General Membership Meeting Minutes

Meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM at 918 Benjamin NE, Grand Rapids.
Meeting was opened with the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance and Invocation.

Roll Call of Officers:

Present:

Jennifer Amos, President
Steve Lang, Maintenance Director
Amy Marcus, Executive Vice-President
Dan Quillin, Clerk Craft Director
Karen Hodges, Recording Secretary
Scott Larabel, MVS Director
Linda Chandler, Treasurer
Michelle Gregory, Sgt-at-Arms
Absent:
Karen Hodges, Recording Secretary

December General Membership Meeting Minutes were accepted as written.

Applications for Membership:

Michael Rusky Clerk Grand Rapids
Jeff Quigley Clerk Grand Rapids
Tommy Steward Retained Mail Handler
Peggy Miller Retained Mail Handler

Officers Report:

Treasurers: Chandler: Approved as read for December MSC

Clerk Craft Director: Quillin: PTF update – jobs were pref'd on December 14th There will be a job summit next week on the 11th. This past month the bid job posting was messed up due to personnel not inputting the employees who should have had an extra bid given to them due to the contract extension. If anyone still didn’t get their extra bid please see your steward. On November 14th met with Dennis Cremeans on the OCR Runner award, he said he couldn’t authorize the amount agreed upon, neither could his boss Brian Stoll, so that’s where it is at this present time.

Associate Office Director: Lang: Appealed article 7 and 15 grievances for the Grand Haven office to arbitration, and have article 7 and 8 step 3’s along with article 5 settlements. Byron Center and Coopersville have Article 7 and 8 sustained grievances. Look for a article 1.6 survey in the latest Michigan Messenger Retirees Article. It’s definitely worth reading.

Maintenance Craft Director: Myszka: Currently 13 vacancies in maintenance they are interviewing for. He has put in an information request to see if they are properly maintaining the rosters. Information in the postal bulleting that took effect in June deals with voluntary downgrades from level 5 to 3. USPS has been doing that for EAS since 2004 and it has been hurting the bargaining unit, has been in contact with National regarding this. Has had discussions with Mr. Nelson regarding the proper way to fill out the PAR sheets for bidding.

MVS Craft: Larabel: This past year there has been a lot of non-MVS craft personnel transporting mail, and through the hard work and diligence of two new MVS stewards, Mike Hill and Tim Wright there has been more routes with more stops added and a lot of the cross craft violations has stopped. Kudos to Mike and Tim. He would also like to thank all the other stewards and union people who took the time to give statements to help file the appropriate grievances. 1 MVS Driver left for Iraq as a PTF and through the efforts of the Union returned to his job, thankfully safely, as a full time regular. The USPS was contracting out motor vehicle work on a Traverse City/northern run, but again, through the grievance procedure, the postal service now must pay to train for CDL training; there will be an increase in work; we will need more mechanics; more runs; and purchase more postal owned vehicles. All in all it’s been a very good year. This is why the time spend in the union office not only investigating but filing grievances has paid off. Thank you to everyone. We hope to have another good year.

Vice President: Marcus: Wishes everyone a Happy and healthy New Year. The past executive board was a good board to work with and is looking forward to this next year also. The overtime desired list for this quarter is on a trial basis. There is a scheduled day off list; and a before tour and after tour list. This is for the plant only, not customer service. A lot of investigating went into this before it was implemented and we feel that it can work. If it is a success we can continue it and possibly branch it out into other areas.

President: Amos: Happy New Year to everyone. Brief synopsis of the state of the union. Our budget had to be cut last year by $13,000. This year it had to be cut by $26.000. The biggest hit has been stewards training. We need to spend more wisely. The biggest reason for this is we had more members last year then we did this year, due to retirements and members transferring to other crafts.

Bob Hart is our new District Manager, he is from Illinois. Chuck Donnigan is our Senior Plant Manager, he is from Indiana. No impression of him as of yet, except that he doesn’t seem to be very formal. The District Manager does seem to be pretty receptive. Only time will tell. Donnigan will be based here in the main office, but Rocco will be running the plant.

Jack Fryling is the RI399 representative. Rocco has said he will give Jack time off the floor to get the appeals moving. Jennifer will be addressing the mail handlers on their repeated attacks on the clerk craft. Hart did forward a letter to Jennifer from Governor Granholm on a directive to lower flags to ½ mast in honor of Michigan service men and women who have lost their lives in the line of duty in Iraq. Birmingham Mi will be excessing 3 employees and northern Illinois 89 employees, but this does not have an effect on Grand Rapids, FYI.

