TSALC Vice President’s Report

By Brad Ramey

 September 2008

Greetings and best wishes to all TSALC letter carriers who are taking the time to read my report on the NALC National Convention, TSALC Board activities, and our TSALC legislative effort in conjunction with Labor 2008.  Thank you in advance for taking the time and interest to read officer reports – I promise to try and make my report interesting and informative. 

NALC NATIONAL CONVENTION – BOSTON, MA

As usual, our National leadership did an outstanding job putting on such a massive convention.  For the first time in my convention attendance, Texas got to sit up front rather than in the very back of the convention hall thanks to a deal National Business Agent Gene Goodwin made with Business Agents from New York and New Jersey.  That might not mean much to those of you who have never attended a National Convention, but it was a refreshing change to actually see the speakers live rather than watch speakers on the “big screens” located behind the podium.

The training provided prior to each business session and immediately after close of business each day was once again excellent.  There was something for every delegate – no matter what your interest or experience was.

Classes provided were – Health Benefits – Contract Administration – Effective Branch Communication – NALC Legislative and Political Agenda – City Delivery Workshop – Mutual Benefit Workshop – Proper Branch Reporting to the Department of Labor – COLCPE Coordinator Workshop – Branch Trustee Training – MDA and the NALC Workshop – The USPS in the Internet Age – Customer Connect Workshop – Branch Secretary-Treasurer Training – Labor 2008 Campaign School – Panel Discussion with Overseas Postal Groups – Retirement Planning Workshop – Food Drive Workshop – Basic OWCP Training – Congressional District Liaison Training – Thrift Savings Plan Workshop – and, Safety, Health, and EAP Workshop. 

Pretty amazing list, huh?  I attended as many classes as I could, mainly focusing on the legislative arena – but ALL classes I went to were overflowing with letter carrier delegates eager for information and new ideas.  Each of the classes or workshops I went to had dozens of delegates from Texas in attendance – I am sure that you will find that the knowledge and information gained from sending members of your branch to the National Convention was money well spent.

TSALC BOARD MEETING – AUGUST 23, 2008 – SAN ANTONIO, TX

Your TSALC Officers met at NALC Branch 421’s Union Hall in order to discuss very important business facing the Board.  I would like to personally thank Branch 421 President Nancy Feldt and Vice President Gilbert Abundis for their hospitality and for giving up much of their Saturday – much needed time off missed for both of them that is much appreciated.  What can you say about folks like Nancy and Gilbert – they are truly dedicated!

We assembled in San Antonio with a few new faces and a couple of missing ones.  Brother A. C. Brown, your elected Director of Retirees resigned due to on-going health issues and will be missed.  A. C. has been there for letter carriers in the nearly 30 years I have been active in the NALC – he has been a friend and a mentor to me and I wish him blessings in getting well.

President Morris appointed long-time activist Bennie Lloyd from NALC Branch 181 as our new Director of Retirees.  Bennie has the years of experience and knowledge to be a true asset to the State Board and for letter carriers in Texas.

TSALC District 5 Board member Javier Olivia resigned for personal reasons and was replaced long-time activist and former Branch 1221 Branch President Jimmy Renya from Victoria, Texas.  I have known Jimmy for years and believe he will proudly serve the members of District 5 with distinction.

President Morris provided your Officers with a full day of agenda items that needed to be addressed by the full Board – the TSALC General Election Plan for this Fall – the TSALC Committee of Presidents Meeting January 10, 2009 in Dallas – the Spring 2009 Legislative Trip – and Board Assignments to complete plans for the State Convention in 2009.  Please look for more details on this website.

President Morris presented the Board with a 16 page comprehensive legislative plan he designed to (a) Deliver the message to letter carriers and their families,

(b) Register new voters, (c) Help NALC friends get elected to office, and (d) Get out the Vote.

President Morris also presented a plan to involve our District Board members by having them be responsible for the Congressional Districts within their respective Districts.  Working with local Congressional District Liaisons or “CDLs” (already appointed by the President), our Board members will be responsible for ensuring that the CDLs stay active during this political season within each Congressional District in Texas.  President Morris and I will then oversee Board member activities and lend assistance, dividing the State by North and South.

Each of your Officers has been supplied with an updated list of Branches and President’s contact information so that we can make sure as many Texas activists are involved as possible.

I ask that each Branch President not hesitate in contacting your Board member or any State Officer in the event we can be of assistance with local legislative efforts – that’s what we are there for!

