NAPUS
of
North Carolina

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These are my notes. If you have any questions please write or call me.

919-663-3263, Sarah Zimmerman
From 2008 National Convention
MONDAY

President Dale we need to all work to save this organization. BC do to save this organization. Find the volume find the revenue. Manage your office. Do not be intimidated by POOMs, their names are not on your office! Things move very slowly in Washington. Universal service is what binds our nation together! PRC, Congress, Do not mess with universal service!

Deliver the mail and finances above reproach. Work week 40 hours only, day is 8 hours! Family comes first! Quit doing things for the sake of the bottom line number. Stand tall stand strong and stand united. All of the micromanagement will not lead to success! We have had enough to f the strutting peacocks with ostrich mentality! If we stand together as a team we will service this, I guarantee this. We respect each other. We have not had this lineup of HQ speakers in a long time. We are working with Congress.

Jo Ann Emerson, (R-8th) Missouri U.S. House of Representatives, supporter of small Post Offices and rural delivery. Universal service is important as well! The identity of our world communities is linked to our post office. Rural are a lot more than a 5 or 9 digit zip code. Children writing Santa, citizens writing their Government officials, Service men and woman. Postmasters make it possible for us to identify with our communities!
She is fighting for up-to-date facilities to serve the public. Void of meaning w/out adequate staff. Postmasters are trusted members of your community. Rural markets find themselves targets of cuts, business going to different locations, or different businesses. No one should expect you to say no to your customers. Legislation has been offered to save the rural Post offices. Communities should not server the worry each year that their offices will be closed. For the small office to go away would be a disaster! Continue the fight to keep these offices open. Dec will be a report from PRC for universal services. The value of rural facilities can not be measured only in dollars and cents. Personal touch is indispensable. Congress is charged with protecting the reputation of Postmasters. We want to see the identity to remain in tact with full services. The place upon which an entire community is formed. Thank you

Tony Hammond PRC
June 2008 write new rate setting rules. In place 8 months ahead of schedule. USPS has already filed. Capped on increases, competitive will pay their own way, negotiated rates, market dominated or competitive. Consumers price index. Thanked NAPUS and Bob Levi for assistance hear from 5 different NAPUS representatives on their views. President Dale Post offices are bedrock of universal service.

Jack Potter, Postmaster General, over 300 first timers present. Outstanding job you do day in and day out. Letter carrier, clerk, face to American. Postmasters are the face for the Postal Service. Overnight at record levels. National forum, service never came up. People have come to rely and expect great service and we provide it. Top ten most trusted organizations of American. People have faith in the Postal Service. Mail will be delivered. 230 years of success, we are not going to change that much. We all knew about before entering the service. We are not going to abandon who we are. We are going on line because that is where the American public is going to do business. We have changed, lets not act like we haven’t . He was an LSM operator, poor one at that. He moved on for the good of America. Change has been for the positive to meet the needs of the American public. Fact is $4/gal of gas has changed what people are doing. We can not control this. People are interested in the environment. We can talk about what we are doing for the environment. Better for a person to order from a catalog,
( In talks with DHL. FedX, UPS) One truck on the street OURs, we have the most efficient delivery system in the world. Intelligent barcode is futuristic. That will be a couple of years from now. Probably lose 2 billion $ this year. Invest in the future. Day to day basis your role in this does not change, no one will walk away from the postal service if the American public wants us. We have huge strengths. Race for customers recognized. For every dollar you put in the mail, you get $12 back. Focus on growing the business. Success does not come from shrinking it is from growing.
Rumor: no super buy out. Last one we hired double the number who left after having paid them a half-year’s wages. Service was at an all time low. Over 40% of the world’s mail. VERA is for leaving early. Over 30, 000 non careers employees. 100,000 man years of labor will have to leave before anyone will be offered a buyout. Rural carriers have been told they cost more then they bring it. Rural carriers will be asked what they are selling out there. Eliminated weighing of mail in plants. 170 million dollars where saved. Rates, when we raise rates, for every rate we go up, we lose volume mean fewer jobs. Economy will come back. More and more of our mail is advertising. The easiest means for a business to save money to cut back on advertising.
Express mail, no office should be on the network if it costs more to deliver the piece than we would make on that piece.

