Denim & Diamonds - gaupma.files.wordpress.com · 03/01/2017 · Peaches & Print A Publication of the Georgia Chapter of UPMA Editor: Wendy Spears *The views expressed in this publication

Vol. 2 No. 1 Jan/Feb 2018

2017 & 2018 Georgia UPMA Scholarship

Information INSIDE

Save the Date for the

2018 State Denim & Diamonds

Convention

May 3 - 5

Sea Palms Resort St. Simons Island, GA

Peaches & Print

A Publication of the Georgia Chapter of

UPMA

Editor: Wendy Spears

*The views expressed in this publication are the opinions of the writer and not necessarily the opinion or the position of the United Postmasters and Managers of America.

*NEVER use postal stationary, telephone or computer for UPMA business.

Peaches & Print (USPS 0013-6440) is published bi-monthly by the Georgia Chapter of United Postmasters and Managers of America (UPMA), 20 Belflower Rd. Tifton, GA 31794-1620. Members of the Georgia Chapter receive the publication as part of their annual dues. Others - Subscription price $10 annually. Periodical Postage paid at Lexington GA 30648.

Postmaster: Send address changes to Peaches & Print, 20 Belflower Rd. Tifton, GA 31794-1620

Articles for the March/April publication of Peaches & Print are

due February 25th

Mark your calendars for the 2nd National UPMA Convention in

Reno, Nevada

July 21 - 27

Registration form in this publication

Inside this issue:

Executive Board 3

Editor 4

President 5

Convention Chair & Save the Date 6 - 7

Executive VP, Secretary/Treasurer 8

Legislative 9

Ramblings of an Old Man 10

Retiree President 11

National VP - Edmund Carley Clerk Staffing

12

Constitution and Bylaws Chair 13

Meet the Candidates 14

Scholarships Information 16 - 17

In Loving Memory/Prayers/Promotions/Scholarship Donations

18

Forms in this publication

Scholarship, National Convention

Cap Metro Area Coordinator 6

Georgia Chapter UPMA Executive Board

President Becky Manley 1530 E Broad St Greensboro, GA 30642 O: (706) 864-2517 H: (706) 453-4258 C: (706) 318-1562 [email protected] Executive Vice President Scarlet Middleton 45 River Bend Dr Saint Marys, GA 31558 O: (912) 729-1486 C: (912) 288-4978 [email protected] Convention Chair/ VP Rebecca Spivey PO Box 1 Hampton, GA 30228 O: (770) 946-3385 C: (770) 584-3317 [email protected] Secretary/Treasurer Tammy Cantrell 116 ABB Helton Rd Cleveland, GA 30528 O: (706) 865-6146 C: (706) 878-6017 [email protected] Editor Wendy Spears 20 Belflower Rd Tifton, GA 31794 O:(229) 567-4804 C: (229) 392-2122 [email protected] Legislative/Pac Chairman John M. Frossard PO Box 1 Temple, GA 30179 O: (770) 562-3156 H: (770) 436-2799 C: (770) 262-2957 [email protected]

Webmaster Danny Hooks 2757 Lost Lakes Dr Powder Springs, GA 30127 O: (770) 684-6083 C: (678) 467-1777 [email protected] Retiree President Judy Miller 4393 Tennille Harrison Rd Tennille, GA 31089 H: (478) 552-6347 C: (478) 232-7898 [email protected] Retiree Secretary/Treasurer Nancy Chapman 1041 Thornwood Dr. Watkinsville, GA 30677 H: (706) 769-6876 C: (706) 296-4052 [email protected] National Adverse Action Counselor David Disharoon PO Box 1322 Dawsonville, GA 30534 C: (404) 217-2482 [email protected] Chapter Member Representative-North Roy Shaffer 162 Poplar Way Winder, GA 30680 O: (770) 867-7701 C: (404) 357-9596 [email protected] Chapter Member Representative -South Joe Griggers 284 Rebecca Cir Griffin, GA 30224 H: (770) 229-2123 C: (770) 584-0391 [email protected]

Cap Metro Area Coordinator/ Past President Janie Holder 2115 Corinth-Poseyville Rd Bremen, GA 30110 O: (770) 574-8755 C: (678) 836-7788 [email protected]

Southern Area Coordinator Ron Davis O: (334) 756-3268 C: (334) 744-3033 [email protected]

Constitution and Bylaws Louise Nix 88 Rodney Nix Rd Cleveland, GA 30528 H: (706) 865-4391 C: (706) 878-6173 [email protected]

Parliamentarian Sammie Reese 5 Pine Grove Cr Newnan, GA 30263 H: (770) 251-8729 C: (678) 526-3471 [email protected]

4 Peaches & Print January/February 2018

Editor - Wendy Spears

A Happy Ending

Rural Carrier Amber Morgan, Nicole and Drew Taylor

W orking for the Post Office is hard work and often times stressful, but the one thing that I have found

is that when it comes down to it, there is team work and caring amongst the employees in the office and also for their customers.

