December 9, 2009

RE: BY LAW CHANGES

Dear Brothers/Sisters,

The By-Laws Committee has come up with a few changes in the by-laws for the Branch. As per the By-Laws of Branch 725 Southeast Pa. Merged, ARTICLE 10 AMENDMENTS, the following procedures will take place:

ARTICLE 10

SECTION 2
All changes must be noted for the meeting at which they will be introduced.

SECTION 3
All changes will be discussed and amended at the meeting when introduced.

SECTION 4
All changes will be voted upon by a majority of the members present and voting at the Branch Meeting immediately following the one at which the By-Laws changes were presented.

The By-Law up for debate is Article III Meetings Section 4

Executive Board will meet the last thursday of each month.

The proposed change is:

Executive Board will meet on the first wednesday of each month one hour prior to the general meeting.

If any questions please call the union office.

Fraternally and sincerely,

Jim McCullough
President

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December 7, 2009

Dear Brothers/Sisters,

Season's greetings from the Executive Board of Branch 725. Let me personally wish you and yours the best of the holiday season and a healthy New Year. The year 2009 will soon be history and I hope that the year 2010 will bring some good news to the Postal Service and especially to the Letter carriers in Branch 725. The 2009 year saw many changes in the Postal Service. We had our Brothers/Sisters excessed from their chosen offices and we also saw the elimination of some of our routes.

There are some positive things that have happened in 2009. We all still are gainfully employed and last month the Letter Carriers received a raise. In this recession that the country is enduring, any increase is a good thing. We also elected a Democratic President who is pro-labor and hope that he will help the middle-class people in America become what we used to be(the backbone of this great country).

During the holidays take a minute to remember the Brothers and Sisters who are no longer with us. The year 2009 took a heavy toll on Branch 725's members. Also, say a prayer or have a good thought for the young men and women who are in harms way all over the world fighting for our freedom.

Again Season's Greetings to all of you and thank you for your support over the last year.

With My Best Wishes,

Jim McCullough
President

November 12, 2009

RE: Holiday Wishes

Dear Brother/Sister,

On behalf of the Executive Board of Branch 725, I would like to wish all of you and your families a very happy Thanksgiving holiday. This year we have seen many changes in the Postal Service and particularly in our positions as Letter carriers. The positive side of this is that we are all still gainfully employed by the Postal Service, and that we are thankful for.

I sincerely hope that you and your families are in good health, over the course of this year we have lost many of our Brothers/Sistiers and find some are not in good health. During the holidays keep our departed and sick Brothers.Sisiters in your prayers and thoughts.

As President of this Branch, I am always thankful for the support that I receive from the members of this Branch. Sometimes, things get a little tough because of the changes that are taking place almost daily in the Postal Service. The members of this Branch have always conducted themselves in a professional manner during the changes that have taken place. I thank all of you for that!!

I hope that you and your families have a wonderful and healthy holiday season.

With My Best Wishes,

Jim McCullough

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November 1, 2009

RE: Notice of Shop Stewards Elections

Dear Brothers/Sisters,

In accordance with Branch 725's by-laws, 'under Article XII(Stewards), states the following:

Section 1 Stewards in each Branch Post Office shall be elected annually; by the members in each Office.

Section 2 Nominations will be held the last week in November.

Section 3 Elections, if necessary, will be held by Secret Ballot during the month of December and shall be supervised by the president of the branch or an Election Committee in each office.

Current Shop Stewards should post a list so that any persons interested in the position may sign up to run.

If you have any questions or need additional information with regards to this issue please call the Union Office.

October 8, 2009

RE: MDA DELIVER THE CURE BOWL

Dear Brother/Sister,

The branch is sponsoring a Deliver the Cure Bowl on Sunday, November 1, 2009. All proceeds from this event will go to the MDA. For the flyer for this event click on MDA Flyer - Bowl for the cure. Everybody is invited to come and bowl. Bring your children, spouses and anybody who wants to have a good time.

