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Bonus NALC Gets the TA anyway · United We Scan

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Welcome to the United We Scan Podcast, the podcast by rural
0:18
carriers for rural carriers. The views expressed in this
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podcast are of the presenters and the presenters only and do
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not represent the views, opinions, or strategies of the
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United States Postal Service or the National Rural Letter
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Please leave a comment or question for us below.
0:47
Thank you. Now here are the hosts of the
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United We Scan podcast. But yeah, in, in, in my
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situation, we had, you know, ADR removed.
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We had another Dr. come in from another district and, you know,
1:00
they moved her over and she turned around and started labor
1:04
charges against our district manager.
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Well, they decided to reschedule or, you know, reallocate her
1:13
back to her original Dr. territory and brought a new one
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in. And you know what happened to
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those labor charges? Not a fucking thing.
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You know, and that's, that's what we have to look at.
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We have to look at all the things that need to happen.
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And this is this is the most interesting part about this.
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Back in 2024 at Mid States, I had a decent conversation with
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President Masten and at one point he said why are you so
1:48
negative about things? I said I'm only negative about
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negative things going on with this craft.
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What I'm positive about is that this next contract, we get a
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$10.00 an hour increase, we get better cost of living
2:03
adjustments, a little bigger increase into the EMA and we get
2:08
stronger language to protect carriers from toxic management.
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His response? That's not going to happen.
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Well, it needs to happen. Our craft needs somebody to step
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up, need somebody to show that they actually have the craft's
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best interest at heart. I don't care what you've done in
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the past. For now, we can deal with that
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at the election table. But right now, this very moment,
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we need somebody who's willing to step up to the table and hit
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us a home run because we're looking down the barrel of a
2:53
gun. And that gun is loss of carriers
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to the point where the rural craft is not sustainable.
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You're going to have so many people quitting and not enough
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people coming in that you're not going to be able to cover the
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routes. So Mastin, step up, get us a
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decent contract that the carriers can vote for and don't
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give us the fear mongering of oh, well, we won't get better in
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arbitration. Either give us a good deal or
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we'll vote it down just like the city carriers and take our
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chances in arbitration. Because guess what?
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I could go into that arbitration room and I guarantee you the
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arguments I would put forth in front of that arbitrator would
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get us a better increase than what the city carriers did.
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Because there is enough information out there on the web
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through news articles, through documents, the post office posts
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that we can get the right increases, that we can get
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benefits that help the craft, and that we can get the
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protection that we need. You have a ton of documents in
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your files of grievances the carriers have filed against
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management for the hostile and toxic work environment that we
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have, and you could include that in that arbitration to make the
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language stronger in our grievance policy.
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You can get us great cost of living adjustments.
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You can get us a great wage increase if you had the ball to
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do it. Alexa, stand here and let you
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question the manliness of our Supreme Leader.
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Then you do it, Bill. I know I'm not the only one.
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You mean question his manliness? Question his ability to
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negotiate. Oh, no, there is none there.
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There is none whatsoever. You know, we, we, you know,
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somebody made a comment about him being a force at the, at the
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contract table. I looked at him and I said, how
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do you say that with a straight face?
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I said, because, you know, I nearly shit myself when you said
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it. You know, you, no, you don't
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understand that. Yeah, I know I don't understand.
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But I also know who lobby, who languished in the shadow of
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everybody else until he just got pushed up to the next chair, to
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the next chair to the next chair.
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So please, you know, I, I still have, you know, stories of his
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representation of people out in California ringing in my ears.
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So no, don't, don't ever expect me to believe, you know, any
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type of bullshit in regards to his abilities and skills.
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You'll, you'll see when, when the tentative agreement comes
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out for us, you will see. That's all you got to say about
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that. Yeah, and, and I'm pushing as
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much as I'm running against Don Mastin here, I am pushing for
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him to actually fight for a good contract for us because we
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desperately need it. And and it's.
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Admirable. Need it.
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James, it's admirable that you're pushing for him to get a
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good contract, but if 99% was done as of the last, you know,
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National Convention we were at and we heard, I heard that
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directly from a national board member.
