Next Meeting - December 17
The regular monthly meetings of the Branch are held on the 3rd Wednesday of the month, except in July and August. The next regular monthly meeting of the Branch will be on Wednesday, December 17, 8 pm at the Colonial Manor American Legion Post Home, 502 Colonial Ave., N. Woodbury.
Branch Officers, Executive Board Meetings - December 10
The Branch Officers and the Executive Board meetings are held on the 2nd Wednesday of the month. The Board of Officers meets at 7 pm., and the Executive Board at 8 pm. The next meetings of the Board of Officers and the Executive Board will be on Wednesday, December 10, at 7 and 8 pm. respectively.
No Adult Entertainment
At the November regular monthly meeting of the Branch a motion that the Branch pay for and provide adult entertainment at the December Christmas meeting was opposed and defeated by the membership present and voting.
Children's Christmas Party - Sunday, December 14
The annual Branch Children's Christmas Party, for the children and grandchildren of active and retired members, will be held on Sunday, December 14, 1 to 3 pm at the Colonial Manor American Legion Post where the Branch holds its monthly meeting. Santa will be on hand between 1 and 3 pm to distribute gifts and have his picture taken with the children. There will be refreshments and food for all. Any members who would like to assist the branch in this endeavor, call Tom Walsh, Chairman.
December 26 May Be A Day Off
According to a recent issue of the Fed Times, President Clinton is expected to give employees the day off on December 26. According to the Fed Times article, the President had not yet signed the executive order establishing the day off. Whether it will effect Postal Employees is not known at this time.
Branch Election Results
To be counted, your secret mail ballot for the election of Branch Officers, Shop Stewards and Convention Delegates must be received by the Branch Election Committee no later than December the 8th. The results of the election will be announced at the regular monthly meeting on December 17, and will be published in the next Newsletter.
Attendance Prize Increases
Deptford carrier Mike Fitzgerald would have been the recipient of the $100 attendance prize at the November meeting had he been in attendance. The prize now stands at $125 for the December meeting. Could be a nice Christmas for someone.
Branch Files Labor Charges At Voorhees
The Branch had no alternative but to file charges with the National Labor relations Board against management at the Voorhees post office which has refused to grant grievance time to our Steward or its members. Additionally, management has discriminated against the Steward by disciplining and removing her, and has refused to accept her as a bargaining unit representative in retaliation for her filing grievances. In the meantime, the membership is calling for informational picketing and/or a meeting with our Congressional Delegation to launch an investigation into the labor management situation unless things change for the better very shortly.
December 12 Pay Increase
The most recent pay increase under the National Agreement took effect on November 22 and will be included in paycheck beginning December 12. This is the last of two 1.2 percent basic wage increases that are contained in the 1994-98 contract, along with two one-time cash payments and six cost-of-living adjustments. There are two more COLAs before the contact expires on November 20, 1998 one effective in the second full pay period after release of the January 1998 Consumer Price Index and another in the second full pay period after the July, 1998 CPI is released.
Penalty Overtime Exclusion
Under the National Agreement, the December period during which penalty overtime regulations are not applicable will begin December 6 and end January 2, 1998. Contractually, except during the December exclusionary period, full-time regular carriers are paid at the penalty overtime rate of 2 times the base hourly straight time rate if required to work overtime on more than four (4) of the five (5) scheduled days in a service week, over ten (10 hours on a scheduled day, over eight (8) hours on a non-scheduled day, or over six (6) days in a service week. PTFs and TEs are paid penalty overtime for all work in excess of 10 hours in a service day, or 56 hours in a service week.
Coming Events
NALC Regional Rap Session - February 22, 23, 24
NALC State Congressional Breakfast - March 17, 18, 19
NALC NJ State Convention - May 17, 18, 19
District Procedures For Dismounting & Parking Vehicles
The South Jersey District has promulgated the following procedures for all employees within the South Jersey District who operate a vehicle (private, leased, or postal-owned) used for official business, when leaving their vehicles:
- Shift into Park
- Curb Wheels
- Set Brake
- Turn Off Ignition
- Remove The Key
- Lock The Vehicle
South Jersey District Safety Tips For Winter Walking
- Wear Proper Foot Wear
- Scan The Area Ahead
- Use Proper Strides On Slippery Surfaces
- Avoid Wet Leaves & Mud Slicks
- Use Handrails Where Provided
- Withhold Delivery If Ice Or Snow Covered Steps Prevent safe Access To Box
- Do Not Finger Mail While Walking In inclement weather.
- If You Fall, Try To Relax
FEEA Scholarship Applications
Applications for the 1998-99 Federal Employees Education and Assistance Fund will be available in January by sending a self-addressed, stamped, business-size envelop to FEEA Scholarships, 8441 W. Bowels Ave., Suite 200, Littleton, CO 80193-3245
Leave Sharing Requests
The District Human Resources Office has received leave sharing requests from an Ocean City, NJ, letter carrier; a window clerk, Wilmington,, DE., and a carrier at the Mt. Laurel post office. The Ocean City carrier had his leg amputated below the knee, and the Mt. Laurel carrier has leukemia and is recuperating from bone marrow transplant. Any career employee interested in donating annual leave in increments of 8 hours, should contact their personnel office or Union representative and request Form 3970-D. The Forms 3970-D, with completed parts 1 and 11, should be sent to the Manager, Human Resources, USPS, PO Box 9001, Bellmawr. NJ, 08099-9461.
