November 2021 Branch 1111 Newsletter

Greater East Bay Branch 1111 News Volume 41 Number 471

November 2021

Branch 1111 Salutes Its Veterans

Election Results Inside-See Page 5

Branch 1111 News

November 2021

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 Mary Abante, Acting 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

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

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 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, Mary Phelps, Terrence Super, Keith Massey, Jacob Morgan, Jimmie Braden Jr. 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 2021

Branch 1111 News

INSTALLATION OF OFFICERS Officer for the upcoming two year term will be sworn in and installed at the November 23 Branch meeting. A NALC Region One Officer will be on hand to do the honors. The meeting will be both In-Person, and through Zoom and will start at 7:00 pm. Refreshments will be served.

See the election vote results on page 5.

CONDOLENCES We are sad to announce the passing of Oakland retiree James Pointer. Our condolences go out to his family, friends and co-workers.

Berkeley DDU T-6 Fred Clark is given a party by his co-workers on his 78th birthday.

HAPPY TRAILS TO YOU The following carriers retired recently: Pan Yu of Oakland, Renato De Dios and Steven Hwang of Fremont, Donald Keith and Rolando Martin of Antioch, Olimpia Milian of Union City, Ronald Wright of Fairfield, and Grant Bond of Moraga. We wish many years of leisure to all.

SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS Now is the time to think about available scholarships for family members for the upcoming college year. The Branch 1111 Katherine Ellis Memorial Scholarship form is printed on page 10. The Saxsenmeier Scholarship application was in the October issue. It is also available through the California State web site: csalc.org. Make sure you look at the deadlines and apply in time.

Moraga’s Grant Bond is congratulated by his family and Branch officers Jose Ochoa and Ed Fletcher as he ends his 33-year Postal career

ATTENTION VETERANS To join the NALC Veterans group, go on to the NALC web site, -- nalc.org -- to find out how to sign up.

Congratulations

To Diane McKinney of Oakland Eastmont station for receiving her 35-year pin.

Fremont Irvington Veterans Edwin Salvatin, Eduardo Acob, Joseph Moran, Rowena Veloria, Jonathan Cuff

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November 2021

Thanking Those Who Serve Us

By Edward P. Fletcher, President

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. Not just because of the endless football games or the fact that we will have turkey sandwiches for days. Not just because of a perfectly seasoned and roasted turkey or the garlic mash potatoes and/or the sautéed baby red potatoes or the baked green beans with French onions or colorful green salads and of course, pumpkin pie. But because of the time that we spend with our families making priceless memories.

Although we have had crisis after crisis in the last few years, we as Letter Carriers still have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season. Please take the time to give thanks and thank your loved ones.

Recognizing Our Fellow Carriers Although Management continues their misguided practices of treating carriers like dried out “Turkey Jerky” by twisting the truth, overloading us with parcels, curtailed mail and carrying one and a half routes each day, our carriers have persevered!

Letter carriers are the backbone and the face of the Postal Service. The NALC is very proud of all our brothers and sisters who have prevailed under the worse working conditions since the “1970 Great Postal Strike.” Management offers no real solutions, much like serving mash potatoes without any gravy or butter. As we discovered, Letter Carriers are not just essential workers, but they are also heroes. This Thanksgiving, Branch 1111 would like to personally thank each and every Letter Carrier across our great country.

Thank you for your dedication, hard work and commitment to delivering our nation’s mail.

Branch 1111 News ill advised and probably end up with to a trip to the hospital.

Which leads me to this question. How do we get our frustrations out on the Management turkeys who tell “gobbles” of nontruths?

Can we ask them to play a friendly game of football? “No,” we can’t sack them. But we can knock the stuffing out of the misinformation that is spread by these Management turkeys by filing grievances for each and every violation of our Contract.

We will always prevail by staying true to our values and standing up for our rights in the workplace as American Letter Carriers.

Thanking Our Military Veterans In our Branch and across the country, we have a lot of Letter Carriers who have served in the armed forces and have “knocked the stuffing” out of those who oppose the USA. To all of our Veterans we thank you for your loyal and faithful service to the Unites States of America.

To be a successful union, we must all stand together in the “Halls of Solidarity!” Happy Holidays!

ANGEL VAUGHN 1980-2021 Branch 1111 lost a very good carrier and a better person over the weekend of November 6,7. Angel Vaughn of North Oakland station died suddenly at home. She leaves behind her husband and 7 children. She was well loved on her route by her customers.

