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William H. Young, president of the 300,000-member National Association of Letter Carriers, today issued the following statement regarding the shooting death today in Pompano Beach, Florida of retired letter carrier Paul Rein. Rein, who became a sheriff’s deputy for the Broward County Sheriff’s Department, was slain while transporting a prisoner to court:

“It is shocking to learn of the tragic shooting death of NALC retired member Paul Rein as he performed his regular law enforcement duties in transporting a prisoner for the Broward County Sheriff’s Department.

Brother Rein had a lengthy career as a letter carrier in New York and Florida before retiring from the Postal Service in 1987. Soon thereafter, he joined the Broward County Sheriff’s Department, but has remained a member of our union.

On behalf of NALC’s 300,000 active and retired members, I extend our deepest sympathies to his family and friends during this period of mourning.”

source: National Association of Letter Carriers

Related link: Slain deputy had left postal service at 55 to begin second career

“Don’t you dare let them take this election away from you,” Bill Clinton told more than 3,000 APWU members in a spirited, wide-ranging speech to the union’s All-Craft Conference Nov. 5 in Las Vegas.

The former president urged postal workers to help choose leaders who will tackle our biggest problems at home and abroad, and told them we will solve the problems of the 21st Century only when we recognize that “our common humanity is more important than our differences.”

“This is a really big election,” Clinton said. “We saw what happened in the last seven years. We made decisions in elections based on trivial matters.” He reminded the audience that Al Gore was ridiculed in 2000 for being stiff; that decorated Vietnam veteran and 2004 presidential candidate John Kerry was “Swift-Boated;” and that Sen. Max Cleland (D-GA) — who lost three limbs in Vietnam — was defeated in 2002 amid charges that he was “soft on terror” because he tried to preserve collective bargaining rights for Homeland Security Department workers. (The infamous Georgia campaign ads compared Cleland to Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein.)

“This election belongs to you, and to your children, and to the future of America,” Clinton told APWU members. “Don’t be divided,” he cautioned. “Our best days are still ahead. Claim them.”

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- Click here to download President Clinton’s speech including brief introductory remarks by APWU President William Burrus. [5MB Windows Media audio file, 41 minutes]

Post Office: Chewsville, MD 21721

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For decades, Customer Service Supervisor “Donna Lewis has stood out in a sea of blue uniformity — she adorned herself almost daily with bright colors such as lime green and sunshine yellow, complete with a sparkly pin or an appliqué sweater.  So what did she wear on her last day on Friday at Midland, Michigan Post Office - A navy blue shirt and pants. Lewis is retiring after 29 years with USPS.

“She’s been hassled about how she dresses for as long as I’ve known her and she doesn’t care, she’s just Donna,” said Dan Gotham, who’s worked with Donna Lewis for the past 11 years. Gotham wore a pair of floral pattern women’s pants rolled to a capri style in honor of Donna’s last day at the post office Friday.

 

Donna Lewis poses with fellow post office employees who dressed in vibrant colors for her last day.

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Postal Inspectors want to alert employees to a new scheme — letters are being mailed from Canada to U.S. residents announcing that the addressee has won a foreign lottery. A counterfeit United States Postal Service check is enclosed in each letter, with instructions to wire a portion of the money outside the country after depositing the check. The Postal Inspection Service is aggressively investigating this scheme.

If a customer presents a USPS check to be cashed at a Post Office, station, branch or other retail outlet, it’s imperative that the retail associate ask the presenter how the check was received and for what purpose. The employee must require two forms of ID. If the person is a Postal Service employee, contractor or vendor, request a USPS ID. 

If you believe that the check is related to a sweepstakes or lottery prize, do not accept the check. Call the Inspection Service immediately at 877-876-2455.

source: U. S Postal Service

From the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE):

The Senate Finance Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions and Family Policy will hold a hearing on the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) on Tuesday, November 6th at 2:30 P.M EST.  Subcommittee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) is holding the hearing to review current Social Security policies that affect government workers and retirees who participated in a pension system where Social Security taxes were not paid, but who worked also in Social Security covered employment, or had a spouse who did.  Four witnesses have been invited to testify, including three government Social Security experts and one affected teacher from Massachusetts.  NARFE will submit written testimony for the hearing, and has provided Chairman Kerry with information on the how the Offsets negatively impact the federal community for his opening statement.