On Wednesday, November 8th, the Arabi, GA route carri-ers vehicle caught fire. Rural Carrier Amber Morgan tried to save the mail, but the heat was too intense and she had to retreat from the vehicle. Unfortunately, all but a handful of mail was consumed by the fire.

The following day, I received a call from customer Nicole Taylor. She had mined for gemstones on her honey moon with new husband Drew. In her vehicle at the time of the fire were the precious gem stones the two had uncovered. There was little chance of finding such small items in the midst of the burned rubble. All paper mail and packages were lost in the fire, however, Amber searched the Jeep where the package was last placed and miraculously found them. The box had been burned, but the plastic wrap they were shipped in had melted around them. It was just enough to shrink wrap and preserve them, mak-ing them possible to find amongst the ashes.

We were all so excited to have found them. They were delivered to Nicole and Drew and the pair plan to have the stones put into a setting where they have such a won-derful story to tell; one of being mined with love and sur-viving against the odds.

It’s a great feeling to work with such dedicated and caring employees. We can find good in most every situation, even from losses such as this. I hope this story touches your heart like it did mine.

850M parcels by USPS and 99% on time for

peak

Emailed by Ron Jarrell and Lucious Sumlar


President - Becky Manley

The New Year

P lease help us to locate the following mem-bers. We would like to update our records

and need a good address for them. If you know how to get in touch with them, please contact me or have them contact me: Editor – Wendy Spears at (229) 392-2122, [email protected] or 20 Belflower Rd. Tifton, GA 31794.

Mr. Donnie Bennett Associate Member

Jenny H. Bennett Postmaster

Garriel M. Douglas Supervisor

Andrew Chase Lamb Postmaster

Rhonda S. Lee Supervisor

Micheleen Leggett Supervisor

Priscilla S. Rainwater Supervisor

Roland L White Supervisor

Edna M. Dover Postmaster Retired

Mary J. Gard Postmaster Retired

Betty J. Godfrey Postmaster Retired

Ellen C. Lang Postmaster Retired

Janice L. Litchfield Postmaster Retired

James L. Sparks Postmaster Retired

Wanda L. Vickery Postmaster Retired

Ernie L Hillman Unknown

F irst of all, I would like to wish each of you a Happy New Year! May health, happiness, peace, prosperity,

and safety abound in each of our lives. The new year brings a lot of challenges but the strength of our chapter comes from our ability to work together. Our first challenge will be our 3 digit meetings. We are still in the planning stages, and have set the dates of Feb-ruary 7 - 8. We will have our first meeting on the 7th in 305 - 306 area with a location to be announced later. Please watch the website for more information. Our Na-tional Co-President, Tony Leonardi is scheduled to at-tend, along with the MPOO for those areas and other dis-trict staff. This is an excellent opportunity to meet new people and gain new members. Remember, we have 6 months free membership to all we sign up. Our next challenge will be the Legislative Advocacy Sum-mit. The dates coincide with the mail count making it hard for a lot of Postmasters and Managers to get off. I under-stand the importance of the mail count to the Post Office. I can only hope the Post Office will not underestimate the importance of our presence on the Hill. According to Bob Levi, the first quarter will be critical for postal employees,

retiree benefits, and the future of the USPS. If you are planning to attend please go ahead and submit your leave. We are trying to secure rooms and John will be busy making appointments. Please let John know as soon as possible if you are going to attend. The more people we have, the easier it will be to adequately cover the Hill. Looking ahead to warmer days, don't forget about our state convention at Sea Palms in May. Rebecca is work-ing hard to make sure we have great training, food and entertainment. We will have representation from both ar-eas and districts. This is an excellent location to plan a family vacation. I hope you will mark your calendars and make it happen. As you can see, there's a lot to be done. Let's do together what we cannot do alone. B


Cap Metro Area Coordinator - Janie Holder

Cap Metro Area Coordinator

Convention Chair—Rebecca Spivey

Save the Date for Denim and Diamonds

O n May 3rd you will need to come to run for office and enjoy the evening with your fellow UPMA mem-bers.

May 4th is a business day with UPMA Leaders, the area, the district and training. Banquet in the evening.

May 5th will be the UPMA meeting and more training.

Our Theme this year is Denim and Diamonds – so La-

dies and Gentlemen let’s get our diamonds out, polish them and be ready to shine.

