Chr nicleN A L C C o n v e n t i o n

FRIDAY, JULY 27, COVERING THE FOURTH SESSION, THURSDAY, JULY 26

‘Where’s your red shirt?’

Unifying Thursday’s wide-rangingproceedings—where discussiontopics moved from politics to

communications to letter carrier generosity—were the special red T-shirts worn bythousands of delegates to signify theircommitment to the letter carriers’ politicalaction fund, the Committee on LetterCarrier Political Education (COLCPE). Active and retired letter carriers who

either already were signed up as COLCPEcontributors at the “Gimme 5 for COLCPE”level, or who made catch-up contributionsto reach that level during the convention,received the shirts bearing the NALC logoand the words “Delivering for America” on

the front, and the phrase, “Our Fight, OurFuture” on the back. Also marking the day were rousing

speeches from labor leaders, lively discus-sions about topics important to carriersand the larger labor movement, and a peekat the next convention two years away.

‘I Still Believe’The Salt Lake City Letter Carrier Band

returned to the convention hall Thursdayand provided a selection of classic andmodern pop tunes to delight delegates asthey entered the hall for a fourth day filledwith the union’s business of discussingresolutions, hearing inspirational speeches

and rewarding letter carriersfor exceptional service. President Fredric Rolando

opened the day at 10 a.m. byshowing a video review of theNALC’s Sept. 27, 2011 ralliesheld at the home office ofnearly every member of theU.S. House of Representa-tives. The video, featuring theFrank Turner tune “I StillBelieve,” showed home videoclips and still photos of the rallies calling on the House totake up H.R. 1351, the billintroduced by Rep. Stephen

Lynch (D-MA) in the spring of 2011. Thebill calls for refunding the Postal Service’spension account surpluses within theFederal Employees Retirement Systemand the Civil Service Retirement System—surpluses that two independent account-ing firms have estimated to be between$50 billion and $75 billion. Next, Rolando invited to the stage

Birmingham, AL Branch 530 memberDonna Beckwood, who sang a stirring a capella rendition of “The Star-SpangledBanner.” Minneapolis Branch 9 TrusteeMike Smith led delegates in reciting thePledge of Allegiance, and Imam MakramEl-Amin of Masjid An-Nur (“Mosque of theLight”) in North Minneapolis sang the invo-cation in Arabic, followed by a recitation ofthe prayer’s English translation. Quickly moving the day into political

high gear, Rolando showed the conventiona video that encouraged letter carrieractivists to get involved with the AFL-CIO’s Labor 2012 campaign. “Here’s thetruth,” federation President RichardTrumka said in the video: “Our job is tobuild a movement of independent menand women, and from what I’ve seen,we’re on our way. “We have to elect a leader we can

count on,” he said. “Elections matter, and

FRIDAY, JULY 27, COVERING THE FOURTH SESSION, THURSDAY, JULY 26 Convention Chronicle 1

this one matters a lot. The solution is usand the movement we’ve made.”

General resolutions,general myths The convention then continued deliber-

ation on the remaining general resolutions,with discussions led in succession byDirector of Safety and Health Manuel L.Peralta Jr., Director of Retired MembersErnie Kirkland and Health Benefit PlanDirector Brian Hellman. Delegates mainlyupheld the Executive Council’s decisionsof approval or disapproval on each resolu-tion, sometimes following a delegate’srequest for a division. In a few cases,modest word changes—such as the addi-tion of “where appropriate” or “when pos-sible”—helped move the Council to shift adisapproval to approval. Between the consideration of several

resolutions, President Rolando provideddelegates with background on some ofthe Executive Council’s rulings and dis-pelled some myths. We have to take the lead in the fight to

save the Postal Service, he said. “Andwhere appropriate and where conducive toour strategy, we certainly are building coali-tions and have been all over the place, andwe appreciate the efforts of those who aredoing that all over the country. “The NALC is not looking to do this

