Kathleen A wrote:
 Why
>is it that I have received a membership flyer with the following amounts
>($70 [a 14% increase] for regular membership IF one is an IBCLC, and $100
>[a 25% increase] for contributing professionals (not clear whether this
>would be open to non-IBCLCs), but none of my friends have and it is already
>January 7? If the dues at this higher level were due in January, why have
>no other members reported having received same?  By the way, this
>membership application form does NOT indicate when those dues were to go
>into effect.  I was not aware that a vote to limit voting to IBCLCs only
>had already been passed. Furthermore, this membership flyer does not
>provide any space for non-IBCLCs to join ILCA!  Does this mean that all of
>you who have not yet been certified can no longer support the organization?
>If so, how much of that loss of income will require a down-sizing of staff,
>BMAI employees, and/or a reduction in the number of Board members who were
>presumably elected to represent you, the members?
>
>Does it make sense to send out a membership flyer limiting membership to
>IBCLCs only *before* such a change has been ratified by a yes vote from 66%
>of the membership?

I also, to my surprise, received a membership form like this, along with a
letter addressed to ILCA members in 'Region 10' (USA?!). At the end it gave
local contacts for 4 US states (and I am in *Australia*!). I found this all
quite puzzling, and where I was a bit confused about what's going on, I am
now very confused! The only thing I can think of to explain why I got this
letter at all was that my Australian State's abbreviation is WA (Western
Australia), and this is also the abbreviation for one of the American
states in Region 10. Could I be right?

I got the impression from the letter that the membership form was for
someone, a friend, to join ILCA, not for my renewal, but it still listed
only Voting (IBCLC only) and Contributing Professional type memberships (as
Kathleen mentioned). I, like Kathleen, would like to know the answers to
the questions she raised. This form appeared to be very premature.

Also, I am disturbed from a personal point of view about the change to
subscriptions due on 1st January, as my renewal date each year is in about
November. I have only just paid for a year, and will have to pay again?? I
would expect there to be many members in this position like me, as I joined
soon after I got notice of my passing the IBLCE exam in the year I did it,
ie near the end of the calendar year. Or are they planning a pro rata scale
of the subscription fee for the changover year?

I feel that I am a reasonably intelligent person and find this whole
business about the by-laws, etc totally confusing, so I assume many others
do too. I hope ILCA will be able to explain everything more clearly to all
members, so we will be able to consider how we should vote. Otherwise, I
believe many will think it is all too complicated and abstain from voting.
Just MHO in my ILCA 'backwater' (Western Australia).

Joy Anderson IBCLC, NMAA Breastfeeding Counsellor
Perth, Western Australia
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