We are staying at the Sea Palms Resort and will be send-ing out information on the website.

www.gaupma.com/state-convention

Rooms are $134.00 + 7% + 5% and a $5.00 Transporta-tion Fee. We have the Deluxe Rooms – Double/Double and One Bedroom Suite – Double /Double. Please watch for further information in the mail and on the website.

Remember if you are running for office please notify Wendy, the Editor so she can put it in the next issue of Peaches and Print.

Rebecca Spivey

M y job as your Cap Metro Area Coordinator is to be your liaison between the state president and the

Area. If you as our presidents cannot get the issue re-solved on the district level, please contact me with any questions or as a sounding board for your issues. I will walk you through the process. First you have to start with each level of Management and the last being your district manager. My experience in dealing with these issues is to go to the first level of management, usually where the issue originated. We have our telecom the third Thursday of each month. Anyone can join the telecom; the presidents are required to be on. If any of you would like to join, please let me know. I will get you the information to join. On our last telecom on December 28th, we discussed that pay talks have been extended. We also discussed our National Legislative Summit coming up in February. Many Postmasters and Managers are concerned they will not be able to attend due to mail count. Work with your dis-trict mangers and share the importance of this trip that concerns the betterment of all postal employees. The National Board discussed putting something on our

website that is fresh and new. If you have a great story or a tried and true best practice please let a member of our national board know. Each president reports on what is happening in their state during the telecom. There was a common denominator at the last telecom to have 3 digit meetings and grow membership. Our area advisor and National Vice President Angela Greene is on and most times the national president is on and brings us the latest happenings from the national office. Please let me know if I can help with any issues or just be your sounding board. I am here to serve you our mem-bers. Sincerely, Janie Holder Cap Metro Area Coordinator. Postmaster Tallapoosa Georgia 30176 678-836-7788 Cell 770-574-8755 Work [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


State Convention @

May 3 - 5


Secretary/Treasurer - Tammy Cantrell

Milestones and Dreams

Executive Vice President - Scarlet Middleton

The Benefits of Belonging to UPMA

T he Georgia UPMA State Convention at beautiful Sea Palms will be here before you know it. Please

take time out of your busy schedule to attend. Bring your family and/or another Postmaster or Manager with you. I promise you will not regret it.

The training that will be offered is far better than anything you will get on e-learning and the time spent with other Postmasters/Managers sharing your daily stresses is in-valuable. I don’t recall ever attending a state or national meeting that I did not come away without learning how to better utilize a program I was already using or learn something entirely new. Your executive board is trying to work with the Atlanta and Gulf Atlantic Districts to plan one full day of training that will give us training credits and not require us to use a day of annual leave. So, stay tuned…

Our GA UPMA membership percentage is 76.20% and we currently have 77 non member offices. I am asking for your help in signing up new members. You can contact me at [email protected].

Reasons For Joining

Networking - Networking –Networking!

State and National Conferences and Conventions

State and National publications

6 months free membership

Legal Defense Fund

I write this article with a little bit of a sad heart. My 2 best friends have decided to retire from the Postal

Service after over 40 years of service. I say a little, be-cause I am happy that they have both reached this mile-stone in their lives and can start the next chapter in their story. Roy wasted no time by heading to Florida for a few weeks after he retired and Louise will be heading to London in a few weeks. I’m looking forward to the day I can join them as a retiree. I know that they will be like a lot of our retirees and continue working and supporting GA UPMA. Roy will continue to serve as Chapter Member Rep. and Louise is serv-ing as Constitution and Bylaws Chair. With their retirement came another change in my life. Effective January 6th, I became the new Postmas-ter of Cleveland, GA. This has been my goal since I

started with the Post Office 32 years ago. Cleveland is my home town and I was a clerk there for 3 years and the SPO for 4 years. Thanks Louise for helping me real-ize my dream, not by retiring, but by being my mentor and friend.

Now to the Secretary/Treasurer side. We recently had an executive board meeting to discuss the upcoming year. Your GA UPMA is very sound financially and the board wants to make sure we take care of the membership. The Executive Board voted to give each member $450.00 to help with expenses to the Legislative Advocacy Day if they attend all meetings and visit

state representatives on the Hill. If this is something you’re interested in please let John Frossard know you plan to attend.

