Highlighted Photos
This Slide Show is from the State Convention.2019 FOR MORE SUBMITTED PHOTOS: CLICK HERE and Photos: Officers & Members. Other photos and videos throughout site.
Links
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FIXED POSTS
PRESEIDENT'S POSTS: Ensure USPS and your supervisor has emergency contact info.
WEBMASTER'S POSTS: I am soliciting input, articles, pictures, websites of interest, files and critiques from Officers and members of any subject, but particularly postal and union related.
Report on articles and input published on the website by Officers since the last Convention to the end of 2019 is on the webmaster page.
WEBMASTER'S POSTS: I am soliciting input, articles, pictures, websites of interest, files and critiques from Officers and members of any subject, but particularly postal and union related.
Report on articles and input published on the website by Officers since the last Convention to the end of 2019 is on the webmaster page.
Current Notices
2/17/20: I should very soon receive more input regarding the State Convention and other events. Please check back later.
2/14/20: SC CONVENTION PACKETS were mailed February 10th to every branch. If your branch hasn't received your packet please contact our State secretary. Thank you
Jan or Feb/20: Register for 2020 Food Drive. Deadline tor receive food drive reminder is March 9th: For more info click here.
2/14/20: SC CONVENTION PACKETS were mailed February 10th to every branch. If your branch hasn't received your packet please contact our State secretary. Thank you
Jan or Feb/20: Register for 2020 Food Drive. Deadline tor receive food drive reminder is March 9th: For more info click here.
2/16/20: members and nonmembers for conversion according to memo. Address info columns are removed. If a branch needs that info please contact the webmaster.
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WEBMASTER UPDATES
WEBMASTER UPDATES, GO TO ARCHIVE NOTES FOR OLDER UPDATES CLICK HERE
2/16/20: Juan Vilchez: Health Benefit Officer Branch 233 made a contribution on the Nalc Health benefit plan page. Also, I created a membership page where member contributions are highlighted.Also,please note membership contributions section on this page. Lastly, I changed the "Officer page" to "OfficerS and members". My intention is to identify those members working to benefit all members through contributions to the website.
2/16/20: Our President sent me a list of CCAs in region 9 for conversion. I modified the file to delete address information but to to see the list of members and non-members that should be converted according to the memo please go to Michael Hamilton's page and download the file. Or look under current notices on this page.
2/14/20: See current notices above and if as a branch you haven't registered for the food drive or received the SC convention packets please take appropriate action as specified.
2/9/20: Please take a look at John Monta's article: click here
2/9/20: Register for the Food Drive. Michael asked me to remind branches. For more info please click here.
2/9/20: safety and health workshop: RAP session Aug 2019. all about EAP click here
2/3/20: New articles from Rick Isom,John Monta, Sarah Scott, and Michael Hamilton. Note: One of Michael's article input is an important call to action legislatively concerning HR2382 pre-funding retirees health cost repeal. See "IMPORTANT STUFF" section on this page as well as Michael's page. John sent me an article but I can't find it. I will have him resend it.
2/3/20: Correction: A few days ago I submitted that CCA conversions were 29 months. No, they are 30 months.
1/28/2020: I have received more submitted articles to post in February as well as a few of my own.
1/28/2020: Today I posted two interesting JPEG format articles from the NALC submitted by Michael Hamilton. One JPEG article discusses some details about CCA conversions. The 2nd JPEG article discusses getting reimbursed by NALC for lost sick and annual leave when work is done for headquarters in a LWOP status from the Post Office. Click here or go to Michael Hamilton's page.
1/26/2020: I went to my emails and found several articles to post. Richard Jones (district 6): Rick Isom (district 3): Wayne Harlow,(state VP): John Monta (District 4), David Kopp (webmaster). I have more articles to post but have been asked to hold off till February to post. The newly posted articles posted in January include but not limited to, legislative updates, consolidated casing, cca conversions and contract negotiations. As well as concerns of consolidated casing, travel advisories, supervisor honesty, and wishes for the new year.
