LETTER CARRIERS

Respect: We All Deserve It

As I said, I will continue to do my best, as I have always done, to keep the membership up to date on what is going on in the Postal Service and in our Union through the avenues that I have available to me. I strongly suggest that make use of those avenues that best suits you.

I will continue to provide you what I can via the NALC Bulletin Board ... our Branch Website www.nalc2128.com ... and our Newsletter “The Union Vision”.

I also afford all of our members to have issues and concerns addressed, and have their questions answered at our Union Meetings – the 2^nd Tuesday of the month; when afforded the opportunity, at occasional stand-up talks; and by just talking to me on the workroom floor; or by asking for authorization from your immediate supervisor to call or see me.

I can’t do much more than I already have. Don’t be foolish. If you have a question, ask! Just make sure that you ask the right person. As they say, the buck stops here.

For the most part I have the final say; I can’t be wrong. I have to be 100% each and every time. So if you ask me, you pretty much can assure yourself that my answer will be the right answer.

We carriers are going through some very rough and turbulent times, each and every one of us. We have just gone through a MIARAP route adjustment in several of our offices and we probably will go through several more in the upcoming year.

More likely than not, we will also go another round if not several rounds of 41.30 bidding where assignments will be abolished. It’s not going to stop, at least not for now. Things are going to continue to get ugly and upsetting for many of us ... and some of us will become frustrated and angry, to a certain degree.

Keep cool. Take a deep breath. You are only going to get yourself upset and possibly take your frustration out on the wrong people.

For some of us (union officials), our time is being consumed both in the office and at home.

Look at how much time was spent on the recent round of route adjustments and the product we ended up with. I have addressed that issue and I’m not going to rehash it again. It was a joke ... plain and simple – and I’m not laughing.

I can’t even imagine what we would have ended up with for “adjustments” if our union did not oversee the little that we did. We truly did the best that we could in the ridiculous time frame that was bestowed upon us and the support our Branch received from the District – just another thing I am outraged over.
 

Let me emphasize and clear up anything that may be misconstrued and passed on in the rumor-vile arena.

It was management who abolished routes; it was management who shifted territory; and it was management who adjusted routes. Where our people think that the aforementioned is the role of the union or that management would allow us to adjust routes is illusionary. It doesn’t work that way. Management runs postal operations not the union.

The union is there to insure that the contract is followed; that your rights are protected, that 2 + 2 = 4; and that your best interest are always on the forefront, just to mention a few responsibilities we union officials have to our members.

Could you imagine what disarray, what chaos there would have been if the union was not there? I shudder to think.

Our work environment is in and will be in constant change over the next few years. When will it stop? At this point, your guess is at good as mine. Eventually I’ll have that answer ... and so will you.

Perhaps I take my job as a letter carrier and as President too seriously. It bothers me to see our people’s lives disrupted and the unhappiness that comes along with those disruptions.

I don’t know if I am in the majority any longer. It seems like those that care about their fellow co-workers are few and fewer nowadays. The “me, me, me” generation has come into the workforce and appears to be in the majority. The “we, we, we” generation appears to be thinning out. Perhaps one day, the “we’s” will be in the majority again.

Sadly to say, some of our people have forgotten to show respect to their fellow co-workers and say things that are hurtful and just not right. Be careful and mindful of what you say.

We are all human; we bleed red, and we have feelings. We are grown men and women, act that way. It’s wrong to be disrespectful or hurtful to a co-worker. Nothing good comes out of it.

I also ask that you not to channel your frustration at the union. We have a decent group on union officials that do their best to protect your interests regardless of what you may think. They are human beings just like you and have feelings.

No incident precipitated me to address being respectful to our union officials; but, I felt that I would be remiss if I didn’t address this.

Let’s face it, after carrier’s channel their anger at management, the next recipient in line is the Union when a resolution or resolve is not immediate and takes time before justice is achieved.

Nobody said that just would be fast or easy. It takes time and more often than not, a great deal of effort and energy, and that’s if they get resolved at all. There are no guarantees or sure winners in life. We do the best we can with what we have.

Occasionally you make mistakes, well so can the union – not that there has been one within our local for me to say this. I say this so that if a mistake is made, understand that that is just what it is, a mistake. Some mistakes can be fixed and some can not. Learn to forgive. You may one day may make a mistake and find yourself on the receiving end.

Please, understand something, the union is here to serve, protect, and represent you ... to help you; not to hurt you.

It is hard enough to get members to serve as union officials in the best of times, not withstanding the terrible and turbulent times we are now experiencing, how are we going to get more people involved if talk negative about those trying to do job now. Do you think those that may wish to get involved want to be bashed or talked badly about on the workroom floor? I think not.

You got to realize something; it is management who adjusts and abolishes routes. It is management who distributes overtime. It is management who forces non-ODL carrier to work overtime. And it is management who set starting times and so on and so forth.

Don’t hammer the people who are willing to stand up for you. You may lose them and then we won’t have anybody to stand up for you.

I have been here a long time serving our members.

A few words of advice; don’t cut your nose to spite your face; don’t cut the hand that feeds you, don’t ask someone to do something you are unwilling to do yourself, and remember those who stand sometimes alone where no others would stand or are too afraid to stand.

In solidarity,

Joseph R. Palmerson, President

NALC Branch 2128 Toms River

September 26, 2009