November 2020 Branch Newsletter

Greater East Bay Branch 1111 News Volume 40 Number 459

November 2020

Civic Center Veterans Jeffrey Shipp, Sullivan Smothers, Keith Massey, Sonia Ortega, Santiago Manalili, and Alex San Juan receive certificates of appreciation for their service

Branch 1111 News

November 2020

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 3rd 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 Julie McCormick, 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 Jose Corral, Trustee Jerry DePoe, Trustee Ron Jones, Trustee

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS Christina Aviles, Elizabeth Corriea, Rickie Cox, Marisela Fletcher, Ray Garcia, 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

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, San Lorenzo, San Ramon, Suisun City, Union City, Vallejo, Walnut Creek

2

Editor - Joshua Pearl: joshpbranch1111@gmail.com Assistant Editor – John Jekabson: jjbranch1111@gmail.com Contributors -- Ed Fletcher, Jose Ochoa, John Ferreira, Narciso Paderanga, Julie McCormick, Liz Corriea, Ron Jones, Jerry DePoe, Francisco Cabrera, Julie McCormick, 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

November 2020

Branch 1111 News

Virtual November Branch Meeting The Branch is hosting a virtual informational meeting on Tuesday, November 24, at 7:00 pm with updates on any official developments locally or in Washington DC. Please contact the Branch office at 510-237-5111 for more details on how to join.

HAPPY TRAILS TO YOU! The following carriers retired recently: Jeff Valentine of Alamo Jacqueline Hill of Oakland; Rizalito Lagsob and Tru Nguyen of Pleasanton; Myong Lee and Tina Cruz-Rodriguez of Berkeley; Robert Guinan of Union City; Francis O’Leary of Danville; Carl Anderson of Fremont; Roberto Chiapco of Martinez; Robert Johnson and Tomas Alburquerque of Richmond.

We wish many years of leisure to all!

Fairfield’s Jeff Williams last swipe.

Branch 1111 New Gold Card Members NALC Headquarters sent four Gold Cards to our Branch last month. The recipients are Ward Dillard Jr., Joseph Hart, Freddie Robertson, and Robert Butler. Congratulations to all of you on reaching that half-century milestone

SCHOLARSHIP TIME Carriers with students about to graduate should be aware that there are various scholarships for which they can apply.

One is our own Katherine Ellis Memorial Scholarship given to deserving scholars with a parent who is a member in good standing of Branch 1111. The application can be found on page 11.

The California State Association of Letter Carriers also gives out aid to worthy students by offering the Carl J. Saxsenmeier Scholarship. Applications must be received by the Scholarship Committee Chair by January 8, 2021.

Ron Wong, Fremont veteran

More information is available online at www.csalc.org/sax_page.html

Penalty Exclusion Dates Carriers should be aware that the Penalty Exclusion Dates will be effective starting November 28 and continuing through December 25. Be sure to take your full lunch, all the proper breaks and stay safe.

Veteran Florante Marquez Jr. of Lafayette

3

November 2020

Workforce Sustainability vs Chronic Instability

By Edward P. Fletcher, President

When you hear about the stock market, business climate, the weather, a medical condition and or even a deadly virus as being “unstable,” it is never a good thing.

Unstable is defined as, “prone to change, fail, or give way; not stable.” On the other hand, stability is defined as, “the quality, state, or degree of being stable.” So, it is easy to ascertain that everyone seeks stability rather than instability in our country, our homes, our relationships, our business ventures and even with our employers.

That leads us to our company, the United States Postal Service. How does the USPS achieve stability as an essential service provider to meet our constitutional obligations to provide universal service at universal rates to all Americans? How do we obtain and maintain a sustainable workforce? What actions are needed to change the current downward spirals?

