Howard Arotsky
Director of City Delivery
With spring on its way out and summer moving in quickly, this is the time of year we are used to seeing a significant drop in mail volume; with the combination of our peak vacation periods, expect a whole lot of pivoting to start taking place. Just keep in mind that pivoting can take place inside or out. With that said, make sure you make the proper moves to whatever assignment you are working on so the route you are on can receive the proper credit. Fill out 3996's when doing ends and make sure you take the valuables for the end you are working. With times being tough right now theft of mail is on the rise, be careful of all your surroundings and keep your pushcart in sight at all times, and use a satchel to carry your valuables in and out of your buildings.

Besides physically having mail stolen from your pushcart, cons and scams is another; don't get caught up in someone's fast-talking hustle and bustle thinking they are going to make you rich. The only thing it's going to get you is in a whole lot of trouble. With every action there is a reaction so don't get your hand caught in the cookie jar.

PDI'S, what is the first thing you should be asking if management wants to talk to you off the work floor. Can this lead to corrective action? If yes, then the second thing you should be asking for is your shop steward. These are your Weingarten rights, rights to representation. So let me ask you this. Why isn't this being done? I just recently reviewed some corrective action for carriers who waived their rights and sat through a PDI with no steward present. This makes it very difficult for the steward or stewards in your station to fight for your rights. Branch 36 officers take the time to professionally train all their stewards. We are here to help you, but you must help yourselves first.

DO NOT GIVE UP YOUR RIGHT TO REPRESENTATION.
Combination and Parcel Post Wagons
It has been mutually agreed upon locally to comprise a new team of NALC and management members to assist in potentially adjusting combination and parcel post wagons. On April 3, 2010, we will be looking at Peck Slip station in Manhattan and Morris Heights in the Bronx, with different stations each week to follow. While in the selected stations we will be solely collecting data for the week and evaluating the information you, the drivers, provide the team with, to adjust assignments that may be under or over eight hours. During the evaluating week, management will go out and ride with a driver for one day and one day only. Prior to entering the stations all drivers will receive a dry run the week before to go over the forms that need to be filled out on a daily basis and answer any questions that you may have. During the evaluation week no team member should be telling you how to do your job, the idea is for you to go about your normal day of activities. Only you, the drivers, know of your everyday routines and/or any unusual occurrences that you may have encountered during your day. WE NEED YOUR HELP to provide us with clear and accurate data. No adjustments will be made for a few months after the team has been in your station for processing all the information
will take some time. The following Stations are scheduled for the month of April:

Manhattan
 Lenox Hill (21, 65, 75)
Times Square
Radio City
Bronx
Highbridge
Fordham
Morrisania
NALC TEAM MEMBERS
Gregg Levy
Nori Amill
Howard Arotsky
Sonny Guadelupe
Carmen Flores
Mike Giltanen
Kathy Kirton
Curtis Jewell
Basic Information
At this point in time we should have an idea of how the MIARAP process works and the goals we are trying to achieve, which is making eight-hour assignments. Should at anytime during one of the consultations a letter carrier believes that the analysis presented to them is a lesser amount than he or she believes they worked on the route during the assessed timeframe, it should be questioned and noted on their consultation work sheet. Your Shop Steward should then be notified of any discrepancies you have concerns with. The Shop Steward should then be requesting the TACS report for the carrier in question to verify if their clockings are legitimate or were they changed or deleted. Such reports are put in place for data integrity, if the Shop Steward feels that the data is incorrect, they should let the local Branch Officers know of such.
Supervisors’ Responsibility
It is incumbent upon the supervisor to collect the right data (counts of mail) and to input it into DOIS. When this process is done correctly, DOIS will project an ESTIMATE of a carrier’s workload on any given day, a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay. The adverse effect is when the data is compiled and inputted, supervisors would then be in no position to dispute a carrier’s workload on that day. Bad data WILL result in a carrier’s route being adjusted improperly. It is important for carriers to keep their own records of what they deliver on any given day. Keep in mind, knowledge is power.
Pride
In the past year the MIARAP team has visited all letter carriers and their stations in Manhattan and the Bronx. Carriers have gone through many changes, to their routes and in some cases a move to a new station. Change sometimes can be
difficult, though carriers know how to adjust and complete their everyday rounds. What now lies ahead in the future for the MIARAP TEAM is still unknown, as of February 28, 2010, the program comes to an end. At this time we are waiting for Washington to comprise a new MIARAP agreement for 2010. One thing that hasn’t changed for letter carriers is pride and commitment. We are in the houses and the hearts of our customers everyday of the week. No matter what changes the Postal Service makes or what changes are made to our routes, carriers know how to pick up the pieces, put one foot in front of the other, and do a professional and courteous job to whomever we deliver.

Keep in mind how important we are to the everyday life of our customers who wait for us, set their watch by us, and depend on us.
November Bash
If you weren't there on November 8th, then you're not going to know what I am talking about, but I'm sure you've heard from your co-workers. It was our Annual Dinner-Dance, hosted by Branch 36. This year we honored one of our own, Brian Heilman, who attended with his new wife and family. There was food, music and plenty of good stuff to drink. Your branch throws this great bash every year around the same time. You tell me where you can get dressed up and go out on the town and get all of the above for $70.00. The answer is nowhere. The only way you can understand what I am talking about is to experience it yourself. I expect to see you there next year.

