 Paul Price, the National Business Agent for Region 2, believes that turning “ho-hum” unionists into life-long activists can be the key to a successful future, not only for the NALC but also for every working letter carrier.
“How the union encourages participation of the younger members is crucial and is our biggest challenge,” said Price, a member of Portland,
Oregon Branch 82.
Price, re-elected by acclamation at the 2006 Las Vegas Convention, joined the union “my very first day of orientation” in 1985 on the advice of his father, Richard, who also served as a shop steward and Branch 82 officer before retiring.
But it was Paul Price’s early personal experience that propelled him to activism when he was assigned to a station “where men and women cried openly on the workroom floor because of the abuse. I became a steward within my first 100 days. What I saw there has motivated me to this day.”
Price became a branch trustee as well as steward—for three years, Price was his father’s steward at Rose City Park station. He became an arbitration advocate in 1992 and also worked as a local business agent from 1990 to 1994. In 1994, he was appointed Regional Administrative Assistant, serving until his election as Region 2 NBA by acclamation at the Philadelphia Convention in 2002.
Along with enforcing carriers’ rights, “my emphasis continues to be to devise ways to capture the interest of the uninvolved union members so that they become life-long activists,” said Price, who attended Portland State University.
Noting that his father needed to work two jobs “to make ends meet,” he said, “We don’t have to do that today, thanks to the union. Our members, including the younger ones, need to know that and be vigilant to protect that.”
Price is married to Sarah Price and has a teenage daughter, Teal.
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REGIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTS
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James Lumm
Mary Martinez |
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