General Membership Meeting Minutes

Meeting was called to order at 7:07 PM at 918 Benjamin NE, Grand Rapids.
Meeting was opened with the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance and Invocation.
Don Kramer played Taps in memory of am APWU member killed in Iraq as well as all the others killed there.

Roll Call of Officers:

Present:
Ray Novakoski, President
Dick Page, Executive Vice-President
Barbara Tubbs, Recording Secretary
Jennifer Amos, Treasurer
Jim Myszka, Maintenance Craft Director
Mike Long, Sergeant at Arms
Linda Norman, AO Director
Bill Scutt, Clerk Craft Director
Absent:
Scott Larabel, MVS Craft Director

September general membership meeting minutes were accepted with the following correction: Steve Skorupski was named to the safety committee. Objection by Steve Lang to all business conducted in September because only 4 board members attended and the start of the meeting was delayed until 7:08 when there was a quorum. Vote 33-7.

Applications for Membership:
Grand Rapids clerks: Robert Peterson, Rebecca Wyn, Leonard Cole,Karen Hacker, Tamela Wisniewski, John Hansknecht, Christina Rafferty

Grand Rapids MVS: Brad Albright Comstock Park clerks: Adrienne Van Dreumel, Douglas Morris

Officer’s Reports:

Clerk Craft: Scutt: Eight Tour 3 manual clerk job start times were going to be changed from 2 pm to 6 pm. Now they will be changed one hour instead, so the jobs do not need to be reposted. Will wait to see impact the APPs machine has before further changes. The APPs has been delayed again - October 25th.

Treasurer’s Report: Amos: Accepted as written.

Executive Vice President: Page: Thanks for sending him to Presidents’ conference. APWU VP Cliff Guffey gave report on national convention. $450,000.00 was spent on unused rooms. This will not happen again. 650 employees submitted for VERA after the deadline. Still in discussions on this. Burrus spoke on COPA. Total collected in 2003-2004 was as much as all previous years together. Contract cannot legally be extended, so talks will be forthcoming. He said Arb advocates will get up to 8 hours prep time as they did in the past, as called for at the convention. APWU health plan will be aggressively promoted this open season. Speaker from Columbia spoke about Coca-Cola plant there. Union promoters are being assassinated and Coca-Cola is ignoring situation.

AO Report: Norman: Helped on Holland on OWCP. Did maximization grievance in Big Rapids. Problems continuing with excessing. Had labor management meeting Spring Lake. Postmaster doing work of excessed clerk. Steward in Holland is now doing step twos. Clerk in Coopersville needs help with OWCP. Letter of warning reduced to discussion in Hudsonville. Caledonia expunged letter of warning. PTF converted in Ada.

Maintenance Report: Myszka: may have resolution on casual issues. Subcontracting moving of doors at P-1. All article 32 cost comparisons should be directed to craft director or president. Been winning grievances. Lots of custodial vacancies. Bill Bullock will be retiring next month. That will be a total of 8 vacancies. Keep harping on personnel to get these filled. Don Kramer donated 2 $6.00 theater gift certificates he won to the Solidarity for Charity event.

Legislative Report: Tubbs: Just be sure to vote!

President’s Report: Novakoski: Open season is Nov 8th-Dec 15th. Just got the biggest COLA ever and will be getting a 1.3% raise in November. APPs delayed again until October 25th. Starting test on the 12th in another facility, waiting for those results. On November 18th at 7:00 pm there will be a meeting in manual subgroups. Employees who suffered losses due the hurricanes can apply to the Postal Relief fund for help. You can contribute to this charity through the CFC campaign # 9891.

Committee Reports:

A & E: Amy Marcus: Saturday is the Solidarity for Charity bowling event. It benefits the American Heart Association in memory of Jim Sweeney. It is at Westgate from 1-4 pm and costs $25.00 per bowler. Raffle tickets are $1.00 and tee shirts are $15.00. December 5th there will be a family Christmas party at 5th street hall. Committee needs volunteers. Next meeting is November 16th at 6:30 pm or leave a message for Amy in union office.