Lisa Martin Inspector General, Constants: death, taxes, change, OIG created 1996. Investigate all crimes of postal employee. Concerns about agents. Held to high standards. Agents should be fostering cooperative relationships with you. Clear policy on investigations. Representation by PM Rep. If you have a problem contact the OIG office. Auditing office: no advance warning, finances reasonable and fairly represented, internal controls are in place. For the most part offices are in great order. Cash retained accountable not counted. Retail floor stock exceeding limits. Bank deposits not properly prepared. Exceeding 3 month level of office accountability. Contracts were a problem Don’t let yourself be involved in a scam. Borrowing postal funds. Failure to post funds. Kiting money orders. Embezzling. Fictitious invoices.
Detecting fraud with workers comp program

Jordan Small, Vice President Delivery USPS Went after savings in the base of rural routes.. About 2 hrs per route was saved. Deliveries are growing, volume is down. 40 minutes fixed office time in city routes. 79% is fixed street cost. Carrier optimized system. COR Territories are fragmented. Eliminate left hand turns. Green routes: motorization. Carriers use satchel cart and walk. Only 6% are foot routes now. Not creating LDC 23 routes. Want offices that you can just walk out of the office. Establish a de-motorization boundary. Use collection boxes as collection boxes. Not talking about relay routes. Just walking routes. Volume is down so we need to save on fuel costs, reduce carbon footprint. Parade vehicles: 1930’s that we loan to parades. Goal now is to reduce vehicles. Bicycle routes, T3 purchased 13 of them. 3 wheel sangway.

Phil Jones, NAPUS Attorney: Not a Pm , Not member of NAPUS retained to defend Postmasters under the terms of policies and rules. What he said is his opinion no one else’s. He is tired of hearing change. Goal to win, plan to get there. Defense plan: does not cover everyone, MSPB has to have justification, must be in position for one year. Plan does not cover PMs that have admitted criminal conduct. Stealing money, rape sexual assault, taking mail from customers, kiting money orders. Another PM organization is giving Phil flack. Making claims that are not true. PM acting as MPOO issues adverse action to another PM, then the MPOO/PM now needs to be defended, Phil can’t due to adversarial relationship. If threaten to be sued himself if he does not win. Grievances against Phil with the bar Assoc. Member of bar for 35 years, now has a grievance against him from member of little bitty organization. “ Dance with the one who brong you” No server can serve two masters….suggests you decide who you love and who you will hold to. And stop paying dues to that littlie bitty organization. OIG like to go after PMs they get more check marks. OIGs score better on yearly evaluations if they go after PM. MPOO gave permission to give PM to buy flowers for death in office. OIG told the wife that the flowers were for another woman. Caused problems with that family. 406 cases today. Want to get rid of CSRS. 40,000 people. Older experienced employees are going to leave. Training will be gone. PM will be reasonable. Hell on earth to be a PM now. Carriers make more then a level 15 PM, who will want to be a PM? There will be more cases to Phil to handle. Most leaders do not have a clue what is going on in offices. 40% of routes where pivoted each day in some offices. You are only allowed 2 errors per week per route. How are PM going to do this? Make a commitment to one organization and stick to it.
9195383245 Sheila Hunter phone

TUESDAY

16085 attending convention

Ruth Cauble, National Secretary Treasurer,
Sound organization. 2.6 million 2.9 million in assets, worth 300,000 more than 9 months ago. Investments, 3 CDs opened with minimum verifying maturity dates. Earn more then 5.2% over the next 5 years.