The Rolling Effects of Unchecked Attrition Rates Since Arbitrator Das issued his January 10, 2013 decision on the 2011-2016 National Agreement and created City Carrier Assistant’s (CCAs), the USPS has experienced significantly higher attrition rates, somewhere around 50 percent. With the higher attrition rates of new employees, that rolled into the senior carriers being continuously over mandated. With the excessive mandatory overtime, what followed was numerous overtime violations and increased work-related injuries. Given the abuse of the senior carriers, this action led to the senior carriers retiring as the USPS was offering monetary incentives to retire. Is it the USPS’s master plan to get rid of all experienced letter carriers and replace them with a revolving door of inexperienced employees? If so, that would only breed more instability and continue to set the USPS up for failure.

Given Management’s failure to fix and/or properly account for the disturbingly high attrition rates for the last seven years, this has manifested into the chronic understaffing in postal installations. All of these failures to act timely on the negative trends, have created rolling rocks of workforce instability.

How Can the USPS Obtain Workforce Stability?

First of all, the USPS must recognize that its employees are its most valuable asset and the face of the USPS. Given that, the USPS must raise the starting wages, only hire career employees, lower health benefit costs, and shorten the years that it takes to reach the highest pay grade. By offering career salaries and benefits to all new employees, they will get career 4

Branch 1111 News minded employees who will stay in the work force through retirement.

Secondly, the USPS must adhere to the original goals and mandates of the Postal Service, which is to unite our country by providing universal mail service at universal rates to all Americans. In short, the Postal Service must put America first and overhaul their thinking and business model. They can do this by growing our business opportunities and revenues through new products, the expansion of current products, new contracts and by investing in USPS infrastructure.

The USPS needs Congress to act to pass the Heroes Act or some form of a stimulus package and Postal Reform. One overdue piece of legislation that needs to be eliminated is the 2008 PAEA. It was an unfair mandate for the USPS to prefund 75 years of retires health benefits in 10 years.

Finally, the USPS needs to do away with its unrealistic staffing models that have produced chronic understaffing, diminished the quality of life for all postal employees and led to the current mass exodus. By making all of these necessary changes, the USPS will be able to provide reliable, timely and consistent service.

Americans Have Spoken They Demand Their Postal Service!

One of the lessons that we all learned through this awful and unprecedented pandemic is that Letter Carriers are proud essential workers. America needs and wants their Postal Service. When the wheels fell off of the wagon and the USPS was making changes that affected the timely delivery of mail, parcels and medicine to our customers, they did not stand for it! Many of our customers called their Congressional representatives and demanded action. The PMG was called to testify before both the House and the Senate. The Courts got involved and ordered the USPS to put back collection boxes, mail sorting machines, allow overtime and ensure that all mail ballots are properly and timely delivered. It was unfortunate that the USPS was unfairly dragged through the mud in the last several months. Regardless of these unfair attacks, the good news is that America is still behind their Postal Service and will fight to save it.

We Can’t Thank You Enough!

I am extremely proud of all of our Branch 1111 brothers and sisters who proudly delivered the mail and massive amounts of parcels during the worst pandemic in a hundred years, despite chronic understaffing and a highly contested presidential election.

Congratulations to President Elect Joe Biden and Vice-President Elect Kamala Harris. I would also like to thank all of our Military Veterans for your dedication and service to our Country!

Happy Thanksgiving to All!

November 2020

Branch 1111 News

Relief for Berkeley Carriers by DRT’s 12 and 60 Hour Limit Decisions

By Jose Ochoa, Executive Vice President

Recently the Dispute Resolution Team (DRT) adjudicated three grievances relevant to carriers working more than 12 hours in a day and more than 60 hours in a week, with the following language: “Employees are not required to exceed the 12 / 60 hour limits, they may end their tour without concern of discipline when reaching the 12 hours daily limit or the 60 hour weekly limit.”

The DRT cited the following sections of the JCAM article 8 and arbitrations for their decision: Maximum Hours — 60 Hour Limit. National Arbitrator Mittenthal ruled in H4N-NA-C 21 “Fourth Issue,” June 9, 1986 (C-06238) that the 12- and 60-hour limits are absolutes — a full-time employee may neither volunteer nor be required to work beyond those limits. Limitations regarding part-time employees are governed by the ELM Section 432.32.

