I still hear, "I am not going to help management. I hate management." My answer is, "I'd rather work with someone I hate than be on the unemployment line with someone I love." I also hear, "What is the Union doing about it? Why can't they help?" Remember President John Kennedy once said, "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country." I'm telling you to stop asking what the Union can do for you. Ask what you can do for your Union. Remember, you are one of those who make up the Union, each and every member. The time to get off the sidelines and into the game is now. Just being a Union member is not enough anymore.

Orlando Gonzalez, our Editor and chief Customer Connect Coordinator said, "We are not looking for a carrier to do something great. We need carriers to do something good, and together we will achieve greatness."

We can achieve greatness one lead at a time. What can you do for your Union? Get a lead.

The current letter carrier community must find a way to maintain respect and honor those that laid the groundwork for all we have. We must also look at their incredible accomplishments and use it to let everyone know that together anything is possible. I feel an enormous amount of gratitude for these men and women who put themselves on the line to give me all I have today. In Vinny's speech he simply said, "If you have a strike veteran in your station or in your family or if you know one, just walk up to him or her and say thank you." As easy as this is to do, I would like all of us to do one more thing. I would like the current generation to really consider what our legacy will be. The great history that these men and women made for us will never be surpassed. But a lesson that can be learned here is that whatever the future holds for us, we can get through it together. Many believe that they have to do something great to be noticed. I believe that if everyone does something good then no one person has to do something great and together we will all be noticed. After listening to all the veterans who spoke, I realized something else. I realized that what I saw in them was changing. In their frailty I saw stature, in their gray hair I saw experience, and lastly in their age I saw our history.

For those of us that will be blessed enough to reach our golden years, we must really consider what our legacy will be, because before you know it the next generation will be pointing their fingers at us and whispering, "Who's the old guy?"

* Thank you to all my brothers and sisters for spending some time with me. Please forgive and allow my use of literary license to refer to my sisters in unionism as "guys". THANK YOU to all that took part in the wildcat strike in March, 1970. Happy 40th anniversary.

The U.S. Postal Service is experiencing unprecedented times. History has taught us that unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures. Employees of this service must keep in mind that we do not manufacture goods nor are we in the business of creating anything. We do however provide the service that allows different companies to get their goods to their destinations.

That’s it in a nutshell. We are in the business of moving things from point “A” to point “B”. Our bread and butter throughout the years has been letters and flats. The biggest threat to our business is the decrease of, guess what? Yes, letters and flats.

Whether it’s caused by the economy or by companies just wanting to go green, this situation needs to be, pardon the pun, addressed.

The NALC and the U.S. Postal Service have been working together to come up with ideas to cut costs and increase revenue. Two programs that were developed and are worked on jointly are MIARAP and Customer Connect. If these programs are understood and appeased by all employees we will be more at ease with our future. Knowing that your union is involved with these programs should put your minds at rest. We should all understand by now that for anything to work, the union must be involved. With your union involved, you will get the best deal available.

Most letter carriers are familiar with MIARAP (route adjustment). The reason why this program is necessary is not always understood. As mail volume declines, route territory will increase. In essence, the less mail you have, the more street work you can do. This is why your union asks all employees to not only work hard, but also more importantly, WORK SMART!

Another program that we have is Customer Connect. This program uses the letter carriers’ relationships with their customers to generate new revenue. We are mostly targeting small packages but can assist with all types of mailing needs. This does not require letter carriers to become salespeople. All you need to do is point out businesses on or off your route (at least one a month) fill out a lead card, give it to your station coordinator and you’re done. When this program started as a “pilot program” a few years ago, it was a proverbial “shot in the dark”. Because of the effort put forth by letter carriers across the country, it is now a fully staffed operation. Every station in the city has their own dedicated salesperson. Through this program, we can do three very important things.

They are:
1) We can save our customers money. We are the most cost effective.
2) With more packages to deliver, it will increase street time.
3) Every dollar that is generated can be tracked. The importance of each one of these three items should not be underestimated. I will touch briefly on the third.

With the ability to actually see the amount of new revenue generated through this program, it can be used as a bargaining chip during contract negotiations. One of the issues that always rears its ugly head, is the ability to give contractual increases due to lack of funds. With this program we can say the revenue is there because we put it there.

We started this program to find a way to survive. The recent feedback and accomplishments of our efforts allows me to say confidently that we should be looking to thrive. Management has fully backed this program together with the NALC. As employees, we should all look to prosper together with Customer Connect because at the end of the day, whether it’s through contract negotiations or parity pay, we will all be winners.

Since the start of this program, we have never had a station in Manhattan or the Bronx reach the million dollar mark. Some said it might be possible in Manhattan but never in the Bronx. Many people even went as far as to say that we were wasting our time in the Bronx. I am happy to say that the first station expected to reach that milestone is in the Bronx. So, on behalf of all involved and all soon to be involved, I would like to say thank you to Parkchester station for showing us all how well this could work. To all who will benefit from this continued effort, but for whatever reason have not participated, I’d like to say stop procrastinating and get with the program!

