Huge Thank You going out to Jerri Michelle Gatewood for sharing her information with all of us.
First a couple of major issues:
Convention entertainment:
It is with great joy that I announce that after seven years of personal grass root efforts and informing others our hard work has paid off.. Jeanette Dwyer has announced no longer will the national office be paying approximately $150,000 of our union money for headline entertainment for the banquet at national convention. We will be having karaoke this year. It is hoped that talented union members will be used at future conventions. But for now let’s just celebrate the victory !
Meet and Greet in Dallas
Also meet and greet on Sunday last time in Dallas cost $79000. As of now meet and greet in Dallas this year has been cancelled. We r hoping that this may change to a simple inexpensive (maybe just ice cream) meeting in one of the host hotel rooms. I for one do not want to eliminate meet and greet entirely. But do appreciate national finally hearing us about blatant misuse of union money and belt tightening!!!!
Q- Is anything being done for carriers who were hired after 1990 in regard to their RCA time and retirement.
A-Paul Swartz and his team have reassured us this is still a priority and is being addressed along with maintaining six day delivery.
Q- What is being done about carriers having to deal with slot delivery in locked mailboxes?
A- This issue is in arbitration and is scheduled to be heard soon
Q- They were questioned about recent letters that went out to the membership with recent date about PMG stopping Saturday delivery. .
A- Paul Swartz and his team explained that every year they send a fund raising letter and that a printer error had caused last years letter to go out instead of this years. If you recall last summer PMG had announced he was eliminating sat delivery on specific date without congressional approval. The printer will be paying for new letters explaining error soon. This same printer also failed to put the pull out of the Weingarten rights. This pull out will be in our NEXT publication
Q- What is being done in regard to later and later mail arrivals that do not allow for the entire route evaluated hours to meet dispatch especially on Saturdays with even earlier dispatch
A- Susan Knapp addressed this by informing us that the OIG had completed an investigation and we are awaiting the results for further action. She gave timeline of end of April I believe. Everyone excited to see because they interviewed random sampling of managers carriers and CUSTOMERS on impact later after dark deliveries. Not a management study but unbiased study done at random
Q- What is the National office doing in regard to developing more equal way for rcas to become career since some rcas make regular in two years and some take 15 years etc.
A- Ronnie stutts addressed this question by saying they tried to do as the national delegates directed them in regard to resolutions debate etc. He stated that this issue had been brought up repeatedly over the years by trying to get resolutions regarding seniority district wide posting where senior rcas would get regular sooner but each time after heated long debate the resolution would fail. His suggestion was for the rcas to continue their fight by continuing to make their resolutions and coming to national to get it passed. That the national board would continue to follow the direction of the national delegates.
Once again Jerri, thank you for sharing with us!!