In H4N-NA-C 21 “Third Issue,” September 11, 1987 (C07323) Arbitrator Mittenthal ruled that an employee sent home in the middle of a scheduled day, because of the bar against employees working more than 60 hours in a service week, is entitled to be paid for the remainder of his or her scheduled day. (M-00859): The parties agree that with the exception of December, full-time employees are prohibited from working more than 12 hours in a single work day or 60 hours within a service week.

As a means of facilitating the foregoing, the parties agree that excluding December, once a full-time employee reaches 20 hours of overtime within a service week, the employee is no longer available for any additional overtime work. Furthermore, the employee’s tour of duty shall be terminated once he or she reaches the 60th hour of work, So, check your timecard in Light Blue or keep track of your hours, beginning on Thursday. Then you will know how close you are to reaching the 60 hours limit and the above remedies shall apply. The same scenario applies to the 12 hours per day limit. Remember that for the overtime desired carriers, the time is actually 12 hours plus a 30 minutes lunch, which equals to 12.5 hours. For others it is 11.5 hours plus 30 minutes lunch that equals to 12 hours. CCAs and PTFs aren’t included in the 60 hour per week limit.

You must notify management that you have reached your daily/weekly limit when you are ending your tour. Please see your Shop Steward or call the Branch for any questions or concerns about these binding DRT decisions.

I have no doubt that this will force management to hire carriers up to its full complement.

En la union, está la fuerza

UNJUST TREATMENT THAT DRAGGED ON

By Liz Corriea, Berkeley Chief Shop Steward

Many of our brother and sister carriers have been working some ridiculous hours, more than 12 hours a day and even more than 60 hours in a week. What on earth is going on that would require the carriers to work these crazy long hours! Is it true that we don’t have enough employees to do the work, or could it also be that managers just don’t know how to manage the carriers. In other words, they mismanage their employees.

Sure Amazon gave us a lot of work, due in part to our customers being quarantined because of the pandemic situation going on all over the country. Consequently, there is a lot of online ordering taking place. However, the overwhelming volume of Amazon parcels made them the number one priority to the Postal Service. Can you remember management making sure that those Amazon parcels get delivered before the first class mail. How odd is that?

BERKELEY BLUES The Berkeley Post Office has been suffering for a long time because of the fact that we don’t have good leadership. It is amazing that no one has lost their cool completely. The place is totally unorganized. I thought by now that things would get better, but with the current folks in management that aint’ gonna’ happen. “Oh well,” we do the best with what we have.

So many of our carriers have been working in the dark, past the 12/60 hour provisions. The Step B Team agrees the cited Letter Carriers work in excess of the 12/60 hour limits: thus, number of hours worked during the period are not in question. Employees are not required to exceed the 12/60 hour limit, they may end their tours without concern of discipline when reaching the 12 hours daily limit or the 60 hour weekly limit. “Hallelujah,” is all I have to say.

Some of Berkeley’s problems have been that we lose so many new carriers due to various reasons. Management also gets rid of them prior to passing probation, as if they are expendable. So far our new employee have not been validated to confirm that they have had proper training. That’s one of Berkeley’s mismanagement situations ongoing presently.

So Berkeley carriers exercise your rights. You now have the right to refuse to work beyond 12 hours and beyond the 60 hour limit without consequences. Even if they give you a direct order and threaten you. But that’s not to say they won’t try. Just remember the Union will back and protect you in those situations. The Step B Team decision will also protect you.

If any Berkeley carrier has concerns feel free to contact your Shop Steward, or even our FTO Jose Ochoa. We will help you. So please use us and stay strong.

To Our Veterans In all the years I have been in the Postal Service this is the first year that Berkeley Management did not acknowledge our fine veterans in any of our delivery units. Unbelievable! But I shouldn’t be surprised.

Here let us give thanks to our veterans who have served our country and protected the freedoms and rights well all have.

Thanks you for your service!

Knowledge is Power!

5

Branch 1111 News

November 2020

I Was Working

By Narciso Paderanga, IV, First Vice President

In some stations or offices, Management has been conducting just cause interviews relevant to carriers’ alleged “stationary time” and have been issuing disciplinary actions thereafter. What are they relying on? A report? Is Management actually going out to the street, observing carriers and obtaining sufficient evidence to meet the burden of proof?

