This video has two parts. The first part starts out with the doom and gloom of declining mail volume, showing once full mail boxes with the almost empty ones. I thought that it was going to be another depressing video. Instead, the first part of the video went positive with the message, "We can fix this." The second part of the video features the four national union presidents and moderator having a conversation about the future of the Postal Service.

Can we do better with Customer Connect?Yes, I think so, but I also recognize the "real world". There are definitely stations in Manhattan and the Bronx where carriers would be afraid to talk to their customers about Customer Connect because it may cause them to return after 5:00 p.m. We all know that a minute after 5:00 p.m. is an automatic Pre-Disciplinary Interview, known as P.D.I. We also know that P.D.I.'s result in a write-up close to 100% of the time.

I think that it is great that management in Washington, D.C. agree that we have to work together to save the Postal Service from "going out of business," but if it doesn't get down to the installation and station level, it amounts to only words.
The culture of automatic P.D.I.'s and write-ups has to be eliminated. We must communicate at all levels.

John Springman, Harold Hillard and myself viewed this video with the A.P.W.U and Mailhandler reps. alongside N.Y. District Manager Bob Daruk and other upper management. I know we have the commitment of Bob Daruk as it was stated that day.

This must not turn into merely a video screening only, and have it end there We need carriers to become more active with Customer Connect by filling out lead cards for customers who use companies other than the Postal Service.

Branch 36 Customer Connect Rep. Orlando Gonzalez couldn't be more committed to expanding Customer Connect. I would like to see more station level commitment as well.

.One of the highlights of 2007, besides becoming Branch 36 president, is having had a national agreement negotiated and accepted by one of the highest membership percentages. On a local.level, we were able to negotiate a Local Memorandum of Understanding for Manhattan and one for the Bronx.. With the help of John Springman and Pat and our newly elected officers Harold and Tony, we were able to negotiate new language beneficial to all letter carriers of Branch 36. Gone is the archaic station transfer language, now replaced with "city-wide bidding" for residual vacancies. There is more movement between stations than .ever before.

This past year has seen an unprecedented amount of membership participation with many showing distinct signs of. leadership. One of the duties as president is to appoint committee chairs. I hit a grand slam with the help of my fellow officers by appointing the following leaders as committee chairs. They are Winfred Jenkins, Dinner-Dance Chair, Sonny Guadalupe, Scholarship Chair, Nori Arnjll and Orlando Gonzalez, Food Drive Co-Chairs, Kathy Kirton and Miguel Amill, Picnic Co-Chairs, Sheila Mitchell, Election Chair, Nori Amill, legislative Chair. and Mike Perdomo, Muscular Dystrophy Fund-Raising Chair. These letter carriers have helped officers get more Branch 36 members involved.

There are many additional leaders in Branch 36. Some are shop stewards, some are retirees and others are letter carriers who get involved by attending membership meetings and representing Branch 36 at state and national conventions. There are many degrees of involvement and I welcome all of them.

The 2007 involvement has shown the willingness of members to participate. We had recod numbers of letter caniers attend Branch 36's Day At Shea Stadium as well as our Dinner-Dance. I couldn't believe how many caniers showed up with their families at our, Annual Picnic in FDR State Park, even though the weather wasn't nice.

Our Fund-Raising Committee chaired by Mike Perdomo has also been very successful. We went from raising $6,000.00 in 2005 for MDA to raising $37,000.00 in 2007. Although Mike is very happy with last year's results, he still comes up with new ideas for raising more money. Mike came to me at the end of 2007 with the idea of having a comedy show to raise money. I told him to go for it. I never expected to see the spectacular results that he and his committee achieved. Our Meeting Hall, which has tables, comfortably holds 150 people. 150 became Mike's goal. He set the price at $40.00 per ticket, which included an open bar, a buffet, a DJ and a comedy show. The tickets were sold out in a matter of a few weeks. I didn't know what to expect since it was our first comedy show. This show went beyond my wildest expectations. We had well-established comedians who have been seen on HBO's Comedy Jam such as Capone and Smokey. Smokey was on HBO last Sunday. Participants were calling our meeting hall "Club 36." We also raised over $3,000.00 for MDA. Great job Mike!

Some of the down points of 2007 is not seeing Frank, Ruben and Cleveland on a daily basis since their retirements.

We have seen many successes in the Grievance Division in 2007. Our quarterly shop steward seminars have raised the bar for filing grievanc's which helps our hearing officers settle more cases at the Fonnal A level and if that isn't possible, the caliber of cases reaching John Mooney at Step B has made it easier for the Dispute Resolution Team to settle cases rather than sending them to an arbitrator.

Our shop steward elections in 2007 resulted in a third being replaced. I have been impressed with many of the new shop stewards and awaiting judgement on others. I have to congratulate the new stewards from Peter Stuyvesant Station. We went from little or no member participation to over 40 tickets purchased for our first comedy show. Thank you.Zulma and Jose. I look forward to working with both of you.

On a sad note, we had to say goodbye to a Branch 36 officer, Awd Mikhael Awad passed away a few weeks ago at a young age. He was a shop steward for many years in Old Chelsea Station as wel1 as a Branch 36 part-time officer as long as I can remember. Awad always had his carriers involved in Branch 36 activities . Awad loved attending state and national conventions. His wife Nagwa always attended with him. Awad and Nagwa have a son Robert and a daughter Nancy. It feels strange not having Awad's name on the National Convention Delegate List for Boston in July. Awad is missed already, but I am sure he is smiling down on us. His smile and carefree attitude was infectious.

Every year has up and downs, challenges and successes. I look forward to working with our team in 2008.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) regulates the Federal Employees Health Benefit Plans. Can you guess which plan received O.P.M.'s highest rating? If you said NALC, you are correct.

The NALC Health Plan has decreased their premiums and increased the benefits. You are probably asking, how can they do that while most other plans are increasing their premiums and decreasing their benefits? The answer is easy. The NALC Health Plan is not-for-profit and most others are in business to make money.

The NALC Health Plan returns all profits to its members with lower premiums and higher benefits. NALC Director of Health Benefits, Tim O'Malley does not make a milIion dollar salary like the CEO's of the For-Profit Health Plans. Tim makes the same salary as our NALC officers as per the NALC Constitution.

There is another huge reason to join your fellow letter carriers in the NALC Health Plan besides lower premiums. This year the NALC Health Plan has CIGNA as its P.P.O. network. This move more than doubles the amount of doctors in the NALC P.P.O. network. I bet your doctors are part of the CIGNA P.P.O. network.

