Altamonte Springs, Florida letter carrier Arthur Stacey Mastrapa, a member of Br. 5955 who had been called to active duty with the 351st Military Police Company of the Army Reserve, was killed in a mortar attack June 16 near Balad, Iraq, one day before he was to return to the United States.

The 35-year-old Mastrapa had hoped to be home to surprise his father for Father's Day, and to rejoin his wife, Jennifer, and their eight-year-old daughter and 20-month-old son at their home in Apopka, Florida.

NALC President William H. Young led the union in mourning the tragic death of Sergeant Mastrapa.

"On behalf of the entire membership of the NALC, I extend my deep and heartfelt sympathy and condolences to the family of Brother Mastrapa and also to his brothers and sisters in Branch 5955," Young said. "He was an individual who dedicated his life to public service, both with the military and the Postal Service."

According to Stars and Stripes newspaper, he was one of three U.S. troops killed in the rocket attack on Balad Air Base, one which struck near a post exchange (PX) where Mastrapa was standing. The attack wounded 25 others. Balad is about 50 miles north of Baghdad.

The newspaper reported that Mastrapa's company arrived at Balad in early June to await a flight home. He was due to fly home June 17. Half of his company had already left on June 15 for Fort Stewart, Georgia. The unit had been called to active duty in February, 2003 and spent 13 months in Iraq.

He was a native of Tennessee where his family had moved after coming to the United States from Cuba in the early 1960s.

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The projected accumulation for the fourth of eight regular cost-of-living adjustments under the 2001-2006 National Agreement increased to $608.40 following release June 16 of the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for May.

The $608.40 annual accumulation equals 29 1/4 cents per hour or $23.40 per pay period.

The fourth COLA will be based on inflation between January and July 2004 and will be payable in the second full pay period following release of the July 2004 index.

The projected accumulation toward the 2005 retiree COLA stood at 2.4 percent following release of the May 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 2.7 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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NALC, the Hawaii Convention Center (HCC) and NALC-block hotels will be making every effort to provide for the needs of disabled delegates and guests attending the 64th Biennial National Convention in Honolulu, July 19-23, Secretary-Treasurer Jane E. Broendel has announced. In reminding delegates of information previously printed in the March Postal Record, Broendel said more detailed information would also be available in the Convention Pocket Guide to be distributed to all delegates and guests.

The HCC provides convenient curb cuts for easy access and also has two automatic doors conveniently located at either end of the lobby entrance. Elevators equipped with Braille instructions both inside and outside elevator cabs are located to provide easy access to all meeting rooms, exhibit halls and public areas. All public phones within the facility are designed to accommodate wheelchair access. For those who are hard of hearing, volume controlled handsets are located in each bank of permanent public phones. Coin-operated and credit card TDD telephones are also available.

Broendel pointed out that General Sessions will be open captioned so that hearing impaired delegates can sit with their delegations.

The Center is equipped with a limited number of assistive listening systems for workshops and breakfasts but only operational in a single location at any given time. They will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Advance reservations and room locations can be made by calling Projection Technology at (808)943-3041 or dialing 3041 from any house phone to reserve them. Advance reservation and room location is required.

Accessible parking for both regular vehicles and vans is available in the Center's parking lot which has a vehicle clearance of 9'1".

Mechanized scooters, manual and electric wheelchairs are not available for rental at the HCC but can be obtained from Honolulu area rental companies:

Transportation

The NALC shuttle bus service, which will run only between NALC-block hotels and the HCC, will provide buses with ADA-approved lifts capable of holding a maximum total weight of 600 pounds (which includes the delegate as well as whatever wheelchair or mechanized scooter he or she may be using). Requests for buses with lifts must be made by 5 p.m. of the day before service is needed by calling Susie Murray toll free at (800) 367-2333, ext. 228 or (808) 955-1400 in Hawaii. Be prepared to give complete dimensions and weight of your wheelchair or mechanized scooter/wheelchair should you have any doubt whether it is "standard." In addition, Honolulu's public transportation system – TheBus – strives to meet the transit needs of persons with hearing, sight, cognitive and various mobility impairments.

Delegates and guests who require oxygen tank refills should contact Respiratory Home Care at (808) 832-1600.

For information about accommodations at a particular hotel, delegates should contact the hotel directly, suggested Broendel.

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A briefing for branches affected by the Labor Department's new requirements for filing the LM-2 financial reporting form will be held Sunday, August 29, from 8 a.m. to noon at the Capitol Hilton Hotel in Washington, DC, NALC Secretary-Treasurer Jane E. Broendel announced.

"Because the Labor Department's new reporting requirements will be placing additional burdens on branches, it is important that branch secretary-treasurers understand the new rules and how best to comply," Broendel said. "I urge all secretary-treasurers of affected branches to attend this important briefing."

The four-hour briefing will be conducted by the union's outside accounting firm and is intended to give the secretary-treasurers of NALC's largest branches – those with gross receipts of $250,000 or more during their fiscal years – the latest information on the new regulations which are effective for fiscal years beginning July 1 and thereafter.

Rooms at the Capitol Hilton for Saturday night, August 28, have been set aside for the NALC event. To obtain the special NALC rate of $109 single/double and $25 for each additional person, call either 1-800-HILTONS or direct to the hotel 1-202-393-1000 and refer to the National Association of Letter Carriers.

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