Greater East Bay Branch 1111 News by NALC Branch 1111

Greater East Bay Branch 1111 News Volume 41 Number 475

March 2022

HONORING BRANCH 1111 WOMEN STEWARDS

Walnut Creek’s LaTateana Roberson Walnut Creek Steward Daavi Tugbenyoh

Fairfield Steward Shannon "Che" Perez

Rodeo Steward Jennifer Albon

Oakland Piedmont Steward and Executive Council member Marisela Fletcher

Vallejo Steward Krista Beals

Concord Steward Maria Rodriguez

Letter Carrier Political Fund Our Top Donors see page 8

Branch 1111 News

March 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 Keith Massey, Sgt-at-Arms Jacob Morgan, Insurance Officer Rickie Cox, Trustee Jerry DePoe, 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

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS

Elizabeth Corriea, Marisela Fletcher, Ray Garcia, 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, Jerry DePoe, Francisco Cabrera, Mary Phelps, Terrence Super, Keith Massey, 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

March 2022

Branch 1111 News

VIRTUAL MEETINGS STILL ON The Tuesday, March 22nd Branch meeting will be virtual only. No decision has been made regarding the April 26th meeting. We will be monitoring the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations and open up to in-person meetings as soon as they are deemed safe.

HAPPY TRAILS TO YOU The following carriers retired recently: David Lo of Fremont; Dale McVay, Vergel De Los Angeles, Augusto Blanco Jr., Parvez Kerawala and Rose Haymon of Oakland; Nancy Lenford of Antioch; Camilo Bamba of Fairfield; and John Thompson Jr. of Richmond. We wish many years of leisure to all.

Berkeley carriers Eddie Donelson, Alba Dubon and Vinh Phun celebrating their collective birthdays

We are saddened to announce the passing of Gold Card Member Louis Washington Jr. of Vallejo. Our condolences go out to his family, friends and coworkers. Our sympathies also go out to the family, friends and fellow workers of Concord carrier Victor Beltran who died last month. He will be missed by all.

For the second year in a row is none other than…

CONDOLENCES

Branch 1111 2022 LCPF Top Donor

Berkeley Chief Steward and Executive Council member Liz Correia

Postal Reform Act passes in Senate, Sent to President Biden’s Desk In a 79-19 vote, the Senate passed the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022 (H.R. 3076). Following House passage on Feb. 8, the bill will now be sent to President Biden for his signature to become law. “This is a monumental victory for carriers and all Americans who depend on the Postal Service for affordable and high-quality service,” NALC President Fredric Rolando said. “I want to congratulate and thank all members who lobbied Congress to win passage in the Senate and the House. Thanks to your dedication and action, bipartisan postal reform, that was 12 years in the making, has finally passed in both chambers Key provisions of this bipartisan legislation repeal the mandate to pre-fund retiree health care benefits decades in advance, and codify a minimum of six-day delivery of mail and packages into federal law. This will eliminate the need to renew the six-day requirement every year through the congressional appropriations process. The bill also maximizes the integration of future postal annuitants into Medicare. The legislation, which was led in the Senate by Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) Chairman Gary Peters (D-MI) and Ranking Member Rob Portman (R-OH), reflects a broad bipartisan consensus that is supported by the four postal unions, the mailing industry and Postal Service management. 3