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This is not hearsay. If you're, you're looking at 99%
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done and, and you suspect probably rightfully so, that's
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all they were waiting for was to get the percentages that the
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city carriers would get, then you know, you're, you're pushing
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a snowflake up the hill in the face of an avalanche because
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it's already done. It's it's already pre calf.
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And all you got to do is put your fingers in a wet cement
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right now and, and write your initials because that's how
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close the contract is to being done.
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And there's no way, you know, no way to push him anymore because
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of the fact those are the only items left for consideration and
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deliberation between the post office and our union.
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Recommend you that for saying this, you know that you'd want
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them to push. But like I said, you're pushing
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a snowflake uphill against an avalanche.
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I have to because I want what's best for the royal craft, and
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what's best for the royal craft is for the current president and
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the rest of the national board to do what is necessary to get
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us a deserved contract that benefits the craft.
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They've done enough to screw over the craft in the last
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couple years. Now it's time for them to fix
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some of that with a good contract.
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You know Rex screwed over the carriers when they allowed
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management to implement it without doing counts.
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Before that they screwed over the craft with the MOU making
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them pay back management for the first time I've ever heard of.
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But at the end of the day, the most important thing to me is my
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fellow brother and sister. Rural carriers get a fair
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contract for Fair Work. You know, we get, we get very
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emotional about this. You know, I, I am personally
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livid over what happened to the city carriers because those are
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our brothers and sisters of the craft, too.
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They're out there doing the same job.
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We are delivering the mail every single day.
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No matter what's going on in the country, no matter what's going
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on in management, no matter what's going on at the top of
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the union, they're still out there doing their job and we're
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at a precipice these crafts. And I'm going to just throw this
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out there, but if our NRLCA board gets us a contract that is
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ripple what the NALC got, I got Dimes to Donuts that says that
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the city carriers will want to join the NRLCA, They'll want to
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merge the NALC into the NRLCA because they will want what we
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have. They will want the evaluation
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and the ability to not have to work other routes with forced
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overtime. On top of that, with that
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tripling of what the city carriers got.
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That would put us right in line with inflation.
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That would put us in a position to have enough Subs coming on
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because they will see this as a fruitful job again.
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One where they can actually live off the RCA income if they
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wanted to if they worked hard enough.
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One where rural carriers can't afford to pay their bills and
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some can stop sleeping in their cars and using Planet Fitness
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for showers. Yeah, that that would almost be
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funny if it wasn't true. Unfortunately, unfortunately,
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yeah. Our CDs on food stamps.
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Yeah, Regular carriers on food stamps or WIC because they can't
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afford to feed their family on the wages that they're earning.
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You know, the house prices in just my area alone, houses
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doubled in value, rental places doubled in rent, some tripled.
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Yet our wages didn't match that. Our contract doesn't match that.
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Why we're like. We're like the lady on on Table
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2, James, the one that qualified for a low income housing grant,
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the career carrier on Table 2. Yeah, yeah.
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And and that's, that's that's exactly the problem.
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The rural craft, the city craft, all the postal jobs.
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In the 1970s, when the Wildcat strike happened, they were
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fighting the exact same thing we have now.
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They were fighting low wages, terrible working conditions, no
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benefits, and they fought for it.
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And it's time for our craft to fight.
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No, I'm not calling for a strike.
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I'm not calling for a Wildcat. I'm not calling for that because
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that is illegal and I must insist it is illegal and will
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result in termination and blacklist from federal
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employment per the law. But I'm just comparing the same
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situations that happened back then to today.
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We have carriers that believe their unions are not working for
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them. They have carriers out there who
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don't trust their stewards to have their best interest because
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the steward comes in their office, goes into management's
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office and is John and laughing with management.
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That's somebody that just messaged me yesterday told me
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that their steward went in there was John and laughing with
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management came out and said the agreements was settled for
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language when it was a escalated remedy case because it was a
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failure to comply but. Can you imagine the language
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they would have heard from me if they came out and told me that?
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This is the battle that we're we're in now and it's time for
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our rural carriers to suit up. It's time for us to get in this
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union. It's time for us to fight for
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this union. It's time for us to fight for
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our brothers and sisters. There are a lot of brothers and
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sisters that will not step up to fight and a lot of people will
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pull their dues. But I'm telling you that's a
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mistake because the one thing we have that unites us all is the
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ability to use our voice and fight with our vote.
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And our vote matters, especially when it comes to who is leading
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us. When we vote for delegates for
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National Convention, we vote for people who we want to walk up
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into National Convention and vote for our President, Vice
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President, Secretary, Treasurer, Director of Labor Relations,
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director of Stewart Operations and our four year executive
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committeeman. That also allows us to pass
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resolutions that would go into the next contract we have.
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And I know Don Mastin said that he takes 20 to 30 resolutions,
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closer to 20 when he goes into contract negotiations.
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And that's wrong too, especially when you pass 203 hundred
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resolutions, a National Convention.
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Think about those numbers. You know what's disturbing about
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that, James, is that Don specifically stood there on
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stage and told us as soon as one contract is signed and and voted
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on that they start working on the next contract.
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Well, where are all those constitutional amendments that
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we put in, all those resolutions that we've submitted?
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Why aren't those being injected into the talk for the next
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contract? That way you wouldn't have to
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spend, you know, so little time on 20 or 30 of them.
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You'd have the time to start doing them right away and get a
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hundred 150 of them in there. Mm, hmm.
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And that's your negotiating, that's your negotiating chips.
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Your resolutions are your negotiating chips that you use
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to try and get MIT the best contract possible for your
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carriers. And I call them your carriers
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because when you are the leader, you are responsible for your
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craft, You're responsible for getting them the best deal
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possible, no matter what management says.
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So manage. So let's take some random
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resolution from last year and we'll go with the resolution
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mine that was passed the 2080 hours or two years to make an
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RCAA career RCA. There were four other
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resolutions that were similar to mine and there were better ones
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and there were worse ones. So you take all of those, you
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don't show management all of those, but you take the best one
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to management. Management doesn't like it.
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OK, we'll renegotiate. What do you say for that
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position on the contract? And they bring back something
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that's garbage. So you turn around, you bring
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your second best one to them. It's called negotiating.
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It's something that you do in these contract negotiations.
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You don't just roll over and give them 1.31.4 and 1.5 in a
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settlement with an arbitrator because they rejected the TA
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that you argued for it by yourself.
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But you've got to argue for the best of the craft, and I just
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feel like nobody's arguing for the best of their craft at this
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point because they've spent too much time away from working with
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the craft. They don't come out to these
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offices and see what's actually going down at St. level.
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They don't talk to regular Joe carriers.
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They need to come out here. They need to come see what's
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going on. They need to talk with carriers
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at these offices because these carriers that are working six
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days a week, 12141619 hours a day.
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And yes, I've talked to a carrier who works 19 hours a day
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because there's no relief and he's the regular carrier running
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the route. Those are the carriers our
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national board should be talking to, not the people who actually
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can afford to take the time off to go to these regional
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conferences, because those are the carriers that are hurt the
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most by these contract negotiations.
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Yes, every carrier's hurt by these contract negotiations if
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they're terrible. But the carriers who have to
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cover for the people who have been fired or quit because of
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the BS that you've pulled up at National, those are the carriers
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that that have the most pain going on.
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And a injury to 1 carrier is an injury to all carriers.
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Go ahead, Bill. No, I'm saving, I'm saving the
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comment for the closing remarks. I'll throw it in here now.
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OK, what the hell? No, you know, in regards to the
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delegate and and and this is this is the most important
20:29
factor of it because of the fact that we all know how many of the
20:33
retirees go to these damn conventions for a free vacation.
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Anybody says any different except for, you know, the
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majority of them. Yeah, there's very few retirees
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that have active participation in the best interest of our
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craft. But most of them, like I said,
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you know, they're on, they get a paid vacation.
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You know, I just sit there and laugh because this falls on to
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our listeners and our listeners, you have to, you know, let your
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carriers in your office also know that you stop, stop voting
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for these people that do not represent your interests, who
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don't have your best interests at heart for themselves because
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of the fact that, oh, they're in ADR, they're in the NSS or
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they're, they're, they're your state with your president or
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your vice president or secretary treasurer.
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You know, like I said in, in, in so many cases, Pennsylvania is
21:31
so reflective of what the national board is that it, it
21:37
just has made me sick. And for years people say, oh,
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Bill, get on this state board, get on the state board.
21:42
You know, no, for, for the same reason.
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I, I, I took a early retirement, you know, for myself in, in
21:51
regards to, you know, my physical mental well-being
21:55
because of the fact I was ready to commit violence because of
22:00
the atmosphere in my office. OK.
22:02
It it the same way Pennsylvania is, like I said, it's a mirror
22:06
image of the national, you know, delegates and the national
22:10
boards in regards to the politics.
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We, we, we currently have a situation that is just, it makes
22:16
me sick. I won't discuss it in open
22:18
public, but the fact of the matter is it makes me sick.
22:22
These people are more interested in the gossip, the bullshit, the
22:26
pettiness, the politics. And you know what, the number
22:30
one thing of all these people is don't want to run their routes.
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What the hell, you know, are you here to serve the craft?
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Are you here to serve your own interests?
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You know, explain that to me. So everybody that listens and
22:49
everybody that listens to this podcast through the week, please
22:52
inform your other carriers, you know, that are union members who
22:55
can vote for the delegates to submit names of people who
22:59
represent your interests, not the people who are out there
23:04
collecting a full time paycheck off of the national board,
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Whether there be, you know, the NSS or not, people lying to your
23:13
views, your interests, and, you know, really express a desire to
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serve the craft. Because most of these people
23:23
that I know, OK, and and I can go into very great detail about
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it. I won't, don't want to deliver
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their routes and that's not serving the best interests of
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the crafts, that's serving their own interests first.
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And you have a 20 plus year Dr. who turned around and was
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released from his obligations, went back to his route for one
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day and then turned around, took four days of elwop and then
24:01
retired because he was physically unable to perform the
24:07
craft, the duties of a royal craft.
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So what does that tell you? The only reason he was in that
24:15
position was not to do his route.
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I just, you know, like I said, look for people willing to serve
24:24
you. James knows my situation.
24:28
I don't need the money, you know, running for president or
24:30
vice president or anything. But the fact of the matter is,
24:34
here I am. So, you know, retired,
24:36
officially retired. I may come back as an ARC, but
24:39
the thing of it is that, you know, I'm still putting in the
24:42
effort. I'm still taking phone calls.
24:44
I'm still, you know, advising people in my office and other
24:48
offices. But the thing of it is that,
24:51
folks, if you don't get the right people going to the
24:55
National Convention, you won't have the delegates voting for
24:59
the change that we need. And we need a change
25:02
desperately. Been saying it for for four
25:04
years and it is no more evident than it than it was back then as
25:08
it is now. He need change.
25:12
And when this contract comes out, just like Renfro, God help
25:17
you if you show your face anywhere, John Matson, because
25:20
you know, nobody can guarantee for, for the way we're being
25:24
treated, what we're being paid compensation package that you're
25:29
all talking about. No, no, it's unacceptable. 1.3%
25:36
for an RCA is going to represent a little over $0.28 an hour,
25:45
$0.28 an hour? Come on folks, now you're going
25:54
to be making what, $20.56? Sixty, 666 cents instead of
25:59
2038? Come on now.
26:05
Is that a living wage? No.
26:08
Nope. So, you know, either shit or
26:14
shit or get off the pot, because we've got to do this.
26:23
And that's the thing, I'm putting a call out there.
26:28
We have on our Discord server the breakdown of states for
26:35
national delegate. On my page, James Brennan for
26:39
Inter LCA President, there is a post where I break down all the
26:43
states for delegates. If you are a delegate that wants
26:47
to make a difference for this craft, get on there, Put your
26:50
name in there, get people to recognize you from your state.
26:55
Because we need delegates that want this craft to be better,
27:00
want this craft to be stronger, want this craft to have leaders
27:06
instead of board members. We need you.
27:14
We need people to join this union.
27:18
Pay dues to this union to vote to make the difference.
27:23
And I know there are a lot of people that are going to be
27:25
like, I don't don't want to give my money to the current board.
27:30
You're not giving your money to the current board.
27:33
You're turning around and going to make a difference for the
27:36
craft by doing that. That is what we need at this
27:42
point. We need more people in this
27:44
union to outweigh the votes of the current regime, and we need
27:51
people to vote when we're talking 1015% of the voting
27:58
membership, making all the choices for the craft.
28:02
We're not lying. That is how many people vote for
28:06
their delegations, 10 to 15%. When people voted for the new
28:12
contract, what was it? 18% voted for it.
28:18
She is under 20%, yeah. We need to make a change.
28:23
We need to double, triple the number of people involved in
28:26
that to make a difference. To make change, you need to be
28:33
involved, you need to understand what's going on and you need to
28:37
be part of the union. And I know a lot of people find
28:41
that off putting, but membership with this union is the only way
28:47
we're going to make change in this union.
28:51
And I know a lot of people are disheartened, a lot of people
28:54
are disenfranchised. A lot of people are angry at the
28:57
union. And you have every right to be
29:02
for your situation. But think about your brothers
29:06
and sisters in this craft. Think about what they're going
29:09
through to the same stuff you're going through.
29:12
And without that right to vote, you can't change it.
29:19
All you can do is complain on social media.
29:22
You can put bad comments on posts and then send messages to
29:26
people begging for help. And I don't care if you put
29:34
people down on Facebook for things and then turn around and
29:37
beg for help. Because I'm going to help you
29:40
either way. Because every member of this
29:45
craft deserves help, every member of this craft deserves a
29:51
place to vent, and every member of this craft deserves to have
29:56
somebody listen to them. Change is on the horizon.
30:05
It can't get here soon enough. But the good news is ours comes
30:10
up in August. August National Convention.
30:14
We can vote in new leaders. City carriers have to wait until
30:21
2026. We can do this now.
30:29
You don't know. What I think that people fail to
30:32
realize, James, is that whether you're in the union or not, what
30:37
happens at the National Convention effects all of you.
30:42
If you're paying dues or not. Every, every decision they make
30:45
effects every one of you. The only way you can affect
30:50
change is if you're part of the union, if you're part of the
30:54
effort to make that change, to have a voice.
30:58
It's the same way with people who vote or choose not to vote,
31:02
or don't even register to vote. If you don't exercise that
31:07
right, then in my opinion, you have no right to bitch about
31:14
your elected officials, whether they be political or union,
31:18
because you've chosen to sit on the sidelines and let everybody
31:23
else, you know, deal with the grief, deal with the situations,
31:27
pay their dues. I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm one of those
31:33
adamant people that, you know, if you don't vote, you know, I,
31:36
I really don't want to be associated with you in regards
31:41
to the general political elections because of the
31:44
millions of people who have sacrificed their lives since the
31:48
days of the Revolutionary War for our freedoms, for our right
31:55
that you do not participate in. And it, and it's a shame.
32:00
It, it, it's to me it, it's this most sincerest form of blasphemy
32:06
where, you know, people in Iraq when they were first voting,
32:11
they had to get their thumbs dipped into a purple dye that
32:15
shows they voted here are these, you know, ISIS and Islamic
32:20
radicals out there chopping their thumbs off.
32:24
But they were willing to put their lives at risk to vote for
32:29
a government. And it was like the first time
32:34
in years that they could vote without having, you know,
32:36
absolute corruption dictate the results.
32:43
That's just me. I mean, you know, I'm a little
32:47
overboard in regards to the, you know, your your rights and
32:50
responsibilities and you have the right not to vote.
32:54
But just like the people who go on to the rural carriers, you
32:57
know, Facebook pages, RC as and every other page and put
33:02
anonymous memory and and then, you know, make comments.
33:06
I saw one yesterday where the announced manager said I'm not
33:09
going to bother, you know, posting any more questions here
33:11
because the way I'm getting treated, why are you treating
33:14
these people that way? Sure, there are people who are
33:17
sitting there asking questions that the majority of us know the
33:22
answers to. So then you have the select few
33:25
to turn around and pick on them for not knowing the answers.
