to do the right thing.

930
00:55:50,210 --> 00:55:52,000
But it can be
complicated to understand

931
00:55:52,000 --> 00:55:54,810
what the right
thing is, let alone,

932
00:55:54,810 --> 00:56:00,190
the issues of how do you balance
program costs versus building

933
00:56:00,190 --> 00:56:03,830
repairs versus mission
out in the community?

934
00:56:03,830 --> 00:56:06,550
One of the big
frustrations that I see

935
00:56:06,550 --> 00:56:09,100
is the tendency of
some congregations

936
00:56:09,100 --> 00:56:12,410
to say, oh my gosh, we've
got 20,000 extra dollars.

937
00:56:12,410 --> 00:56:14,930
Instead of spreading that
around to the existing staff,

938
00:56:14,930 --> 00:56:18,280
let's hire another
quarter-time staff person,

939
00:56:18,280 --> 00:56:20,180
because we're all so
overworked as it is.

940
00:56:20,180 --> 00:56:24,330
So then I hire another
quarter-time staff person who's

941
00:56:24,330 --> 00:56:27,620
also are unfairly compensated.

942
00:56:27,620 --> 00:56:34,090
And I find that
to be challenging.

943
00:56:34,090 --> 00:56:36,820
And I see that
Gail is thanking us

944
00:56:36,820 --> 00:56:39,270
in a written note,
because she also

945
00:56:39,270 --> 00:56:43,650
has had problems with the
audio portion of this evening's

946
00:56:43,650 --> 00:56:45,300
program.

947
00:56:45,300 --> 00:56:49,580
Thank you for your
kind words, Gail.

948
00:56:49,580 --> 00:56:56,740
And we appreciate-- I mean, I
live and work in Washington,

949
00:56:56,740 --> 00:56:59,720
but I'm in Boston frequently--
like every other week

950
00:56:59,720 --> 00:57:02,970
or so for a few days--
and it's really great

951
00:57:02,970 --> 00:57:07,650
to have such strong
religious educators to be

952
00:57:07,650 --> 00:57:11,810
part of our staff
team, working with Gail

953
00:57:11,810 --> 00:57:16,310
and with Susan and
with other members

954
00:57:16,310 --> 00:57:19,650
of the religious
education community.

955
00:57:19,650 --> 00:57:25,200
It's great to be just
a few cubicles away.

956
00:57:25,200 --> 00:57:26,890
Susan Lawrence:
Thank you, Richard.

957
00:57:26,890 --> 00:57:29,250
Am I audible?

958
00:57:29,250 --> 00:57:31,270
Oh, how wonderful.

959
00:57:31,270 --> 00:57:32,890
Well, since Gail's
mute, I'm going

960
00:57:32,890 --> 00:57:36,200
to jump in and tell you about
the webinars that are coming up

961
00:57:36,200 --> 00:57:37,660
in the next few months.

962
00:57:37,660 --> 00:57:39,680
And they are posted here.

963
00:57:39,680 --> 00:57:42,900
We're doing Easter in a
multi-congregation, which Gail

964
00:57:42,900 --> 00:57:45,460
will be presenting in March.

965
00:57:45,460 --> 00:57:49,090
And we have some help from
the Fahs collaborative

966
00:57:49,090 --> 00:57:51,370
to walk us through the
materials they put together

967
00:57:51,370 --> 00:57:53,760
for Fahs Sunday
plans congregations

968
00:57:53,760 --> 00:57:55,280
might be wanting to be making.

969
00:57:55,280 --> 00:57:57,179
And I just looked at
the resources today,

970
00:57:57,179 --> 00:57:58,720
and they've got a
whole bunch of PDFs

971
00:57:58,720 --> 00:58:02,270
and sessions and readings and
worship and stuff up there.

972
00:58:02,270 --> 00:58:03,330
So that should be cool.

973
00:58:03,330 --> 00:58:04,970
They're going to
walk us through that.

974
00:58:04,970 --> 00:58:08,360
And then in May, we
are going to hear

975
00:58:08,360 --> 00:58:13,390
from the youth and young
adult ministries office.

976
00:58:13,390 --> 00:58:15,680
And there's a new
set of competencies

977
00:58:15,680 --> 00:58:19,680
that's being developed to
be guidelines for people who

978
00:58:19,680 --> 00:58:21,310
are advisers in youth programs.

979
00:58:21,310 --> 00:58:24,180
So someone will be telling
us all about that in May.

980
00:58:24,180 --> 00:58:26,720
And the registration and all
the details are at this link

981
00:58:26,720 --> 00:58:29,760
here, which I'll paste
when I'm done talking.

