Which side are you on?

William H. Young, President of the National Association of Letter Carriers wrote an editorial in the June Postal Record in response to this question.

On April 17, Young was among a dozen or more people called to testify at a House oversight hearing on the Postal Service. As he listened to those present, the answer to the question, which side are you on was, in his words, "astonishing."

On the NALC';s side were Rural Carriers and Mail Handlers, most members of the subcommittee and "here is the first astonishing part--all three postal management associations, NAPS, NAPUS and League of Postmasters."

"On the Postal Service's side were Postmaster General Jack Potter, Board Chairman James C. Miller III, the usual right-wing think tanks and [the second most astonishing part] the APWU."

At issue is the APWU lobbing against the consolidation of mail postal facilities where as the NALC supports H.R.2177. Young's position is there is no correlation between optimizing the automation process and hiring low-wage, no-benefit, part-time, non-union contractors to perform bargaining unit work.

Which side are you on? There should be no sides in this issue. As the NAPS President, Ted Keating said, [contracting out letter carrier work] "will be the death of the Postal Service." Why aren't we all standing together?

To read the entire article follow this link: http://www.nalc.org/news/precord/pres-index.html on click on "June 2007"

Thank you Ella and Vince.

Mailbox Vandalism

Last week many customers with mail service out of our office received mailbox damage. I guess school is out and the days are long.

The following is copied directly from the Postal Inspection Service web site. It helped me to be knowledgeable so I could better inform my customers about what to do in case of vandalism. Personally, I believe each high school newspaper should publish the possible $250,000 fine for messing with mailboxes. That is quite a deterrent.

United States Postal Inspection Service
Protecting Yourself
From Mailbox Vandalism

Rural area mailboxes are vulnerable to vandalism because they are usually isolated, located on public thoroughfares, and frequently not visible to the box
owners from their homes. City residential mailboxes are vandalized to a lesser degree.

Mailboxes are considered federal property, and federal law (Title 18, United States Code, Section 1705), makes it a crime to vandalize them (and to injure, deface or destroy any mail deposited in them). Violators can be fined up to $250,000 or imprisoned for up to three years for each act of vandalism.

You can take the following actions to help prevent the vandalizing or destruction of your mailbox and any mail that may be inside it:

Immediately report theft, tampering with, or destruction of mail and mailboxes to your local
postmaster.

Remove your mail from your mailbox as soon as possible after its delivery. Allowing mail to pile up for several days only tempts would-be vandals and
thieves.

Obtain Label 33 from the Postal Inspection Service. This sticker, which warns that willful damage to mail boxes and theft of mail is a crime, can be
affixed to your mailbox.

If you discover someone tampering with your or your neighbor's mailbox, obtain that person's description and that of his vehicle, including the license
plate number. Immediately report the information to your local police and postmaster.

Keep your mailbox in good repair by using proper installation methods. This may help prevent theft of the mailbox itself. If you have information on mailbox
vandalism or mail theft in your area, contact the Postal Inspection Service with your information. Your cooperation helps apprehend violators.

We attempt to publicize our successful investigations of mailbox vandalism to deter other potential vandals. You may provide your information and complaints to your local postmaster or the nearest Postal Inspector.

Rural carriers headed for arbitration

It was announced today from NRLCA headquarters that the negotiations have reached an impasse and most likely the next step will be arbitration.

The central issues are COLA, health benefits, EMA and time standards.

The USPS is asking for elimination of the COLA as well as a 2% increase in contribution to health plans. Also, reduction in annual leave and sick leave accrual. They are also asking for a locality based pay scale and less contribution to EMA.

For more information go to NRLCA and click on the "What's New" link.

Pollinator stamp and crop art

Stan Herd, the nationally known crop artist has teamed with Chip Taylor of Monarch Watch to plant the Dogface butterfly taken from the pollinator stamps to be issued this summer by the USPS.

The "stamp" is located between Lawrence and Eudora, Kansas. It has been planted and is expected to reach its full potential by the middle to end of June. I talked to Chip tonight and he gave me this link for Pollinator.org. There are pictures of the progression.

So far, no one knows how the USPS will be participating. Hopefully, they will not miss this beautiful opportunity.

I will post any updates on this project.

Newspaper article on EMA

The Tulsa World published an interesting article entitled "Gasoline prices cost rural carriers." It was written by Jaclyn Cosgrove.

It doesn't appear you will need to log in to the newspaper. Check it out, it is worthy of note.

Thank you Vince and Ella.

Iowa's Harkin introduces bill

The Des Moines Register reports today that Senator Tom Harkin, D IA, has introduced a bill to stop the USPS from contracting out new growth routes. Click on this link for the entire article.

In case the link requires a registration, here are several quotes from the article by Jane Norman, reporter for the Register

Much is at stake, Harkin said on the Senate floor.

"Each day, millions of sensitive materials, including financial statements, credit cards, Social Security checks, passports and ballots, pass through the mail stream," he said. "We cannot afford to allow the safe delivery of these personal, private documents to be granted to the lowest bidder."

