October 2020

NAPS 2020 Presidential Candidate Questionnaire page 8

October 2020

page 29 October 2020, Volume 111, No. 10 In This Issue October 2020 The Postal Supervisor (ISSN 0032-5384) is printed monthly, with a combined September/October issue, by the National Association of Postal Su- FEATURES pervisors (NAPS), 1727 King St., Suite 400, Alexandria, VA 22314-2753; 703-836-9660; fax, 8 NAPS 2020 Presidential Candidate Questionnaire 703-836-9665; website, www.naps.org; general e-mail, [email protected]. ©2020 NAPS provided its questionnaire to the two major presidential candidates. Periodicals postage paid at Alexandria, VA, and additional mailing offices. 12 July Consultative Verbal instructions from USPS leadership, NAPS members receive The Postal Supervisor conducting route inspections while driving and making route inspection as part of their membership dues. Members not position permanent among items discussed. receiving the publication on a regular basis 24 Legislative Report Card See how your House member voted on should notify their two postal bills. branch secretaries. Non- member subscription www.naps.org price: $25 per year. Objective RESIDENT OFFICERS Submissions— Articles submitted for The objective of the Asso- 3 A USPS Balancing Act—Business vs. Service publication should ciation shall be to pro- Brian J. Wagner promote the welfare of mote, through appropriate NAPS and its members 4 in accordance with and effective action, the A History of Challenge in Serving Ivan D. Butts Article II of the NAPS welfare of its members, 5 Yes, Congress, We Are Essential—and Always Have Constitution & Bylaws. and to cooperate with the Been! Chuck Mulidore The NAPS resident offi- USPS and other agencies cers reserve the right to edit all articles, as well of the federal government as decline to publish in a continuing effort to COLUMNS submitted material. improve the service, to Branch officer articles raise the standard of 29 Legislative Update Bob Levi must be not more than efficiency, and to widen 350 words. Send all arti- 38 The NAPS Postmaster Joe Bodary cles to NAPS Secretary/ the field of opportunity Treasurer Chuck Muli- for its members who make dore at naps.cm@naps. the Postal Service or the org. DEPARTMENTS Reprint requests federal government their and other correspon- life work. 16 NAPS of Note dence may be addressed to Karen Young; phone/fax, 540-636- 22 Views from the Vice Presidents Tommy Roma and Myrna 2569; [email protected]. Pashinski High-resolution photos may be e-mailed to [email protected]. Please include 23 Thrift Savings Plan August 2020 your non-USPS e-mail. NAPS neither assumes responsibility for the contents of the articles 31 67th National Convention Registration Form published herein, nor does it necessarily agree Registration closes July 24, 2021; hotel room block expires Aug. 4 with the opinions expressed. Moreover, opinions expressed by an author do not necessarily 32 reflect the opinions of the author’s branch. Best Website and Newsletter Contests Deadline for entries is June 30, 2021 Advertising—Advertising inquiries should be directed to Karen Young; phone/fax, 540- 33 2021 NAPS Golf Tournament 636-2569; [email protected]. The publication of any advertising herein 34 2020 SPAC Contributors does not necessarily constitute NAPS endorse- ment of the products or services offered. 35 SPAC Scoreboard Postmaster—Please send address labels, clipped from undeliverable copies, along with 37 Thoughts from the NAPS Branches Dioenis D. Perez USPS Form 3579, to The Postal Supervisor, 1727 King St., Suite 400, Alexandria, VA 22314-2753. 39 Notes from the National Auxiliary Beverly Austin Commentary from the Resident Officers A USPS Balancing Act— Business vs. Service

he U.S. Postal Service’s total revenue in Fiscal and concerns about the timely delivery of mail-in bal- Year 2019 was $71.2 billion— enough to place it lots for the November election have caused angst 43rd on the Fortune 500 if it were a private com- among various postal stakeholders regarding the USPS’ T pany. So, the USPS is big business. In reality, how current service performance. Such news can negatively should the Postal Service be viewed—as a business or a impact the long-standing trust the American public has public service? How should it be managed—for profit or had for the Postal Service and, more importantly, nega- not for profit? Here’s the scoop. tively impact the agency’s revenue stream with cus- In the simplest terms, the Post Office Department tomers switching to USPS competitors. was first established by Congress NAPS fully supports a viable, highly trusted, effi- under the U.S. Constitution. With cient and cost-effective Postal Service whose focus is the passage of the 1970 “Postal Re- serving the American public. As a postal stakeholder, organization Act,” the U.S Postal NAPS is ready, willing and able to provide Postmaster Service was established as a self-suf- General Louis DeJoy and his leadership team with input ficient government agency to serve and assistance to achieve the agency’s goal of opera- the American public without tax- tional efficiency, financial stability and the highest level payer funding. Today’s Postal Ser- of trust and service to the American public. vice could be viewed as a business, Furthermore, NAPS supports postal legislation that but a public-service business with a keeps this same, high level of trust and service. We en- Brian J. Wagner universal service obligation to bind courage legislation that addresses the impact COVID-19 President the nation together. has had on USPS finances, operations and the safety It’s no surprise the Postal Service and security of postal employees. NAPS will continue to is considered one of the most consistently popular and seek passage of long-overdue postal reform legislation trusted entities among federal agencies. In April 2020, that includes major components such as repealing the the Pew Research Center reported that 91% of the prefunding of future retiree health benefits, fair and American public approved of the USPS. flexible postage rates, incentives to develop innovative In general, a business is owned by an individual, products and services and protecting the Postal Service’s partners or shareholders, with a goal of profitability to universal service obligation. maximize the value for its shareholders. However, there This past June, I had a meet-and-greet Zoom meet- are no owners or shareholders of the Postal Service. There ing with incoming PMG DeJoy, where he stated the are stakeholders, with a vested interest to maximize the USPS can’t provide service at all cost. That is under- intrinsic value of mail delivery to the American public. standable, as no business can give away the shop if it So, who exactly are these stakeholders? According wants to be financially successful. But it can’t be at the to the executive summary in the Postal Service’s cost of service levels to the American public. “FY2020-2024 Five-Year Strategic Plan,” stakeholders in- I agree with DeJoy’s Aug. 7 USPS Newsbreak state- clude the president, Congress, the American people, ment: “It is crucial that we do what is within our con- postal employees, business partners and, of course, cus- trol to help us successfully complete our mission to tomers. When NAPS and our members hear U.S. Postal serve the American people and, through the universal Service, we hear service. service obligation, bind our nation together by main- However, recent news stories about mail delays, taining and operating our unique, vital and resilient in- postal processing machines taken out of service, man- frastructure.” dates to reduce overtime, changes in post office hours Continued on page 10

The Postal Supervisor / October 2020 3 A History of Challenge in Serving s we enter the month of October in a national the USPS for a percent- election year, some in this heavily partisan era age of its ground mail The Postal Supervisor are waiting with bated breath for the October delivery. The USPS pays 2020 Production Schedule A “surprise” that could sway an election from $1.5 billion annually to Copy victory to defeat. Unfortunately, the postal version of move letters and parcels Issue Deadline* Mails this surprise has happened much earlier. via FedEx air cargo NOV SEPT 28 OCT 22 As I have stated in past articles, we have faced pro- planes. FedEx spent al- DEC OCT 23 NOV 17 ponents who have advocated for most $10.5 million on JAN 21 NOV 23 DEC 22 the privatization of America’s lobbying in 2019. FEB JAN 4 JAN 28 Postal Service since the enactment Pitney Bowes has *Copy must be received by this day; see of H.R. 17070 (91st), “An Act to 11,000 workers world- page 2 for submission information. improve and modernize the postal wide. Its 2019 revenue service, to reorganize the Post Of- was $3.2 billion. It paid for a “White Paper” in 2013 fice Department, and for other pur- that recommended privatizing postal trucking, retail poses.” The Postal Reorganization and mail processing. In 2002, Pitney Bowes became Act of 1970 passed by Congress the largest U.S. presorted mail network. Pitney Bowes abolished the then-United States would vastly increase its profits if those recommenda- Ivan D. Butts Post Office Department. Until that tions bore fruit. Pitney Bowes contributed over $1 mil- Executive Vice President time, the Post Office Department lion to lobby Congress in 2019. was part of the cabinet. These aren’t the only companies that would benefit In its place, the United States Postal Service was from postal privatization. On Aug. 12, CNN reported created as a corporation-like, independent agency with that PMG Louis DeJoy continues to hold a multimil- an official monopoly on the delivery of mail in the lion-dollar stake in his former company XPO Logistics, United States. President Richard Nixon signed the act a United States Postal Service contractor, likely creating into law on Aug. 12, 1970. This legislation was a direct a major conflict of interest, according to newly obtained outcome of the U.S. postal strike of 1970. financial disclosures and ethics experts. Since these legislators’ engagement, we have seen Outside experts who spoke to CNN were shocked countless attacks on the foundational structure of this that ethics officials at the Postal Service approved this American treasure. These attacks have come from vari- arrangement, which allows DeJoy to keep at least $30 ous entities. million in XPO holdings. DeJoy and the USPS have United Parcel Service (UPS) has said he fully complied with the reg- 495,000 employees and 21,000 re- On the Move? ulations. tail locations. Its 2019 revenue was We have faced these propo- $74 billion. It delivers only when nents of privatization for many Have you moved or are planning a and where it can make a profit. UPS years, while maintaining our com- move? Let NAPS know, too! pays the USPS to deliver 100 million mitment to serving America. With Keeping your mailing address cur- to 300 million parcels annually to our legislative friends in Congress, rent at NAPS Headquarters helps us less-profitable locations, according we have been able to sustain the keep The Postal Supervisor coming to the industry watchdog group, to you without interruption and attacks on this American institu- Courier Express and Postal Observ- avoid unnecessary “Address Service tion. We also have seen the intro- er. UPS has a stake in eliminating its Requested” charges. duction of numerous bills by our main U.S. competitor—the Postal legislative champions with the ex- Please let us know your new address Service. In 2019, UPS spent $7.3 and its effective date as soon as you press purpose of increasing the sus- million on lobbying. know it. Address changes may be tainability of America’s Postal Ser- FedEx employs 245,000 work- mailed to NAPS at 1727 King St., vice. Fighting together, America ers and recorded $37 billion in rev- Suite 400, Alexandria, VA 22314- wins. enue in 2019. It also delivers when 2753, or faxed to (703) 836-9665. In solidarity … and where it is profitable and uses [email protected]

4 October 2020 / The Postal Supervisor Yes, Congress, We Are Essential —and Always Were!

here has been a flurry of activity during the ployees for at least 50 years and stipulated that the 2020 campaign season regarding the United price of postage could not increase faster than the States Postal Service with the effects of COVID- rate of inflation. T 19 on operations. Specifically, whether the It also mandated the USPS to deliver six days of Postal Service can deliver election ballots in time to be the week. According to former Rep. Davis, the Bush properly counted in the 2020 national election. administration threatened to veto the legislation un- Even more scrutiny has been placed on the Postal less Congress added the provision regarding the Service since the selection of Louis funding of employee benefits in advance with the DeJoy as postmaster general and objective of using that money to reduce the federal ill-advised directives that have deficit. contributed to delayed mail and Consequently, between 2007 and 2016, the USPS reduced service across the country lost $62.4 billion; the Postal Service OIG estimated in advance of the November elec- that $54.8 billion of that was due to prefunding retiree tions. benefits. By the end of 2019, the USPS had $160.9 bil- There has been a lot of conver- lion in debt due to growth of the internet, the Great sation about the impact of postal Recession and prepaying employee benefits as stipulat- operations on the country as a ed in PAEA. Chuck Mulidore whole—not just the delivery of Mail volume decreased from 97 billion to 68 bil- Secretary/Treasurer ballots, but also medications, lion pieces from 2006 to 2012. The employee benefit packages, mail to our service prepayment cost the USPS about $5.5 billion per year members overseas and more. Certainly, COVID-19 and the USPS began defaulting on this payment in and misguided operational decisions from L’Enfant 2012. The latest quarterly financials of the USPS do Plaza have contributed to this conversation. But let’s not suggest the COVID-19 pandemic further reduced take a step back a few years to when the problems income due to decreased demand in 2020. surrounding the United States Postal Service began According to Bloomberg, prefunding retiree health and how, if those issues had been corrected, the benefits “is a requirement that no other entity, private Postal Service and our country may not be in this or public, has to make.” Columnist Dan Casey wrote current predicament. in a July 2014 op-ed in The Roanoke Times that the Per Wikipedia, The “Postal Accountability and En- PAEA is “one of the most insane laws Congress ever hancement Act” (PAEA) was enacted by the 109th enacted.” Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bill Pascrell, a Democratic House member from Bush on Dec. 20, 2006. The bill was introduced in the New Jersey, said in 2019 the PAEA was rushed through House of Representatives by Republican Tom Davis of Congress without due consideration and referred to it Virginia and co-sponsored by Republican John M. as “one of the worst pieces of legislation Congress has McHugh of New York and Democrats Henry Waxman passed in a generation.” From my perspective, it is of California and Danny K. Davis of Illinois. clear that this legislation—PAEA—contributed to the As the chair of the Senate Oversight Committee, USPS debt and to the 2020 Postal Service crisis. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine shepherded the bill’s pas- We are glad Congress finally has recognized the sage through the Senate. The bill was approved during importance of the Postal Service to the fabric of Ameri- the lame-duck session of the 109th Congress and ap- can democracy. NAPS members have been telling Con- proved without objection on a voice vote. gress since 2007 this law was detrimental to the inter- PAEA was the first major overhaul of the Postal ests of the Postal Service and its employees. Each and Service since 1970. It reorganized the Postal Rate every year, NAPS members have taken the message to Commission, compelled the USPS to pay in advance Capitol Hill that PAEA must be repealed and replaced. for the health and retirement benefits of all of its em- Continued on page 14