March 2022

A Great Milestone but More is Needed By Edward P. Fletcher, President

Ironically on March 8, 2022, while CSALC VicePresident Ron Jones and I were on a “Labor Zoom Meeting” with 13th District Congresswomen Barbara Lee, an outstanding representative who supports the Postal Service and labor unions, the United States Senate was in the process of voting on Postal Reform Bill H.R. 3076. Later that evening, H.R. 3076 passed with overwhelming bi-partisan support, 7918. The Bill had already passed in the House of Representatives on February 8th by a vote of 342-92. More details will be forthcoming after President Biden signs it into law. It is the NALC not Management, that consistently fights to ensure the solvency of the Postal Service as an American institution and protects the rights of all Letter Carriers. The NALC has been working on Postal Reform for over a decade. Special thanks to all members who called their Congressional representatives in unionism. This was a true milestone. What about a Sustainable Staffing Milestone? On March 9, 2022, in his statement on the passage of postal reform, NALC President Fredric Rolando stated, “Looking ahead, we will continue our efforts to ensure that Postal Management properly staffs the city carrier craft so that we may once again provide the highest quality of service to our customers throughout our country.” As your local President, I have been screaming from the mountain tops that the national parties need to move swiftly to draft Memorandums of Understandings (MOUs) or seek possible Congressional actions to achieve and maintain sustainable staffing. Our members can’t wait until November of 2023 when our current Contract expires or until 2024 if it is arbitrated. This is the next critical milestone that must be achieved for our members to improve their overall quality of life. It is long overdue. The Instability of USPS Leadership Since the Bay Valley District was changed to California District 2, positions were abolished, reconstructed and/or consolidated. It has been like a game of musical chairs being pulled out from under USPS leaders as they try to sit down 4

Branch 1111 News and ended up falling on the floor. There has been no consistency in decision making and a lot of -- “now you see me, now you don’t,” – proposals by Management. Let’s get it straight, -- no matter what position you hold and/or how long you are going to be there, you must do the job at hand. Unfortunately for the USPS, many of these new leaders pass the buck instead of the timely addressing and resolving of issues which cause increases in grievances and costs to the USPS. No milestones of consistency are expected to be achieved by the USPS anytime soon. Fortunately for Letter Carriers, the NALC will not waiver in addressing and protecting your rights under the Contract no matter how long the USPS continues their merrygo-round.

What About Pay Protection Milestones? It is no secret that the USPS has a history of failing to pay employees correctly the first time for all hours worked or leave requested. In some instances, they have been deceitful and actually deleted overtime pay from employees. Always monitor your own work hours. If you are shorted overtime pay, immediately report it to the union. In some instances, Management takes the wrong kind of leave and plays dumb about it, even if you submitted a PS Form 3971. Make no mistake about it, employees should always put in a PS Form 3971 for every type of leave requested and keep copies. Management also has a habit of failing to pay employees their guaranteed time and hopes you don’t notice it. In the last six years of chronic understaffing, they have brutally worked employees beyond the maximum work hour limits of the Contract. It is my hope that the national parties will someday negotiate pay milestones that catch and correct pay discrepancies in TACS, such as but not limited to, automatically paying employees an additional 50 percent for working beyond the maximum work hours and for guaranteed time. Another pay protection item could be that employees are notified on their paychecks when negative pay adjustments are made by Management. Also, supervisors and managers must be held accountable for frequent violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Actions such as improperly deleting overtime should include removing them from their duties. No matter what excuse is given to you, always notify the union of all pay discrepancies and file a grievance. That is the ultimate Paycheck Protect Plan!

The 2022 NALC Food Drive is a go! It will take place on Saturday May 14.

March 2022

Is Management Tampering with Your Work Hours? By Jose Ochoa, Executive Vice President

Penalty Overtime Entitlement of Full-time Employees. A full-time employee receives penalty overtime pay at two times the base straight time rate (Article 8.4.C) for work beyond the limits stated in Article8.5.F, which are, excluding December: • Overtime worked on more than four of the employee’s five scheduled days in a service week; • Work over ten hours on a regularly scheduled day; • Work over eight hours on a non-scheduled day; or • Work over six days in a service week. This provision applies only to full-time regular and fulltime flexible employees. Excluding December, PTFs and CCAs employees will receive penalty overtime pay for all work in excess of ten hours in a service day or fifty-six hours in a service week. So, why I am reminding you about this? If you work Saturday and Sunday in some offices, Management will “temporarily” fix-change your schedule to avoid paying you the penalty that you are entitled to. Please ask your Steward to review your ETCs. If you are a PTF or a CCA on an OPT and also work Saturday and Sunday, also ask your Steward. Also if you work on Sunday or any other day off, you are guaranteed 8 hours of work or pay in lieu of. Management can’t make you request that you waive the guarantee. Contractually you can’t waive it either. Unless, of course, if you are sick. You work hard, you deserve the proper pay!

THE GAME By Berkeley Chief Steward Liz Corriea

Just a few words about Carriers being taken to the office and questioned by Management. Please always ask why you are going to the office? If you are going to be asked some questions, then you should have your shop steward present, because you feel that the questioning could possibly lead to disciplinary action.