The U.S. Postal Service has its own version of givers and takers. I know firsthand, especially during the rapidly approaching holiday season, that the majority of letter carriers throughout this city are givers. I have seen and participated in many efforts to do things for the less fortunate, from MDA to the food drive to individual station collections for turkeys on Thanksgiving or even cash collections for holiday gifts for needy children. I consider myself a giver as should any of those who participate in these efforts. It is to the givers and those that wish to become givers that I dedicate this article.

First of all, on behalf of all that receive, I would like to give you my sincerest thanks. I have seen my share of the recipients of some of these efforts and know that it is greatly needed and appreciated. With that said I'm going to talk to you about a gift that has been made available to you, yet many of you have not opened said gift. The gift I speak of is "knowledge of the carrier craft."

All of you need to make yourselves familiar with how the decisions that effect your craft get made. You also should understand the rights that carriers have. When you read and understand about the extraordinary effort put forth to give us all we have, you will know why I refer to it as a gift.

Your union has individuals in the past and present, who've dedicated their lives to making this job more comfortable. They have made it so comfortable that many people think that we have all we have just because it was somehow "comin' to us." I know that many of these issues take place away from your work floors but by no means does that mean that the information is not available to you. Never let it become out of sight out of mind.

To give you a small part of this gift I will touch on our salaries for a moment. In the not so distant past, during my lifetime, letter carriers made three dollars an hour. This was considered top pay and was received after 25 years of service. Letter carriers applied for and received food stamps! This may seem unthinkable now but it is absolutely true. As you familiarize yourself with this and other remarkable achievements, you will also accept their efforts as a gift.

Keep in mind that everything we have has been fought for. Letter carriers get nothing for free. Even though many of us had nothing to do with the actual fight, we are all reaping the benefits of this gift. We owe a debt of gratitude to all those who fought the fight and made the workplace a lot more tolerable and comfortable.

As you open this gift, please remember that it comes with a huge responsibility. This gift was put there by letter carriers just like us and it is up to letter carriers just like us to make it better.

Our responsibility is not to get too comfortable with what we currently have. Conformity can be the enemy of progress. If you're interested in the particulars of this gift and want to make it better, a good place to start is at our websites.

An amazing amount of useful information is available to you on our websites. Our history, our current battles as well as our future plans, are there for all to see.

As a shop steward and hearing officer the part of this incredible gift that I use most is the j-cam. It is also viewable on our websites. It is by far the best tool available to protect carrier rights. I use it to protect carriers almost every single day.

It is because of this gift that we can do all we do for our family, friends, loved ones and those who are less fortunate.

So without further delay, enjoy my gift to you www.nyclbr36.org and www.na1c.org. This gift will go on giving, and please brothers and sisters, open and use them with care. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Ahhh yes, summertime. For me it conjures up images of beautiful beaches, picture-perfect sunsets, barbecues, and of course, festivals and music. I love music. Music has always played an integral part in shaping this country no matter what the season is.

There are people who say it may have even helped stop the war back in the seventies. Whether it was doo-wop in the fifties portraying a nation's innocence, the hippie movement of the sixties glorifying freestyle living, disco music and the drug culture it created, rap music giving a voice to the inner cities of the eighties, grunge doing the same for a generation in the nineties and so on. I'm sure you agree with me that music has always been a sign of the times we live in.

This concept inspired me to come up with the letter carriers top ten Songs of the year. Bear with me, please stay till the end. Here they are: #lO.'The U.S. Postal Service Is In Trouble", #9 "The U.S. Postal Service Is Going To A 5-Day
Workweek", #8 "The U.S. Postal Service Can't Make Payroll", #7 "The U.S. Postal Service Is Going To Go Private", #6 "The U.S. Postal Service Is Considering To Take Our Overtime", #4 "All The Union Wants Is Money", #3 'The Union Is Full Of Thieves", #2 "The Union Came To My Station And Messed Up My Route", and of course, who can forget the classic and my favorite.. .drum roll please! #1 "The Union does nothing for me" if you know the words to any of these songs, feel free to sing along.

I don't mean any disrespect to our current economic crisis. I. also don't wish to make light of anyone in the U.S. Postal Service who has been affected by the Postal "cutbacks." The truth is that this is not, by any means the first time the U.S. Postal Service has been in trouble and it will probably not be the last. Every problem in the U.S.P.S. is unprecedented. As an optimist I don't believe in problems, I only believe in situations we haven't found the solutions to yet. Letter cimiers
have always prevailed and I believe we will prevail again. Letter carriers have always prevailed by getting and staying involved. Far too many letter carriers are standing in the background waiting for their futlures to be handed to them If you do not get involved and do not like the result, you're doing yourself an injustice.There is no one person that makes decisions. What is real is that you have individuals who have dedicated their lives to upholding the contract and make every day a better day for letter carriers across this country. So please indulge me with your patience and open mindedness as we embark on this journey to my idea of the problem.

