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 One Beltway Center Members can receive breaking news from LEAGUE Headquarters by signing up for our Broadcast Email service. |
President's MessageJune 25, 2009 Dear Leaguers, In just a few short days, we will be celebrating the 4th of July; the birthday of our great nation. It is during challenging times like these that we need to sit back and reflect on just that fact; we are a great nation! What began as a grand experiment produced the most powerful nation on earth. We provide freedoms to our citizens that are found in so few places. We provide an environment where just about anyone with a little gumption can build a succesful fulfilled life. That's why America is still a magnet to freedom seeking people from all over the world. A walk down the streets of our nation's capital reflects just that. All those different races and ethnicities are Americans who are here because of freedom. We've had things so good for so long that we sometimes forget what a wonderful country in which we have been blessed to live. Having travelled again to so many parts of America as your National President to attend branch conventions, I have never ceased to be in awe of the beauty of many places around the country. Whether I've been to Saguaro National Forest by Tucson Arizona, the Big Island of Hawai'i, Long Island, New York or Mackinac Island in Michigan, I can't help but be thankful that I am an American! The words from Woody Guthrie's song, "This Land is My Land" resonate so strongly within me as I travel from state to state. What really energizes me, however, what gives me hope for the future of Ameica, is meeting with Postmasters wherever I go. In spite of the downturn in our economy, in spite of the ever increasing challenges of the position of Postmaster, you all share that spirit that says, "We will overcome!' And so it is, whatever the challenge, you find a way to get the job done. Economy The economic times have made things very tough for so many Americans, and each of us is hesitant to spend any extra money for fear that something horrible is going to happen and we will be without money. If we quit spending money, nasty things happen. Fewer people are needed to work in service jobs, fewer people are needed in manufacturing. With fewer products, we need fewer people in sales and marketing. We can't afford to travel, so tourism and all its associated businesses suffer. etc, etc., etc. Automobile sales go down, Chrysler declares bankruptcy... You can see the downward spiral; after a while, it feeds itself, much like a California wildfire. Look at the damage it has done to the Postal Service! The American people can provide its own Stimulus Package simply by going out and spending some money. Of course, we want to spend it a little more wisely in the past, but spend it we must. Just don't forget that whatever you buy, makes sure that it is mailed through the U.S. Mail! Our Branch Convention season is nearing its end with just a couple more convnetions to go. Most us are over our initial shock and anger on having the Postal Service take away our Convention Leave. While we haven't given up on reinstituting this negotiated benefit, and I continue to work with my associate from Napus President, Dale Goff, to get the Postal Service's rash decision reversed, we do need, however, to get on with life. We've got more challenges than ever, and we've got to put the bulk of our energies to work to try to solve the problems at hand and those new ones that seem to pop up with each passing day. With each passing day, and with the pressures increasing, the level of craziness increases. We've got some good District Managers out there, and many good POOMS/MPOOs, but it is the actions of the others that keep me jumping. Of course, we've still got the continuing lunacy of running small amounts of mail all over the countryside and spending plenty of time, burning plenty of fuel, and putting plenty of wear and tear on our vehicles to participate in this rightly named, 'Wild Goose Chase!' Some POOMs will go into protracted explanations about service, service, service, when we know perfectly well it is about numbers, numbers, numbers! Rather than fixing the sorting problems in the plants where the problem mail originates, we mask this problem by insisting on foolish waste. Hey, at least we can brag about the numbers, skewed as they may be, as we quickly go deeper into the money pit. Some districts at least allow their Postmasters to transfer their expenses to the plant where they rightly belong, but those expenses don't include Postmaster hours. Those hours are hours that Postmasters are just expected to pile onto their already busy workday. After all, what's another couple of hours in the workday of a Postmaster running around errant mail? It doesn't cost the Postal Service anything in workhours to send an exempt Postmaster out with a handful of letters. What about the smaller post offices where there is only a Postmaster? Some have been getting instructions to close down their post offices, put up a 'Gone Fishin'" sign, and go out to join the other lemmings running around truant mail. No matter that a customer might actually come into the post office looking for service, you know, buy a book or coil of stamps, send that 30 pound Priority package to Kyrgyzstan, or mail that Express Mail envelope to the passport office. In the old days, we Postmasters could be fired for abandoning our posts, now we are instructed to do so by some districts. At least one district is backing up and taking a more sober view of all of this frenzied, 'getting the mail home' silliness. District Manager David Fields has put together a team to examine how his district is handling missent mail. League National Vice President, Jack Jameson, is part of that team. Fortunately Jack has an excellent grasp of the situation and has been able to focus much of his energy on taking a look at the source of the overwhelming majority of that missent mail, and that, of course, is the Plant. If we can fix the problem at the source, we should be able to significantly reduce the number of missent items going to the field. Makes a lot of sense doesn't it? I'm hoping that Jack and the team are able to get some fixes in place that can be shared with districts around the country. Sometimes the problem is quality control, other times it appears that the sorting equipment itself is the culprit. If we can fix the problem at its source, that will leave less missent to lug around the countryside, enabling us to save some serious money. Thank you Mr. Fields! A Caution to Postmasters I keep getting reports from around the country that disturb me. One issue is that of scanning box up time and the other is that of clock rings on time cards. Postmasters are being to told to make absolutely sure that they scan and transmit their box sections as up and delivered before their published box up time, no excuses! Discipline is being threatened for those Postmasters and their clerks if they are not in compliance even if the reason is that the mail is NOT all up. Do not, whatever the threat, be duped into scanning your box section as delivered when it has, in fact, not been delivered. That constitutes the falsification of an official document and a Postmaster does not falsify documents. Falsification of documents is a firing offense. If you are having problems with getting your mail up by the published time, push back to your district. It may be that your time is not reasonable. If volumes are down as much as they are and you are unable to get your mail up in time, the situation will only get worse when volumes rebound. I've heard that some districts are instructing Postmasters and supervisors to change clock rings on timecards. Please, we know better. Never be pressured by anyone to change clock rings. If your employees are legitimately working, by law, we are required to pay them. That includes special-exempt supervisors who are working overtime. Again, changing clock rings constitutes the falsification of an official document. No matter what your district may say, don't allow yourselves to fall into this trap; you could be fired. Don't be afraid to call your League state president if you need assistance in resolving these issues. National Convention Our League National Convention is coming up in just a month. Almost every preparation has been made, all we need is for you to come to Buffalo to be with us! The Postal Service does not have the time or money to properly train you. No matter, the League will do it. All you have to do is show up! Now, more than ever, Postmasters need to stand strong together. Sometimes it seems as though the Postal Service is out of control, with no sense of direction. The League is an anchor in times like these. We need your voice joined with the rest of us at the Convention to help send the message that Postmasters are united and we are here to stay! You can make your reservations at the Adam's Mark Hotel and register for the Convention right here on the website. Make a point to spend time with your family and loved ones this summer. Do something fun. Don't forget to put the League National Convention in your plans! See you in Buffalo! Charley Mapa National President |
League EventsJuly 29 - August 2, 2012 National League of Postmasters Convention Walt Disney World Swan Resort 
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