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Issue 3-10 NALC Branch 290 May/Jun/July 2010

SANTA BARBARA - GOLETA - CARPINTERIA

The Beast of Burden

Branch Officers

President Mike Coyle962-7402/ 698-7036 (cell)

Vice-PresidentElvis Gutierrez 818-239-6153

Sec/TreasurerJoyce McCue 683-4473

EditorNeal Couey 487-1324

TrusteesJuan Zamora 512-2917Melinda Flinchum 901-8447Jorge Lopez 562-8883

FairviewArmando Rosales 827-1288Joyce McCue - Alternate

GoletaJoe Pensabene - 705-9462

Main OfficeElvis Guiterrez 818-239-6153

San RoqueShiloh Holguin 450-2730

MilpasJuan Zamora 512-2917Eileen Smith - 654-8702

MesaPeter Cuevas 252-5299

CarpinteriaMike Coyle 698-7036

Health BenefitsDon Gullette 965-3204

Sergeant-at-armsScott Pickering 685-9278

SafetyHadley Carpenter(949) 322-3600

ments, positions, or endorsementsby Branch 290 or its officers. Per-mission to reprint any item in TheBeast of Burden is hereby granted,provided proper credit is given.

We invite all members to contributematerial for possible publication. Allsubmissions must be signed anddelivered by the date of the unionmeeting of the month for publica-

The Beast of Burden is publishedbi-monthly by Branch 290 of theNational Association of LetterCarriers. Contact Branch 290 atP.O. Box 821, Goleta, CA 93116.

All facts, opinions, statementsappearing within this publicationare those of the writers and edi-tors themselves, and are in noway to be construed as state-

tion. Union meetings are held onthe first Monday of the month.Names will be withheld if re-quested. Editor reserves the rightto determine whether materialsubmitted shall be printed for rea-sons of good taste, legality, or forthe good of the branch.

The Beast of Burden is free tomembers in good standing.

THE BEAST OF BURDEN EDITOR…Neal Couey

PAGE 2 THE BEAST OF BURDEN

Michael Douglas has turned thewords “Greed is Good” from his movieWall Street into a national catchphrase that came to symbolize theexcesses of large financial institu-tions and stockbrokers. As GordonGecko, Michael Douglas gives a con-vincing speech about the merits ofGreed.

“The point is, ladiesand gentlemen, thatgreed ..for lack of abetter word...isgood.”

“Greed is right.”

“Greed works.”

“Greed clarifies, cutsthrough, and captures the essence ofthe evolutionary spirit.”

“Greed, in all of its forms...greed forlife, for money, for love, knowl-edge...has marked the upward surgeof mankind.”

When Oliver Stone’s movie “WallStreet” was released, it was meant tobe an indictment against the powerbrokers who ruined companies in thename of greed.

Now, in our present day, the USPShas become a modern version ofGordon Gecko. No business plan isquestionable if it improves the bottomline. Business decisions are based onpercentages and ignore practicality.

Eliminate Saturday delivery...no prob-lem. Spend $1.5 Billion on machines thathave not proved their worth … workingon it. Pay 25 vice-presidents to sell yourpropaganda to the media and Con-gress...done. Buy substandard equipmentand give it a non sequitur name like LongLife Vehicle...business as usual.

Gordon Gecko had one thing right inhis “Greed is Good” speech. He said atthe stockholders meeting, “...this com-pany has 33 different vice-presidents,each earning over 200 thousand dol-lars a year. Now, I’ve spent the lasttwo months analyzing what all theseguys do, and I still can’t figure it out.One thing I do know is that this com-pany lost 110 million dollars lastyear, and I’ll bet that half of that wasspent in all the paperwork going backand forth between these vice-

presidents.”

The same thought has occurred to meabout the Postal Service. Why is there somuch paperwork and repetition ? Theplant creates a report so that the supervi-sor can create a report so that the districtcan create a report so that the Area cancreate a report ….you start to wonderwhere all those reports really go ...andwhether we really needed them in thefirst place.

It is true that the biggest cost in runningthe postal service is labor. Eliminatingthe six day work week is an attempt toreduce the workforce. The problem is theUSPS is reducing the workforce at thewrong end. Why do we need 25 vice-presidents or a postmaster in every town.

Most of the supervision of employees isdone by the workfloor supervisors. Afterthat, management becomes redundant.

If the Postal Service doesn’t turn itselfaround, we may soon face ridicule inthe public sector for our failures. Howdoes a company with a monopoly on aproduct fail? Poor management!

Where does the money go? Why doesthe USPS charge less for certain classesof mail than it costs to process? Wedon’t want to have to answer to a publicthat begins to ask the hard questionsbut Gordon Gecko’s following commentsseem to ring true.

“The new law of evolution in corporateAmerica seems to be survival of theunfittest. Well, in my book you eitherdo it right or you get eliminated.”

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I didn’t dothis article to indulge in fantasy, but inpolitical and economic reality. TheUSPS has become an endangered spe-cies. It’s deficit continues to grow and isforecasted to reach nightmare propor-tions. In the early days of the Post Of-fice, there was accountability to thecustomer. Men that built up our organi-zation made sure that the customer’swishes were foremost in their decisionsbecause it was the public’s money atstake. Nowadays, management has nostake in the company.

“And greed...you mark my words...willnot save the USPS”

Thank you very much.

Neal Couey

NALC BRANCH 290

Greed is Good

THE BEAST OF BURDENNALC BRANCH 290

with the route.

