August Branch 1111 News

Greater East Bay Branch 1111 News Volume 41 Number 480

August 2022

A Salute to Our New Stewards

Stewards attending training at the Branch Office Brown, Kurt Eblamo, Maurice Moore, Jose Solis, Maria Soto

(From L-R) Eileen

Branch 1111 News

August 2022

NALC HEALTH BENEFIT PLAN SERVICE LINES General Claims Inquiries Hospital Precertification (Required) Prerecorded Benefits Information Prescription Customer Service Line

1-888- 636-NALC 1-800-622-6252 1-888-636-NALC 1-800-933-NALC

BRANCH PAPER DEADLINE The deadline for copy for Branch 1111 News is the 5th of each month. News stories, articles, letters, drawings, or cartoons, as well as photographs -- either recent or historical -should be submitted to the Branch office. Short notices of personal or shop floor interest are especially welcome. The Editor and Assistant Editor retain the right to edit, delete, or reject articles and artwork for the good of the Branch.

BRANCH 1111 OFFICERS Edward P. Fletcher, President Jose Ochoa, Executive Vice President Narciso Paderanga, First Vice President Francisco Cabrera, Second Vice President Mary Abante, Third Vice President Terrence Super, Fourth Vice President John Ferreira, Secretary-Treasurer Mary Phelps, Asst. Sec-Treasurer Jeff Valentine, Sgt-at-Arms Jacob Morgan, Insurance Officer Rickie Cox, Trustee Ray Garcia, Trustee Ron Jones, Trustee

Greater East Bay Branch 1111 News Branch 1111 News is the official monthly publication of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), Greater East Bay Branch 1111. Circulation 3,000 Offices Served:

Alameda, Alamo, Antioch, Benicia, Berkeley, Brentwood, Clayton, Concord, Crockett, Danville, El Cerrito, Fairfield, Fremont, Lafayette, Livermore, Martinez, Moraga, Oakland, Orinda, Pinole, Pittsburg, Pleasanton, Richmond, Rodeo-Hercules, San Lorenzo, San Ramon, Suisun City, Union City, Vallejo, Walnut Creek

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EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS

Elizabeth Corriea, Marisela Fletcher, Irene Liljedahl, Shana Lum, Joshua Pearl, Frances Rodriguez-Swint

BRANCH 1111 OFFICE HOURS Monday-Friday: 8 am to 5 pm 402 – 37th Street Richmond, Ca. 94805- 2134 510-237-5111, Fax 510-237-5181

FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/nalcbranch1111 WEBSITE: www.Branch1111.org Meetings are held every fourth Tuesday of the month except in December

BRANCH 1111 NEWS STAFF Editor - Joshua Pearl: joshpbranch1111@gmail.com Assistant Editor – John Jekabson: jjbranch1111@gmail.com Contributors -- Ed Fletcher, Jose Ochoa, John Ferreira, Narciso Paderanga, Mary Abante, Liz Corriea, Ron Jones, Francisco Cabrera, Mary Phelps, Terrence Super, Jacob Morgan.

Views expressed in Branch 1111 News do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor, Assistant Editor, Branch Officers, or members of National Association of Letter Carriers, Branch 1111

August 2022

Branch 1111 News

HYBRID MEETING STILL ON

The Tuesday, August 23 Branch meeting will be hybrid: in-person or virtual. If the safety concerns regarding COVID19 changes, we will update the membership accordingly.

MDA RAFFLE WINNERS Branch 1111 raised $7,000 for MDA through our yearly raffle. The winning tickets for the 2022 MDA were drawn at the July Branch meeting. Here are the winners: $100 checks went to Demont Oliver, Lorie Perez of Fairfield, and Mauro Torreon of Concord. The 18-person suite for an A’s game went to Gary Gomez of Benicia. The grand prize, a 65 inch LG TV was won by Carmen Paderanga, daughter of First VP Narciso Paderanga. MDA Coordinator Marisela Fletcher thanked everyone who participated in this worthy fund-raising endeavor.