Every letter carrier received an envelope from the NALC Health Plan. Compare it to your health plan. Read the booklet from O.P.M. comparing the plans. After comparing the NALC Health Plan booklet with your health plan, look at what you are paying for premiums and look at what is covered in both plans. Then ask yourself, "Why am I paying close to two hundred dollars a pay period for health benefits?" This question should be asked by active and retired letter carriers.

Those of you who take daily medications can obtain a 90-day supply of these prescriptions for $12.00 if they are generic or $35.00 for brand names. How much does it cost with your health plan?

I have given you many questions for you and your family to discuss. I have had the NALC Health Plan for many years and I am very satisfied.

Another enrollment deadline is December 2gth to enroll in the Flexible Spending Account. Many letter carriers take advantage of the FSA. Carriers have pre-taxed dollars deducted from their salary to pay for health care and dependent care. If you know your child will need braces in 2008, enroll in the FSA and pay for the braces with tax-free dollars. Let your money work for you.

We do have one paragraph that Branch 36 and postal management could not agree on. That is Item 2, paragraph B. Management wants the current language changed and Branch 36 disagrees. Item 2B deals with rest days. Management wants to be able to change your rest days at will and we would never agree to such a thing. This item is now in the impasse procedure. I will keep you informed!

Don't forget vacation bidding for January, February and March must be done between December lst and December 15th. Management must post the results by December 31st. Bidding for the rest of the year must be done by January 3lst and management must post the results by March lst but not later than March 15th.

HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE HOLIDAY SEASON

I look forward to working with each shop steward whom the membership has elected. Shop stewards are elected for a three-year term. Branch 36 officers will do everything in our power to educate all shop stewards who are willing to learn.

In today's environment shop stewards have much on their plate. There was
once a time when stewards needed to learn only the contract. Not anymore. Stewards need also be astute legislatively. Stewards should be involved with Congressional and Presidential elections. They should know about pending legislation and the NALC's position on it.

Stewards should be attending the general membership meeting on the second Thursday each month as well as the Executive Board meeting on the last Tuesday of each month. They should also attend the Branch 36 quarterly shop steward seminar in March, June, September and December.

Thank your shop steward when they have monthly station meetings with all the members to let you know what information they obtained at the General Membership and Executive Board meetings.

Shop Stewards tell me that the most difficult part of their job is fund-raising, whether it is for Muscular Dystrophy, Dinner-Dance Journal ads, the Food Drive or COLCPE. There is one-way all members can relieve some of the fund-raising stress incurred by stewards. You could sign up for COLCPE payroll deduction. Our new contract has added a third authorized payroll deduction slot.

The NALC would rather have carriers on payroll deduction for COLCPE rather than a station collection. With payroll deductions for COLCPE, the NALC legislative department chaired by President Bill Young would be able to plan better for contributions to our friends running for office. By having station collections, it would be a guess as to how much will be collected.

The rest of the country is ahead of the New York area with using payroll deductions for COLCPE. It is easy to sign up; There are several ways to do so This issue of the Outlook will feature the ways you can sign up. Retirees can also have COLCPE deducted from their annuity check.

If you normally give $26.00 a year, you can sign up to have $1 .OO be deducted per payday. The NALC is having a "Gimme 5 for COLCPE" contest. Details can be found in the Postal Record magazine. The winner receives 2 tickets to the 2008 Super Bowl.

The majority of you already give to COLCPE. Let's help reduce the stress level of your steward as well as help; out the NALC by signing up for payroll deduction for COLCPE. All of Branch 36 full-time officers are on payroll deductions.

NALC President William Young said he would only send out an agreement for ratification that he would sign himself. This tentative agreement contains the main terms that President Young has been fighting for. It has yearly increases totaling 8.85% by the end of this five-year contract. It has nine (9) cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) as well as a lump sum payment of $686.00 for the period of July, 2006 through May, 2007. There will also be payment of 1.4% pay increase from November,

Along with the hard work of our national officers, I extend my sincere thanks to our National Business Agent Larry Cirelli, for organizing a huge demonstration in Paterson, New Jersey against contracting out. I also thank the many letter carriers from Branch 36 who took time on Sunday, July lSt traveling to Paterson, NJ to join the picket line. Job well-done.

There are other positive aspects in this tentative agreement such as the abolishment of casuals. There will be transitional employees (TE's) at the same percent that casuals had, which is 3.5%. The biggest difference besides pay rate is TE's can join the union and have rights in our national agreement that casuals do not. Our uniform allowance will increase by 2.5 percent. National level issues have also been negotiated which deal with subjects such as route evaluation, flat sequencing system implementation, D.O.I.S., the third bundle and more.

There is a negative aspect to this tentative agreement which is paying one percent more a year towards our health insurance premiums. This increase will not begin until 2009 which will be two (2) percent covering 2008 and 2009 and one (1) percent increase each year in 201 0,201 1 and 2012 for a total of five (5) percent.

I will vote YES for this tentative agreement even with the one apparent negative aspect. I do not feel that outcome would be different with an Arbitrator's decision. I'd rather negotiate an outcome myself than rely on an Arbitrator's decision. Use your democratic right and vote.

I am happy that we've had new stations get involved with COLCPE, but I am also disappointed that at a few stations the carriers have not yet contributed to COLCPE this year.

One station that comes to mind is my own, FDR. FDR has been the number one contributor to COLCPE for as many years as I can remember: I ask FDR carriers to send their contributions to Branch 36 headquarters. Many that I have talked to said they weren't personally asked for a 2007 contribution. Therefore, I am publicly asking all FDR carriers to stay involved. FDR is well represented in the NALC; besides having myself as Branch 36 president, we have Brian Hellman as a national officer. We are both proud to say we are from FDR station.
Retirees need to get involved as well with MDA and COLCPE contributions.

The following is the Address'that I gave at the installation:
Firstly, I thank Vince and George Mignosi for honoring all of us by being installingOfficers. Followi~ig in the footsteps of Frank and Vince, I humbly accept this position as Branch 36 President. I know the enormity of responsibilities that this position entails. Frank always said he would retire when he felt I was ready to be President. Well, it took 15 years! I am ready, Frank!

I have heard from some members about'how young the Board of Officers is now. I actually got tired of being the youngest officer. No, the truth is: age did not enter my mind when I made changes and additions to our Board. My only requirement was, the level of commitment to our members. I measured that commitment by their past actions. There are shop stewards in some stations who talk a good game but never follow through with actions to match their words. Those carriers were not considered for officer positions.

The team that we brought together to lead this branch for the next three years are committed to serving the membership. Some continue to be officers, others are fairly new officers and others are brand new.