The Postal Supervisor / October 2020 5 6 October 2020 / The Postal Supervisor NAPS Executive Board Directory

Brian J. Wagner Ivan D. Butts Chuck Mulidore Resident Officers President Executive Vice Secretary/Treasurer [email protected] President [email protected] The resident officers may be contacted at 1727 [email protected] King St., Suite 400, Alexandria, VA 22314-2753; (703) 836-9660; (703) 836-9665 (fax)

Northeast Region (Areas 1 and 2, including all NJ, Eastern Region (Areas 3—DE, PA and NJ Branch 74—4 Regional Vice except Branch 74) and 5) Thomas Roma Richard L. Green Jr. Presidents 385 Colon Ave., Staten Island, NY 7734 Leyland Cypress Lane, 10308-1417; (718) 605-0357 (H) Quinton, VA 23141-1377 (917) 685-8282 (C) (804) 928-8261 (C) [email protected] [email protected] Central Region (Areas 6, 7, 8 and 9) Southern Region (Areas 10, 11, 12 and 13) Western Region (Areas 14, 15 and 16) Craig O. Johnson Tim Ford Marilyn Walton 9305 N. Highland Ct., Kansas City, 6214 Klondike Dr., Port Orange, FL PO Box 103, Vacaville, CA 95696-0103 MO 64155-3738; (816) 914-6061 (C) 32127-6783; (386) 767-FORD (H) (707) 449-8223 (H) craigj23@sbcglobal.net (386) 679-3774 (C) [email protected] [email protected]

1—New England Area (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT) 2—New York Area (NY/PR/VI) Area Vice Lisa Douglas James “Jimmy”Warden 60 Rockwood Rd., Hamden, CT 06514 137 Evergreen Court, Freehold, NJ Presidents (475) 355-0575 (C) 07728-4122 [email protected] (917) 226-8768 (C) [email protected]

3—Mideast Area (DE/NJ/PA) 4—Capitol-Atlantic Area (DC/MD/NC/SC/VA) 5—Pioneer Area (KY/OH/WV/Evansville, IN, Branch 55) Tony Dallojacono Troy Griffin Timothy Needham PO Box 750, Jackson, NJ 08527-0750 1122 Rosanda Ct., Middle River, MD PO Box 21, Niles, OH 44446-0021 (973) 986-6402 (C); (732) 363-1273 (O) 21220-3025 (330) 550-9960 (C) [email protected] (443) 506-6999 (C) [email protected] (410) 892-6491 (H) [email protected] 6—Michiana Area (IN/MI) 7—Illini Area (IL) 8—North Central Area (MN/ND/SD/WI) Kevin Trayer Luz Moreno Dan Mooney 8943 E. DE Ave., Richland, MI 625 Alhambra Ln., Hoffman Estates, 10105 47th Ave. N, Plymouth, MN 49083-9639 IL 60169-1907; (847) 884-7875 (H) 55442-2536 (269) 366-9810 (C) (773) 726-4357 (C) (612) 242-3133 (C) [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

9—MINK Area (IA/KS/MO/NE) 10—Southeast Area (FL/GA) 11—Central Gulf Area (AL/LA/MS) Richard “Bart” Green Bob Quinlan Cornel Rowel Sr. 3530 Prescott Dr., Columbia, MO 65201 PO Box 490363, Leesburg, FL 34749- 808 N Sabine Dr., Baton Rouge, LA (913) 205-8912 (C) 0363; (352) 217-7473 (C) 70810-2471 (816) 763-2579 (O) (352) 728-5992 (fax) (504) 450-1993 (C) [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

12—Cotton Belt Area (AR/OK/TN) 13—Texas Area (TX) 14—Northwest Area (AK/ID/MT/OR/WA) Shri L. Green Jaime Elizondo Jr. Cindy McCracken 4072 Royalcrest Dr., PO Box 1357, Houston, TX 77251-1357 3247 109th Ave. S.E. #A, Bellevue, WA Memphis, TN 38115-6438 (832) 722-3737 (C) 98004-7532 (901) 362-5436 (H) [email protected] (206) 465-8689 (C) (901) 482-1216 (C) [email protected] [email protected] 15—Rocky Mountain Area (AZ/CO/NV/NM/UT/WY) 16—Pacific Area (CA, HI, Guam, American Samoa) Myrna Pashinski Chuck Lum 21593 E. Layton Dr., Aurora, CO 95-12222 Moea St., Mililani, HI 96789- 80015-6781 5965 (303) 931-1748 (C) (808) 227-5764 (C) [email protected] [email protected] National Association of Postal Supervisors 2020 Presidential Candidate Questionnaire

In late July, NAPS sent its 2020 presidential candidate questionnaire to the two major candidates for president of the United States. The questionnaires were sent to the campaign headquarters via Priori- ty Mail, with a follow-up email. NAPS received the completed questionnaire from former Vice Presi- dent Joseph Biden’s campaign by NAPS’ Sept. 8 deadline. NAPS reached out a third time to Donald Trump’s campaign by phone, by email and by letter to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. As of the Sept. 8 deadline, no questionnaire was received from the Trump campaign. This questionnaire is for information only; NAPS does not endorse presidential candidates.

Presidential Candidate to prefund future retiree health premiums and further tested by Joe Biden the transformation of its mail mix from letter mail to small What are the most impor- parcels. Finally, the agency and Q tant issues you believe its employees have been impact- NAPS members should consider ed by the COVID-19 pandemic. when deciding between you and What do you believe are the the other presidential candidate? most critical challenges facing We rely on the Postal Service the U.S. Postal Service and its A for our democracy, our employees? health and our prosperity. Presi- As stated in the previous an- dent Trump is attacking the U.S. A swer, President Trump’s at- Postal Service, one of our country’s tack on the U.S. Postal Service is most trusted institutions. A Biden- an attack on one of the country’s Harris administration will ensure oldest, most trusted institutions— the Postal Service has the support it needs to not only and one of the few institutions explicitly authorized by survive this crisis, but emerge capable of serving the the U.S. Constitution. It threatens our ability to com- American people while charging affordable rates. In a municate with our loved ones, receive life-saving med- Biden-Harris administration, the USPS will be led by ications and operate small businesses. ethical experts who believe in the importance of a pub- Additionally, the Trump administration has refused lic postal service. to provide the Postal Service with much-needed funding, calling for rate increases on customers, while push- The U.S. Postal Service has been financially ing to eventually privatize the agency. It’s wrong and it Q saddled with a unique and unfair requirement stops in a Biden-Harris administration.

8 October 2020 / The Postal Supervisor What actions would your administration take Saturday delivery—not only as a result of the USPS jobs Q to address these challenges? that are created, but also because remote areas are dis- A Biden-Harris administration will ensure the proportionately reliant on frequent delivery in order to A Postal Service has the support it needs to not only access goods; private providers do not have incentive to survive this crisis, but emerge capable of serving the deliver to these communities. This is particularly impor- American people, while charging affordable rates. tant for the delivery of sensitive packages, such as pre- In a Biden-Harris administration, the USPS will be scription drugs and infant formula that need to be re- led by ethical experts who believe in the importance of ceived in a timely manner. a public postal service. We will: The country has evolved since the initial idea of • supply the U.S. Postal Service with an emergency moving away from six-day mail delivery. Years ago, the relief so it has the resources to continue serving the idea of reducing delivery days was discussed as an op- American people. tion to support the USPS as it faced uncertainty in man- • protect the U.S. Postal Service against privatization. aging its mandate to prefund retiree health care. Since • revoke the requirement that the Postal Service then, the rise of e-commerce has fueled customer re- fully prefund employee benefits to protect the long- liance on six-day delivery. The USPS should be able to term financial health of the Postal Service. deliver on that expectation. • invest in clean postal infrastructure to modernize Without six-day delivery, customers who have the the postal fleet. option of shifting to private delivery services may do so, • explore the potential of diversification of services. hurting the ability of the USPS to stay competitive as it • enhance Postal Service leadership by filling the va- attempts to stabilize its fiscal status. A Biden-Harris ad- cant seats on the Postal Service Board of Governors. ministration will protect six-day delivery. • protect USPS union workers’ rights by making it easier for workers to join a union and collectively bargain The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has and will and protect postal workers’ pensions and health benefits. Q continue to affect the way by which Ameri- cans vote in the upcoming fall election. What are The obligation to provide our nation with uni- your views on vote-by-mail? Q versal postal services is a hallmark of the U.S. It’s no coincidence that President Trump and his al- Postal Service. Universal service has been opera- A lies have ramped up their attacks on the Postal Ser- tionally defined in the context of delivery frequency vice just as Americans prepare to cast their ballots in the and mail accessibility. Also, the agency has been her- fall. This is another one of President Trump’s scare tactics alded for its ability to secure the mail. Consequently, to undermine voter confidence in voting by mail and the numerous national surveys have consistently award- election results. The truth is Trump himself requested a ed the Postal Service stellar approval ratings, making vote-by-mail ballot for the Florida primary in August. His it the most approved federal agency. What changes, own campaign has endorsed voting by mail. And, his ad- if any, to the Postal Service’s universal service obliga- ministration has conclusively refuted his conspiracy the- tion or security protections would your administra- ories about the most secure form of voting. tion recommend? The Postal Service has the capacity to support voting USPS workers are the eyes and ears of the commu- by mail. We have to make it easier for everybody to be A nity and often are on the first line of defense for able to vote, especially during a national pandemic. If rural and disenfranchised communities. Postal service is it’s good enough for Donald Trump, it’s good enough provided to everyone and every house, regardless of ge- for every voter. ography, income, race, religion or sexual orientation. We must honor and defend the USPS’ universal service Unlike many foreign postal entities, the U.S. obligation as a core belief of our great nation. Q Postal Service continues to be a governmental We also support maintaining six-day mail delivery operation. Do you believe it should remain an inher- for every American home and business. Ensuring the ently governmental function or should it be priva- six-day mail delivery that allows the USPS to stay com- tized/corporatized? petitive and honor its universal service obligation is a The USPS should not be privatized. As a U.S. sena- critical national priority in 2020 and the future. A tor, I co-sponsored the “Mail Delivery Protection Rural communities disproportionately benefit from Act,” which would have protected the USPS from priva-

The Postal Supervisor / October 2020 9 tization by prohibiting it from contracting mail delivery Benefits Program for their earned retirement and to private contractors. As president, I will continue the health benefits. What changes, if any, would you fight to protect the Postal Service from all attempts at propose to these benefits? privatization. We support full repeal of the Government Pension A Offset and Windfall Elimination provisions of the All pay and fringe benefits issues for NAPS Social Security law. Current rules penalize public-sector Q members are governed under 39 U.S. Code § workers who either switch jobs or who have earned re- 1004. Under existing law, postal supervisors, man- tirement benefits from various sources. We will get rid agers and postmasters are denied the right to a fair of the benefit cuts for workers and surviving beneficiar- and prompt resolution of compensation matters ies who happen to be covered by both Social Security with the Postal Service. Would you sign into law leg- and another pension. These workers deserve the bene- islation, such as H.R. 6085, to provide fairness to the fits they earned. process by which postal supervisors,’ managers’ and We support repealing the cost-shifting in FERS and postmasters’ compensation is determined in the oppose proposals to decrease the government’s share of event of an impasse? federal workers’ benefits. We oppose any and all efforts I am committed to working with NAPS to find a to reduce benefits under FEHBP. Our federal employees A fair way to resolve pay disputes between your deserve fair compensation and should not be subject to members and the USPS. cuts in health insurance premiums or other critical employee benefits. Active and retired postal supervisors, managers The federal government should lead by example and Q and postmasters currently participate in the provide high-quality benefits, instead of pushing anti- Civil Service Retirement System, Federal Employees worker budget adjustments designed to shift the burden Retirement System and Federal Employees Health of health care and retirement costs onto employees.