If you are ordered or forced topivot on another route and yourown route is eight hours, youmay have a grievance. Follow theinstruction and request to seeyour shop steward. Be sure to fillout a 3996 to document any over-time including your travel time.

Carriers on the OTDL shouldalso fill out a 3996 to documenthow long the pivot took on thestreet. The contract calls for afair days work for a fair dayspay. If you leave for the streetmuch earlier than normal, vol-unteer to help. If you leave at ornear your regular leaving time,inform management that you areunable to return in eight hourswith a pivot. The USPS hasdownsized its workforce by 25%in the last eight years. 40,000jobs were cut in the last yearalone. Letter carriers have hadtheir routes adjusted four timesin the past eighteen months. Weare doing our part.

The JARAP adjustments will beimplemented by now and we willbe asking you if the adjustmentprocess was done properly.

The date of our annual barbecueis September 26th at ManningPark in Montecito. We hope to seeyou and your family there.

Be safe...Be professionalIn Solidarity,

Mike Coyle

Presidents ReportDear Brothers and Sisters,

In addition to the non ending pur-suit to eliminate Saturday delivery,the Postal Service has announcedthat it must increase postage in2011 and blames the reason for thison labor costs.

Before the Postal Rate Commission(PRC) has had a chance to fullystudy the effects of eliminating Sat-urday delivery, the USPS has hitthe public with a rate increase sothat it would generate support forits five day work week plan in lieuof further increases.

The timing of the rate increase isalso interesting as the NALC willsoon be in negotiations for our nextcontract.

Once again, any change in the num-ber of delivery days cannot happenwithout the recommendation of thePRC and legislative action by Con-gress.

Now, more than ever, you must un-derstand the importance of our leg-islative efforts in Congress to main-tain deliveries six days a week.Without the support of our legisla-tors in Washington D.C., 5 day de-livery can and will happen.

As of this writing, there are 217House members currently signed onas co-sponsors of HR 173 whichstates “The USPS should take all

appropriate measures to ensure con-tinuation of its 6-day mail deliveryservice.”

The November election can changewho supports letter carriers. Our sup-port is needed to keep our friends inoffice during these difficult times. Oneway that you can stay informed is tosign up at the NALC website to becomean e-activist. Notices of important up-coming events can be sent directly toyour email address.

Please make your voice heard by send-ing a donation or signing up for COL-CPE contributions from paycheck.Active and Retired ….we need yourhelp now!

What is “undertime”? It’s a word that Ihaven’t read or seen in any handbookor manual of the Postal Service.

Apparently, when supervisors useDOIS numbers with your fastest cas-ing speed, they come up with“undertime” and project that you cancarry that amount of time on anotherroute. But unless you are actuallyleaving out the door early enough tocarry on another route, you should notbe required to pivot or carry mail onanother route.

We are experiencing an abnormal in-crease in Article 8 grievances(overtime) because carriers are beingforced to work on other routes. Whenthey are being forced to work on otherroutes, they are not given additionaltime for travel or being unfamiliar

$500 Branch 290 Donald Gullette Scholarship

Awarded to Andrea Ruiz, daughter of Sandra Ruiz

Awarded to Aki Stankoski, son of Robert Stankoski

THE BEAST OF BURDEN NALC BRANCH 290

The year was 1985. We were inThousand Oaks, California. I wasa new training supervisor. We hadjust come out of a meeting. Shesaid, "But we're not a business!We're a public service! A businesspicks who they make money from.A public service serves every-body!" She was quite upset. I did-n't understand.

The year was 1995. We were inAgoura Hills, California. I was asupervisor. Our boss was visiblydistraught. His boss had justgiven him the verbal dressingdown, he turned to me and said,"We are a service. We serve thewhole community. We work foreverybody. We are not a busi-ness!!!"

The year was 2001. It was a Fri-day. We were in Potomac, Mary-land and about to be visited by aman. This man talked about hisfamily and how proud he was tobe in the Postal Service. He toldus we were not a business; wewere a public service. He said hewas a public servant and proud tobe one at that. He said we need tooperate efficiently and thanked usfor our participation in the ensur-ing of that efficiency. The follow-ing Monday it was announcedthat he would become the nextPostmaster General of the UnitedStates.

The year is 2010. I'm on my routein Simi Valley, California. I de-liver to everyone. The people arewonderful, and so are everybody.My peers are strong, worthy, hardworking folks from every countryin the world, all here as Ameri-cans serving our nation in a civil-

ian job. Such unique characters, theyare, with big smiles, terribly badjokes, and beloved by God and Man.One could not create such diversityin a script, though through it's rich-ness, is America's strength. The menand women of the US Postal Servicework in the office and go out on thestreets to work there too, providingthis service to the public every daybut Sunday. I am a public servant. Ihave been since I was 17 years old. Ienjoy public service. We chose toserve the public; everyone.

A business can pick and choose. Abusiness exists solely to produceprofit. If a business succeeds, themonetary rewards are scattered tothe workers on the ground level andpiled into the arms of the owners,managers and upper level executives.If a business fails, the business foldsand all walk away, shoulders bentover, looking at the ground.

A public service is there for everyone.A public service cannot pick andchoose who their customers might be,based on where they live or howmuch they make. A public serviceexists to meet the needs of those in asociety. A public service cannot fold.It's governed, by a government, who,in all good hopes will ensure it serveswell, is efficient, maintained, andworthy of the public's trust. We electthat government to sustain the pub-lic service to maintain our infrastruc-ture therefore prevent anarchy.