And, "Rural carriers, who are in a separate union, also are opposed to contracting, worried that future routes will be taken away from them, threatening their livelihoods and the ability to pay for retiree pensions.

Randy Anderson, director of labor relations for the 122,000-member National Rural Letter Carriers Association, said contracting is becoming "widespread" across the country, though the union can't keep track of exact numbers. Several grievances have been filed by rural carriers in Iowa, he said.

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Ia., met last week with upset rural carriers, said his press secretary, Beth Levine. "Senator Grassley said he would take a hard look at the bill and would do what he can to ensure that Iowa rural and urban postal customers continue to receive reliable delivery service," Levine said."

Thank you to my retired rural carrier friend, Nancy from Nebraska, for sending me this article.

Keynote Address

Don Cantriel was the keynote speaker at the Saturday afternoon session. I am directed by the Board of the Kansas Rural Carriers Association not to write about any part of his speech that concerns the negotiations for the rural carrier contract. Without writing about it, I will provide a link to an article written by the Washington Post and by the Seattlepi news source.

Other topics discussed by Cantriel that were of no significance to the contract: GMAC was purchased by the same group as Chrysler Financial, Cerberus. Carriers should see no change. Also, Mutual of Omaha Employer Health was sold to Coventry Health Care. Again, there should be no change for carriers insured with Mutual of Omaha. They will be able to use their same identification cards and same health care providers.

Washington DC and the “Hill” has its way of getting things done and the PAC (political action committee) funds are very important. Cantriel complimented the Kansas rural carriers for support by their financial contributions.

Safety topics including the lifting training that will be mandatory at all post offices. (If watching the group of carriers in attendance move around is an indication, this is an excellent idea) Left hand turns are also dangerous and each should be evaluated. Accidents are more likely to occur when a carrier has to cross two lanes of traffic. Delivery to mail boxes on a road which has a speed limit of 50 mph should be made as far off the driving lane as possible.

EMA- a contract negotiation issue. Should it be? I will say, as a result of the last CPIW (Consumer Price Index) there should be an increase soon. This is a huge issue with all of us driving a POV (privately owned vehicle).

Parcel Pickup Program—negotiation issue.

Twice during the two days of the convention, I heard the national officer mention that the USPS may be pushing rural carriers toward the hourly system. Was there a message there?

Finally, Mr. Cantriel urged carriers to, “ Go out and do your job and stay informed.” Good advice.

Don't I know you?

This morning there was a safety meeting presented by Scott Ferris, KBI Special Agent, on identity thief. It was excellent.

How does identity theft occur? There is the obvious, email or phone, stealing credit card, credit reports, trash or taking mail out of your mailbox. They access credit reports by poising as a landlord, employer or someone else who might have legal right to your report. As a result of the federal Fair Credit REporting Act, each person is entitled to one free credit report each year. Contact this link (annualcreditreport.com) and not the reporting agencies individually.

He demonstrated how the new camera phones are used to steal numbers. Someone may be talking on the phone behind you at the checkout. They might take the picture without you even realizing because they have the phone in their hand.

Examples of things you should do often. Check your credit report to make sure there are no credit card accounts showing nonpayment. Such an account would indicate they have opened a bogus account in your name. Thief of a cell phone might involve opening a new account in your name and running up a bill. Only carry one credit card. When you check your credit rating, close all accounts that are not in use. Do not store personal information on a laptop that you use while traveling. Shred all personal information before disposal. Check bills closely. Most is logical. Just be diligent.

This afternoon was the keynote address by the National Vice President. Check in tomorrow evening for the wrapup report and a bio of another interesting former rural carrier.

President Dean King

President Dean King

If there would be one carrier designated as a favorite son in our organization, it would be Dean King. Dean and I share a special date. He became President of the National Rural Letter Carriers Association the same year I became a full time rural carrier. Today I had a chance to spend time visiting with him about his career as a national officer and as a rural carrier.

Dean King was 22 years old the summer of 1946. He had just served two years with the Navy Air Corp. Jobs were scarce then with so many service members returning from the war. He decided to pursue an education. He came home to Clay Center Kansas and enrolled at Kansas State University.

This was a time when rural carrier positions were more or less a political appointment. Dean had never voted, but his father was a registered Democrat. Truman was president and the position of rural carrier in Clay County was to be filled by a person from that party. Then, as now, veterans often fill rural carrier jobs. Dean heard about the carrier position and took the test, which was a requirement along with the proper party affiliation. Unknown to Dean, however, there were political shenanigans going on. Someone else wanted the position only he was a Republican. It seemed everyone but that person failed the first test session. Many thought this was a bit odd. Dean did pass the test the second time and much to the disgust of the opponent, received the appointment.

Dean King’s first day as a rural carrier was June 1, 1948. His salary was $3,000 plus mileage. Postage was 3 cents. From the first, he was active in the rural carrier organization and soon started filling positions in the county and district. Also during that time he married and had a family. With that came school activities and summer baseball. Dean still participated in rural carrier meetings and in 1960 he was approached to run for a state office. He agreed and that year he was elected state vice president and in 1964 KRLCA president.