alone,” President Rolando said. “Whatwe’ve said is, ‘If we don’t take the lead,nobody else is going to.’ ” He also took specific issue with some

resolutions’ sentiment that the nationalunion needs to get on board with the ideaof forming coalitions. “Please stop it,” he said. “Don’t mis-

represent the NALC. The NALC hasbeen building coalitions for the threeyears I’ve been president, and a fewyears before that. “Nobody has reached out to the other

postal unions more than the NALC,”Rolando said. But sometimes our differences with

other unions complicate our ability to

form coalitions, he made clear. “How doyou want me to march with the APWUagainst (S.) 1789 when they support1789?” he asked. “How do you want meto work with the rural carriers to kill (H.R.)2309 when they want to amend 2309? “ ‘When appropriate’ is the key,”

Rolando said. “We want to reach out toeverybody.” He called a “myth”

the charge by some thatworking with Lazard’sRon Bloom amounted toforming a coalition withWall Street. “We do nothave a coalition with WallStreet,” Rolando said.Even so, “it would beirresponsible for thisunion to not go to thepeople who do this for aliving to find out if there’sa business there andhear what they have to say. “What we do with it is our decision,” he

said. “This is too important a fight. Let’sget on the same page.” Rolando also spoke about some resolu-

tions that called for the removal ofPostmaster General Patrick Donahoe andcertain anti-union members of the PostalBoard of Governors. The Executive Council takes the view

that the overall structure of the Board ofGovernors needs to be fixed, he said. “The Board of Governors right now is

more dysfunctional than ever,” PresidentRolando said. “At a time like this, whenthe Board of Governors is this dysfunc-tional, to ask them to replace (Donahoe)—whom we’ve certainly already gone recordas wanting out of there—there is a goodchance (the board) could put somebodylike Jim Miller in there.” Miller wasPresident Ronald Reagan’s budget chief,an advocate of government privatizationwho was nominated to the board byPresident George W. Bush in 2002. “We kind of liken this to, ‘Bonnie and

Clyde aren’t getting along too well, andthey get divorced and Clyde gets a newBonnie,” he said with a laugh. “It can getworse. It did get worse. We wanted (for-mer Postmaster General Jack) Potter outof there…and look whom we got.”

Floor resolutions The convention considered two floor

resolutions. One was from New OrleansBranch 124, calling on the Postal Serviceto consider creating a commemorativestamp in honor of those Gulf Coast resi-dents who died in 2005 during the twindisasters of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.The convention approved the resolution. The second resolution, brought to the

floor by the NALC Executive Council,asked convention delegates to endorse

Barack Obama for a second term as pres-ident of the United States. The Counciltouted some of Obama’s first-termaccomplishments, such as his work toundo his predecessor’s anti-worker agen-da by nominating pro-worker advocates tothe National Labor Relations Board andthe National Mediation Board, not to men-

tion his signing into law theAmerican Recovery andReinvestment Act, theAffordable Care Act and theLilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. The Council contrasted

Obama’s record with that ofthe presumptive Republicannominee, former Mass-achusetts Gov. Mitt Romneywho, if elected, has prom-ised to call for cuts in SocialSecurity, to turn Medicareinto an underfunded voucherprogram, and to cut up to

10 percent of the federal workforce. TheCouncil said that Romney repeatedly hasdemonstrated an anti-union, anti-workerphilosophy, evidenced primarily by hissupport for a national “right to work” (forless) law. Perhaps most significantly of all,

Romney has endorsed privatizing the U.S.Postal Service. “Be it resolved: That the National

Association of Letter Carriers join with theAFL-CIO’s Labor to Labor 2012 Campaignto mobilize our members and other work-ing people,” the resolution read, and thatthe NALC “endorse President BarackObama for a second term as President ofthe United States of America in 2012.” Although quite a few delegates took to

microphones to debate the pros and consof making such an endorsement, the con-vention ultimately voted to approve theExecutive Council’s resolution. A third floor resolution, a Mutual

Benefit Association proposal by theOklahoma State Association to increasecoverage amounts of life benefits poli-cies, was withdrawn.