The US Postal Service is unique be-cause it has an income other thantaxes. Do not be fooled. It is not abusiness. It is clearly a public ser-vice. We exist to serve everyone.Look, however, at what's happening?Post Offices are closing and the com-

munities are crying out to keepthem. The delivery isn't to the doorinasmuch as it's moving to groupboxes in one locked container. Theorganization is being milked as aCash Cow in ways other services arenot tapped for money. Some talk"business" "business" "business" as ifthe U.S. Postal Service could pickand choose their customers on someincome-driven demographic chart.The dollar sign seems to be in mindmore than the maintenance of ser-vice for this essential communica-tions infrastructure that plays a not-so-small-role in driving both Ameri-can Society and The Economy.

Yes, yes. I know "But Guy! Faxes,Email, and Text Messaging!" Tothat, I answer, "The letters fromyour first boyfriend or girlfriend.The letters found in the attic fromGrandpa to Grandma during the bigwar. The letters in the scrapbook arecommunications to treasure, not todisappear like text on a screen."

You argue, "But Guy! TV, Radio,Internet Ads!" I say, "Tivo, MP3Players, Spam blockers and subcon-scious relaxing multitasking. Youknow, you turn the catalog page onyour lap while watching sports,drinking a cold beverage and all thewhile enjoying your Recliner. You'redoing that more efficiently thanclicking the mouse for the internetpage and waiting for it to load onyour computer."

But but but… "Save the Trees! Dogbites! Global Warming and Al Gore!"Well… "Plant fruit trees in youryard. Walk your dog. 13 Global IceAges and Man-Bear-Pig!"

(Continued on page 5)

US Postal Service or US Postal Business?Confessions of a Former Station Manager

Summer 2010


Computing the FERS Basic Benefit

We've been looking at the ThriftSavings Plan and the role it plays inplanning for a comfortable retire-ment, especially for those under theFederal Employees Retirement Sys-tem. I wanted to share some finalobservations.

First, apparently some folks stillaren't aware that that FERS has alifetime retirement benefit in addi-tion to the TSP and Social Security.The FERS basic benefit is computedaccording to the following formula:

1% x years and months of federalservice x high-three average salary

(The initial percentage is 1.1 percentfor those retiring at 62 or later with20 or more years of service.)

So, for an employee with 35 years ofservice, the FERS basic benefitwould be worth 35 percent of theaverage of the highest three years ofbasic pay. An employee under theCivil Service Retirement Systemwould get more than 66 percent ofhis or her high-three for the sameyears of service. A FERS employeewould have to come up with a littlemore than 31 percent of his or herhigh-three from Social Security andthe TSP to match the CSRS worker'sbenefit. That may sound like a lot,but it wouldn't take a $1 million bal-ance in the TSP to do it -- unlessyour high-three is $200,000!(75 participants in the TSP cur-rently have accounts valued at morethan$1 million and 10,000 employ-ees have at least $500,000)

Some comments on previous articlesindicate there are still a lot of hardfeelings from FERS employees whofeel that those under CSRS will havea better retirement than they do. I'lladmit that retirement income isharder to predict under FERS becauseof the role the TSP plays. But it isentirely possible to have a comfortableretirement based on the FERS basicbenefit, the TSP and Social Security.The key is to understand how the re-tirement system you're in works soyou'll be able to achieve your goals.

What You Need,Where You Can Get It

If you need to replace 20 percent ofyour wages to be able to live comforta-bly in retirement (in addition to yourFERS basic benefit and Social Secu-rity), keep in mind that 20 percentyour salary is different than 20 per-cent of someone else's pay. To replace20 percent of $100,000, you'd need aninvestment of about $500,000. To re-place 20 percent of $50,000, you'dneed an investment of about $250,000.(This assumption is based on with-drawing about 4 percent a year from adiversified set of investments.)

When it comes to Social Security,many people don't seem to understandthat the program is a form of socialinsurance. Everyone pays the samepercentage of pay (up to a maximum)into the system, but not everyone getsthe same benefit. For employees witha lifetime of average (or below aver-age) wages, Social Security will re-place 30 percent to 40 percent of pre-

retirement income. But those withsalaries in the $100,000 range willget a benefit replacing only 25 per-cent or less of their pre-retirementsalary.

Day Traders

Many people blame their low TSPbalances on the fact that they canno longer make daily interfundtransfers. But studies have shownthat trying to time the market actu-ally results in poorer performancethan sticking with an asset alloca-tion and occasionally rebalancingyour investments between stocks,bonds, and cash. The best idea is toshift from more aggressive invest-ments to more conservative ones asyour retirement horizon approaches.

Baylor University finance professorWilliam Reichenstein told Moneymagazine earlier this year that in-vestors shouldn't vary their alloca-tions by more than 10 percentagepoints in either direction. In otherwords, if you generally have 50 per-cent of your funds in stocks, go ashigh as 60 percent when they looklike a bargain and down to 40 per-cent when they seem expensive. Butdon't change your investments on awhim -- only when there are signifi-cant changes in market conditions.

Tammy Flanagan is the senior bene-fits director for the National Insti-tute of Transition Planning Inc.,which conducts federal retirementplanning workshops and seminars.She has spent 25 years helping fed-eral employees.