Branch 1111 News You should never have an audience during any interview with Management. Never, never ask Management; “do I need a shop steward?” Because they will always tell you no. My experience in Berkeley is that during carrier pre-interviews I am finding out that many have already been questioned by Management. Possibly Management is trying to find out if you’re being truthful or have changed your story. I am pretty sure I have written about this before, but this is becoming a real big problem in Berkeley. Let’s not be confused about what to do. I understand many carriers want to cooperate with Management, but they must also know about their rights. Don’t let Management violate your rights, please exercise your rights, the more you know about your rights the more you can protect yourself. Now if Management wants to give some kind of official discussion, this only requires you to listen to whatever it is that Management is relaying to you. Again, however, you shouldn’t have an audience in this meeting. If more than one person is present from Management, this is definitely not an official discussion. Management is more than likely trying to intimidate you and is having a witness to this discussion. Seek out your shop steward immediately. Just let Management know that you will cooperate with their questioning as soon as you provide me with a shop steward. There could be a time in which there is no shop steward available. This does not change your rights. You should still insists that you will cooperate with Management’s questioning as soon as they provide you with a shop steward. This will either stop the questioning until a shop steward is available, or that they will have to provide you union representation, which may require one of our Full Time Union Officers. BERKELEY BLUES Berkeley is slowly improving, but there is much more work ahead of us in order to claim that it’s totally organized. We’re not there yet, but that’s not to say that we’re far from it. As long as our previous Postmaster never returns, we have a good chance of improving and working in a harmonious atmosphere. Lately carriers have been experiencing, what management is calling (RTW) Return to Work. Upon your return to work from an absence, they are having you sign paper work, with a pile of information allegedly from the (ELM) Employees Labor Manual. The only form that you should being signing for your absence is your PS Form 3971. Management has been having you sign forms that are not official Postal forms, but forms that they themselves created. These we do not sign. Let your shop steward know that this is happening.

Knowledge is Power! 5

Branch 1111 News

Being Patient With Grievance Resolutions By: Terrence Lee Super, Fourth Vice President

“Being patient,” that was probably the most difficult thing I had to deal with when first starting out as a Letter Carrier. Knowing that Management violated my contractual rights, and then having to wait for a grievance settlement or resolution. In fact, I’m embarrassed to say that at times back then I used to get extremely upset with my Shop Steward because I felt that there was nothing being done. I would tell them what Management did and they would say those famous words, “I will look into it.” I hated just hearing those words. I wanted to see progress. Here’s the thing, when carriers are out on the street all day, it’s impossible to know what the Shop Stewards are doing. In my case, there was no way I would see the “ins and outs” of what the Stewards were doing or working on. Neither would I notice what OTHER grievances they were working on besides the ones I told them about that I wanted them to work on. I didn’t realize until I became a Steward myself, that this idea that the Steward must STOP what they are currently working on, and immediately work on a grievance YOU just brought to the Steward’s attention was unrealistic and extremely unfair, to say the least. Grievances MUST be filed in the order we receive or hear about it -- meaning if you bring a possible grievance to a Steward, he/she may already have a grievance they are working on that was brought to their attention BEFORE you brought YOUR issue to their attention. Simply put, they have to work on the issues in the order they are received. The Union only has 14 days from when the possible violation happened to file a grievance, or 14 days from when the Union was first reasonably made aware of the violation. I really don’t like using the latter because Management always tries to argue time limits; and when it comes to the time limits, our Branch makes it clear that we would rather go by the 14-day time limit to file a grievance. If there is no way around that, and we have to use the latter (14 days from when the Union was first reasonably made aware of the violation), then we obviously wouldn’t have a choice, but to attempt to file that grievance. Anyways, back to the subject on being patient with grievance resolutions. The above example I gave on the Stewards dealing with the issues or grievances you want filed right away is only a small example. What about the Stewards who have 10 to 20 cases that they are working on? You approach them with an issue you are having, but you don’t get an immediate answer and/or solution, or the Steward doesn’t fill out a PS-Form 8190 (grievance form) right then and there? Well, just because you don’t receive an immediate response or a grievance 6

