line is the Friday before the election. Why take a chance? Get your absentee ballot ordered as soon as you finish this article. I truly believe this election will be about turnout. We need every NALC and, in fact, every democracy-loving union member to cast their ballot ASAP. Bonus, if you vote early, the major parties are aware and will leave you alone. So, take five minutes and get that ballot ordered. Visit michigan.gov/sos/ elections/voting/absentee-voting to order yours. Ninety days until Election Day. Let’s go! John Serwach Wisconsin O n July 5, President Joe Biden visited Madi- son, WI. It is his fifth time this year and his 12th visit to Wisconsin as president. He spoke in front of 1,000 attendees and boasted legis- lative accomplishments during his first term 2016 to November 2022, the pay increases were anywhere from 1.1 percent to 2.1 percent. We have received a total of 9.4 percent, which is an average of about 1.3 percent. But every contract, NALC was able to nego- tiate keeping the cost-of-living increases for all letter carriers. From July of 2016 to March 2023, we have received a total of $9,111. The COLAs have also added a substantial amount to all CSRS retiree pensions. Since I retired in 2008, my net pension has increased about $1,000. For me, it is just more money to gamble with out here in Vegas—and give some to my wife, of course. Stay informed; attend your union meetings. Dennis Spoto, Branch 425 Centennial, Colorado A nother missive from a retired letter carrier. I just celebrated the five-year mark. For the last 10 years of my 27-year career, I wrote a monthly Branch Item for The Postal Record. The topics depended on the time of year, what management was doing, or what the carriers in my installation were dealing with. Dog bites to food drive to mail volume to holidays, there was never a need to look for issues to dissect. When I retired, I tried to continue writing but the day-to-day passion was gone. I still attend monthly meetings as the recording secretary, but not being “in the trenches” meant an end of an era. But then I discovered the retirees section and realized there is a place for those of us still involved and willing to pass on some knowledge. This month I want to touch on the new PSHB program, from a retiree perspective. The num- ber of flyers I’ve gotten in the mail means there is a change coming to our health benefits and how they are administered. NALC has offered a health plan that my husband and I have par- ticipated in for 25 years and has worked for us. With the addition of Medicare Part B, I haven’t
Branch 122 President Al Davenport for hosting us! In the afternoon we also held a state asso- ciation-coordinated day at the ballpark for MDA at the home of the Lansing Lugnuts and helped our branches collectively raise about $2,000 for MDA with about 10 branches participating. Thanks to everyone who attended. A good time was had by all. Thanks also to State Associa- tion Vice President Erik Venzke, who did most of the heavy lifting to make this event a success. We were also joined by former state Sen. Curtis Hertel, who is running to replace Elissa Slotkin in the 7th Congressional District (Lansing area). Rep. Slotkin is likely to be the Democratic nomi- nee to replace retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow. The Michigan primary is Aug. 6. If you haven’t already, don’t forget to vote! Ater the dust is settled in the primaries, we can move onto the general election in the fall. You can apply for an absentee ballot online or by mail. The dead- Anchorage, Alaska M ost carriers don’t like having to deal with politics and how it affects our jobs, but unfortunately, we’re affected by politics be- cause we are federal workers. And our jobs, pay, benefits, etc., can and are affected by those in Washington. The NALC has a “Government Affairs” link on the mobile app and a link on the desktop ver- sion. Take a tour of the “Take Action” link. Two items I hear about from active/retired carriers is how their Social Security (SS) was reduced because of their pension and, for active work- ers, they’re upset because they aren’t getting credit for their non-career time. In the “Take Action” link, there are two bills the NALC supports to fix these issues. The first one is H.R. 5995, the Federal Retirement Fair- ness Act. This would allow CCAs, TEs and casuals to purchase retirement credit much like buying back military time. Wouldn’t you like to retire ear- lier and get credit for time you worked as a non- career? The other bill is H.R. 82/S. 597, which would repeal the WEP and GPO. Many retirees had their SS reduced by 60 percent even though they fully paid into the program. The government is keeping that 60 percent in its pocket. The “Take Action” link lets you send a message to your member of Congress urging them to sup- port and pass these bills. What is frustrating are those among us who complain about these is- sues but take no action. If you’re not confident in your ability to do this, we can help. Call the branch office and we’ll help you support these bills with information you can provide over the phone. Our members of Congress need to hear from us that these bills are important and will benefit us in the long run. Are you ready to make the call? Jim Raymond, Branch 4319 Bergen Co. Mgd., New Jersey M aybe I was the only one who complained about our contracts. Since November of
and warned of Trump’s agenda. Biden was joined by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, Rep. Mark Pocan of Madison, and Demo- cratic Party Chair Ben Wikler. “I’m in Wisconsin for one reason—because we’re going to win Wisconsin,” Biden said to cheers from supporters. Biden addressed the rough debate he had the week before, stating, “I am running and I’m going to win again. … Let me say it as clearly as I can—I’m staying in the race.” The Madison swing brought the president to one of the most supportive regions of a must-win state. He won Dane County with roughly 76 percent of the vote in 2020, according to Wisconsin Public Radio. Biden announced the $50 million in federal grant funding to help the state’s growing bio health sector. In solidarity— Dawn M. Ahnen
Retiree Reports
The Postal Record 69 August 2024 Retiree monthly meetings and breakfasts that Murray put together more than 50 years ago are in effect today. We will miss the strong, dedicated leadership of branch president Mur- ray Ross, and continue his philosophy of unit- ing and keeping this union strong. Rest in peace, Murray—a job well done. Joseph Murone, Branch 120 had to pay additional money when seeing a doctor. The plan acts as a secondary payer. My husband will be covered under Part B next year, thanks to the waiving of penalties for not signing up sooner. Word of advice—when the primary worker on a family plan retires, everyone covered needs to sign up for Part B, if eligible. There is an additional expense, but as we get older there is more need to access health care. See ya in Boston! In unity— Barb Larson, Branch 5996 Paterson, New Jersey O n May 20, Branch 120 announced the pass- ing of our past branch president during the strike of 1970, Murray Ross. We are saddened to see him leave. Murray lived to be 100 years old and was a Branch 120 consultant for many years, including during the past branch presi- dent administrations of Theodore McClellan, Robert Calia, Joseph Murone, Don L. Hill and Gerald Thompson, and current Branch Presi- dent Salvatore Rodriguez. The night before his passing, the writer of this article spoke to Murray via telephone to wish him well and hang in there. Murray was a strong labor leader who risked his career at the time of the strike for the betterment of the working class during the beginning of the NALC President Vincent R. Sombrotto era. One can only wonder how many union leaders are doing that today.
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker