Branch 193
                                   San Jose, Ca

     Homepage:

 

  Branch 193 President:
       Danny Laffan

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Branch 193 Vice President:
      Stan Halfacre
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Branch 193 2nd Vice President:
        Laurie Duarte
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NALC BRANCH 193 PAGES
Homepage

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Safety - Updated!

Membership - Updated!

Calendar of Events - Updated!

Branch Photos & News - Always Updated!

NALC Video's - Updated!

PS-Forms

Retiree Corner - Updated!

Retro Photos - Updated!

Fun Photos 

Featured Station - MILPITAS

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CSALC (State's Website)

Letter Carrier Pay Schedule

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Quick Reference Links


 National Agreement

USPS Manuals ( M41 & M39 )

ELM

M R S

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O P M

T S P Home Page

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Join together with tens of thousands of other letter carriers to make your voice heard! The NALC will send you e-mail Alerts when it is time to act on issues affecting active and retired letter carriers and the future of the Postal Service.  To sign up, CLICK on the "NALC eActivist Network"  Box above.

 



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BRANCH 193
 OFFICERS



Danny Laffan ............ President
Stanley Halfacre .......Vice President
Laurie Duarte..... 2nd Vice President
Pat Mulligan ......Recording Secretary
Sharon Epp ........Financial Secretary
Election Upcoming..........Treasurer
Gene Lorenzo...............Sgt at Arms
Guillermo Martinez-Legislative Liaison
Tom Stewart....................Trustee
Laurie Lykam-Halfacre....Trustee
Jas Nijjar......................Trustee
Joe Rosa........................Trustee
Guillermo Martinez...............Trustee

 

BRANCH 193
SHOP STEWARDS


Almaden Valley -- Dan Degn &
                              Pam West
Bayside  -------------  Al Navarette &
                             Bob Foster
Berryessa------------  Henry Semillano &
                             Ron Bingham
Blossom Hill -------- Steve Munyon &
                             Bill Cunningham
Cambrian Park --- Herman Echevarria &
                             Ray Gauthier    
Campbell -----------  Mike Harding &
                             Rosie La’auli
Station D -----------  Vittorio Forde
Foothill  ------------   Art Parrilla
Gilroy  ----------------  Debra Masten
Hillview -------------  Manny Aguilar &
                             Hector Barrientos
Los Gatos ----------   Kevin Janton
Los Gatos Dell ----  Ian Davies
Milpitas --------------  Mike Campbell &
                             Lin Zhou
Morgan Hill --------  Angel Montelongo
Parkmoor ------------ David Judd & Vacant
Robertsville  -------- Paul Allen & 
                              Theresa Hernandez
St. James Park ---- Chris North &
                              Kelvin Kamachi
Saratoga ------------- Candice Wurthmann
Seven Trees -------  Herb Olivera &
                              Moe Bedolla
Westgate ------------- Tommy Rivera &
                              Barbara Estrada
Willow Glen --------  Leo Torres &
                              Bob Krauth
Collection Officer Vera Martinez-Krauth

      

 

    




 

NALC BRANCH 193

2008 EXECUTIVE BOARD

& Past Branch 193 President, Tony Cortese (D)

 

Website is best viewed in Internet Explorer

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A Message from NALC President Bill Young

 

          Make this Election Count with Health Care Reform

 

Last month, I wrote about the need to make this election count for something. We can’t be happy just to elect pro-letter carrier and pro union candidates. And it will not be enough to elevate public officials whose only virtue is their lack of hostility toward working people and their unions. We need leaders who are prepared to act aggressively to rebuild the middle class and to bolster the long-term viability of the United States Postal Service. What does that mean in practical terms? First, it means a commitment to fight for enactment of the Employee Free Choice Act. Without a strengthened labor movement, all the negative trends of the past three decades will persist—stagnant wages, the continued export of good jobs, and the loss of pensions and health insurance coverage. For letter carriers, these trends pose a direct threat to our standard of living: NALC does not operate in a vacuum, nor does it bargain in one. For American households, these trends threaten our ability to build strong families with healthy children and undermine our efforts to foster good citizens and caring communities that embrace what President Lincoln called the “better angels of our nature.” Those better angels cherish the values of solidarity, decency, fairness and justice.
 

