President's Message

November 22, 2006
Charles Mapa, President

Greetings Fellow Postmasters and LEAGUE Members

Fellow Leaguers,

It’s the Thanksgiving season; that means different things to different people. To some it is the promise of great college and professional football games coming up, to others it is the added nip to the air and the promise of snow flying soon, to others it is the gathering of families in mini-family reunions around tables loaded down with some of the most delicious dishes imaginable! To most of us, the season is a combination of all the things listed above, and an opportunity to give thanks to our Creator for life. For me, that means being thankful for so many things that I never expected. One of those things is my calling as a Postmaster.

I’ve got to be honest; I never wanted to be a Postmaster, I never even wanted to work for the Postal Service. I had other plans, big plans! But sometimes, as they say, life has a way of throwing you a curve. My career as a Postmaster turned out to be much more satisfying than I would have ever dreamed. I can’t say that it was satisfying because the money was so good, because truthfully, it wasn’t always so good. It wasn’t the most exciting job (yes, believe it or not, there are more exciting ways to make a living!). And I certainly didn’t change the whole world as Postmaster in Gold Run California. But still I am thankful. I did make enough money to live in a place that I loved. My wife, Gwen and I got to raise my kids in the mountains of northern California. I had a job that allowed me to be part of a wonderful community and really be of service to people. I had working relationships with neighboring Postmasters and clerks that turned into lifelong friendships, and while I didn’t change the world, I know I had a positive influence in the lives of many of my customers, both young and old.

The whole thought of Thanksgiving is very appealing to me because I do have so much for which to be thankful. Not the least of which is my involvement in the National League of Postmasters. I became active in the League early on in my career. Had it not been for the League, I might well have gone off to pursue other interests, but my League involvement enhanced my Postmaster position and helped me to see that there was more to being a Postmaster than holding a title. Now I’m National President with opportunities to help make things better for thousands of people. Thankful? You bet I am!

There are many changes coming down the pike for the Postal Service and Postmasters. Every change seems to carry a price tag for Postmasters. Every new report, every new program, every new procedure takes another piece out of a Postmaster’s day. Things that are touted as time savers really are quite the opposite. Currently the demands of a Postmaster’s day go far beyond what the ELM terms a normal workweek. Many districts simply ignore the normal workweek provision in the ELM and expect Postmasters, especially exempt Postmasters, to be there to work six days a week. Not only do we view this as wrong, the League will be taking this issue and others to Postal Headquarters for consultation next week (see consultative issues elsewhere on this web site).

WEBBATS

I was able to meet with Postal Headquarters leaders last week on a related issue, and one that is near and dear to thousands of Postmasters. Webbats! I had an extensive conversation with the woman who developed both winbats and webbats. I was able to share with her concerns of Postmasters all over the country regarding this program. Apparently, the problems regarding webbats stem from a couple of probable sources. First of all, webbats was never designed to be an on-line application. Secondly, most of the problems with webbats are due to the fact that the smaller offices are still on dial-up connections. This causes the application for dial-ups to be painfully slow. Headquarters will be looking into possible solutions. It may be that a computer’s modem is not properly configured, which would cause the program to work more slowly and allow the user to be kicked off the network frequently. Reconfiguring the modem might help solve the problem. Another solution would be to get every office on some sort of high-speed connection. I remember that there was a move to do just that earlier this year, but the effort was never completed. I should hear back from headquarters soon on this issue.

NEW NATIONAL CHAPLAIN

I am proud to announce the appointment of our new National Chaplain, Gallian Fulton. Gallian is a long-time Leaguer and currently serves as Postmaster at Henderson Tennessee, a level 20 post office. He has served the League in many capacities over the years. He is a branch vice president and chaplain for his home branch of Tennessee, and serves nationally on the site selection committee. Gallian also serves his fellow Postmasters as an Adverse Action Counselor. He is a full-time ordained preacher at the Graham Chapel Methodist church in Savannah, Tennessee. Please join me in welcoming and congratulating Gallian Fulton as our new National Chaplain!

FORUM

Forum time is rapidly approaching as I have recently pointed out in my broadcast e-mails. Registering early makes a lot of sense. First of all, you save money on your registration. Second of all, once you’ve made the commitment to attend Forum and have sent in your registration, it is one less thing to fret about, things start to revolve around that date instead of your trying to find ways to make that date revolve around other things. Some of the issues we will be dealing with are absolutely critical to every Postmaster, OIC, spouse, and retiree. Long-time attendees know what a tremendous experience it is to walk the halls of Congress to educate its members on the Postal Service and the concerns of Postmasters. Of course, we will be dealing also with issues involving the business of your organization, the National League of Postmasters. If you have never attended a Forum, this should be your first. You will be taking advantage of your right, as an American citizen, to take part in a very real way in our legislative process. You will be doing something that is unheard of in so many parts of the world. Besides participating in our legislative agenda, you will also be able to hear from the leaders at the top of the Postal Service. Postmaster General Jack Potter and COO Pat Donahoe are both expected to speak to the assembly. We have also planned some tremendous useable training. As always, the Family Organization encourages you to bring your spouses and school-aged children along to experience one of the most unique educational opportunities of a lifetime. You can register for the Forum on-line right here at our website!

TIME TO EXCEL

The busiest mailing season of the year is rapidly approaching. So many of you are looking at it with dread as you are wondering how you are going to provide the service you need to provide with your lack of resources. I say, don’t lose any sleep over the things over which you have no control. Do your best with those, but concentrate heavily on the things that you can control. Commit to taking some time to enjoy this season of hope. Establish, as the leader in your Post Office, a festive atmosphere; you can do it, you’re the boss! Give great service and treat your employee’s right. Look for chances to help out Post Offices around you. If you have resources, find ways to share them. Do things the League way, that is, take care of one another. Do that and you will have one of the best Christmas seasons you’ve ever had. You might even increase your revenue!

--Charles Mapa, LEAGUE President