August 2024 The Postal Record 73 To keep it short and sweet, pivots are on the rise while the mail volume is decreasing. Man- agement wants the carrier to work the miracles out on the street to keep their numbers good. I don’t know about your stations, but here in Louisville, it’s twisting an arm and a leg to get your supervisors out of the office to even check on carriers! As the heat is rising and the heat index is crazy, we should be checking on our fellow carriers, and especially our new carri- ers. The last thing anyone wants is to fall out on their route. I started only in 2013, and I can recall my supervisor coming out, checking on carriers, bringing water or Gatorade, an apple or a banana. We need to put the bug back in management’s ear to think about the carriers while they’re enduring this heat. Not saying we shouldn’t be prepared for the elements out- side, but there’s a disconnect on safety of the carrier and getting the mail out the door. Yes, we see the alerts on the scanner and hear the mandated stand-up talks, but is that where it stops? Lima, Ohio H ello, Lima. Nationally, our president, Brian Renfroe, wrote about the union’s history on collective bargaining in the President’s Message. I believe the contract has been at a standstill lately, but I was told there was pos- sibly a closed-door session between NALC and the Postal Service before the July 4 holiday. The Senate introduced the Protect Our Car- riers Act legislation (S. 4356). Its message to Congress was to protect our postal workers on the job, and that starts by increasing enforce- ment of the law for crimes committed against them. Which brings me back to always keep your tap keys secure! Be aware of your sur- roundings! Dog spray handy! Locally, your branch president, Matt, and V.P. Brian attended steward training. They both agreed that they picked up some knowledge; they went over many topics, including Articles 8 and 15 and OWCP, and even filed a Formal A, to list a few. Branch 105 also held a retirement seminar on June 30 at the IBEW hall. Region 11 RAA Dave Kennedy led the meeting. Thanks for your time. With that in mind, if you’re a veteran and consid- ering buying back your military time, you should check into it before you decide to retire. At the July meeting, a motion passed to participate in the Labor Day parade—more to come. We also have two NALC members who will receive 55-year pins this year. Congratu- lations to Richard Dankirt and Alan Hefner! Thanks for your commitment to the union! Jeffery Steegman, Branch 105 Louisville, Kentucky S ummer is officially here, but I don’t have to tell you, I know you feel the heat! I recently had the pleasure of attending Branch 14’s an- nual Jim Clark Memorial Golf Scramble, hosted by Steve Terry. It was a hot and rainy day at My Old Kentucky Home Golf Course, but even through the heat there was a nice turnout. As always, it was great running into some of our retirees enjoying that retirement and pitching in a hand to make the invite a success.
and 4589 to verify that they had completed the observations. Boy, did I hit a nerve. We got all kind of re- sistance from the postmasters, and with the exception of one, they refused to provide the requested information. We explained the rea- son we wanted to see the information, and still they would not give us what we wanted. We had to file a labor charge to get their attention. When we finally got the information, we found all kinds of errors. In one office, they included a carrier who was on a detail at the Region 9 office during the period of observation. I even found out that one 204-b received an award and during the investigation admitted that they had not done any street observations. Now had that been a carrier, well, you already know. It just goes to show that there is now honor amongst thieves. In the end, I received an apology from one postmaster stating that she had been given wrong information and that it will not happen again. Percy Smith Jr., Branch 4559 Fayetteville, North Carolina T he union leadership would like to let all members know that our in-person local meetings are on the second Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. We do offer attending our meeting via Zoom. To receive the Zoom sign-in information, contact a member of our branch leadership. Also, the membership meeting for August is canceled due to the NALC conven- tion. Rodney L. Redding, Branch 1128 Fresno, California I have mixed feelings about a vote that will be taking place during our national convention in Boston. The vote involves our national presi- dent. Four charges were brought against him. The Executive Council investigated, and found him to be not guilty on three of them. He was found guilty on one. My mixed feelings stem from some of our members wanting to strip him of his title. However, during my decades representing letter carriers with problems, the NALC has always represented them to keep their jobs. More info will be shared at the convention. This is a big thing to all of us. Some in our union have tried and convicted him. That is something postal management does without knowing all the facts. I personally have driven letter carriers to and from their routes for almost a year because of their drinking problems, including their route relays. They kept their jobs thanks to the representation—I have been proud of that. Nobody is perfect. I have heard, “But he’s our national president.” First he is a dues-paying NALC member. We must protect our own. That is what makes us such a well-respected union. If in rehab, you are not allowed to talk to anybody. Even if you want, and try. It happened to somebody I know. Failing a college course. He was not able to complete a final exam. One that was very important to him. The college in-
structor did not care when he found out about it. We should not act that same way. We represent—that is what we do. I have not decided because, like most of you, I do not know all the facts. The facts will be considered then. Not because somebody is out for blood. Jesse Dominguez, Branch 231 Jackson, Michigan A ttention, Branch 232 members: We will be having a vote at October’s regular branch meeting to amend the local bylaws. This will be for the following: Union calendar year will be from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31; $100 donation to an ac- tive member who retires; $100 donation when a family member passes; $40 guarantee draw at regular monthly meeting; $300 start point and raise by $30/month for rollover draw at regular monthly meeting. Rebecca J. Weaver, Branch 232 Kansas City, Missouri W ith the anticipation of a young daredevil getting the training wheels off their first bike, the thought of walking into the 73rd Bien- nial Convention at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center’s (BCEC) ginormous hall and seeing NALC carriers from across the nation gives me goosebumps. With all that has hap- pened across America since our last assembly in Chi-town, and given the fact that we have a voice, I hope a technician is on emergency standby to replace the melted microphones, located across the convention floor. I fully ex- pect to hear a few heated discussions, and one or two that make no sense whatsoever. I definitely will be tuned in to the intense aura of unity that will be on display. How the constant drone of thousands of NALC letter car- riers’ voices can become eerily silent for a mo- ment of silence, yet become almost deafening for a call to vote or a letter carrier cheer (Hip, hip, hooray!). While many desire to hear about contract negotiations, I believe the key topics of dis- cussion on the shuttle buses will be the lack of any action taken by the USPS concerning crime against letter carriers as we wait for Congress to pass the Protect Our Letter Carri- ers Act (H.R. 7629). All across this great nation, our customers are so disgruntled by PMG No- Joy’s disastrous Plan for America, many have had congressional visits to their districts over inadequate service. It does seem counterpro- ductive, however, to highlight shoddy service when the next news cycle features multiple instances of letter carrier theft. No doubt the staffing situation will also come up. The ques- tion is, how did we (USPS) get here? How’s PMG NoJoy not gotten fired? And the stunning realization that your station/situation/super- vision is not as bad as someplace/someone’s else. The future is now; are you ready? Calvin Davis, Branch 30
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