John Springman as Executive V.P. and Pat McNally as 2nd V.P./Financial Sec'y. have more than proven their commitment to our members and will continue to do so. I have known Harold Hillard and Tony Ortiz for many years as shop stewards, Formal "A" officers officers, With the help of their leadership, their station were and continue to give 100% support and participation in all aspects of Branch 36 life.

I brought Harold up in January as First VPtTreasurer and Tony two weeks ago as Recording Secretary. They both have one thing in common besides commitment and that is energy. Harold has b6en out in stations almost every day since January. Harold covered Count & Inspections going on in Planetarium and Cathedral. He covered driving assignment testing in Church Street and Radio City. He also guided his replacements as Formal "A" reps. He is in my office every day looking for what is next.

Tony is very interested in getting involved with Shop Stewards who only come around when it is time to receive their quarterly shop steward paycheck. Tony cannot understand how letter carriers keep shop stewards in office when they don't attend meetings or get involved with Branch 36 activities, such as COLCPE, MDA, Food Drive, etc. Tony is going to be busy. He is determined to turn them around.

As I said earlier, I am no longer the youngest officer at the age of 48, but the oldest officer right now is probably the one with the most energy and enthusiasm and that is the Director of Retirees Joe Ramos. I would be lost without Joe. He is my right-hand man

I know with the energy and commitment of Leon as Editor of the Outlook, Howie as Director of City Delivery, Tomas HBR, Sonny as Compensation Officer, Nori as MBA officer, Gene- as Sergeant-At-Arms, Mike, Frank and Mike as Auditors and Curtis, Pasky and Gregg as Trustees, as well as Kathy and Awad as C.L.C. delegates, my job will be made easier.

Whenever there are openings on the Board of Officers, it usually means people have retired or moved on to other things. Three officers who have retired are Frank Orapello, Ruben Santiago and Cleveland Morgan. All three have dedicated most of their adult lives to the members of Branch 36

.Frank's leadership as Branch 36 President for 15 years will be long remembered and admired. When Frank started as President in 1992, this Branch was on the verge of a big divide. Frank stopped that from happening and raised this branch to new heights and the rest is history. Thank you Frank.

Ruben has been serving as a full-time officer of Branch 36 since 1985. When he announced .his retirement to the membership at the January meeting, I responded with "there will never be another Ruben Santiago." His dedication to Branch 36 is impressive. Thank you Ruben.

Cleveland Morgan who I always introduce as the Chairman of all Committees has decided to retire and move with his lovely wife Barbara back to Georgia. Whenever we needed someone to head a committee, Cleve was always first to raise his hand. He has chaired the Dinner-Dance Committee, the Food Drive Committee, the Picnic Committee, the C.F.C. Committee and the Customer Connect Committee at the same time. These are all non-paying jobs which didn't bother Cleve. He pas always been there to serve the members. Thank you Cleve.

Cleve, I couldn't find anyone to ask to chair all the above committees like your so I have replaced you with six letter carriers
Nori Amill and Orlaado Gonzalez head up the Food Drive Committee. They arecurrently making their way to all stations in Manhattan and the Bronx motivating carriers to get involved with the Food Drive. Last year with Cleve's leadership, we doubled the pounds of food from the previous year. Doubling last year's pounds is the goal of Nori and Orlando this year, They are more encouraged with every station they visit.

I could not have found a more enthusiastic person than Mike Perdomo to chair the MDA committee He is committed to sending 50 of Jerry's kids to summer camp with the help of all shop stewards and carriers.
Miguel Amill and Kathy Kirton head up The Picnic Committee and Winfred Jenkins chairs the Dinner Dance Committee. Carmen Flores is now in charge of Customer Connect.

As you an gather, energy is a main factor in all these letter carriers. With the many challenges that face us locally and on a national level, high energy is demanded.

Locally we have a new Acting Postmaster of the Bronx and in Manhattan we have a new District Manager.

We will be having our first labor management meeting under this new postal leadership next Wednesday. We will hash out all poblems or we will fight them in the grievance procedure.

On a national level we have our national agreement headed for arbitration. I am confident that our national officers will present a great case for pay raises. Also on a National level, we have to be vigilant passing legislation to stop contracting out.

On a personal note, I'd like to introdues the light of my life, my son Paul. I have bad many proud moments over the years raising my son, but I have to say the proudest moment came last year when I attended Paul's graduation from Manhattan College.

Working together we will achieve all of our goals. I am confident of being successful because we have the right group of Branch 36 officers who were installed today.

I know Tony Ortiz is going to have just as much or more energy when he is installed as Branch 36 Recording Secretary. Tony let the shop stewards know at the Executive Board Meeting on February 27" that he intends to know each shop steward on a one-on-one basis. He told the shop stewards that he wants 100% participation in all aspects of Branch 36 work. He said there are too many stewards who don't want to get involved whether it is for raising money for MDA, COLCPE, or collecting food for the Food Drive or filing grievances. This is a huge reason why Tony is on our team.

To have openings as full-time officers means someone had to have retired. We all know Frank retired and honored him in the last issue of the Outlook. Ruben Santiago is also retiring at the end of this term, which is April 11th. Ruben has been a full time officer of Branch 36 since 1985. He has filled different positions, but spent most of the 22 years as Recording Secretary. When Ruben announce his retirement at the January membership meeting, I commented that there will never be another Ruben Santiago. His compassion and commitment to the members of Branch 36 will be long-remembered. I asked Ruben who he would recommend to replace him and Tony Ortiz was his answer. I wish Ruben a long happy and healthy retirement.

Another long term officer retiring as a part time officer is Cleveland Morgan. Cleveland and his wife Barara decided to retire and move to Georgia. I always called Cleveland the "Chairman of all committees" When something had to be done, whether it was the Food Drive, the Annual Family Picnic, Combined Federal Campaign, Customer Connect, Dinner-Dance etc.,. Cleveland was the first to volunteer. Cleve was also our caterer. He cooked for our quarterly shop steward seminars. I cannot thank Cleveland enough for all that he has done for the members of Branch 36. He loves this brmch and it showed.

Our new Dinner-Dance Committee and I, as well as the entire team.of offiers have decided to honor Ruben and Cleveland at this year's dinner-Dance which will be held at Marha Del Rey on Sunday, November 11th from 12 noon to 5:00 p.m. The cost of tickets will remain at $70.00 each. Our new Dinner Dance chairman is Winfred Jenkins from FDR Station.