ADJUSTMENTS

There are no adjustments (moving territory) after November 15th but the MIARAP teams in Manhattan and the Bronx are starting to pull data for adjustments to be made after January 6th. Same rules and guidelines apply so I am going to keep preaching to you to make your proper badge hits. If there are any carriers out there that are being instructed to hit incorrectly, please inform your shop steward.
Proper Clock Rings
Brothers and Sisters, in the pat few articles, I have expressed to you the importance of making proper badge hits to your routes and pivots, taking your breaks and lunches, etc. We must police ourselves. our routes. and our stations to do the right things so we, the letter carriers, can maintain our jobs and.preserve them in the future.

The new school year has started, winter is almost around the comer, but we must keep in mind that taking shortcuts may be a quick fix to a situation, but it could severely damage a route in the future. Bad data is the number one reason for a route to be adjusted imeroperly. The MIARAP Team (Manhattan and the Bronx) have worked and achieved keeping reductions to a minimum where management had a goal of a 9,000 route reduction; in reality it is around 3,000. With our union representatives being involved, we are able to review the data and make the necessary corrections needed. We are coming to the end finishing up on but a few stations left in Manhattan and the Bronx to be finalized by the end of October. Further information on the MIARAP Team will be in my next article.
IDENTITY THEFT
Identity theft creates a crisis situation about which I would like to share information with you. I personally received a text message the other day which read, "this is an automated message from bridgeway fcu. Your ATM card has been suspended. To reactivate call urgent 1-877-***-****

The reason this message caught my attention is that I don't have an ATM card for anything. I decided to call this number the "scammer' provided. I got an automated Service saying I should please enter my ATM number and my card would be activated. I believe this is a scam to get your information to facilitate identity theft. If you should receive a text message or something similar, you should report it to your telephone provider to investigate. You should also call it into the police department for the same purpose, to investigate.
M.I.A,R.A.P.
From April 24 through April 26 2009, I attended a seminar with 1,600 of our fellow brothers and sisters from throughout the United States, concerning the MIRAP process and our future. In the past 18 months I have visited many stations. I was asked why the union is involved with eliminating carrier positions. After reading this article,
you will have a better understanding as to why we are involved, and very importantly, that we must remain involved because we represent and protect letter carriers. The most urgent goal of all is to prevent the U.S. Postal Service from being destroyed through managerial misuse and misapplication of the concepts making up methods and analysis/time and motion study regarding the current status of the U.S. Postal Service and what must be done to keep it as strong as possible and free, from becoming further weakened.

The Postal Service is projecting a loss of 9 billion dollars over the next two years and we all know the current sad state of the economy right now, so those figures may be pretty accurate. General Postmaster Potter has suggested to Congress a five-day workweek and wants to cut over 9,000 carrier routes nationwide, to try saving an estimated 3 billion dollars. Our NALC President Bill Young gave testimony to Congress stating a five-day work week will not help the Postal Service, but instead, would cripple it. He states, "the public wants and deserves a six-day delivery" and it does. In this day and age there will be some business company out there who'll jump at the chance to get their foot in the door and try and deliver our mail. We all know once you are in the door, you want to move in, and that could bring about the demise of the letter carrier positions and the Postal Service.

In 2011 we are going to be in the hardest and toughest contract negotiations ever. I ask that you put yourself in our national president's shoes for just five minutes and give yourself the answer to this proposition from Postmaster Potter knowing what lies ahead for your carriers and their future. If you had to choose from one of these four options, which would you choose:
1. give up your COLA
2. Give up your 1.9% raise
3. Lay off employees
4. Do minor route adjustments

Looking at those four options, it should be a no brainer, hence, "MIARAP Process. As I said, Postmaster Potter wants to eliminate 9,000 positions nationwide. In reality, because your Union is always one step ahead and prepares and gets involved for the future, that number is at 2,250 positions which is 1/3 of what was expected if management did this process by themselves. When Congress asked our national President Bill Young if he had any suggestions on how the Postal Service could save money, he gave some eye-opening statistics. In 1989 there were over 340,000 letter carriers employed. In 2009 there are approximately 280,000 letter carriers. In 1989 there were over 303,000 clerks employed. In 2009 there are approximately 180,000 clerks. In 1989 the ratio of management postions to employees was 5.74% and in 2009 the ratio is still 5.74%, with over a 180,000 employee reduction in the workforce. YOU DO THE MATH! Where do you think President Young told Congress they could start their savings.

The way I see it, the letter carriers are always involved. When our country was attacked on 9/11/2001. we were still on the streets delivering the mail. When the Anthrax scare was with us, we were still delivering the mail. When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, who was still on the streets doing their jobs and helping fellow neighbors? Your correct answer was and remains, the United States letter carriers. Our presence is not limited to crisis situations. With our hearts, for 17 years, we've participated in the nations largest Food Drive. For many more years we've also contributed to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. We contribute to COLCPE, and dedicate ourselves to serving the public.

So once again we must stick together during these rough times besause when it comes down to it all, all we have is each other, all 280,000 of us. We have national and local officers whb take an oath to defend our rights and fight for our future, but they cannot do it alone. We must stand with them and support their actions and decisions. Adhere to the tried and true cliche, united we stand, divided we fall!
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