A USPS Balancing Act— gies and schedules. This balancing • Effective Oct. 1, the USPS will Business vs. Service act must be qualified and quantified engage standby resources in all areas Continued from page 3 with data and analysis to determine of its operations, including trans- In order for this to occur, the the probability of success. portation, to satisfy any unforeseen Postal Service must find the right Communicate, communicate and demand. balance to provide the highest level communicate to stakeholders regard- Again, if the Postal Service is to of service against the goal to achieve ing decisions and actions that may accomplish cost reductions, opera- operational efficiency and financial impact service to the American pub- tional efficiency and financial stabil- stability. How does the USPS achieve lic. Lack of communication, inconsis- ity under a new organizational struc- this balance between business and tent messaging and misinformation ture and business plan, it must service when challenged with declin- lead to transparency deficiency and balance the business of the agency ing First-Class Mail volume, in- skepticism about the USPS. with high levels of service to the creased package business, current In an Aug.18 Postal News state- American public. When the right performance issues, efforts to reduce ment, DeJoy communicated the fol- balance is achieved, the USPS will costs, answer to stakeholders and lowing to all Americans: experience greater service perform- survive as a political football during • Retail hours at post offices will ance, exponential savings and ele- an election year—all during a world- not change. vated public trust, while, at the same wide pandemic? Not by eating the • Mail processing equipment and time, securing the agency’s success entire elephant at one time. blue collection boxes will remain and long-term sustainability. To start, the USPS must have a where they are. I think your waistline may grow solid business plan and structure bal- • No mail processing facilities exponentially with my October ice- anced to coincide with current laws, will be closed. cream-flavor-of-the-month recom- postal policies, sufficient resources • The USPS will reassert that mendation: Cinnabon. (postal capital equipment and em- overtime has, and will continue to [email protected] ployee staffing), operational strate- be, approved, as needed.

10 October 2020 / The Postal Supervisor PAID ADVERTISEMENT July 8 Consultative Verbal Directives From USPS Leadership, Conducting Route Inspections While Driving, Making Route Inspection Position Permanent Among Items Discussed

resident Brian Wagner, Ex- structed to deliver mail. trips. Another point of emphasis from ecutive Vice President Ivan • EAS employees have been in- USPS Headquarters is the amount of D. Butts, Secretary/Treasurer structed to work the window to overtime paid and the reasons for it. Chuck Mulidore and Execu- cover vacancies. There has been no communication on Ptive Board Chair Tim Ford attended • There is no pre-tour overtime eliminating overtime, but to be aware of the July 8 consultative meeting via in plants or Customer Service units. what one is spending and exercising Zoom. Representing the Postal Ser- Therefore, it is acceptable to delay caution in approving overtime because vice were Bruce Nicholson and mail and parcels. of the Postal Service’s financial situa- Henry Bear, Labor Relations Policy NAPS is concerned these direc- tion. Administration. tives are being put out verbally by Encouragement has been given on USPS leadership, which, by so doing, getting carriers out of the office on time Agenda Item #1 has affixed no accountability to and returning on time. These are simple NAPS received the following con- what could become numerous con- management tactics that have always cerns regarding delivery operations tractual and procedural violations. been done, but now, there is a greater from various NAPS Executive Board NAPS is concerned these actions will focus on them to conserve cash. The in- members, as well as various articles lead to grievances, union payouts, tent is to balance these initiatives while posted in The Washington Post and poor TOE and impacts to NPA. meeting service standards. on Commondreams.org, Business In- NAPS also is concerned these di- Spending millions on extra trans- sider, Postaltimes.com and others. rectives will lead to an increase in portation trips, as well as spending un- • EAS employees have been in- Joint Statement on Workplace Vio- necessary overtime when it’s not re- structed to delay First-Class Mail to lence complaints filed under the quired, are poor management practices. meet transportation leave times in documented NALC strategy for re- Attention to these issues will help the plants. moving EAS employees from super- Postal Service control costs and improve • EAS employees have been in- visory positions for adhering to ver- performance. structed in the field to delay mail to bal instructions such as those noted The pandemic has created chal- avoid use of penalty overtime. above. lenges with staffing; we continue to • EAS employees have been in- In addition, NAPS is concerned monitor those situations. Organization- structed in the field to leave outgo- no one at the local level is willing to al changes are being prepared and ing mail at local offices if a truck put these national directives in writ- NAPS will be notified in advance of an- “bulks out” to avoid late or extra ing. EAS employees who delay mail nouncement of those changes. We will trips. and record non-deliveries could be work with NAPS throughout implemen- • EAS employees have been in- subject to disciplinary actions for tation. structed in the field to non-deliver following these verbal instructions. In August, after the July 8 con- First-Class and Priority mail to avoid NAPS requested these directives sultative was held, PMG Louis DeJoy the use of penalty overtime. in writing, which are being verbal- testified before two congressional • EAS employees have been in- ized in a coordinated manner across committees on the delay of mail. structed to have minimal or no SDO the USPS. During DeJoy’s testimony, he con- use to cover vacant assignments. These directives were not given by firmed it was his policy to ensure all • EAS employees potentially hav- USPS Headquarters. The emphasis from trips leave on time, ultimately result- ing to pay for late trips. USPS Headquarters is focusing on the ing in service declines he claims • EAS employees have been in- reduction of additional transportation should not have happened. NAPS

12 October 2020 / The Postal Supervisor believes the initiatives cited in this There may be limited situations open up vacated (due to detail) posi- consultative item were initiated by when following behind a carrier could tions. This action also would reduce Postal Service Headquarters. NAPS create challenges in efficiency; we are the cost of having EAS employees cannot fully accept the USPS re- not asking employees to compromise detailed year-round, paying for them sponse on this agenda item. safety for efficiency. The expectation is to stay in hotels and paying per the observations should be performed diem for doing details and/or jobs Agenda Item #2 safely. nobody wants. NAPS Headquarters received a Electronic devices can be used for Any detail assignment that exceeds safety issue from Kevin Trayer, NAPS recording purposes when safe to do so. one year requires approval from an area Michiana Area vice president. Due to Electronic devices also give the observer vice president. If this is occurring, it the COVID-19 pandemic, EAS em- an opportunity to set an audible record- should be discussed locally. The route ployees (NAPS members) in the ing to be taken throughout the observa- examiner position was eliminated in Greater Michigan District are being tion. Standard work instructions (SWIs) 2011. It was determined the position instructed to conduct and complete have been created for conducting rural was not needed throughout the year. rural route inspections (PS Form route inspections. The SWIs will be em- Temporary assignments are established 4248s) by following the respective phasized in offices with recently pro- to support route inspections, if needed. rural carrier’s vehicle along the route moted supervisors and training provid- EAS annuitants also can be used for in a separate postal vehicle while ed, when needed. this purpose. conducting the route inspection NAPS continues to consider this Rural route inspections are conduct- audit. distracted driving, which is not al- ed at a specific time during the year. A Trayer said NAPS members have lowed in most states. Further, the permanent route inspector would not re- expressed concern that conducting reason these observations were sus- solve the need for additional examiners such rural route inspection audits pended in March and April 2020 was during a national rural count or city using a separate postal vehicle is a due to the onset of the pandemic, route inspections in an entire office. safety issue related to distracted driv- which has not abated at this time. We recommend further development ing. The EAS employee must drive This policy change should be revisit- of a proposal by NAPS on this position their vehicle while taking inspection ed and the suspension of these ob- and the expected duties and responsibil- notes and entering route inspection servations continued until such time ities of the position. information in an electronic device. as the global pandemic abates. Members also claimed this is an Agenda Item #4 OSHA violation. NAPS asked for an Agenda Item #3 NAPS is concerned with the prac- official USPS Headquarters response The Postal Service recently has tice of sending either terminal leave to the following: demonstrated the extreme impor- or settlement checks to retired mem- • Is driving a separate postal ve- tance of conducting route inspec- bers. It appears the policy for mak- hicle, while following another postal tions by resuming this process during such payments involves process- vehicle, in the performance of a city ing the current COVID-19 world ing the invoice at Eagan; the check is (PS Form 3999) or rural (PS Form pandemic. The physical process cov- sent to the last or current duty sta- 4248) route inspection audit deemed ers about eight months of the year. tion. unsafe per USPS policy? However, some EAS employees con- NAPS requests that—when the • Is driving a separate postal ve- tinuously work on this detail assign- USPS is sending a check to a retired hicle, while following another postal ment for the entire year. There also or separated employee for a settle- vehicle, in the performance of a city are numbers of EAS employees who ment, terminal leave or any other (PS Form 3999) or rural (PS Form are involuntarily reassigned to walk situation in which the check is re- 4248) route inspection audit deemed teams, presumably due to there quired—the payment be sent to that a violation of OSHA safety guide- being no willing EAS volunteers. person’s current or last-known mail- lines? NAPS requested that the position ing address as shown in USPS Conducting these observations are of route inspector be made a perma- records. not unsafe and not deemed a violation nent one. NAPS contends most of Administration of a terminal leave of OSHA guidelines. Conducting these these EAS employees never go back check was modified in 2019 and is observations in this manner is standard to the office to which they belong. transferred electronically to an individ- practice and not anything new. Creating a permanent job would ual’s account by direct deposit. Individ-

The Postal Supervisor / October 2020 13 uals are notified of this when complet- ing retirement paperwork. Individuals who choose not to have 2020 Vince Palladino direct deposit should notify their prior duty station of their address, as well as Scholarship Winners any changes, so a check can be for- warded to the individual. The Postal APS awards Vince randomly drawn and Service database does not keep a record Palladino Memori- awarded, representing of employee addresses after separation. N al Scholarships annu- two winners from Changes to this process could really in honor of the each NAPS region. quire up to $50,000 in costs and notifi- late NAPS president to The winners have cation to all employee organizations. A honor his dedication been notified; NAPS new process still would require individ- to NAPS and its mem- mailed the $1,000 schol- uals to update their address after each bers. The children and arship checks, payable to move. grandchildren of NAPS members the college or educational institu- are eligible to participate. tion each scholarship winner is at- This year, 10 scholarships were tending.

Yes, Congress, We Are Essential Northeast Region Ethan Tarian, son of John Tari- —and Always Were! Sophia Giza, daughter of an, Branch 508. He is attending Continued from page 5 Michael Giza, Branch 102. She is Cleary University, Howell, MI, Yet that message has fallen on attending Bay Path University, studying business. deaf ears for over a decade. Sudden- Longmeadow, MA, studying interi- ly, a confluence of events wrapped or design. Southern Region in political overtones has awakened Angela Baselice, daughter of Dylan Robinson, son of Roger Congress. Now, many pieces of pro- Francisco Baselice, Branch 202. She Robinson, Branch 124. He is attend- posed legislation have been ad- is attending Queens College, NY, ing the University of North Texas, vanced to correct the systemic prob- studying speech pathology. Denton, studying digital design. lems of the Postal Service largely Mathew McEvoy, son of created by this law. Eastern Region Robert McEvoy, Branch 405. He is Thank you, Congress, for recog- Corey Chalk, son of Dawn attending South Florida University, nizing the urgent needs of the Postal Chalk, Branch 70. He is attending Tampa, studying physical therapy. Service. However, I cannot help but Susquehanna University, Selins- wonder had NAPS’ legislative mes- grove, PA, studying pre-med. Western Region sage been taken more seriously by Charles Alt, son of Laureen Jordan Lapira, son of Joseph Congress over the past decade and Alt, Branch 20. He is attending Lapira, Branch 159. He is attending more, would the Postal Service and Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Alabama College of Osteopathic our nation be in the grips of this de- studying education. Medicine, Dothan, studying osteo- bate? I believe the answer is obvious, pathic medicine. but we cannot be satisfied with an “I Central Region Ericka Knapp, daughter of told you so.” Taylor Murphy, granddaughter Todd Knapp, Branch 373. She is at- We now must press the advan- of Mary Kylander, Branch 104. She tending the University of Nebraska- tage to finally begin correcting these is attending Daytona State College, Lincoln, studying nutrition and ex- long-standing problems and finally Daytona Beach, FL. ercise science. right-size this uniquely American institution. We must press forward, as we have many times, in the face of You see, we didn’t just become in the Constitution of the United Postal Service leadership that stands essential when a worldwide pandem- States. If you didn’t know that, now in the way by issuing directives and ic broke out. We always have been you do! decrees that threaten the existence essential—so much so, the Founding [email protected] of the organization we strive to save! Framers provided for a postal system

14 October 2020 / The Postal Supervisor PPERFERF OffersOffers aa HelHelppinging HandHand

rom tornadoes to floods and winter Agency (FEMA) or the Red Cross or insur- storms, many parts of the nation ance companies that are paid to replace F are experiencing extreme weather. property. Rather, PERF (part of the Com- The Postal Service is reminding employ- bined Federal Campaign) provides relief ees they can turn to the Postal Employees grants to help qualifying individuals get Relief Fund (PERF). The fund helps re-established after a loss, based on an postal employees and retirees whose application process. homes were significantly damaged by You may make a contribution via per- natural disasters or house fires. sonal check (a receipt for your tax-de- PERF is not an emergency relief or im- ductible donation will be mailed to you). mediate needs replacement agency, such Send your check to: PERF, PO Box 7630, as the Federal Emergency Management Woodbridge, VA 22195-7630. USPS Modifies Annual Leave NAPS of Note Carryover for Leave Year 2020 Due to the impacts of COVID-19 on travel, postal staffing shortages and state quarantine guidelines, etc., some members have been unable to take In Memoriam vacation this year. As a result, many EAS employees possibly could lose earned annual leave by the end Ether Mae Center, service. She re- of the USPS 2020 leave year. At the August 2020 a longtime mem- mained an active USPS/NAPS consultative meeting, NAPS requested ber of Margarete NAPS member and the USPS increase the maximum annual leave carry- A. Grant (Oakland, chaired several over and annual leave exchange amounts. CA) Branch 127 state conventions, The USPS notified NAPS that our request was a and California as well as mentor- pay-talks issue and would be reviewed separately State Branch offi- ing, training and from the monthly consultative. Per NAPS’ request, cer, died Aug. 9. supporting NAPS the USPS agreed to modify ELM 512.321, “Maxi- She was the first members from all mum Carryover Amounts,” with an alternate deci- female president of the Oak- over California. sion to NAPS’ request. The Sept. 3 correspondence land Branch for many years. She was living in a care fa- from USPS Vice President of Labor Relations Doug Ether ran for and won a seat cility, but moved home in Tulino provides details regarding the agency’s deci- on the all-male California March to live with her daugh- sion to modify its annual leave and leave exchange State board. ter due to COVID-19. She died policy (see next page). She paved the way for peacefully with her family In brief, for Leave Year 2020, the USPS increased other women and worked tire- present. Ether’s last words to the maximum carryover by 80 hours. For Leave Year lessly to promote her best Western Region Vice President 2021, the maximum annual leave exchange amount friends Margarete A. Grant, Marilyn Walton were, “You was increased by 40 hours. NAPS appreciates the former NAPS secretary/treasur- young folks go up to Wash- Postal Service’s decision to modify this policy to er, and Dorotha Bradley, for- ington, DC, and tell those leg- protect EAS employees’ well-earned annual leave mer Western Region vice pres- islators to keep the Postal Ser- during this pandemic. NAPS encourages active ident. vice viable and our retiree members to take their annual leave for rest, recre- Ether retired in 1990 as benefits safe!” She was much- ation and personal purposes. general supervisor at the Oak- loved by many California land Plant after 34 years of NAPS members.