March 2022 isn’t filed right at that moment, doesn’t mean that they don’t care about what you have just brought to their attention. It’s just that they have other grievances and situations that need to be taken care of first because of the grievance time limits or whatever the case maybe. This is just one of the reasons why some issues take a little longer to resolve. Another reason is because of Management flooding the system with cases they refuse to settle at the lowest level of the Grievance Arbitration Procedure -- which is Informal Step A. This is the first step when filing a grievance, and whoever from management you meet at this level has complete authority to settle the grievance, according to the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Management is in constant violation of not only the CBA, but as well as Memorandum of Understanding M01492 (USPS-NALC Joint Statement of Expectations) which states a relevant part: The parties at the national level commit to the following principles of conduct when addressing disputes under Article 15 of the National Agreement. We believe these principles are essential to the effectiveness of any dispute resolution process as well as effective working relationships between the union and management. Our expectation is that these principles will guide union and management representatives at all levels of the organization. •

•

We will do our best to understand and respect each other's roles, responsibilities, interests, and challenges. We will make every effort to establish and maintain a more constructive, and cooperative working relationship between union and management at all levels of the organization by promoting integrity, professionalism, and fairness in our dealings with each other. We are committed to honoring our labor contract and the specific rights and responsibilities of the parties set forth therein. We will work together to prevent contract violations through communication, training, and good faith efforts to anticipate workplace problems and resolve disputes in a timely manner. We are committed to eliminating abuses of our grievance-arbitration procedure, such as the filing of unwarranted grievances to clog the system or a refusal to resolve grievances even where there are no legitimate differences of opinion between the parties. We are committed to mutual and joint efforts to improve the workplace environment and to improve the overall performance of the Postal Service.

March 2022 •

We will make every effort to resolve our disputes in a professional manner and to avoid any unnecessary escalation of disputes which may adversely impact adherence to the above principles or adversely influence union-management relationships at other levels of the organization

Even though this agreement was signed back in 2003, it is still relevant and can be contractually added to any grievance file as evidence in violation thereof. Branch 1111 along with the other branches in our region file a lot of grievances. By management directly violating the above provisions that were agreed upon by all parties involved, the system is clogged with backed up grievances that are awaiting to be either scheduled for Arbitration (which could take a year), or adjudicated by the parties with a pre-arb agreement; basically giving Management and the Union one last opportunity to resolve a grievance without having to pay an Arbitrator to decide the case, which can save both the NALC and the Postal Service valuable resources. All I’m trying to say is that carriers who are beating the Stewards up and complaining about not getting a grievance settlement or decision in the time THEY think they should get it, is again not fair to the Stewards and it is NOT their fault. Our Stewards work extremely hard to get the hundreds of thousands of dollars in grievance settlements for you. It’s very cold-hearted for carriers to disrespect them and to yell at them about something that’s not even under their control. Of course, I’m not saying ALL of you do that, because I personally know hundreds of carriers who have expressed their gratitude for the work we do as your representatives and leaders. All I’m asking is to be a little more patient with our Grievance Arbitration Procedure. It is not us that clogs it up. It is Management -- by sending every case up that could easily be resolved at the lowest level. But as for your Stewards, -- they have a huge responsibility in defending you and making sure they hold Management accountable for their actions or lack thereof. Please be patient with them, they have a lot on their plate and carriers who mistreat them and get in their face because you don’t like how long things are taking to get grievance settlements, or unreasonably demanding them to immediately file a grievance when you tell them to, does not show Solidarity in any way, shape or form. So please, treat our Stewards like you would want to be treated. A little kindness goes a long way in working together in these already stressful times. We’re in this together. Therefore, let’s work together in holding Management accountable for their screw ups.

