Newsletter January 2003

A Note From the President

The Branch has finalized the February COLCPE Beef & Beer and Casino bus trip. Details are as follows: There will be a two-hour Beef & Beer at the Union hall on Sunday, February 16, 1:30 to 3:30 pm. After the Beef & Beer we will board a bus at 4 pm for the trip to Caesars Casino in Atlantic City. Each member attending will receive $10 in coins. The total cost of the fundraiser will be $20. All profits raised from this trip will be forwarded to Washington, DC, to be used for Political Action. We are hoping that we have an extremely large turnout for this event, as this will be our only fundraiser for the year. If you cannot attend the trip, please feel free to give your Shop Steward a donation to help protect your political lives. Tickets will be available at Union meetings, or by contacting me. I would like to thank all of you in advance for always making our COLCPE drives successful.
Steve Lipski 

Next Meeting – January 15

The next regular monthly meeting of the Branch will be held on Wednesday, January 15, 8 PM, at the American Legion Hall, 502 Colonial Ave., North Woodbury. Regular monthly meetings of the Branch are held on the 3rd Wednesday of the month except in July and August. 

Branch Officers & Shop Stewards Meeting – January 8

The Branch Board of Officers and Executive Board meetings are held on the 2nd Wednesday of the month. The Board of Officers at 7:30 p.m., and the Executive Board at 8 p.m. The next meeting of the Board of Officers and Executive Board will be on Wednesday, January 8, 7:30 and 8 PM respectively. 

Attendance Prize Stands At $175

Had they been there, a member of the Branch would have won the $150 attendance prize drawn at the regular monthly meeting held on Wednesday, December 18. The prize now stands at $175 for the regular Branch meeting that will be held on January 15.

Wal-Mart Boycott

A full-time Wal-Mart associate only works 26 hours a week. They make about $8 an hour, with no benefits, no vacation, and no sick leave. They also have no grievance procedure and no way to complain about the way they are treated. If they do complain they are fired. If they attempt to start a union they are fired. Wal-Mart is the largest civilian employer in the United States, with over one-million employees. It is a disgrace that a majority of their employees do not have benefits. The only employees with benefits are mangers and executives. (source: Swing Room Gazette, NALC Br. 133) 

USPS Statement Of Support For National Guard & Reserves

Annual Retirees’ And Branch Awards Breakfast – April 6, 2003

The annual Branch Retirees’ and Awards Breakfast will be held this year on Sunday, April 6, commencing at 11am, at the West Deptford Inn, 101 Grove Rd., West Deptford, the same place as last year. Members wishing to nominate others for a Branch award should contact the Branch Secretary, Bill Revak, with all the details. Further information about the Breakfast will be forthcoming in future editions of the Branch Newsletter. 

National Convention Report Of Expenses & Receipts

Some Dates To Remember

USPS Overpayment Of CSRS Retirement Fund

The General Accounting Office (GAO) recently reviewed OPM and the amounts the USPS was paying and determined that the USPS had paid $152.1 Billion into the fund to date. In order to fully fund CSRS the retirement cost is $172.6 Billion. At the rate the USPS was paying, they would have overpaid the fund by $71 Billion. 

Increased Uniform Allowances

According to the Postal Service, all letter carrier accounts were updated August 30, 2002. That update covered all employee uniform allowances from November 21, 2001, through August 30, 2002. All letter carrier anniversary dates after August 30, 2002, are re-established at the prior year’s allowance amount of $298. Three to four weeks after the update, employees’ uniform allowance accounts are increased by $30. 

Continuance Of Pay And Injured On Duty Leave Without Pay

Titles 5 USC 8118 and 20 CFR Part 10, Subpart C, provide that an employee who sustains a disabling traumatic injury is eligible to continuation of his/her regular pay, without interruption, unless one of the nine reasons exists to terminate pay (as listed in the instructions attached to Form CA-1). In addition the agency (the USPS) has the right to terminate COP after ten days if supporting medical evidence is not received. HOWEVER, it is a Postal Service requirement that Continuation of Pay is not to be input in the field without the knowledge the Shared Service Center. Only the Shared Service Center (SSC) can authorize Continuation of Pay (COP) or Injured on Duty leave without pay (LWOP-IOD); therefore, it is imperative that the SSC be notified immediately of any injury-related absence. 

Direct Pay Member Dues

Dues of $12 per annum are now due for the following Direct-Pay members of the Branch. Submit payment to the Branch Secretary, Bill Revak, at Post Office Box 385, Woodbury, 08096:

Branch Officers’ Salaries For 2003

Persistence Pays ($67,000)

Letter carriers past and present at the Pitman Post Office will share in a $67,000.00 arbitration award as the result of management’s failure to timely conduct a special route inspection, which resulted in the loss of a carrier route and a subsequent route inspection getting the route back, which management refused to honor.Happy New Year!