Edited by author 02-13-2005 07:06 AM
All of the talk of the flu on this website lately makes me sick. I say go into work with your nausea, diarrhea and upset stomach! Infect all of management! Then they will all call in sick! Hey, it is your right to improve the P.O.... If you really are sick, please report to the message poster: /m110.

You put your weenie in
 you pull your weenie out
You put your weenie in
 and ya shake it all about
You poke the postmaster
 and ya dance and scream and shout
That's what its all about!

CHA! CHA! CHA!

Are the kids of postal clerks taking over this room? The intelligence of the posters in here is embarassing. And to respond to the last message /m123:
If I remember my history, the terms left and right wings originated from the seating of Congress in the Capital. The Democrats were seated on the left side and the Republicans on the right. Since that time, biased journalists have exploited these terms.
Jefferson said it best: "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."
Americans have seemingly forgotten our Constitutional heritage. Isn't it time to re-learn the political spectrum of our Founder's and reject the misleading left/right spectrum? We are neither left nor right. We're in the balanced center of the political spectrum!

Gary Tautz http://www.gdude@comcast.net Greater Cincinatti Ohio Local

The Democrats are on the left, the Republicans are on the right. And I am seated in the back row throwing rotten eggs at the current party in power.

I have recited Lord Acton's phrase to the English Parliament for others in various conversations: "Power corrupts: absolute power corrupts absolutely."
Lord Burrus has for years shown disdain for the office workers of the APWU. He only has a few select few that he wishes to protect.
There's only one difference between the activists of the 19th Century and Burrus. In those days people were sincere. Today, guys like Burrus are opportunists.
Burrus never had the "huevos" to run against Moe - it was not out of respect for Moe, it was that he was afraid to be humiliated.
It is probable that Burrus will once again make EBONY Magazine's Top 100 influential Blacks, but he will never make Labor's Top 100 Leaders.

Gil Santana http://www.santana0730@cs.com Miami Area Local

This is an open question to all locals:
I am at a level 22 office with several DBCS machines but as yet no flat sorter. During the past 2 years our city scheme has almost doubled in size. On new jobs going up, scheme knowledge is no longer required, they just list an "Alpha-Numeric Scheme" which is looking up the sortation on big sheets they post in the cases. The supervisors say they can put anyone in these jobs, even one of the casuals if they want to.
Should we file to protect this for clerks in these jobs or is this something being done everywhere?

David Willmon Lufkin (TX) APWU #2945 http://www.dwillmo@consolidated.net

The name "U.S." represents a republic treating its citizens with respect and dignity. USPS management does not treat its employees with such respect and dignity tarnishing the image of our country. I say we simply change the name of the U.S. Postal service to simply "The Postal Service."

A Postal Prayer

God, our Father, may everything we do be First Class. Imprint your own living Zip Code upon our hearts so that we may never go astray. Provide in your gracious providence Special Handling for those of us who are Fragile and keep us in one piece. We have been Signed, Sealed, Stamped and Delivered in you image and likeness and we beg you to keep us in your care as we go about our Appointed Rounds. And when our days draw to a close and we are marked Return to Sender, be there to greet us at Heaven's door so that nobody May ever say Unknown at this Address.

Amen

Are USPS and FedEx involved in some kind of cover-up deal? I'm interested in some data facts. Exactly what was the lucrative deal?
Read the FedEx Contract here: http://www.trafficworld.com/Focus/FedExLetter1.pdf
Read the list of USPS' top suppliers here: http://www.wickwire.com/postal/2003%20USPS%20Top%20Suppliers.pdf
We should demand that Fedex and USPS post the details of their contract, shouldn't we? I think a further examination of the USPS financial records will show that the USPS is rapidly expanding contracting to 'only non-union' companies and withdrawing work once given to any union organized business. If any type of an industrial postal union is going to survive, we must become hunters again and follow and expose the money. Just "telling each other" is not going to work. This has to be published and you have to deliver the message to your neighborhood. We are all about to be 'Enron-ized', including the retired.
If I recall correctly, we exposed the scandalous Emery contract. We should expose the coverup that FedEx and USPS are engaging in. Will the contract details embarrass USPS? Why don't we find out and have APWU National's lawyers file a freedom of information act request? We can expose yet another scandal. Yes we need to find out where the money trail is going. It's time we find out the truth about the coverup.