Now that all the arguments havebeen made, Go outside! Meet realpeople. Don't let the computer ruinyour eyesight. Stop turning sopale. Say hello to the man orwoman who delivers your mail.

(Continued from page 4) They work for you. They're part ofyour community. They're publicservants and have chosen to be so,for you.

When you think Postal Service, ortalk about the Post Office, remem-ber we're talking about every piece

of mail, in every mailbox, for every-one, every single day, except Sun-days and so much more! … butnothing less.

Be well!Guy NohrenbergSimi Valley , CA

US Postal Service or US Postal Business?


Unemployment Compensation

And The National Reassessment ProcessJune 30, 2010Source:APWU

Injured employees who undergo theNational Reassessment Process(NRP) and are told by the Postal Ser-vice either that there is only partialday work available or that there is nowork available, should consider filingfor unemployment compensation.This temporary financial assistancecan serve as an important monetarybridge during the time that an em-ployee is waiting for his or her OWCPcompensation to be processed.

This program is formally known asthe Unemployment Compensation forFederal Employee’s Program, and isadministered by the states underseparate agreements with the U.S.Secretary of Labor. A Postal Serviceemployee’s entitlement to this benefitis determined by each state’s employ-ment security laws and varies accord-ing to the individual state rules andto the employee’s wage and separa-tion history.

An injured employee whose workhours have been reduced or elimi-nated by the NRP should ask thePostal Service to provide them with aSF 8, Notice to Former EmployeeAbout Unemployment Insurance.Don’t be misled by the phrase “formeremployee.” The SF 8 is also used forcurrent employees who have had

their work hours reduced or eliminated.The complete instructions can be foundin Chapter 550, “Unemployment Com-pensation” in the Employee and LaborRelations Manual.

Health and Resource Management per-sonnel at Postal Service headquartershave assured us that the SF 8 will bemade available to injured employeeswho receive “Partial Day Work” or“Complete Day No Work” letters. How-ever, the employee must ask for theform. It will not be provided auto-matically.

ask Injured employees who are providedwork only on an intermittent basis areissued an SF 8 only for the first time ineach calendar year when they are placedin a non-pay status. However, an SF 8 isissued each time to any employee whois, or will be, placed in a non-pay statusfor seven or more consecutive calendardays.

To facilitate the processing of a claim forunemployment compensation, an em-ployee should take with them the SF 8;the most recent SF 50, Notification ofPersonnel Action; Social Security card;W-2 form; and a recent paycheck stubshowing earnings and leave balance.Additional information can be found atthe Web site of the Department of La-bor.

OWCP will pay injured employees wageloss compensation even if they are re-ceiving unemployment compensation.OWCP does not consider this situationto be a prohibited dual payment. How-ever, virtually every state’s unemploy-ment compensation regulations do con-sider this to be a dual payment, andwould expect to be reimbursed for theunemployment compensation that waspaid during the same period of time thata person received OWCP wage loss com-pensation.

Additional information

From the Employee and LaborRelations Manual (ELM)553.12 SF 8, Notice to Former Em-ployee About Unemployment In-suranceSF 8 explains an employee’s eligi-bility for unemployment compen-sation and describes the steps tobe taken in filing a claim. Person-nel offices complete SF 8 by enter-ing at top of form the employee’sname, Social Security number,and pay location. In item 3 person-nel offices enter #732 on the ex-treme right side and then enterthe address of the Eagan ASC:

PAYROLL PROCESS-ING/UNEMPLOYMENTUSPS EAGAN ASC2825 LONE OAK PKWYEAGAN MN 55121–9635

SF 8 is issued promptly to the em-ployee by the separating personneloffice so that he or she does notlose unemployment compensationbenefits to which he or she may beentitled. An individual whosework or tours of duty are on anintermittent basis is issued an SF8 only the first time in each calen-dar year that he or she is placed ina nonpay status. However, a com-pleted SF 8 is issued to an em-ployee each time the employee:

1. Separates from the Postal Ser-vice for any reason.

2. Transfers to another federalagency.

3. Is (or will be) placed in a non-pay status for 7 or more con-secutive calendar days. SF 8 isissued on the employee’s lastworkday. The date is to benoted in the remarks sectionof PS Form 50.


The description raises severalquestions:

How exactly would the ap-proach save money otherthan requiring fewer vehi-cles? Using delivery-point se-quencing can certainly savemoney in the delivery units bygiving the carriers more streettime. But just divvying up thework differently among casersand deliverers would notchange the number of hoursrequired to do the work.

When would the casing bedone? Delivery units typicallyhave a small window betweenarrival of when mail for deliv-ery and the start of the carri-ers' shift. Something wouldhave to change -- perhaps ear-lier shipments to the deliveryunits (which would forcechanges at mail processing cen-ters and delay delivery of somemail by a day) or later starttimes for deliverers (whichwould please neither customersnor employees). Or perhaps therole of caser would be taken onby an army of part-timersrather than people who are cur-rently career letter carriers.

Will deliverers on walkingroutes be able to handle afull shift on the street?Many a letter carrier hasswitched to other jobs in thePostal Service after knees orfeet gave out. Some have ex-pressed concern that longerroutes (made possible by de-livery-point sequencing androute optimization) are put-ting more wear and tear onthe carriers. How would full-time deliverers fare on routesdelivered mostly or solely onfoot?

The document sheds no light onthese questions. It's not evenclear whether this tactic andsome others discussed in the pa-per reflect definite plans or justsomething the Postal Service ispondering.