2 Convention Chronicle FRIDAY, JULY 27, COVERING THE FOURTH SESSION, THURSDAY, JULY 26

Director, Health Benefits Brian Hellman

Left: CWA President Larry CohenRight: UNI-Americas President RuebenCortina

‘We stand up, we fight back’ President Rolando then welcomed

Communications Workers of AmericaPresident Larry Cohen to the stage. Like nearly all the delegates who wore

red shirts to demonstrate their support forCOLCPE on Thursday, Cohen also waswearing the NALC’s red shirt. Heexplained that his shirt color follows a longtradition in his union—23 years ago, hesaid, a CWA striker was killed by a scab,and members of his union now wear redshirts on Thursday to honor him. His union’s history has inspired Cohen

to resist attacks on workers’ rights. “Whenyou cut our pay, we say no. When you cutour health care, we say no. When youdestroy our retirement, we say no,” hesaid. “We stand up, we fight back.” Cohen told the delegates about his

union’s ongoing struggle with Verizon toget a fair contract and compared Verizon’smanagement’s antics to those of the PostalService. “We get management, whetherthe Postal Service or Verizon, that wants toshrink us, to keep us in a box, until theycan shut us down and throw us out.” To support CWA, several hundred dele-

gates were scheduled to march to thedowntown Minneapolis Verizon store for arally following the close of Thursday’s ses-sion of the convention. Cohen pledged his union’s support for

the NALC’s efforts to save the PostalService. “We will fight back, and we will bethere together with you in that fight to savea public Postal Service as if it’s our ownfight—because it is our own fight.”

Taking our message public President Rolando then explained that

MSNBC television host Ed Schultz, whohad been scheduled to speak at the con-vention, could not come because of ahealth crisis affecting his wife. In lieu ofhis appearance, delegates watchedexcerpts from Schultz’s show thatdemonstrated his knowledge of the realcauses of the postal crisis, his disdain forRep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and othersattacking the Postal Service, and hisstrong support for letter carriers. “This kind of ‘free media’ support is

invaluable,” President Rolando said afterthe Schultz video. Rolando provideddetails on NALC’s aggressive media andcommunications strategy. “Whenever Ican, I accept invitations to appear onnational television and radio shows—asdo many of you at the state and locallevel. And we have made a concertedeffort to disseminate our views in the printmedia.” NALC staff members keep in

close touch with reporters to make surethey get the facts right and give our viewsfair coverage, he said. NALC also uses paid television

advertisements to reach the public, hesaid. The delegates then saw some ofNALC’s ads, and also a commercialbroadcast on the Internet by Issa—using thousands of dollars in taxpayerfunds—that contained egregious false-hoods about the postal crisis.

‘Nothing can stop us’ President Rolando then welcomed

Rueben Cortina, president of UNI-Americas, a regional organization of UNIGlobal Union. Cortina brought a message of hope to

the delegates. In contrast with stagnanteconomies, harmful austerity measuresand hostility to union rights in other partsof the world, labor unions in severalCentral and South American nations aregaining ground in tandem with theireconomies. In many regions of the world, “we’re

going back to social Darwinism, with itsconcept of every man and woman for him-self,” he said. “That’s the new concept ofthe right—fiscal consolidation.” Bucking the trend, unions have suc-

ceeded in organizing even stubbornly anti-union companies such as Walmart inBrazil, Argentina and Chile, he said. Heattributed the success to union activists inthese countries who refused to back down. “You can have good laws, but you need

strong unions. If we mobilize and we have

strong unions, nothing can stop us.” Cortina urged letter carriers to resist the

forces aligned against labor and remainunited with sister unions in the WesternHemisphere. He pledged his solidarity withNALC: “We support you in your fightagainst privatization.” The delegates gave Cortina a letter car-

rier cheer.