1/19/20: UPDATE: to the report on Articles and Contributions 2019 to the website located on webmaster page(click here). A report I did earlier had to be radically changed due to an interpretation error on my part regarding the bylaws.
1/19/20: I will be making some additional changes to the website in the next few weeks. Please keep coming back. However only the report on Articles is all I plan for today.
1/13/20: I sent an email to Sara, our State Secretary, regarding the agenda for the State Convention and she responded she will send the packets to the branches in February as well send me the information. Someone also asked me about the Golf tournament and I asked about that as well. I will publish what info I receive. Thank you for your patience.
1/13/20: Please let me know if anyone is having problems with downloading or viewing attachments.
1/12/2020 Bylaw changes proposals. click here or go to the constitution bylaw page
1/12/20: Below is from Michael Hamilton: Please review and go to the links and consider signing the petitions.
2/16/20: Our President sent me a list of CCAs in region 9 for conversion. I modified the file to delete address information but to to see the list of members and non-members that should be converted according to the memo please go to Michael Hamilton's page and download the file. Or look under current notices on this page.
2/14/20: See current notices above and if as a branch you haven't registered for the food drive or received the SC convention packets please take appropriate action as specified.
2/9/20: Please take a look at John Monta's article: click here
2/9/20: Register for the Food Drive. Michael asked me to remind branches. For more info please click here.
2/9/20: safety and health workshop: RAP session Aug 2019. all about EAP click here
2/3/20: New articles from Rick Isom,John Monta, Sarah Scott, and Michael Hamilton. Note: One of Michael's article input is an important call to action legislatively concerning HR2382 pre-funding retirees health cost repeal. See "IMPORTANT STUFF" section on this page as well as Michael's page. John sent me an article but I can't find it. I will have him resend it.
2/3/20: Correction: A few days ago I submitted that CCA conversions were 29 months. No, they are 30 months.
1/28/2020: I have received more submitted articles to post in February as well as a few of my own.
1/28/2020: Today I posted two interesting JPEG format articles from the NALC submitted by Michael Hamilton. One JPEG article discusses some details about CCA conversions. The 2nd JPEG article discusses getting reimbursed by NALC for lost sick and annual leave when work is done for headquarters in a LWOP status from the Post Office. Click here or go to Michael Hamilton's page.
1/26/2020: I went to my emails and found several articles to post. Richard Jones (district 6): Rick Isom (district 3): Wayne Harlow,(state VP): John Monta (District 4), David Kopp (webmaster). I have more articles to post but have been asked to hold off till February to post. The newly posted articles posted in January include but not limited to, legislative updates, consolidated casing, cca conversions and contract negotiations. As well as concerns of consolidated casing, travel advisories, supervisor honesty, and wishes for the new year.
1/19/20: UPDATE: to the report on Articles and Contributions 2019 to the website located on webmaster page(click here). A report I did earlier had to be radically changed due to an interpretation error on my part regarding the bylaws.
1/19/20: I will be making some additional changes to the website in the next few weeks. Please keep coming back. However only the report on Articles is all I plan for today.
1/13/20: I sent an email to Sara, our State Secretary, regarding the agenda for the State Convention and she responded she will send the packets to the branches in February as well send me the information. Someone also asked me about the Golf tournament and I asked about that as well. I will publish what info I receive. Thank you for your patience.
1/13/20: Please let me know if anyone is having problems with downloading or viewing attachments.
1/12/2020 Bylaw changes proposals. click here or go to the constitution bylaw page
1/12/20: Below is from Michael Hamilton: Please review and go to the links and consider signing the petitions.
