Special Edition                                                August 23, 2012 

2012 National Convention, Day 2

 
NAPS delegates discuss resolutions and receive a legislative update 
 

The Constitution & Bylaws Committee completed its work during the Tuesday-afternoon business session. The committee was ably chaired by Ken Bunch, Branch 23, Michigan; the assistant chair was Richard Caruso, Branch 10, Nebraska.

 

Of the 19 resolutions referred to the committee (see convention resolutions document on the NAPS website), delegates defeated resolution numbers 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 13, 15, 18 and 19, which had been submitted from the floor. Among those defeated was number 8, which would have moved Connecticut to the New York Area from its current location in the New England Area.

 

Also defeated were number 18, which would have instituted a "one-member/one-vote" process for electing the three NAPS resident officers, and number 19, which would have limited the resident officers to two terms in each office.

 

Adopted resolutions included the following: numbers 2 (vehicle for 9), 5, 6 (as amended), 10, 11 (as amended), 12, 14 (as amended; vehicle for 17) and 16. There was much discussion on number 6, the "resolved" of which read, in part, "the salary or merit increases for the NAPS resident officers shall be equal to the average national payout for active EAS employees for the compensation program in use in the applicable year for [the word "past" here was removed by amendment] current and future years automatically at the same time salary increases are provided to active EAS employees."

 

Adopted resolution number 11 provides The Postal Supervisor be published monthly, except for, in national convention years, a combined national convention issue.

 

Further on during Tuesday's proceedings, NAPS Counsel Bruce Moyer told delegates it was a honor to continue to serve them on Capitol Hill as their legislative counsel. He thanked them for their support of NAPS' legislative program. "Your efforts have meant a tremendous amount," he said. "We haven't crossed the finish line yet for postal reform, but we are making progress."

 

Where do we stand on postal reform? A good bill passed in the Senate, S. 1789, on April 25, but it has languished in the House since then. The Issa-Ross bill, H.R. 2309, is dramatically different than the Senate's bill; there are insufficient votes in the House to pass 2309. Even though the Republicans control the House, they have been unable to pass that legislation because it would harm the USPS in several ways.


Moyer referred to the PMG and deputy PMG's optimism that postal legislation will be dealt with during the lame-duck session after the election. "I'm usually an optimist," he said, "but on this matter, I am a pessimist."

 

Moyer warned delegates their health and retirement benefits are at risk. We are at a pivotal time for the financial stability of this country. The only contributions toward lowering the federal deficit have been those that have come out of postal and federal workers' paychecks. NAPS' task is to ensure there is shared sacrifice by all Americans for deficit reduction. 
COO Brennan discusses future of USPS 
 
Praises NAPS membership for their hard work during difficult times
USPS COO Megan Brennan

 

USPS Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President Megan Brennan, who comes from a postal family, told delegates her father was a long-time NAPS member. She had spoken to him the previous  evening and he reminded her to keep her address short. When he worked for the Postal Service, his motto was, "Deliver the letter, the sooner the better."

  

She thanked NAPS members for what they do, day-in and day-out, acknowledging things are tough. She flashed some of the more dire headlines about the Postal Service from various newspapers on the convention floor screens. "We're going to change those headlines," she pledged.

  

Brennan concurred with the PMG and deputy PMG that the agency's losses are unsustainable. First-Class Mail declines continue due to a fundamental shift in the way people communicate, hence the optimiza­tion and consolidation efforts. She described these efforts as prudent business decisions that will position the USPS for long-term viability.

  

"We also know," she said, "from a personal standpoint, we want an opportunity to retire from this fine organization." She described the planned path to profitability as a three-legged stool: legislation, operations and growth.

  

She thanked NAPS members for helping educate lawmakers about the challenges facing the USPS. The legislative initiative includes restructuring the payment for prefunding retiree health benefits, getting the overpayment to FERS back and having the latitude and discretion to determine delivery frequency.


Brennan discussed the POStPlan. She commended the postmaster associations' leaders for working with the USPS to compromise and look for ways to maintain rural post offices with low activity. "We had to reduce our costs by adjusting window hours to office use," she said. The headlines need to change from the Postal Service is closing post offices to the Postal Service is improving access. "This will position us for the future," she said.


She counseled NAPS delegates to empathize with people, explaining these are unsettling times for everybody. "We don't take lightly these decisions on consolidations; we know they impact people," she said. "But we have to connect the dots and tell the story and know we will provide jobs for our current employees -schedules and duty assignments may change, but they will have jobs.
Robert Rapoza delivers greetings on behalf of NAPUS
 
NAPUS National President reiterates the need for the management organizations to stand together. 

  

NAPUS President Robert Rapoza

  

NAPUS National President Bob Rapoza said it was a pleasure for his wife Sharon and him to join such a distinguished group. He concurred with League President Mark Strong, saying the postmaster associations have an excellent working relationship with NAPS.

 

"The USPS' financial situation has gotten worse since two years ago when I spoke to you in Orlando," he said. "Now, the financial burden is directing infrastructure changes detrimental to universal service, the mailing industry and postal jobs."

 

Rapoza went on to say he wished we could be as proud of our congressional leaders as we were of the Olympians who represented our country. "There were no losers," he said. "All the participants won by having the honor to participate and represent their countries; winning a medal was icing on the cake."

 

That is a far cry from our congressional leaders who haven't even come close to participating with honor to represent their country. He said it was frustrating that Congress just went home for a five-week visit without any action on postal reform legislation. "They refuse to participate and find a solution to protect an infrastructure given to us by our Founding Fathers," he exhorted. "Our do-little Congress headed home without passing any meaningful postal reform. But they renamed 29 post offices. There may not be any post offices left to rename if they continue to kick the can down the road."


Rapoza said the outcome of current issues could have been a lot worse if not for the management organizations. He likened it to a balancing act: survival of the USPS and scrutiny from the outside and inside, while protecting jobs for the people they represent. He reminded everyone the management associations are not unions-they don't negotiate; they consult.

 

"It's not been easy," he admitted. "Two years ago, I said we are not a company. We still are a federal agency that provides a service to the American public; we still are the United States Postal Service and it still is apparent to me we can't be both. As long as I am the NAPUS national president, I will never refer to this great agency as a company."

 

He told delegates we all are a part of history in the making. "The USPS will survive," he said, "because of Postmasters and postal managers like you who deeply care about this great service organization. Be proud of the work you do and the great accom­plishments you have achieved."