Tri-Valley, California I n today’s world, people have more access to information than ever before. There is certainly some good that comes from this, but with more access to information, there is more access to misinformation than ever as well. How can we find valuable information and peo- ple to listen to with the bombardment of noise and false truths that we encounter in our lives? It’s not easy to always know which way to go when receiving information and the right path to follow. Sometimes we may feel as though we are lost; sometimes we might be blazing our own trail based on false information; sometimes we might need a little push in the right direction. Correction may be hard to receive, espe- cially from union activists, but it is worthwhile. Most union activists will always desire to edu- cate members to be the best that they can be, while protecting the rights of all letter carriers. In order for that to happen, they have to correct members when they see letter carriers headed in the wrong direction. However, there are people who are trying to use members and will not care about what is best for letter carriers. They will only be con- cerned with how you can serve their hidden agendas. They will take advantage of your short- comings in order to fulfill their personal gains. Discernment is required when it comes to who you listen to when you’re in need of coun- sel. If you surround yourself with people who will tell you what you want to hear, you may not get the accurate information to go far in life. But if you choose to have honest people around you, who are commented to help you succeed, and not for their selfish interests, you will be able to grow. James C. Perryman Jr., Branch 2902 Washington, DC N ational Capital Branch 142 once again proudly supported the letter carriers’ an- nual food drive campaign.
and members are ready, willing and able to deal with management changes and shenani- gans. Unfortunately, as in many other places, Staunton is severely short-staffed again. Great timing with this heat. I wish all active carriers a safe summer and much-needed annual. Next article—Boston! Cindy Connors, Branch 513 Toledo, Ohio O ur 39th annual Charles Cohen golf scramble was a rousing success.
dog lead in the yard? Is the inside door open? There are so many signs that point to poten- tial danger. The No. 1 thing you can do to help yourself is to turn off Bluetooth and put down your phone. Jerry Martens, Branch 45
We had 108 golfers contributing to MDA. The participants and volunteers enjoyed a delicious chicken and ribs lunch afterward. A retired carrier, Jeff Cowell and his team won the scram- bles. Two other retiree teams split the mystery score prize. A big thank-you to the numerous volunteers and VP Andy, and former officer and retiree Butch Wuwert, for making the golf tourna- ment fun and enjoyable and raising the funds for MDA.
Stamford, CT Br. 60 members celebrate Branch Vice President Dominick Frattaroli’s last day. Pictured (l to r) are Chris Munrow, Region 15 RAA Tony Perconte, Sonny Migliacci, Branch President Mike Ely, Frattaroli, Robert Gleason, Connecticut State Association President T.J. DeMatteo and Branch President Emeritus Joseph Baccari.
Stamford, Connecticut C ongratulations, Brother Frattaroli, on your well-deserved retirement after 48-plus years. Dom was a union representative in one way or another for more than 40 years and vice president for more than 20 years. Good luck, Dom! Mike Ely, Branch 60 Staunton, Virginia S o excited for my branch and my communi- ty—No. 1 for our category in the food drive! With the end of the matching-dollar donations from National, we knew we had to go the extra mile and fundraise for food drive bags. Wow, did they make a difference! Our food collection increased 75 percent. We are already explor- ing ways to lift the bar even higher. I’m also proud of the spirit of teamwork with other lo- cal branches and throughout the country when the issues of food drive card shortages came to light at the last minute. Together, we helped stamp out hunger. Best day to be a letter car- rier. Last week was a busy NALC week for this re- tiree. HQ instituted a new program to advance the training of arbitration advocates. Learned a ton and am now armed with more tools to deal with many of the things that management does to try to win at arbitration without ever getting to the merits of the case. We discussed new arguments, timeliness, arbitrability and more. Two days later, I was up in Maryland for my first-ever expedited case. Hard to believe after doing so many cases, including local interest arbitration, that I’ve never done this type. Glad we have such an awesome and patient RAA to help walk me through the process. Another learning experience. Finished the week at our branch meeting. Staunton has another OIC; I’ve lost track of how many postmasters have come and gone recently. No worries, our branch leadership
At our June stewards meeting, following the business session, we had a mock arbitration with each steward being given a grievance to prepare to arbitrate. A good friend of President Mike Hayden, Brad Smith, who is a magistrate for the Lucas County Juvenile Division, served as the arbitrator. Various grievances were given to the stewards, where they searched for relevant material pertaining to the case they were given to prepare. Once the information was compiled, the stewards went before the arbitrator to present their case. Our president and vice president portrayed the advocates for management. Needless to say, their presenta- tions were quite entertaining and seeing the prep needed was more understandable than just telling them what is needed. Our guest arbitrator will return in the future to present his decisions. It will be interesting to see how his determinations compare to the actual deci- sions in each case. Our annual Letter Carrier Appreciation Night at the Toledo Mud Hens game will be on July 23. Tickets went fast for this popular event. All we need now is good weather and a Mud Hens win. Ray Bricker, Branch 100
In a collective effort, the letter carriers and retirees of Branch 142 received a total of 33,293 pounds of donated food from patrons. The National Capital Area Food Bank and oth- er local agencies will be able to support families in need in DC and Maryland communities. Way to go, Branch 142 members! Fraternally— Karen Clark, Branch 142 COLA: Cost-of-living adjustment
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The 2025 projected COLAs for the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) is 2.3 percent, and for the Federal Em- ployees Retirement System (FERS), 2.0 percent, following the release of the June consumer price index (CPI). The 2025 COLAs will be finalized with the publication of the September 2024 CPI in October 2024.
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The 2024 projected COLA under the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) is 2.4 percent following the release of the June CPI. This COLA is based on the change in the CPI be- tween December 2023 and December 2024.
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Visit nalc.org for the latest updates. August 2024 The Postal Record 77
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