News & information

May 2015

The Postal Record, Vol. 128, No. 5

Cover story

• The USPS Board of G̶o̶v̶e̶r̶n̶o̶r̶s̶ Vacancies

News and features

• A look at the current board members and some nominees
• Rap session housing information now available; No probationary period for some new career carriers
• 2015 Food Drive: Filling bags and feeding families
• Fighting ‘Fast Track;’ Rolando rebuts Brookings’ claims; Another attempt to cut federal workers’ benefits; Automatic voter registration now law in Oregon
• Central Maine Merged Branch 391’s John Curtis connects the struggles of today to labor’s victories of the past
• Sioux City, IA Branch 69 member Mike Antonovich turned a simple courtesy into a lasting friendship
• Proud to Serve
• Monthly columns by national officers and staff members

• President’s Message

  The GOP budget: Don’t read it and weep—read it and take action

• Cover: The USPS Board of G̶o̶v̶e̶r̶n̶o̶r̶s̶ Vacancies

  The Postal Service has a board to guide the postmaster general —the USPS Board of Governors. But this board isn’t working. Also: A look at the current board members and some nominees.

• News: Rap session housing information now available

  Also: No probationary period for some new career carriers

• News: Fighting ‘Fast Track’ and other legislative actions

  Also: Rolando rebuts Brookings’ claims; Another attempt to cut federal workers’ benefits; Status of pro-postal legislation; Automatic voter registration now law in Oregon; In the news media; Ohio congressional reception; DC/Maryland legislative visit

• News: Filling bags and feeding families

  As this issue of The Postal Record was hitting the mail stream, down-to-the-wire preparations were taking place for the NALC’s 23rd annual Food Drive to “Stamp Out Hunger” on Saturday, May 9.

• Proud to Serve: Honoring heroic carriers

  Peter Villalon; Kizzy Spaulding; Mike Masters; Rose Boen; Gardner McCullough; Namette Vaughn; James Rice; Stacy Klenk; Tina Mederski; James Murray; Wayne LaFrance; Walter Brummage; Mike White; Jared Dilello; Mark McDonald; Ken Wehr

• New: Connecting the struggles of today to the victories of the past

  John Curtis amassed a small library of information on labor history, and he found a way to get the information out of the library and into the hands of people who could use it.

• News: A friendship formed by service

  Most letter carriers make friends easily, often with customers on our routes. But sometimes the simple act of carrying mail brings us together with a good friend who lives many miles away.

• Executive Vice President

  USPS service standards

• Vice President

  Planting seeds

• Contract Talk

  Handbooks and manuals to help on the workroom floor

• Secretary-Treasurer

  The Reciprocal Agreement/obtaining a branch checking account

• Assistant Secretary-Treasurer

  Imagine

• Director of City Delivery

  New memorandums of understanding

• Director of Safety and Health

  Safety Committee duties

• Director of Retired Members

  Thrift Savings Plan—more on post-retirement withdrawals

• Compensation

  OWCP communication breakdown

• Director of Life Insurance

  Financial protection for a member’s parents

• Director, Health Benefit Plan

  Health information technology

• Director of Education

  Things are not always what they seem…

• Muscular Dystrophy Association

  2014 Honor Roll

• Letter from the Editor

  Closing the communications loop