Last month I wrote about a new part-time officer, Howie Arotsky. We now have four additional new faces on our team of officers. They are Sonny Guadalupe as Compensation officer, Nori Amill as Mutual Benefits officer, Kathy Kirton as a C.L.C. Delegate, and Mike Kelly as an Auditor.

Sonny brings unique qualifications to our team since he is a graduate of the NALC Leadership Academy. He went through three weeks of intense training on all aspects of the NALC from its rich history to its future plans. Another part-time officer;Pascual Ortiz, who is trustee, has completed the first week of training at the NALC Leadership Academy. I am amazed at the energy and enthusiasm with which .they returned from the training.

Nori is a shop steward at Parkchester Station and Kathy is a shop steward at Peck Slip Station. Mike is a shop steward at Cooper Station. They impress me in many ways. Their volunteerism really stands out. I asked Nori to co-chair the Food Drive Committee and asked Kathy to co-chair the Picnic Committee. They both answered affirmatively without hesitation: Nori is joined by Orlando Gonzalez from Cathedral Station as co-chair for the Food Drive. Kathy is joined by Miguel Amill from JAF Station, as co-chair of the Picnic Committee.

Joe Ramos continues as Director of Retirees. Tom Nelson moves to the position of Health Benefits Representative. Leon Brown continues as Editor, The Outlook Eugene Spry continues as Sergeant-At-Arms. Curtis Jewell continues with Pascual as a Trustee. Gregg Levy moves to the Trustee position. Mike Kelly joins Mike D'Angelo and Frank Perez who continue as Auditors. Awad Miael continues as a C.L.C. Delegate.

We have had a preliminary officers meeting last week. I let everyone know what my expectations are as well as the duties that their title brings. I think everyone will be favorably impressed by the 20 men and women who make up Branch 36's team of officers.

Besides the committee chairs already mentioned, I have asked Mike Perdomo from O.G.R. Station to chair the MDA Committee. He very excitedly said, "Yes". Sonny will continue to chair the Welfare Scholarship Committee and Carmen Flores will continue with the Customer Connect Committee. Sheila Mitchell will continue as Election Committee chair and Nori Amill will continue to be Legislative Coordinator.

I look forward to working with all these talented letter carriers. I also thank Wellington Gong and Eileen Weese for their dedicated service to Branch 36 as former part-time officers.

The retirees who were present understood the reasons to discontinue the Florida Retiree Brunch. I invited them to attend our Retiree Brunch held in New York in September. Many said they would. I hope they do because I will miss seeing and interacting with them if they don't.

We gave four 60-year NALC membership pins this year. They were given to Jerome Hyman, Seymour Zverin, George Schapiro and Mario Fisichella. They all said a few words. George wrote a story which is printed in this issue of The Outlook.

Part-time officers and our Hearing Officers are also integral parts of Branch 36's whole team. I moved Howard Arotsky, shop steward from Cathedral Station into the Director of City Delivery position.

Caniers in Planetarium Station experienced Howie's expertise at a training class that we gave on Count and Inspections. Planetarium Station will have Count and Inspections beginning January 20'. Howie has been in his new position for only a couple of weeks, yet, he couldn't wait to jump right in and do his work. His next training class will be for his own station, which is scheduled next for Count and Inspections.

It makes me look as though I have genius for selecting the right person for Director of City Delivery, but the fact is Branch 36 has an abundance of talented carriers. I will be calling on other shop stewards and carriers to fill positions as they become available. I am counting on the continued support of Branch 36 members as I have done while being Executive Vice-President for the last fifteen years.

I know there are many upset carriers due to the arbitrator denying the wash up monetary case. None of us agree with the arbitrator's decision. We had the NALC's best attorney and our witnesses were superb. The arbitrator got it wrong. He couldn't get past two items. He relied heavily on the clerk union's loss of monetary wash up case decision and management's testimony that carriers were allowed to step off whenever they wanted to wash up. Our witnesses testified that step offs were not used to wash up except after using the toilet. The arbitrator didn't buy it.

I have to tell you that the first day of my presidency was bitter-sweet. It should have been one of the happiest days of my life, and it was, until the mail arrived. The wash up decision was in the mail. This changed the mood to a definite downswing for that day of the week.

The calls started coming in once we sent out a Flash notifying everyone of the decision. I received a call fiom a canier stating that I will be a good president, but the caller is getting out of the union because the Branch lost the wash up grievance. I understand the anger. We waited a long time for this decision and to have it denied is not fun.

I told this carrier that we cannot take drastic measures such as getting out of the Union. Management would love that . It is true that this grievance has denied but we will have many more cases to fight. Management doesn't stop issuing write ups after they lose a case. Their write ups continue. as does our collective effort to have them thrown out. Branch 36 will not stop grieving violations of our collective bargaining agreement. We will continue to show management that our solidarity will not be broken because of one loss. Our solidarity couldn't be more important at this time since our national officers are currently preparing for arbitration of our national agreement which deals with our pay and working conditions.

My first week wasn't totally depressing. I was involved with making of a DVD for the Carrier Alert Program. Mayor Bloomberg and I had speaking roles on this DVD. It will be viewed by all carriers in Branch 36 at a service talk in all stations. The Carrier Alert Program has been around since the 1980's. This program gives an official name to a regular practice of ours. All carriers already do this on a regular basis, that is, looking out for the elderly and homebound people on your route.

The way it works is an elderly or homebound person puts a carrier alert sticker in their mailbox. This lets the carrier know to look out for this person. If the mail piles up in their mailbox for a couple of days, the carriers notify their supervisor or doorman who will call 311, giving the key words, Carrier Alert Program. The Department of the Aging and or the Mayor's Office For People With Disabilities is contacted by the 311 operator. The operator in turn gets in touch with the elderly person's contact on their Carrier Alert Application. These elderly or disabled persons are asked to cover up the sticker in their mailbox when they go out-of-town. Carriers already do this and have been rewarded for saving lives. This well ordered joint involvement by Mayor Bloomberg. the NYC Department of the Aging, the Mayor's Office for People With Disabilities, and the NY District Postal Senice makes the response faster.

This is a voluntary program. I hope all carriers from Branch 36 volunteer for this program. You already do it. I remember on my old route, I had to deliver to a small residential building. I was met every morning by Annie an elderly person. I enjoyed her conversation as I sorted the mail into mailboxes. On those mornings that Annie was not there, I would make inquiry of the doorman. Sometimes I was told that she went out and on other occasions I was told that he hadn't seen her. I would proceed to take her mail upstairs to her. Thank God she was always fine, just moving slowly on those days. Annie did start to get used to delivery of her mail to her door, but I told her I couln't do that everyday. She understood and resumed meeting me in the lobby. We all have "Annies" on our routes.
Thanks go out to Tom Nelson and Javier Gutieirez for also participating in the DVD.