Mileage and Per DiemCommittee Antonia Shields of Birmingham, AL

Branch 530, chair of the Mileage and PerDiem Committee, came to the stage withher committee to submit a final report. Shields said the total mileage and per

diem for the convention is $67,595.46.She also reported that an additional$1,200 was allocated to committee mem-ber expenses. The report was acceptedby delegates.

Sixty years with MDA Rolando then called NALC MDA

Director Jim Williams of Portland, ORBranch 82 to the podium. Williams intro-duced Tom Boyle, MDA’s vice president ofbusiness development. Boyle thanked carriers for their unwaver-

ing support for helping those with musculardystrophy and their families, and for sup-porting research toward treatments andcures. “It’s been an amazing 60 years,”Boyle said, looking back on NALC’s com-mitment, which began in 1952, to support-ing MDA. “The spirit is just as large as it

FRIDAY, JULY 27, COVERING THE FOURTH SESSION, THURSDAY, JULY 26 Convention Chronicle 3

Right: Muscular Dystrophy AssociationGoodwill Ambassador Bryson Foster shares a joke with NALC President Fredric Rolando. Far right (top to bottom): NALC MDA Co-ordinator Jim Williams and MDA’s Tom Boyle

was those 60 years ago.” Delegatesenjoyed a video about MDA and the bene-fits of their support for the organization. President Rolando then brought to the

stage MDA National Goodwill Ambas-sador Bryson Foster, a 12-year-old boyfrom Charlotte, NC who has musculardystrophy. Rolando interviewed Fosterabout his interests in sports and hisfavorite activities at MDA summer camps.Foster charmed the delegates by ribbingRolando about his beloved New YorkYankees and telling jokes. He told Rolandothat when he grows up, he wants to be“starting quarterback of the CincinnatiBengals. Or a broadcaster.” After giving a letter carrier cheer for

Foster, the delegates watched a briefvideo showing bloopers as several NBAsstruggled to pronounce Rolando’s namecorrectly while videotaping public serviceannouncements asking letter carriers tosupport MDA. President Rolando then presented

awards to the top MDA fundraisingbranches:

Category 10 (10-49 members)Asheboro, NC Br. 2560—$7,974Category 9 (50-99 members)Manteca, CA Br. 4249—$7,250Category 8 (100-199 members)Fargo-W. Fargo, ND Br. 205—$14,709Category 7 (200-349 members)Saginaw, MI Br. 74—$10,950Category 6 (350-499 members)Rockford, IL Br. 245—$17,298Category 5 (500-699 members)Grand Rapids, MI Br. 56—$22,972Category 4 (700-999 members)Northeast NY Br. 358—$21,511Category 3 (1,000-1,499 members)Arizona Merged Br. 1902—$20,804Category 2 (1,500-1,999 members)Atlanta, GA Br. 73—$25,173Category 1 (2,000 or more members)Long Island, NY Br. 6000—$51,180Grand PrizeNew Jersey Merged Br. 38—$102,803 Next, marching to the “Rocky” theme,

members of the Philadelphia Branch 157delegation came to the stage tossingTastykakes, a favorite treat from theirhometown, to delegates. Branch President

Randy Zebin told delegates what they canexpect in Philadelphia when it hosts the69th Biennial Convention in 2014—a walk-able city with great restaurants, nightlife,museums, casinos and, of course,cheesesteaks. Election Commissioner Joe DeRossi of

Brooklyn, NY Branch 41 then explainedvoting procedures for the election of AFL-CIO delegates. Election tellers ran theelection as the delegates exited the hallfollowing the end of the day’s business. President Rolando recessed the con-

vention at 3:12 p.m.

