March 1, 2013

  Letter from Louie 

 


 Change and the Next Step
Louis Atkins

Louis Atkins

 

 

Over the last few months, the NAPS Executive Board has been working with our leadership in the field to place employees who have been impacted by the Reduction-in-Force (RIF) that was put into place as a result of the ongoing facilities consolidation. By the time the process is completed in early March, I am confident that everyone wishes to remain employed with the Postal Service will be able to do so. Considering all of the moving parts involved with locating positions for our members at a minimal impact on their daily lives, this is a significant achievement.

 

With all of the uncertainty circling around the Postal Service, there is the possibility that we will have to undergo yet another RIF in the next couple of years. With this in mind, we have to take an account of what we did right and what lessons can be learned from how we managed this situation. The most important thing to remember is that everything must be communicated clearly so our members have all the facts they need to make the right choice for themselves and their families. In most instances, vacancies were posted in a prompt fashion and USPS Labor Relations at the local and national level made sure that everyone understood the timelines involved with the RIF Process. Our Executive Board was able to serve as go-betweens for our members and HR and provide guidance when there were questions regarding the process and potential vacancies. My sincere thanks to everyone involved with ensuring that our members who wanted to continue in their career with the Postal Service were given every opportunity to do so.

 

As we are all aware, there is a great cloud of uncertainty surrounding the PMG's announcement regarding the USPS' plan to move to five-day delivery. It is my hope that as we tackle this next challenge, that we will be able to engage it with the same drive, determination and focus that we used to manage this RIF. It is imperative that we give our membership all the tools and knowledge that they need to chart their future career course. This is the mandate of NAPS.  It is a trust and a duty that everyone in leadership positions here at Headquarters and throughout the nation perform every day.

 

Finally, we are saying goodbye to a long-time partner and welcoming a new one. Today, USPS Chief Human Resources Officer Tony Vegliante is retiring after a long and successful career in the Postal Service. Tony has been a tremendous partner and a good friend throughout the years and he has earned a little rest after everything he has done on behalf of this membership.  On the flip side, Tony is being succeeded by Jeffrey Williamson, formally Vice-President of Pricing. Williamson brings both youthful energy and a fresh perspective to the job. I look forward to the opportunity of building another strong relationship over at L'Enfant Plaza. 

Brian's Scoop

  

Scoop a Scholarship!

 

Brian Wagner

 

 

It is March Madness!  For some, it means basketball season, but for NAPS-it's scholarship season. Here is the scoop.

 

The March 31 deadline is fast approaching for scholarship applicants to apply for the special Andy Sozzi Legacy Scholarship. Through a one-time donation by John Pescitelli, president of M3 Technology, the Andy Sozzi Legacy Scholarship will provide two--$1,000 scholarships. NAPS headquarters is pleased to have already received over 130 Andy Sozzi Legacy Scholarship applications. 

 

In the December 2012 issue of The Postal Supervisor, there was a special article about Andy Sozzi, NAPS Northeast Regional Vice President, who brightened the lives of thousands of children during the holiday by playing Santa. Andy left us too early in life, but his legacy of giving continues.

 

To be eligible for consideration of an Andy Sozzi Legacy Scholarship, an applicant must be a child or grandchild of living NAPS members.  In addition, the applicant must be attending or have been accepted to attend an accredited four-year college, university or, unique to this scholarship, graduate school. The two winners of the Andy Sozzi Legacy Scholarship will be drawn at the 2013 NAPS Legislative Training Seminar (LTS) in April. 

 

For a copy of the Andy Sozzi Legacy Scholarship application with rules, click here, or visit www.naps.org. A copy of the scholarship application is also in your 2013 January, February and March issues of The Postal Supervisor.

 

I just want to remind our members to have their eligible children or grandchildren apply by July 31, 2013, for the NAPS Vince Palladino Memorial Student Scholarship and Donald Ledbetter Memorial Scholarships. 

 

Those applications are also in The Postal Supervisor magazine and on the NAPS website. Why wait? Apply today.

 

There is no wait either as I apply my ice cream flavor of the week recommendation-New York Style Cheesecake.


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2013 Legislative Training Seminar

 

It's time to start planning to attend the annual Legislative Training Seminar. Information for the seminar can be found here

 

Registration:

Click here to download a paper form;

 

Online registration available here.

Make your room reservations here.

 

-As a reminder, with this being an off-convention year, NAPSHQ will not provide complimentary registrations or room reservations for Legislative Chairs or State Presidents-

 

  

Quote of the Issue!  

 

 You simply have to put one foot in front of the other and keep going. Put blinders on and plow right ahead. 

 

  -George Lucas

   Jay's Notes
 
    Another Catastrophe Tromps the Postal Service
Jay New
Jay Killackey

 

 

 

The looming Sequestration issue is just the latest catastrophe that has jumped ahead of the Postal Service's problems just at the time that something could have been done to create a legislative solution. At the end of 2012, in the Lame Duck session of Congress, behind closed doors and under the radar the 112th Congress came very close to crafting a bill that would have put the Postal Service's financial crisis behind us.

 

Unfortunately the "Fiscal Cliff" not only grabbed the headlines, it also took all of the oxygen out of the room in Congress and a postal solution fell by the wayside. At a Senate hearing earlier this month, once again there were promises made by committee leadership that a bill would be forthcoming and that a solution would be ready for primetime in the near future. Now Sequestration is but the latest catastrophe that is trumping our issues.

 

We've heard those promises before. It reminds me of all the promises that we have had made to us in our lives, or that we have made to someone else that never came to fruition. Our lives are filled with broken promises. Maybe that's the problem, getting promises that can't be kept seems to be a more of the norm than in the past. This has got to change and we have to hold our elected officials accountable!

 

We are now getting ready for our 2013 Legislative Training Seminar on April 8th and 9th here in Washington, D.C. where our delegates will have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with members of Congress and their staffs to ask them in person when will they come through with the promises that they have made to fix the Postal Services problems.

 

We have a lot riding on our lobbying efforts this year and our delegates will be well trained on all of the issues that are important to everyone in the postal community.

Seth's Slant

 

    LTS 101:

Part One- How to Get to DC (without really trying)

Seth

Seth Lennon

 

 

 

The Legislative Training Seminar is traditionally one of the highlights of the NAPS calendar.  Members flock to Washington DC from all over the country in order to lobby their lawmakers on issues of critical importance to the United States Postal Service. 

 

However- there is a basic question that has to be answered: how do I get to Washington DC? Depending on where you are coming from- there are several options at your disposal. For those seeking to utilize air-travel- the first option that has to be discussed has to be Reagan National Airport which is located literally a stone's throw from the Marriott Crystal Gateway.  Several major national carriers use Reagan National- including US Airways, American, Delta and United. In addition, the DC metro area is serviced by two other large airports- Dulles International and Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI). 

 

While you might be able to price out a better flight from these two locations- the transportation costs involved from getting to these two airports (both of which are 25-30 miles away from Crystal City) might negate any cost savings found from using these two facilities.

 

For our members on the East Coast- the DC metro area is accessible via Amtrak's Northeast Corridor or via several discount and premium bus lines courtesy of Union Station in downtown DC. Union Station is a quick cab or metro ride from the Marriott and represents a good value for those members who live on the East Coast and are looking for an alternative to the stressful environments of our region's airports.

 

No matter how you elect to come to the metro region, you have plenty of options that work with either your personal or branch budget. Be sure to investigate all options as you begin to plot your travel to the region.