HAPPY TRAILS TO YOU

MDA Grand Prize winner Carmen Paderanga showing off her new TV. Happy viewing from all of us

The following letter carriers retired recently: James Honey and Fernando Castro of Suisun; Lawrence Doyal of Antioch. Charles Magalued of Pittsburg; Edwin Laurena of Oakland; Howard Withespoon of Pleasanton; Renjun Wei of Berkeley; Alfredo Navarro of Vallejo; Kulbir Hundal of Richmond; and Isagani Padojino of San Ramon. We wish many years of leisure to all.

CONDOLENCES

Our sympathy and condolences go out to the family and friends of retired Alameda Gold Card carrier Terence Ashton.

He will be missed by all.

BEST WISHES

Our prayers and best wishes go out to Berkeley retiree David Benjamin who has recently been hospitalized. We wish him a speedy recovery.

50/50 MDA RAFFLE WINNERS

Here are the lucky winners drawn last month: A’s tickets were won by; Rickie Cox, Jeff Valentine, Petra Ortega and Joshua Pearl. The 50/50 pot of $70.00 went to Oswald Jacobs. If not attending, tickets must be purchased by check or cash prior to the meeting. Come try your luck at the next meeting.

Pittsburg retiree Charles Magalued joining the Last Punch Bunch. Best of luck to you

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Branch 1111 News

When the Bow Breaks, Will the USPS Fall ?

By Edward P. Fletcher, President

In the nautical world, the “bow” is the front part of the ship.

It is the part that leads the ship in the right direction as it breaks through the up and down waves of the ocean.

Like a great battleship and or massive cruise ship, the USPS has many employee “crew members” that are all supposed to work in unison to deliver the mail and provide reliable and consistent service to our customers. What happens when a ship travels through rocky waters or runs aground? How much stress can the bow of s ship take before it breaks? For that matter, how much stress can the crew endure?

Numbers Don’t Lie, but Liars Figure And that leads me to the Postal Service. I can’t tell you how many meetings I have sat in on where management says, “look at the numbers.” Of course, the Union often wonders what set of manufactured books will they present us today? Well, you can forget their numbers.

However, I will give you some numbers that are eye opening. For example, when I started as the Full Time Officer (FTO) for Oakland in 2001, we had about 550 letter carriers.

Twenty-one years later, we have about 403 letters carriers (a loss of 147 carriers). The 2000 and 2020 Census shows that the City of Oakland during that period gained about 40,000 new residents (2000 Census = 399,484 and 2020 Census = 440,646). The numbers don’t add up. Notably, we have lost about 50 carriers in 1 year, and we are about 100 carriers understaffed in the City of Oakland! In addition, out of the 403 carriers 50% have less than 7-years of experience, and 110 carriers have 2-years or less. Yet, you have some USPS District, Area and National Officials saying, “you didn’t need any more employees.”

Apparently, liars even lie to themselves repeatedly until they believe their own fabrications.

Letter Carriers are Anchors of the USPS How much longer must we be the anchors that hold down the Postal Service form drifting out to sea or running aground?

How much more mandatory overtime is too much before more carriers are injured? How many more experienced senior carriers have to retire before the next dawn? How many more new employees need to quit before finishing their training or probationary periods before that is too many? How much more mail needs to be delayed or undelivered? How much more money needs to be wasted on repetitive maximum work hour violations due to chronic understaffing? How many more converted regulars need to resign for better working conditions before the wind leaves our sails?

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August 2022 If we are the anchors, does that make the senior USPS leaders the dead weight that is sinking the Postal Service? Where are the new crew members?

On that note, 8 out of the 11 new PTF hires didn’t even show up for orientation on August 3, 2022. Apparently, not too many people want to work for the Postal Service in the Greater Northern California/Eastbay region. Nevertheless, we letter carriers like forged steel on the bow of a ship will continue to fight alongside our union, for our jobs, our families and our customers.

The Hand that Rocks the Cradle It is no secret that the hand that rocks the cradle in the USPS is our National Leaders. It is also no secret that the National Leaders on both sides of the ship need to immediately act to fix the chronic understaffing, which is an unsustainable recipe for disaster. Much like a submarine that has gone too deep into the watery abyss, the USPS can implode due to the extreme pressures on its hull and the bow might break.

Enough is Enough! We need less talk and more actions!

There have been a few National Memos signed by the National Parties since May of 2022 on converting and hiring PTF’s in certain installations, but none of them helped us in Northern California or Branch 1111.