It is one of a very few times that letter carriers and their families can get together outside the Post Office. The event is for a good cause and you can bowl for three hours, the shoes included for $25.00.

Please call Bill Melon if you wish to be in the Deliver the Cure Bowl. A family from the area who has this terrible disease will be at the event (also see: The William Foster Story ). So you can see first hand how terrible this disease affects the families with people who are dealing with this disease.

I hope to see a lot of letter carriers and their families on November 1, 2009 at the AMF Conchester Lanes 575 Conchester Highway, Boothwyn Pa. 19061.

I know the letter carriers of branch 725 will answer the call.

With My Best Wishes,

Jim McCullough

President

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August 12, 2009

RE: Reporting Vehicle Accidents

Dear Brother/Sister,

When you are involved in a vehicle accident you MUST REPORT THE ACCIDENT IMMEDIATELY AND STAY AT THE SCENE OF THE ACCIDENT UNTIL MANAGEMENT ARRIVES.

Over the course of the last couple of weeks some Letter Carriers involved in an accident have tried to make a deal with the other people involved in the accident to pay for the damages. PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS!!! These attempts never work out and now the accident situation becomes more serious. Report the accident no matter how minor you may think it is, becasue, I can assure you that the damages are more than they look. People who see the red, white, and blue Postal truck see dollar signs, and every dent and scrape will be attributed to your accident.

Drive safely and if you are involved in an accident, remember to report the accident and then we will deal with the consequences of the accident down the road.

If you have any questions regarding this issue, please call the Union Office.

Fraternally and sincerely,

Jim McCullough
President

August 11, 2009

RE: UBBM

Dear Brother/Sister,

When Bulk Business Mail is discarded by you the letter carrier, the Postal Service has the obligation to go through this mail and discard it in the appropriate manner.

Under no circumstances are you as letter carrier to go through this discarded mail and take things out of it. IT IS NOT YOUR MAIL, IT IS NOT ADDRESSED TO YOU AND YOU CANNOT TAKE ANYTHING OUT OF THE DISCARDED MAIL.

Remember, there is nothing in the mail that is worth your job. The coupons or the pen or whatever you find in the mails is not worth $50,000 or more.

With my best wishes,

Jim McCullough
President

June 8, 2009

RE: Excess Clerks

Dear Shop Steward,

It has come to this office's attention that effective june 20,2009, the Postal Service will begin to excess clerks into the Letter Carrier craft. The NALC has filed a National Level interpretive grievance on this issue. We belive that the Postal Service has not proven that all clerk postitions have been filled.

All stewards are required to file a grievance in your office if a clerk has been excessed into your office. The National grievance number QO69-4Q-C-09106125. Cite the grievance number in your grievance and then hold the grievance at the Formal Step A pending the outcome of the National case.

The excess clerks are mostly coming into the Associated offices. Oour Branch has excess clerks coming into Broomall, Coatsville, Marcus Hook, Narberth, Norwood, West Chester, Wayne and Bala Cynwyd. The Shop Stewards in the offices should be on the alert on or about June 20, 2009. All Shop Stewards should be vigilant in all of the Branch's offices for excessed clerks coming into their offices.

Any questions regarding this issue, please call the Union office.

Fraternally and sincerely,

Jim McCullough
President

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March 31, 2009

RE: BY LAW CHANGES

Dear Brothers/Sisters,

The By-Law Commitee has come up with a few changes in the by-laws for the Branch. As per the By-Laws of Branch 725 Southeast Pa. Merged, Article 10 AMENDMENTS, the following procedures will take place:

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March 16, 2009

RE: Posting Of Vacant Routes

Dear Stewards,

Over the last couple of weeks, it has come to the attention of this office that management is not posting routes that have become vacant, either by a retirement or a letter carrier bidding a route after route adjustments. This is another blatant violation of the National Agreement by management.