In fact, the paper has some otherinteresting, not-completely-explained statements about tac-tics under consideration, includ-ing "the potential of every-other-day sequencing" on Flats Se-quencing System machines andelimination of "preferential man-ual handling of Periodicals mail".

July 9, 2010

The Postal Service believes it canachieve significant savings by hav-ing letter carriers spend their entireshift delivering mail while other em-ployees take over the carriers' mail-preparation duties.

The idea is to split the role of lettercarrier into two different jobs -- cas-ers who would take on any mail sort-ing now done by carriers and deliv-erers who would strictly deliver themail. Here is what the USPS saidabout the tactic in a "Flats Strategy"paper it submitted to the PostalRegulatory Commission this week:

"Route Optimization 100 PercentStreet routes – (2011 and beyond) ––LARGE Opportunity": As total casedvolume declines, letter carrier casingwill be concentrated on a few assign-ments, while most carriers will onlyperform street duties. A “caser”would prepare and pull down allcased mail, while a deliverer wouldload the mail and deliver it to agreater number of customers. Thisconcentration will produce savingsin fixed office time. It is projectedthat route reductions will resultfrom this initiative. Also, vehiclesavings will be generated throughstreet route reductions."

Dead Tree Edition: USPS May Split Role ofLetter Carrier By Creating “100% Street” Routes

2011 DINNER DANCE…………………..

CABRILLO PAVIL-LION ARTS CENTER

………………….

JANUARY 22, 20115PM-12PM


I first met the Goleta phan-tom in the spring of 1994. I cannotbelieve it has been 16 years since wemet and the phantom started writingletters for the Beast of Burden. Wereminisced about the old days whilewe ate lunch at the HamburgerHabit. The phantom asked me howhave things changed at the post of-fice since our days of enlighteningcarriers about the postal absurditiesand the style in which supervisorstreated employees? We both laughedout loud, realizing the irony of it all.The phantom said, “Hey... wouldn’t itbe fun if maybe I interviewed youagain like in 1994? I said, “Why not,I have time to kill today until we goto Zodos later.

PH: So how have things changedsince we last talked in 1996?

JP: Absurdly enough the same prob-lems we had in 1990’s are stillaround today. Only magnified due toAutomation and the computer. Auto-mation simplified the letters withDPS, though just like with all thingscreated by management they jumpedthe gun and expected the savingsfrom DPS immediately. Blocks ofmail were out of sequence and youreceived mail from other routes. Ofcourse, since there was the humanelement, handwritten letters wereoften misread by machines andcould be sent anywhere.

PH: Wow sounds like a nightmare

JP: You don’t know Phantom, thePostal Service wanted to recoup sav-ings right away, while we had to fixthe DPS errors and make it work forthe good of the Postal Service.

PH: Why the big push to have itwork immediately?

JP: Well you see they built these GI-ANT processing plants around thecountry in order to hold the newautomation machines that were halfa football field long and cost as much.

PH: You mentioned computers, whatwas that about?

JP: Well, as good as computers areand have changed the world in so

many ways … but in regard to thePostal Service, all it did was free uptime for the upper management wage-earners. So, they spent all day on thecomputer requiring information fromtheir line supervisors and stationmanagers. They created programs tomicro-manage every moment of theletter carriers day.

PH: Too much, sounds like we can goon for days about that. What aboutthe style of supervisors and the dailyroutines?

JP: We have Postmaster Ms. No,fondly referred to that because nomatter what you ask her, the answeris “NO”. We have pseudo labor man-agement meetings with her and sheseems all concerned with what wehave to say. Then, the minutes for themeeting come out and it reads justhow she heard them and definitely notwhat the stewards had said.

PH: So basically it’s her way or thehighway?

JP: Yes ...and she has her managersso frightened they wont say a word toher.

PH: How about your station managerthese days?

JP: This is even better than before.They actually change on a daily basis.But the one who has logged the mosthours at our station is the perfect ex-ample of too much time on his hands.He was nicked named DOOM &GLOOM shortly after arriving.

PH: Why was that?

JP: Well first he walked around witha coffee mug that had to hold a half ofgallon of coffee. He would always bark

orders at people... carriers or supervisors.He was always right and if you tried toengage him in a conversation, he wouldjust walk away as if you didn’t matter.

PH: Sounds frustrating, how do you guysdo it?

JP: Like we always have! No matter whatthey throw at us we remember our custom-ers and the pride we have in the job we do.

Phantom we can go on for days on this wehave so much to catch up on. Let me justthrow some things out there for you tothink about.

1. We have the VOE survey, stands forvoice of the employee. Problem is ithas nothing to do with how we feel orour needs.. It is shaped by manage-ment to direct the answers where theywant them to go.

2. We have taken all the stamp machinesout of the lobbies. Excuse given to savemoney.

3. Even though a carrier walks right by acollection box (and this is one of myfavorite LOL ) he or she no longerempties it. It takes to long, so theyhave a carrier at the end of their daydrive over and empty it.

4. We have MSP scan points all over ourroute so they can figure out every min-ute of our day and where we are wast-ing time. Yet they stand huddled to-gether in packs throughout the daytalking, doing absolutely nothing.

5. They took away our letter racks be-cause they say we do not receiveenough letters to warrant them, sonow our letters sit on the floor.

6. Phones ring of the hook at the supervi-sor’s desk and no one seems to care toanswer them and help the public withtheir problems.