We cannot wait until the 2023 contract negotiations, because in the Bay Area we have been working with skeleton crews since 2016. Doing that would be like asking carriers who are already at the breaking point to just wait another year, or so.

No, we should mobilize our troops now.

Call our friends in Congress and or hold local town hall meetings and invite and/or call out all USPS leaders. No, we will not fall!

We will never give up! We won’t let those individuals who want to privatize us or implode the USPS from within send the Postal Service to the ship graveyard, win! Instead, we will sink their battleship!

Oakland Airport retiree L. Zhou receiving his plaque from President Fletcher. Best of luck to in the next chapter

August 2022

Branch 1111 News

Basic Information – Annual Leave

By Narciso Paderanga, IV, First Vice President

“Annual leave is provided to employees for rest, for recreation, and for personal and emergency purposes.”

There is a 90-day qualifying period – “new employees are not credited with and may not take annual leave until they complete 90 days of continuous employment under one or more appointments without a break in service.

“Full-time career employees are credited at the beginning of the leave year with the total number of annual hours that they will earn for that leave year.” The number of hours is dependent on how many years you have with the postal service.

“Except for emergencies, annual leave for all employees except postmasters must be requested on PS Form 3971 and approved in advance by the appropriate supervisor.” Carriers must fill out PS Form 3971s in duplicate – have your supervisor sign and date it as received and keep a copy for yourself. Some, but not all, local agreements may have a hard deadline for management to approve or disapprove, otherwise it is automatically approved.

For the new employees, never have a verbal agreement with management when requesting Annual Leave. Without a signed and approved PS Form 3971, it will be a challenge to enforce a verbal agreement.

Each installation has its own procedure contained within its local agreement when signing up for annual leave and/or cancelling already approved leave. There are also stations where the Leave Board is run by Union Stewards. This procedure can only be changed or negotiated during the local negotiation period which occurs immediately after the National Agreement has been ratified.

“Nonpay Status” Leave credit for periods in which an employee is in a nonpay status is reduced during the leave year – when an employee’s absence in a nonpay status totals the equivalent of one pay period of regular service during the leave year (10 days or 80 hours), credit for leave is reduced by the amount of leave earned by the employee in a pay period.”

“When an employee has one or more periods of LWOP during the leave year, all hours in a nonpay status (during periods in which the employee earned annual leave) are totaled to reduce leave credit.”

There are times you will see your total hours of annual leave decreased. This may be due to your cumulative LWOP hours. This can include the time off taken due to OWCP or onthe-job injuries. If you have concerns, contact your local steward or your full-time officer if your steward is not available.

“Employees who work a holiday may elect to receive annual leave credit in lieu of holiday leave pay.” If you choose to elect to receive annual leave credit, you must request this via PS Form 3971 in advance.

Lastly, although it is management’s discretion to approve or disapprove LWOP, Annual Leave or Sick Leave need not be exhausted prior to requesting LWOP when your absence is FMLA related. It’s your choice!

To B&*%$ Or not to B*&^%$ that is the Question

By Francisco Cabrera, Second VP

Please to B*&^%$!!!

And do so loudly!

That is the only way to be heard, represented and defended, against the “nature of the beast.”

See no matter how far we think we have come. (Wherever you go, there you are). We are all just emotional creatures trying to survive this crazy thing called life and to top it off we are postal as well, so you can just imagine what that lends itself to.

CONFLICT! They say that if it doesn’t kill you it can only make you stronger.

I am impressed by how much stronger all of us have had to become. See that beast, -- greed, envy and management. It has become ever greedier, trying to make us carry more and more long hours without any help. Without any new fleet of vehicles, without any training for aspiring supervisors, managers, postmasters, even MPOO’s and District Managers.

As I continue my barrage of demands to management on your behalf, I can’t help but wonder if there is anything but fear controlling all of management’s actions.

But fear not brothers and sisters! Our Union will always have your back.

As you contemplate the National Union elections, we will be having to keep in mind what you want out of your Union.

Only the insane keep on doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

As I write this article, I thank you the membership for supporting the Postal Service with your unending hard work.

Your back-breaking labor and long arduous hours is appreciated.

You truly are working class heroes and that is something to be.

