An American Is:
A newspaper in Pakistan published an offer of a reward to anyone who killed an American, any American. I am writing the following so that everyone would know what an American is, so they would know, when they found one:
An American is, English, or French, Italian, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek. An American may also be Mexican, African, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, An American may also be Cherokee, Lakota, Navaho, Apache, or one of the many tribes known as Native Americans.
An American is Christian, or he could be Jewish, or Buddhist, or atheist or Muslim. In fact, there are more Muslims in America than in Afghanistan or even Iraq. The only difference is that in America they are free to worship as each of them chooses.
An American is from the most prosperous land in the history of the world. The root of that prosperity can be found in the Declaration of Independence, which recognizes the God-given right of each person to the pursuit of happiness.
The national symbol of America, The Statue of Liberty, welcomes your tired and your poor, the wretched refuse of your teeming shores, the homeless, tempest tossed. These in fact are the people who built America. Some of them were working in the Twin Towers the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, earning a better life for their families. I've been told that the World Trade Center victims were from at least 30 other countries, cultures, and first languages, including those that aided and abetted the terrorists.
So you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler did. So did General Tojo, and Stalin, and Mao Tse-Tung, and every bloodthirsty tyrant in the history of the modern world. But, in doing so, you would be just killing yourself. Because Americans are not a particular people from a particular place. They are the embodiment of the human spirit of freedom. Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere is an American. Amen!"
Thanks Troops of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines, Active and Reserves. You are second to none and this Veteran is proud of You.
John Kupilik http://www.kupilik01@aol.com Reno, Nevada

FYI!!: ELM Revision
Effective May 26, 2005, Employee and Labor Relations Manual (ELM) 865, Return to Duty After Absence for Medical Reasons, is revised to more accurately reflect current policy and practices regarding requests for return-to- work documentation. Click this link: http://www.usps.com/cpim/ftp/bulletin/2005.../pb22155/empl8.html
Hello, Mark! Thank you for the HTML advice on our website.

Karen Kopatich San Antonio TX Local #195 http://www.webmaster@saaal-apwu.org

'Brown' is looking 'redfaced' right about now.
But I blame Citi Financial because the package should have been sent Registered Mail.
I did not like the New York Times comparing USPS in this mess. "The U.S. Postal Service surely could do just as well losing these tapes. It ought to be actively competing for the business." Actual article: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/07/business...tner=rssnyt&emc=rss
You can take this to the bank. If UPS can trace this mistake to one of their management employees - they will be fired! Not just shuffled around like the toads who mismanage the Postal Service. If it were the USPS, I wonder where they would transfer that supervisor?

To answer "night clerk", a hypothetical transfer is in the works. The government is doing research to see if there is life on Uranus.

Remember the day you were hired by the USPS? The personnel director swore you in to uphold the sanctity of mail. You were told about the inspection service and how they would be watching you! You were warned about deliberately mishandling or misdirecting the mail. Yes, it is indeed the worker that is always under the scrutiny of “Big Brother”. Isn’t it odd that the camera is never pointed in the opposite direction? Zeich Heil!!
So, let us consider one chronic problem that never gets fixed: What happens to the mail every time it rains? Yep! It gets wet! Soaked! What happens to wet letters that end up in automation? Yep! They get shredded! Does Management care? If they did, something would have been done years ago. Their usual answer goes something like this: “Well, this is not a plant problem, therefore nothing can be done from here.” Oh yes, there’s a thousand Pass the Buck solutions Management offers. That is why that when it rains, you can be sure of one thing – soaking wet letters! Whatever happened to the respect and sanctity of your letter? You guessed it. The year-end bonus is more important.
So, to avoid “spreading a negative attitude” as some in Management would say in response to criticism, let us consider a positive solution: Why not pull some of those “Big Brothers” from behind the cameras and let them find out where and why our customers’ letters are getting soaked? Soaked and shredded mail is just as much a crime whether done by chronic neglect as it is when done deliberately. Let our “crime-fighters” earn their keep and run this thing down and fix it! It’s a crime to continue to allow customer letters to be destroyed by water and machine, especially when it is preventable! Let’s show a little dignity and respect for our customers!

Mark Shapiro New Orleans Local #83 http://www.ms67@aol.com

Edited by author 06-15-2005 09:26 AM
On: "After 111 Years, Postage Stamps Go Private." it states: "The cost saved in potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in counterfeit postage?" I do not see any indication this move will produce an asset, only a liability. The Inspectors are short staffed and have their hands full as it is, and the FBI could not catch a cold.
A decision to no longer treat stamps like currency? This is a big mistake! Next they will decide to no longer treat employees like people! Ooops, silly me....Next?...
Bend over Rover, Big Daddy's going to give you a bone in the coming months.