“The Executive Board

voted to give each member

$450.00 to help with

expenses to the Legislative

Advocacy Day …”



Legislative/PAC - John M Frossard

Legislative Report

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. I can’t believe we survived another

PEAK Season and now it’s time to focus on The 2018 UPMA Legislative Summit. The summit will be at the Ren-aissance Arlington Capitol View Hotel February 26-27, 2018. The summit starts off with a full day Monday, Feb-ruary 26th with a morning session at the Renaissance Arlington Capitol View Hotel. We move to the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center for our afternoon forum. Last year we had several members of Congress speaking to the UPMA group. We will finish up with a Capitol Hill Reception on Monday night. Last year this was the event where Post-master General Megan Brennan addressed our group and let us know how important our presence was and thanked us for taking the time to lobby on behalf of The Postal Service and Postmasters/Managers. Tuesday, February 27th is the BIG day. This is the day UPMA takes on Capitol Hill and members of Congress. I will be making appointments with both of Georgias sena-tors, Johnny Isakson and David Perdue. I will be making appointments with as many of our 13 representatives as possible. If you are planning on attending please contact me at [email protected] and let me know which district you live in, so I can make an appointment with

your representative. It is a proven fact that a face to face meeting is the best way to influence members of con-gress. This is why it is important we schedule appoint-ments with Representatives who have UPMA members at the summit. I will be scheduling appointments all morning and most of the afternoon. If you have never been on one of these legislative summits, it is a real thrill to be walking the halls of Congress, attempting to influence the most powerfully elected people in the United States to see and vote for issues important to us. UPMA’s 2018 Legislative Agenda: First will be postal viability which UPMA supports moving HR 756 through the legislative process, as the measure provides the core elements of postal sustainability. Second will be univer-sal Postal Service which UPMA strongly supports a physical postal presence in each community. The third will be Postmaster and Manager protection. Fourth will be Postmaster and Manager retirement equity and finally the physical year 2019 budget. You can go to our website unitedpma.org to get more detailed information on our 2018 Legislative Agenda. I hope you will take the time to attend the 2018 UPMA Legislative Summits.

Date: 02/26/2018

Time: 07:00 AM to 04:00 PM

UPMA 2018 Legislative Summit February 26-27, 2018

Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel


http://unitedpma.org


Chapter Member Representative - Roy Shaffer

Ramblings of a Old Man

I retired on January 2nd with 44 years and 4 months service (including my sick leave). I’m fortunate that my

big brother has a condo in Florida so on January 3rd my wife and I headed to the beach for two weeks. I like to take a 2-3 mile morning walk on the beach and even though the wind chill temperature has been at 22 degrees each morning, the view is well worth the temporary incon-venience of the weather. Everyone has had one or two best friends while growing up but like most people, I haven’t stayed in touch with those childhood best friends. In the Marine Corps I was willing to die for all my fellow Marines, but that was part of the job description and I have some Marines I exchange Christmas cards with each year that I consider friends. My wife and I will celebrate 41 years of marriage on January 7th and our marriage wouldn’t have survived this long without us being friends. Since most of my life has been working for the Postal Service it’s only logical that is where I’ve met

most of my current friends and my three life-long best friends. One I chose to be my big brother and the other two are closer than my sisters. To those of you who know me, I’m not the easiest person to get along with and to be my best friend can be hard at times. These three best friends have seen me at my best and often at my worst, but chose to stay my best friends. For that I will always be thankful.

As your North Georgia Member Rep, my advice to you is to find some friends in your career and ask for as-sistance/guidance when needed. Don’t get caught up in EAS levels and never apply for any position you’re not capable/qualified to handle. If you’re having a meeting with your boss and

you’re not sure if you need representation, you probably do. Contact Joe or myself before that meeting, not after. Be pro-active and not reactive.

“If you’re having a meeting with

your boss and you’re not sure if

you need representation, you

probably do.”


Retiree President - Judy Miller

It’s a New Year

A s I do each time I start to write an article, I struggle for a topic. I’ll tell our dear, patient editor Wendy that I

know TODAY is the deadline and I promise to have it to you before the end of the day. She’s a wonderful editor and the Georgia Chapter is lucky to have her. Give her thanks for the great job she does.

I’ve been in what we call the computer room off and on all week since it’s the first week of the New Year. I always say I’m going to get organized and keep it that way. Well, some might not call it a computer room, but a junk room. It’s a small room and everything seems to find its way there.

While clearing and throwing out, I ran across an article from an old issue of The Cracker Postmaster dated July-August 1981. Yes 37 years old! The article was written by then Re-tiree Chairman Frances Cowan of Ellenwood, GA. The title was, “Retirees Organize at State Convention – News Flow-ing”. After reading the article, I noticed that things really haven’t changed in the last 37 years that much, other than the names of the publication and organization. Some of the exerts from the article are: The Retirees of Georgia Chapter of NAPUS organized at the State Convention in Savannah, July 16, 1981. There were 17 retirees and 11 spouses pre-sent. The retirees thanked the state chapter for honoring the retirees and spouses with a lovely luncheon. The retirees stated their intention of be an asset to this group and hereby offer our services. Retirees are ready, able and willing to do and hope you will call on us. We represent many years of experience. Five of the 17 retirees present were former NAPUS Presidents. They took two days to site see the Sa-vannah area free of charge because they had spouses and employees of Savannah who took their time and vehicles and served as tour guides for the retirees.