Here is what they’re organizing in her memory

Thanking Our Stewards The most difficult job in the Postal Service is a Shop Steward. They are the front line defense of our National Agreement and the soldiers of our union. They take on all issues whether good, bad or somewhere in between. They fight hard for favorable resolves based on the facts of each case. They have to tell it like it is whatever the news, and call balls and strikes no matter who doesn’t want to hear it. It takes a lot of hard work, good character, patience, dedication and experience to do this job. So, in the season of Thanksgiving, please do not forget to thank your Shop Stewards. On that note, I would like to thank my “Gold Star" Stewards: Ron Jones, Marisela Fletcher, Ruben Ramirez, Curtis Flores, Jonathan Tanner, Gurmail Saini and Jacob Morgan. Thank You! Knocking the Stuffing Out of Management Turkeys When I was “still a young man” and listened to “Tower of Power,” one of the crazy things my friends and I would like to do is to play tackle football in the park without any pads. We had fun scoring touchdowns, making interceptions, and knocking the stuffing out of whoever had the football in hand. We also got a lot of our frustrations out. It worked. Today, that would be highly 4

All of us who worked with Angel are deeply saddened. Her laughter and spirit will be greatly missed. We will update the membership about any future ways to assist the family after enduring this terrible loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.

November 2021

Branch Election Results Here are the results of the just concluded NALC Branch 1111 election of officers.

After a spirited campaign a new Third Vice President was elected. Mary Abante defeated incumbent Julie McCormick by a vote of 372 to 316.

In the other full time position on the ballot incumbent Jose Ochoa defeated Jimmie Braden, Jr. by a vote of 511 to 187.

In other contested positions, three Trustees were selected out of four candidates with the following votes: Ron Jones 501, Jerry DePoe 427 and Rickie Cox 412. The other candidate Krista Beals received 410 votes.

Seven top vote getters, out of eight were chosen for Executive Council slots. The votes were as follows: Liz Corriea……………………………..583 Ray A. Garcia………………………….532 Marisela Fletcher……………………...510 Frances Rodriguez-Swint……………..508 Shana Lum……………………………. 506 Irene Liljedahl…………………………495 Joshua Pearl…………………………....471 Michael Sawaya……………………….. 219 The vote count was done by the American Arbitration Association (AAA). Two thousand eight hundred forty-six (2,846) ballots were mailed to the members of Branch 1111 on September 13, 2021. An additional fifty-seven (57) were sent at the request of Branch members. In order for the ballots to be valid and counted they had to be received no later than 9:00 am, on October 19, 2021.

The counting of the ballots took place remotely via Zoom on Tuesday, October 19, 2021. Secrecy of the ballots were maintained at all times.

Total envelopes received from the Post Office and scaned were 725. Two ballots were not counted for the following reasons, one with a note attached that the member was deceased, and one empty with no contents. The total numer of ballots scanned and counted for the Branch 1111 were 723.

All officers will be installed at the November 23, 2021, and will serve for a term of two years. Congratulations to all the winners

Branch 1111 News

The Tribe Has Spoken!

By Jose Ochoa, Executive Vice President

The tribe has spoken!

Thank you all for your never ending support, I am humble and full of gratitude for trusting and electing me for one more term. I will not let you down.

It is Dark Early Again To those who ask "is it safe to deliver mail when is dark" the answer is YES. What isn't safe is to keep on walking if you can't see what is in front of you or what you are stepping on. If you are delivering in an area with very poor lighting and you feel unsafe, stop and call your supervisor to let him/her know, Article 14 of the JCAM and postal regulations require that once you call reporting an unsafe working condition, Management must come to you and review the situation. Do not take any chances. You can get injured and Management will charge you with having committed an unsafe act!

Management can't require to spend your own money to buy flashlights or head-bands. Remember if you can't buy it with your uniform allowance it is not your responsibility.

Management must provide flashlights and head-bands when needed.

Be safe, if as often happens nobody answers when you call the office, go back to your station and find a supervisor and report the unsafe working condition/situation.

Stand up to Management Do you like being disrespected and yelled at by that bully big, loud mouth supervisor or postmaster? if you don't, stand up with your brothers and sisters. It doesn't help the situation and weakens our response when you "don't want to get involved" because you fear retaliation from those abusive individuals. You don't win battles by being a coward. In unity we have strength!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family, we have so much for which to be thankful.

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Branch 1111 News

What are you Thankful for?

By Narciso Paderanga, IV, First Vice President

Family – I don’t know where I would be without my family.

I do what I do to support them, hoping that we all grow older together. From my immediate family to my siblings, to my cousins and distant relatives.

Friends – From my younger days to present, I have been very blessed to find and meet the friends I currently have. The laughter we’ve shared, and the times spent together.

Co-workers – The continued support the Full-time Officers, the Executive Council members, and the Trustees here at Branch 1111 have given me on this journey is undeniably remarkable. I would not be where I am if it’s not for them.

Local Stewards – your willingness to step up, uphold and enforce the Contract, your eagerness to learn, to help your fellow brothers and sisters in some of the most uninspiring work environment, although it can be a thankless job, and your patience is out of this world.