But we have to fight for more than a stronger labor movement. We have to fight for the benefit of all American workers, union and non-union alike. And the best place to start is to address the most important source of insecurity in American life—the skyrocketing cost of health insurance and the growing problem of uninsured and under-insured American citizens. That’s why NALC is making health care reform the second pillar of the campaign to mobilize our members to vote for change in the November elections. Just as we have joined with the rest of the labor movement to promote the Million Member Mobilization to win passage of the Employee Free Choice Act next year, we have also embraced the AFL-CIO’s Health Care Campaign. Our goal is to use the next several months to educate our members and voters in union households, as well as candidates seeking office, about the undeniable need to address the health care crisis in America.
 

Over the past eight years, the number of uninsured has grown relentlessly as the slow-motion collapse of the employer-provided health insurance continues. At the same time, costs have increased by more than 75 percent at a time when wages have barely grown at all in real terms. Letter carriers and the Postal Service, like many other workers and their employers, are paying for the uninsured as the cost of uncompensated care is passed on to a declining number of insured workers. That burden shows up in higher premiums for plans in which we enroll. At the same time, as taxpayers, we are picking up a large share of these costs as well, through Medicaid, S-CHIP and other public programs.

 

Our health care financing system is grossly inequitable—the Postal Service pays its fair share while companies such as Wal-Mart shift these costs to others or to public programs. How can it do that? By using any means necessary to prevent its workers from organizing a union to fight for decent pay and benefits. That’s right; it takes us straight back to Part 1 of this story—the need to make the Employee Free Choice Act the law of the land.
 

So there you have it, brothers and sisters. Our two main targets for making this election matter are inextricably linked. We need EFCA and we need universal health care. Those are things that are worth fighting for. Fortunately, we have all the tools we need to make it happen in 2008. We have COLCPE, which we will use to support candidates who embrace our values. We have the Carrier Corps, which we will use to turn out the vote for our friends in both parties. And we have our e-Activist Network, which gives us the ability to mobilize our strength in numbers at a moment’s notice. Are you ready? I am. Let’s get started.

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               WELCOME BRANCH 193 and VISITORS

 

Welcome to our Branch 193 website!  The purpose of this website is to enhance communication with and to provide information to the membership.  Many of the links provided will lead letter carriers and their families to important information regarding their rights, responsibilities and other benefits available.  It is our intention to provide as much information as possible in an easily accessible format so letter carriers can find answers to their questions at anytime, day or night.

It is my hope that this service will provide a renewed interest in union activities and help to develop the future leaders of this branch.  It is important that the membership understands that our strength lies in our unity.  Those who have gone before us understood this message.  We must ensure that sense of unity survives well into the future.  I believe that providing a means of accessing information through this website will help the membership come together, support each other and offset the negatives that have crept into the workplace.  I look forward to an increase in participation in branch activities, a renewed sense of pride in our work and a better understanding of the role the Union plays in our lives.

In closing, I would like to acknowledge the time and effort put into developing this website by our retiree and now Webmaster Dan Taormino.  Dan has done an excellent job.  He leads through example; he has a strong desire to help his brothers and sisters in this great Union.  He always has been and continues to be a great asset to Branch 193 and we appreciate his efforts.   
 

                           Danny Laffan - Branch 193 President

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Branch Items from the June 2008 Postal Record

- Danny Laffan, Branch 193 President

Thanks to all those who helped make this year’s food drive successful.  Special thanks to Food Drive Coordinator Laurie Duarte and her able assistant Robertsville Station Steward Theresa Hernandez for the great job they did getting all the offices banners, posters, post cards and whatever else they needed.  It is not an easy task coordinating the efforts of the different agencies that are involved in the food drive.  Laurie and Theresa did an excellent job once again.  As I visited stations on Saturday, most carriers indicated they collected less food than last year.  I could speculate regarding what causes a drop in donations; however, I believe it is better to appreciate the donations we get and realize that this nationwide effort goes a long way in feeding the hungry through the summer months.  In time, we will know if we collected more or less this year but what really matters is that we continue to help to stamp out hunger in this country.  Thanks again to everyone who helped with this year’s food drive.   