The NAPS resident officers supported a legisla- tor rally at Postal Service Headquarters in August. From left at podium: Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Rep. Anthony Brown (D-MD), Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Sen. Mark Warner (D- VA), Rep. Jennifer Wex- ton (D-VA), Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD), retired letter carrier Annette Taylor, NAPS Executive Vice President Ivan D. Butts and Secretary/Trea- surer Chuck Mulidore.

16 October 2020 / The Postal Supervisor

Rep. Ed Case (D-HI) (left) held a press conference asking that the Postal Service permanently return to service levels in effect Jan. 1, 2020. He called on the Trump administration to immedi- ately reverse course and commit to fully strengthening the USPS. Standing with him at the press conference were NAPS Pacific Area Vice President Chuck Lum (pictured with Case), union representatives and Hawaii Attorney General Clare Connors. Case informed Hawaii citizens that the Postal Service in Hawaii will deliver for them and thanked these essential workers who have provided a vital service during this challenging time. He spoke about the benefits of vote-by-mail and said U.S. elections must be “full, fair and free.” Also, Hawaii’s primary election held earlier in August—the first locally conducted by mail—was a success. The vote-by-mail process encountered no problems; voter par- ticipation increased significantly. Connors urged all Hawaii regis- tered voters to have confidence in the vote-by-mail process and continue to have confidence in the Postal Service. She urged Hawaii citizens to cast their November ballots by mail.

On Aug. 6, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), chairman troduced H.R. 7015, the “Postal Preservation Act,” a stand- of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, held a alone bill that seeks to give financial relief to the Postal Ser- virtual meeting to celebrate her primary victory. This is a vice. In thanking everyone for their support, Maloney great victory for NAPS and New York; Maloney is a cham- pledged to continue her full support of voting-by-mail and pion of NAPS and the Postal Service. ensure the viability of the USPS. She was instrumental in The congresswoman, with Rep. Peter King (R-NY), in- preventing stations from closing in New York.

Maloney is at the top left; next to her is NAPS New York Area Vice President Jimmy Warden. At the top right is New York Lieutenant Gover- nor Kathy Hochul, who highlighted Maloney’s many achievements and congratulated her on her victory.

18 October 2020 / The Postal Supervisor Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), pictured with NAPS Michiana Vice President Kevin Trayer (right), asked to tour the Kala- mazoo Main Post Office to gain better insight regarding the Postal Service’s funding shortfall before the Aug. 22 House vote on H.R. 8015, the “Delivering for America Act.” Upton voted for the bill, which passed 257-150.

A Zoom meeting was held with Rep. Antonio Delgado (D-NY) and members of NAPS Anthony LaGreca Mid-Hudson Branch 330. Delgado always has been a supporter of NAPS and the Postal Service. He recently voted in favor of H.R. 8015, the “Delivering for America Act.” Delga- do promised his support and spoke of the importance the Postal Service has in his district. From left, top row: NAPS Director of Legislative & Political Affairs Bob Levi, New York Area Vice President Jimmy Warden and Branch 330 President Frank Barton. Middle row: Branch 330 member Steve Thorbjornsen, Northeast Region Vice President Tommy Roma and Executive Vice President Ivan D. Butts. Bottom row: Delgado and Matt Gerson, a member of Delgado’s staff.

The Postal Supervisor / October 2020 19 A Zoom meeting was held with Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), one of the six Republicans who voted for H.R. 8015, the “Delivering for America Act.” Smith has supported the Postal Service throughout his 40-year career representing New Jersey’s 4th District. From left, top row: Ali Richards (fundraiser for Smith); NAPS Executive Vice President Ivan D. Butts and Director of Legislative & Political Affairs Bob Levi. Middle row: Smith, New York Area Vice President Jimmy Warden and Mary Noonan, Smith’s chief of staff. Bottom row: NAPS New Jersey Legislative Director George Barrett and Mideast Area Vice President Tony Dallojacono.

NAPS Executive Vice President Ivan D. Butts (top row, center) and Director of Legislative & Political Affairs Bob Levi (top right) participated in a Zoom meeting with Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) (middle row, left), to thank him for his support of H.R. 8015, the “Delivering for America Act.” Also, to garner his support for H.R. 6085, the “Postal Supervisors and Managers Fairness Act of 2020,” and H.R. 597, the “Postal Em- ployee Appeal Rights Amendment Act.”

20 October 2020 / The Postal Supervisor A Zoom meeting was held with Dr. Cameron Webb (top right), the Democratic candidate for Virginia’s 5th Dis- trict. Discussions centered on congressional polling data and issues impacting the Postal Service. NAPS members on the meeting were Di- rector of Legislative & Politi- cal Affairs Bob Levi (top left), Executive Vice President Ivan D. Butts (top row, center) and James E. Parks Jr. NOVA District Branch 526 President Lloyd Cox (bottom left).

NAPS held Zoom meetings with Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT), thanking them for supporting H.R. 8015, the “Delivering for America Act,” and asking them to support H.R. 8015, the “Postal Supervisors and Managers Fairness Act of 2020,” and H.R. 597, the “Postal Employee Appeal Rights Amendment Act.” Also discussed were impacts caused by reductions in mail processing machines.

Participating in the Zoom meeting with Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (bottom right) were NAPS Texas Area Vice President Jaime Elizondo Jr. (top left), Executive Vice President Ivan D. Butts (top center) and Director of Legislative & Political Affairs Bob Levi (bottom left).

Participating in the Zoom meeting with Rep. Peter Welch (bottom left) were NAPS Director of Legislative & Political Affairs Bob Levi (top left), Executive Vice President Ivan D. Butts (top center) and Northeast Region Vice President Tommy Roma (top right).

The Postal Supervisor / October 2020 21 Views from the Vice Presidents Vote This November!

By Tommy Roma of Amazon, goes back long before he vice were not around. Northeast Region Vice President settled into the White House. Bezos At Congressman John Lewis’ fu- also is the owner of the The Washing- neral, President Obama said just s we speak, the Postal Service ton Post—a newspaper that has not that. Everyone knows that is the mo- is in a state of flux. COVID-19 been kind to Trump over the years. tivation, but it took President A has drained the already finan- So, in the interim, we—the Postal Obama to say it—my kind of guy! cially strapped agency of any reserve Service—are pawns in their private Congress called PMG Louis DeJoy to funds it might have had. And the war. testify regarding the disappearance man occupying the White Let’s face it: Republi- of mail boxes from routes and the re- House is hell-bent on de- cans want no part of vote- moval of all kinds of machinery stroying us. He refuses to by-mail. They will do from the plants. His corporate re- include the USPS in any anything to destroy it. sponse is that, in order to make the stimulus bills he has of- Could this be the reason Postal Service viable again, these fered, telling his minions, why the man in the matters had to be addressed. “Fix it up and sell it to the White House wants to kill Everyone knows Trump and the highest bidder.” the Postal Service? He Republicans fear vote-by-mail and The president’s dis- would not have to worry will do anything to stop it. Our de- dain for Jeff Bezos, owner and CEO about vote-by-mail if the Postal Ser- livery standards really went down the drain when DeJoy stated in a letter to the field that if the plant can’t get mail to carriers on time, the carriers would tie out and go to the street with whatever mail they had. Any mail arriving late from the plant would be delivered the next day. Be- fore, we were taught never to leave mail behind. Our motto always was, “Every Piece, Every Day!” COVID-19 dictates daily rosters regarding who comes to work. Our employees have gone above and be- yond to deliver the mail every day to NAPS is pleased to announce we have a mailbox for members to submit our customers; they don’t deserve photos for our social media outlets. We want to hear from you! Members what is happening. If Congress really can send photos of NAPS activities directly to NAPS Headquarters at wants to help, it can relieve us of the [email protected]. We will review the submissions before posting annual $5.1 billion retirees prefund- on our social media outlets. We encourage members to submit photos of branch meetings, social ing requirement the Republicans outings, meetings with postal leaders, meetings with congressional leaders slipped in on us in 2006. No other in their districts, attendance at career awareness conferences and more. federal agency ever has had this re- When submitting a photo, please tell us about the event, the names of quirement. Why did we get stuck the members in the photo and when the event occurred. Also, please send with it? hi-resolution photos; we want everyone to look good. We are in dire need of new postal We look forward to increasing our presence on social media with this vehicles to deliver the enormous initiative. Like, follow, share! amount of parcels we deliver every day. The current fleet is antiquated.

22 October 2020 / The Postal Supervisor Thrift Savings Plan

We should instruct all federal agen- Fund G F C S I cies, including Congress, to use the USPS when mailing articles from August 2020 0.05% (0.81%) 7.19% 7.20% 5.12% their offices. It hurts me when visit- 12-month 1.29% 6.37% 21.83% 17.36% 6.45% ing the Hill to lobby Congress on our The G, F, C, S, and I Fund returns for the last 12 months assume unchanging balances (time-weighting) from postal bills to see FedEx and UPS get- month to month, and assume that earnings are compounded on a monthly basis. ting the bulk of the pickup business. Fund L Income L 2025 L 2030 L 2035 L 2040 I personally have spoken to postal officials on this matter. They August 2020 1.39% 3.17% 3.81% 4.18% 4.56% stated they would have to wait until 12-month 5.02% 0.00% 10.71% 0.00% 12.38% the contracts they signed with these Fund L 2045 L 2050 L 2055 L 2060 L 2065 companies expired in order to come back to the USPS. If you want me to August 2020 4.88% 5.21% 6.41% 6.40% 6.40% believe that, I still have that bridge 12-month 0.00% 13.75% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% in Brooklyn for sale. These returns are net of the effect of accrued administrative expenses and investment expenses/costs. The per- The Postal Service definitely formance data shown represent past performance, which is not a guarantee of future results. Investment returns and principal value will fluctuate, so that investors’ shares, when sold, may be worth more or less than their needs the $25 billion earmarked in original cost. The L 2010 Fund was retired on Dec. 31, 2010. The L 2020 Fund was retired June 2020. the current stimulus package. Yet the president stated he would not sign Visit the TSP website at www.tsp.gov the bill if the Postal Service was included. He wants to destroy us and conclude with this: Please make sure counts! Are Medicare and Social Se- voting by mail. you exercise your right to vote this curity next on Trump’s agenda? I could go on and on, but will November; make sure your vote [email protected] Strive To Be Candid and Honest By Myrna Pashinski may cause more deception than one mount. In a situation where you are Rocky Mountain Area Vice President might have intended. being asked for or giving informa- In training provided by USPS tion to a group that expresses why want to discuss a topic I feel needs Legal Department representatives, you have done something, keep in attention: candor. The definition lack of candor has been presented as mind the devil is always in the de- I of candor is unreserved, honest or a charge difficult to defend. While tails—or in what details you omit. sincere expression: forthrightness. being candid in an investigation may If you are new to your position, Over my 36 years of being in- offer a small sample of the truth re- do your best to always be honest and volved with NAPS, being garding the situation, it candid. Do not try to cover the situa- honest and forthright has, lends itself to leaving out tion by editing the truth to a level from time to time, been critical parts of the story. where it causes more questions than brought up in respect to In training provided by necessary. If you know in your heart answering questions dur- NAPS officers, we stress that, with a little more investigation, ing investigative meetings. being short and concise in it can be determined you not only NAPS officers have ad- answers given in an inves- gave just a snippet of the truth, but dressed the need to always tigative interview or due also left out important information, it present the truth during process. However, being may cause deep regret for you later. investigative interviews or due honest is the most important thing. Be forthright in your responses and processes, while keeping responses Is it possible to be honest in an the information you share profession- short and concise. Being honest and interview, while not being viewed as ally and during investigations. candid typically will set a person free; demonstrating a lack of candor? Yes, Honest mistakes, in most cases, too often, though, people edit the I believe you can be honest and can- can be overcome if you are humble truth or give only snippets of the en- did. Whatever the situation, even if and acknowledge you made a mis- tire story. These snippets, if you will, you are wrong, being honest is para- Continued on page 35

The Postal Supervisor / October 2020 23 Legislative Report Card

Following is a legislative report card showing the voting record of House members on two postal bills: H.R. 2382, the “USPS Fairness Act,” passed 309-106 on Feb. 5. The legislation repeals the requirement that the Postal Service annually prefund future retiree health benefits. H.R. 8015, the “Delivering for America Act,” passed 257-150 on Aug. 22. The legislation prohibits the Postal Service from making changes to operations or levels of service from those in effect on Jan. 1, 2020. It also establishes require- ments for processing election mail and provides $25 billion in additional funding for the Postal Service. Two bills have been introduced in the Senate, but no voting held: S. 2965, the “USPS Fairness Act,” was introduced Dec. 3, 2019. The legislation repeals the requirement that the Postal Service annually prefund future retiree health benefits. The bill has seven co-sponsors (see below). S. 4174, the “Postal Service Emergency Assistance Act,” was introduced July 2. The legislation provides up to $25 billion in emergency funding for the Postal Service and repeals conditions and restrictions attached to the agency’s $10 billion credit authority created in the “CARES Act.” The bill has 21 co-sponsors (see below).