One thing that Ffank found very important which I agree with 100% is to educate. Frank believed in educating shop stewards as well as carriers. As president, Frank instituted quarterly shop steward seminars. He also instituted seminars for carriers who were scheduled for a Count and Inspection of their route.

Frank knows that having shop stewards who are up-to-date an all matters concerning letter carriers, whether the subject is the grievance procedure or carrier benefits, would make our job easier. The shop steward seminars not only inform, but also build confidence. Another thing that Frank found just as important is additional benefits for Branch 36 members.

Frank was an agent in purchasing the Branch 36 Headquarters building. It was important to Frank to have a building with room for a meeting hall and room for the credit union and national business agent's offices, Frank not only succeeded, but was able to sell the building's air rights used to obtain more benefits for letter carriers, such as dental benefits, an annual picnic and more.

Frank also had an eye for recruiting talented letter carriers to fill union jobs such as hearing officers, arbitration advocates, and committee members for N.A.L.C./U.S.P.S. joint ventures like Customer Connect, E.A.P., Route Evaluation, and other vital positions.

Frank is not only well-respected by Branch 36 shop stewards, but also by postal management and N.A.L.C. national officers. Frarik always launched talented Branch 36 members when taIking to N.A.L.C. national officers. Frank served as a means of having Brian Hellman elected as N.B.A., and thereafter as N.A.L.C. national officer. Brian thanked Frank for all his help at this year's Dinner-Dance when he praised Frank before the 650 celebrant-participants.

When you talk to Frank about the last 55 years as a N.A.L.C: member, he will tell you his proudest time was during the postal strike in 1970. He was an intregral part of the strike and especially the voting leading up to the strike. I didn't come into the Postal Service until 1979, so I always enjoy hearing about the strike. It is important to know the history. Knowing and working beside Frank for the last fifteen years has enriched my abilities as a Branch 36 officer, and appreciate Frank for the opportunity. Soon, I will be taking over the helm as branch 36 president when Frank retires. I will use the skills instilled in me by working with Frank for fifteen years. It is good to know Frank is only a phone call away.

I will highlight two Branch 35 activist/volunteers. They are Branch 36 First Vice-President/Treasurer John Springman and shop steward Mike Kelly. Both live in the 19th Congressional District where we had a Congresswoman with a 0% voting record for the letter carrier issues. This situation attested to the fact that it was time for a change. They worked the phone bank in their district go get out the vote. Their efforts paid off. We now have a good worker and family friendly Congressmen Hall to represent District 19 and vote the right way on letter carrier issues. Kudos go ouyt to John and Mike! You made a difference!

Our Dinner Dance Committee consisting of Chairman Cleve Morgan, Harold Hillard, Tony Ortiz, Winfred Jenkins, Geraldine Dekind and Lorraine Alicea did an outstanding job. They are all hired for next year.

Before the dancing started and after the cocktail hour, Frank was praised by NALC President Bill Young, NALC President Emeritus Vince Sombrotto, NALC Director of Safety and Health Brian Hellman, USPS District Manager Vinnie Malloy, and Bronx Postmaster Tony Rosario. Frank also received praise and plaques from his fellow Branch 36 officers, Oscar Garcia Rivera Station carriers and Triborough Station carriers.

When it was Franks turn to thank everyone, he proudly introduced his family. He called up his five young grandsons to the dance floor. He introduced his son Jim and daughters Maryann and Annmarie. He then introduced his lovely wife Rosemary who was presented with a bouquet of roses from the Branch.

We not only had all our neighboring region 15 Branches in attendence, but also branches from California (Br. 1100 and 24), Massachusetts (branch 25), Connecticut (Branch 60 and 363) and upstate New York (Branch 358). Frank is well respected in the NALC. A few branches that did not make it to our Dinner Dance placed ads in our Dinner Dance Journal.

Shop Steward Awad Mikhael, who is from Egypt, surprised all in attendance by booking a bellydancer. The bellydance had Frank sit in a chair in the center of the dance floor surounded by dinner dance participants as she danced in his honor. I never saw Frank smile so broadly. Good job Awad.

The Health Benefits Plan is open from November 13th to December 11th and Flexible Spending Account is open from November 13th to December 31th.

Many letter carrier are changing over to the NALC Health Benefit Plan during this open season. They realize that they are paying way to much in health benefit premiums when they could not only save money by only paying $60.85 for the entire family, but also recive more benefits. Why is any carrier paying more then $60.85 in health benefit premiums per pay period?

The NALC Health Plan is a paperless plan, has a small co-pay for office visits in the network and has a small yearly deductible. Carrier have told me that they don't like the $250.00 a year deductible, but then I tell them that the money that they will be saving in health benefit premiums far outweigh the cost of the deductible. Most then say that they are used to their doctor. I tell them to ask their doctor if they are members of the First Health Network which is the NALC PPO Network. Nine out of ten doctors are in the First Health Network or are will to join to get more patients.

Some 2007 highlight are: annual routine physical exams are now covered: Well Child Care up to age 3, has no charge when using the PPO network: for routine childholod immunization up to the age 22 there is no charge when using the PPO network: for maternity care there is no charge, not even a deductible when you use the network which includes in-patient facility care, related to the delivery of a newborn: chiropractic care is now covered. They have also enhanced services and preferred retail prescription network.

Why pay more than $60.85 as an active letter carrier to cover you and your family members and why pay more than $257.77 as a retired letter carrier cover you and your spouse?

Look over all aspects of the NALC Health Plan and I am sure you will also join.

I did see Matty last week at the Retiree Brunch where Vince Sombrotto presented him with his 60-year NALC member pin. Matty looks great. After receiving his pin, Matty told the gathering a joke. It was very funny.

By not having many retirees as convention delegates this year, we had many first time delegates. On the first day you could see in their eyes that overwhelmed look. There were over 9,000 delegates at the convention. Two exciting things happened involving Branch 36. They were 1.) Branch 36 won the award for having contributed the most money to C.O.L.C.P.E. since the last convemtion in 2004, and 2.) the delegates made a motion to name the NALC Headquarters Building in Washington D.C. the Vincent R. Sombrotto Building. The motion was passed unanimously. At this time Vince has three buildings named in his honor. Branch 36 headquarters is named the the Vincent R. Sombrotto Building, and in Nalcrest, Florida their sports complex is named the the Vincent R. Sombrotto Sports Complex. It is an honor well deserved.