7. They do not pay employees correctly;you ask for the sick leave you earned,they give you annual leave or lwop.The PTF’ s never get paid sick leavethen they want to give them LOW’s forirregular attendance.

8. We have more rules and regulationsthan one could even begin to remem-


THE GOLETA PHANTOM


ber. We have the 25 rules of con-duct from district that clearlystates all employees, yet does notapply to management. On top ofthat Ms. NO added her own 15rules to that when she took over asPM.

PH: Joe it seems like you are all fight-ing an uphill battle, how is the unionholding up?

JP: We are always engaging man-

(Continued from page 8) agement on all fronts, yet they run theoffice with routes down every day andnever have enough help to cover theroutes that we do have. It’s always hardto get the proper time to prepare ourgrievances. The older carriers are toldto retire, PTF’s are tired and burnt out,and injured employees are harassedalmost daily. NO MATTER HOWMUCH WE DO IT’S NEVERENOUGH.

PH: Joe, I have to go... say “Hi” to allthe fine hardworking carriers at Goletafor me.

JP: Stop by sometime and talk tosome of the others. I am sure theywould have good information to causethe green tag to fall right off your workshoe

PH: Huh?

JP: Inside joke... take it easy,Phantom!

As always “From the shadows of theGoleta Walls”

Joe Pensabene

HAZARD, Norman Russell

Norm past away on May 16, 2010. Norman Russell Hazard was born on March 28, 1918 in Santa Barbara,California. His parents were Delmar Walter Hazard and Marie Agness Servne. His father Delmar was a well-known fisherman and his mother, Marie, a stay-home mother. The family lived on Chino Street. Norman wasone of four children, three brothers and a sister. He is pre-deceased by an older brother Ralph, a fishermanand a younger brother Robert. He is survived by his younger sister Adeline. When Norman was about four, hisparents separated. His mother took all the children to Los Angeles, keeping Adeline with her, but putting allthree boys in an orphanage in Hollywood. There they stayed until their father took them back to Santa Bar-bara. Norman went to Wilson elementary school and La Cumbre junior high school, finally graduating fromSanta Barbara high school in 1936. After high school, Norman worked as a crew member of private sailboatsin San Pedro and Newport Harbor. At age 23, Norman joined the Navy. He was on the USS Pawnee, a 220feet tugboat used to salvage equipment from sunken ships in the Pearl Harbor attack. He served on the Paw-nee as a Navy diver throughout World War II, making numerous dives in dangerous conditions. After the war,Norman moved back to Santa Barbara where he worked as a fisherman on his father’s boat. It was duringthis time that he married Ruby Osterman in 1947, to whom he was happily married for almost fifty years un-til her death in 1997. Shortly after they were married, Norman went to work for the Post Office, serving as aletter carrier for 35 years.

ARMSTRONG, Eugene (Gene)

Gene past away on June 5, 2010. He was born in Oakland, CA. on June 19, 1931 to Burton Armstrong & Cath-erine Armstrong. He graduated from Oakland Technical High School in 1949. As a young boy he was his un-cle's “bat boy”, which started his baseball career. He played “Triple-A” in the minors from 1950 to 1956. Heserved in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Okinawa in The Korean War. He met and married Charlotteand they were married for 49 years. He worked for the U.S. Post Office for 22 years before retiring in 1999. Heenjoyed his family & many friends. He loved his sports.

In Memoriam

KAYSER, David Shearer

Dave past away on June 2, 2010. He was born in Baldwinsville, New York on July 24, 1935 to Joseph C. Kayserand Amelia E. Kayser. He moved to California with his family in 1943. He graduated from North HollywoodHigh School in 1953 and later served in the U.S. Air Force. In 1958 he married Toni Jacobs in Los Angeles. Af-ter attending San Jose State College, he moved to Santa Barbara in 1961. He was a mail carrier in the SanRoque area for 30 years. He loved classic cars, classic movies, classical music, jazz, and old radio shows. Heloved the ocean and the mountains, especially hiking in Sequoia National Park. He is survived by his wife of 51years - Toni and three sons: Thomas C. Kayser (Andrea), Eric D. Kayser (Shannon), and Daniel A. Kayser(Janet) and grandchildren Frances and Theo. The family will gather in Sequoia in August for a private memo-rial service.


LAW DEPARTMENT:

EMPLOYMENT & LABOR LAW UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE

Date: July 1, 2010

To: ALL CURRENT AND FORMER PERMANENT REHABILITATION AND LIMITED DUTY

EMPLOYEES OF THE UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE (POSTAL SERVICE) WHO WERE

SUBJECTED TO THE POSTAL SERVICE'S NATIONAL REASSESSMENT PROGRAM (NRP)

BETWEEN MAY 5,2006, AND THE PRESENT

Re: EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION (EEOC) CLASS ACTION INVOLVING

THE NRP AND ALLEGATIONS OF DISCRIMINATION (Sandra M. McConnell, et al., v. John E.

Potter, Postmaster General, United States Postal Service, EEOC Case No. 520-2008-00053X;

Agency Case No.4B-140-0062-06)

BACKGROUND OF THE CASE

Sandra McConnell, a permanent rehabilitation employee with the Postal Service, claims that the Postal Ser-vice's NRP violates the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 by discriminating against all current and former Postal Ser-vice permanent rehabilitation and limited duty employees on the basis of their disabilities.