Co-Sponsors S. 2965S. 4174 Co-Sponsors S. 2965S. 4174 Co-Sponsors S. 2965S. 4174 Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) • • Brian Schatz (D-HI) • Jon Tester (D-MT) • Dan Sullivan (R-AK) • Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) • Steve Daines (R-MT) • Doug Jones (D-AL) • Jerry Moran (R-KS) • Kevin Cramer (R-ND) • Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) • Pat Roberts (R-KS) • John Hoeven (R-ND) • Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) • Ben Cardin (D-MD) • Cory Booker (D-NJ) • Kamala Harris (D-CA) • Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) • Rob Portman (R-OH) • Cory Gardner (R-CO) • Angus King (I-ME) • Mark Warner (D-VA) • Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) • Tina Smith (D-MN) • Joe Manchin (D-WV) • Christopher Murphy (D-CT) • Roy Blunt (R-MO) • Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) •

• yea vote — not voting

H.R. 2382H.R. 8015 H.R. 2382H.R. 8015 H.R. 2382H.R. 8015 Alabama Bradley Byrne (R-1st) Andy Biggs (R-5th) Jim Costa (D-16th) • • Martha Roby (R-2nd) • David Schweikert (R-6th) Ro Khanna (D-17th) • • Mike Rogers (R-3rd) • Ruben Gallego (D-7th) • • Anna Eshoo (D-18th) • • Robert Aderholt (R-4th) Debbie Lesko (R-8th) Zoe Lofgren (D-19th) • • Mo Brooks (R-5th) Greg Stanton (D-9th) • • Jimmy Panetta (D-20th) • • Gary Palmer (R-6th) TJ Cox (D-21st) • • Terri Sewell (D-7th) • • California Devin Nunes (R-22nd) • Doug LaMalfa (R-1st) • • Kevin McCarthy (R-23rd) Alaska Jared Huffman (D-2nd) • • Salud Carbajal (D-24th) • • Don Young (R-at-large) • • John Garamendi (D-3rd) • • Mike Garcia (R-25th) Tom McClintock (R-4th) Julia Brownley (D-26th) • • Arkansas Mike Thompson (D-5th) • • Judy Chu (D-27th) • • Rick Crawford (R-1st) Doris Matsui (D-6th) • • Adam Schiff (D-28th) • • French Hill (R-2nd) Ami Bera (D-7th) • • Tony Cardenas (D-29th) • • Steve Womack (R-3rd) Paul Cook (R-8th) • — Brad Sherman (D-30th) • • Bruce Westerman (R-4th) Jerry McNerney (D-9th) • • Pete Aguilar (D-31st) • • Josh Harder (D-10th) • • Grace Napolitano (D-32nd) • • Arizona Mark DeSaulnier (D-11th) • • Ted Lieu (D-33rd) • • Tom O’Halleran (D-1st) • • Nancy Pelosi (D-12th) • Jimmy Gomez (D-34th) • • Ann Kirkpatrick (D-2nd) — • Barbara Lee (D-13th) • • Norma Torres (D-35th) • • Raul Grijalva (D-3rd) • • Jackie Speier (D-14th) • • Raul Ruiz (D-36th) • • Paul Gosar (R-4th) Eric Swalwell (D-15th) • • Karen Bass (D-37th) • •

24 October 2020 / The Postal Supervisor H.R. 2382H.R. 8015 H.R. 2382H.R. 8015 H.R. 2382H.R. 8015

Linda Sanchez (D-38th) • • Francis Rooney (R-19th) John Shimkus (R-15th) • — Gil Cisneros (D-39th) • • Alcee Hastings (D-20th) • • Adam Kinzinger (R-16th) • Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-40th) • • Lois Frankel (D-21st) • • Cheri Bustos (D-17th) • • Mark Takano (D-41st) • • Ted Deutch (D-22nd) • • Darin LaHood (R-18th) • Ken Calvert (R-42nd) • Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-23rd) • • Maxine Waters (D-43rd) • • Frederica Wilson (D-24th) • • Indiana Nanette Barragan (D-44th) • • Mario Diaz-Balart (R-25th) • — Pete Visclosky (D-1st) • • Katie Porter (D-45th) • • Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-26th) • • Jackie Walorski (R-2nd) Lou Correa (D-46th) • • Donna Shalala (D-27th) • • Jim Banks (R-3rd) Alan Lowenthal (D-47th) • • Jim Baird (R-4th) Harley Rouda (D-48th) • • Georgia Susan Brooks (R-5th) • — Mike Levin (D-49th) • • Buddy Carter (R-1st) • Greg Pence (R-6th) Juan Vargas (D-51st) • • Sanford Bishop (D-2nd) • • Andre Carson (D-7th) • • Scott Peters (D-52nd) • • Drew Ferguson (R-3rd) Larry Bucshon (R-8th) • Susan Davis (D-53rd) • • Hank Johnson (D-4th) • • Trey Hollingsworth (R-9th) Lucy McBath (D-6th) • • Colorado Rob Woodall (R-7th) Kansas Diana DeGette (D-1st) • • Austin Scott (R-8th) • Roger Marshall (R-1st) • Joe Neguse (D-2nd) • • Doug Collins (R-9th) • — Steve Watkins (R-2nd) • Scott Tipton (R-3rd) • Jody Hice (R-10th) Sharice Davids (D-3rd) — • Ken Buck (R-4th) Barry Loudermilk (R-11th) Ron Estes (R-4th) • Doug Lamborn (R-5th) Rick Allen (R-12th) Jason Crow (D-6th) • • David Scott (D-13th) • • Kentucky Ed Perlmutter (D-7th) • • Tom Graves (R-14th) James Comer (R-1st) Brett Guthrie (R-2nd) Connecticut Hawaii John Yarmuth (D-3rd) • • John Larson (D-1st) • • Ed Case (D-1st) • • Thomas Massie (R-4th) Joe Courtney (D-2nd) • • Tulsi Gabbard (D-2nd) — — Hal Rogers (R-5th) • Rosa DeLauro(D-3rd) • • Andy Barr (R-6th) Jim Himes (D-4th) • • Iowa Jahana Hayes (D-5th) • • Abby Finkenauer (D-1st) • • Louisiana Dave Loebsack (D-2nd) — • Steve Scalise (R-1st) Delaware Cindy Axne (D-3rd) • • Cedric Richmond (D-2nd) • • Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-at-large) • • Steve King (R-4th) • — Clay Higgin (R-3rd) — Mike Johnson (R-4th) — Florida Idaho Ralph Abraham (R-5th) Matt Gaetz (R-1st) Russ Fulcher (R-1st) Garret Graves (R-6th) Neal Dunn (R-2nd) • Mike Simpson (R-2nd) • Ted Yoho (R-3rd) — Maine John Rutherford (R-4th) • Illinois Chellie Pingree (D-1st) • • Al Lawson (D-5th) • • Bobby Rush (D-1st) • • Jared Golden (D-2nd) • • Michael Waltz (R-6th) • Robin Kelly (D-2nd) • • Stephanie Murphy (D-7th) • • Dan Lipinski (D-3rd) • • Maryland Bill Posey (R-8th) Chuy Garcia (D-4th) • • Andy Harris (R-1st) Darren Soto (D-9th) • • Mike Quigley (D-5th) • • Dutch Ruppersberger (D-2nd) • • Val Demings (D-10th) • • Sean Casten (D-6th) • • John Sarbanes (D-3rd) • • Dan Webster (R-11th) — • Danny Davis (D-7th) • • Anthony Brown (D-4th) • • Gus Bilirakis (R-12th) • Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-8th) • • Steny Hoyer (D-5th) • • Charlie Crist (D-13th) • • Jan Schakowsky (D-9th) • • David Trone (D-6th) • • Kathy Castor (D-14th) • • Brad Schneider (D-10th) • • Kweisi Mfume (D-7th) • Ross Spano (R-15th) — Bill Foster (D-11th) — • Jamie Raskin (D-8th) • • Vern Buchanan (R-16th) • • Mike Bost (R-12th) • • Greg Steube (R-17th) — Rodney Davis (R-13th) • • Massachusetts Brian Mast (R-18th) • Lauren Underwood (D-14th) • • Richard Neal (D-1st) • •

The Postal Supervisor / October 2020 25 H.R. 2382H.R. 8015 H.R. 2382H.R. 8015 H.R. 2382H.R. 8015 Nebraska Jim McGovern (D-2nd) • • Jeff Fortenberry (R-1st) • • Elise Stefanik (R-21st) • • Lori Trahan (D-3rd) • • Don Bacon (R-2nd) • • Anthony Brindisi (D-22nd) • • Joe Kennedy III (D-4th) • • Adrian Smith (R-3rd) • Tom Reed (R-23rd) • • Katherine Clark (D-5th) • • John Katko (R-24th) • • Seth Moulton (D-6th) • • Nevada Joe Morelle (D-25th) • • Ayanna Pressley (D-7th) • • Dina Titus (D-1st) • • Brian Higgins (D-26th) • • Stephen Lynch (D-8th) • • Mark Amodei (R-2nd) • — Chris Jacobs (R-27th) Bill Keating (D-9th) • • Susie Lee (D-3rd) • • Steven Horsford (D-4th) • • North Carolina Michigan G.K. Butterfield (D-1st) • • Jack Bergman (R-1st) • New Hampshire George Holding (R-2nd) Bill Huizenga (R-2nd) Chris Pappas (D-1st) • • Greg Murphy (R-3rd) Justin Amash (I-3rd) Ann Kuster (D-2nd) • • David Price (D-4th) • • John Moolenaar (R-4th) • Virginia Foxx (R-5th) Dan Kildee (D-5th) • • New Jersey Mark Walker (R-6th) Fred Upton (R-6th) • • Donald Norcross (D-1st) • • David Rouzer (R-7th) • Tim Walberg (R-7th) Jeff Van Drew (D-2nd) • • Richard Hudson (R-8th) Elissa Slotkin (D-8th) • • Andy Kim (D-3rd) • • Dan Bishop (R-9th) Andy Levin (D-9th) • • Chris Smith (R-4th) • • Patrick McHenry (R-10th) Paul Mitchell (R-10th) Josh Gottheimer (D-5th) • • Alma Adams (D-12th) • • Haley Stevens (D-11th) • • Frank Pallone (D-6th) • • Ted Budd (R-13th) Debbie Dingell (D-12th) • • Tom Malinowski (D-7th) • • Rashida Tlaib (D-13th) • • Albio Sires (D-8th) • • North Dakota Brenda Lawrence (D-14th) • • Bill Pascrell (D-9th) • • Kelly Armstrong (R-at-large) • Donald M. Payne Jr. (D-10th) • • Minnesota Mikie Sherrill (D-11th) • • Ohio Jim Hagedorn (R-1st) • Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-12th) • • Steve Chabot (R-1st) Angie Craig (D-2nd) • • Brad Wenstrup (R-2nd) Dean Phillips (D-3rd) • • New Mexico Joyce Beatty (D-3rd) • • Betty McCollum (D-4th) • • Deb Haaland (D-1st) • • Jim Jordan (R-4th) Ilhan Omar (D-5th) • • Xochitl Torres Small (D-2nd) • • Bob Latta (R-5th) Tom Emmer (R-6th) • Ben Ray Lujan (D-3rd) • • Bill Johnson (R-6th) • Collin Peterson (D-7th) • • Bob Gibbs (R-7th) • — Pete Stauber (R-8th) • • New York Warren Davidson (R-8th) Lee Zeldin (R-1st) • Marcy Kaptur (D-9th) • • Missouri Pete King (R-2nd) • • Mike Turner (R-10th) • • Lacy Clay (D-1st) • • Thomas Suozzi (D-3rd) • • Marcia Fudge (D-11th) • • Ann Wagner (R-2nd) • • Kathleen Rice (D-4th) — • Troy Balderson (R-12th) • • Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-3rd) • Gregory Meeks (D-5th) • • Tim Ryan (D-13th) • • Vicky Hartzler (R-4th) • Grace Meng (D-6th) • • Dave Joyce (R-14th) • • Emanuel Cleaver (D-5th) — • Nydia Velazquez (D-7th) • • Steve Stivers (R-15th) • • Sam Graves (R-6th) • • Hakeem Jeffries (D-8th) • • Anthony Gonzalez (R-16th) • Billy Long (R-7th) Yvette Clarke (D-9th) • • Jason Smith (R-8th) Jerry Nadler (D-10th) • • Oklahoma Max Rose (D-11th) • • Kevin Hern (R-1st) Mississippi Carolyn Maloney (D-12th) • • Markwayne Mullin (R-2nd) • Trent Kelly (R-1st) Adriano Espaillat (D-13th) • • Frank Lucas (R-3rd) • Bennie Thompson (D-2nd) • • Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-14th) • • Tom Cole (R-4th) • Michael Guest (R-3rd) Jose Serrano (D-15th) • • Kendra Horn (D-5th) • • Steven Palazzo (R-4th) Eliot Engel (D-16th) • • Nita Lowey (D-17th) • • Oregon Montana Sean Patrick Maloney (D-18th) • • Suzanne Bonamici (D-1st) • • Greg Gianforte (R-at-large) • Antonio Delgado (D-19th) • • Greg Walden (R-2nd) • — Paul Tonko (D-20th) • • Earl Blumenauer (D-3rd) • •