Branch 36 Family Picnic

Two issues ago I asked for more participation. I am pleased with the turnout at this year's picnic; we had over 1200 carriers with their family members. All had plenty to eat, and fun was had by all.

We were honored to have the Metro Area Good Will Ambassador for MDA Ulysses Quintana, Jr. attend. Ulysses attended with his Mom,.and aunt, and cousins. Ulysses is 13 years-old and is wheelchair bound, due to limb-girdle muscular dystrophy. Many shop stewards and carriers were happy to meet Ulysses. They said now that they can put a face on M.D.A. their fund-raising will be put into higher gear next year. Ulysses and his family were happy to be in photos with carriers. Many of these photos are in this issue.

Labor Day Telethon

Labor Day was a proud day for me along with 13 carriers from Branch 36. We participated in the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon. I, along with shop stewards Tony Ortiz and Mike Perdomo, were on camera handing over a check for $21,626.00. We tripled the amount that we handed in last year. Thanks go out to Maria Rodriguez, Julissa Martinez, Sylvia Girau, Onorinda, Alexis' and Helen Amill, John Mooney, Carmen Flores, Sonny Guadalupe, and Ernie Twomley for answering the phones at the telethon.

Branch 36 is blessed with a huge pool of volunteers. The above carriers always say yes when asked to volunteer.

We got to see Ulysses at the telethon studio on Labor Day. He looked all grown up with his shirt and tie. Ulysses thanked all letter carriers for all their fund-raising efforts.

Our Bowl-a-thon brought in over $4,000.00 for Muscular Dystrophy Association. Our campaign to send Jerry's kids to camp for a week this summer has netted over $9,000.00 to date. On July 15th we will go over the $10,000.00 mark with the proceeds from our no-limit Texas Hold'em Tournament. Job well-done! This will pay for close to 17 kids to attend camp - $600.00 for each kid

Our 30th Annual Dinner-Dance will take place on Sunday, November 5,2006at the Marina Del Rey in the Bronx. We were able to keep the ticket price at $70.00 a person.

Congratulations go out to our four scholkship winners. Their names are printed in this issue of the Outlook. Two of our scholarship recipients, Emily Chan and Winnie Du attended our quarterly shop steward seminar on June 27th to receive their scholarship certificates.

Frank has appointed Joe Ramos to the position of Director of Retirees. Joe has actually worked here at Branch 36 headquarters since his retirement from Planetarium Station. Joe is also an elected member of the Credit Committee for Empire Branch 36 Credit Union. Joe addressed the shop stewards at the quarterly seminar and said it will be very hard to fill the shoes of Pat Lucus and A1 Marino, but will try his best. Joe also asked all stewards to talk to carriers getting ready to retire and let them know that they have to sign Form 1189 to remain in the NALC as a member. He also reminded them that a retired member pays only $2.00 per month in dues. Frank also appointed Anibal (known as Sonny) Guadalupe, to the position of Scholarship Chairman. Sonny was on hand to present the scholarship certificates to the recipients. Congratulations to Joe and Sonny. I look forward to working with both men in their new positions. They are both dedicated to the members of Branch 36.

These are all preventable write-ups. Two of them are violations of state law. No cell phones may be used while driving, and you must wear seat belts while driving, according to state law.

Management is out in the street looking for violations. The postal truck seat belts are a bright orange in color for a reason. It is easier to see by a passerby, such as a supervisor.

Safety is a joint responsibility of the NALC and postal management. We both want to see carriers go home at the end of the business day in one piece, and safe. Some people think that they don't have to wear a seat belt if they are going a block or two. Realize that you could be sitting at a red light and be rammed by a car behind you. Without a seat belt on, you could possibly go through the windshield when being rammed from behind. A seatbelt could prevent injury. Please wear your seat belt, as well as close the doors and don't use your cell phone while driving. If you need to answer a call or make one due to an emergency, pull over safely, park the truck, and answer or make the call.

Pat started working at Branch 36 headquarters in 1996 in our grievance office. Shop Stewards would call Pat for grievance numbers and advice on how to handle a grievance. Still others would call Pat to "shoot the breeze." Pat was an esteem builder. He never put down a shop steward for making a mistake. Instead, Pat would make , suggestions as to how to make a case better. Pat's academic training brought about the nurturing and use of such skills which he finessed while teaching at St. Vincent Ferrer High School.

Whenever the subject of family came up in conversation with Pat, you could see the love and pride that he felt for his family. As I have said many times, I have never met a nicer person than Pat's wife Barbara. She always wears a smile and has a nice thing to say. I was honored to attend the 50th wedding anniversary ceremony and party of Pat and Barbara. Prior to this party, I met Pat's son, P.J. and daughters Patsy and Barbara. I met Pat's three other daughters Mary, Jean, and Linda at the party. All I can say is. what a wonderful family. I remember thinking, "This is how a family should be."

After Al Marino's death last year, Pat was appointed by Frank to be the Branch 36 Director of Retirees. Such a title was not important to Pat. He was simply dedicated to Branch 36. Pat was usually the first or second person to arrive at Branch 36 in the morning. When the phone was not ringing, Pat read the New York Times. Pat was an avid reader. He always had a book in his hand as he ate his lunch.

I will miss conversing with Pat. Those conversations were usually enlightening. I usually walked away saying, "Hey, I didn't think of that." Pat liked being the devil's advocate, that is, a person who champions the less accepted cause for the sake of argument. which made the conversation lively and more thought invoking. For example, if I blamed something on a past Republican president, Pat would say something like, "...but there was a Democratic Congress that allowed it ..."

As I said before. Pat was very proud of his family. He was also proud of being Catholic and having been a member of the U.S. Marine Corps. Semper Fidelis. Always Faithful. In my opinion. Pat would not want people sitting around being sad about his passing. He'd rather have people making a toast in his honor. Here's to you Pat. Rest in peace.

Bill Young gave a power point presentation to our stewards and officers,bringing everyone up-to-date on postal reform legislation as well as issues and concerns about contract negotiations which will take place at the end of this year with the U.S. Postal Service.

Bill said he would be very surprised if we didn't have postal reform by the end of this congressional term. He also said that his team is fully prepared for contract negotiations. He reminded everyone that he learned from the best, Vince Sombrotto.

After sharing information and answering questions, Bill presented Vince with his 60-year pin. Presidents from neighboring branches arrived and joined in the applause. The respect and admiration that Bill has for Vince is clearly evident. Vince received a standing ovation after thanking everyone for the many years of support. I never tire of hearing Vince's inspiring words and anecdotes. He is definitely one of a kind.