M-39 Section 242.332 provides that: No carrier shall be disciplined for failure to meet standards, except in cases of unsatisfactory effort which must be based on documented, unacceptable conduct that led to the carrier’s failure to meet standards.

M-01444 states: Daily piece counts (PCRS) recorded in accordance with the above-referenced systems (post or DOIS) will not constitute the sole basis for discipline.

Fremont Veteran Daniel Acidera

Amongst other relevant provisions such as the just cause principles, these two contract provisions are some of the most relevant ones that are violated or not adhered to when Management issues discipline regarding “stationary time”.

Without meeting the just cause principles and/or having direct evidence of the reasons for the alleged stationary times, management should not be successful in sustaining the discipline.

In these types of cases, Management’s investigation is merely to get you to incriminate yourselves. Management is supposed to be thorough and objective but more often than not, Management conducts these interviews only as a “rubber stamp” to try to circumvent the principles of just cause.

If you were working, you were working. Management has to prove you were not working. How can management successfully prove you were not working by sitting in front of a computer looking at a report?

Insignificant amounts of stationary time should not be an issue, however, it may be hard to explain or defend additional excessive amounts (i.e., hours) of stationary time. Always ask for a Shop Steward whenever management questions you about what you were doing and/or why you had a stationary time of more than what you should have had.

In Solidarity! .

Fremont Mission Peak veteran Prome Madueno

6

November 2020

Fighting for Your Rights

By Julie McCormick, Third Vice President

The quality of life for Letter Carriers varies from office to office, but one of the most important factors in the determination of the atmosphere on the workroom floor is the presence of an effective and knowledgeable Shop Steward.

Without this, Management’s power goes unchecked and the quality of life amongst Letter Carriers dissipates.

By no means is being a local Shop Steward an easy task.

Shop Stewards are at the front lines of the workplace issues in that office every single day. More importantly through, it is especially difficult to be a Shop Steward because supervisors, managers, postmasters, etc., whether they are aware or not, view the local steward as a challenge to their “power” and tend to do whatever it takes to preserve this “power”.

Management will never willingly concede to limits on their “power” in the workplace, but it is the Steward’s job, and no easy one at that, to enforce and maintain the checks and balances of Management’s “power” as outlined in our National Agreement.

Management’s “power” would be unfettered and limitless if it were not for the enforcement mechanism of the grievancearbitration procedure. This procedure is not self-enforcing. It requires your Shop Stewards to enforce compliance of your rights and benefits, which have been fought for since the Great Postal Strike of 1970.

By your Steward filing grievances, requesting steward time on the clock to work on grievances and investigate, meeting with managers, and holding them accountable for their actions. Management sees this as the local Steward undermining their ability to achieve their bonuses and promotions and to limit their “power” over the employees.

When this happens, Management tends to retaliate and attempt to create division between carriers and their Shop Steward/Union. For example, Management may make a comment stating a carrier’s leave is denied because the local Shop Steward is asking for too much steward time. Thus, potentially creating anger amongst carriers against their local steward.

But it is never this simple, steward time on the clock is a contractual right, just as is carrier’s right to 8 hours a day and 40 hours per week of work. Both of these things are CONTRACTUAL RIGHTS with equal enforcement. If a Steward did not have the right, while on the clock, to investigate, develop and defend Letter Carriers against Management’s contract violations, how would you think your quality of life at work would be impacted?

Do you really think your supervisor or postmaster acts in the best interest of Letter Carriers? If they truly did, wouldn’t there be no contractual violations? Wouldn’t there be no pay issues? Wouldn’t there be no issue with being paid for an onthe-job injury, and having your medical expenses paid for?

Branch 1111 News Wouldn’t there be no staffing issues in your offices and excessive overtime? I can go on and on, but I think you get the point.

The point of this article is simple. If you find yourself potentially upset or frustrated at your Shop Steward because of something Management said to you about them, or if it is because they are in the office doing steward time and you have to go out on the street and deliver mail. Ask yourself this, would you be willing to go without local representation in your office?