Scott Simpson Springfield (OH) Local #3972 http://www.57Chevy01@att.net

When Democratic Senator Robert Byrd rose on the floor Tuesday to compare the tactics of his Republican colleagues in the battles over judicial nominees to those employed by Hitler in building the Reich, some people couldn't figure out where he came up with such an idea.

But just for kicks, let's review what sort of things went on in 1933-1945 (fascist) Germany:

1.) Ultra-nationalistic or patriotic fever sweeping the masses.
2.) Scapegoating of a shadowy "enemy" which threatens the (*ahem*) homeland.
3.) Increased government control over the media.
4.) Clamping down on civil rights in the name of "security".
5.) Beating down of unions and worker organizations.
6.) Favoritism lent to pro-government leaning corporations.
7.) Demonization of foreigners, homosexuals, and university-educated intellectuals.

Hmmmm. I can't understand WHERE Senator Byrd would draw such crazy conclusions. Everyone knows fascism couldn't happen here, right?

Keith Witherspoon Jacksonville(FL) BMC Local http://www.kwitherspoon@aol.com

I used to enjoy reading your website but you have not updated often enough lately.
Anyhow, I wanted to post this memo from the APWU site concerning the 2005 Contract Negotiations.
William Burrus has announced the names of members who will serve on the Rank and File Bargaining Advisory Committee. In accordance with Article 13.9 of the APWU Constitution, each member of the National Executive Board names one person to the committee; a 13th member, appointed by the president, is a representative from the APWU Deaf/Hard of Hearing Task Force.
Contract negotiations are set to begin on Aug. 29. The current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires on Nov. 20, 2005.
P.S.: Update your site more often and people will start coming back again.

Dave Ferguson http://www.fergie476@att.net Greater Miami Metro APWU

On April 19, 2005, Postmaster General Jack Potter told a Senate committee that the Postal Service was "self-supporting," and that it has "broken even over its 34-year history." The Postal Service’s last annual report claims that "we receive no tax dollars," and that it has "not received a public service appropriation since 1982." None of this comes through in the Treasury’s version of postal history. They seem to be grasping at straws to construct a disingenuous argument in support of the Administration’s position on military pensions. If ratepayers are being subsidized by taxpayers, why shouldn’t they pay for military pensions? I stand with Daniel Patrick Moynihan who wrote "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts."
Jerry Weintraub Greater Metro New York Local http://www.jerry3@aol.com

Edited by author 04-21-2005 03:19 PM
This is a reply to message /m132. For a 3-week period, the website was not updated on a regular basis. For that we apologize. Essentially, my information comes from the National level and I receive no support on the Local level. The other response to the poster was that there was no link provided in his message. This is the link here: http://www.21cpw.com/neg.html. We are updated our website on a daily basis now.

Burrus has been doing all lot of complaining , but I have not read where he has offered one solution to the direct mailer problem. Here's a couple of easy ones: raise the price of postage to direct mailers. Charge them for every piece that has an undeliverable address. Charge them more to return it. Charge them still more if they don't want it returned and we have to get rid of it.
Volume discounts bring in more business, but when it starts costing us money to hold up our end of the bargain, it stops being a good idea. I'll never, ever understand postal corporate culture where dumb ideas are applauded and obvious solutions are ignored. Is the incompetence directly proportional to the pay grade?
Dan Hass Greater Northland Area Local 142 (Duluth, MN)http://www.unklscrufy@hotmail.com

Are you scratching your head and asking yourself what the heck is worksharing? What are corporate welfare and volume discounts? Found an interesting link: http://www.treas.gov and it is a must read to understand why USPS is doing what it is doing giving discounts. Why it is not working and is very costly is something to think about and question. Burrus is on the right track when he is "complaining" that worksharing is not working and is causing USPS to lose money. While I am not a fan of our National APWU President, I do support his complaint about worksharing. The link opens a *.doc file. Sixteen pages of interesting reading.

David Nava California Area Local http://www.mrdirector@netzero.com