Branch 1111 News

Let’s settle – or Not; I can get the Appropriate Settlement at the Next Step By Francisco Cabrera, Second Vice President

When you trust somebody that doesn’t deserve your trust. That’s an error. Like when you trust management is telling you the truth. When you believe someone that doesn’t believe in themselves. That’s leadership. Like when you feel inspired by a co-worker. When you belittle somebody because they are smarter than you are. That’s envy. Like when you are jealous because others always get the better swing or thing. When you imitate that person you belittle, that’s the sincerest form of flattery. Like when you manage to get the better swing, or thing. When you let somebody think for you, that’s a crime against humanity. Like when you accept everything leaders in all walks of life say without submitting it to critique. When you let somebody teach you how to think, that’s free experience (and experience don’t come free). Like when you listen those that came before you and consider their example (whether bad or good we are all examples – some of what to and some of what not to do). Very few are willing to dare or challenge those in positional leadership and that’s okay because it makes those like you and I that much more rare. And rarity is a virtue. Whether its art or meat, it’s the cream of the crop. So those of you that don’t believe in yourselves, because nobody has ever believed in you…There haven’t been any leaders in your life. Those of you that trust the untrustworthy, that’s all you’ve ever known. Those of you that belittle and try to dampen those that shine too brightly beware, because a flower does not think about the flowers around it, it just blooms.

“Whenever you settle for less than what you deserve, you end up getting less than what you settled for.”

Be safe everyone and have a great month!

Branch 1111 News

March 2022

Branch 1111 LCPF Top Donor List ($100 or more annually) Elizabeth Corriea Colleen Karnthong Curtis Flores Peggy Kaiser John Ferreira Lynne Miller Mary Phelps Jacob Morgan Narciso Paderanga IV Rose Haymon William Yee Renee Frazier Kulvinder Pannu Richard Maldonado Ezekiel Bradley III Dan Dorman Huu Luong Robert Lawson Cyril Butler Debra Butler Michael Chavez Paul Malone Nicole Saumalu Joshua Pearl Bonnie Taxera Edward Fletcher Leslie Franz Oswald Jacob Ruben Ramirez Jeffery Valentine Jose Ochoa Rene Frazier Francisco Cabrera Marguerite Baria Julie McCormick Chris Calica Scott Babcock Thaddeus Cabras Miguel Castellon Rickie Cox Gary Dell Lawrence Doyal Denise Grant Sylvia Serrano Jeffrey Shipp Manuel Madrigal Santiago Manalili Scott Mason Keith Massey Bobbie Namoki 8

$910 $662 $650 $560 $420 $390 $390 $360 $355 $260 $260 $260 $260 $250 $240 $240 $240 $240 $240 $240 $240 $240 $240 $208 $200 $180 $180 $180 $180 $180 $180 $170 $160 $150 $150 $130 $130 $130 $130 $130 $130 $130 $130 $130 $130 $130 $130 $130 $130 $130

Marian Namoki Jose Nunez Francis Swint Jonathan Tanner II Michael Aragon Jose Nunez Angela Pritchard Frances Rodriguez Wei Li Leah Rodriguez Angela Pritchard Ron Jones Patrina Armour Ray Garcia Raymond Adams Anne Blount Thelma Brown Jerry Depoe Theodus Heart Herschel Jones Jr. Richard Segraves Archie Threats Neil Zarchin Yolanda Duenas Marisela Fletcher Sandra St John Anthony Steeley Carolyn Hayes Lynnea Quinlin Antonio Ramirez Fred Slone Sullivan Smothers Marcos Gomez Ka Moon Yi Joseph McHale

$130 $130 $130 $130 $130 $130 $130 $130 $130 $130 $130 $125 $120 $120 $120 $120 $120 $120 $120 $120 $120 $120 $120 $120 $120 $120 $120 $120 $120 $120 $120 $120 $120 $120 $104

Branch 1111 would like to thank all who donated and encourage more members to get themselves on next year’s list of honorees. The success of the Postal Reform Act of 2022 is directly attributable to the activities of the Letter Carrier Political Fund (LCPF).