Maximum carryover amount is normally 440 hours but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the National parties have agreed to increase the amount to 520 for the 2022 – 2023 year.

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Branch 1111 News

August 2022

NEW EDITIONS TO THE LAST PUNCH BUNCH REGION 1 -- RETIREMENT SEMINAR Address: Greater East Bay Branch 1111 402 37th Street Richmond, Ca 94805

Date: Sunday – September 25, 2022 Time:

9:00am – 12:30pm

If you have any questions please feel free to call the Branch Office Office: (510) 237-5111 Email: nalc402@comcast.net Oakland Piedmont retiree Constanza Mendoza looking over the plaque given to her by President Ed Fletcher

Richmond Mcvittie retiree Alonso Navarra clocking out for good. Best of luck to you

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Alameda Retiree Thong Nam at the clock one last time. We wish you the Best

August 2022

AGAIN and AGAIN

by Mary Abante, Third Vice President

Distractions Your phone rings and rings and rings again.

It’s your supervisor…again. Add to that, the jarring beeps and monotonous buzzing from the scanner and you’re pulled every which way while trying to complete your job assignment.

More and more, supervisors are communicating through technology. This has placed carriers in a situation that is potentially unsafe or leading to discipline.

Text threads minutes apart from supervisors constantly badgering you on your progress and length of time to complete assignments are creating a dangerous situation.

Recently, management sent a message via the scanner regarding a detail opportunity in Truckee. Which are likely Rural Route opportunities, not carrier opportunities. Really?

That message couldn’t wait? Why would we send carriers when we are in dire need of carriers in our own backyard?

Ask yourself how often your supervisors call or text while you are out delivering mail, whether you are driving or walking. Distractions can cause you to lose focus on hazardous situations and result in injuries or more.

Keep track of the extra time it takes to pull off the road, shut off the engine, place the vehicle in park and set the parking (emergency) brake to respond to your supervisors’ continuous calls and messages. Your supervisors and managers do not know exactly what you are doing and may ask you why you were stationary.

When you get back to the office report this additional time you needed to respond to their calls, texts and messages.

You may have to revise your Form 3996. If your supervisors argue with you over this extra time, immediately ask for your Shop Steward and take up the dispute with him or her.

Remember there is nothing in the Contract that requires you to use your personal phone. It is a choice.

Let your phone ring. Let it go to voice mail. Your safety comes first, don’t get distracted.

More Often Than Not

By Jennifer Albon, Rodeo Steward

More often than not I wake up in the morning and think “I really don’t feel like dealing with the Post Office today.” I wonder, am I the only one who has these thoughts?

It’s easy to get caught up in the negative stuff we have going on in our offices. Most of which comes from

Branch 1111 News management in the mornings and just before the end of our day.

When my thoughts spiral into the muck of management.

I begin to consider the many positive things to look forward to on the route.

1. The Dela Santos family and the many quick water balloon fights that keep everyone cool during the summer.

2. Sweet Mr. Feldberg and his yummy homemade snow cones with the watermelon syrup he bought just for me.

3. Ms. Ronan and her unlimited ice supply she offers to me any time I need it. It really helps on those hot days.

4. The Sheils family, who remember my birthday by decorating their mailbox with balloons and leaving a gift card with my name on it.

5. Mr. Anderson who BBQ’s in his front yard so when I come by he’ll see me and give me a plate.

6. The little boy Davion who gets so excited when he races with me to the next mailbox.

7. Davion’s mother who is always willing to judge the race. Davion always wins! He is adorable.

8. Hot cocoa and cookies given to me by the Estrada family every Friday afternoon in the winter that keeps me warm and gives me that pick me up I need.

9. The Mikel family who bought groceries and left them on my front porch when I was sick with COVID. I’m so thankful and cared for.

10. The ten birthdays, two graduations and wedding that I was invited to last year.

These are just a few of my reasons why I get up and do what I do each and every day. These families as well as those not mentioned are my inspiration during my workday.

More often than not, it’s moments like these as Letter Carriers that keep us going. Wouldn’t you agree?

Branch 1111 Needs Stewards Want to make a difference? Help out your fellow carriers. Correct rather than complain about things that aren’t right in your facility?Then become a Shop Steward. You receive time to perform your duties, a stipend and the respect of your peers.