Letter Carriers – the hard work you do day in day out, the long hours, endless days of the week, the ability to deal with the most difficult of supervisors, managers or Postmasters is formidable.

My Job – they say if you love your job, it is not really a job.

It is simply a great feeling when you have accomplished something, when you have done something good for another, when you know you have helped a brother or a sister of the NALC one way or another. I hope I can be of further assistance for whatever issues that may arise. At the end of the day, we all have a role, a goal, and what we do in between will reveal our true character.

I’m thankful for the opportunity to serve Branch 1111 for another term.

For most of you who may be listed outside of “family or friends”, I have truly considered you a family or a friend. We may have a different list of what we are thankful for, but whatever yours may be, do not take it for granted. What we may have today, may not be there tomorrow.

“The whole world is short staffed. Be KIND to those that showed up”. (Unknown)

November 2021

ENDLESS WORKING

By Liz Corriea Berkeley Chief Steward

First of all, of I would like to thank those brothers and sisters for voting me in to one of the positions on the Executive Council for our great branch.

It’s apparent that many of us carriers are being overworked beyond our limits. I understand that it can be so exhausting that it could lead to accidents due to lack of sleep, or not being as alert as we should be. It is important to get the amount of sleep needed, only you know how much your body needs on a daily basis.

If you’re not getting enough rest and sleep due to being overworked, some carriers I know are working up to 9:30pm every day, that is outrageous! I would recommend speaking with your doctor and letting him/her know the strain and stress, and the exhaustion that you might be experiencing.

VETERANS Here’s thanking all the military Veterans who served our country. I hope your day off was a well-deserved period of relaxation and enjoyable time spent with your families.

BERKELEY BLUES NEWS! Here’s the latest edition of what is going on in this crazy place called Berkeley. The carriers average working hours start at 9am and end at approximately 9:30p.m., not to mention no days off. This of course can be happening all over the Postal Service. But Berkeley is so messed up that I don’t know how much worse it can get. Berkeley Management recently lost or you can call it, “misplaced” some carriers’ paper checks. The managers don’t care if they lose your checks, they won’t try and find them or replace them.

On top of that schedules are never posted on time. The few supervisors that are left can’t explain why this place cannot get organized. I say it LEADERSHIP! And We have Bullies in Berkeley.

Come on Berkeley carriers. We see things that are wrong that Management does. Why are we allowing them to bully our fellow co-workers? It could be you next, then what? We can help make changes if some of us would speak up. Otherwise, all we are saying is, we accept this behavior and nothing will change.

Instead of feeling sorry for ourselves or feeling hopeless, we should take a stand. Decide we are not going to take it anymore.

Put up the fight and make that change.

Hopefully when COVID 19 dies down, we can start having station meetings and learn to take back Berkeley.

Knowledge is Power!

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November 2021

Is Management Finally Getting It?

By Terrence Lee Super, Fourth Vice President

I wanted to dedicate this month’s article to a carrier from my home office, Ron Wright. He has spent 33 years of his life with the Postal Service. I know that this is not about me, but he would say that I was the best T-6 he ever had! But on a serious note, Ron was one of those carriers who never got into ANY trouble. He never had an attendance issue and he got along with pretty much everyone. One time, there was a minor discipline issue, but I got it thrown out. I was able to do that largely because of how Ron just stayed out of trouble for most of his career, and that he did everything that was asked of him; earning a pretty significant size, “bank of goodwill!” This term is used by Arbitrators as a way to measure an employee’s work ethic. This basically means that when a carrier goes through a long period of time through their employment with no attendance issues, vehicle accidents, or any other disciplinary infraction, it shows that the carrier is an exemplary employee-- and Ron Wright earned this title as such.

One of the things that I personally appreciate about Ron was that he didn’t really complain about anything. There were maybe a couple of things here and there, but ultimately, he just did what he was told. Everyone knows that being mandated all the time is extremely frustrating and Ron was mandated a lot during his career. Never did he let the frustration of Management change his personality. I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I have seen the Postal Service change people. Carriers who were extremely positive and uplifting at one point, unfortunately became mean and negative all the time, but not Ron Wright. He has always had the same positive attitude from when I first met him, all the way to his retirement. We are going to miss you Ron, enjoy your retirement brother!

I just want to also mention that Ron said something during his Union Retirement Presentation that was really simple, but extremely profound. He said, “please take care of the Postal Service so that I can keep getting my retirement checks.” Even though we all laughed when he said it, there were some carriers that didn’t catch what an important statement that was! It’s not a secret that excessive sick calls are killing the Postal Service.