Charles Mapa, National President National League of Postmasters
California coalition of Postal employees fought legislative issues-do not mail, promote vote by mail. Thousands of PMs working over 40 hours/week out in the field. Nanci Langley wanted to have Congress stop it, Charles said no, he wishes now he had followed her advice. Pat is one of the bright spot of HQ. He tells both organizations about the finances and new programs that are coming. Pat is open and listens to supervisory issues, employees available, running mail all over the country spending money to do that.
Two years ago, he came to Fort Worth to speak to us. He continues to commit that all those years of bickering are over. NAPUS/NAPS/League have joined together. Charles thanked Dale for all he does for PMs. Crisis level staffing, come in on Sat. because someone missed a scan in the area. PM world has become a very negative place. And we are told that it is only going to get worse. Learn the manuals! Learn the rules! Don’t be afraid to respectfully question what you are being told. Be sure your state chapters are meeting with your Districts. It is better to light a candle then to curse the darkness. Be a positive force in your District. PM will make the difference. It will not be VPs. Help your district to find solutions. Reach out to League PMs that you have been at odds with for many, many years.

Nanci Langley, newest member of the PRC.
Questions were submitted from all over the country.
1-Did your view change since being appoint to this position?
She has a new appreciation of the Postal Service.
2-What do you see as the role of the PRC in preserving the universal service of the Postal Service?
We are to issue transparency and universal service. Because of the universal service Hawaii receives affordable service.
3-How does the commission distinguish between support and governing.
Consultation processes. Monthly meetings.
4-Service vs Money making?
Question that is raised a lot. Communities that only exist because they have Post Office. Businesses want to have the choice of not serving those small places.
5-PRC universal service survey is over. Dec it will be submitted. PRC may have used basis contractors.
She said there was misinformation out there. The commission will write the report.

Pat Donahoe, Deputy Postmaster General
Struggle this year with finances. Structural issues that make it difficult to shake the revenue lost. Talk about what is going on this year and next year. Great service gives up access to customers Scores are at an all time high. Revenue is up in offices. We want to build on that next year. First class single and commercial generated are both down. Strange but due to the economy. When people have a variable choice of how they advertise there are ups and downs on the revenue charts. Work hours are not matching volume decline. City carriers have fixed costs and they are hard to manage. Plant has improved mail prep that helps to reduce costs.
Next year-new service standards, get finances on track.
Service standards will be meeting the requirements of the new law.
Goals are being finalized with the Board of Governors. EXFC covers the entire nation now. Key issues, delivery the mail. Commercial mail will be measured now. Hybrid measurement system. Publications will be measured in 2010 or 2011.
Standard parcels sell up to Priority. Outsource BMC change the look of them.
Special services: this is PO Boxes. Collect what is due. Inspection says we are missing collecting what we are due. DIM weights are not collected. Any business that makes house calls 6 days a week has tremendous opportunity to grow the business. CPI cap is on price not volume. DPS will be spread out. Quality must be good. Plants must finish early to get it out to you.
If fixed costs can be changed then the weight can be taken off the Postmasters.
Transportation will be a major issue. Challenges are there. PMs have always stepped up to improve the organization.
PM jobs will be affected by the freeze. He needs landing spots for the people who will lose their jobs.
1- Will goals be realistic? He will talk/work with Dale.
2- PMR pay? He did not know the pay scale.
3- Cost of Triner scales? He will look into that.
4- So many duplicate emails? He agrees that is a waste.
Your leadership is important in your office.
End.
Ted Keating, National President, NAPS
Not upbeat. Concerned. The future of USPS will be decided on Capitol Hill. That is getting dangerously close. Debate on: access to mail box, 5 day delivery, contracting out of BMC, closing offices, this would be the down sizing of the Postal Service we know today. Freezing of jobs at District. Eliminate jobs the person goes to Postmaster.
Lack of information we get, concerns everyone. Pat gives more then most VP at HQ. Key factor for trouble ahead. APWU attended NALC convention. When these long time adversaries come together there are problems coming down the pike.

Kathy Ainsworth, VP Retail Operations
Over 100,000 access points. The challenging times ahead will require us to grow revenue.
Dim is a target that is revenue that we are not collecting the correct revenue for. There is a lot more information coming out about that. 50 million dollars worth.
Up sell delivery confirm
Special services
Selling the value that we have as an organization.

New Retail Lobby Design-rent out space for Kiosks.
Vending-can’t replace, can’t get parts. Print on demand kiosks.
Open environment, self service solutions
Improve our customer experience and operational efficiencies. Education clerks to ask each customer what they need.
Package-for pickup, should be behind clerks at window.
Scanning bar code for box section because one commissioner is very interested in customer satisfaction.
If vending goes out, then it need to go out of the budget.