Membership Contributions
2/16/20: Juan Vilchez Branch 233 Health Benefit Officer. Click here
IMPORTANT STUFF
Action Alert: Contact your member of Congress on HR 2382
Please review and submit the grey petition letter on this page
Please review and submit the grey petition letter on this page
Some of the links in the copied files will not work, they should but don't. To see them work you must download the files they are associated with. Thank you. Sorry but I don't have the time to figure out why they don't work.
| hr_2382_coming_to_a_vote.wpd |
Action Alert: Contact your member of Congress on HR 2382 (January 31, 2020)
The USPS Fairness Act (H.R. 2382) is expected on the House floor next week and we need letter carriers to call their Representatives and ask for their vote in support.
This bipartisan bill seeks to end to the disastrous mandate for the Postal Service to prefund retiree health care decades in advance. As letter carriers know, this mandate is largely responsible for our employer’s current financial situation and passage of H.R. 2382 is the first step toward its elimination.
With over 300 cosponsors, we are confident this important measure will pass the House so we can focus our efforts on the Senate bill. Passage is not a guarantee, though. NALC is asking all letter carriers in every state and every district to call and message their Member of Congress to ask them to support the U.S. Postal Service and its employees by voting for H.R. 2382, the USPS Fairness Act.
You can reach your Member of Congress by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and be prepared to provide your ZIP code to connect through to the office.
· For our letter of support, click here.
· For ‘Quick Facts’ on prefunding repeal, click here.
· For a fact sheet on H.R. 2382, click here.
· To see if your Member of Congress is a supporter, click here.
The USPS Fairness Act (H.R. 2382) is expected on the House floor next week and we need letter carriers to call their Representatives and ask for their vote in support.
This bipartisan bill seeks to end to the disastrous mandate for the Postal Service to prefund retiree health care decades in advance. As letter carriers know, this mandate is largely responsible for our employer’s current financial situation and passage of H.R. 2382 is the first step toward its elimination.
With over 300 cosponsors, we are confident this important measure will pass the House so we can focus our efforts on the Senate bill. Passage is not a guarantee, though. NALC is asking all letter carriers in every state and every district to call and message their Member of Congress to ask them to support the U.S. Postal Service and its employees by voting for H.R. 2382, the USPS Fairness Act.
You can reach your Member of Congress by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and be prepared to provide your ZIP code to connect through to the office.
· For our letter of support, click here.
· For ‘Quick Facts’ on prefunding repeal, click here.
· For a fact sheet on H.R. 2382, click here.
· To see if your Member of Congress is a supporter, click here.
| postal_union_letter_of_support_on_hr_2382_.pdf |
January 31, 2020
Dear Representative,
On behalf of more than 600,000 postal employees – who are a critical part of America’s $1.4 trillion mailing industry that employs 7.5 million Americans – we respectfully request that you vote for the USPS Fairness Act (H.R. 2382), a broadly bipartisan bill (with more than 300 co-sponsors) that would repeal the 2006 mandate that the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) prefund future retiree health benefits.
In 2006, the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act mandated that USPS prefund retiree health benefits decades in advance -- a burden no other private or public enterprise faces. This unique and unfair mandate manufactured a financial crisis at the Postal Service, costing it almost $5 billion annually since 2007 and accounting for nearly 90 percent of the its reported losses.
This mandate has prompted service cuts and damaged the Postal Service’s ability to invest in itself (for example, in new vehicles to replace its obsolete fleet), and prompted legislative threats to critical services such as six-day delivery, door-to-door service, and the quantity and quality of rural post offices.
Passage of HR 2382 is not an accounting gimmick – it would simply apply the same retiree health funding rules that apply to all other federal agencies and American enterprises. Nor would it “do nothing” for our employer. It would dramatically reduce the agency’s financial losses, improve employee morale, and restore the confidence of the broader mailing industry.
H.R. 2382 is not the entire solution, but it is a zero-score, first step forward that would provide some stability to the agency without cost to U.S. taxpayers. After 13 years of gridlock over more comprehensive postal reform, the USPS Fairness Act would ease the burden on Congress by reducing the size of the financial hole to be filled. The postal workforce is committed to ongoing bipartisan postal reform efforts that will be made easier once this mandate is eliminated and we have a fair baseline.