Many are not coming to work, either because they’re exhausted and they need a day off, or some just don’t want to come to work; plain and simple! But it’s causing customers to be upset because they’re not getting their mail at a decent time, the carriers that are actually coming to work are getting OVERWORKED and their bodies can’t take the long work hours anymore, so THEY call in sick as well. It just causes a domino effect and it’s

Branch 1111 News literally destroying the Postal Service. We don’t have enough bodies to get the work done.

But, you all know me by now, I’m a person that always looks at the glass half full. Yet, what Ron was basically saying is that we need to do our best to make sure the Postal Service is around for decades to come. Therefore, everyone who still wants one of the last blue-collar jobs in the United States of America that provide full medical benefits, a retirement annuity, and TSP is still around for everyone to take advantage of. There are not too many jobs out there that have these same health and retirement benefits as the Postal Service. Again, thank you Ron for your 33 years of dedicated service, and we at Branch 1111 wish you a happy retirement. Be safe out there everyone!

Last punch for Ron Wright

Keep the Pressure on Us

By Francisco Cabrera, Second Vice President

Brothers and sisters I hope I speak for all Union representatives in our Union, regardless if this is so, I ask you please keep the pressure on me as your Union representative.

Call me. Demand better, fairer and far more proactive, even more aggressive representation.

Don’t let us forget what it is like to carry mail day in and day out. That is how we will be better able to serve you.

Thank you for your support in this last Branch 1111 election. You, the membership chose your representatives. Next year you will have the opportunity to choose them at the National level. As always I trust you will choose wisely.

“A diamond is a chunk of coal that did well under --Henry Kissinger pressure.”

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November 2021

Branch 1111 News

Clockwise from top left: Fremont DDU veteran Jordan Hall; Airport veterans Gabriel Broz, William Barnett, Christopher Martinez, Chrismarie Constantine, Martin Worth Jr. and Jayson Hilario; Lafayette veteran Michael Boyce; Alamo Vets Victor Presinal, Kumush Karshieva, and Brian Batchan.

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November 2021

Branch 1111 News

Branch 1111 Veterans

(From top left clockwise):

Florantine Marquez Jr, Lafayette Minoru Arakaki, Fremont DDU Erick Hewitt and Rickie Cox, North Oakland

Parrish Wells, Lafayette Ross Van Epps, Fremont DDU Katherine Edwards, Vimul Khem, Greg Bourne, Willie Jackson of El Cerrito Ronald Quibot of Fremont DDU

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November 2021

Branch 1111 News

Fremont retiree Trilochan Mushiana (center) ending a 35-year career by celebrating with his fellow carriers

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, 2022 Eligibility requirements: 1) The applicant must be a member of the graduating class of 2021-2022 2) The applicant must be so 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: 510237-5111 Date______________

(Please print clearly)

Please send instructions as to how I can compete for the Scholarship Award.

I will be a senior in the year 2021-2022 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______________ 10

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NALC Branch 1111 Balance Sheet As of October 31, 2021 ASSETS Current Assets Bank Accounts 100 - Petty Cash 213.96 126 PPCU-50 166,299.01 Mechanics Bank Accounts 251,022.55 PPCU-Acct 70 25,632.44 United Bank Accounts 252,491.86 Total Bank Accounts $650,361.04 Other Current Assets Total Current Other Assets 39,423.99 Total Current Assets $688,819.82 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 $1,092,834.38

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

20,485.00 -65,966.42 1,138,315.80 $1,072,349.38

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY

$1,092,834.38

Branch 1111 Trustee, Jose Corral, reading his last Executive Council Minutes as he will be stepping down from his position after many years of dedicated service.

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

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS Sherrine Regaldo Benjamin Guice Jean Thenor Marietta Cagulada Christina Graves Edwin Mendez Adon Serrano Yifan Wang Brandon Scruton Patrick Garvin Susan Henderson Renard Lee Cynthia Ungson Bin Huang Devinder Singh Stephanie McLaughlin Graciela Robles Latisha Broughton Nhep Chheng Lan Su Doan Hon Law Jorge Machado George Patino Rodolfo Rangel Jr. Dharam Singh Yashpal Singh Abdihakim Abdillahi Chennel Bowels Pooyan Ghziana Jolene Gordin Xiangjun Liu Marquez McGrew Delia Lee Perez

Benicia Benicia Berkeley Concord Concord Concord Crockett Danville Danville Fairfield Fairfield Fairfield Fremont Fremont Fremont Livermore Livermore Oakland Oakland Oakland Oakland Oakland Oakland Oakland Oakland Oakland Oakland Oakland Oakland Oakland Oakland Oakland Pittsburg

David Bell Manuel Vallardes Kuldip Singh

Richmond Richmond Richmond

Fremont Irvington carrier Joseph Moran giving the thumbs-up to his retirement after 37 years. Best of luck to you!

On November 23 at 7:00 PM, the Branch will only hold both an In-person and Virtual Zoom Meeting. This meeting is counted as official.

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