On May 30, 2008, an EEOC Administrative Judge (AJ) issued a decision certifying McConnell's complaint as aclass action complaint, which allows for McConnell's claim to be decided along with all other current and formerPostal Service permanent rehabilitation and limited duty employees who have been subjected to the NRP. TheEEOC's Office of Federal Operations affirmed class certification of McConnell's complaint on January 14, 2010.McConnell has been designated as the "agent of the class," and with the assistance of her attorneys, she willrepresent the interests of the other class members before the EEOC.

CERTIFIED CLASS

You are or were a permanent rehabilitation or limited duty employee of the Postal Service who was subjected tothe NRP between May 5,2006, and the present.

ISSUES INVOLVED IN THE CASE

McConnell raises four claims in her class complaint on behalf of all permanent rehabilitation and limited dutyemployees: (1) the NRP fails to provide class members with reasonable accommodations; (2) the NRP wrong-fully discloses the medical information of class members; (3) the NRP creates a hostile workplace environmentfor class members; and (4) the NRP has an adverse impact on class members.

This Notice is designed to tell you about McConnell's complaint and how your rights may be affected by thiscase. You are receiving this notice because Post Office records indicate that you are or were a Postal Servicepermanent rehabilitation or limited duty employee who was subjected to the NRP between May 5, 2006, andthe present. You may be eligible to participate in this case as a class member.

There has been no determination whether the Postal Service has done anything unlawful.

EEOC CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT INVOLVING THE NA-TIONAL REASSESSMENT PROCESS (NRP) AND CLAIMSOF ALLEGED DISCRIMINATION

NALC BRANCH 290THE BEAST OF BURDENPAGE 11

WHAT ARE YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS?

If you meet the criteria to be a potential member of the class, you are not required to do anything at this time inorder to remain a part of the class.

If the AJ rules that the Postal Service discriminated against members of the class, you will be notified andgiven the chance to seek any and all remedies provided by law. With respect to the claims covered in theclass definition, you do not need to do anything now to preserve your right to make a claim later.

If you are a class member, this case will determine your rights as a class member and any decision issued willhave a binding effect upon you.

OPTING OUT

The EEOC does not allow any class member to "opt out" of the class or choose not to be bound by a class com-plaint decision.

A final decision by the EEOC finding that the Postal Service engaged in discrimination is binding on all mem-bers of the class and on the Postal Service. A finding of "no discrimination" is not binding on a class member'sindividual complaint of discrimination. Although you may not exclude yourself from the class (opt out), you donot have to participate in this class complaint. If the AJ finds that the Postal Service discriminated against theclass, you will have to file a claim to receive individual relief. In the event that liability is found, you will re-ceive additional notice on how and when to file such a claim.

SETTLEMENT

If McConnell and the Postal Service wish to settle this case, you will be notified and given the opportunity toreview the terms of the settlement, and to object or challenge the settlement.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS

The attorneys representing McConnell and the class in this matter have provided a Web site with additionalinformation about this case. A copy of the Administrative Judge's decision certifying the McConnell class actioncan also be found on this Web site. You can learn more about this case, find answers to frequently asked ques-tions, and provide the class attorneys with information about you at the

Web site: www.NRPclassaction.com

Please visit this Web site to find status updates on the case. The attorneys representing McConnell and theclass are Michael Lingle, Thomas & Solomon, LLP, 693 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14607585-272- 0540; Jer-emy Wright and David Weiser, Kator, Parks & Weiser, P.L.L.C., 812 San Antonio St., Ste. 100, Austin, TX78701; Michael Kator, Kator, Parks & Weiser, P.L.L.C., 1200 18th Street, NW, Ste. 1000, Washington, D.C.20036. You may contact the attorneys representing the class by visiting the Web site:www.NRPclassaction.com.

REPRISAL

Please note that the law prohibits discrimination, retaliation, threats, interference, intimidation, and/or coer-cion against individuals who participate, testify, assist, and/or are involved in the presentation or processing ofthis class complaint. Any claim of reprisal must be processed separately from this class action by contacting anEEO Counselor within 45 days of the action complained of.

EEOC CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT

Page 2


Health Benefits Report by Don Gullette


“It’s the things you learn after you know it all that counts! Late Coach John Wooden to Bill Walton

M-01664


you've got bad news, release it all atonce on your own terms rather thanhaving the news media drag it out ofyou bit by bit.)

First there were the no-bid contractsto Bernstock's cronies, then the useof his Postal Service staff to conductprivate business, and most recentlythe revelation that top postal officialslooked the other way as Bernstockbroke the rules.

In a pickle

Noting Bernstock's checkered his-tory, Brian Sheehan at postalnewsblog recently questioned why thePostal Service even hired him in thefirst place. (Answer: The Postal Ser-vice was in a pickle, so why not hirea guy who used to run a pickle com-pany?)

Even the worst-case scenario is thatthe money Bernstock wasted wouldnot cover one day of the Postal Ser-vice's losses (or its interest-free loansto the federal government that areeuphemistically called prepaid retireehealth benefits). But the incident cer-tainly doesn't inspire confidence inPostal Service management.

There's a limit to what postal execu-tives can say without running the riskof slandering Bernstock or violatinghis privacy. They did at least overhaultheir contracting rules recently.

But they need to go further to put theincident behind them. They shouldopenly discuss the mistakes theymade, reiterate that no one in the or-ganization is exempt from rules oroversight, and reveal whether theUSPS got its money's worth from theno-bid contracts.