Contact your Full-Time-Officer if interested 7

August 2022

Branch 1111 News

Paying homage to the Men and Women that Have done it for so Long (30 plus years)!

By Terrence Lee Super, Fourth Vice President

First and foremost, I would like to apologize to the carriers that I will be mentioning in this month’s article. I wanted to get you all on the cover of last month’s issue but someone prematurely gave my pictures to the editor and it kind of messed things up. It was huge miscommunication on my part, but again I apologize.

I wanted to talk to you about a 37-year veteran of the Pleasanton installation who just recently retired, -- Mr. Howard Weatherspoon, arguably one the nicest guys you will ever meet in your life. What’s so special about this man is that his family came down to celebrate his retirement with him, which is an extreme rarity! His family coming shows how much they care for him and how proud they are of him. So, no doubt you could immediately tell that his family is his everything. His oldest daughter even “Facetimed” him to tell him congratulations during the event. I definitely felt the love, and it was such a great moment that I wanted to get it on the cover of our newsletter.

Again, I apologize to the Weatherspoon family that I couldn’t do that for them. But I hope all of you know that it was a very special moment that I was glad to be a part of. Love you Howard. Enjoy your retirement with your loving family. It was a pleasure to meet all of you.

Also, from the Pleasanton installation is 31-year carrier Deborah Hodge, who is one of the most respected carriers in the Pleasanton Office. Management would have to answer to her if something was not done right, which is funny because she wasn’t even a Steward! That just goes to show you that she was, in fact, very well respected.

I would like to say that Deborah was also well respected by me, and I can’t help but to say the reason is that she made me a better Officer of this Branch. She constantly told me what I needed to do to make the Pleasanton Office a better place to work, and I took that very seriously and tried my best to do exactly what she suggested. So, I want to say thank you Deborah for making me a better Officer. Ed Murphy and I, along with the other carriers in the Pleasanton office will miss you dearly. We wish you the best! Enjoy your retirement.

(Ed Murphy, Deborah Hodge and myself pictured below)

(Harold Weaherspoon and family pictured below)

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August 2022

Branch 1111 News

Moving on to the Suisun Installation to 30-year Letter Carrier Fernando Castro. This man was very much loved by everyone in the office. He wasn’t a man of many words, because his actions told his story. If you were to ask ANY of the employees form the Suisun Office, -- even management -- what kind of guy he was, they would all say that he was the kindest person you would ever meet.

Every time I came to visit office he would go out of his way to say hello and how I was doing before I would even say a word.

His customers love him as well. That’s why it’s not surprising that Fernando had never been issued discipline in his entire career. Thank you, Fernando for being who you are despite how difficult the Post office can be. We will miss you and please enjoy your retirement.

(Fernando Castro pictured below}

Last, but definitely not least, I would like to pay homage to 31-year Suisun Letter Carrier and Safety Captain James Honey.

Talk about a carrier that speaks their mind! Much respect goes out to this man, because he was not afraid to approach management with an issue. Not only that, but he wasn’t afraid to express to his Union that certain things needed to change and we must do whatever we can to change them.

He too, was not afraid to tell me what I needed to do as an Officer of this Branch for which I am grateful. Because if I don’t know what’s going on, you the members MUST speak out on it.

So that we can take action or file grievances to get things handled better. I appreciate you for that James, and thank you for speaking your mind. We definitely need a lot more of that. We will miss you my brother. Enjoy your retirement, you most definitely earned it.

(James Henry at his farewell picturd below)

For all our members who have decades of service at the Post Service, please accept my sincere gratitude for your longevity and your membership in the NALC. It really says a lot about all of you, who literally spend more than half of your life with one agency. It’s simply amazing to see. Thank you all!

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Branch 1111 News

DON’T FORGET TO PUT SAFETY FIRST

By Berkeley Chief Shop Steward Liz Corriea How many of you take into consideration that safety should always come first? If you practice good habits everyday, this is easy. It’s when you are practicing bad habits that can complicate some situations for you. For instance, your seat belt should always be worn while in motion. It’s the law, and no one is exempt from getting a ticket from a police officer. If you’re at fault, you will be the one paying for your mistake out of your own pocket.