982
00:58:29,760 --> 00:58:33,270
In fact, maybe, Gail
could you type it

983
00:58:33,270 --> 00:58:36,200
into the chat, in case
people need the link.

984
00:58:36,200 --> 00:58:38,860
And I think that's
all I've got to say,

985
00:58:38,860 --> 00:58:40,590
besides thank you to
Betsy and Richard.

986
00:58:40,590 --> 00:58:43,970
And it's really nice of
you to redeliver this,

987
00:58:43,970 --> 00:58:45,850
because this presentation
was done at LREDA

988
00:58:45,850 --> 00:58:48,430
and was extremely,
extremely well-received.

989
00:58:48,430 --> 00:58:52,000
And we're glad you could
repackage yourself for us here.

990
00:58:52,000 --> 00:58:55,980
Hopefully, people will see
this in archives, as well.

991
00:58:55,980 --> 00:59:01,020
So anything else we need to say?

992
00:59:01,020 --> 00:59:01,520
No?

993
00:59:01,520 --> 00:59:02,080
Yes?

994
00:59:02,080 --> 00:59:03,580
Thanks everyone for attending.

995
00:59:03,580 --> 00:59:05,820
And as always, I want
to thanks for putting up

996
00:59:05,820 --> 00:59:10,160
with our getting to know our
technological capabilities.

997
00:59:10,160 --> 00:59:13,250
Richard Nugent: Or lack thereof.

998
00:59:13,250 --> 00:59:14,922
But we tried.

999
00:59:14,922 --> 00:59:16,380
Betsy Gabriel:
Likewise, I hope you

1000
00:59:16,380 --> 00:59:20,070
all enjoyed it and be in touch
if you have further questions.

1001
00:59:20,070 --> 00:59:22,640
Susan Lawrence: Thanks very
much and good night, everybody.

1002
00:59:22,640 --> 00:59:36,480
Betsy Gabriel: Good night.

1003
00:59:36,480 --> 00:59:39,110
Richard Nugent: So
this was challenging.

1004
00:59:39,110 --> 00:59:44,230
Susan Lawrence: Oh my god,
what happened to Gail's voice.

1005
00:59:44,230 --> 00:59:47,310
Betsy Gabriel: Well, I want
you to know what I learned.

1006
00:59:47,310 --> 00:59:49,070
You are talking
through your telephone,

1007
00:59:49,070 --> 00:59:50,660
and you're hearing
yourself while you

1008
00:59:50,660 --> 00:59:52,326
talk through your
telephone, which I was

1009
00:59:52,326 --> 00:59:54,180
for like five or six slides.

1010
00:59:54,180 --> 00:59:57,010
I [INAUDIBLE] more, and I
looked on that audio settings,

1011
00:59:57,010 --> 00:59:59,220
and I was able to select
use telephone rather

1012
00:59:59,220 --> 01:00:00,478
than microphone.

1013
01:00:00,478 --> 01:00:01,860
Susan Lawrence: Oh.

1014
01:00:01,860 --> 01:00:03,360
Betsy Gabriel: So
when I was finally

1015
01:00:03,360 --> 01:00:05,630
finished with the bulk
of the presentation,

1016
01:00:05,630 --> 01:00:08,022
I no longer heard myself.

1017
01:00:08,022 --> 01:00:09,980
Susan Lawrence: So you
probably missed the part

1018
01:00:09,980 --> 01:00:14,370
where I wrote to everyone that
you should kill your computer

1019
01:00:14,370 --> 01:00:15,390
mic.

1020
01:00:15,390 --> 01:00:18,070
I put it between two web links.

1021
01:00:18,070 --> 01:00:19,970
You probably didn't even see it.

1022
01:00:19,970 --> 01:00:21,349
Betsy Gabriel: What did you do?

1023
01:00:21,349 --> 01:00:23,140
Susan Lawrence: I had
written a note to you

1024
01:00:23,140 --> 01:00:26,680
to say if you kill your computer
mic, you won't hear yourself.

1025
01:00:26,680 --> 01:00:29,820
But I sandwiched it between two
links so that everyone else saw

1026
01:00:29,820 --> 01:00:31,820
it, but you probably didn't/

1027
01:00:31,820 --> 01:00:33,600
Betsy Gabriel: Well,
I tried to do that.

1028
01:00:33,600 --> 01:00:36,900
I tried to turn off
my microphone the way

1029
01:00:36,900 --> 01:00:39,290
I normally do when I'm listening
to something on YouTube.

1030
01:00:39,290 --> 01:00:41,090
But it didn't work.

1031
01:00:41,090 --> 01:00:42,352
And it didn't dawn on me.