Mark Twain…

Ron Karrels, President NAPUS Retired,
Leave the job at home. Family comes first. Be proud of the title of PM. You were appointed because you were the most qualified for the position. Take one day at a time. Each day brings new opportunities.

Monday
Work service credits-Dale will not stop meeting on this issue.
Compromise is part of democracy.
NAPUS/NAPS/League will continue to work together.
HQ admits that ELM was written in violation of FLSA. It is Postal Service that must prove they are NOT in violation of FLSA.
Potter revenue generation USPS on hard times, revenue and volume are down. Dale says it is a reality it is serious. Be active in generating revenue. Business connect identify new revenue.
Change is inevitable, we need to adept. Deliver the mail, keep finances above reproach. We have peaks and valleys. We are in a valley now. We work for a great organization.
Song I have no regrets-
Do not let your POOM belittle you or insult you.
You should be given realistic goals. Realistic beats our ballistic anytime.
Coble: protect your health. We are all in the same boat we must stand together. President Dale cannot do it alone. You are the PM , you there to serve your community. When did they change our form 50s to read “computer geek/” If the information is available for the entire world to see? Why are we required to input it so many times? Why don’t they look it up? They are not selling stamps. We must let them know we are not taking it anymore.
Ken Postal Serive is adamant that the resolution log be used. Must start with you. You must be ready and willing to stand up for yourself. State officers must spread the word. 80% success rate. USPS tries to solve at the lowest level. Travel orders are on the increase for PM Reps to help PMs. Information is the key. Concentrate training on the “hot issues” of the time. Use telephone trees, websites, and papers. Make sure you have trained PM reps. Sheila Hunter on National level. www.napus.org for information. Use this tool! Formula for success: readily available information, compliment less micro management
Potter losing 200 million a month. Economy has turned bad on us. We have been in a recession for 6 months. We lead the way in, we lead the way out. Fuel costs. Cut back tighten up. Do not mail is very real. We have to talk about value of our industry. Transactions happen thru the mail. Talk about the value the mail brings to the economy.
We have the best service we have ever had in our history. Two day, three day is great. Best liked gov’t agency. Talk about we are good. We are now fighting for our lives. We have to be proud of who we are. Every dollar spent in advertising in the mail, you get $12 back. On web, give them a catalog, they spend twice as much. Postmasters are doing a great job. Hurting times, service we are doing a formable job of cutting back Look at cost, do we have to spend that dollar? We match resources to lower workload, but sometimes you can’t. We aren’t going to cry we are going to get better. Talk about us. 37,000 retail outlets. Second largest employer in America. New prices are trying to match competition and grow. Lobby will be a different price from online. Prices will be 3% discount. 7% off on volume Express online. Parcel select last mile, offering volume incentives, more you use less they pay. 1 year if they grow. Parcel return service will be changed. 30 million dollar in return business. Contract pricing, on individual basis, working on it. Postal Rage Commission is working ahead of schedule. Service is the best it’s ever been. New pricing for package service, improve delivery. We deliver value on a daily basis. Talk with pride about what we have to offer. Tell people every day.

Blair: Do what is best for the common good. The Postal Acc Act. PRC is ahead by 8 months. Not adversarial Universal service is what it is all about. Bringing the country together, binding us together, providing economic rates. Critical infrastructures are there to respond to help the economy to grow. New complaint process. Subpoena authority.
Federal trade commission looking into competitive disadvantages. They want to hear from all parties. Reorganized. Consumer Affairs new position. Need 5 Commissioners. 5 instead of 4 helps to handle the debates. Do what’s right. As leaders in the community you do that every day. They will be looking over the next 25 years.

Donahoe: PM lead the way in service. Package service –everyone is doing a tremendous job delivering.. Scan rate is high. Key to success is doing what right on the front end and then making sure it’s delivered. EXFC is the hardest to deliver. Door to door. First hand off, either at the plant or the post office is critical. Information makes your employees fell part of the great organization. Stress safety. He thanks us for the extra effort.
28, 000 PM for the Growth Award. Gastonia NC received an award.