Do you not want to have a local steward enforcing your rights and keeping local management in check?

Remember, he/she who angers you, controls you. We have more power united than divided as a Union. We all should be very proud that Branch 1111 has a long history of strong local stewards rising up to the task to protect the membership and interests of Letter Carriers. Many local stewards have gone to serve as Full Time Officers (FTOs) for the Branch, attended trainings at the National level of the NALC, have been appointed to serve as the Union’s DRT member for the Bay Valley District, arbitration advocates, and have even gone on to work in a full time capacity for the NALC at the national level.

That is the strength, perseverance and quality of our Stewards throughout Branch 1111, something we should be thankful for.

FTO Julie McCormick congratulates Hernani Santiago for his 33 years of work in Martinez 7

Branch 1111 News

November 2020

HONORING OUR VETERANS

App Browning, Lafayette

Robin Lewis, Oakland Laurel Station 8

Salvador Gomez, Fremont Main

Jojo Giron, and Steward Anthony Rhodes, Fremont Main

November 2020

Branch 1111 News

Ross Van Epps, Fremont Mission Peak

Minoru Arakaki, Fremont Mission Peak

NALC Branch 1111 Veterans The following list of Branch 1111 veterans is from the NALC Headquarters. If you are a military veteran and not listed, let the Branch office know. We want to recognize and thank every veteran for their dedication, service and sacrifice on our behalf.

Michael Boyce, Lafayette

Patti Anderson, Jose Anguiano, Larry Bechtel, Romeo Belmes, James Blickenstaff, Joseph Bologna, Rickey Bonds, Greg Bourne, Michael Boyce, Martha Bustamante, Cyril Butler, Glenn Byrd, Michael Chavez, Rickie Cox, Jonathan Cuff, Jerry DePoe, Dan Dorman, Alner Egenias, Joselito Eugenio, Thomas Fentress, Curtis Flores, Ray Garcia, Frank Gartner, Samuel Green, Richard Grimes, Robert Guinan, Joseph Hart, Adrienne Hawk, Amanda Jones, Ronald Jones, Frank Krakowski, Robert Lawson, Jack Lee, Terence Madden, Santiago Manalili, Florante Marquez, Keith Massey, Ocie McNair, Edgardo Mistica, Richard Moreno, Larry Neal, Sonia OrtegaMosqueda, Celso Pacheco, Isagani Padojino, Paul Peterson, Armando Prado, Hanson Rahman, Michael Richmond, James Riker, Stephen Robinson, John Sanderson, Robert Sheridan, Floyd Simons, Sullivan Smothers, Steven Stanley, Brian Tan, Michael Tolentino, Louis Washington, Jr., Malcolm Watson.

The following are Branch 1111 military veterans not listed by NALC headquarters: Daniel Acidera, App Browning, Minoru Arakaki, Salvador Gomez, Jeffrey Gostomski, Robin Lewis, Prome Madueno, Anthony Rhodes, Jeffrey Shipp, Alex San Juan, Ross Van Epps, and Ron Wong.

9

Branch 1111 News

November 2020

You are Free to Choose, but You are not Free from the Consequences of your Choice

By Francisco Cabrera, Second Vice President

F – You! F - You! Are you F - ing Crazy?!

This is exactly what a supervisor was heard saying to a letter carrier out on her route by two customers Afterward this supervisor opened the NDCBU boxes at the apartment complex the carrier had just finished delivering at and left them open without the carrier's knowledge.

A few months ago I told you about this incident. Well brothers and sisters we now have a decision from Arbitrator Levak.

In her August 27, 2019 interview, reduced to writing and included in the moving papers, the Supervisor claimed that she did not yell or scream at the Grievant, that she did not use the described obscene language, that she did not call the Grievant lazy, that she did not compare her supervisory ability to the Grievant, and even “Oh shit. I did not address the Grievant in the street. I only brought her the SPRs that she did not take *** with her.” At the second day of hearing, certainly knowing how the Grievant had testified on the first day, she testified that “I teach Boy Scouts. I don’t use profanity. I didn’t yell at the Grievant. I didn’t even go to the gang boxes by 5317; I went to 5305. All I did was take the SPRs to her.” The Arbitrator finds it astounding that she continues to lie even after the evidence against her became overwhelming.