The most difficult thing for any person to do is to take ownership of their shortcomings. It is also the most liberating. I often speak to letter carriers and understand that not everyone has the time to read and understand the contract and, nine times out of ten all letter carriers are asking for is knowledge.

So what now? How do I get liberated? The first step is to stop pointing fingers and get involved. I'm going to give you.a formula that I'm sure will work. It's not a new phrase but I'm going to tailor it for us. The phrase I am referring to is "Lead, follow or get out of the way."

LEAD-Every station in the city has an elected or appointed shop steward. The duties of a shop steward are very challenging. It is necessary for Letter Carriers to support their reps and demand that these duties are carried out. In my opinion shop stewards have the most difficult and thankless job in the U.S. Postal Service ... and believe it or not that's only if they're doing their jobs right! It is their responsibility to attend meetings and share all the information with you. It is also incumbent upon them to adhere to all rules and regulations regarding the letter carrier craft. For the most part shop stewards in this city do a great job and deserve their titles. But as with anything else there have been and might be some people who have sought positions for affluence rather than influence. The title, responsibility, and trust that are bestowed on an individidual to represent a station are to be accepted with the utmost.respect.

I am proud to say that Branch 36 has always been informative, supportive, and steadfast in its ability to handle adversity. This Union gives me the confidence to say that we will get the best we can, whenever we can, for all letter carriers.

FOLLOW-Granted not everyone has ability or time to make the sacrifices required to be a Union Rep. however the support of your rep. is just as important. Get involved with the many efforts your union puts forth. Ask questions and understand why your union is making these efforts.Attend general membership meetings whenever possible. These meetings are filled with information. These meetings are also the forums to ask questions and get the right answers to all your concerns. Check and double-check your information to be sure it's right. Accuracy of information is crucial. Follow the negotiations that affect your future. Understand the way decisions that affect your future get made. You are a letter carrier and part of the greatest union in this country. Educate yourself. Visit nalc.org. Any union, like a chain, is only as strong as its weakest link. Don't be that link because then you will know what it feels like when someone points their finger at you and blames you for a change.

Our future is way too important to let it be handed to us. Think for a moment what could have happened to us had the strikers of 1970 not taken their stand. That great moment in history was started by a group of letter carriers just like you. What's more is that it actually started right here in this city, in this branch no less. These individuals changed the labor movement forever. They were not trying to make history they understood the injustice and figured that if they didn't do something they themselves would be history. As with anything in life there are only two real choices, you can be part of the solution or you can be part of the problem. I understand that individuals are entitled to their opinions and although personally I don't agree with the views of every letter carrier I've represented, I will always represent all letter carriers to the best of my ability. This union has taught me a very valuable lesson. We represent everyone to the best of our ability because at the end of the day we are all brothers and sisters, some of us just understand the process a little better. Taking the high road with these individuals is easy because the highroad is filled with letter carriem and reps. just like me. especially in this branch.

In conclusion I would just like to put all letter carriers on notice. It is our time. What will your legacy be? How are you going to make a difference? Since we started our little moment here with music analogies, I'm going to refer to a song to all of you and at the same time pay homage to a fallen pop-icon. It wasn't his greatest hit, but this song answers all the questions when it comes to making real change. The song is "Man in the Mirror," and the artist was Michael Jackson. You'can YouTube it, buy it, do whatever you need to do to really listen to it. It will show you where that constant finger of blame that keeps being extended outward really belongs. After that, make a decision, a true decision, a professional decision; that will potentially affect your families and loved ones for years to come. The question you need to ask yourself is as follows; am I going to lead, follow or get out the way? YOU DECIDE.
Until next time, I wish you all health, wealth and happiness.

As a branch representative, I have been given the honor to visit and speak in all 72 of our stations. I welcome this opportunity for many reasons, but mostly because I get to see how the many different managers, supervisor and shop stewards take care of their business in their respective stations.

One station in particular that I couldn't wait to visit was Hellgate. One of the reasons I looked forward to visit this particular station was because as strong as Cathedral's fundraising capabilities are, Hellgate is constantly either a close second or even surpass us at times. To my great surprise, as it turns out they were matching or beating Cathedral's efforts with half the amount of letter carriers. Kudos to the 67 carriers in Hellgate. Amazing work! It brought to mind the saying that it's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog. Also that it's never what you give, but that you give that is important.

If you are not familiar with all your union does for you and even more so for the community, I suggest you visit our website at nylcbr36.org. Any union is only as strong as its membership and every great journey starts with a first step. So if you have a little time or you are willing to put forth a little effort why not give it to the NALC, an organization that has always put letter carriers first, throughout its history. Believe it or not, you already took your first small step. You took the time to read this article. It proves that when it comes to your participation, at least in this case, size doesn't matter.

Until next time brothers and sisters, enjoy your summer and I hope to see you at the picnic or at Citifield.