CURRENT LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITY

I am proud to have been selected by NALC President, William H. Young to be “released” from my duties as a letter carrier and work from September 4 through November 5, 2008 with my local AFL-CIO Labor Council. 

I began work last Thursday and met with Harris County President Dale Wortham and Secretary-Treasurer Richard Shaw to devise a two month program designed to register new voters by October 6^th, then work to make sure Union households vote early to avoid large crowds that often discourage voters on Election Day, and ultimately educate Union members and their families as to who to elect for the benefit of working families in my area.

Over 100 letter carriers have been released across the country and more will be released in October.

Those of you who are already e-activists and COLCPE givers are encouraged to make a commitment of time and energy by volunteering for Carrier Corps in order to help us elect politicians that support letter carriers and our retirees.

CARRIER CORPS

By signing up at the NALC.org website as a Carrier Corps member, you will be pledging to work 10 hours between now and November 5^th for candidates that have been identified by the NALC legislative Department as letter carrier friendly.  I will be calling on those of you that have signed up in Southeast Texas to help us in our legislative efforts this Fall.

Folks, we are Federal Employees, and as such, we a subject to the whims of the President and Congress.  No letter Carrier should ignore the fact that an unfriendly President or Congress can completely change or even eliminate our jobs.  Many of us take the fact that we have good paying jobs with benefits for granted.

I ask you to take a moment and pretend that you are suddenly in the position of having to find another job – I did it when I left the NBA’s office and returned to carrying mail.

Use any resource you want – the “Want-ads”, the internet, friends, family, the church.  I believe if you spend just a short period of time trying this little exercise you will become VERY frightened.  The fact that there is very little out there that compares with our salary and our benefits can be quite a revelation.

Electing Carrier friendly politicians ensures you and your family security.  Getting involved in the political process is an exciting and rewarding experience.  We need new blood to get involved and there is no better time than now!

I am proud of the work your TSALC Board and Officers have done and are doing, but I cannot help believing that we would all see more gains and success if we had more brothers and sisters involved in voter registration, getting out the vote, and actually electing politicians that will legislate more safeguards for you and your family.

I know many of you are tired of hearing about COLCPE, e-Activist, and Carrier Corps – but for those of you who have been around for a while, surely you see the difference it has made with the great strides we have made since President Young  focused so much energy on the legislative arena only a few short years ago.

In closing, let me thank each of you who have supported the NALC, this TSALC Board, and all the work you have contributed for letter carriers.

I appreciate the experiences and opportunities y’all have provided me by electing me to serve as your TSALC Vice President – I promise to do my best to never let my brothers and sisters down.

Fraternally and Sincerely,

Bradley K. Ramey  

April 27, 2008 

As you all know, we had our hands full mounting an effort to get out the vote and turn the tide for the NALC endorsed candidate for President of the United States during the Texas Primary season – I swear, I am still recovering!

I want to publicly thank NALC President Young for “releasing” a number of Texas activists to work full-time beside other labor unions to do phone banks, block walks, and canvassing at the polls.

As I told him in my thank you letter, I believe the release of those activists, the hard work by your TSALC Board, a host of part-time and full-time branch officers, as well as our Congressional District Liaisons and Carrier Corps volunteers made a difference in the outcome of the Texas Primary.  To all of you, I also say thank you and congratulations for a job well done!

Hillary Clinton was behind in the polls during the weeks preceding the election, behind when the early vote tallies were released, and behind in popular vote until numbers rolled in around 9 – 10 PM.  We caught up and surpassed Senator Obama claiming Texas for Senator Clinton and stopped the unbeaten streak Obama had established.  What an incredible victory!

When it was announced that Hillary Clinton was going to be the NALC endorsed candidate, I privately questioned the choice and expressed my concerns to President Morris and President Young.  It turned out that they were also apprehensive (we all like John Edwards), but President Young was adamant that all of the membership had the chance to vote and select a candidate to be endorsed, and that the will of the membership had never betrayed him.

Silly me, I was worried about how I was going to convince letter carriers in Texas to get behind and support a candidate as controversial and polarizing as Hillary Clinton has been.

 I now have a greater respect for our organization as a whole – because these wise men and women made the right pick very, very early on.

How can any letter carrier and their family not support Hillary? 

Senator Clinton and her staff pulled letter carriers out of the audience at rallies I attended and put them up front at many events – her staff actually put District 1 Board member Nikki Johnson and myself up on the stage next to Hillary at the Delmar Field House in Houston.