33:28
They don't know that person's situation.
33:31
They don't know if they're in RCA.
33:32
They don't know if they're a new regular and don't understand the
33:35
benefits or they don't understand the seniority charts
33:39
or the work they relief lift. Instead of being so negative,
33:43
instead of being so petty, help them.
33:48
Don't drive them into the ground.
33:49
Don't drive them to the to the point where they say, well I'm
33:52
not even going to bother asking anymore because you know it is
33:56
brief fee of service. It doesn't cost you anything to
34:00
be nice. I'm going to piggyback on that.
34:06
You know, there is no such thing as a stupid question, but there
34:13
are, there is stupid answers. No, there's nothing.
34:18
All. Right, you got me with that one.
34:24
But as long as the person's intention of asking the question
34:30
is honest and truthful that they want to know the answer to, then
34:36
there is no stupid question. Now, I'm guilty of asking
34:39
questions that I already know the answer to because that's how
34:45
my brain works to get people to learn.
34:48
I ask them questions that help them to understand what's going
34:52
on, or I'm asking questions to get the truth out of somebody
34:57
John won't name name. Most of the time when I'm
35:03
talking with somebody that I want to get the truth out of,
35:07
I'm going to ask them questions that I already know the answer
35:09
to to see how they roll. Because guess what?
35:14
Management would rather climb a tree to lie than stand on the
35:17
ground to tell the truth. And if anybody is lying to me,
35:22
they might as well be management.
35:25
And they know who they are that have lied to me.
35:31
And we can argue all day long back and forth about what means
35:34
this, what means that, so on and so forth versus ambiguous
35:38
language versus black and white. You know, mistakes can be made.
35:42
We're only human, but when your only claim to the problem is a
35:48
single word, you're doing it out of malice instead of out of
35:59
help. We need to be together now more
36:07
than ever. Whether you like what I do or
36:11
don't, whether you like what Don Mastin does or doesn't right
36:15
now, this craft on the streets, the carriers working their
36:19
routes every single day need to be united for a great contract
36:26
that we need so desperately. And if we don't get it, we need
36:31
to hold those who gave it to us accountable.
36:36
Just like I asked people to hold me accountable.
36:39
We need to hold our national board accountable.
36:42
We need to hold our delegates accountable for this, just like
36:48
I said this. The executive council of the
36:50
NALC needs to be held accountable for this modified
36:56
contract that they negotiated at the arbitrator table.
37:03
But we need to do something. We need to stand for something.
37:10
Because if you stand for nothing, you don't.
37:14
If you don't stand at all, you stand for nothing.
37:19
And as somebody just said, accountability starts with
37:22
yourself. Ask yourself, is what I'm doing
37:27
benefiting the craft? Is me not filing agreements
37:33
against management doing this benefiting the craft?
37:39
Is me working off the clock before my shift starts so I can
37:44
get home earlier benefiting the craft?
37:53
These are the questions you need to ask yourself right off the
37:56
bat. Everything you do when it comes
38:01
to dealing with management, when it comes to voting for this
38:05
union, when it comes to speaking about this union, is what you're
38:13
doing benefiting the Craft as a whole Because you are just one
38:21
of over 100,000 craft members. But when those 100 + 1000 Craft
38:31
members get together with one voice.
38:35
They have the. Power to make a difference.
38:41
You have the chance. To benefit this craft by
38:45
stepping up and doing something about it.
38:49
If you are a non deuce payer, becoming a deuce payer is a
38:53
chance to make a difference. If you are a deuce payer, voting
38:58
is a chance to make a difference.
39:01
Becoming a delegate nominee is a chance to make a difference,
39:08
becoming a delegate is a chance to make a difference, and voting
39:12
at National Convention is a chance to make a difference.
39:18
We don't have the option. To remain silent anymore, we
39:23
don't have the option to sit back and watch what happens.
39:28
Now is the time to. Stand up.
39:31
Now is the time to voice, grieve, fight for your wage,
39:37
your rights, your benefits. Because if you sit in.
39:43
Silence. You stand for nothing.
39:49
Phil, give us your final. Thoughts.