26 October 2020 / The Postal Supervisor H.R. 2382H.R. 8015 H.R. 2382H.R. 8015 H.R. 2382H.R. 8015

Peter DeFazio (D-4th) • • Van Taylor (R-3rd) Jennifer Wexton (D-10th) • • Kurt Schrader (D-5th) • • John Ratcliffe (R-4th) Gerry Connolly (D-11th) • • Lance Gooden (R-5th) Pennsylvania Ron Wright (R-6th) Washington Brian Fitzpatrick (R-1st) • • Lizzie Pannill Fletcher (D-7th) • • Suzan DelBene (D-1st) • • Brendan Boyle (D-2nd) • • Kevin Brady (R-8th) Rick Larsen (D-2nd) • • Dwight Evans (D-3rd) • • Al Green (D-9th) • • Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-3rd) • • Madeleine Dean (D-4th) • • Michael McCaul (R-10th) • • Dan Newhouse (R-4th) • Mary Gay Scanlon (D-5th) • • Mike Conaway (R-11th) Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-5th) • Chrissy Houlahan (D-6th) • • Kay Granger (R-12th) — Derek Kilmer (D-6th) • • Susan Wild (D-7th) • • Mac Thornberry (R-13th) — Pramila Jayapal (D-7th) • • Matt Cartwright (D-8th) • • Randy Weber (R-14th) Kim Schrier (D-8th) • • Dan Meuser (R-9th) — — Vicente Gonzalez (D-15th) • • Adam Smith (D-9th) • • Scott Perry (R-10th) Veronica Escobar (D-16th) — • Denny Heck (D-10th) • • Lloyd Smucker (R-11th) — Bill Flores (R-17th) — Fred Keller (R-12th) Sheila Jackson Lee (D-18th) • • West Virginia Tom Marino (R-12th) Jodey Arrington (R-19th) David McKinley (R-1st) • • John Joyce (R-13th) Joaquin Castro (D-20th) • • Alex Mooney (R-2nd) Guy Reschenthaler (R-14th) • Chip Roy (R-21st) — Carol Miller (R-3rd) • Glenn Thompson (R-15th) • Pete Olson (R-22nd) • — Mike Kelly (R-16th) • — Will Hurd (R-23rd) • • Wisconsin Conor Lamb (D-17th) • • Kenny Marchant (R-24th) • — Bryan Steil (R-1st) Mike Doyle (D-18th) • • Roger Williams (R-25th) Mark Pocan (D-2nd) • • Mike Burgess (R-26th) Ron Kind (D-3rd) • • Rhode Island Michael Cloud (R-27th) Gwen Moore (D-4th) • • David Cicilline (D-1st) • • Henry Cuellar (D-28th) • • Jim Sensenbrenner (R-5th) Jim Langevin (D-2nd) • • Sylvia Garcia (D-29th) • • Glenn Grothman (R-6th) Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-30th) • • Tom Tiffany (R-7th) South Carolina John Carter (R-31st) Mike Gallagher (R-8th) Joe Cunningham (D-1st) • • Colin Allred (D-32nd) • • Joe Wilson (R-2nd) • Marc Veasey (D-33rd) • • Wyoming Jeff Duncan (R-3rd) Filemon Vela (D-34th) — • Liz Cheney (R-at-large) • William Timmons (R-4th) — Lloyd Doggett (D-35th) • • Ralph Norman (R-5th) Brian Babin (R-36th) Jim Clyburn (D-6th) • • Tom Rice (R-7th) Utah Rob Bishop (R-1st) • South Dakota Chris Stewart (R-2nd) — Dusty Johnson (R-at-large) John Curtis (R-3rd) Ben McAdams (D-4th) • • Tennessee Phil Roe (R-1st) • Vermont Tim Burchett (R-2nd) • Peter Welch (D-at-large) • • Chuck Fleischmann (R-3rd) • Scott DesJarlais (R-4th) Virginia Jim Cooper (D-5th) • • Rob Wittman (R-1st) John Rose (R-6th) Elaine Luria (D-2nd) • • Mark Green (R-7th) Bobby Scott (D-3rd) • • David Kustoff (R-8th) A. Donald McEachin (D-4th) • • Steve Cohen (D-9th) • • Denver Riggleman (R-5th) • Ben Cline (R-6th) Texas Abigail Spanberger (D-7th) • • Louie Gohmert (R-1st) — Don Beyer (D-8th) • • Dan Crenshaw (R-2nd) Morgan Griffith (R-9th) •

The Postal Supervisor / October 2020 27 National Association of Postal Supervisors Louis M. Atkins Presidential Student Scholarships Deadline: Jan. 8, 2021 he Louis M. Atkins Applications must be received Presidential Student no later than Jan. 8, 2021. Online TScholarships are applications only will be accepted awarded to honor former Presi- using the NAPS website. Please go dent Louis Atkins and other for- to www.naps.org under the mer NAPS presidents for their “Members” tab to apply for the dedication to NAPS members Louis M. Atkins Presidential and their families. These scholar- Student Scholarships, or go to ships are sponsored solely by https://naps.org/Members- NAPS. Scholarship. Applicants for this scholarship must be the Scholarship winners will be announced in Jan- children or grandchildren of a living NAPS mem- uary 2021. In addition, the scholarship winners ber, active or associate, at the time of drawing. will be listed in the March 2021 issue of The Furthermore, the children or grandchildren must Postal Supervisor. be attending or have been accepted by an accredit- Members whose child or grandchild have ed two- or four-year college or university. been awarded a Louis M. Atkins Presidential NAPS will award five $1,000 Louis M. Student Scholarship will receive a check, payable Atkins Presidential Student Scholarships. One to the college or university listed in the applica- winner will be randomly selected from each of the tion, in January 2021. Scholarships may be used to NAPS regional areas: Northeast, Eastern, Central, pay expenses in the student’s current or following Southern and Western. semester.

Online applications only: https://naps.org/Members-Scholarship Legislative Update

months, Congress has ample opportunity for the extended Bob Levi taken increased notice of postal family to hold accountable Director of Legislative & the headwinds challenging elected leaders who have faltered in Political Affairs the historical integrity and their sacred obligation to safeguard independence, as well as and invigorate America’s foremost merican patriot Benjamin the quality mail service, of government service. In this issue of A Franklin, the nation’s first post- our national postal operation. The Postal Supervisor (see page 24), we master general, is producing seismic Two late-summer, “virtual” hear- are providing a succinct scorecard of movement in Philadelphia’s Christ ings—one before the Senate and the the two postal bills the House con- Church Burial Ground. Even 230 other before the House—laid bare sidered during the 116th Congress. the stark and The first House bill, H.R. 2382, dark political the “USPS Fairness Act,” would re- The Fate of the USPS and opera- peal the burdensome, unique and tional decisions discriminatory requirement that the Rests in the Ballot Box influencing ef- Postal Service prefund its future re- fective postal tiree health benefit premiums. This years after his death, Franklin’s lega- functioning and how these actions injurious payout has hamstrung the cy instills our postal system with in- could imperil USPS carriage of absen- Postal Service since 2007. As you tegrity, innovation and dedication to tee ballots and holiday mail. New know, this is a financial obligation serving the communication, infor- Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and borne by no other public or private mation and commercial needs of all Postal Board of Governors Chair entity in this country. Americans. Robert Duncan were summoned to The second House bill, H.R. However, the degree to which appear before the House Oversight 8015, the “Delivering for America Franklin’s creation has become en- and Reform Committee. DeJoy also Act,” would provide $25 billion in snared in reckless partisanship, sub- was summoned to appear before the emergency relief to the Postal Ser- jected to shameful ridicule and vic- Senate Homeland Security and Gov- vice, reverse the controversial service timized by a personal feud explains ernment Affairs Committee. reductions and infrastructure cuts his fury from the grave. It falls on Democratic members of the advocated by Postal Headquarters, each and every one of us to soothe House committee honed in on the repeal the suspect Treasury Depart- our beloved Founding Father’s soul. analysis behind the removal of mail ment-mandated conditions imposed In fact, Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL) de- processing machinery, the use of on the Postal Service in exchange for clared on the Sept. 4 NAPS Chat that overtime, alleged White House influ- a $10 billion line of credit and re- postal employees, from supervisors ence in postal decision-making and quire absentee ballots to be treated to craft-level employees, should reas- the PMG selection process. GOP as First-Class Mail. sure the American public that our members of the committee were Unfortunately, the Senate failed mail system will continue to be safe, more deferential to DeJoy and Dun- to take a vote on either of these two secure, universal and efficient, de- can and were critical of the commit- House-passed bills or consider simi- spite the regrettable tumult envelop- tee majority. lar legislation introduced in the Sen- ing it. Ten days after the hearing, Com- ate. Nevertheless, as part of our The onset of the pandemic shed mittee Chair Carolyn Maloney is- scorecard, we have listed the co- a bright light on the essential nature sued a subpoena requiring DeJoy to sponsors of the two bills most simi- of our postal system in providing a produce yet-to-be-shared informa- lar to H.R. 2382 and H.R. 8015 intro- universal network for commerce and tion and documents requested at the duced in the Senate. communications. NAPS’ national hearing. Obscured by the fog is the The first Senate bill, S. 2965, leadership has aptly fought to main- ongoing need for the Postal Service would repeal the retiree health pre- tain and, in fact, improve the level to remain a viable public service— mium prefunding requirement. The of service to which our fellow citi- binding the nation together and pro- measure bears the same title as H.R. zens, friends and neighbors expect viding a universal mail service. 2382—the “USPS Fairness Act.” The and deserve. Over the past few The upcoming elections provide second bill, S. 4174, the “Postal

The Postal Supervisor / October 2020 29 Emergency Assistance Act,” would provide the Postal Service with up to Important Convention Deadlines $25 billion in COVID 19-related emergency assistance and repeal the May 29 Deadline for all resolutions from states with conven- Treasury Department conditions as- tions ending on or before May 24 to be emailed to sociated with the Postal Service ac- Executive Vice President Ivan D. Butts cessing the $10 billion line of credit. June 30 Deadline for entries for the Best Website and The House also considered H.R. Newsletter contests 6800, the “Heroes Act,” which included a number of NAPS-supported July 10 Deadline for all other resolutions to be emailed to postal provisions, including finan- Executive Vice President Ivan D. Butts cial assistance to state election au- Deadline for emailing deceased members’ names to thorities to help conduct absentee Executive Assistant Rebekah Leo balloting through the mail. Howev- er, we decided to exclude H.R. 6800 from the scorecard as there were a large number of controversial provisions in the bill unrelated to the Postal Service. In Memoriam We would hope that NAPS members and their families consider how n keeping with tradition, NAPS will honor and pay respect their member of Congress voted on to those members who have died since the 2018 National H.R. 2382 and H.R. 8015 and Senate Convention at the upcoming 67th NAPS National Conven- co-sponsorship of S. 2965 and S. I 4174 as they cast their election bal- tion, Aug. 30-Sept. 3, 2021, at the Gaylord Texan Resort in lots—whether from home or in per- Grapevine, TX. son. Although our fellow NAPS members no longer are with us In addition, over the past few to share their thoughts, laughter and genuine NAPS fellow- months, Executive Vice President Ivan D. Butts, NAPS Executive Board ship, we’ll always remember their spirit for NAPS and the U.S. members and state officers have Postal Service. They will forever live in our hearts and cher- been using the Zoom platform to ished memories. communicate with promising pro- Any NAPS branch that had a member die over the three NAPS congressional candidates, edu- cating them about our legislative years since the 2018 National Convention held at Mohegan priorities. We also have used the Sun, please submit their first and last names, along with their platform to thank incumbents who respective branch number, to NAPS Headquarters at the email have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the interests of NAPS members. address below. The names will be given to our 2021 Host We now are in the midst of the Branch Committee for the Memorial Service to be held during election season. As many of you will the convention’s Opening Ceremony on Monday morning, vote before Nov. 3, remember: The Aug. 30. Postal Service’s future and the future job and retirement security of NAPS Please submit deceased members’ names to NAPS Executive members rest in the ballot box. Assistant Rebekah Leo at NAPS Headquarters at naps.rr@ [email protected] naps.org by July 10, 2021. After July 10, names may be submitted to NAPS Editor Karen Young at the national convention for publication in the convention newsletter.

