General Membership Meeting Minutes

Meeting was called to order at 7:05 PM at 918 Benjamin NE, Grand Rapids.
Meeting was opened with the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance and Invocation.

Roll Call of Officers:

Present:

Steve Austin, President
Jennifer Amos, Recording Secretary
Karen Hodges, Treasurer
Orv Glombowski, AO Director
Bill Scutt, Clerk Craft Director
Jim Sweeney, Special Delivery Craft Director
Larry Niece, Mailhandler Craft Director
Ronda Payne, Sergeant at Arms
Absent:
Doug Kunst, MVS Craft Director
Catherine Beemblossom, Executive Vice-President
Vacant:
Maintenance Craft Director

Brad Wade, AFL-CIO State Legislative Coordinator, addressed the membership for 10 minutes regarding the importance of voting in the November election. He encouraged voters to support the democratic party.

President motioned to accept minutes for the June 13, 1998 General Membership Meeting and the July Special Meeting on July 13, 1998. Larry Niece challenged the chair, stating that the Executive Board took care of this matter in the October Executive Board meeting on September 12, 1998. Challenge carried by membership. President proceeded to next order of business.

Applications for Membership:

Clerks, Grand Rapids:

Shawn Murphy-- Janice Mason --Pamela Crane

Langdon Daughtrey --Amanda Palmitier --Russell Palmitier

Frederick Pletz --Jose Flores --Lynn Kiessel

Carol Hoogterp --Shalondra Thornton --Jeffrey Trestrail

Patricia Buchs --Catina Ellis --Cindy Creighton

Gayle Gonzales --Carmony Allen --John Myszka

Roger Mclellan --Christopher Loyd --Tyler Jacobson

Carolyn Hunter --John Larry --Fredrick Brown

Anna Sanchez --Patricia Stone --Greta Schroeder

Jamie Hemenway --Tim Sliede

MVS, Grand Rapids:

Victor Januszewski

Clerks, Ada

Jamie Snyder --Micheal Lessens

Bills Accepted by Majority Vote:

$6.46 Orville Glombowski, Postage for grievances
$57.41 Orville Glombowski, Office Supplies
$63.87

Treasurers Report: Hodges -- Financial report accepted as read by majority vote.

Associate Office Report: Glombowski – Meeting with Wes Williams on Postmasters performing bargaining unit work resulted in agreement to cease this practice. Major victory for associate offices. REDRESS program should have a positive impact on EEO intervention. It appears to be a constructive tool to assist the sometimes lengthy EEO process.

Clerk Craft Report: Scutt – Many conversions made due to excess amount of residual vacancies. Catherine Beemblossom, Missy Grose and others diligently tracked residual vacancies to help get PTFs converted and placed into those positions. The process has begun…we will keep you updated. I have been appointed an advocate by the APWU. The acceptance process went all the way to Washington. Several new hires and new members for the APWU. Membership is growing. Labor-Management meeting on 10-1-98 went very well. Many positive results came out of this meeting.

Special Delivery Report: Sweeney – Leadership for Special Delivery in transition due to elimination of craft. State and local Special Delivery Directors unsure of future as officers. Originally, there were five positions. We asked for eight, and received six. Mike Szubinski is presently supervising this operation. This is subject to change.

Steve Austin presented George Hendricks with a framed charter for the new Western Michigan Area Local, Retirees Chapter. Hendricks expressed his appreciation.

President Report: Steven J. Austin – What a pleasure to have the second Retirees Chapter in Michigan. It was a great experience working on the Rules Committee at the National Convention. I also spent two weeks in Washington last month working on the Election Committee. I am going back to Washington this week to finish up with my committee duties for the National Officers Election. I will be joined by more than forty to count ballots. I will to talk to the National Officers about the automation level 4/5 issue. Jim Smith has resigned as Maintenance craft director. Kudos to Catherine Beemblossom, Missy Grose, and Bill Scutt for their efforts with residual vacancies and conversions. Welcome to Big Rapids, the newest addition to our associate offices. The Western Michigan Area Local has 37 associate offices. Our overall membership is growing. We have more than 900 members.