Passage of HR 2382 and repeal of the prefunding mandate would not relieve the Postal Service of its obligation to fund its retirees’ health benefits. Once the $45 billion already in the Retiree Health Fund is exhausted (conservatively estimated 10-12 years), USPS would merely revert to the pay-as-you-go funding mechanism that existed before 2007 – a best practice in both private and public sectors. In the meantime, a new rate-setting system should provide additional relief and allow Congress the breathing room to develop more modest, bipartisan postal legislation.
In order to preserve and strengthen the constitutionally mandated Postal Service, an agency that receives no taxpayer money, we respectfully request you vote in favor of the USPS Fairness Act (H.R. 2382) in the coming days.
Sincerely,
Fredric V. Rolando Mark Dimondstein President President National Association of Letter Carriers American Postal Workers Union
Paul V. Hogrogian Ronnie W. Stutts President President National Postal Mail Handlers Union National Rural Letter Carriers Association
Dear Representative,
On behalf of more than 600,000 postal employees – who are a critical part of America’s $1.4 trillion mailing industry that employs 7.5 million Americans – we respectfully request that you vote for the USPS Fairness Act (H.R. 2382), a broadly bipartisan bill (with more than 300 co-sponsors) that would repeal the 2006 mandate that the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) prefund future retiree health benefits.
In 2006, the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act mandated that USPS prefund retiree health benefits decades in advance -- a burden no other private or public enterprise faces. This unique and unfair mandate manufactured a financial crisis at the Postal Service, costing it almost $5 billion annually since 2007 and accounting for nearly 90 percent of the its reported losses.
This mandate has prompted service cuts and damaged the Postal Service’s ability to invest in itself (for example, in new vehicles to replace its obsolete fleet), and prompted legislative threats to critical services such as six-day delivery, door-to-door service, and the quantity and quality of rural post offices.
Passage of HR 2382 is not an accounting gimmick – it would simply apply the same retiree health funding rules that apply to all other federal agencies and American enterprises. Nor would it “do nothing” for our employer. It would dramatically reduce the agency’s financial losses, improve employee morale, and restore the confidence of the broader mailing industry.
H.R. 2382 is not the entire solution, but it is a zero-score, first step forward that would provide some stability to the agency without cost to U.S. taxpayers. After 13 years of gridlock over more comprehensive postal reform, the USPS Fairness Act would ease the burden on Congress by reducing the size of the financial hole to be filled. The postal workforce is committed to ongoing bipartisan postal reform efforts that will be made easier once this mandate is eliminated and we have a fair baseline.
Passage of HR 2382 and repeal of the prefunding mandate would not relieve the Postal Service of its obligation to fund its retirees’ health benefits. Once the $45 billion already in the Retiree Health Fund is exhausted (conservatively estimated 10-12 years), USPS would merely revert to the pay-as-you-go funding mechanism that existed before 2007 – a best practice in both private and public sectors. In the meantime, a new rate-setting system should provide additional relief and allow Congress the breathing room to develop more modest, bipartisan postal legislation.
In order to preserve and strengthen the constitutionally mandated Postal Service, an agency that receives no taxpayer money, we respectfully request you vote in favor of the USPS Fairness Act (H.R. 2382) in the coming days.
Sincerely,
Fredric V. Rolando Mark Dimondstein President President National Association of Letter Carriers American Postal Workers Union
Paul V. Hogrogian Ronnie W. Stutts President President National Postal Mail Handlers Union National Rural Letter Carriers Association
| congress_postal_week_in_review.wpd |
Week in review Jan 27-31
While the Senate continued the impeachment trial this week, the President signed the USMCA into law, but most important to letter carriers, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) announced that the House of Representatives will vote on the USPS Fairness Act (H.R. 2382) in the coming days.