Each NARFE member should immediately telephone his or her own two Senators to reiterate the case for supporting the GPO-WEP legislation.  NARFE’s preference is the repeal legislation, S. 206 sponsored by Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Susan Collins (R-ME) which would eliminate both the GPO and WEP provisions.  NARFE has also pledged support for S. 1254, GPO reform legislation introduced by Senators Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and George Voinovich (R-OH).  NARFE supports modification legislation as a first-step to providing relief.  S. 1254 would eliminate the GPO for individuals whose monthly income is below $1,200.  Use NARFE’s toll-free number to reach the Capitol switchboard and ask for your Senators by name.  The NARFE supported toll-free number is 1-866-220-0044.  (For further information use http://capwiz.com/narfe/issues/bills/?bill=9234416 for current cosponsors of S. 206; http://www.narfe.org/departments/leg/guest/articles.cfm?ID=448 for NARFE position paper and www.senate.gov to find your Senator’s “Web Form.”)

NARFE President, Margaret Baptiste, urges each NARFE member, whether personally impacted or not, to participate in this Legislative Action.  NARFE members should only contact their own two Senators asking for support on the above legislation.  It is EXTREMELY important that the following Senators who serve on the Senate Finance’s Social Security Subcommittee receive a phone call from NARFE members who live in their state: Chairman John Kerry of MA, John Rockefeller of (D-WV), Kent Conrad of (D-ND), and Charles Schumer of (D-NY).  The three Republican Senators on the Subcommittee are: Ranking Member John Ensign of NV, Trent Lott of MS, and Jon Kyl of AZ.

A new, self-serve postal facility is being built in Saxony in Fishers. Located near the intersection of 131st Street and Olio Road, the facility will be one of a few of its kind and the first in Indiana.

Located in a free-standing building, the totally self-serve facility will offer 24-hour access to customers, two Automated Postal Centers (APCs) and more than 200 post office boxes. The APCs will be available to customers seven days a week, including holidays, and can conduct 80 percent of transactions available at Post Office retail counters, including Express and Priority Mail and Parcel Post. Customers can also deposit First-Class Mail, buy stamps, look up ZIP Codes, print shipping labels and purchase delivery confirmation, Certified Mail and Return Receipt services and shipping insurance. The APCs will accept most major credit and debit cards.

The new facility is scheduled to open in early 2008.

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On Tuesday, November 6, the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions and Family Policy will conduct a hearing entitled, “GPO and WEP: Policies Affecting Pensions from Work Not Covered by Social Security.” Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) chairs the subcommittee and Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) is the Ranking Republican.

As retired Postmasters know all too well, the Social Security Government Pension Offset (GPO) and Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) can have a devastating financial impact on Postmasters who participate in the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). Individuals, who would ordinarily be eligible for a Social Security survivor benefit or a Social Security annuity from non-governmental employment, receive a paltry benefit or none at all, simply because they are CSRS participants. NAPUS President Dale Goff desired that a retired Postmaster from Sen. Kerry’s home state, and who has been impacted by the GPO and/or the WEP to offer testimony on behalf of NAPUS. Consequently, President Goff asked outgoing Massachusetts NAPUS-Retired Chapter Secretary-Treasurer Greta Cofield to offer testimony on behalf of Postmasters. Greta is the retired Postmaster of Framingham, Massachusetts, and was stripped of her Social Security survivor’s benefit as the result of her participation in the CSRS.

It is unclear what plans the Finance Committee, chaired by Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), has for GPO and WEP. Three bills are currently pending before the Committee. Senators Diane Feinstein (D-CA) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced S. 206, which calls for repeal of both GPO and WEP. Presently, S. 206 has 34 cosponsors. Senators Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and George Voinovich (R-OH) introduced S. 1254, and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX) introduced S. 1647. These two bills, in different ways, modify the WEP formula.

As reported in the July 27, 2007, edition of the eNAPUS Legislative & Political Bulletin, House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY) requested Social Security Subcommittee Chairman Michael McNulty (D-NY) to conduct a GPO and WEP hearing during the 110th Congress. Although Chairman McNulty has yet to schedule the hearing, NAPUS anticipates that the hearing will take place in early 2008. During the summer, President Goff asked retired Postmaster Frances Rosenfeld of Albany, NY, to be the NAPUS liaison to Rep. McNulty on GPO and WEP. Frances was Postmaster of Great Neck, NY, and is a constituent of Rep. McNulty. She has known the Congressman since he was first elected, in 1988.

eNAPUS newsletter

Post Office, Midland, Ohio, 45148

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Former President Bill Clinton will speak at the APWU’s All-Craft Conference on Monday, Nov. 5, about the 2008 presidential campaign and the important role working people can play in determining the future direction of our nation.

“We are honored to have President Clinton as our guest at this important meeting of union activists,” said APWU President William Burrus. “We look forward to hearing his unique perspective on the 2008 election.

“This is an excellent opportunity for APWU members to become engaged in the presidential campaign. I encourage all conference participants to attend.”

Clinton will address delegates in the Conrad Room at the Hilton Center in Las Vegas. Doors open at 3:30 p.m. (Pacific Time).