Senator Clinton is about working men and women – she wants to increase our share of the American Pie by terminating tax cuts and loop holes for the very rich and mega corporations.

Although letter carriers have excellent health benefits, we have to pay hefty bi-weekly payments for them and – all too often – our health benefits do not cover all related expenses.

The reason everything costs so much in the health field is because we are all paying for those that have no health benefits.  The creation of Universal Health coverage by Senator Clinton would benefit all Americans.

Senator Clinton will not have to raise taxes to pay for a Universal Health Care System – she would simply fund the expense by ending tax loop holes, corporate bailouts, and reducing the billions we are spending in Iraq every week.

President Bill Clinton took office with a huge trade and domestic deficit and turned the economy around in his first term in office – I expect the same from Senator Clinton!

I could go on – as you can tell, I am very enthusiastic about future President Clinton – but I am likely preaching to the choir – and we still have a lot of work to do.

Some of you may think this is over and that Obama will likely be the Democratic nominee – to you I ask that you look at the Pennsylvania Primary results.  This is far from over – Hillary has vowed to not quit and I ask the same from each of you.

Senator Clinton’s campaign needs donations and I ask you to consider giving whatever you can afford to donate.  The Obama campaign has consistently earned more and spent more – but we keep winning.  Senator Obama has not won anything since February 27^th in Wisconsin even though he has out spent Hillary in each state.  Please consider donating something at www.HillaryClinton.com so that it is at least a fair fight!

President Young suggested and the membership confirmed that State organizations such as the TSALC should shift their focus from contract education to legislation at the last National Convention – and agree it was the right thing to do.

I am proud to state that your elected Board of Officers and appointed CDL’s jumped into the Primary Election with both feet and pulled off an amazing victory.

Now we are faced with the most important task and we will need all of your support, the support of your family, and the support of all of your friends – the General Election in November.

If you have not registered to vote, PLEASE do so immediately!  Check with all of your family and friends as well.

Talk to coworkers at Union meetings and before and after you hit the clock at work – tell them how important it is that we elect worker friendly law makers – they control our job!

We won’t likely know who the nominee from the Democratic Party will be – but we do know that we don’t need a continuation of what we have had for the past 8 years!  That alone should be enough to motivate co-workers, family, and friends – can you imagine $8 a gallon gas, $10 gallon of milk, or being unable to afford a good steak?  Think about it – we need YOU!

First I would like to say Happy New Year to all – I sincerely hope that you and your family experienced an enjoyable Holiday experience to end 2007.

Looking forward to 2008, the NALC has a full plate of legislative efforts planned and we will need the help of letter carrier activists from all over the State.

This is a Presidential election year and an opportunity for letter carriers to work hard to elect carrier friendly politicians to office.  Knowing that our jobs could be wiped out or drastically changed by the actions of politicians should be incentive enough to make you register to vote and assist in political campaigns – but I KNOW it is not.  Most of you likely already stopped reading, saying to yourselves “Here we go again” – e-Activist, COLCPE, now the Union wants me to give my time to work in political campaigns.

I know that if you are reading this article then you are likely already an activist and care about the job of delivering mail.  Chances are you are already an e-activist and give to COLCPE by payroll deduction or electronic fund transfer.  The TSALC needs your help.

President Morris and I will be meeting Branch Presidents from all over Texas at a meeting January 20^th at the Dallas Branch 132 Union Hall and again on Monday January 21^st at San Antonio Branch 421 Union Hall about NALC legislative strategies and local Branch participation.  We will be imploring Branch Presidents to recruit volunteers to work in political campaigns for candidates in 2008 elections that are carrier friendly and will support us after they are elected.

For those of you still reading, please let me try and explain why I think getting the right people elected is important to me, then maybe it will be important to you.

Let’s start with legislation that would benefit the USPS, such as the Vote by Mail Act (Senate Bill 979 and House Resolution 1667).  This legislation would provide Federal grants to States in order to encourage the switch to voting by mail.  This legislation would not only increase Postal Revenue, but also increase democracy by allowing more people to vote.  There is also the Universal Right to Vote by Mail Act (HR 281) calling for vote-by-mail Federal elections. 

Now, let’s talk about job protection.  The Mail Delivery Protection Act (SB 1457) would ban most contracting out delivery work and might like die without letter carriers working with legislators to ensure passage of the bill.