The retirees voted to request the Georgia Chapter of NAPUS to do two things for the retirees as follows: 1. Give retirees a 25% discount on registration fees for the three annual meet-ings (state, North and South GA meetings). 2. Make the Retirees President a member of the Convention Planning committee and pay the expenses of this representative to one annual planning meeting. Both request were passed at this meeting and mostly still in effect today. The retirees receive a discount of the registration fees. The retiree Presi-dent does attend the state planning meeting and usually re-ceives a comp room from the site hotel.

They were planning their first meeting after being organized at the North GA meeting in Gainesville on November 13/14 at the Holiday Inn. They were encouraging all retirees to try to attend this first important meeting. It was stated that “we missed so many at the state convention. Some had previous plans etc. but a great many were physically disabled and we hope they will improve rapidly.”

So much of this is true today. We are still available to assist our fellow Postmasters. We still struggle to get our atten-dance up. So many fellow retired Postmasters are facing challenges that keep them from attending the meetings. We have two meetings right around the corner. The Legislative Summit or Advocacy Days or Legislative Rally or whatever you want to call it is probably the most important meeting you will attend. We are, after all, fighting for our rights, bene-fits, retirement etc. Then the state convention is the first week in May at Sea Palms on St. Simons Island; a beautiful location. This is where we hosted the state convention when I was state President and now while I’m your Retiree Presi-dent, 18 years later. We just keep revolving, but we do need to stay on top of things by attending these important meetings. The training is the best because you get it from your fellow Postmasters and friends. Sometimes just sitting and talking to another Postmaster will help you solve a prob-lem in your own office.

If you are not a member of the retiree organization, head-quarters is offering six months free membership. If you join the organization by signing an 1187R the retiree chapter has voted to give you another six months free, which makes you receive a whole year free. You can find a form on the chap-

ter webpage at www.gaupma.com.

We welcome newly retired members Roy Shaffer and Louise Nix to our ranks. They bring with them a wealth of knowl-edge and support to all Postmasters.

Make your plans now for our 2018 meetings. Hope to see you there. Need a ride? Let a retiree know. We’ll make it happen.

Now this is just plain nonsense: How do you rid a dog of fleas? Give him a bath in alcohol and a rubdown with sand. The fleas get drunk and kill each other by throwing rocks. Until next time, you are forever in my prayers.


T he Postal Service has painted itself into a corner and Post-masters are suffering because of an unworkable combina-

tion of agreements with the clerk union.

First of all, there is the 15-hour restriction on clerk work level 18 Postmasters can perform in a work week. I won’t go into the history of this provision nor the definition of clerk work. Before POStPlan, in many offices, this work was being performed ex-clusively by Postmasters. The story of how, for the first time in history, an arbitrator took work from one employee group and gave it to another will have to wait for another article. Suffice it to say, Postmasters are not allowed to perform more than 15 hours of certain work in their offices in a week. A typical level 18 office earns 55 hours a week.

Next is the agreement that only career em-ployees can work in level 18 offices, at least on the window. A Postal Support Employee (PSE) assigned to a level 18 office can per-form certain duties, however, unless there are at least four window-trained career em-ployees in the unit, a PSE cannot work the window. In addition, a PSE assigned to a level 4 Remotely Man-aged Post Office (RMPO) cannot be used in an APO. Nor can these PSEs readily loan into another APO cluster; there is a memorandum of understanding that speaks to a pecking order for doing this, but it ONLY pertains to Sunday Amazon delivery! This is another agreement that seems harmless in a vacuum, but combined with all the other agreements makes scheduling next to impossible.

Lastly, managing RMPOs includes the requirement to cover other offices in the APO cluster. Postmasters or other manage-ment cannot perform any work in a level 6 or a level 4 RMPO. If the NTFT clerk is on leave, a PTF from your APO must be the replacement. This is the same when a level 4 PSE is on leave. All employees earn annual leave, career and pre-career alike.

However, PSEs require a break in service that needs to be cov-ered. There is also sick leave and other unscheduled absences that must be covered as well. The question is, by whom? Take for example a level 18 Postmaster with one career clerk in office and a PSE in the RMPO who is on their break in service: the clerk is sent to cover the RMPO, but who is available to backfill the clerk? The first 15 hours of the week can be covered by the Postmaster, but then what? Remember, most offices have more than 50 hours of clerk work each week.

