General Membership Meeting Minutes

Meeting was called to order at 11:05 AM at 918 Benjamin NE, Grand Rapids.
Meeting was opened with the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance and Invocation.

Roll Call of Officers:

Present:

Ray Novakoski, President
Dick Page, Executive Vice-President
Barbara Tubbs, Recording Secretary
Jennifer Amos, Treasurer
Linda Norman, AO Director
Bill Scutt, Clerk Craft Director
Jim Myszka, Maintenance Craft Director
Scott Larabel, MVS Craft Director
Mike Long, Sergeant at Arms
March General Membership meeting minutes were accepted as written.

Applications for Membership: None

Officer’s Reports:

Treasurer’s Report: Amos: Treasurer’s report accepted as written and read.

AO Report: Norman: Very busy. Problems with job offers in Holland. FMLA violation in Holland. Lowell dual-appointee working 1-2 hours in office than full time route. Reverted Big Rapids position being grieved. Letter of Warning in Hudsonville and Letter of demand for annual resolved. Resolved letter of demand in Wayland. Attended arbitration hearing in Holland.

Executive Vice-President’s report: Page: Participating on bi-weekly basis meetings on upcoming APPs machine. Timeline of vital interest posted on APPs bulletin board. Will try secure bulletin board for APPs at P-2 also. First article test was scheduled for this week in Minneapolis, but machine broke down. Anticipate a delay of up to two months. There should be a determination on which craft will be assigned the work @ June 1st. Dick attended the district meeting and will be scheduling a steward’s training class for later this month.

MVS Report: Larabel: Lot of changes and issues. New transportation director and new plant manager. Spending a lot of time working on MVS issues with Mike Hill. Labor charges were filed. New managers have agreed to meet to try to resolve these issues. Management has requested for increase in complement to the District. 25-26 grievances in last few months. All but a few were resolved in Union’s favor. A few more complicated ones have not yet been resolved. They want to change transportation times. Working with us and asking for our input. Things are coming along. Appreciates notes to Scott on non-MVS employees transporting mail. Other issues include discipline and supervisors not granting annual leave because of shortage of employees.

Maintenance Report: Myszka: Withholding meeting tomorrow. Ray will attend. OPM has agreed to voluntary early out for level 6 and above maintenance employees. Should be done by June 2005. Squabbling going on between managers. Marv Branch asked Jim to look at the work hour estimater. APPs not going in as scheduled.

President’s Report: Novakoski: 21 stewards and officers attended the district meeting. Very informative. Thanks to Mike Long and cat Beemblossom for handling the hospitality room. Dick is going to Minneapolis about APPs. Timeline changes occurring. Looking at impact on Tour 3 jobs. Trying to align current jobs so there is the least amount of impact on jobs. One APPs replaces two SPBs machines, so eventually we will lose our SPBs. Meeting on excessing scheduled for tomorrow. They are improperly withholding some jobs that have minimum qualifications. They will be moving some manual sort mail to the stations. Will have to wait and see what happens. Currently handling 8 grievances himself. Got the secretary job filled. AFL-CIO is planning a bus tour traveling to 8 states telling true state of economy. Will be in Greenville on March 28th. On March 21st there will be a pancake breakfast put on by the West Michigan Union Label Council. Received letter from Senator Stabenow supporting S.1925 which gives employees more freedom in forming unions.

Correspondence: None

Committee Reports:

Cans for COPA: Scutt: $27.00

Retirees: George Hendricks: As of January 1, 2004 there are 132 retiree members.

Unfinished Business:

There still is no answer from the National on Casuals in Lieu of settlement issue.

Constitution Change Proposals:

Article 6: Meetings. Discussion. Call for question by Page, Scutt. Carried. Proposed change defeated. Yes:7. No: 15

Article17: Committees: Discussion. Call for question by Myszka, Page. Voted on by section. Section 1 defeated. Section 2 defeated. Section 5 defeated.

Article 21: Budget. Discussion. Carried.

Article 22: Dental Program. Discussion. Call for question by Norman, Scutt. Carried.

New Business:

Board Recommendations:

MSC to send delegates who are stewards or officers to the reconvention workshops to include the following expenses: 2 days lodging and per diem, and up to 2 days LWOP. Discussion.

MSC to send Amos, and Linda Chandler to the Illinois state Human Relations conference in Mount Vernon April 17 & 18 with lodging, per diem, lost time, registration, and mileage. Discussion.

MSC to buy 20 $5.00 tickets to the March 21st pancake breakfast sponsored by the West Michigan Union Label Council.

MSC to pay AO director at the rate of $10.00 per hour including travel time, plus mileage to attend the meeting on excessing on March 11th. Discussion. Call for question by Long, Scutt. Carried.

MSC that any national convention delegate who flies out of another airport would be paid airfare plus mileage, or the amount of airfare from Grand Rapids, whichever is cheaper. Discussion.

MSC that the WMAL donate $500.00 towards the American Diabetes Golf Tournament plus $100.00 to sponsor a hole. Discussion. Amended by Steve Austin, Scutt to donate the $600.00 directly to local Diabetes association. Amendment defeated. Call for question by Myszka, Page. Carried.

MSC to reimburse members who are paying for dental through dues check off in error.

Motion by Amos, Austin to extend the meeting until the close of business. Carried.

Motion by Schaorie Bryce-Meredith to buy yellow ribbon and tie it around the flag poles in front of the Post Offices we represent to honor those serving in Iraq until their return. Discussion. Carried.

Resolution read to be voted on for submission to the State convention on Article 37.3.a.8 restricting 204Bs returning to craft to protect their bid jobs. Call for question by Long, Austin. Carried. Resolution submission carried.

Labor Management:

Meeting not yet scheduled. If you have anything, let an officer or steward know.

Drawings:

COPA: $23.00 - Tim Burke $23.00

$10.00 Door Prizes: Richard Fletcher, Scott Larabel, Mike Long, Jennifer Amos, Tim Burke, Joe Kresnak, Mike Hill.

Meeting Adjourned at 1:18 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,

Barb Tubbs
Recording Secretary

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