General message to postal internet readers: I just read a message on the 21CPW.com website ( http://www.21cpw.com/neg.html ) It says Greg Bell confirmed that the USPS did contact the APWU about a contract extension. Greg Bell said the USPS was interested in a one year contract extension so that all postal unions would be negotiating at the same time in 2006. If this is true, we are realistically looking at the same thing as last year. Management will not give the store away with Postal Reform on the front burner. What do you think?
Brent Logan Wichita (KS) Local #735 http://www.bjlogan75@aol.com

After reading APWU's website this morning about the "Contract Extension", I think that the USPS is really seeking a mostly, if not all, part time multi- craft work force. Witness the proliferation of clerks doing mailhandling work. The service wants employees that will do it all... come in early to do the custodian work, unload the trucks, sort and then deliver. and all for ten bucks an hour!
I thinkthat it is time to hire "Professional Labor Negotiators" rather than having our leadership do it.
Burrus' and the rank and file members may have some negotiation skills but... Professional Labor Negotiators are way better for us in the anti-labor atmosphere of the current White House Administration. It is time we got some people to cover bases for us. The APWU was once a powerful and influential union. Much of our power base has been eroded by the current inefficient leaders. It's time to seek outside negotiators to help us. Is anyone in agreement of the idea of hiring Professional Labor Negotiators?

Tony Jaramillo Tucson Area Local #255 http://www.taj1969@att.net

Another contract extension??
Our members do not deserve this from Burrus. We, the members, have fought throughout the years too hard, with the USPS, and now just to sit back and be "Management's Puppets" hanging on extension after extension. NO WAY!
I respect Burrus for what he has accomplished, but Burrus has to know who will be the victim of "Postal Sodomy" with another extension. Our members would be getting the short end of the deal here. USPS Management has been attacking our benefits for many years, what has changed? In the past we had a leader that would know how to stand up to the USPS. He has gone to that great Union in the sky! If Burrus does not want to negotiate, then our members need to get a leader that will. Our members need to throw our support in the direction of a leader that will, LEAD!

Lou Campas Flagstaff(AZ) Local #648 http://www.APWUflag@aol.com

ANOTHER CONTRACT EXTENSION SUCKS TOO!!

I missed that particular episode of Family Feud. Nice picture, Vandal.

THANK YOU SANDY! I LOVE A GOOD WEBSITE!

We are all entitled to our opinions, but look at today's APWU Bulletin http://www.apwu.org/index2.htm. It says, "...union and management representatives were notified by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) that such an arrangement could not be approved. We are going to continue to explore other methods to increase the number of Retail Sales positions,” Burrus said. “In any event, we would have to have absolute protection against any erosion in the number of such positions at postal facilities.”
Looks like the OPM says, "Not approved."
On the surface, at least, these are early leanings toward outsourcing, not "multi-tasking" as Mr. Jaramillo states in /m160.

Rita Benson Birmingham (AL) Local #303 http://www.rab31@aol.com

I hope our union will fight strongly to restore our night differential to 10%! All members must unite and demand the return of our night differential that was stolen from us at the last arbitrartion.

Bobby Moller Northern VA Local 6803 http://www.bjm79@att.net

Being with the Postal Service for 29 years, I have seen a lot of stupid management tricks.
I have been a clerk and union member since September 3, 1975. I cannot remember any other negotiations where the USPS was straight-forward with the Unions during negotiations, except for the wildcat 1970 strike in the major cities around the country.We had a lot of support from the public and the press at the time.
The USPS doesn't give two farts as to whether we all have our contract end at the same time or not. They were probably happy to see us negotiating separately.
The carriers are not going to engage in joint bargaining as long as they have anyone leading them who was connected to the Sombrotto time period.
USPS has no good motivations in suggesting a one year delay in the start of talks. They have something up their sleeve and it will be more advantageous to them at the time they are suggesting.
When is the last time they have been honest with us? Lying is a way of doing business to them, at all levels.
Go for the 3 or 4 year contract and do not settle for anything less with increase of 3% in salary and continuation of COLA and increased level wages for Sales and Service Associates, Mail Processing Clerks, ET's, Maintanence..etc..
The time to fight is NOW!