I have presented this problem to every level of the Postal Ser-vice, but I am always met with blank stares. I am told that offices can borrow clerks. My question is, from where? As mentioned previously, you can’t borrow a PSE. You can’t borrow regulars

and PTFs don’t exist in level 21 and above offices. Almost every level 18 (and 20) is short staffed, so where will this clerk come from to borrow – a magical pool?

My position is that every level 18 office MUST be staffed with at least two career clerks in order to adequately meet the obli-

gations of the service and the contract as currently written. I am pushing this to the District, Area, and Headquarters every chance I get. Unless the agreements cited above are tweaked somehow, Postmasters are being asked to violate the contract whenever there is leave – scheduled or unscheduled – in their APO cluster. It is time to strip away the painted corner and allow Postmasters the ability to manage their offices efficiently.

Edmund A Carley

Postmaster Lincoln IL 62656

UPMA National Vice President

Government Relations and PAC Chairman

“It is time to strip away the painted

corner and allow Postmasters the

ability to manage their offices

efficiently.”

UPMA Vice President - Edmund A Carley

Clerk Staffing

I have presented this problem to every level of the Postal Service, but I am always met with blank stares. I am told that offices can borrow clerks. My question is, from where? As mentioned previously, you can’t borrow a PSE. You can’t borrow regulars and PTFs don’t exist in level 21 and above offices. Almost every level 18 (and 20) is short staffed, so where will this clerk come from to borrow – a magical pool?


Constitution and Bylaws - Louise Nix

Looking to the Future but Remembering the Past

Louise retired with 40 years of service. 30 of those years were spent in Cleveland as Postmaster.

“My work for UPMA will not stop just move over to the retirees. Your friendship is a valuable as-set in my life.”

We wish you much happiness in retirement and look forward to hearing all about your new adventures.

O n January 3rd, I began a new journey in my life. The journey called retirement is something we all work

for and at times, think it will never get here. Unfortu-nately, in the flash of a light, my working career has ended and retirement is here. I would not be truthful, if I said I approach this with total excitement and great re-lieve. Most of you know, I loved my job, I loved being a part of the United States Postal Service, and I loved being Postmaster of my home town. Though I know the time has come, there is still much anxiety and much sadness as I leave behind all I have ever known.

The future is always uncharted waters which makes most of us nervous, and I am no exception. I now can do all the things I have always planned to do, (like cleaning out my house of unnecessary stuff). I plan to take a trip to London, with my daughter, daughter in law and sister!!!! Then I will be off to UPMA Advocacy Day in February, our state convention in May, the National Convention in July, the Fall Meeting in October, along with the SOC meeting in Texas. Wow, I hope I have time for cleaning out the house!!!!!

You may see a pattern here, UPMA over and over! Yes that is right, my past has been made complete with NAPUS, and now UPMA. These organizations are a valuable part of who I am, where I have been, and more importantly where I am going. The knowledge I have ob-

tained with the Postmasters organization is overwhelm-ing. The friends I have made and the battles I have fought for Postmasters, makes me one proud Mama Louise, (as I am referred to by many Postmasters). As I move forward into the unknown, I will carry the past with me; I will continue to work and fight for/with Postmaster and Managers.

As I leave the active group and join the retirees, I can only say to you………………………….Get up, get out, attend meetings, support and help each other. The time has come for you to pick up the slack and march forward to fight for Postmasters and Managers. Two of your strongest cheerleaders have just moved over, Roy and myself. Build your life, which will soon turn into your past, by supporting each other.

Louise S. Nix, Postmaster……………What a honor for 36 yrs.

Louise S. Nix, member NAPUS/UPMA ….What a privi-lege for 37 yrs

Get Involved, we can’t spell _PMA with U.

Retiree President Judy Miller looking on as Louise signs up as a member of the UPMA retirees


I f you have never received your Postmaster Plaque from Headquarters, send an email to [email protected] requesting your

certificate and include the attached spreadsheet. Copy your district man-agers secretary. He/she will obtain approval from the district manager.

PFC-District First Name MI Last Name New City New State New Zip+4 EFF

200-Capital (E X A M P L E) Abra C. Dabra Newname MD 12345-9998 12/31/2009

Requestor

Name:

email:

Phone:

Get your Postmaster Plaque

I am retired Postmaster Charles (Charley) Peters from Som-erset, KY (January 2009), and a candidate for UPMA Re-

tired National Treasurer.

I became a member of NAPUS with my first Postmaster ap-pointment in 1978, and have been active in the organization, both State and National. Active State positions include Presi-dent, Area VP, District Director, Editor, Scholarship Board, and Sergeant-At-Arms. Retired State positions include VP, Presi-dent, Parliamentarian, Scholarship Board, and Transportation Chair for our first UPMA National Convention in Louisville, KY. On the National Level, I have served as Gazette Editor and Co-Chair for Membership. As a Retiree on the National Level, I served as Co-Chair for Hospitality, Recording Secretary, and Parliamentarian.

