North Carolina Rural Carrier
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North Carolina Rural Carrier Official News Publication of the North Carolina Rural Letter Carriers’ Association Volume 37 Issue 3 Circulation 5400 Edited in Spring Lake NC November—December 2020 Harry Kirk Receives 6O Year Membership Award Former National Rural Letter Carrier Associa- tion President Jeanette Dwyer presents North Carolina member Harry Kirk with a longevity award at his home, in recognition of his con- tinued membership with the NRLCA of more than 60 years. (Continued on page 18) I n s i d e T h i s South Atlantic Conference I s s u e (SAC) Canceled Christmas Procedures NCRLCA Financial Reports See page 16 for statement from your SAC Board Open Season North Carolina Rural Letter Carriers’ Association Officers PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT SECRETARY/TREASURER BRENDA GIBBS AUDREY SOLOMON VICKI GRAY 5877 Turner Smith Road 333 Jeribec Drive 424 Wapiti Drive Browns Summit, NC 27214-9523 Willow Spring, NC 27592-8093 Spring Lake, NC 28390-1562 Phone 336-656-0123 Phone 919-639-0767 Phone 910-745-8815 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Alleghany/Ashe 4 Brushy Mountain 3 Albemarle 2 Sea Level 23 Peach Belt 5 Southeastern 8 Guilford 30 Central Carolina 16 Foothills 10 Roanoke 44 Yadkin River 26 Cleveland/Gaston/Lincoln 29 Rutherford/Polk 47 Watauga/Avery 57 Randolph 42 Tidewater 52 Executive Committee SAFETY FEHB RETIREMENT SCOTT DEAL ELAINE ALTHOFF BRIAN HAMLETT PO Box 711 71 White Pine Dr 7668 NC Highway 62 N Taylorsville, NC 28681-0711 Waynesville, NC 28786-3151 Blanch, NC 27212-9257 Phone 828-234-5593 Phone 828-456-9352 Phone 336-514-7406 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Roanoke Chowan 7 Alamance 1 Tri-County 25 Burke/Caldwell/Catawba 9 Cumberland/Hoke 20 Five County/Person 28 Smokey Mountain 11 Wake 24 Johnston 34 Durham/Orange 12 Piedmont 50 McDowell/Mt Mitchell 36 Caswell/ Rockingham 14 Union 54 Mecklenburg 38 Appointed Officers CHAPLAIN AUTO-HOME INS. REP. LEGISLATIVE REP JESSE RAY FARMER JR TRACY GREER VAN HEATH 4377 5 Points Rd PO Box 41 25722 US Highway 64 La Grange, NC 28551-8119 Zionville, NC 28698-0041 Jamesville, NC 27846-9272 Phone 252-939-6826 Phone 423-707-5578 Phone 252-809-2144 [email protected] P.A.C. CHAIRMAN PROVIDENT GUILD ROBERT A GURGANUS WEBMASTER DALE SAIN 376 Red Fox St RENEE JOHNSON 6289 Nobby Lail Rd Shallotte, NC 28470-1813 383 Clint Johnson Road Connelly Springs, NC 28612-7425 Phone 910-269-8364 Wilkesboro, NC 28697-7243 Phone 828-461-5057 [email protected] Phone 336-984-2368 [email protected] [email protected] HISTORIAN/PHOTOGRAPHER DEBBIE BENNETT 219 Cecil Ave Spring Lake, NC 28390-2522 Phone 910-436-6487 The North Carolina Rural Carrier is published bi-monthly as a benefit to the members of the NCRLCA. It is printed by Williams Printing of Fayetteville, NC and mailed at standard rate by permit from Fayetteville, NC. Articles and photos must be submitted to the editor by the 10th of the month prior to publication. Late submissions may or may not be printed. Articles are the opinion of the Author and not necessarily the NRLCA, the NCRLCA or the Editor. 2 North Carolina Rural Carrier November-December 2020 National Table of Contents Emergency Hotline Armed Forces Veterans Club 24 Auto-Home Owners Insurance 22 1-888 EMERGNC Auxiliary News 34 (1- 888-363-7462) Calendar 35 is a toll-free number for USPS employees to use Chaplain’s Message 5 in the event of a facility or District Representatives & Area Stewards 26-32 weather-related emergency. Dues Rates 15 In an emergency, the hotline provides employees with Dues Withholding Form (1187) 11 information about the Emergency Hotline Number 3 status of their facility and special instructions Financial Statements 13-15 or guidance. Gifts for USPS Workers 6 Please keep this phone How to File a Grievance 31-32 number for future use. Legislative News 17 Letter From Santa Instructions 33 Website Milestones 23 NCRLCA Website & Password 3 Please visit Obituaries 5 www.NCRLCA.org Officer Assignments 2 for all the latest news. PAC 20-21 This month the password will be URawwe_some! Postal Emergency Relief Fund (PERF) 8 The password will be President’s Message 4 changed to the above on November 30, 2020. Provident Guild 24-25 At this time the password RCHBP 9 is only needed to access the Junior Auxiliary page. Retirement 8 SAC 16 Safety 7 Cover Photo Secretary/Treasurer 10-15 Top: Santa at Boyd Mountain Christmas Stamp Trivia 10 Tree Farm in Maggie Valley, NC. W ebm a st er 23 Center: Left to Right: NC VP Audrey Why Belong Fact Sheet 12 Solomon, NRO Dennis Conley, Jeanette Dwyer, Harry Kirk, Tracy Davidson, Doug Byrum. November-December 2020 North Carolina Rural Carrier 3 Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) President