Cans for COPA: Catherine Beemblossom: $105.00 donated at convention, plus $68.00 from main office. Scutt: $60.00 from P-1.

Correspondence: Thank you received from Pat Beekman for retirement gift, and national approved Nunica’s merge with us.

Old Business:

Proposed Constitutional Changes:

Without objection, Jim Birman wants to deal with each individual change separately.

Article 6: Meeting times changed. Discussion. Defeated.

Article 15: Recall of officers deleted. Discussion. Carried.

Article 7: Officers and Article 9 Duties of officers: Industrial Relations Director position created. Discussion. CQ Steve Karbotowski, Kramer. Carried. Change defeated.

Article 7: President’s compensation raised. Article 9: Duties changed. Discussion. Carried.

MSC by Beemblossom, Steve Austin to extend meeting until all business is concluded.

Article 9: Vice President’s duties changed. Discussion. Defeated.

Article 7: Craft directors’ salaries raised. Discussion. Carried.

Article 9: Craft directors’ duties changed. Challenge to chair by Norman on whether to deal with 6a and 6b or 6a only. Discussion. CQ George Hendricks, Scutt. Carried. 6a only. Discussion. CQ Austin, Beemblossom. Carried. Vote on amendment. Defeated.

Article 9: Recording secretary duties changed. Discussion. Carried.

Article 7 Officers and Article 9 Duties of officers: AO director position to be eliminated. Discussion. Defeated.

Article 17: Committees: Creation of new committees. Discussion. Carried.

New Business:

Motion by Kramer, Scutt to give the AO director a temporary raise. Ruled out of order.

Nominations for office:

Board Recommendations:

To not absorb the dues increase of .30 per pay period per member. Discussion. Carried.

To purchase 36kb flash drives for stewards that want them and 128 kb flash drives for the officers at a cost of @ $10.00 and $22.00. Discussion. Carried.

To pay the AO director $75.00 towards her computer expense. Discussion. Carried.

To pay Sue Denolf up to $132.00 in union dues she paid after transferring to mail handler pending verification of date she joined mail handler union. Amended by Austin, Matkovich to pay her for dues from time she joined mail handler union. Amendment defeated. Main motion carried.

To make it a policy to send all retirees (who retired as craft employees) the newsletter when it is published and to invite retirees to all special events put on by the local. This policy would exclude those who wish to decline. Discussion. Carried.

Motion by Page, Smith to go on record as opposing the purchase of Coca-Cola products until the situation in Columbia is rectified. Discussion. CQ Lang, Scutt. Carried. Motion carried.

Motion by Amos, Schultz to donate $100.00 to the Kathy Page memorial road rally on October 16th. Discussion. Carried.

Motion by Beemblossom, Austin to allow an additional 10 stewards to attend Traverse City district meeting November 5th and 6th with like expenses. Ruled out of order.

Motion by Beemblossom, Austin that up to 10 additional stewards be allowed to attend the district meeting November 5th and 6th in Traverse City with lost time and registration. Discussion. CQ Kramer, Scutt. Carried. Motion carried.

Motion by Marcus, Scutt to add $1000.00 to the A & E committee budget for this year. Discussion. CQ Long, Scutt. Carried. Motion carried.

Labor Management:
AO director needs to be able to get into the GMF on union business.

Drawings:
Ballots cast drawings: $25.00 - Mike Vachon, $50.00 - Tim Myles, $125.00 - Dave Tofel

COPA $45.00, Don Kramer $45.00

$10.00 Door Prizes: Rich Fletcher, Ray Novakoski, Mar Schultz, Dan Bourassa, Tina Myers, Mike Hill, Sonya Bergers

Adjourned at 10:50 PM.

Respectfully Submitted,

Barb Tubbs
Recording Secretary

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