A Note from the Branch President
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
In the latest Postal Record President Young has introduced a new program, “Gimme 5 for COLCPE.” The National is asking that every member contribute 5 dollars per pay toward political action. The reason for this is simple; the American political system is driven by funds given by special interest groups. Now we didn’t make the rules of the game but we better play by them if we are going to be successful in pursuit of our agenda. If we want to craft legislative policies that are beneficial to our issues we must be a player in the political action game. Now I realize that many of our brothers and sisters are living paycheck to paycheck and $5 per pay would impact them. That is why Branch 908 is asking that every member contribute a dollar a pay through payroll deductions. We are hoping that this is reasonable amount that every member can afford and will not cause an undue hardship for their families. We will be supplying every shop steward with dues deduction forms and information sheets to explain exactly how the process works. Remember that with a strong political base we bargain for our rights, without it we beg!
Steve Lipski
Next Meeting – March 22
The next regular monthly meeting of the Branch will be held on Wednesday, March 22, 8 p.m., at the American Legion Hall, 502 Colonial Ave., North Woodbury. The regular monthly meetings of the Branch are held on the third Wednesday of each month at 8 p.m., except during the months of July and August.
March Meeting Date Changed!!
All members please note that the regular monthly meeting for March will not be the third Wednesday this month. Due to the New Jersey Congressional Breakfast being scheduled for March 15, and many of the Branch Officers will need to be in Washington, DC that date, the regular monthly meeting of the Branch will be the fourth Wednesday, March 22nd this month only!
Branch Officer & Shop Stewards Meetings Wednesday, March 8
The Branch Board of Officers and Executive Board meetings are held on the 2nd Wednesday of the month. The Board of Officers at 7:30 p.m., and the Executive Board at 8 p.m. The next meeting of the Board of Officers and Executive Board will be on Wednesday, March 8, 7:30 and 8 p.m. respectively.
Attendance Prize Now At $75
Had he been in attendance at the regular monthly meeting of the Branch on Wednesday, February 15, Francis Dipipi, a member working out of the Branch out of the Blackwood office, would have been the recipient of the $50 attendance prize. The prize now increases to $75 and will increase $25 per meeting, up to a maximum of $250, until a member in attendance has their name drawn.
Welcome New Member
Amy Williams (Somerdale)
Proposed By-Law Changes Tabled
The two proposed changes to the Branch By-Laws were tabled without a vote by one of the co-makers of the proposals. The two proposals may now be reworked and resubmitted for consideration at a later date. By-Law changes may only be made at the regular monthly meetings of the Branch in February and June.
Norm Task Recuperating
Norm Task, the Branch COLCPE Chairman and retiree out of the Haddon Heights office, recently underwent heart valve replacement surgery and is recuperating and undergoing therapy at home. He can be reached at 547-1639. Give him a call, see how he’s doing and let him know that he’s in our thoughts.
Branch Printer Sal Tronca Passes
Salvatore Tronca, owner of Globe Printing in Magnolia, where the Branch has gotten our newsletter printed for many years, passed away last month just before our newsletter went to print. Due to Sal’s untimely passing, the Branch was forced to use a non – union print shop in order to get the newsletter out in a timely manner and the quality of the newsletter suffered because of it. Sal will be missed. Branch 908 sends our sincere condolences to his family.
Branch Retirees & Awards Breakfast Buffet
Sunday, April 23
The Branch Annual Retirees and Awards Breakfast Buffet will be held on Sunday, April 23rd, commencing at 11 a.m., at the Best Western West Deptford Inn, 101 Grove Road, Thorofare, just off of exit 20 of I-295. Anyone wishing to nominate a member for a Branch award please contact the Recording Secretary, Norm Spence ASAP. The following members of the Branch who have retired since our last Breakfast will be honored and presented with tokens of appreciation. If you have retired since the last Breakfast or you will retire before April 23 and your name is not on this list, contact the Branch Recording Secretary, Norm Spence at webmaster@nalcbranch908.com:
| R. A. DiClaudio (Paulsboro) | F. E. Mendel (Runnemede) |
| S. W. Hatcher (Salem) | J. Strong (Marlton) |
| J. F. Jengehino (Bridgeton) | B. W. Watson (Marlton) |
| B. Kowalski (Woodbury) | C. M. Wylie (Lawnside) |
| G. Mackey (Stratford) | W. J. Young (Maple Shade) |
| P. F. McLaughlin (Westville) | J. A. Lodge (Glendora) |
| J. E. Bates Jr. (Swedesboro) | M. A. Richards (Gloucester) |
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T. A. Allen (Westville) |
L. C. Flores (Marlton) |
Those being honored, their spouses and current Branch retirees will not be charged for their attendance. All other Branch members, family, friends and acquaintances may attend at a cost of $10 pp, $5 for children under the age of 10. For reservations, complete the following and submit it with payment for those attending at cost. No other notices will be sent. Honorees, retirees, members and others planning to attend must complete and submit the following reservation form by April 10, 2006:
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Name:____________________________ |
Branch Honorees Needed
Any member, who wishes to nominate another Branch member to receive a Branch award at the Branch Retirees and Awards Breakfast Buffet, must do so ASAP. Nominations must be submitted in writing to NALC Branch 908 Awards Committee, PO Box 45, Pennsville, NJ 08070. Nominations must include the name and work location of both the Branch member making the nomination as well as the member being nominated. Any member chosen to receive a Branch Award will be mailed a letter informing him/her that they are to be honored and inviting them to the Brunch.
Have You Seen Us?