39:53
Final thoughts. I don't know.
39:56
Listen to. Me comment on Mr. Johnson's
39:59
comment about no overhead if you live with mom and dad, not
40:02
everybody has that opportunity there.
40:05
But if you want to be that type of asshole, you know, I commend
40:09
your remarks. The the, the, the gist of this
40:15
contract that the city carriers are now being forced to accept
40:22
is that. There's no way in hell that I
40:25
see any what room for improvement from our end because
40:29
of the lack of leadership for the last 4-5 years that we've
40:34
had from our national board. OK.
40:37
And it's it's it's a shame to say that, but I'm just being
40:42
realistic. The people have moved up the up
40:47
the ladder, you know, just switching chairs are all the
40:49
same mold and nobody has really gotten us anything decent.
40:55
I think the last decent contract was, you know, maybe Judge the
40:58
one Jeanette got, the first one she had for us, but.
41:03
Like I said, you know. You're, you're looking at
41:05
approximately, you know, 2628 cents increase at 1.3.
41:16
You know. I I it.
41:19
Breaks my heart it does. So, you know, God bless you all.
41:25
You know, I can pray all I want for, you know, a better
41:28
contract. But you know, like I said, me
41:30
being realistic, I'm not going to expect much.
41:34
And I feel for all of you. I mean, you're out there putting
41:38
your lives on the line every time you go out on your routes
41:42
and you know, some more than others in regards to the
41:45
conditions that they're driving in.
41:49
You're you're dealing with hostile work environment, you
41:51
toxic management. You know, you, you've got people
41:55
in your office that they couldn't give to rats ass.
41:58
They they just want to get their route done and go home.
42:01
And you know, it's in our craft and in city crafts that you have
42:04
individuals like that. But the fact of the matter is
42:07
that everything that happens to one of us happens to all of us.
42:15
And we? Have to guard against that
42:17
complacency of saying, well it doesn't really bother me.
42:23
Everything. Affects us if somebody is
42:26
working off the clock. Time standards will get changed.
42:30
Again. And then it'll affect you.
42:32
And then then you might have a problem with that person who's
42:35
working off the clock, OK, Somebody who's doing favors for
42:39
management because they're friends and, you know, a sub's
42:42
not getting any hours or, you know, somebody who volunteers to
42:45
help isn't getting paid. That will affect you because the
42:49
postal post office that you're in, their operational costs have
42:53
dropped and they'll be sitting there going, well, we don't need
42:55
any more carriers or we don't need any more Subs.
42:58
My situation, you know, our office is going to be out of
43:01
Subs in 45 days, Yeah. The the other lady said. 17
43:06
routes in her office and no Subs. 57 Route Office 4 Subs.
43:13
How the hell are you? Going to survive working six
43:16
days a week for six months at a time and then.
43:20
Have your paycheck changed? Again.
43:25
It's a. It's a.
43:26
It's. A vicious cycle and we have to
43:29
get out of it and we have. To do that.
43:33
By changing our representatives to change your.
43:37
State representatives. Get rid of the old folkies are
43:39
up there and was sitting there and don't want to, you know,
43:42
carry their routes. Get rid of the other people in
43:45
the NSS that aren't doing anything.
43:47
And we've had several of them in in my area that been removed,
43:51
2AD, Rs and ADR. So you know it is possible for
43:56
these things to happen. I fear for the fact.
44:01
That somewhere down the line that Don is going to still.
44:08
Run for president. Irregardless of having the
44:11
contract signed or not. In hopes of being able.
44:15
To hand off the presidency to somebody else instead of games.
44:22
That that will be a. Critical mistake because the
44:25
only other person is qualified to to actually occupy that
44:29
position. It's only been in their new
44:32
position for a year and they they need to do a lot more work
44:37
and that individual's qualified to do that work, but.
44:41
I won't mind mention John. Adams by name.
44:45
He needs to stay in that position.
44:47
Because he's getting some stuff done.
44:50
Leadership does not have to do anything more than lead by
44:56
example. They don't.
44:59
Have to know everything. They don't.
45:01
Have to be everything. That's why you have subordinate
45:05
but they. Have to be a.