In the last issue of "The Outlook," I wrote about Branch 36's effort to send Jerry Lewis' kids to M.D.A. summer camp for a week this summer. I am so proud of the response. Some of the activities that several stations have done and are doing is spellbinding. Cathedral Station is collecting the loose change carriers have each day and are close to sending two kids to camp. It costs $600.00 to send a kid to camp. They also received a check from a supervisor for $600.00. To send a third kid to camp, Central Parcel Post Facility has collected money from carriers. Church Street Station has placed canisters in businesses and is close to sending a kid to camp. Oscar Garcia Rivera Station had a softball game where they sold T-shirts which netted $1200.00, and a carrier's dart team raised another $600.00. That's three kids from O.G.R. Shop Steward Rudy Braxton from College Station came up with the idea for a bowl-a-thon in the new bowling alley in Harlem. Manhattanville and Murray Hill stations have signed on with bowling teams. How about a team from your station? Each team means another kid goes to camp. Branch 36 officers will also have a team. We have been selling shamrocks at every Branch 36 membership and shop steward's meetings. We have green shamrocks for $5.00, gold shamrocks for $10.00 and platinum shamrocks for $25.00. Once someone buys a shamrock, their name is placed on it and displayed on our meeting hall's walls. Do you have a shamrock with your name on it hanging up in the Percy T, McRae Meeting Hall? I think we are up to two more kids so far.

This Send a Kid To Camp campaign will end in June, so please participate and send your donations to Branch 36.

Besides the Bowl-a-thon on June Ist, we have our Branch 36 day at Shea Stadium. We have discounted tickets which are also subsidized by Branch 36 for Sunday, June 18th which is Father's Day, so take your Dad and family to Shea and watch the Mets play Baltimore. The tickets are in the upper reserve between home plate and first base. The price of $7.00 includes the ticket, a T-shirt and a Mets trinket.

On Sunday July 30th, we have our Annual Family Picnic in FDR State Park. Last year over 600Branch 36 members and their families were in attendance. The cost to you is the price to park, which is $6.00 per car. Branch 36 supplies the hamburgers, hot dogs, smoked sausage, corn on the cob, water, soda, watermelon, and more. Come out and meet your fellow members and their families. You will find out how much we have in common with each other, such as how many members have kids graduating from college as I do. My son is graduating from Manhattan College on May 21st. As proud as I am to share this, you are too. So come participate and share.

Mario retired in 1995 from the position of Regional Administrative Assistant for Region 15. Mario has had health problems for the last three years.

I met Mario in the early eighties when I became involved in Branch 36 matters. Mario was the Recording Secretary of Branch 36 at the time.

Listening to Mario give reports at General Membership Meetings and reading his articles in The Outlook convinced me to become a more active participant in Branch 36, and get elected as Shop Steward of FDR Station. Everyone needs someone whom they can strive to be like - a role model to emulate. Mario was that person for me. I still enjoy reading Mario's articles in The Outlook from years ago. When I became Executive Vice-president, a position which Mario also occupied, Mario was one of the first people I called for advice. Mario was always there whenever I needed him. I am also fortunate to know Mario's wife Nan. Nan accompanied Mario to Branch 36 Dinner-Dances and some Conventions. I met Mario's children and grandchildren at his retirement party in 1995. His grandchildren are adults now. One of his granddaughters shared her beautiful voice with everyone when she sang at her grandfather's funeral mass.

I miss Mario already and will continue to do so for years to come. Rest in peace Mario.

There are many members of Branch 36 who called and made a pledge during the Jerry Lewis Telethon on Labor Day. Instead, I am asking that you send that donation to Branch 36; we will consolidate our donations and use these donations to send as many as possible of Jerry's Kids to summer camp for a week. It costs $600.00 to send a kid to camp. Continue to make your check payable to M.D.A. We will send all the donations to M.D.A. as a group. When you send your donation to Branch 36, include the station that you work in or retired from.

We have asked all Shop Stewards to get involved and collect donations from their fellow carriers in their respective stations as well as family members. The stations with the highest collections will have the opportunity to send a representative from that station to visit the M.D.A. Summer Camp to see the smiles on the faces of Jeny's Kids. Please help!

Branch 36 officers attended a labor management meeting in December, where this problem was raised by us. Upper management attending this meeting agreed with us that no carrier should be working lunch andlor breaks.

If carriers are working through their lunch for nothing, they are probably working through their ten minute wash-up prior to lunch and their afternoon ten minute rest break and personal breaks. If you add up lunch and breaks, you are working close to an hour without pay and credit to your route. This means you are giving up an hour of overtime pay. This also means that your route is a nine-hour route; not an eight-hour route. How long do you think your body is going to allow you to do nine hours work in eight hours?

By doing your nine-hour route in eight hours, you are proving that the supervisor's D.O.I.S. projections are correct. The supervisor is not going to input in D.O.I.S. that you are working through your lunch and breaks. Your supervisor is only going to squeeze to get more work out of you.

Don't think that I don't know the pressures put on carriers, such as if you don't get back on time, you can't have that day off you put in for. It has to stop. Carriers work hard enough with all the responsibilities delivering mail. Carriers should only be willing to do eight hours work in eight hours, not nine hours work in eight hours and not seven hours in eight hours.

Therefore, when you submit Form 3996 for auxiliary help or overtime, and it is denied, tell the supervisor to come out to the street with you and tellyou how to deliver the mail to be back on time. If they refuse, call the station if you can't complete your deliveries on time. If the supervisor tells you to complete the deliveries but it is unauthorized overtime, and a write up comes, we will grieve it, or if you are afraid to get back late because your supervisor will intimidate you, then a grievance should be filed to have you paid for working through your'lunch and a grievance for the violation of the Joint Statement on Violence and Behavior in the Workdace. It is a violation of this Joint Statement when a supervisor "bullies or intimidates" a carrier into doing something illegal. The Joint Statement reads, "...there is no excuse for and will be no tolerance of harassment, intimidation, threats, or bullying by anyone.. ." Bullying a carrier into working through their lunch is illegal. Write a statement and give it to your shop steward so he or she can file grievances.

When we met with upper management in December, I suggested a joint letter to be sent to all stations condemning working through lunches and breaks. I am still waiting for the letter to sign.

NALC E-ACTIVISTS

Postal Reform Legislation could be acted upon as early as February, 2006. The NALC may need all "E-Activists" ready to send E-mails to Senators and the House of Representatives on a moment's notice. The only way this can be done is if the NALC has your E-mail address. We, Branch 36, has over 2100 "E-Activists" signed up, but only 900 have given E-mail addresses. If you haven't received E-mails from the NALC concerning legislation, then the NALC does not have your E-mail address.

