August 5-9, 2024 Boston Convention and Exhibition Center
side from this. I feel very blessed.” Haley, whose wedding Bittner pre- sided over, is expecting a baby girl in January, and the carrier and his wife, Joan, are looking forward to being grandparents. Indeed, he’s thought of his lega- cy. “I want my kids, and my grand- kids eventually, to have something to remember—that even when I was as low as low could be in the worst possible shape anybody could be in, I still was committed to getting out and doing this Christmas gig,” he said. “And I want people to go, ‘Hey, you know what? This dude, he wasn’t feeling great and he looked like hell, but he bundled up and put hand warmers in his pocket and jumped on a trailer to play Christ- mas carols to help out other peo- ple that weren’t doing so good,’ ” he added. “That’s what it’s about for me. That’s why I do it.” ment also furnishes OWCP training to NALC Leadership Academy stu- dents focusing on the history of the FECA and its underlying social com- pact, the FECA’s structure and regu- latory underpinnings, and how the FECA intersects with the National Agreement. The Workers’ Compensation De- partment works closely with the Contract Administration Unit (CAU) on grievances that deal with OWCP issues. Close monitoring of man- agement’s obligations under FECA and the contract help every injured worker by enforcing strict compli- ance. The Workers’ Compensation Department also assists the CAU with the USPS handbook and man- ual changes and postal programs to ensure that they are in compliance with the FECA. Under President Renfroe’s guid- ance, NALC provides the most com- prehensive OWCP representation of any federal-sector union.
to help multiple people yet again, including a family they’ve met who lost everything in a house fire, even their dogs. “When you’re in a cover band, you’re not looking to be famous or anything,” he said. “At the end of the day, you’re just doing it be- cause it’s fun, and it’s a cool night out. You hope that people dig it, and in our case, with uNGLuED, you hope that you’re building up this fan base that will also contribute to the Christmas thing at the end of the year, and they do. The rea- son why we’ve collected $13,000 in three years is because we have people that come see us at those other shows.” As for himself, “things are look- ing up. There’s no sign of cancer right now,” Bittner said, and he added, “I’m one of the lucky ones. It’s not lost on me that so many people don’t come out the other bers at every level of the organiza- tion. Ten full-time regional workers’ compensation assistants (RWCAs) assist national business agents (NBAs) and branch officers with OWCP claims and other FECA-relat- ed matters. RWCAs provide training at the national, regional, state and local levels. Branch officers should contact their NBA office to request RWCA assistance. The department will also repre- sent members who file appeals with the Labor Department’s Employ- ees’ Compensation Appeals Board (ECAB). NALC members who are con- templating an ECAB appeal should contact the compensation office at NALC Headquarters for assistance. The Workers’ Compensation De- partment provides information and advice to the membership through The Postal Record , the NALC Activ- ist , the “Injured on the Job” section of the NALC website, and national convention workshops. The depart-
62 The Postal Record August 2024 The NALC’s goal is to provide OWCP representation to NALC mem- bers Dan Toth, who is assisted by Assistant to the President for Work- ers’ Compensation Coby Jones, who provides information and advice to the membership on the Federal Em- ployees’ Compensation Act (FECA) and its administration by the Of- fice of Workers’ Compensation Pro- grams (OWCP). The department now meets quar- terly with the director and staff of the Division of Federal Employees’ Compensation, the federal division of OWCP, to both give input and re- solve administrative issues. And the director of OWCP itself, Christopher Godfrey, will teach a workshop at the 2024 national convention to describe the many changes OWCP has made in the last two years to make the claims process more user-friendly. a song, playing out, it’s another minute that I’m not thinking about cancer,” he said, adding, “And that was really crucial, I think, for me to maintain a good attitude [and] press forward.” As the December 2023 issue of The Postal Record was going to press, the carrier and his band- mates were winding down the last of their regular gigs for the year and gearing up for the fourth an- nual charity show on Dec. 9. “I’m sure it’ll be bigger and better than it’s been the last couple of years. It just keeps growing,” he said. “I think as long as the five of us are together as a band, that we’ll con- tinue to do it.” Bittner said of their fundrais- ing, “You just do it because it’s the right thing to do. While it’s been a rough two years for my family, there’s people out there that have it worse.” This year they planned
Workers’ Compensation Department N ALC’s Workers’ Compensation Department—under the direc- tion of Director of Retired Mem-
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