COVID IS KILLING NTEU 73 EVENTS

Before the COVID shutdown NTEU 73 had three events that we put on annually.  We have the Memorial weekend picnic, the Labor Recognition Luncheon around the middle of September, and a Holiday Party the first week of December.  In the past, there was always a crowd at our Picnic and people seemed to always enjoy this event. Since there is an additional 59 minutes for the Labor Recognition event, we always have the majority of the employees come out to get lunch. We plan to have a few vendors to give discounts for being NTEU members. This year, it will be September 14th for the Annex, and IRRC can join the event at the Annex building. We combined the Annex and IRRC building because the majority of the employees in the IRRC building are on a telework agreements. On September 15th we will have the lunch for the Gateway building.  At this point, we have not yet reserved a venue for the Holiday Party, which is typically held for a member and a plus 1. We usually have a DJ, a nice dinner, and soft drinks are also included. Last year, wine and beer were also included at the Double Tree close to the Greater Cincinnati Airport.  At all events we also draw names from NTEU 73 members for gift cards.

For last year’s holiday party, the Chapter sent out 2,000 invites to all NTEU 73 members.  We had 65 members attend and with their guests the total number of people was 114.  The price to print and mail the invitations was $1,601.33. The banquet, drinks, and DJ totaled $11,708.29. The total cost for the prizes was $1,043.00.  The Holiday Party cost $14,352.29.  The money per member for this event is approximately $221.00 per member. 

For this year’s Memorial Day picnic, we had 63 union members attend in addition to their guests, which totaled 346 people. This is a family event and with such a small group, there was no waiting in line for rides or drinks. The people that attended seemed to have enjoyed that, but our goal was to have many members gather in a nice place to enjoy with their family and their work family. The cost of the event would have been the same regardless of how many people attend, which was $9,439.14. We also gave out gift cards to members that totaled $424.00.  Our total cost of the Memorial Day Picnic was $9,863.14. So that would mean approximately $157.00 per member.

Due to the cost of these events, the Chapter cannot continue to afford having them since 1% of the members participate. Your dues do not cover the cost of these events.  Is there an event that we do not have that you would like to have instead?  Is there an event that you would like to keep?  We would like to have feedback from the members.  You can write us at PO Box 12389, Covington, Ky 41012. You can send an email to Shannon.k.lovins@irs.gov or Janet.d.colwell@irs.gov.   We look forward to hearing from you! Janet Colwell