It amazes me how many carriers you can witness that are not wearing their seat belts and going through intersections with their door open. This is an accident waiting to happen. What are you thinking about when you would choose to be unsafe? You must ask yourself are you’re trying to save the Post Office time, or do you feel you’re being pressured by management to get your work done fast. Neither excuse is going to fly if there is an accident. It’s your responsibility, and your life is more valuable than those shortcuts you might be practicing. Do the right thing, always put safety first.

Buckle up when you’re driving.

Many of our customers have videocams on their property, and you never know who’s really watching, or that you may not realize any wrong-doing is being recorded. Keep that thought in mind. You never want to be challenged by a camera. I believe no one is perfect, however, the more you continue to practice “safety first” the easier it is. It may take more time to be safe, but that’s the way to roll, so get with it folks.

August 2022 We need you to be able to go to work and be able to go home to your families.

BERKELEY BLUES NEW! Berkeley carriers were in for a big surprise on Appreciation Day. Our OIC (Officer in Charge), had a nice vendor truck that was brought onto our property to serve us a choice between chicken or steak burritos. Unbelievable, that was really great. I am pretty sure everyone enjoyed it. I think it was well deserved.

Especially when our carriers are doing a lot of double duties, are overworked and extremely exhausted.

This was greatly appreciated.

Unfortunately, working at Berkeley has not improved. We now have less PTFs than ever. I wonder why? The double duties are now becoming the norm in Berkeley. It’s a frustrating situation, and when you have no days off to enjoy with your family because you’re not even seeing them. That is a heartache.

This alone can tear a family apart. Before things get out of control, please take care of yourself, you can reach out to E.A.P. (Employee Assistance Program). Don’t be afraid to “Make the Call” by dialing 1-800-EAP-4-YOU, or www.EAP-4YOU.com. It’s there if you need it, -- 24/7 days a week.

For those of you who are not familiar with EAP, it is an out-source agency that provide counseling for all types of needs, like for instance, alcohol, suicidal, families’ issues, etc, etc... and it is all confidential. Unfortunately, Berkeley management introduces EAP during just “cause interviews,” which I feel should not be promoted that way, especially when you have supervisors promoting it, and they don’t know how it works. I have personallywitnessed this on numerous occasions.

Reach out to EAP if you need to.

“Knowledge is Power”

Berkeley DDU carriers enjoying the free eats on Appreciation Day. Pictured: Bianca Salazar Ed Donelson Sepideh Yazdi Laura Cerletti More appreciation days are needed throughout the Branch area.

Just saying

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August 2022

DeJOY’S JOY

By Bill McCallister Linn’s Stamp News

The way some Congressional Democrats were telling it, this should be the period of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s decline.

President Biden’s appointees to the Postal Service’s board of governors now control the board.

Biden himself has made clear he disapproves of DeJoy’s reluctance to endorse the fully electric postal truck fleet that he wants.

Yet DeJoy is showing no signs of leaving Washington, D.C. If anything, he is more aggressively pushing his agenda of increasing stamp prices, revamping mail processing and boasting that he hasn’t had “a stressful day” since becoming head of the Postal Service two years ago.

As DeJoy told the American Enterprise Institute (a think tank based in the nation’s capital) on July 27, he came to the Postal Service when it was in dire condition, driven to near collapse by the leaders who preceded him at the Postal Service’s headquarters at L’Enfant Plaza.

According to DeJoy, his predecessors allowed the USPS to continue “subsidizing the mail industry,” allowed postal buildings and trucks to deteriorate and failed for years to meet their own delivery standards.

“We were in crisis,” he said. The USPS was “frozen” and “battered,” he said.

“I was hired to lead,” said the man who introduced himself as “the evil postmaster general.”

The 75th postmaster general made clear he believed his job was “not just to deliver mail.”

His mission, he said, is to remake the Postal Service into an organization that can survive in an era of declining letter volume and increasing package mail.

Branch 1111 News DeJoy said he was refocusing the Postal Service so it can survive.

“We have begun to change the direction of the Postal Service,” he told the American Enterprise Institute audience.

And the man who still has the thick accent of his native Brooklyn, N.Y., said he was the right man to lead that change.