How to fight the Do Not Mail: this is your business customers' lives that will be affected. Do not try to fight it for our jobs. This affects all of the businesses.
If a tree falls in your yard, and there is an add to remove trees on your table that day, that piece of mail will be the most important piece of mail you receive. This was a true story. It is not junk mail.

Phil Jones:

OIG are referring cases for criminal prosecution. PMs will be out of work for 3-4 years while you are waiting for the District Attorney to throw out the case. NAPUS cannot help you during this time. NAPUS is not representing criminals. If they confuse to criminal activities NAPUS does not defend them. They defend the innocent.
PM continue to talk to OIG agents w/out representation. You cannot talk to law enforcement w/out representation. OIGs do not hear you; they hear what they want you to say. If you have non-deliverable bulk mail, do you throw it away? OIG asked if the PM had ever thrown away mail? The OIG wrote it up, as have you ever thrown away deliverable mail? PM is out of work
Areas where people are getting into trouble: craft employees? Some craft employee has a gripe, calls the POOM. Phil cannot find a grievance. POOM jumps on it. Judges do not want to send you back to your office because they are concerned about violence. Upper management will not support you against craft. PM is being threatened but the arbiter is putting the employees back in the office. PM are out on stress or afraid to return to office.
If you access your personal email on the office computer then all those emails will be charged against you. VPN on your home computer gives them access to your home email. Do not give the Post Office anything. You should have a separate computer and separate email account at home if you have to work at home. Case now EEO manager sent improper emails to a PM. The PM is being represented for not telling the EEO manager to stop sending these emails.
Access stock, floor stock OIG are charging PMs for shortages for these floor stocks. The cases are based on you being responsible for everything in the office. Count your window POS clerks. You have to make SURE the Supervisor counts them. Look for the paper work.
Case: Vending machine was broken. Broken so much maintenance would not come out. PM was charged for not making deposits.
Phil is amazed at the level 21 and above who have the unit reserve assigned to themselves. Do not do that. Assign the vending accounts/unit reserves to the supervisor.
Duplicate/triple reports: example rural route information. Emails if you receive 50 send back 300. Subject line: what do I do with this, to make them open it.
Sex in the office. No romance in the office. Clerks are not your friends. Neither is the POOM. Do not date an employee, do not date a customer. Do not go to joke sites, gross sites.
Try to work with union stewards. Try to talk with them once a week. Find out what is going on in your office.
Take notes take notes take notes…..did the union steward being anything up to you? You will have some employee that is keeping a book on you.
Sexual harassment: do not tolerate off color comments, of offensive dress. Keep a record of it. Have a stand up talk do not pick anyone out.
Accident reports: excuse POOM chews on the PM. If the POOM finds out he will fire you.
Purchases: make a request to POOM for every single thing you need. Keep a record.
Use of credit cards: do not carry it. It should be locked in your office. Assign to your supervisor.
Bottom line: think about it before you do it. If USPS keep it USPS. If in trouble call a NAPUS rep. DO NOT TALK TO ANY BODY. ALL IT IS IS YOUR JOB.

Bob Levi: PRC
New price-system record time
USPS accountability and transparency
-service standards for “mailing service”-not market dominate any longer
-reports up the wazoo
-postal data analysis
-ensure fair “shipping services”
Complaint process
Major player in policy decisions
Universal Service obligation
Consistent service and quality
What is the cost of the pledge?
Is it still necessary in the 21st century?
PRC reports to Congress in December
Could lead to “Son-of Postal Reform”
Do not mail:
Junk mail kills millions of trees: advertising mail is recycled
Junk mail cases global warming reduces driving and emissions
Junk mail clutters mailbox mail preference services exists
Junk mail risks identity theft mail is secure with its own law enforcement
Standard mail counts for over half the volume of mail at this time.
Do not mail is a threat to Postal violability.
Identify community mail dependent/ businesses, identify postal employee association leaders/ Set-up organizational meeting/ Communicate with elected state representative after clearance.
Sick Leave Equity HR 5573
GPO/WEP HR 82 S 206

After two years NAPUS will meet with Labor Dept about Exempt and non exempt issue.

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