In 1970 his family was grown and he finally consented to put his name on the ballot for a National office. He laughed as he told me about that national convention in Kentucky. "It was hot but my backers hit the state running. Whereas the caucuses are combined now, back then each state had their own. First a “roadrunner” would go in and prepare. Then his group would make their pitch. That was close to 50 times."

They did something right because he was elected on the third ballot as national treasurer. He served that position until 1973 when he was elected national committeeman. This was a busy time for Dean as he served the Western and Southern United States and processed 60-70 grievances a month.

In 1977 he ran and won the vice president position. He and his wife then moved to Washington DC. He told of their move and the mechanical failure. “We had all our possessions in a trailer behind our truck and had a breakdown in Ohio on a busy thoroughfare. No one would stop and my wife was getting more upset by the minute. I suggested we put our rocking chair on top and maybe someone would take pity thinking we are the Beverly Hillbillies.” Dean said she did not laugh.

In 1978 in Biloxi, Mississippi, he was elected President of the National Rural Letter Carrier Association. I asked what he felt was the most important accomplishment of his tenure. Without hesitation, he stated it was the implication of the L Route. This designation made rural carriers competitive with the city carriers for urban routes. Postmaster General Bolger mandated something be done and Dean Smith accomplished the challenge. It was because of his innovative thinking that the rural carrier craft has grown from roughly 60,000 members to 100,000.

His memories of living in the Capitol are of hard work and visiting National sites. He did remember he was at the exact spot just a day before then President Reagan was shot. He indicated it was a sobering moment.

Following his national presidency, it was back Clay Center Kansas and a rural route.

Thank you Dean King. You are an example of how a letter carrier from a small town in rural Kansas achieved national success.

Harold Stauffer, President

Following high school, Harold spent six years in the Army Reserve at Hutchinson, Kansas. His specialty training was military police. Also during that time, he graduated from Kansas State University and carried on a farm operation.

In 1964 he begin his twelve-year substitute rural carrier years. He was finally able to work full time when Hutchinson created a new route in 1976. When the chance arose, he moved to Route 2, a Amish/Mennonite route. The people on his route were special to him and one does not talk to Harold long to know he took good care of his patrons.

In 1988, he was elected to the junior board member position. From there, he moved directly to the vice president position and then president of the Kansas Rural Letter Carrier Association.

One day he was serving his route as usual, when he observed a pickup backed up to a house on his route. He immediately suspected fowl play since he knew the residents were gone. When he stopped at the box and looked their direction, they ducked down.

Harold did not want to confront the group so continued on to a house down the street and called the sheriff. He then decided to go back to check for a tag number. Just as he pulled up to the house, they sped down the road. He chased them at speeds reaching 85-90 mph. The crooks ran another car off the road in the process.

At some point, one of the men reached into the back seat. Harold suspected a gun and he was right. They shot at him with a shotgun. The blast knocked out the back window of his mail car. At the first opportunity, he stopped at a house and called authorities again relaying the chase and gun shot.

The authorities did apprehend the suspect, but he was able to escape in the sheriff’s car. Television cameras had arrived by that time and they caught the suspect on tape speeding off in the patrol car.

After all of this, Harold continued to deliver his mail that day. When he stopped at the small café at Yoder, there was a message that he was to call the sheriff. It seems they were able to apprehend the criminals and they wanted Harold to pick them out of a lineup.

The man who shot at Harold was convicted and sent to prison. Harold received a commendation. We laughed and said today rural carriers would probably get a letter of warning.

Rural Carriers Arrive for State Convention

The convention started with a bang, thunder that is. No deterrent to rural carriers used to all kinds of weather. A lot of laughter and cheery greetings heard all around. As you might expect, a lot of post office talk as well.

My friend Maureen and Sue, rural carriers from Topeka, and I purchased supplies and set up and oversaw the hospitality room. We fretted whether we had enough cookies and snacks. Not to worry, our carrier friends came through.

Welcome to the 2007 Kansas State Rural Letter Carriers Association Convention

What is the future of rural letter carriers or the United States Postal Service for that matter?

What can I expect for retirement income?

Where are the fresh homemade cookies and Starbucks coffee?

Find the answers to these questions and more starting this afternoon with registration at the Kansas State Rural Letter Carriers Association annual meeting at the Holidome, 6th and Fairlawn, Topeka, Kansas.

The KSRLC is honored to host Don Cantriel, NRLCA Vice President. His keynote address with be tomorrow, Saturday afternoon at 1:15 PM. We look to him to answer questions concerning the current and pressing issue of contracting delivery routes. This issue is of major concern to carriers and should be a concern to all customers whether rural or city delivery.

Before the heavy stuff, there will be fun and games tonight. Come and join the family orientated group. If you are a rural carrier or an associate rural carrier and not a member, come on down and someone will be glad to sign you up.

Also, come by the hospitality room have a cup of coffee and visit with me. I am Linda Hanney, a rural carrier out of the Berryton post office. I will be blogging the convention. There will be pictures and reports of the meetings. I might catch one of those ornery retired carriers and have a story or two about the good ole days.

Welcome and stay tuned!