Retired members of the NALC are now eligible to make voluntary contributions to the Committee on Letter Carriers Political Education (COLCPE) from their monthly annuity payment under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS).

NALC President William H. Young and Director of Retired Members Donald Southern announced that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) had approved NALC's request for the change.

"This makes it easier than ever for retired members to join in the union's political education efforts during this crucial congressional and presidential election year," Young said. "By allocating a donation each month to COLCPE, it will ensure that candidates who support NALC positions on critical legislative issues receive the help they need."

In order to participate in this manner, retirees must have both a Civil Service Annuity (CSA) claim number and their Personal Identification Number (PIN) available. (To obtain a PIN, contact OPM either by telephone at 1-888-767-6738, in writing at Office of Personnel Management, Retirement Operations Center, Boyers, PA 16017, or via the Internet at www.opm.gov. )

If you plan to start your COLCPE allotment by telephone, call 1-888-767-6738 (or in D.C. area 202-606-0500) and speak with a Customer Service Representative.

If you choose the very quick and simple Internet method, simply go to www.opm.gov and click on "Employment and Benefits", then "Retirement Benefit." Under "How Do I," scroll to "Set up an allotment to an organization" and click "Go." After reviewing the next page, scroll to the bottom and click "Yes" which will allow you to enter your CSA number and PIN. Once these numbers are inputted, click on "Set organizational allotment" which will allow you to scroll and select "Natl Assn of Letter Carriers – COLCPE." Enter the amount of your monthly contribution, click "Submit" and it is done!

You will receive a confirmation from OPM in the mail giving you the date your first allotment will begin.

If contacting OPM in writing, include your CSA number and write to: Office of Personnel Management, Retirement Operations Center, Boyers, PA 16017.

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NALC President William H. Young has named Jamie Lumm, 50, of Branch 2038, Kent, Washington as a new full-time Regional Administrative Assistant for Region 2 (Pacific Northwest). Lumm succeeds Ron Watson who has been appointed to the staff at NALC Headquarters as Assistant to the President for Compensation.

For the past six years, Lumm has served as a full-time Step B representative for the Dispute Resolution process in Region 2. That followed 10 years as director of education for the Washington State NALC, and five years as branch president in Kent.

He began his postal and NALC careers in 1978 in Santa Barbara, California, and moved to Kent a year later.

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The months of preparation are over. On Saturday, May 8 letter carriers all across the country will perform the largest volunteer action in the entire labor movement as they pick up and deliver donations from their postal customers to community food banks and pantries.

The 12th annual NALC National Food Drive will pull together city letter carriers, thousands of their rural counterparts, and other postal and community volunteers in an effort to help stamp out hunger.

Over 109 million postcards, sponsored by Campbell Soup and the U.S. Postal Service, are being delivered to homes to remind postal customers to leave donations by their mailbox on May 8. In New York City and Chicago, postal customers are being asked to take their donations to their local post office between May 1-8.

Long Island Merged Br. 6000 President Dominic Prestano addresses press conference April 26 at soup kitchen in Hempstead, New York kicking off the branch food drive. Backing up Prestano are several branch members.

The top 10 branches in five membership categories will be honored at the 64th Biennial National Convention in Honolulu. Each branch also will receive a 1,000-can donation from Campbell Soup Company for a food bank that they designate.

Branch food drive coordinators have been mailed the official reporting form for final results of their branch food drive, with instructions to return it to NALC Headquarters as quickly as possible. A list of branch totals and complete story on the 2004 drive will appear in a future issue of the Postal Record.

The form must be received by May 27 at the latest to be included in list of branches in the Postal Record and to be considered for the 10 Campbell Soup/NALC Branch Awards. No results will be taken by telephone.

The Official Report Form should be mailed to:

Branches may also fax in the result form to (202) 737-1540. (It should also be mailed in as a backup).

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Addressing the annual Ohio congressional breakfast in Washington, Young picked up on comments a few moments earlier by longtime NALC friend Rep. Ted Strickland, D-OH, who said these are "very important days ... in the history of our nation."

Strickland struck a partisan tone, warning against reelection of President Bush, saying the administration wants to take the country back to pre-FDR days.

Young, however, emphasized that the NALC and letter carriers have a bipartisan approach and that such a policy is necessary to attain the union's legislative goals.

"Letter carriers are not ... a one-party labor organization," Young said. "We have many friends in the Republican Party and we have even more friends in the Democratic Party."

Young cited a quote from Robert Wientzen, the recently retired president and CEO of the Direct Marketing Association to emphasize his point: "There is no Republican or Democrat way to deliver the mail. There's only the right way."

"As we move toward postal reform, I want all of you to remember that, because the fact of the matter is that will will take a consensus of both parties for us to be successful in our efforts to get meaningful postal reform," Young said.

Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH) praised letter carriers for taking the time to come to Washington and discuss the issues with members of Congress. "When you all come to town, we listen," Chabot said.

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The projected accumulation for the fourth of eight regular cost-of-living adjustments under the 2001-2006 National Agreement stood at $327.60 following release of the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for March.

The $327.60 annual accumulation equals 15 3/4 cents per hour or $12.60 per pay period.

The projected accumulation toward the 2005 retiree COLA stood at 1.4 percent following release of the March CPI-W. The 2005 retiree COLA will be based on the increase in the CPI-W between the third quarter of 2003 and the third quarter of 2004.

The 2005 COLA for Federal Employees Compensation Act (FECA) participants stands at 1.7 percent based on the latest figures. The 2005 FECA COLA is based on the increase in the CPI-W between December 2003 and December 2004.

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