July 5, 2010

The U.S. Postal Service's failure toaddress some inconvenient ques-tions will hurt its chances of win-ning approval for several controver-sial measures including its an-nounced rate increase.

My questions begin with "Whatabout the Bernstock fiasco?"

Why was a top executive allowed torun amok, and what are you doing toprevent this kind of problem fromrecurring?

Bad news keeps dribbling out aboutRobert F. Bernstock, the formerpresident of mailing and shippingservices, in what must seem likeChinese water torture for the folksat L'Enfant Plaza. (Which is whypublic relations experts say that if

“What about Bernstock?”…and other tough questions for Postal Execs

July 6, 2010

A couple of years ago, postal officialswere telling catalog and magazinepublishers that the Flats Sequenc-ing System would dramaticallylower the Postal Service's costs ofhandling our mail.

Now it's not so clear whether the$1.4 billion investment in Phase I ofthe huge FSS machines will evenpay off. And that's a major annoy-ance to magazine publishers, whowere singled out today for an extra-special exigent rate increase becausethe Postal Service can't get its costsof handling flat mail under control.

I’ll admit that it's a bit unfair to usethe word "boondoggle" in referenceto FSS because that word impliesthat there was no logic to the invest-ment other than as a giveaway tothe contractor, Northrop Grumman.But the Postal Service is playinginto the hands of the nay-sayers and

conspiracy theorists by not beingmore forthcoming about its struggleswith the FSS machines.

I think the people who developed andapproved the plan for automating thehandling of flat mail honestlythought FSS would pay for itself inthe form of reducing sorting and op-erating costs. Unlike some otherPostal Service initiatives, there wascompetitive bidding and a carefulplanning process that responded toinput from mailers and suppliers.

But the plan, which was based onsteady or growing flats volume, firststarted to go off the track when flatmail began declining rapidly (afterdouble-digit postage increases forcatalogs and magazines that scaredboth industries into change-the-business-model meetings with a "lessprint, more Web" mantra).

And it's been 10 months since theUSPS's Office of Inspector General

said no more machines should be de-ployed until the system met the mini-mum performance standards of theNorthrop Grumman contract. ThePostal Service responded by acceler-ating deployments and not officiallyrevealing the results of further test-ing, though word keeps leaking out ofproblems with the machines.

The OIG released another study to-day stating "we identified severalFSS machines [in northern Virginia]that were unavailable for severalmonths and processing issues thatnegatively impacted delivery opera-tions."

Even to those who are supportive ofthe FSS concept, it's starting to lookas if postal officials so fell in love withthe FSS plan and schedule that theycouldn't dream of pulling the plug onthe 100 Phase I machines or goingback to the drawing board. The ma-chines do seem to be saving money,


Is FSS a boondoggle? Tough Question #2 for the USPS

NALC BRANCH 290THE BEAST OF BURDEN

William Jury 1Jim Tonascia 2Doug Comerdinger 3William Troup 4Edward Figone 6Daniel Escobedo 8Andrew Martony 8Scott Pickering 10Kenneth Kieman 10William Gonzales 14Micheline Vallone 18Rowland Anderson 18Madeline Bear 19Pamela Riffero 19Selso Mendoza 27Ernest Badillo 29Marcos Arenas 31Mike Jones 31

Charles Ruiz 1Jackson Cianfrone 1Jon Wittman 3Louie Tanlao 3Norm Louie 7Karl Almcrantz 7Debra Blank 8Annie Bell 10Richard Burson 10Mary Diemel 10Danny Valenzuela Jr 11Robert Stankoski 14Bob Shust 15Mike Coyle 18Donald Deforest 19Gerald Boyer 19Donald Darling 21Allan Ausan 21Elise Malacara 23Tanya Boffman 23Bernadette Ramirez 24Steve Mendoza 25Suk Jae Kim 27Fernado Jimenez 28Ysidro Nieto 29Mary Overall 30Pete Tenoso Jr 31

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT

******************************

Giovanni & Natalia Campanella

Announce the birth of their son,

Giovanni Noah Campanella

Born June 5, 2010

10:41 AM 9.2 lbs 21 in

especially in delivery operations, but are the sav-ings enough to justify the huge capital invest-ment?

No Phase 2?

One of the flood of documents the USPS submit-ted today with its rate proposal includes a state-ment that “the Postal Service intends to evaluatethe feasibility of enhancing excess AFSM[Automated Flats Sorting Machine] 100 equip-ment to sequence additional flat mail not coveredby the initial 100 Flats Sequencing System ma-chines.”

Maybe that’s an ingenious approach to usingequipment that’s been freed up by the FSS ma-chines and the drop in flats mail volumes. It cer-tainly sounds less costly than buying new FSSmachines.

But the skeptic’s view is that postal executivesare not seeing a favorable return on investmentfrom the big capital outlay and therefore are ey-ing "Plan B" (no more expensive new machines)instead of FSS Phase 2. And with the Postal Ser-vice not revealing whether the FSS machines areperforming to standard, it's easy to be skeptical.

So as catalog and magazine publishers hear aboutthe Postal Service's allegedly skyrocketing costsfor handling flats mail -- despite our greater useof co-mail and dropshipping and the USPS's FSSinvestment -- don't be surprised if we start usingthe "B" word.

Dead Tree Edition

….Insights, analysis, practical advice, and smart-aleck comments related to the production anddistribution of publications, such as magazinesand catalogs, in the United States.

(Continued from page 14)

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