If this is occuring in your office, you are to file a grievance under Article 41, Letter Carrier Craft. The section you will cite is 41.1.A. (pg. 41-1) of the JCAM.

Section 1 Posting

A. In the Letter Carrier Craft, vacant craft assignments shall be poster as follows

1. A vacant or newly established duty assignment not under consideration for reversion shall be posted within fourteen days of the day it becomes vacant or established.

When a position is under consideration for reversion, the decision to revert or not to revert the position shall be made not later than 30 days after it becomes vacant. If the decision is made not to revert, the assignment must be posted within the 30 days of the date it becomes vacant. The employer shall provide written notice to the Union at the local level of the assignments that are being considered for reversion and of the results of such consideration.

This office is under the opinion that we are still working under the MOU with regards to the Interim Route Adjustment Process, and the data that is being used is the months of May and September 0f 2008. Like I said before, while the union tries to cooperate with the USPS, they just continue to violate the National Agreement on a daily basis.

File the grievance as soon as you become aware of the situation. If you have any questions regarding this issue, please call the union office.

Fraternally and sincerely,

Jim McCullough
President

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March 5, 2009

RE: Waiver of Lunch

Dear Brother/Sister,

It has come to the attention of this office that some Letter carriers are on an almost daily basis waving their 30 minute lunch period. The Union "frowns" on this practice on a consistent basis, but if the individual Letter Carrier wishes to wave his lunch period a PS Form 3189 Temporary Change of Schedule must be filled out by the letter Carrier. This form is very important because if you just verbally tell management that you are waving your lunch the timekeeper may not be aware of the waiver and take a half hour of time off your clock rings.

I can not emphasize how important every minute of the route is included on a daily basis to determine the actual office and street time of the route. If the 30 minutes are taken off the route and the letter carrier waived his lunch, the route will come up 30 minutes short of the actual time used by the letter carrier. In these days every minute is critical to keep the integrity of our routes.

Any questions regarding this issue please call the union office.

Fraternally and sincerely,

Jim McCullough
President

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February 19, 2009

RE: National Reassessment Process (NRP)

Dear Brother/Sister,

The Philadelphia District is now entering into Phase 2 of the National Reassessment Process (NRP). The Phase 2 Management representatives will meet with the "Limited Duty carriers" to evaluate their limited duty assignments. The light duty employees are not part of this process.

When a Carrier is informed about a meeting, they should request that a Shop Steward be present. If you have trouble with this request call the union office (610) 461-8333.

Based on the Carriers restrictions and availability of "Limited Duty" some limited duty assignments may be changed. If you are a "limited duty" carrier and your assignment changes you have a right to have the new duty assigment reviewed by your attending physician to determine if the new duties fit your restrictions.

If you have any questions regarding your status or other questions about the program, please call the union office. If you would like further information on this matter go to the NALC website at NALC.org. It can be found under the compensation menu.

Fraternally and sincerely,

Jim McCullough
President

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February 18, 2009

Topic: Shop Stewards Meeting

Dear Stewards,

There will be a "mandatory" meeting of the shop stewards on Marhc 19, 2009 at the Cheese Club in Havertown. The meeting will start at 7:00 P.M. and last about two hours.

These meetings are for both the regular steward and the alternate steward. Please find time to come to these meetings. I do not thinks it is too much to ask you to spend two hours finding out what is going on within the Postal Service with regards to our jobs. There are going to be a lot of things that are going to be changing, and it is imperative that the membership of the branch is aware of what is going on. Management is doing things that are not contractually correct with regards to PTF's on hold-downs and scheduling if TE's, and also the NRP is coming to our area.

The sharing of information is important to make sure that we are all on the smae page.

Find time to attend these meetings. They will begin at 7:00 P.M. and should be no longer that 2 hours.