Now, let’s talk about your family income.  I am getting close to retirement, but because I am a letter carrier, my Social Security benefits will be reduced because of laws that exist from the Reagan era that penalizes Postal employees that are Social Security eligible.  These laws are unfair and need to be repealed, but that is not going to happen without letter carriers, their spouses, and even their kids getting involved and working with the TSALC.

As you can see, it is important to elect carrier friendly lawmakers to office, but I am not naïve.  I KNOW the vast majority of you and your coworkers will not get involved in working in political campaigns.  I wish all of you would prove me wrong, but I just don’t believe you will.

If you are unwilling to volunteer 10 hours in a political campaign, stuffing envelopes, doing block walks, or making get out the vote phone calls, then do me and the rest of us that are volunteering for your benefit a favor.

First, register to vote. 

Second, VOTE!  Consider voting for NALC endorsed candidates that will go to Washington and enact legislation designed to protect and benefit the letter carrier job you do for your family everyday. 

Lastly, stay educated on the issues that affect your job, your future retirement, and your money by reading the Postal Record and logging on to NALC.org and TSALC.net.

Please consider working with your Branch President in organizing a Branch legislative effort that will benefit the NALC, you, and your family.

TSALC Officers will be involved in presenting a class on Branch legislative efforts at the NBA Spring School in Del Rio February 17^th and 18^th.  I look forward to seeing you there!

In closing, let me say that I realize it has been a long time since the TSALC has had a regularly updated website, so many folks are not even aware that we are up and running (even though we still have work to do).  I want to thank Brother Fernando Small from Lubbock Branch 2589 for his work in setting the site up and getting it running.

Please pass the word to check us out, then feel free to contact us at

tsalc@sbcglobal.net - Let us know what you think, what you would like to see, suggest improvements, etc. – after all, this is YOUR website!

Here’s to looking forward to a great 2008! 

Vice President’s Report

By Brad Ramey

First, let me say Thank You for having confidence in me when I was elected to the office of Vice President by delegates to TSALC Convention last August in Galveston.  I was humbled by the vote and will do my best to serve Letter Carriers in the State of Texas – the best State in these United States.

 The following represents my report to the membership (I’ll try and not be boring).

 State Convention

Delegates in attendance selected a new President and Vice President to lead the State Board.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank Past President Ethel Ford for her leadership and for the passion she has always had in representing Letter Carriers.  I would also like to publicly thank former District 1 Board member Marion Ware for all the hard work she put in for TSALC District 1 Letter Carriers. 

 I consider Ethel and Marion very close friends and excellent Union activists – both Sisters have demonstrated a willingness to give a lot of their time and energy without expectation of anything in return.  We need to mentor our young Letter Carriers to be like these two women.

 Texas Letter Carriers ought to be very excited about the Executive Board that was elected.  We have a mixture of experience to take on increased legislative challenges State Associations face, as well as youth for the future with the election of Nikki Johnson and Shawn Boyd in Districts 1 and 2, respectively.

 Administratively, delegates selected two of the most competent and educated individuals in our State when State Secretary, Sharon Rucker (rhymes with trucker), and Treasurer Elisabeth Goodwin were retuned to office without challenge.  These two Sisters have attended National Secretary-Treasurer training and keep the State Association compliant with all applicable laws governing Labor Unions.

 Delegates selected South Padre Island to be the site for the 2009 TSALC Convention and President Morris and I have already been busy looking at hotel and meeting space.  A report on how things are looking will be presented to the State Board, then provided on this web site and at the NBA School in Del Rio in February, 2008.

 TSALC.net

I am very proud of the job it took to launch our fledgling web site.  I apologize for the amount of time it took to launch – but we had a number of issues changing from our former provider to our new provider.  We were looking to save the State money while increasing information and usefulness of a State based web site.  As I stated before, this is Texas, so we want the best for Letter Carriers.

Despite the fact that many areas of the site are still “Under Construction” the decision was made to go ahead and launch.  We will be adding to the already available links to our National site (nalc.org), as well as USPS “Lite Blue” so that Letter Carriers and Stewards will hopefully utilize our site as an essential resource.

 I have asked all Board members to provide updates from the State Convention to present, so look for their reports in the near future.

 Any questions, suggestions, or comments can be e-mailed to tsalc@sbcglobal.net!

 Legislative Trip

I am proud of the job your Congressional District liaisons (CDL’s) did on the trip that was made to Washington D. C.

 This happened to be my first legislative trip and I was very impressed with our National legislative Department headed by Jennifer Alvarez and Seth Hahn.  We were briefed on legislation important to the interests of Letter Carriers, given suggestions on how to present our case in order to receive support from Congressional members, then went to our appointments that afternoon and the next day.