My first National Convention was Biloxi, MS, in 1982, and since then, I have missed 3 conventions. Anita and I were married 25 years ago, and as a spouse, she has not only attended the con-ventions, but has been active helping in various capacities (pianist for our Church services, Hospitality room, etc). I say this to stress that the organization has been a big part of my life for the past 38 years.

With the joining together of the League of Postmasters and NAPUS into one strong Organization, UPMA, serving Postmas-ters and Managers, both Active and Retired, I am striving to continue serving at the National Level as National Treasurer for UPMA Retired.

Submitted by Scarlet Middleton



O n October 26, President Donald Trump made three nomi-nations to the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors.

Currently, the only two board members are Postmaster General Megan Brennan and Deputy Postmaster General Ron Stroman. The Trump nominees include former Postal Service Inspector General David Williams, former Republican National Committee Chairman Robert Duncan, and Pennsylvania businessman Cal-vin Tucker. David Williams has extensive postal experience in evaluating and making recommendations regarding postal op-erations and finances. Robert Duncan is a former Kentucky banker, and served as chairman of the Tennessee Valley Au-thority (a position held by former PMG Marvin Runyan) and chairman of American Crossroads PAC, a major GOP super-PAC. Calvin Tucker has been the CEO and held a number of executive positions in the financial industry, and co-hosted a Philadelphia-based talk-show. The nominees will be referred to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. At the time of referral the committee will, in all likelihood, schedule prompt hearings, with committee full Senate consideration later this year.

Posted by Bob Levi on 10/30/17 www.unitedpma.org

President Trump Nominates Three to USPS Board of Governors

O n December 1, the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) concluded that the postage rate-setting system created in

the 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act has failed to maintain the financial health of the USPS as intended in the law, has weakened the high quality service standards and has not increased pricing efficiency. In sum, the decade-old statutory postage rate regime has not met many of the criteria outlined in the 2006 postal legislation. As a result, on December 1, the PRC proposed three changes in the way postage rates will be adjusted, in the future, to im-prove the USPS finances and operations. First, the PRC would grant the USPS 2 percent of rate authority per class of mail above the consumer price index (CPI) for each of the next 5 years. Additionally, the USPS would be provided up to 1 percent of rate authority per class of mail per year, contingent on the USPS meeting or exceeding specified efficiency and service standards. Second, the PRC would require a minimum rate in-crease of 2 percent for postal products that do not cover their attributable costs. And, third, the PRC would establish two rate adjustment bands for work-share discounts "pass-throughs."

The PRC has established a three-month comment period, end-ing on March 1, 2018. UPMA intends to contribute comments. No doubt this proposal will generate considerable debate within the broad postal community, particularly among the major mail-ers. Moreover, this proposal may encourage Congress to accel-erate the legislative process with regard to consideration of HR 756. Indeed, PRC Commissioner Marc Action wrote in his sup-plementary comments to the PRC announcement: "The last few years have seen significant bipartisan efforts in Congress to craft such reform, and it has yet to come to fruition. The Commission does not have the ability to allow the Postal Service to re-amortize unfunded liabilities, administer employee benefits differently, change the frequency of delivery, or deliver profitable items restricted by statute. In short, there is no action the Commission can take to substitute for meaningful legislative reform, and I urge Congress to continue to work toward that goal."

Posted by Bob Levi on 12/02/17 www.unitedpma.org

PRC Finds Current Rate System Fails to Meet Objectives and Proposes Alternative

http://www.unitedpma.org/

http://www.unitedpma.org/


A pplicants vary each year. Also, the applications vary. Some are incom-

plete. Please do not forget to include a separate sheet with a list of extracurricular activities. Some years, all applicants score within fractions of points in grade point average; and according to the crite-ria, the selection committee must consider also (no more than) “five extracurricular activities sanctioned by the church, school or community.” That could make a differ-ence in who is selected.

Some things to remember to simplify the selection process:

* Do NOT send letters of reference from teachers or community leaders;

* When choosing your five extracurricular activities, sports and club memberships, base your selection on those in which you, the applicant, have/had a leadership role, or excelled in some way -- OR which meant the most to you.

* Also, a variety of activities (not just

sports, etc.) could be helpful. That indi-cates a more well- rounded student and future leader.

* Everyone does not participate in sports; art or music might be your specialty.

Community service is also important.

* Don’t forget to send a transcript from your school showing GPA. If SAT or ACT was taken, send those scores also, if pos-sible.