Fraternally and sincerely,

Jim McCullough
President

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February 12, 2009

RE: PTF's Hold-downs

Dear Stewards,

I have just received a memorandum signed by the acting District Manager dated February 10, 2009, regarding overtime and use of the PTF's and TE's. The memo states that TE's and PTF's will be limited to thirty-six (36) hour work weeks. There will be no exceptions to each of these initiatives without prior consent.

Again, we find that the management in the Philadelphia District has decided that they are not obligated to abide by the National Agreement signed by both the NALC and the USPS. PTF letter carriers that are on hold-downs in your offices are entitled to the hold-downs under Article 41 Section 41.2.B.5 of the National Agreement. In this Section of the National Agreement it states DURATION OF HOLD-DOWN:

Section 41.2.B.5 provides that once an available hold-down position is awarded the opting "shall work that duty assignment for it's duration."

There are some exceptions to the duration clause in the National Agreement. REMOVAL FROM HOLD-DOWN:

Part-time flexible employees may be "bumped" from their hold-downs to provide sufficient work for the full-time employee.

The Union understands that certain times the work load may force the hand of management to find work for the regular work force, but they must first use all options that are available to them before removing a PTF off a hold-down. For example, most offices are being required to leave a certain amount of routes open on a daily basis, these routes can be pivoted by the regular letter carriers before the hold-down is stopped. If the TE is scheduled and guaranteed 4 hours a day, then the TE should not be scheduled and his hours should then be pivoted to make time for the regular work force.

The Management of the Philadelphia District is also in violation of Article 7 Section 1.B of the National Agreement when it states that "all transitional employee's, as well as part-time flexible employees will be limited to a thirty-six (36) hour work week.

TRANSITIONAL EMPLOYEES:
Over the course of a pay period, the employer will make every effort to ensure that qualified and available part-time flexible employees are utilized at the straight-time rate prior to assigning such work to transitional employees working in the same work location and on the same tour.

It only stands to reason that if the TE is making anywhere near 36 hours in a week that somewhere in that work week the PTF could have made up the four (4) hours at the straight=time rate.

All Stewards are to monitor the situation in thier office and if necessary, file a grievance for the violations cited above. If you have any questions regarding this issue please call the union office.

Fraternally and sincerely,

Jim McCullough
President

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February 3, 2009

Dear Brothers/Sisters,

It is that time of the year when the use of a 3996 and leaving the motors running while the Letter Carrier is out of the vehicle comes to the attention of this office.

Over the course of the last couple of years, you have received notice from this office about how and when the use of a 3996 is appropriate. If you are requesting overtime or auxilliary assistance you must fill out a 3996. If there is the slightest doubt that you will not make it back to the office in the prescribed time, it is your obligation to fill out a 3996. A 3996 is a Carrier generated form that must be filled out and presented to management. Management may accept or reject the form. If your form is rejected, then it is your responsibility to inform management later in the day that you will not be back to the office in the prescribed time. The call will put the onus on management to make a decision as to what you are supposed to do. You do not take it upon yourself to make overtime!!!!

The issue of the vehicle running always comes up this time of the year. When you come out and inspect your vehicle in the morning you should be able to ascertain if the windshield needs to be defrosted. If the windshield needs to be defrosted, YOU MUST BE IN THE SEAT, when that vehicle is running. If you are caught out of the vehicle at anytime while it is running, you will be taken off the clock and placed on Emergency Placement, subject to removal.

Remember what I told you a couple of years ago; If your ass is not in the drivers' seat the vehicle must be off!!!!!

Fraternally and sincerely,

Jim McCullough
President

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January 26, 2009

Dear Brothers/Sisters,

I am pleased to report that President Emeritus Don Coughlin is recovering nicely from his surgery and is up and about. I talk to Don several days a week and he has asked me to thank all of you who sent cards and especially he thanks you for all your prayers and good thoughts.

I expect to see President Coughlin at the Rap Session in Atlantic City at the end of February.

Fraternally and sincerely,

Jim McCullough
President

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