We have 32 Congressional Districts in Texas and managed to talk 23 Congressmen and women to sign on as cosponsors to House Resolution 282 – a non-binding statement from the House of Representatives on the issue of prohibiting the Postal Service the ability to contract out Letter Carrier deliveries.

As many of you know, once the number of Congressional leaders who signed the bill increased to the degree it did, the Postal Service then came back to the bargaining table and resolved to hold off on contracting our work out in the vast majority of offices for the life of our current National Agreement.

 I believe your CDL’s did a magnificent job that directly led the Postal Service back to the bargaining table to achieve a negotiated agreement that ensures increased wages over the next 5 years and secures Letter Carrier deliveries.

State Chair Training

The week following the TSALC legislative trip, President Morris and I were assigned to attend State Chair training in Washington.  The training involved President Young’s 3 phase Field Plan for NALC legislative initiatives. 

Next year we will elect a new President for the United States, and President Young is committed to having the NALC be a player in ensuring that Letter Carrier friendly politicians are elected to office – not just Nationally, but State by State.

 For the first time, we now have a State Legislative liaison – Les Doss from NALC Branch 181.  I can not think of a better choice for a person to serve in the position of State liaison for the State of Texas.

Brother Doss is a retired Letter Carrier and former President of NALC Branch 181 in Austin.  Residing in Austin, Les was there for Letter Carriers when he and President Morris testified before a committee considering legislation of allowing for a “No Mail List” for patrons in Texas.  This type of legislation would have the potential for critically impacting mail volume that could lead to longer routes and fewer Carrier routes.  Testimony from Micky, Les, and other Mail Associations caused the State Legislature to dump the idea for the time being in Texas.  

 Micky, Les, and I attended training provided by a group called Camp Wellstone.  These folks put on training aimed at teaching how to get out the vote and how to increase volunteers within an organization to aid our legislative effort – which leads me to the conclusion of my report.

 COLCPE, e-Activist, and Carrier Corps

We learned in Washington that NALC Region 10 is LAST in e-activist recruits. 

 C’mon folks - Texas doesn’t need to be last in anything!

 President Young’s e-Activist network will be particularly important in 2008, so let’s get busy and go from worst to first.  Your e-mail address won’t be compromised by allowing the NALC access and you can be a powerful voice in Washington with very little effort on your part.

 Anyone reading this article likely has an e-mail address, so you have no excuse for not being an e-Activist if you care about the security and well-being of your job.  Please don’t just join – talk to all of those you work with and get them to sign up.  I have just a few years left as an active Letter Carrier, most of you have a career to think about!  This is important, easy to do, and benefits nobody but Letter Carriers.  Use the nalc.org link on the site and join today!

 Our new National Agreement allows for an additional withholding from your pay check – President Young like to call it your COLCPE withholding opportunity.  I already give by automatic deduction from my checking account, which you could opt to do also.  I give $10 per pay period and have never missed the money.  The money funds our ability to help elect Carrier friendly legislators that will listen to our craft leaders when pending legislation that affects our job is being considered.

Without the money necessary to frustrate efforts by private business eyeing the opportunities to carve out the profit sections of our company, we would be lost.

 Texas is about average on giving to COLCPE – BUT, is average what we should expect for Texas?  We have the opportunity to excel and will with your help!  Please consider committing at least $5 per payday, then convince your co-workers how important this fund is for their jobs.  There are trips and prizes available for Letter Carriers signing up – please go to nalc.org for the details.

 Lastly, President Young has started an effort to not only aid Letter Carrier friendly legislators through financial contribution from COLCPE, but also through volunteerism. 

 Carrier Corps is a program designed to commit at least 10 volunteer hours for Letter Carriers willing to work in campaigns for politicians seeking office that will in turn represent the interests of our craft when elected.

 Please e-mail us at tsalc@sbcglobal.net if you would like the forms to sign yourself and members of your branch up for this worthy effort.  Can you imagine how powerful our Union could be if we could commit a hundred hours or so to candidates seeking office?

 So, as y’all can see, I have been busy, but I love the work and I hope we will make Texas Letter Carriers proud to the work we do as a Board.  I want to thank the membership for the opportunity to serve and National Business Agent Gene Goodwin and his office for always being there for the State Association, as well as assisting with copying and mail outs.

 I look forward to seeing y’all soon – Please a Happy and Safe Holiday Season!

 Brad