30 October 2020 / The Postal Supervisor NAPS 67th National Convention Aug. 30-Sept. 3, 2021 Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center Grapevine, Texas 67th67th NationalNational ConventionConvention RegistrationRegistration InformationInformation

Convention registration closes July 24 • Hotel room block expires Aug. 4

Register for the 67th National Convention online only at www.naps.org Hotel Rates and Reservations Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center Registration Fee—$250 1501 Gaylord Trail, Grapevine, TX 76051 The 67th National Convention registration fee is $250 is 877-491-5138 submitted—online only—on or before July 10. After July 10, Delegates and guests attending the 67th National Convention are re- the fee is $325. No national convention registrations or pay- sponsible for making their own lodging reservation directly with the ments will be accepted after July 24. Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center. The national convention single/double rate is $189, plus applicable state and local taxes. The No on-site registration will be accepted. resort fee has been waived. Self-parking is complimentary from Aug. Each official registrant will receive a confirmation receipt 11-Sept. 3; applicable only to those staying overnight at the Gaylord via email as soon as they register. If you do not receive your Texan. confirmation, email [email protected] or call 703-836-9660. To make a room reservation online, go to www.naps.org; under the Refund Requests “About Us” drop-down, click on “National Convention.” You also may All refund requests must be submitted in writing via make a reservation by phone by calling 877-491-5138. Use the group email to [email protected]. Full refund requests must be re- code: NAP. Check-in time is 4 p.m.; checkout is 11 a.m. ceived at NAPS Headquarters on or before July 17. There is a The room block expires on Aug. 4. Reservations made after that date $50 cancellation fee for refund requests received between may be at a higher rate, if available at all. July 18-31. No refund requests will be granted after July 31. To guarantee reservations, the hotel must receive a deposit of one night’s room rate and tax by a major credit card at the time of the Substitutions reservation. Cancellations must be received at least 24 hours before All substitution requests must be submitted in writing to arrival or the deposit will be applied to your credit card. The hotel con- [email protected] no later than July 31. There will be no on- firmation is your responsibility. NAPS Headquarters does not confirm site substitutions. If you need assistance with a substitution, lodging reservations. call NAPS Headquarter at 703-836-9660. Send Your Entries!

Best Website Competition The entry instructions include: The NAPS Best Website Competition again is being con- “Overall Excellence”—Submit three consecutive issues of ducted in conjunction with the upcoming NAPS national con- the newsletter, stapled together as one entry. Staple a Post-it vention at the Gaylord Texan Resort, Grapevine, TX, this August. note or similar to identify the judging category, your branch A branch wishing to enter the competition must email only number and the newsletter editor. its website address to [email protected] by June 30, “Best Layout”—Submit two issues (not necessarily con- 2021, for forwarding to the competition judge. secutive ones) of the newsletter, stapled together as one entry. Points will be awarded for content, design and technical As in the item above, identify the judging category, your branch merit, among other contest categories. The two entries receiv- number and the individual who lays out/designs the newsletter. ing the highest overall point totals will be named the competi- “Best Bylined Column/Editorial”—Submit one entry tion winners. clipped from your newsletter (please do not submit the entire At the convention, all branches will be given the point to- newsletter). The entry must be an original work that carries the tals of their entries by category, along with any comments the byline of the author, who may or may not be the editor, but judge may make. must be a NAPS member. Identify the judging category and your branch number. NAPS Newsletter Contest “Best News/Feature Article”—Follow the instructions im- The NAPS Newsletter Contest also is planned for the na- mediately above. tional convention. The entry deadline is June 30, 2021. Please mail—do not email—entries to NAPS Newsletter Branches wishing to submit their newsletters may do so in Contest, c/o Balent-Young Publishing, Inc., PO Box 734, Front four categories: “Overall Excellence,” “Best Layout,” “Best By- Royal, VA 22630, to be received no later than June 30, 2021. lined Column/Editorial” and “Best News/Feature Article.” En- Receipt of all entries will be acknowledged; please provide your tries must have been published after August 2018. email address. Winners will be announced at the convention.

32 October 2020 / The Postal Supervisor NAPS National Convention GolfGolf TournamentTournament f you want a great golf ing. From July 16, 2021, until experience, join us at Aug. 1, 2021, the fee is $125. Cowboys Golf Club Also included in the fee I next August at the 67th are non-alcoholic drinks on INAPS National Convention. and off the course, range Etched into the rolling hills of balls, golf cart with GPS and Grapevine, TX, Cowboys Golf other tournament needs. All Club is distinguished as the players must have their own first and only NFL-themed golf bag and clubs, wear proper club in the world. It’s also one of the region’s only all-in- golf attire; no metal spikes are allowed. Non-golfers can clusive world-class resort golf properties. The Cowboys ride with teams and eat for $39.95. Registration closes Golf Club pays tribute to the five-time Super Bowl cham- after Aug. 1, 2021. pion Dallas Cowboys—integrating an historical tour of The course is approximately five minutes away from the accomplishments of the NFL franchise. the Gaylord Texan Resort; transportation to and from the The Golf Tournament, in conjunction with the Nation- golf event will be provided by the Host Branch Commit- al Convention at the Gaylord Texan Resort, will tee off at tee. Participants also may take their own transportation 9 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 29, 2021, at the beautiful Cowboys to the tournament. Whatever your skill level or love of Golf Club. The tournament golf fee is $95 until July 15, golf, you are not a “Lone Star” player when you are golf- 2021, and includes breakfast, lunch and food while playing, especially with NAPS members and friends.

NAPS National Convention Golf Tournament Registration

Registration closes after Aug. 1, 2021 Please print—One registration form per golfer/non-golfer For more information or questions about the ❏ Tournament golfer entry fee, postmarked by July 15 is $95; after July 15, the fee is $125 NAPS National Conven- ❏ Non-golfer fee $39.95 (food only) tion Golf Tournament, contact Bob Bradford, ______National Convention Name Phone # (include area code) Host Committee chair, at (972) 264-3717 or email at [email protected]. Mailing Address NAPS National Convention Golf ______Tournament Site City State ZIP Cowboys Golf Club 1600 Fairway Drive ______Grapevine, TX 76051 Branch # Non-postal email Golf handicap (if available) (817) 481-7277

Make checks payable to You may rent Taylor Made M-6 clubs for $97. All players must have a golf bag and clubs to play. NAPS Convention Golf Participants are responsible for contacting the Cowboys Golf Club to rent clubs—(817) 481- and mail, with registra- 7277. Transportation to and from the golf event will be provided by Host Branch Committee. tion form(s), to: Participants also may take their own transportation. NAPS Golf If you have a golf team or wish to play with a specific player, please indicate that PO Box 456 information when mailing entry form(s) and check(s) to the address at right. Hewitt, TX 76643-0456 2020 SPAC Contributors

President’s Ultimate SPAC ($1,000+) Gawron, Dennis NY Branch 27 Salmon, James AZ Branch 246 Roma, Thomas NY Branch 68 Wong, John CA Branch 497 Warden, James NY Branch 100 Franz, Kenneth FL Branch 146 Butts, Ivan PA Branch 355 Lynn, Patti FL Branch 296 Allen, Rose VA Branch 526 McHugh, James FL Branch 386 Quinlan, Robert FL Branch 154 August Contributors Sebastian, Gerald FL Branch 386 Strickland, Ann FL Branch 146 President’s Ultimate SPAC ($1,000+) Williams, Carolyn FL Branch 146 Salmon, James AZ Branch 246 Murphy, Gregory MA Branch 102 Williams, Carolyn FL Branch 146 Randall, C. Michele MD Branch 531 Murphy, Gregory MA Branch 102 Shawn, Steve MD Branch 403 McKiernan, Michael NJ Branch 74 Wileman, Dotty MD Branch 923 McKiernan, Michael NJ Branch 74 VP Elite ($750) Amash, Joseph NY Branch 83 Johnson, Craig MO Branch 36 Barone, Thomas NY Branch 202 Green Jr., Richard VA Branch 98

Contribution Amount $______Branch #______SPAC Name______Contribution Home Address/PO Box ______Form City______State______Aggregate contributions made in a ZIP+4______Date ______calendar year correspond with these donor levels: Employee ID Number (EIN) or Civil Service Annuitant (CSA) Number ______$1,000—President’s Ultimate SPAC $750—VP Elite Enclosed is my voluntary contribution to SPAC by one of the following methods: $500—Secretary’s Roundtable ❏ Check or money order made payable to SPAC; do not send cash $250—Chairman’s Club ❏ Credit card (circle one): Visa American Express MasterCard Discover $100—Supporter Card number ______Current as of February 2019 Security code (three- or four- digit number on back of card) ______Federal regulations prohibit SPAC Card expiration date: ______/______contributions by branch check or Signature (required for credit card charges) ______branch credit card. ❏ In-Kind Donation (e.g., gift card, baseball tickets): Mail to: Describe gift ______Value ______SPAC 1727 KING ST STE 400 All contributions to the Supervisors’ Political Action Committee (SPAC) are voluntary, have no bear- ALEXANDRIA VA 22314-2753 ing on NAPS membership status and are unrelated to NAPS membership dues. There is no obligation to contribute to SPAC and no penalty for choosing not to contribute. Only NAPS members and family members living in their households may contribute to SPAC. Contributions to SPAC are limited to $5,000 per individual in a calendar year. Contributions to SPAC are not tax-deductible.

34 October 2020 / The Postal Supervisor Secretary’s Roundtable ($500) Moore, Kevin GA Branch 281 Moreno, Richard MA Branch 498 Rosario Jr., Arnold ME Branch 96 SPAC Scoreboard Bunch, Kenneth MI Branch 23 Statistics reflect monies collected Jan. 1 to Aug. 31, 2020 Jessmer, Spencer NY Branch 11 Mott III, George VA Branch 132 National Aggregate: National Per Capita: $123,512.10 $4.53 Chairman’s Club ($250) Florentin, Diana CA Branch 244 Region Aggregate: Region Per Capita: Parker, Laroma HI Branch 214 1. Southern ...... $34,259.00 1. Southern...... $5.80 Valuet, John ID Branch 915 2. Eastern...... $26,187.00 2. Central...... $4.47 Carter, Tonious LA Branch 421 3. Western...... $23,999.75 3. Eastern...... $4.41 O’Donnell, Curt MN Branch 16 4. Central ...... $20,860.50 4. Western...... $4.13 5. Northeast ...... $18,205.85 5. Northeast...... $3.67 Supporter ($100) Kern, Stephen AZ Branch 246 Area Aggregate: Area Per Capita: Derden, Margaret CA Branch 39 1. Southeast...... $19,174.00 1. Southeast ...... $8.39 Kindle, Delloria GA Branch 82 2. Capitol-Atlantic.....$15,593.85 2. North Central...... $5.58 Lastrapes, Ebony LA Branch 209 3. Pacific ...... $13,265.50 3. Capitol-Atlantic...... $5.27 Minor, Saundra LA Branch 209 4. Mideast ...... $10,055.00 4. Michiana ...... $4.79 Gramblin, Reginald MD Branch 531 5. New York ...... $8,585.85 5. Northwest...... $4.71 Cogar, Laurie MI Branch 268 6. Texas...... $8,050.00 6. Texas...... $4.40 Forde, Nicholas NY Branch 202 7. New England ...... $6,619.00 7. Illini ...... $4.36 Schirching, Christy NY Branch 27 8. Illini ...... $5,881.00 8. Mideast ...... $4.22 Kendrick, Beverly SC Branch 215 9. Michiana ...... $5,600.50 9. Pacific ...... $4.21 Bell, Andrew TN Branch 32 10. Rocky Mountain....$5,370.00 10. New England ...... $4.02 Hibbler, Marilynn Hinton TN Branch 41 11. Northwest...... $5,364.25 11. Central Gulf ...... $3.98 Hensley, Sheila TX Branch 124 12. North Central...... $5,240.00 12. Cotton Belt...... $3.90 Richardson, Elizabeth TX Branch 86 13. MINK ...... $4,139.00 13. New York ...... $3.52 Helleckson, Randy WI Branch 213 14. Cotton Belt ...... $3,833.00 14. Rocky Mountain...... $3.52 15. Pioneer...... $3,539.15 15. MINK ...... $3.42 Strive To be Candid and Honest 16. Central Gulf ...... $3,202.00 16. Pioneer...... $2.39 Continued from page 23 State Aggregate: State Per Capita: take and do what you can to correct it. Shifting blame 1. Florida...... $17,644.50 1. North Dakota ...... $16.90 to others only will cloud the issues. If others have not, 2. California...... $11,110.50 2. Maine...... $15.12 by your definition, been as honest or candid as you 3. New York ...... $ 8,280.85 3. Hawaii ...... $13.90 believe they should have been, don’t try to throw that 4. Texas...... $ 8,050.00 4. South Dakota...... $10.63 person under the bus in an effort to free your own 5. Maryland...... $ 6,654.00 5. Maryland ...... $10.56 conscience. Unless you have all the details of that person’s sit- ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ uation, it only makes you look foolish when you at- Drive for 5 tempt to shift blame by saying, “If that person can get Members by Region: Aggregate by Region: by in a similar situation, I should be able to get by, 1. Central...... 59 1. Eastern...... $12,050.00 too.” The two situations—as similar as they may seem 2. Eastern...... 51 2. Western...... $12,008.00 —may be far from the same story. 3. Southern...... 51 3. Central ...... $11,811.00 In all situations professional, personal and during 4. Western ...... 41 4. Southern ...... $10,947.50 an investigation, please remember the definition of 5. Northeast...... 35 5. Northeast ...... $ 7,448.00 candor: unreserved, honest or sincere expression: forthrightness. ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ ¥ [email protected]

The Postal Supervisor / October 2020 35 Make Contributing to SPAC a Habit: Contributions via USPS Payroll Deduction

To authorize your allotment online, you will need your USPS employee ID number and PIN; if you do not know your PIN, you will be able to obtain it at Step 3 below.