House Activity
On Friday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) announced that USPS Fairness Act (H.R. 2382) will come to a vote next week. This is a major achievement that could not have been possible without the hard work of letter carriers and other postal employees from across the country.
This bipartisan bill seeks to end to the disastrous mandate for the Postal Service to prefund retiree health care decades in advance. As letter carriers know, this mandate is largely responsible for our employer’s current financial situation and passage of H.R. 2382 is the first step toward its elimination.
With over 300 cosponsors, we are confident this important measure will pass the House so we can focus our efforts on the Senate bill. Passage is not a guarantee, though. NALC is asking all letter carriers in every state and every district to call and message their Member of Congress to ask them to support the U.S. Postal Service and its employees by voting for H.R. 2382, the USPS Fairness Act.
You can reach your Member of Congress by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and be prepared to provide your ZIP code to connect through to the office.
· For our letter of support, click here.
· For ‘Quick Facts’ on prefunding repeal, click here.
· For a fact sheet on H.R. 2382, click here.
· To see if your Member of Congress is a supporter, click here.
NALC Priority Bills/Resolutions
H.R. 2382/S. 2965 – USPS Fairness Act
Status: Introduced by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT)
Co-sponsors: 301 House (232 Democrats – 69 Republicans) – 2 Senate (2 Democrats – 0 Republicans)
To repeal the requirement that the United States Postal Service prepay future retirement benefits.
House Resolution 23 (H. Res. 23) – Door Delivery
Status: Introduced by Reps. Susan Davis (D-CA) and Peter King (R-NY)
Co-sponsors: 258 (206 Democrats – 52 Republicans)
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of door delivery for all business and residential customers.
House Resolution 33 (H. Res. 33) – Anti-privatization
Status: Introduced by Reps. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) and Rodney Davis (R-IL)
Co-sponsors: 267 (226 Democrats – 41 Republicans)
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should take all appropriate measures to ensure that the United States Postal Service remains an independent establishment of the Federal Government and is not subject to privatization.
House Resolution 54 (H. Res. 54) – Six-day Delivery
Status: Introduced by Reps. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Sam Graves (R-MO)
Co-sponsors: 291 (218 Democrats – 73 Republicans)
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of its six-day mail delivery service.
House Resolution 60 (H. Res. 60) – Service Standards
Status: Introduced by Rep. David McKinley (R-WV) and Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)
Co-sponsors: 206 (180 Democrats – 26 Republicans)
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to restore service standards in effect as of July 1, 2012.
Senate Resolution 99 (S. Res. 99) – Anti-privatization
Status: Introduced by Sens. Gary Peters and Jerry Moran (R-KS)
Co-sponsors: 53 (43 Democrats – 8 Republicans – 2 Independents)
Expressing the sense of the Senate that Congress should take all appropriate measures to ensure that the United States Postal Service remains an independent establishment of the Federal Government and is not subject to privatization in whole or in part.
H.R. 2478 – Fed Retirement Fairness Act
Status: Introduced by Reps. Derek Kilmer (D-WA) and Tom Cole (R-OK)
Co-sponsors: 53 (40 Democrats – 13 Republicans)
To provide certain federal employees the opportunity to make catch-up retirement contributions for time spent as temporary employees after Dec. 31, 1988, thus making such time creditable service under the Federal Employees Retirement System. Now applies to temporary postal employees, such as letter carriers who spent time as casuals, TEs, and CCAs.
While the Senate continued the impeachment trial this week, the President signed the USMCA into law, but most important to letter carriers, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) announced that the House of Representatives will vote on the USPS Fairness Act (H.R. 2382) in the coming days.
House Activity
On Friday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) announced that USPS Fairness Act (H.R. 2382) will come to a vote next week. This is a major achievement that could not have been possible without the hard work of letter carriers and other postal employees from across the country.