Committee Reports:

Retirees: Hendricks: Two members passed away, Charles Johns from Rockford and John Walker from Wyoming. Still needs and updated list, as well as some assistance. A word to those close to retirement, it is a whole different world out there. Get as much information as you can before you retire.

A & E: Marcus: The Skating Holiday Parting was a success, a good time was had by all. A newsletter will be going out soliciting ideas for next year. Karen Hodges wasn’t able to be here for tonight’s meetings, she started chemotherapy on the 6th. Michelle Gregory stated that she spoke with Karen, she was feeling tired, somewhat nauseated but in good spirited. She’s battling breast cancer. She can use everyone’s prayers and well wishes.

Veterans: Kramer: 100 stars were brought to the Post Office for gifts for the Veterans Home. 200 gifts were picked up and delivered, thank you to everyone.

Correspondence:

Federal Day of Caring on February 20, 2006 President’s Day. You can volunteer at any of the following places: Gilda’s Club; Second Harvest Gleaners; Child & Family Resource Center; Veterans Retirement Home and Habitat for Humanity. Contact Micki Snyder at 868-6650, or Joan Fifelski at 336-5303. The information will be posted on all Union bulletin boards.

Board Recommendations:

To send a total of 10 delegates to the National Convention in Philadelphia PA and to send a total of 15 delegates to the State convention in Detroit MI with lodging, per diem, travel, registration and applicable taxes. Amended Long 2nd Austin to send 15 delegates each. Defeated. MSC

To allow any steward attending the National Convention as one of the paid 10 delegates to attend the post convention work shops to be inclusive of per diem, lost time, lodging, registration fees and applicable taxes. MSC

To purchase a power point projector for training purposes for the local up to $1,000.00. MSC

New Business:

Motion Long 2nd Marcus for stewards who attend the post convention workshops to coordinate with Vice President Marcus to put on training for the rest of the stewards. MSC

Motion Page 2nd Gregory to purchase or find a compatible computer up to $600.00 for the Northeast station. MSC Motion Long 2nd Gregory to send up to 8, who are interested, people to the Human Relations Conference for OWCP and retirement training, in bay City Mi March 1-3rd inclusive of with mileage, hotel, per diem, registration and applicable taxes.

Motion Austin 2nd Pike to extend the meeting until the end of business. MSC

Amend Schultz 2nd Hendricks to change up to 4 people, 2 people for OWCP 2 people for retirement and they must be active and become trainers for the Local. Motion Page 2nd Gregory to table the issue. MSC the amendment.

Motion Page 2nd Quillin to table the main motion MSC

Motion Long 2nd Gilbert for the President to only attend 1 President’s conference per year. DEFEATED

Motion Novakoski, 2nd Gregory to accept everyone who has 3 meeting or more, per the constitution to be nominated as a delegate to be voted on for the State and National Convention. MSC

Delegates for the National Convention:

Scott Achterhoff
Jennifer Amos
Jamie Aranguren
Steve Austin
Catherine Beemblossom
Sonia Bergers
Tamara Byrnes
Linda Chandler
Joan Fifelski
Jack Fryling
Jennifer Gilbert
John Gregory
Michelle Gregory
George Hendricks
Mike Hill
Karen Hodges
Rose Jerrils
Steve Karbutowski
Lou Kintigh
Don Kramer
Joe Kresnak
Steve Lang
Scott Larabel
Dessa Long
Michael Long
Al Matkovich
Amy Marcus
Gordon Meredith
Khristina Myers
Jim Myszka
Linda Norman
Ray Novakoski
Dick Page
Rhonda Payne
Jackie Pike
Dan Quillin
Jim Ruark
William Scutt
James Stoddard
Barbara Tubbs
Additional delegates for the State Convention:

Nominated by Austin 2nd Long David Janes
Nominated by Gilbert 2nd Long Nancy Gingery
Nominated by Myszka 2nd Long Dan Bourasa
Nominated by Larabel 2nd Long Tim Wright
Nominated by Austin 2nd by Long Kim Wilson

Labor Management:

Sparta Labor Management Meeting Wednesday, January 11, 2006 8:00 am. Jennifer will contact Bonnie to set up a meeting time for the plant, Rocco will be management’s rep. Give Amy any agenda items.

Drawings;

COPA: $39.00 WINNER: DAN QUILLIN

$10:00 DRAWINGS:

Mike Hill; Joe Kresnak; Nancy Gingery; and Ron Korowski

Motion Page 2nd Novakoski to suspend the order of business and go back to New Business MSC

Motion Page 2nd Novakoski to extend the VOE to one annual $500 drawing for 2006 MSC

Meeting adjourned at 9:29 PM.

Respectfully Submitted

Michelle Gregory for
Karen Hodges
Recording Secretary

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