WASHINGTON–CUNA CEO Jim Nussle said he will be putting forth proposed changes to CUNA’s bylaws, specifically around the trade group’s membership structure. The announcement comes as numerous leagues have announced they intend to give their affiliated CU members the option of belong to the league or CUNA; since its creation in 1934, membership in a league has always also meant membership in CUNA.
As CUToday.info reported earlier, in recent weeks at several credit union meetings, Nussle has said he plans to put forth some sort of plan before year-end, but he has declined to provide further details.
But in a memo written by Nussle and summarizing an October conference call with the CUNA board, the CUNA CEO said that has been meeting with credit union leagues and CEOs over the past several months and has “learned that there is an undeniable desire for the credit union movement to be as strong and as modern as possible. I have learned – unsurprisingly – that there is a real and growing sense that CUNA must adapt and modernize if we are to continue to be the premier national trade association for America’s credit unions – a position we have held for over 80 years.”
Saying it is his duty to recognize the changes occurring within credit unions, Nussle said he and the CUNA staff are reviewing the CUNA bylaws with the intent of proposing changes to the association’s membership structure.
While some leagues have voted in favor of allowing their member CUs the option of belonging to the league only, sources with whom CUToday.info has spoken have indicated there is gray area within the bylaws related to whether that option is actually permissible and over whether CUNA might actually have the right to expel any leagues that make that decision.
Nussle stated in his memo that the “CUNA /League System is the best advocate for credit unions, and it passionately engages and mobilizes our movement,” and that “We are committed to the continual enhancement of the CUNA/League value.”
“There is a saying about organizations: “Change, before you have to.” To me, based on all that I have heard and learned this past year, this summarizes where CUNA is today,” Nussle said.