Special Delivery Addition: Sweeney – The US Postal Service no longer offers special delivery service. Mail from other countries endorsed “special delivery” won’t be handled as in the past. The Grand Rapids post office has not issued instructions on how to handle special delivery mail.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

POWER Committee -- Karen Hodges: The retirement seminar was not well attended. Three members showed up. The seminar wasn’t just for people ready to retire…it was for the anyone wanting to plan ahead for their future. It takes a lot of planning to retire comfortably.

Budget Committee – Ray Novakoski: Meeting held on September 30, 1998 to discuss budget for 1999. Committee members are: Ray Novakoski (Chairperson), Steve Austin, Mike Long, Jennifer Amos, Karen Hodges, and Larry Niece. The committee used amounts from past budgets and built upon them. The committee should have a finished product by December 1998.

1998 Election Committee – Committee appointed by Executive Board due to no quorum at September General Membership Meeting. The members: Michelle Flanagan (Chairperson), Cindy Cunningham (Secretary), Catherine Beemblossom, Dan Chester, John Gregory III, Melissa Grose, Marty VanWiggen and Sally Murphy.

Correspondence: Letter from the Police Officers Association of Michigan soliciting a donation in the amount of $50.

President yields chair to Melissa Grose, Election Committee member, to conduct nomination process for local officer elections. Sally Murphy took notes.

Nominations For WMAL Officer Election:

President—Ray Novakoski, Steve Austin, Karen Hodges, William Scutt, Richard Page

Vice-President—Jennifer Amos, Jim Sweeney, Richard Page, Jennifer Gilbert, Jim Smith, Ray Novakoski, Larry Niece.

Treasurer—Sandy Hinkel, Karen Hodges, John Farnworth, Ed Moore, Betty Davis, Jennifer Amos, Rose Tofel, Joan Johnson-Pepper, Jim Sweeney.

Recording Secretary—Barb Tubbs, Jim Sweeney, Jennifer Amos, Ronda Payne, Glenda Novakoski, Jim Hansma.

Directors:

Clerk—William Scutt, Jennifer Gilbert, Richard Page, Steve Austin, Ray Novakoski, Jim Sweeney.

Mailhandler—Perry Fredricks, Larry Niece, Jerry Price.

Maintenance—Pam Krueger, Jim Myska, Jim Smith, Orville Glombowski, Jane Symko, Brian Proctor, Steve Karbutowski, Jeff Larabel.

Motor Vehicle Services—Doug Kunst, Tim Pepper, Scott Larabel, Mark Juczynski.

Special Delivery—Marion Maksymowski, Steve Austin, Jim Sweeney, Bob Sieracki.

Sergeant At Arms—Ronda Payne, Mike Long, Marshall Sprik, Larry Niece, Ed Moore, Tim Ozinga, Steve Karbutowski, John Hansma, Barb Tubbs, Jim Hansma.

Associate Office Director—Ronda Payne, Orville Glombowski, William Scutt, Richard Page, Randy Bates.

Election Committee yields chair to President.

New Business:

Motion by Scutt to transfer $5000 from contingency fund to general fund to cover the cost of back-ordered union jackets for membership. 2nd Gilbert. Notice will be posted per the constitution. The vote will take place at the November General Membership Meeting.

Motion by Niece to pay Joanne Saukas for lost time and parking for labor board hearing. 2nd Henkel. Discussion. [Dan Chester called for the question. 2nd Scutt. Carried] Carried.

Motion by Scutt to be paid to attend the Iron Mountain district meeting this weekend at the cost of 259.44 plus mileage. 2nd Amos. Discussion. Defeated.

Motion by Scutt to send a donation of $20 to Susan Cambel for the Diabetes Walk. 2nd Sweeney. Discussion. Defeated.

Motion by Niece to adjourn. 2nd Glombowski. Defeated.

Motion by Amos to extend meeting until end of business. 2nd Scutt. Carried.

Labor Management – Gilbert--PTFs moved to five day work week at P-1. Too many 204Bs from one tour. Glombowski—Need to move up the meeting for labor management at Big Rapids.

Drawings:

$28.50 to COPA, $28.50 to William Scutt.

$10 door prizes: Don Kramer, Steve Austin, Ronda Payne, Marion Maksymowski, Orville Glombowski, Jim Sweeney, Phil Loy.

Meeting adjourned at 9:14 PM.

Respectfully Submitted

Jennifer Amos
Recording Secretary

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