4 Convention Chronicle FRIDAY, JULY 27, COVERING THE FOURTH SESSION, THURSDAY, JULY 26

Toes were tapping to the soundsof the NALC Pittsburgh band direct-ed by Ken Slish as delegates

reconvened for their final session. MikeZagaros, president of Minneapolis Branch9, paid tribute to our nation’s flag bysinging the National Anthem. PresidentLindy Kirby reconvened the meeting at10:02 a.m.President Kirby announced the appoint-

ment of Pam Fore (Auxiliary 2621,Lakeland, FL) as the new NALCA treasur-er. Kirby further gave thanks and farewellto retiring board members Kathy Miller(Treasurer) and Sue Prather (AssistantSecretary). Their talents and service to theAuxiliary will be missed.Resolutions Chair LeeAnn Garhofer

(Auxiliary 758, St. Paul, MN) introducedcommittee members Janice Vandenburg(Auxiliary 78, Omaha, NE) and Teresa Paige(Auxiliary 772, Pocatello, ID). There were noresolutions to present. Country Store ChairEdie Pottenger (Auxiliary 444, Denver, CO)thanked everyone who donated items and

those who worked shifts. The final numberswill be announced in an upcoming issue ofThe Postal Record. DistributionsCommittee Chair Betty Johnson (Auxiliary28, Dallas, TX) gave the report of the com-mittee. The report was accepted as pre-sented. The greetings committee consistedof the NALCA officers and their spouses.Jim Kirby (Auxiliary 465, Branch 574,Kenosha, WI) challenged each delegatepresent to sign up at least one member tothe Auxiliary and increase the Auxiliarymembership by 8,000 by tomorrow! TellersCommittee Chair Sandi Williams (Auxiliary138, Dayton, OH) and committee membersCrystal Bragg (Auxiliary 153, Decatur, IL),Sandy Struecker (Auxiliary 213, Fort Dodge,IA) and Patricia LaCaze (Auxiliary 1223,Alexandria, LA) were thanked for their ser-vice. President Kirby thanked Sergeant-at-Arms Ed Wills (Auxiliary 138, Dayton, OH)and Victor Smith (Auxiliary 2646,Greenwood, MS). President Kirby thankedeveryone who served on committees fortheir diligence and service to the Auxiliary.NALC’s MDA Director, Jim Williams,

received a standing ovation as he enteredthe room. Williams gave thanks to theAuxiliary for their support to the cause overthe years and challenged everyone to doeven more to find a cure. A check for$8,500 was presented to Williams repre-senting funds the Auxiliary branches haveraised and donated since May and duringthe convention. MDA Vice President andDirector of Program Development TomBoyle thanked the Auxiliary members fortheir continued support to MDA and intro-duced National Goodwill Ambassador

Bryson Foster. Bryson gave an excellentoverview of what our Auxiliary supportmeans to MDA. Bryson also entertainedthe delegates with a glimpse of his person-al life and his personal likes about school,football teams and MDA summer camp.Nalcrest trustees Tom Young and Don

Southern were welcomed to the podium.They shared a video presentation aboutNalcrest and answered several questions.Secretary Marie Rasmussen gave a pre-

liminary report on the convention fundrais-ing efforts. Final numbers will be posted onthe Auxiliary’s web page and in The PostalRecord. Secretary Rasmussen gave specialthanks to the members of NALC’sCommunications Department, Mike Shea,Joe Conway and Rick Hodges, for theirsupport in assisting the Auxiliary with webupdates and for the excellence they putinto every issue of The Postal Record andthe NALC Convention Chronicle.Secretary Rasmussen announced that

Lakeland, FL Auxiliary 2621 won the mem-bership contest with a 90 percent increasein 2012. Accepting the award were NancySouthern, Pam Fore, and Rachel Mitchell.NALC Executive Vice President Tim

O’Malley installed the officers for 2012-2014. The NALCA officers are Linda Kirby,president; Cythensis Lang, vice president;Marie Rasmussen, secretary; Pam Fore,treasurer and George Anna Myers, assis-tant secretary.President Kirby declared the 53rd

National Convention adjourned at 2 p.m.M. Marie Rasmussen,

NALCA Secretary

NALC AUXILIARY Thursday, July 26

NALC members vote for AFL-CIO delegates.