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Webmeister Jennifer Amos. © Western Michigan Area Local
E-mail Jennia1957@aol.com with comments or suggestions
Meeting was called to order at 7:05 PM at 918 Benjamin ST. NE, Grand Rapids. Meeting was opened with the US Pledge of Allegiance and Invocation. We also observed a moment of silence for our fallen Brothers, David VandeVooren, P-1 Maintenance and James Sweeney, Special Delivery Clerk, who both passed away unexpectedly.
Roll Call of Officers:
Ray Novakoski, President
Recording Secretary, Vacant
Richard Page, Executive Vice President
Linda Norman, AO Director
Jim Myszka, Maintenance Craft Director
Scott Larabel, MVS Craft Director
Mike Long, Sergeant at Arms
Jim Birman, Treasurer
Bill Scutt, Clerk Craft Director
(Michelle Gregory offered to take notes for the General Membership Meeting in remembrance of Jim)
May minutes were accepted as printed.
Applications for Membership:
Michael J. Haselhuhn, Maintenance
Officers Report:
Treasurer's Report: Treasurer's report was accepted as typed by Ray, and read by Jim.
MVS Craft Director's Report: Is still investigating grievances on the BPI issue. Management is not being cooperative in the grievance procedure: not approving information requests; not meeting at step 1 or step 2. They have ignored letters written by Ray requesting their cooperation. He will be sending 9 grievances to step 3 without a step 1 or 2 being held. He is considering possible Labor Board charges.
Vice-President's Report: Thanked all the stewards who attended stewards training on May 21st. He will be compiling a list of employees for each steward within their section for the COPA drive. He is asking $10.00 per employee. He will be making a motion to extend the organizational drive to coincide with Nationals. National will pay 50% f the costs we incur (jackets, sign up incentives, etc…). He is asking for support on this motion.
Clerk Craft Director's Report: The "Casual in Lieu Of" grievance is still being worked on diligently around the clock by Bill and Tour 2 and 3 stewards. He thanked Amy, Linda, Tina, Cat, Jennifer G, and Jennifer A. for all their hard work. We are in the process of looking up information on the microfiche for 1996 and 1997. 1,000 JSID's have been identified. Personnel is cooperating. We have until August but we are trying to get it in before that. Barb Kieborth is all ready trying to throw new argument into the grievance. The Arbitrated ruled for 96 and 97, but during the actual Arbitration 98 through 2002 was discussed and Bill feels it was also agreed upon. There are currently no Arbitrations. Ray is reviewing and pre-arbing a lot of old grievances, and seems to be on the winning side. Thank you Ray! The stewards are handling those settlements, and if a pay adjustment needs to be done the stewards are being directed to handle them. He thanked Dick for a great stewards training. He felt it was one of the best he's been too. Mentioned Solidarity for Charity, Sunday June 8th at Palmer Park. During the meeting he will be holding a silent auction for a genuine minor league baseball cap from the West Michigan White Caps, and will be donating the proceeds to COPA. The bidding is starting at $20.00.
Maintenance Craft Directors Report: Attended the Maintenance Craft Conference and it went well, a lot of training and resolutions were passed. Locally management is contracting out the moving out of the FSM's. He is grieving it based on the compared cost of craft employees vs. contracting it out. MOS issue is still being discussed. The dayshift level 5 excessed to other tours was actually done contractually, along with the level 6 being abolished and reposted with different days off. There are 2 vacant custodial positions and 1 MPE position. On June 11th, in Lansing the Post Office will be celebrating the unveiling of the Purple Heart Stamp. He would personally like to thank the three following veterans who received Purple Heart's and shed their blood to keep our country free: Dave Toffel; Al Malcavitch; and Don Kramer.
Associate Office Director's Report: Is investigating and waiting for information on excessing in Wayland. Did two step 2's in Holland, is waiting for an answer but she thinks one might be resolved. Filing three step 1's in Lowell. Having problems with Doug Warner disapproving some of her information requests, or only half the request. Resolved grievances in Spring Lake and Comstock Park. Pleased with the meeting she had with Labor Rep Marty Schaut. Having problems with PTF's being sent from one office to another. Regulars being excessed and more PTF's are being hired to fill in the hours. Big Rapids is shorthanded; the last 5 clerk positions have not been filled; the RCA is running the DPS machine.