I ask not only those already signed up but those members who never signed up to go to Branch 36's website www.nylcbr36.org and click onto the Legislative button which will place you on the Legislative page, then click onto the red box at the top left-hand corner of the Legislative page which states: sign up to become an E-Activist. By doing so, you will be connected directly to the NALCys E-Activist page. Once you are on this page you can either update your E-Activist information or sign up as an E-Activist. The NALC does not sell or distribute your E-mail address. It is only used to send you vital information on pending legislation. Please update by giving your E-mail address or sign up as a NALC E-activist. We have over 6500 members. We should have more than 2 100 E-activists. Your family can also sign up.

Prior to this new bidding process, residual vacancies were filled using three methods: 1) assigning unassigned regulars, 2) converting part-time flexibles to regular status, and assigning them, or 3) during the three open season transfer periods, assigning regular carriers with transfer requests for the stations that have the residual vacancies. Looking at those three methods,you would think that there shouldn't be a problem,

Now residual vacancies for Manhattan will be posted in all Manhattan stations and Bronx vacancies will be posted in all Bronx stations bimonthly (or monthly) for a period of ten days. Carriers have to bid electronically by phone or computer kiosk. When using either method, you must have your personal identification number (PIN).

We had our first installation wide residual vacancy bidding period in October. It was a huge success. We have over twenty regulars in Manhattan and around twelve in the Bronx move into residual vacancies in stations other than their own. PTFs were scheduled to be converted to regular status to fill the remaining residual vacancies and new residual vacancies were scheduled to be posted again on November 14th, but both had to be put on hold until November 25th because we received a Memorandum of Understanding signed on a national level dated 11/8/05.

This national M.O.U. instructed all postal districts to hold all residual vacancies to be utilized by letter carriers impacted by Hurricane Katrina. This M.O.U. has the residual vacancies held until November 25th, which is the end of a voluntary transfer period for those carriers from the Gulf Coast who no longer have carrier jobs to go to. Our M.O.U. for residual vacancies should continue after November 25th.

Wash-Up Grievence
On November 7th, an arbitrator heard testimony from Branch 36 witnesses. There will be at least one more day of union witnesses and probably two days for management witnesses. The arbitrator heard testimony from Regional Administrative Assistant Bruce Didriksen, NALC President Emeritus Vince Sombrotto, and Branch 36 Director of City Delivery Harold Hillard. We are now waiting for the three dates on which we will continue the testimony.

Defensive Driving Class
Branch 36 officers were successful in negotiating with the Empire Safety Council to offer Defensive Driving Classes at a reasonable price. This is a sixhour class covering all aspects of driving. Upon completion of this class, you receive a certificate which you can use to obtain a 10% reduction in auto liability insurance and a reduction in points in New York State.

We have had two classes to date with good attendance. We plan to offer this class quarterly. The next class will be on Sunday, January 29, 2006 from 10:OO a.m. to 4:00 p.m. It will be held in the Branch 36 Meeting Hall, 347 West 41st Street. The reduced tuition rate is $30.00 per person. The tuition must be paid ahead of time by money order made payable to: The Empire Safety Council. There were ten carriers who paid to attend the November 6th class, but did not show bp. They may attend the January 29th class instead. First come, first served. We will limit fhe classes to 75 participants.

Branch 36 Dinner Dance
Many thanks go out to our Dinner Dance Committee. Cleve Morgan has been the chairman for many years. His committee members this year were Winfred Jenkins from FDR station, Mike Kelly from Cooper station, Eneida Negron from Grand Central station, Onorinda Amill from Parkchester and Doris Sharpe from Times Square. This year's Dinner Dance was one of our biggest, with over 500 partyers. The food was great. The music kept the dance floor full the entire time. Our dinner dance is a microcosm of the Postal Service, with a diverse group of people sharing a great time. I already look forward to next year.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!

A1 went to the hospital for shortness of breath. He said he had every possible test on his heart and chest. The tests didn't reveal the problem.

Al helped many retirees with retirement problems as well as members of the NALC Health Plan. His abilities were noticed on a national level and he was appointed as a permanent member of the NALC retirement committee. One of his duties on this committee was to write an article a few times a year for the Postal , Record. Al loved writing articles because he wanted to keep members informed.

Al's duties at Branch 36 were many, which was the way he wanted it. Besides working with retirees, he was in charge of Safety and Health, and Chairman of the Branch 36 Scholarships. When Dom Sicilian could no longer travel to Branch 36 headquarters to take care of the eyeglass vouchers, Al stepped up and sent out checks to Branch 36 members.

Al attended as many Branch 36 and NALC functions as possible. He seldom missed a Convention or Congressional Breakfast. Al and his lovely lady friendmGinger were fixtures at Branch 36 Dinner-Dances. Our dinner dance always starts out with a Lindy, which was Al's favorite dance. It was everyone's perception that Al really enjoyed life.

The respect that Al received from his fellow officers, shop stewards, and members was very evident by the attendance at Al's wake and funeral. Many retirees called the Branch upset because they weren't told. We called everyone for whom we had phone numbers. It would have been impossible to get a mailing to all retirees in time for Al's funeral. I am sure that Al is more than happy with the amount of attendees. , Al leaves behind daughter Janice, son-in-law and two grandsons as well as a sister and brother, and of course, Ginger. Attending this year's Retiree Brunch in a couple of weeks will be very difficult without Al being there.

This summer we also had a State Convention and a National Rap Session. Delegates at the State Convention elected a new president, George Mangold from Branch 357. L.I.C. Frank was elected as State Treasurer and John was elected as a board member representing Hudson Valley District. We weren't sure if the Rap Session would happen because of Hurricane Katrina. The Rap Session took place in Hollywood, Florida. Hurricane Katrina hit Hollywood as a Category 1 hurricane on Thursday. Many flights were canceled on Thursday and Friday. The NALC rescheduled Friday night's reception to Saturday evening. Only 50 rooms were canceled by those who made reservations. The classes on Saturday and Rap Sessionon Sunday were well attended.

Our hearts to out to our fellow Americans on the gulf coast In Hurricane Katrina's destructive path. Many stations are making collections and are asking who to donate to. The NALC recomends donating to Postal Employee Relief Fund, which gives postal employees and retirees grants to rebuild after Mother Nature's wrath. This fund does not give emergency grants. To donate to emergency relief, you need to donate to the Salvation Army, Red Cross. or other such relief agencies. If approved by the members attending the September Membership Meeting, Branch 36 will be making a donation. I am sure they will approve.