March 2022

Branch 1111 News

NEW MANAGEMENT, NEW RULES, BUT SAME CONTRACT By Narciso Paderanga, IV, First Vice President

It never fails. Every time a new person is in charge of an installation or a station, things are always changed one way or another. Most of the time, things do not need to be changed. What needs to be changed is not being addressed. In some cases, the changes being made are for the worst. Someone has told me before that if you try to make sense of the post office you will go nuts or something like that. Let me give you an example of the latest situation. Note that this office has been under-staffed for way too long. In fact, they have mandated all carriers to work on their SDO’s including Sundays. Mail has been delayed so badly that routes were not being delivered. So, what do they do? They send the limited duty-carriers home with no work available. These carriers perform pertinent duties. Duties that are required on a daily basis, such as casing mail on different routes in the morning and pivoting to different carriers, express mail delivery as well as collections. These carriers have been working the limited duty job offers for a long period of time and there have been no changes with their medical restrictions. The BIG question is why? Not only that it violates the ELM 546 via Article 19 as well as other handbooks and manuals, but who is being assigned these duties? Now other carriers are being required to do even more work, which these limited duty carriers can be doing and are willing to do. There are other things that need to be seriously addressed in this particular office, foremost is to hire more employees. Sending these carriers home with no work available is pretextual in itself. Carriers in this office have already been forced to work more than what they should, to the point that new employees are quitting. It’s also a shame that lower management just does what it is told and doesn’t have the tenacity to say what it believes is right. Even if it hurts their operation more. This is nothing new. Branch 1111’s attempt to even bring issues or violations up to “new management” to prevent unnecessary grievances has fallen on deaf ears and has been worthless at best. At this point, it is useless to rationalize with upper management as it will do what it wants to do regardless of the egregious violations. This, amongst other violations, will be grieved and I am confident the end results will be the same as before. The Dispute Resolution Process, regarding ELM 546, has upheld most, if not all, of the Branch’s grievances. In Solidarity. 10

March 2022

ARE YOU FEELING LUCKY?

By Mary Abante, Third Vice President

ELM: 665.15 Obedience to Orders Employees must obey the instructions of their supervisors… This is all well and good, however what if you don’t understand the instruction or if management fails to give clear and proper instruction. I have an office where Management plays games and expects carriers to decipher hidden meaning within the instruction. This is improper. Management is required to give clear instructions. Scenario #1: The carrier calls Management from the street per local instructions and requests additional time to complete their assignment since their PS 3996 (request for overtime) was disapproved in the morning. The carrier informs management they need additional time. Management responds to the carrier “your instructions are the same.” The carrier continues, “I won’t be able to complete my assignment in the time authorized. “Management again responds to the carrier “your instructions are the same.” This is an unclear, improper instruction and/or a set up for failure. Let your Steward or Full-Time-Office know so a grievance can be filed. Return to the office prior to exceeding your authorized time. • Park your postal vehicle without unloading your mail. • Find a supervisor and let them know you’re not bringing the mail back. You came back for further instructions. • Management can instruct you to go back out to the street, authorize the overtime, or curtail the mail. Management may also send you back to the street with help. The bottom line is you returned to the office for clarification and/or further instructions. Scenario #2: Management tells you to finish your assignment. However, it will be considered unauthorized overtime. This is also an unclear and improper instruction. Let your Steward or FullTime-Officer know. The union has won multiple grievances on this issue as shown in a Step 4 Decision M-00326: A review of the material submitted at the fourth step level indicates that the grievants did inform management of their inability to complete their routes in 8 hours. Further, it was demonstrated that they were ordered by management to complete the routes. (Although there was no expressed authorization to complete the delivery of the mail on an overtime basis, the permission would be inherent in the authorization to continue delivery after notification that the grievants were unable to complete the routes.) Therefore, the grievants shall be awarded overtime for the exact amount time worked. This basically means when Management told you to finish your assignment, they approved the time you needed. Do not take it upon yourself to decipher encrypted instructions. When Management asks you, “Do you understand it’s your responsibility to follow the instructions of your supervisor?” You can honestly reply, “I do my best, as long as I can understand them. Avoid the road that leads to discipline and go for the pot o’gold.