 We are expecting our first encounter with temperatures in the high nineties this week.  It is important to remember to keep yourself properly hydrated when delivering in this high heat.  Replacing fluids we lose as we go about the business of delivering the mail is critical in avoiding the negative effects exposure to heat can have on our bodies.  Listen to the signals your body sends to you and take the time to take care of yourself. (see safety page on website) Summer will soon be upon us.  Many of us have planned vacations with family and friends.  Enjoy your time away from work and make sure that you take the time to familiarize everyone with potential safety hazards as you travel away from home.  Have a great summer!

 

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Branch Items from the May 2008 Postal Record

- Danny Laffan, Branch 193 President 

 

We have heard that mail volumes have been on a decline over the past few years; however, many of us have not given much consideration to what impact that would have on us.  Some units are now experiencing the challenges that decreases in cased volume can bring.  Lower mail volumes can create less than eight hours of work on our routes.  We are responsible to identify how much under time exists on our route when we have less than eight hours of work.  Carriers are required to give their best estimate and fill their day to eight hours by pivoting either in the office or on the street.  The problems arise when our estimate does not match up to the numbers that the DOIS program generates. 

Management has programs in place that rate each office by how much of the DOIS estimated under time is captured.  Supervisors pressure letter carriers to carry more pivot than can be done in eight hours.  Carriers will cave in to that pressure and skip breaks and lunches so they don’t have to explain the need for additional time to the supervisor.  Those carriers who are skipping breaks and lunches need to realize that they are creating a nightmare for themselves. When management looks at the time required to complete your assignment it will be up to fifty minutes short of reality if you have skipped your breaks and lunches.  If you think management will make an adjustment to that time you are going to be disappointed.  The only adjustment you will see is an addition to your route. Do your best and take pride in the work you do.  Give a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay.  Do not allow yourself to be manipulated.  Remember the route you are creating is your own.

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Contract COLA: $956

The accumulation toward the third regular cost of living adjustment for letter carriers under the 2006-2011 National Agreement was $956 in June following the release of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for May 2008. The actual COLA will reflect the increase in the CPI between January and July 2008. It will be payable the second full pay period following the release of the July 2008 index Note: Although the COLA formula included in the contracts of all four postal unions is identical, the NALC’s second COLA of $458 annually is $21 less than the COLA payable to APWU- and NPMHU-represented employees, who will receive a COLA of $479 annually. The one-penny-per-hour difference stems from a difference in the contracts’ base months, which results in different COLA amounts due to rounding rules. The base month for the NALC COLA clause is May 2007, while the base month used by the APWU and the Mail Handlers is July 2006.

2009 Retiree COLA: 4.5%

The accumulation toward the 2009 retiree COLA was 4.5 percent in June following the release of the May Consumer Price Index. The actual COLA will reflect the difference between the average Consumer Price Index for the third quarter of 2007 and the average CPI for the third quarter of 2008.

2009 FECA COLA: 3.4%

The accumulation toward the 2008 FECA COLA was at 3.4 percent following the release in June of the May 2008 CPI. The 2009 FECA COLA will be based on the increase in the CPI between December 2007 and December 2008 and will become effective on March 1, 2009. The 2008 FECA COLA of 4.3 percent became effective March 1.

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A MILLION MILE AWARD RECIPIENT!
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Milpitas Carriers Reach ONE MILLION DOLLAR$  in Customer Connect!

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           Latest News and Resources:
NALC speaks out against murder of union members: Joining other unions around the world, President Young sends a letter demanding the government of Colombia act to end repression, intimidation and murder of trade unionists in South American nation. More
Union Plus discounts: April is the perfect time to start thinking about educational services. Or, it's always a good time to take advantage of discounts on books. These are only two of the many other great savings offers available from Union Plus. More
COLCPE Contests: NALC President William H. Young has announced two contests designed to foster fund-raising for COLCPE. The winners will enjoy either a trip to this fall's World Series or a new flat-screen TV. More
Second contract COLA is $458: The second regular cost-of-living adjustment for letter carriers under the 2006-2011 National Agreement is $458. The increase is effective for the pay period beginning March 15 and will be reflected in paychecks on April 4.
More | Note on COLA differences for postal employees | Paychart
Q&A on transitional letter carriers: The NALC and USPS have agreed upon an initial, joint “questions and answers” document covering key aspects of the wages, hours and working conditions for transitional employees under the National Agreement. This document is the only source of the national parties’ joint agreement.