1 Go to https://liteblue.usps.gov to access PostalEASE.

2 Under Employee App-Quick Links, choose PostalEASE.

3 Click on “I agree.”

4 Enter your employee ID number and password.

5 Click on “Allotments/Payroll NTB.” 6 PostalEASE Allotments/Net Click on “Continue.” to Bank Worksheet 7 Click on “Allotments.” On your next available allotment (you have three): 8 Enter Bank Routing Number (from worksheet below), enter account number (see worksheet), enter account • Routing Number (nine digits): 121000248 from drop-down menu as “checking” and enter the • Financial Institution Name: Wells Fargo (this will amount of your contribution. appear after you enter the routing number).

9 Click “Validate,” then “Submit.” Print a copy for your • Account Number (this is a 17-digit number that records. starts with “772255555” and ends with your eight- digit employee ID number):

To authorize your allotment by phone, call PostalEASE, __7 __7 __2 __2 __5 __5 __5 __5 __5 ______toll-free, at 1-877-477-3273 (1-877-4PS-EASE). You will (Example: 77225555512345678). need your USPS employee ID number and PIN. • Type of Account (drop-down menu): Checking 1 When prompted, select one for PostalEASE. • Amount per Pay Period (please use the 0.00 2 When prompted, enter your employee format; the “$” is already included): ______. ID number.

3 When prompted, please enter your USPS PIN.

4 When prompted, press “2” for payroll options.

5 When prompted, press “1” for allotments.

6 When prompted, press “2” to continue.

7 Follow prompts to add a new allotment.

8 Use the worksheet to give the appropriate information to set up an allotment for SPAC. Thoughts from the NAPS Branches National Politics Now Include the Postal Service!

By Dioenis D. Perez I’m amazed that postal leader- you, “You are being charged $1 mil- ship is not objecting to the delayed lion on your credit card during your t’s nearly October. A couple major mail status and what this means to lifetime. Please enclose the $1 mil- events affecting each Postal Ser- the American public. Preventing lion in your next bill payment. It’s I vice employee and the America late-leaving trucks will adversely af- the responsible thing to do.” This public have taken place. The other fect our timely mail delivery. De- doesn’t seem quite right, does it? major event is a month layed mail is something Well, that is what your government away. that never was tolerated in leaders have done to the USPS— I’m talking about the history of the USPS. politics! COVID-19. Is it getting Now it is. This is politics, The next attack is on the EAS better or worse? Is the folks, plain and simple; it’s complement in every AO and mail USPS all in—still keeping not business. plant. Without EAS employees, the its employees safe—or has I understand saving USPS’ success is not a given on any this waned? What did the $200 million due to late- day. Solving the USPS budget deficit Aug. 24 testimony by leaving trucks is an issue. shouldn’t come from cutting back Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to However, before this policy was im- on EAS employees. We are not the the House Oversight and Reform plemented, the USPS needed to fig- problem with the USPS budget or its Committee reveal about the direc- ure out what it is. Are we a govern- savings. tion the USPS is headed? mental business or a governmental EAS employees are the founda- Election Day, Nov. 3. Are nation- service? We cannot be both. tion to building a successful service. al politics still a questionable factor I never heard of a governmental We are the ones who make it all in the USPS providing service to the business. If there is one, it’s required work and achieve the service stan- American public? by law to break even and not make a dards. USPS Headquarters needs to By October, the first two ques- profit. Governments earn their rev- start understanding this and start tions will answer the third question. enue through taxing businesses and looking into its own mirrors first Never, in my 32 years of service, people—not by earning profits. and ask what contributions they have I seen how politics are playing Therefore, we can’t become a postal have made to the Postal Service to such a huge role in the USPS. Politics business. It’s that simple! save money. Not politics—just the always have had a small role with From the USPS Board of Gover- facts! the unions and management associ- nors meeting on Aug. 7, I learned [email protected] ations looking for better pay and the $10 billion loan to the USPS benefits, while contributing money from the Treasury department has to Dioenis D. Perez is Long Island, NY, to political allies on the Hill to pro- be paid back, with interest. No men- Branch 202 vice president and postmas- mote their agendas every year, but tion of payment terms or timelines ter of Syosset. this is entirely different. was disclosed; it sounded like a Don- This is a game changer. Politics ald Trump loan. are affecting the “service” through- As a reminder to USPS Headquar- out the nation. Will it continue ters leadership, since FY08, the USPS through the election process? I hope has been paying the Office of Per- not. I recall a time when willful sonnel Management $5.6 billion a delay of mail placed you on removal year until it couldn’t prefund future status. Do we have a double stan- retiree health care any longer. What dard now? if your credit card company told

The Postal Supervisor / October 2020 37 The NAPS Postmaster Honorable Leader

By Joe Bodary would have a whole new outlook and ject to the limitations described in lack of respect for me. Sometimes, as your request; namely, they may be ac- want to offer some advice to post- leaders, we get invited by our subordi- cessible through a link on a web page masters, managers and supervisors nates to weddings, showers and other containing an employee’s employ- Iregarding the political atmosphere family events. I always have made it a ment information, as long as the page in which we currently are. The first practice to acknowledge the event, on which the statements appear does thing you need to remember is that but not attend if I knew there would not reveal the employee’s title or affil- you are the leader; you in- be alcohol. iation with a federal agency.” fluence your subordinates. I would not want to see Political activity is defined as “an They look to you for guid- my subordinates in that activity directed toward the success or ance and leadership. situation, nor them to see failure of a political party, partisan Think about how many me if I partook of too political candidate or partisan politi- times you have heard, much cheer. There is a very cal group.” Let’s say you accepted “Practice what you thin line; always use cau- friendship requests from some of preach.” That’s because tion. There should be con- your “subordinates.” As their leader, they watch you. If you are sistent behavior that sup- when you post on social media, you not doing what they expect you to ports the title. are influencing them. do, you lose respect and your leader- I’ve seen postmasters with bad at- When you post political commen- ship loses its effectiveness. titudes who make their attitudes taries, they know who you are, as well Subordinates to a supervisor are all known to their employees, including as family members and members of craft employees. For a manager, it can on social media, which reaches their the community you serve. Because be supervisors and all craft employees. customer base, families and subordi- you are honorable, you influence And to a postmaster, it can be man- nates. Then they can’t figure why them all. You may not: agers, supervisors and craft employees. they have issues in their leadership • be a candidate in partisan elec- So, how do we influence them? quality. Some say, “It’s just a job.” tions. We influence them by speaking Honorable is a lifestyle—not a job. If • use official authority to interfere with them, demonstrating for them you feel that’s all it is, maybe you’re with an election or while engaged in po- and sending them messages and non- in the wrong job. litical activity. verbal signs at work and off the clock. With that said, I did some research • invite subordinate employees to po- I see many “leaders” out in public on the Hatch Act, about which I’m litical events or otherwise suggest they when I am out, as well as on social sure many of you are hearing, but, as I engage in political activity. media. There, I can see what they are can see, not following on social media. • knowingly solicit or discourage the doing, whether in person, through Following is a statement the Ethics political activity of any person with busi- photos or reading. This is where we Committee gave regarding political ac- ness before the agency. need to be careful. tivities on social media: • solicit, accept or receive political A postmaster’s title is “Honorable “Social networking websites, such contributions (including hosting or postmaster.” They have honor in all as Facebook, may not include politi- inviting others to political fundraisers) they do. They should be proud to have cal commentary on the same page as unless both persons are members of the title on the job and off—where biographical information that in- the same federal labor or employee or- you should be of the same behavior. cludes an employee’s title or federal ganization, the person solicited is not How honorable would it be to my su- agency affiliation. Such comments a subordinate employee, the solicita- pervisors if I lead them at work, then may appear on a page linked to the tion is for a contribution to the organi- they see me out in public behaving original page.” zation’s political action committee and like an irresponsible drunkard? “5 C.F.R. § 734.101.2 Statements the solicitation does not occur while When they got back to work, they constituting political activity are sub- on duty or in the workplace.

38 October 2020 / The Postal Supervisor Notes from the National Auxiliary

neighborhood food bank or outreach Staying Connected center in your community. • From a safe distance, check on By Beverly Austin and friends, from California to neighbors who live alone to ensure Southern Region Vice President South Carolina to Texas, gathered they are okay. over their computers for the hour- Thankfully, we live in a technolo- s we deal with these unprece- long ceremony. gy-based world that offers options to A dented days together, we all While nothing can truly replace stay connected, such as: know someone whose life has been in-person hugs, kisses, hellos and • Text or email is a quick way to upended by COVID-19. The pandem- high-fives, there are options we can drop a line to say hello. ic still is in full swing use until we return to some • Social media (face to face) in- across the world; it will be type of normalcy. Our cudes FaceTime, Snapchat, Facebook, with us for some time. friends and family are the Twitter and Instagram. Social distancing and most important people in • Facebook Messenger and Google mask-wearing are part of our lives. While we all may Hangouts or Google Meet are tried our “new normal.” Con- be alone, together, there are and true methods to stay connected. necting with family and ways to stay connected: • Apps and web platforms are in- friends will continue to • Write a letter. Remem- novative ways to catch up and stay in look different, especially ber those? While it may touch. Zoom, FreeConference.com when it comes to holidays, birthday seem too old-fashioned to go the USPS and WhatsApp are a few. parties, weddings and visiting those mail route, it is an extremely effective Social connections are the threads who are vulnerable to serious illness. way to reach out and show someone that bind our communities together. At the height of the pandemic, I you care. By prioritizing our interactions and lost my 106-year-old grandmother. • Pick up the phone. A phone call finding meaningful ways to connect She lived in Louisiana, so no one or Skype date is another way to catch during this time of social and physi- could travel to see her because of the up on all the details of a friend’s life. cal distancing, we can support each 14-day quarantine in Texas and • Sit in your front yard and have other and our health and well-being. Louisiana. The funeral was shown your family drive by and wave. Stay connected and stay safe! via Zoom. Over 100 family members • Volunteer to work safely at a [email protected]

• engage in political activity while that your “official authority” would Protection Board finds by unanimous on duty, in the workplace, wearing a imply you would be interfering with vote that the violation does not war- uniform or official insignia or in a the election? Remember: With mail-in rant removal, they are to be suspend- government vehicle. For example, voting, you have authority over the ed for at least 30 days without pay. you may not wear, display or distrib- mail, even if not stated. People could • Federal employees should be ute partisan materials or items; per- get the impression you may interfere aware that certain political activities form campaign-related chores; make with their ballot based on your social also may be criminal offenses under political contributions; or use email or media postings. Think about it! Title 18 of the U.S. Code. social media to engage in political activi- What happens if someone com- So, you need to ask if it’s worth ty (revised September 2017). plains and it is found that you, in- the penalty and be the honorable I italicized some instances that deed, did violate the Hatch Act? Fol- leader you took an oath to be. occur on social media and ask that you lowing are some penalties: [email protected] look at them. Do you feel when you • An employee who violates the are on social media—stating which Hatch Act is to be removed from their Joseph K. Bodary is Michigan State candidate you support or tearing apart position with all pay revoked. Branch 925 corresponding secretary and a candidate you would not support— • However, if the Merit Systems the retired postmaster of Lincoln Park.

The Postal Supervisor / October 2020 39