“I love what I am doing,” DeJoy said. “I never thought something would be more exciting than money.”

Leading the huge postal bureaucracy, he said, has outstripped the joy he felt leading New Breed Logistics, a major logistics company.

Amid all the controversy he has stirred as the Postal Service’s chief executive, DeJoy said he has enjoyed the combat.

“I like the fight,” he said. “This is what I do.”

DeJoy repeatedly praised the postal workforce, saying he was impressed by the people he leads.

They are “really amazing,” he said, citing how they quickly moved to distribute COVID-19 test kits to homes across the country.

As for getting taxpayers to fund some of the Postal Service’s operations, DeJoy said “that wasn’t a government handout.”

And he exuded confidence that his 10-year Delivering for America plan can move the USPS closer to its goal of being self-sufficient.

“We’re half way there,” he said, predicting that the USPS would be pretty close this year to being profitable.

The postmaster general offered details on his plan to restructure mail processing, saying the plan calls for merging the more than 500 locations that process mail into about 65 to 75 “sort and delivery” regional centers.

Such a restructuring could cut the number of postal workers by 50,000, a drop that DeJoy said can be easily accommodated.

The Postal Service expects 200,000 workers will retire during the next 10 years, DeJoy said.

A key to the future will be the growth of first-class packages delivered by ground, he said.

It will be a changed Postal Service, he said.

Although his plans will dramatically change how mail is processed, he assured his audience he knows what he is doing. “I am not a fool,” he said.

When his American Enterprise Institute host sought to end the question-and-answer session after one hour, DeJoy said he wanted a few more questions.

“I’m raising stamp prices, so I can stay around,” he said.

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Branch 1111 News

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NALC Branch 1111 Balance Sheet As of July 31, 2022 ASSETS Current Assets Bank Accounts 100 - Petty Cash 213.96 126 PPCU-50 166,373.94 Mechanics Bank Accounts 215,580.71 PPCU-Acct 70 25,642.03 United Bank Accounts 237,396.27 Total Bank Accounts $645,206.91 Other Current Assets Total Current Other Assets 41,135.83 Total Current Assets $686,342.74 Fixed Assets 189 - Accumulated Depreciation -156,914.57 190 - Accum Deprec - Furn./Eq. -68,743.00 191 - Accum Deprec - Computer Eq. -11,561.00 192 - Accum Deprec - Copier -6,896.60 193 - Accum Deprec - Building/Improv-153,573.66 197 - Accum Deprec - Storage Shed -430.00 198 - Accum Deprec – Prior -61,391.17 Total Fixed Assets $ 389,294.56 TOTAL ASSETS $1,075,637.30

Branch 1111 News LIABILITIES & EQUITY Total Liabilities Net Revenue 3900 Unrestricted Net Assets Equity

$21,755.05 -59,001.87 1,112,884.12 $1,053,882.25

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY

$1,075,637.30

Oakland A's 18-person suite MDA Raffle winner Gary Gomez celebrating his prize with Benicia Steward KaMoon Yi

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NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LETTER CARRIERS GREATER EAST BAY BRANCH 1111 402 –37TH STREET RICHMOND, CALIFORNIA 94805- 2134 (510) 237-5111

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID CONCORD CA Permit 1

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS Ellyzahn Santos Reyner Rivera Kimica Sessions Anna Gabay Luke Lim Kuljit Thiara David Aguilar Mitchell Meyer Christian Campbell Daphne Blake Shunté Esver Jacob Chow Tina Woods Kyle Desmond Liliana Amador Antieno Dickson Flores Gallardo Joseph Juliano Elliott Mondy Bob Perry Emmanuel Baidoo Melissa Otoshi Nathan Rossi

Brentwood Concord Concord Concord Danville Fairfield Fremont Livermore Livermore Livermore Moraga Moraga Oakland Oakland Pinole Pittsburg Rodeo-Hercules San Ramon Union City Union City Walnut Creek Walnut Creek Walnut Creek

Oakland Civic Center carrier Jeffrey Shipp retires after 37 years.

He surely will be hard to replace. Best of Luck

On August 23, the Branch will hold a hybrid in-person/virtual meeting.

Call the Branch Office at 510-237-5111 if you’re interested in taking part.

Meetings will now be counted as official