March 2022

Branch 1111 News

March 2022

Farewell to Phil Musto (1921-2022) My dad was a long-time member/supporter of the NALC. I am writing to let you know of his passing on February 16, 2022, at the age of 100. We celebrated our father’s 100th birthday on October 27, 2021. Dad was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1921 and served 6 years in the US Navy from June 1941 – enlisting 5 months before Pearl Harbor – until he was discharged (honorably) in July 1947. In the Navy he served as a “plane captain” – responsible for maintenance of the aircraft under his supervision. This included PBYs at Kodiak NAS (1942-43) and in Washington State and Oregon NAS (1943-44). He was married Christmas Day 1944 to Marguerite, his wife of 65 years who passed away 12 years ago. He was subsequently stationed in Hawaii where he served out the rest of the war as crew chief for a Marines fighter squadron on the U.S.S. Badoeng Strait. By the time he was discharged in July 1947, jobs were scarce for aviation mechanics – those who had served shorter terms were discharged in 1945 and 1946 filling all positions in the fledgling aviation industry -- so he and Marguerite moved to the Bay Area seeking employment, settling in El Cerrito. He was a long-time parishioner of St. Jerome’s Church. After settling in El Cerrito, Dad took a job at the USPS (Berkeley Main) in 1947 and worked there for 30 years, retiring in 1977. He had many great friends there, where he was known affectionately as “the Dean” due to his long tenure. Being the “senior” employee was always a big deal for him – whether him or those who onboarded before him. The next day he began his third career – at Wells Fargo Bank two blocks away – where he worked in their safe deposit vault. Dad worked at Wells Fargo for 40 years, retiring at the end of 2017 at age 96. He was Wells Fargo’s oldest employee in the country at the time of his retirement and served under 6 CEOs as he liked to note. He said every day he should never have stopped. The Oakland Tribune wrote several articles about his work ethic along the way. Phil and Marguerite raised two sons in El Cerrito (1950s -1970s), myself and my brother Paul. And he was very proud of his grandson, Ryan Alexander Musto, a Ph.D. in American diplomatic history [nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear-free zone treaties], who recently took a position at William & Mary College; and his granddaughter, Julia Elena Musto, who works as a digital reporter in NYC for a national news outlet. His great-grandson, Henry Bergstrom Musto, was born November 28, 2021. Shortly thereafter, alas, in mid-December our father was admitted to hospital, and he passed away two weeks ago. A full life and a gentleman beloved by all who knew him. Thought that you might want to share this with your members. Thanks, Mark Musto

March 2022

Branch 1111 News

March 2022

NALC Branch 1111 Balance Sheet As of February 28, 2022 ASSETS Current Assets Bank Accounts 100 - Petty Cash 213.96 126 PPCU-50 166,332,69 Mechanics Bank Accounts 201,463.54 PPCU-Acct 70 25,635.67 United Bank Accounts 265,661.01 Total Bank Accounts $659,306.87 Other Current Assets Total Current Other Assets 0.00 Total Current Assets $659,306.87 Fixed Assets 189 - Accumulated Depreciation -142,194.57 190 - 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 $ 404,014.56 TOTAL ASSETS $1,063,321.43

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

$17,876.87 -82,613.11 1,126,170.99 $1,045,444.56

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY

$1,063,321.43

Carrier Nestor Quitales celebrating his last day at Piedmont station before he transfers to Antioch

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

Joshua Van Winkle Jolene Gordin Darren Chitwood Maya Fambrini Diamond Johnson Austin Mraz Oldokh Ayush Gabriel Yamaguchi Brittney Downing Emily Anair Jimmy Vega Myint Lwin Ryan Kacludis Jeslie Chen Panu Loui Mongkhonchat Keawdee Christopher Gee Patrice Gastile Daehyung Lee Ziping Yun Loretta Hayes Ava Clemons Kimberley Davis Jorge Espinoza Tamminh Nguyen Charles Hume II Netnaree Loui Alante Allen Holly Price Ernesto Morales Marcus Smith Cherice Lewis Joel Sokolsky

Alamo Alamo Antioch Antioch Berkeley Berkeley Berkeley Berkeley Brentwood Concord Fremont Fremont Fremont Livermore Martinez Moraga Oakland Oakland Oakland Oakland Oakland Oakland Oakland Oakland Oakland Oakland Orinda Pittsburg Pittsburg Pittsburg San Ramon Walnut Creek Walnut Creek

Oakland West Grand carrier Tiffany Wilson embraces tradition and brings donuts to celebrate her conversion to regular.

On March 22, the Branch will hold a virtual Informational Meeting. Call the Branch Office at 510-237-5111 if you’re interested in taking part. Meetings will now be counted as official