Last month we were able to update several of our records thanks to your help; we are still missing some members, so we’ll try it again. The Branch has had several newsletters returned as undeliverable or we just don’t have good addresses for the following members:
T. C. Kopakowski (Retiree)
P. Makarenko (Marlton)
James Warren (Retiree – Gloucester)
Robert Cramer (Retiree – Hammonton)
Michele Sees (Marlton)
L. C. Maddox (Retiree – Woodbury)
A. P. Scardino (Stratford)
If you know any of these members, or have a current address for them, please help us update our records and forward current contact information to the Branch at NALC Branch 908, PO Box 45, Pennsville, NJ 08070 or e-mail it to editor@nalcbranch908.com.
Dates To Remember
| Congressional Breakfast | March 14 – 16 |
| Retiree & Awards Brunch | April 23 |
| March Of Dimes WalkAmerica | April 30 |
| NALC Food Drive | May 13 |
| NJ State Rap Session | June 11 – 13 |
| National Convention | August 14 – 18 |
| Branch Picnic | August 27 |
Thanks Branch 908!
Thank you for everything at this difficult time – Jennie Feyt
Thank you for your gift in memory of Peter Feyt, your generosity is very much appreciated. – Seabrook House Foundation
A sincere and grateful thank you for the very generous Christmas gift from the Letter Carriers of Branch 908 – St. John of God School for Special Children
Thank you for the generous donation in memory of our father – The Wehrle Family
Thank you for your generous donation in memory of Priscilla Wolbert – South Jersey Healthcare HospiceCare
Thank you for the generous gift in loving memory of Anthony Ferrante – St. John of God School for Special Children
Thank you for the generous gift in loving memory of Richard Serock – St. John of God School for Special Children
How Well Do You Know Your Neighbors?
Convicted sex offenders have to live somewhere after they serve their time and are released back into society. But they are required to register their home address with authorities and the public has a right to this information. Here is a link to a web site where you can enter your address and all of the registered sex offenders in your area will be displayed: http://www12.familywatchdog.us/
Note: Branch 908 is not judging any of these individuals; we are merely informing our members that this information is available to them so that they know who might be in their neighborhoods where their children play.
Branch COLCPE All-Stars
The Committee on Letter Carrier Political Education, or COLCPE as it’s normally called, is the best way that Letter Carriers can look out for their own interests, protect their jobs and the future of the Postal Service. Nationally, only about 6% of all NALC members give to COLCPE and only 2 – 3% give through payroll deduction. Branch 908 has about a 3% contributing rate. This is pretty dismal. NALC President Young has introduced a new “Gimme 5 For COLCPE” campaign, where he urges carriers to donate $5 per pay, that’s just 50 cents a day to help us to protect our jobs. If you sign up for payroll deduction, you’ll never even miss it. Don’t rely on your brother and sister carriers to do it all on their own, even if you can’t give $5 a pay, give what you can. Instructions for signing up to give to COLCPE through payroll deduction can be found on our web site at: http://nalcbranch908.com/checkoff.html
Below are listed Branch 908’s 2005 COLCPE All-Stars:
| Ted Allen | $52 | Richard Bacon | $52 |
| Tom Carey | $26 | Jim Comuso | $48 |
| John Czop | $26 | Ed Dominisac | $30 |
| Joe Foreman | $52 | Dave Jacobson | $52 |
| Alan Jengehino | $52 | Dave Lebold | $260 |
| Steve Lipski | $130 | Mike McKiernan | $100 |
| Paul Poniatowski | $19 | Frank Potts | $40 |
| Steve Rutkowski | $16 | Ed Schopf | $38 |
| Fred Simpkins | $78 | Norm Spence | $130 |
| Gary Stevens | $52 | Norm Task | $48 |
| Harry Harrison | $52 | Jim Rusin | $100 |
Runnemede Carrier Honored
Runnemede Letter Carrier and Branch member Ovidio Duran was presented a hero award from Runnemede Postmaster Ed Delesandro. Ovidio was delivering his route when he came upon a four-year-old girl alone in the street. He asked her where she lived, but the child did not know. Ovidio proceeded to knock on every door in the neighborhood until he found the girl’s home, much to the relief of her family. Four-year-old Rhiannon Atlee attended Tuesday’s ceremony with her family who thanked Duran for his help.
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o Happy Saint Patrick’s Day o |
In Memoriam
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the following members for their losses:
Charles Wehrle, a member working out of the Voorhees office, on the passing of his mother.
Lee Wolbert, a member working out of the Bridgeton office, on the passing of his mother.
Paul Coller, a member working out of the Blackwood office, on the passing of his mother.
February Newsletter Problems
If your copy of the February newsletter was received late or partially destroyed, or maybe you didn’t receive one at all, you are not alone and we would like to apologize. For many years now, the Branch 908 News has had the same format and has been prepared and mailed the same exact way. When it is presented for mailing, with our First-Class permit, it is already presorted. But the Postal Service being what it is, decided that they are going to unbundled our presorted bundles so that they can cram each and every piece that they can into our dps. Needless to say, many of our newsletters were jammed up and destroyed in the dps machines. Bellmawr’s response to this was to suggest that we pay an extra 17-cent non-machinable surcharge for each piece, on top of the full first class rate that we already pay. We will be monitoring the mailing this month to see if it has improved any or if we have to possibly make some changes to our format. Meanwhile, if you are having a problem receiving your newsletter, or know a member who isn’t receiving theirs, contact the one of the Newsletter Committee members, Paul Poniatowski or Norm Spence. Also the newsletter can always be viewed online at www.nalcbranch908.com, you can also sign up for the Branch e-mail list and you will have the newsletter link e-mailed to you even before it goes to the printer.
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Don’t Forget Next Meeting Is Changed To March 22nd At 8:00 |