Western Michigan Area Local

General Membership Meeting Minutes

WMAL - APWU
SEPTEMBER GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
September 8, 2007

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Meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM at 918 Benjamin NE, Grand Rapids. Meeting was opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and invocation.
Roll Call of Officers:
Present:
Jennifer Amos, President
Bill Scutt, Clerk Craft Director
Amy Marcus, Executive Vice-President
Steve Lang, Maintenance Director
Karen Hodges, Recording Secretary
David Janes, AO Director
Linda Chandler, Treasurer
Absent:
Jackie Pike Sgt-at- Arms
Scott Larabel, MVS Director
June General membership meeting minutes were accepted as posted.
Applications for Membership
Arthur Henry MVS
Jennifer Taylor Clerk
Shane Reynolds Clerk
Robert Philly Maintenance
Lance Nummer Clerk
Tracy Winston Clerk

Motion, Scutt Second Bailey; to change the order of business so State President of the AFL-CIO Mark Gaffeney may speak to the membership. Carried. Mark spoke about the advantages of belonging to the State AFL-CIO. Discussion
Officers Report
Treasurer, Chandler; report for June, July, August was read and accepted.
Executive Vice-President, Marcus; National has sent word that Management is asking for medical documentation for 3 days or less, if this happens you are to let the union know. We have a new plant manager and she has her numbers set for tour 1 & 3 and right now Tour 3 is running tour 1 mail at 7:00 p.m. Thus causing Tour one to have no mail and people taking early outs. Do not take early outs; sit in the break room on down time. With you taking early outs this will cause management to say we don’t need the jobs. Labor management. Rocco’s new home is at P-3, we are not getting any cooperation from management, and they are failing to honor settlements at P-1. Ballots for the upcoming National officers election will be sent out September 12. Be sure to vote. The Multi-craft conference will be in November. Management is denying light duty requests. Many people are out of work because of it. The non members list will be in the upcoming paper. Want to congratulate Don Kramer for his work on getting the Purple Heart Monument installed. Job well done.
Clerk Craft Director, Scutt; Documentation is going to be required will be told in advance, this was an agreement made long time ago with management. Would have been helpful if labor would be at the Labor/management meeting. I had an impromptu meeting with Susan Aronson I think we will be able to work with her. Would like to congratulate Jack Fryling on his first arbitration that he won and got $40,000 for that member in Holland, it was a 2002 grievance. Rips and tears continue to be a big issue at the P-1. RI399, Tom Meyer is coming in from National. National elections are coming up. Make sure you vote. Welcome Roy Bailey, new tour 3 steward. Pam Bronson is the new light duty designee and Missy Vanderslik is the new Step 2 designee.
Maintenance Craft Director, Lang; Thank you to Jim Smith for his work on the staffing issues. Like to welcome all the maintenance people here tonight. Postal Service is taking new hires off the street.
AO Director, Janes; Welcome back from summer vacation. Was successful in 3 grievances for full time positions. Other issues coming up in the AO’s with the window clerks and OIC’s and carriers doing clerk work
President, Amos; the new plant manager seems to want to downsize the manual section. Retirement fair will be October 21, 2007 at the union hall. It will be hosted by WMAL-APWU and the NALC. It will run from noon to 5 p.m. Holland member Kathy Gordon won a big settlement, largest single settlement in our local’s history, $40,000. National reassessment Process, management is in the phase one of the process, next phrase include interviews with the employee and finding suitable job per the restrictions. You can go on apwu.org under Human Relations for the history of National Reassessment Process or I can make myself available via email at jennia1957@aol.com or call my cell (616) 822-5627
Executive board has recommended the following members to serve on the election committee. Sally Lesiewicz, Karol Imanse, Tammy Byrnes, Lola Verboom and Ed Lesiewicz. Karen Hodges, Amy Marcus, and I attended the AFL-CIO Presidential Forum in Chicago, on August 7th.
It was an awesome opportunity to see the candidates in person along with 17,000 other union brothers and sisters. The union picnic was well attended and everyone had fun. We could use more volunteers next year, contact Amy Marcus or Karen Hodges for more information.
Committee Reports
A&E, Stoddard; gave the check from the golf outing to American Diabetes Association, Was well attended for the distribution of the check. Marcus; Picnic was a success. Will be doing a casino trip in February.
Legislative, Hodges; Some of the things I learned at the Secretary Treasurer Training. Introduction of a bill to outlaw sending Junk Mail. Many states have already introduced this bill. This is big revenue for the Postal Service and this could mean jobs lost because of this bill. The Secretary Treasurer Training will be changed to another name, possibly the Executive Board Training. Every officer is responsible for the monies of this local, so this training will be for all officers. Another class was Goals. We should be setting long and short terms goals for this local. A local this size and with the amount of money we have in our treasury, we should have invested some of it, and should have our own building. POWER had an organizing drive this summer and they signed up over 3,000 new members. Membership is on a decline.
Veterans, Kramer; Veterans can now salute even if not in uniform. We fought the city for this and now the Purple Heart Monument will be installed next Saturday. Another monument going in Veterans Park is the Global War on Terror.
APWU Health Plan, Sally Lesiewicz will be our new plan person. She will be attending the Health Plan Conference in Las Vegas in October.
Board Recommendations
To join the State AFL-CIO at a cost of approximately $200 with half of it being rebated back to local from the National APWU. Carried
That any member of the Executive Board that has to do a schedule change to conduct local union business be compensated their lost night differential and Sunday premium. Discussion Carried
Motion to accept the Election Committee of Sally Lesiewicz, Ed Lesiewicz, Karol Imanse, Tammy Byrnes, and Lola Verboom Carried
New Business
Motion Tubbs; Second Marcus; to hold a contest to name the local newsletter with a prize of $50 with entries on the local election ballot Tabled Carried
Motion Marcus, Second Hodges; to have a contest with a prize of $50 to rename our newsletter, with solicitation to be in this newsletter and to have ballots in the next newsletter with the names selected for the newsletter to be voted by sending them in or dropping them off at the union office. Discussion Carried
Motion Gingery-Merchant, Second, Scutt;To sponsor a team at the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Service Bowl- a Thon Dec 29, 2007
Policy established for supporting sports team Also, to support a golf team for the labor Heritage Golf Outing at $250.
Motion Stoddard. Second Scutt, to give a $1000 for primary support for the Golfing for Hope for Charity and 4 members to golf in it. Carried
Motion Tubbs, Second, Marcus; to join ABA at a 100% at a cost of 53 cents per member per pay period. Approximately 755 members it would cost $10,400 per year. Motion to table, Hodges, Second Chandler. Carried.
Labor Management
Any issues give to Amy. Flatsorter 1000 broken.
Drawings
COPA $31.00 Winner Bill Scutt $31.00 Bill Stoddard donate $20 to COPA
Tom Newton would have won $250 if he would have been at the meeting.
$10.00 drawings, Jim Stoddard, Marilyn Bulsok, Jack Fryling, Jennifer Amos, Scott House
Meeting adjourned at 8:34 PM
Respectfully Submitted
Karen Hodges
Recording Secretary

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