President's Report: Is Resolving a lot of pre-arb's with Marty. Have done over one hundred. She seems pretty receptive, and will work off the Union's file if she doesn't have one. Arbitrations will be scheduled again in July. Kim Peters probably won't be back and Same Leone is leaving within a week. A new A/senior plant manager will be coming and taking his place until the position is filled. Deborah Anne is out of CFS and is now in the FMLA office. Window clerks who fail the "observers" of management by not asking all the questions on a window transaction, if management didn't see it personally, any discipline is being thrown out. But they still need to ask the questions. Showed a video on COPA (Committee On Political Action) that President Burrus put out. This fund is how the Union supports our congress-people, and the candidates we support. The key question: Is your job worth the price of a stamp? President Burrus is asking each employee to give 37 cents a week to support COPA. OPM (office of personnel management) approved the draft for the early out retirement. Now it is being forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget for review.
($30.00 for the Hat…………..now $40.00)
Committee Reports:
Retirees: George Hendricks spoke on the march in 1970 to Washington when we had to beg instead of bargain for our rights. We need to keep up a personal contact with our congress-people. Urged everyone to contact them on a regular basis. Asked for recognition for retirees on the inside page of our newsletter.
Solidarity for Charity: Cat reminded everyone that the Solidarity for Charity game was Sunday, June 8th; t-shirts were available for $20.00; raffle tickets; there will be door prizes; food; dunk tank; own pavilion; everything starts at noon.
($50.00 on the Hat)
Bill donated $15.00 to COPA.
Deaf and Hard of Hearing: Nancy Gingery-Merchant went to the convention in Texas. Learned a lot. Her husband took notes for her. The Brentwood PO will reopen in November. A lot of employees don't want to go back. 5 deaf people, with no interpreters available, from the Brentwood office. 1 is suing the Post Office. Took up stress management, it has really helped. Learned different ways offices alert deaf people for fire alarms/bad weather. The buddy system; pagers (but management is misusing them to find out where the employees are) Dallas has a strobe light. Learned about the VRI Video Remote Interpreter, it's a three way system. Held a raffle and auction; raised $3,600.00 for COPA. Brought copies of everything with her, are available. Asked Ray to please keep one on file. Wanted to let people know to make sure they can pay off their houses etc… if they retire early. A lot of Brentwood employees lost out. Also don't keep your valuables at work.
Correspondence:
Thank you letter from Jim Sweeney's family; Thank you letter from retiree Gloria Wagner from the Byron Center office.
Old Business:
Motion by Austin 2nd Hendricks to extend the sign up incentives for 6 months; Motion by Long 2nd by Norman to amend to go with Nationals sign up incentives through the end of January. MSC Main motion MSC.
Motion by Austin 2nd by Nunez to untable motion on 25 clerks going to the clerk craft conference. 8 in favor 16 opposed Motion stays tabled.
Motion by M Gregory 2nd by Gilbert to untable motion to send stewards to the clerk craft conference. 17 in favor 12 opposed. Motion untabled. Motion by M Gregory 2nd by Birman to amend to limit to clerk stewards and to include lost time. No discussion. MSC. Discussion Motion by M Gregory 2nd by Birman to have the main motion come in line with the constitution to read all eligible clerk craft stewards. No discussion MSC. Motion by Long 2nd by Austin called for the question MSC Main motion: For all eligible WMAL clerk craft stewards who wish to attend the upcominig Clerk Craft Convention October 27-29, 2003 to include airfare, lodging, transfers, registration, per diem, applicable taxes and lost time. No discussion. 15 in favor 13 opposed. MSC.
Motion by Austin 2nd by Scutt to untable motion on cell phones. MSC. Motion to purchase cell phones for the MVS and Maintenance Craft Directors. Discussion MSC.
Motion by Cat 2nd by Austin to extend the meeting. MSC
Board Recommendations:
To donate $100.00 to the NALC Muscular Dystrophy Golf Outing for a Tee sponsorship. Discussion MSC
To purchase two large security boxes with slots for COPA funds for each union office. MSC
For no July and August Executive Board or General Membership meetings. MSC
New Business:
Motion by Cat 2nd by Gilbert to pay for the dunk tank for Solidarity for Charity, $79.50. MSC
Motion by M Gregory 2nd by Birman to name the scholarship fund the Local gives out to the James C. Sweeney Scholarship Fund. MSC.
(Hat $50.00)
Labor Management: Contact your stewards or officers if you have anything you want discussed in L/M meeting.
Drawings:
COPA: $82.00 collected $41.00 to COPA, $41.00 to Jackie Pike.
The "Hat" goes to Don Kramer for $50.00, donated the monies to COPA.
$10.00 to Amy Puhalski; Cheryl Boeskool; CJ Lozon and Barb Tubbs.
Meeting adjourned at 9:02 PM.
Respectfully Submitted By,
Michelle M. Gregory,
WMAL Steward
Webmeister Jennifer Amos. © Western Michigan Area Local
E-mail Jennia1957@aol.com with comments or suggestions