Award 1. Management violated National Agreement Articles 14 & 19, the M-39 and the ELM when, on August 3, 2019, SCS_____ engaged in unprofessional, unethical, obscene and vulgar behavior towards 204B_____.

1)Management shall forthwith inform SCS____ in writing that she is to cease and desist from the type of behavior she engaged in with the Grievant.

2. Management shall forthwith post a copy of this opinion and award at the El Sobrante Station for a period of 30 calendar days.

3. Management shall, within 60 days of the date of this award, require the Supervisor to attend sensitivity/anger management training.

This is just part of the decision which requires Management to post a copy of the entire decision on the bulletin board at the El Sobrante Post Office, requires upper Management to write this supervisor a cease and desist letter and requires this supervisor to take more training. -I will make one correction to the above decision and that is the carrier used to be a 204B but has not been in almost 2 years and is therefore still a letter carrier.

10

Let this serve as a warning to you unprofessional, abusive, hostile, vulgar and despicable supervisors. You know who you are.

We can make our office, treatment, and quality of our work life better brothers and sisters. Just like this sister who did not sweep Management abuses “under the rug”. We can all stand up to the brutality that seems to motivate most, (not all) but I do dare say most, of those in authority over us.

At least the Postmaster General has implemented one sound cost saving initiative, a management hiring freeze.

Which sounds very good to me considering the return on management investment, at least in our local area. In the meanwhile, we will rise above the insanity, unprofessionalism, hostility, and sadly obscenity. We will identify, neutralize and depose those of you (you know who you are), who engage in this kind of behavior towards us.

Vallejo Formal A Steward Krista Beals hard at work on a case

Want to Save the Branch Some Money?

Tired of receiving your paper copy of the Branch newspaper? Two copies coming to your house? Prefer viewing it on our website?

Good news! You can now opt out of a paper delivery and we’ll email you when the new electronic edition has been uploaded.

Email joshpbranch1111@gmail.com or call the Branch at 510-237-5111 to make the switch and save some $ in printing costs for Branch 1111.

November 2020

Hang in there Brothers and Sisters!

By Terrence Lee Super, Fourth Vice President

Are you coming in at different times in the morning, working until 10:00pm or later at night, not getting ANY days off? Does this sound familiar? If you are a CCA, this may look remarkably familiar to you. It seems like you all are slaves who barely get time to spend with your families. Management mandates you on your much-needed day off to work, knowing that you desperately need that day to rest. What about when you actually finish early enough, by skipping your lunch and breaks, (which we absolutely DO NOT recommend) so you can finally see your kids before they go to bed. However, Management instructs you to go back out to help someone who actually took their lunch and break? It feels like you can’t win for losing!

As frustrated as ALL of you are (and not just CCAs), please hang in there. Your Union is still fighting for you. We want to get rid of the CCA position and get the Postal Service to hire people straight to a career appointment. The problem with the CCA position is that we can’t get them to stay! They are treated like crap and they hardly get to see their families, and it’s absolutely heartbreaking. We at Branch 1111 understand how you feel. When I was a CCA back in the day, I was extremely frustrated with having to work seven days a week. I barely saw my wife. I was tired ALL the time.

Thank goodness I had medical benefits through my wife’s job. Because as a CCA, there aren’t too many healthcare options. CCAs quit because they can find better jobs with less stress and have weekends off. They do not have to work 14 hours a day, seven days a week. As your Union Representatives, we have been trying to get the higher-ups to understand that, but they don’t want to listen to us. Please continue to stay positive and know that we see what is going on in your offices and we will continue to fight for Career Appointment for all of you.

In fact, Fairfield and many other installations, we have many new career carrier appointments! A lot of CCAs are surprised when it happens so fast. Others say it does not happen fast enough. Again, we are working on this, as well as our new Contract. We also hope to get Hazard Pay for delivering in this pandemic.