Treasurer's Report For October
$7,955.45 Balance Checking Account for September
17.940.37 Receipts for October
25,895.82 Total Checking Account For October
10,102.79 Expenditures For October
15,793.03 Balance Checking Account For October
$841.37 Delaware Cash Reserve
28,801.42 Building Fund (CD, Del Valley Acct.)
45,548.56 National Convention Fund
15,793.93 Balance Checking Account
1,273.80 Balance Optical Fund
966.33 Balance Sick and Welfare Fund
1,602.95 Balance Death Fund
8,278.91 Cash Reserve CD
$103,106.37 Total Monies
Branch Grievauce Results
Marlton - 7-day suspension rescinded. Grievant to receive 40 hours back pay if he served suspension (052297)
Marlton - Letter of warning for failure to be regular in attendance removed (092697).
Gibbstown - PTFs to receive 2.25 hours straight time pay. (103097)
Gibbstown - Regular carrier grievant to be paid 4 hours straight time pay. (100897)
Marlton - Grievant awarded administrative leave for management's failure to work the grievant as scheduled. (101597C)
Marlton - Grievant paid 8 hours OT for non-scheduled day work by a Non OTDL carrier. (103097)
Deptford - Letter of warning for failure to report for work as scheduled reduced to an informal discussion. (100597)
Deptford - Notice of removal for failure to follow instructions withdrawn and reduced to a paper suspension. (101597)
Marlton - Letter of warning for failure to punch out for lunch to be removed after 1 year. ( 111497F)
Marlton - Letter of warning for going to locker and making phone call after clocking in removed. (111997A)
Marlton - Letter of warning for deviating and going to unauthorized lunch stop reduced to discussion (111997B)
Entertainment Books Available
1998 Entertainment books for reduced restaurant and entertainment costs in area establishments are now available at Branch meetings or through your Shop Steward at a reduced cost of $30. Proceeds go to the Branch Scholarship fund.
Campbell Soup Company Again Supports NALC Food Drive
The Campbell Soup Company of Camden, NJ, has again agreed to support the 1998 NALC National Food Drive which is to be conducted Saturday, May 9, 1998, the 2nd Saturday In May. Campbell has agreed to provide flyers to participating NALC Branches for mailing to citizens in advance of the drive, and expand its promotional activity on behalf of the drive.
Canadian Postal Workers Strike
45,000 workers represented by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers went out on strike November 19 over a demand by Canada Post to restructure delivery routes, wages and other cost-saving measures. The walkout shut down mail service throughout Canada, and was the first postal disruption since 1991 when a series of rotating strikes was called by the union.
AFL-CIO Union Members Backed By Labor win Election
Thanks to organized labor's voice and an outstanding display of Union solidarity, listed below are the unofficial election results of races in which there was a labor endorsement of Union members running for office:
Frank Spencer - Camden Co. Freeholder
Donna Pearson - Cumberland Co. Freeholder
Robert Damminger - Gloucester Co. Frceholder
William Bain - Deplford Twsp. Mayor
Russell Naylor - Woodbury Hts. Council
Duane Pheasant - Woodbury Hts. Council
National Convention Amendments & Resolutions
All Branch members are reminded that amendments and resolutions for the consideration of the delegates at the National Convention in Las Vegas, July 26 to 31, 1998, must be submitted through the Branch so they can be forwarded to the National Secretary Treasurer at least sixty (60) days prior to commencement of the convention.
Doherty Scholarship Applications
Doherty Scholarships are sponsored by the National Association of Letter Carriers in honor of its president from 1941 to 1962. The fund each year awards 15 scholarships to children of members in good standing. Applicants must be high school seniors when making application, and must submit the form provided on the back page of the December Postal Record ,signed by the NALC Branch member and an officer of the member's Branch. The form must be returned to NALC Headquarters by December 31, 1997.
NALC Grievance & Arbitration Case Backlog
According to NALC Vice President Bill Young, the NALC now has 16,000 cases pending at the National Level. "Even if we did not appeal another case to arbitration, it would take the parties a decade to arbitrate all the cases in the system", Young said.
Biweekly Dues Change
In Accordance with Article 7, Section 2 of the Constitution of the National Association of Letter Carriers, each member pays monthly dues equal to two hours' base pay for a Grade 5, Step D, letter carrier employed by the US Postal Service. Accordingly, as the result of 1997 pay increases, beginning with the January 9, 1998 paycheck. covering the pay period December 30 to January 2, 1998, biweekly dues will increase from $14.85 to $15.21.