1032
01:00:42,352 --> 01:00:44,060
I knew there was some
other way to do it.

1033
01:00:44,060 --> 01:00:45,090
I just didn't know what.

1034
01:00:45,090 --> 01:00:47,300
Finally, when
Richard with talking,

1035
01:00:47,300 --> 01:00:50,140
I was able to do something other
than talk, and I found More,

1036
01:00:50,140 --> 01:00:52,070
and that's where it was.

1037
01:00:52,070 --> 01:00:53,100
Susan Lawrence: Nice.

1038
01:00:53,100 --> 01:00:54,891
Gail Forsyth-vail: Hi,
can you hear me now?

1039
01:00:54,891 --> 01:00:56,420
Susan Lawrence:
Yeah, what happened?

1040
01:00:56,420 --> 01:00:57,836
Gail Forsyth-vail:
Apparently when

1041
01:00:57,836 --> 01:00:59,620
I muted myself
because I didn't want

1042
01:00:59,620 --> 01:01:03,610
to be causing any
feedback, it reverts back

1043
01:01:03,610 --> 01:01:06,210
to the computer's mic
rather than the headset mic.

1044
01:01:06,210 --> 01:01:07,790
I just figured
that out because I

1045
01:01:07,790 --> 01:01:10,880
went into those audio settings.

1046
01:01:10,880 --> 01:01:13,794
So I muted myself so that
I didn't create noise

1047
01:01:13,794 --> 01:01:15,460
while Richard and
Betsy were presenting.

1048
01:01:15,460 --> 01:01:18,980
And when I tried to
unmute, it apparently

1049
01:01:18,980 --> 01:01:21,170
flips back to the
setting, which would

1050
01:01:21,170 --> 01:01:24,690
be using the computer mic,
rather than the headphone mic.

1051
01:01:24,690 --> 01:01:28,169
So I have to manually go in and
switch back to the headphones.

1052
01:01:28,169 --> 01:01:29,460
Susan Lawrence: Where was that?

1053
01:01:29,460 --> 01:01:31,110
Is that in your
control in your laptop?

1054
01:01:31,110 --> 01:01:33,065
Gail Forsyth-vail:
It's under more.

1055
01:01:33,065 --> 01:01:34,690
Susan Lawrence: Oh,
it's in AnyMeeting.

1056
01:01:34,690 --> 01:01:36,980
Gail Forsyth-vail:
Audio settings,

1057
01:01:36,980 --> 01:01:40,490
and then it says Click
Here to Switch Your Mic.

1058
01:01:40,490 --> 01:01:44,750
And apparently, because I had
set it up with the headphones,

1059
01:01:44,750 --> 01:01:48,400
but apparently when
you mute yourself

1060
01:01:48,400 --> 01:01:53,450
it reverts back to
the default setting,

1061
01:01:53,450 --> 01:01:57,117
which is using the computer's
microphone and not the headset.

1062
01:01:57,117 --> 01:01:59,450
Susan Lawrence: Oh, mine says
it's on default right now.

1063
01:01:59,450 --> 01:02:00,920
Can you still hear me?

1064
01:02:00,920 --> 01:02:02,920
Gail Forsyth-vail:
Yeah, well, mine

1065
01:02:02,920 --> 01:02:05,910
did that because when I
changed it to the headset, now

1066
01:02:05,910 --> 01:02:07,522
you can hear me again.

1067
01:02:07,522 --> 01:02:08,980
Susan Lawrence:
I'm not even sure I

1068
01:02:08,980 --> 01:02:12,879
understand what you said, but
I'm glad you figured it out.

1069
01:02:12,879 --> 01:02:14,670
Gail Forsyth-vail: I
don't like AnyMeeting.

1070
01:02:14,670 --> 01:02:16,290
I've decided I hate it.

1071
01:02:16,290 --> 01:02:17,790
Susan Lawrence: I
miss the old Fuze.

1072
01:02:17,790 --> 01:02:20,690
I really liked that.

1073
01:02:20,690 --> 01:02:22,450
Oh, we're still recording!

1074
01:02:22,450 --> 01:02:23,240
Oh my god!

1075
01:02:23,240 --> 01:02:24,740
Gail Forsyth Vail:
That's all right.

1076
01:02:24,740 --> 01:02:26,156
You can cut this
part off the end.

1077
01:02:26,156 --> 01:02:29,021
Susan Lawrence: It's not that
easy to do, but I will manage.

1078
01:02:29,021 --> 01:02:31,570
Or someone will.

1079
01:02:31,570 --> 01:02:33,320
Let me stop.

1080
01:02:33,320 --> 01:02:33,984