This bipartisan bill seeks to end to the disastrous mandate for the Postal Service to prefund retiree health care decades in advance. As letter carriers know, this mandate is largely responsible for our employer’s current financial situation and passage of H.R. 2382 is the first step toward its elimination.
With over 300 cosponsors, we are confident this important measure will pass the House so we can focus our efforts on the Senate bill. Passage is not a guarantee, though. NALC is asking all letter carriers in every state and every district to call and message their Member of Congress to ask them to support the U.S. Postal Service and its employees by voting for H.R. 2382, the USPS Fairness Act.
You can reach your Member of Congress by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and be prepared to provide your ZIP code to connect through to the office.
· For our letter of support, click here.
· For ‘Quick Facts’ on prefunding repeal, click here.
· For a fact sheet on H.R. 2382, click here.
· To see if your Member of Congress is a supporter, click here.
NALC Priority Bills/Resolutions
H.R. 2382/S. 2965 – USPS Fairness Act
Status: Introduced by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT)
Co-sponsors: 301 House (232 Democrats – 69 Republicans) – 2 Senate (2 Democrats – 0 Republicans)
To repeal the requirement that the United States Postal Service prepay future retirement benefits.
House Resolution 23 (H. Res. 23) – Door Delivery
Status: Introduced by Reps. Susan Davis (D-CA) and Peter King (R-NY)
Co-sponsors: 258 (206 Democrats – 52 Republicans)
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of door delivery for all business and residential customers.
House Resolution 33 (H. Res. 33) – Anti-privatization
Status: Introduced by Reps. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) and Rodney Davis (R-IL)
Co-sponsors: 267 (226 Democrats – 41 Republicans)
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should take all appropriate measures to ensure that the United States Postal Service remains an independent establishment of the Federal Government and is not subject to privatization.
House Resolution 54 (H. Res. 54) – Six-day Delivery
Status: Introduced by Reps. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Sam Graves (R-MO)
Co-sponsors: 291 (218 Democrats – 73 Republicans)
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of its six-day mail delivery service.
House Resolution 60 (H. Res. 60) – Service Standards
Status: Introduced by Rep. David McKinley (R-WV) and Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)
Co-sponsors: 206 (180 Democrats – 26 Republicans)
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to restore service standards in effect as of July 1, 2012.
Senate Resolution 99 (S. Res. 99) – Anti-privatization
Status: Introduced by Sens. Gary Peters and Jerry Moran (R-KS)
Co-sponsors: 53 (43 Democrats – 8 Republicans – 2 Independents)
Expressing the sense of the Senate that Congress should take all appropriate measures to ensure that the United States Postal Service remains an independent establishment of the Federal Government and is not subject to privatization in whole or in part.
H.R. 2478 – Fed Retirement Fairness Act
Status: Introduced by Reps. Derek Kilmer (D-WA) and Tom Cole (R-OK)
Co-sponsors: 53 (40 Democrats – 13 Republicans)
To provide certain federal employees the opportunity to make catch-up retirement contributions for time spent as temporary employees after Dec. 31, 1988, thus making such time creditable service under the Federal Employees Retirement System. Now applies to temporary postal employees, such as letter carriers who spent time as casuals, TEs, and CCAs.
Please review and submit this petition
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is at risk of privatization. We can not let this happen. Please sign the petition below.
ADD YOUR NAME
South Carolina AFL-CIO needs your help to ensure the USPS stays as the critically important public service that it is today. Please sign the petition.
Sign Now
USPS provides critical services to the American public and it is at risk or privatization. Please add your name to the petition today. Send the message to the U.S. Postal Service Board of Directors DON'T privatize the U.S. Postal Service.
ACT NOW BY ADDING YOUR NAME
Yours in Solidarity,
SC AFL-CIO
and
Charles Brave, Jr., President
SC AFL-CIO
803-926-8680
What is won at a bargaining table can be taken away with a stroke of a pen by elected officials who are not worker-friendly. Elections have consequences, voting matters.