Updated Route Inspection Kit (12/06) available here. (Route Inspection Kit for VISTA available here)
Route protection materials online available here.
Online form for bylaw changes available here.
Contribute to COLCPE, NALC's political action fund.
Contract-related or work rule question? Letter carriers in need of information and assistance should contact the NBA in their region. You can locate your NBA here.

 

 

 

Past News and Resources:

NALC files suit to stop invasion of privacy by OIG: The NALC and the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) filed a joint lawsuit in federal court January 17 against the Postal Service and the USPS Office of Inspector General seeking to stop OIG agents from obtaining confidential medical information about employees without their knowledge or consent. In addition to the suit, President Bill Young said the NALC would continue to fight the abuse of power by the OIG in every way possible. Bulletin
Q&A on transitional letter carriers: The NALC and USPS have agreed upon an initial, joint “questions and answers” document covering key aspects of the wages, hours and working conditions for transitional employees under the National Agreement. This document is the only source of the national parties’ joint agreement.
NALC charts The Road Ahead: The Postal Record magazine takes a look at what lies ahead in 2008 for the union here.
Updated Route Inspection Kit: Update your NALC Route Inspection Kit with the most recent changes to the program. The December 1, 2006 update can be downloaded here.
Route protection materials online: Chapters from the workbook designed to help carriers during route evaluations can be found here.
Online form for bylaw changes: Use this convenient form to submit proposed changes to the Committee of Laws. You should only submit this form after the bylaw has been read, voted on and approved, as well as signed by a branch officer.
Three ways for NALC members to contribute to COLCPE: Forms and instructions to download to make a regular donation to NALC's political action fund can be found here.

  

We welcome more information to share through YOUR *articles and *pictures. If you would like to add an article or picture(s) on this website, please contact Branch 193 President Danny Laffan @ 408-288-8138 or write to:

1060 Minnesota Av. Suite #9, San Jose, Ca. 95125

*All articles and pictures must be approved through the Branch President before appearing on website.

 

 



     NALC President:
   William H. Young
 _________________

 NATIONAL LINKS
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Click on Postal Record
to Read Cover Stories

           June, 2008

 

            July, 2008

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"NEITHER SNOW NOR RAIN

 NOR HEAT NOR GLOOM OF

 NIGHT, STAYS THESE

 COURIERS FROM THE

 SWIFT COMPLETION OF

 THEIR APPOINTED ROUNDS."      

                               --- HERODOTUS

 

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DISCLAIMER:

This website is offered to all Branch 193 Letter Carriers as a "Resource" and "Reference" Guide only.
DO NOT always rely on what you read as things can easily be misinterpreted or mislead you into thinking differently.
DO NOT take matters into your own hands to resolve issues. ALWAYS contact your Union Steward, President or Vice President to handle contract disputes or other issues. Use this information to help you work smarter not harder and to become more knowledgeable on your job functions and rights as a Letter Carrier. Branch 193, it's Web Designers or Web Maintenance Personnel hold no liability for mis-information on this website or it's links. Website information is linked to the NALC website, Branch 193 Bulletin as well as other websites.  We are not liable nor condone questionable material or information posted on other websites. As with any Internet site, websites can be hacked into and information changed or modified.  ALL security measures have been taken to the best of our abilities with Yahoo and PSG Web Services. ANYONE with questions regarding information posted on this website are encouraged to contact the local branch office. All photos and information on this website are property of Branch 193, National and other Union websites. Any Branch or Union member wishing to copy photos or information may do so as long as credit is given to Branch 193  as well as obtaining permission without violating copyright laws.


 Contact  NALC Branch 193 at: 408-288-8138

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