GEORGIA CHAPTER

UPMA

SCHOLARSHIP RULES

1. Applicants must be the child or grandchild of an active UPMA Member or Postmaster Retired member of Georgia UPMA to be eligible.

2. We will be awarding two scholarships. One will be awarded to a 2017 high school graduate and one will be awarded to a 2018 high school graduate.

3. Applicant ONE must be a high school senior, planning to attend an accredited college or academic institution.

4. Applicant TWO must be a 2017 high school graduate, at-tending an accredited college or academic institution. (Due to the merger, we did not award a scholarship in 2017. We are awarding it this year.)

5. Each award will be $1000.00.

6. Selection of winners is made on the basis of a GPA and no more than five extracurricular activities sanctioned by the church, school or community. A limit of two sports and two clubs will be considered. Selection will be made by the scholar-ship committee and will be approved by the president.

7. A transcript from an accredited school showing the GPA must be attached to the UPMA application when submitted to the scholarship chairman for consideration.

8. Winners will be notified in April by the Secretary-Treasurer.

9. Winners and/or their sponsors are expected to attend the award ceremony that will take place at the State Convention in May. Winners will be asked to give a short acceptance speech. One (1) night’s room for the winner and winner’s banquet meal

will be paid by Georgia UPMA to offset expense of attending the banquet when the award is issued.

10. Actual funds will be mailed directly to the college in July.

11. If you wish confirmation that your application was received, please send your application by certified mail or enclose a self-addressed postcard that will be returned to you.

Visit www.gaupma.com to print the 2018

application or use the application in this edition of Peaches & Print.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION IS THE LAST DAY OF

FEBRUARY 2018

Scholarship Announcement


GA CHAPTER UPMA 2017 & 2018 Scholarship Application

(PLEASE PRINT)

APPLICANT INFORMATION

Applicant Name__________________________________________________________________

Last First MI

Home Address __________________________________________________________________

City/Zip ________________________________________________________________________

Telephone ______________________________________________________________________

UPMA MEMBER INFORMATION

Office __________________________________________________________

Position of sponsor (circle one) POSTMASTER/MANAGER/SUPERVISOR RETIRED ASSOCIATE

Sponsor Name ________________________________________________________________

Last First MI

Home Address___________________________________________________________________

City/Zip_________________________________________________________________________

Telephone______________________________________________________________________

Signature __________________________________________Date_________________________

The above signature certifies that you are presently a UPMA member and the applicant is your child or grandchild.

SCHOOL INFORMATION

High School Attended______________________________________________________________

Address_________________________________________________________________________

City/Zip_____________________________________________ Graduation Date_______________

Transcript from an accredited school showing GPA must be included with application.

Submit to: Mrs. Nancy Chapman, 1041 Thornwood Dr. Watkinsville, GA 30677

Deadline is Feb 28th, 2018


Trina Anderson - Greensboro Tammy Cantrell - Cleveland Fran McElveen - Waynesville Marcia Crawford - Hardwick

James Poppell - Ellabell Jan Coleman - Buford

Gene Lofton - Leesburg

Becky Manley - Dahlonega William “Al” Davis - Cummings

Camille Lanier - Duluth Charly Nicius - Roswell

Roy Shaffer in honor of Tony Fogartys father Roy Shaffer in honor of Nancy Brookshire Louise Nix in honor of Nancy Brookshire Georgia UMPA Chapter in honor of Nancy Brookshire

Nancy Brookshire, Postmaster of Pendergrass. Wife of Rural Carrier, Dwight Brookshire. Condo-lences can be sent to 3831 Cato Rd. Gainesville, GA 30507

John Brantley, Son of Rise Brantley, Postmas-ter of Irwinton. P.O. Box 1 Oconee, GA 31067

Linda Henderson, Retired Postmaster of Conley

Jack Smith, Retired Postmaster of Toccoa

SCHOLARSHIP DONATIONS:

Would you like to remember someone who is sick or shut in or maybe in memory of a lost loved one?

You can make contributions to the scholarship fund in their name. For more information please

contact Tammy at:

[email protected]

Send your donations to:

Tammy Cantrell State Secretary/Treasurer

116 ABB Helton Rd. Cleveland, GA 30528-3700


Periodical Postage

PAID at

Lexington, GA 30648

UPMA 2018 Legislative Advocacy Days

February 26-27, 2018

Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel

Change over meeting 2018 - L to R: Louise Nix, John Frossard, Becky Manley, Scarlet Middleton, Wendy Spears, Roy Shaffer, Judy Miller, Sammie Reese, Tammy Cantrell

Documents

Denim & Diamonds - gaupma.files.wordpress.com · 03/01/2017 · Peaches & Print A Publication of the Georgia Chapter of UPMA Editor: Wendy Spears *The views expressed in this publication