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 One Beltway Center |
President's MessageOctober 16, 2008 Dear Leaguers, The weather is changing in so many parts of our country. You can feel the change in the air! Sometimes it is downright refreshing! The postal climate here has a change in the air. Rumors are flying like dry leaves from an oak tree in November. Daily I get several calls from Postmasters from all over the country asking me to confirm or deny some rumor that is in vogue in their district. Layoffs, post office closures, area and district consolidation, withholding of hard-earned pay raises, consolidation of small post offices, and so on and so on… How much truth is there to these rumors? Postal Headquarters leaders have told us that everything is on the table. They are frantically searching for ways to reduce costs. Some of their ideas are good ideas; they make good business sense and are inside the law. They’ve even been more open to some of the good ideas that we’ve presented to them over the years. Other ideas are questionable, and when we do question them we are told that we’ve got to think ahead of the law. Ahead of the law - that is a dangerous concept.! It allows us to rationalize our every action as being right, being good because we can show some benefit gained. The Postal Service is indeed in a bad financial state. That is causing headquarters to look at things considered taboo in times past. Sometimes those things are at the very core of our service, our foundation. Pull out the foundation and the building will soon fall. Turn your back on your reason for existing and you lose your soul. Let’s go back to those rumors. Often rumors are based on some fact, some tidbit, some secret that just happened to be leaked. That is the case with most of the rumors that I’ve been called about. To an organization as desperate as the Postal Service is now, facts about some of their ideas have been leaking out. These leaks become rumors and that is what you have been hearing. This is certainly a time for cooler heads to prevail. The League of Postmasters will support good efforts from Postal Headquarters to control costs. We will work closely with Naps and Napus to continue to point out areas where Headquarters might turn it attention for potential cost-savings. We will continue to do what is right to protect Postmasters, managers and supervisors, and will continue to remind Headquarters of the Postal Service’s obligation to the American people and its communities. During these very stressful times we often get our priorities out of order. Take some time to spend with your families and friends to recharge your engines. Take care of your health. People are supposedly still close to the top of Postmaster General Jack Potter’s pyramid. Use some annual leave to get away and relax. Don’t forget your annual physical check up and don’t forget to get your flu shot. Many Postmasters take advantage of the Postal Service’s EAP program and, of course, the League has its own IMP to aid Postmasters and their families. You are the Postal Service’s greatest resource, take good care of that resource! Respectfully, Charley Mapa President, National League of Postmasters |
League EventsJuly 18 - July 22, 2010 National League of Postmasters Convention Town and Country |
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