We all must just hang in there and be patient. You all have been doing such an excellent job through this crazy and unprecedented time and we ALL appreciate you. We have one of the most important jobs in the country and we need all of you to continue what you are already doing, and that’s being hard working essential Letter Carriers that are loved and appreciated by everyone!

Branch 1111 News

NALC BRANCH 1111 SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION Applications are being accepted for the Branch 1111 Katherine Ellis Memorial Scholarship. Applicants must submit the form provided below no later than February 28, 2021 Eligibility requirements: 1) The applicant must be a member of the graduating class of 2020-2021 2) The applicant must be son or daughter or legally adopted child/ stepchild of a member in good standing with Branch 1111.

Any questions about the scholarship should be referred to John Ferreira of the Scholarship Committee at: 510-237-5111

(Please print clearly) Date______________ Please send instructions as to how I can compete for the Scholarship Award.

I will be a senior in the year 2020-2021 I am the child of (active) (retired) or (deceased) member ___________________________________ (name) My Name is ____________________________________________ My Home Address is ____________________________________________ _________________________ My Social Security Number is ______-____-______ Signature of NALC Parent______________________ Office/Station of Parent Member _______________________ Branch Official _______________________ NALC Parent’s Social Security Number______-__________ Title______________ Date ______________

11

Branch 1111 News

12

November 2020

November 2020

Branch 1111 News

13

Branch 1111 News

14

November 2020

Branch 1111 News

NALC Branch 1111 Balance Sheet As of October 31, 2020 ASSETS Current Assets Bank Accounts 100 - Petty Cash 213.96 126 PPCU-50 116,234.04 Mechanics Bank Accounts 143,387.45 PPCU-Acct 70 25,619.59 United Bank Accounts 375,138.75 Total Bank Accounts $660,593.79 Other Current Assets Total Current Other Assets $848,804.56 Total Current Assets $1,509,398.35 Fixed Assets 189 - Accumulated Depreciation -127,446.57 190 - 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 $- 430,042.00 TOTAL ASSETS $1,079,365.35

15

November 2020 LIABILITIES & EQUITY Total Liabilities Net Revenue 3900 Unrestricted Net Assets Equity

-8,517.42 110,790.52 977,083.25 $1,087,873.77

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY

$1,079,356.35

Veteran Jeffrey Gostomski of Lafayette

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

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

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS Carla Medina Pietro Bigotti Jose Cortez Charicka Davis Heather Hauri Jeffrey Jayan Kavon Jones Larry Beam Justin Davis Virginia Reyes Elizabeth Carillo Laura Wilson Haley West Alexander Wenceslao Julbre Estrada Josephine Ricafrente Justin O’Bryant Myo San Oo Sukhraj Kaur Satnam Sodhi Penisimani Koloamatangi Mary Kong Sung Lee Ashley Shoaf Latoya Smith Nathaniel Velasco Javier Ballesters Isaac Renova Sonam Ngodup Cheri McQueen Samantha Randazzo Daniel Rodriguez Joseph Tungcul Samari Wilson Randal Burk Osvaldo Casillas

Benicia Berkeley Berkeley Berkeley Berkeley Berkeley Berkeley Berkeley Berkeley Berkeley Brentwood Concord Danville Fairfield Fremont Fremont Fremont Fremont Fremont Fremont Fremont Fremont Fremont Fremont Fremont Fremont Martinez Martinez Martinez Moraga Moraga Oakland Oakland Oakland Oakland Oakland

Arthur Fields Herber Jimenez Vladimir Kalachevskiy Sonya Latimore-White Francisco Rivera April Patrick Charles Chun Erwin Torres Donn Desboine III Alejandrina Rodriguez

Oakland Richmond Richmond Richmond Richmond Richmond Richmond Richmond Rodeo-Hercules Vallejo

Michael Hewiston of Martinez delivering as Woody from Toy Story

On November 24, the Branch will hold a virtual Informational Meeting.

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