Brenda Gibbs While many of us have given to charitable organiza- tions, we can have donations deducted from our paycheck each pay period. From September 21– 2020 Will Not January 15, 2021 you can sign up to donate to many different charities thru CFC. Simply go to www. Be Forgotten cfcgiving.opm.gov/welcome to find approved charities and begin donating thru payroll deductions, a credit There have been so many unexpected happenings card or your bank account. this year. One of those occurred on February 5th when Postal Employees’ Relief Fund (PERF) is listed the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2382, there, CFC #10268. PERF was started in 1990 to help USPS Fairness Act which would repeal the required Postal employees who have been victims of major nat- prepayment of future postal service retirement bene- ural disasters certified by the Federal Emergency Man- fits. The next battle will be in the Senate where a agement Association (FEMA) when those employees companion bill S. 2965 was introduced in December sustained losses not covered by insurance or grants. If 2019. It was referred to the Committee on Homeland you are in a FEMA-certified disaster area and are in Security and Governmental Affairs. There has been need of assistance you will find more information, in- no other action on S. 2965. cluding application forms at www.postalrelief.com. If On September 15, the NRLCA along with the you would like to send a donation you may send a USPS have extended the following MOU’s through check or money order to PERF, the address is: December 31, 2020. Postal Employees Relief Fund, PO Box 41220, Fredericksburg, VA 22404-1220 • Temporary Paid Leave for RCA’s • Temporary Expanded Sick Leave for Depend- ent Care during COVID-19 Insurance For Your Job • Temporary Expanded Scheduling of ARC’s We all have auto insurance, homeowners or renters • Temporary Workplace Changes to Promote insurance, health insurance, life insurance, don’t we? Social Distancing during COVID-19 Isn’t the NRLCA Political Action Committee (PAC) job insurance? The money that is donated to PAC goes • Scheduling of Regular Rural Carriers on Sun- to educate our legislators in DC about the Postal Ser- days and on Other Rural Routes vice and about rural carriers specifically. It allows us For more information go to the NCRLCA website the access to discuss with them legislation that is vital or contact your District Representative. to the success of the Postal Service. If you are already a sustaining PAC donor, “Thank Scheduled Leave You”. If not consider the difference it would make to your job if we all donated $5 a pay period. You can The most recent change is the ability to request become a sustaining donor today. By becoming a sus- scheduled leave through the eLRA on the taining donor you are allowing us (rural carriers) the Liteblue.usps.gov website. This system is not required ability to have a predictable PAC income. You can find to schedule leave but is another option that you may more information at www.NCRLCA.org or on the use. You may continue to use form 3971 if you wish. PAC page in this magazine. Retirees Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) For those of you that have retired, the USPS has a How many of you have been afraid to look at your website for you to keep you informed after you leave TSP account this year? Looks like we all lost money in active duty. It is www.keepingposted.org. You can February, March, and September, except for the G find links to OPM.gov(Office of Personnel Manage- fund which did not lose money; however, it did not ment), TSP.gov (Thrift Savings Plan) and SSA.gov keep up with the rate of inflation. (Social Security Administration). According to www.usinflationcalculator.com and It also includes postal news, information about www.inflationdata.com the current annual rate of infla- health benefits and a Postal store. There is also a tion for the 12 months ending in August 2020 is 1.31% “Keeping Posted” Facebook page for retirees. which is up from July’s 0.99%. (Continued on page 6) 4 North Carolina Rural Carrier November-December 2020 Chaplain’s Message despondent questioning why God chose this boy and prays for his life back. Once again, God performs a Jesse Ray Farmer Jr., miracle and breathes life back into the son and he in- Chaplain stantly becomes well. The widow begins rejoicing and announces her faith in God as she has seen God’s pow- er. Finding Water in Where was the praise and gratitude after the first the Drought miracle with the oil and flour? What if the boy did not get healed? These miracles were not there to show only Even though my life has been filled with blessings God’s power but to show his faithfulness and sover- beyond measure, I have also seen the darkest days, eignty.