45:07
Leader and we haven't had one in years and we're due for some
45:13
real leadership. Not going to be myself this
45:16
year. It may.
45:18
Be James, but no matter who. It steps up.
45:24
We need real leadership, and that depends.
45:28
On you. Getting the right people
45:30
selected as delegates sent to national electing the person
45:36
that's qualified to represent the craft.
45:40
Not best qualified because they've worked their way up the
45:43
board for 20 years. Not best qualified because they
45:45
haven't carried a route in 20 years.
45:48
The best qualified to represent the craft and the best person to
45:53
represent the craft is somebody in the craft.
45:58
And don't ever. Ever come to me and say Oh well
46:03
I've been a rule craft member for 30 years?
46:05
Yes, but for 25 of them you haven't carried around, or for
46:10
18 of them you haven't carried around.
46:12
You don't know Jack's shit about what our craft goes through, so
46:18
therefore you're not qualified to speak on behalf of the craft.
46:25
Now here we. Are again, we're you know, we're
46:27
doing this podcast, we're doing it for free, we're doing it on
46:30
our time and we appreciate everybody listening.
46:33
The fact of the matter is. We are the only ones.
46:38
That can change the direction of this Union and I hope.
46:42
You take that to heart. I hope you take it back to your
46:44
offices and talk it up and you get people involved to the point
46:49
where we get more qualified delegates going to the National
46:55
Convention who have our interests at heart, not.
47:00
Their interests of being. Off their routes their.
47:03
Interest doing, you know you. Know special committees to
47:06
Washington, DC, but have our interests at heart as.
47:12
Always, everybody go. Out there and do your jobs.
47:15
Do it professionally. Do it, you know, efficiently.
47:18
Do it safely and make sure you get home to your loved ones
47:22
because you are the most important delivery of the day.
47:26
Games last words, You know you're right.
47:32
We are the craft, the. Two of us here.
47:37
Are the craft bill Bill is still actively working with the craft
47:43
and. We do do this on.
47:45
Our own time, on our own dime. Why?
47:48
Because we believe the craft is the most important part of the
47:54
NRLCA. The craft is the only thing our
48:01
national board should be concerned about.
48:03
They shouldn't be concerned about the financial position of
48:07
the Postal Service, the postal. Service has been in dire.
48:11
Straits for decades, the Postal Service has only shown a profit
48:17
in a few years. We need to be worried.
48:23
About the financial position of the rural carriers.
48:31
And we need. The president, the vice
48:35
president and everybody else on that board to think about the
48:40
rural carrier in the middle of nowhere, Tennessee, Nebraska,
48:47
Wyoming, everywhere. Not just the ones in suburban
48:52
places like Detroit, Lansing, NY, Westchester, places like
49:02
that. We are all rural carriers.
49:05
You need to think of them all. You need to think about the
49:08
carrier that's on the 1 1/2 mile route, as well as the carrier on
49:13
the 150 mile route. The one that does.
49:16
All paved. Roads with mounted versus the
49:20
carrier on all dirt roads and mounted or the carrier on paved
49:24
roads with CB US. Every single rural carrier
49:29
matters. Every single rural carrier
49:33
deserves a national board that stands up for them, fights for
49:38
them, and does everything in the best interest of the rural
49:45
carrier. Because the rural carrier.
49:50
Dues pay their salary. The rural carrier dues pay for
49:59
the conferences. The rural.
50:02
Carrier dues. Pay for every single member of
50:08
the National Steward System except the local office steward,
50:17
and that is the people they should be answering to, not
50:23
capitulating to management's whims and management's threats
50:28
like telling them if carriers don't pay back the post office,
50:31
they're going to cut their routes a second time when they
50:34
could barely manage to cut the routes in the first time.
50:42
The carriers matter. Their.
50:46
Lives. Matter.
50:50
And a contract coming. Out like the city carriers.
50:56
That's a death sentence. To some carriers.
51:03
That's a death sentence. To rural offices that can't get
51:08
help because you can't pay them enough to deliver the mail with
51:13
the management that's in that office.
51:19
The carriers are talking. And we know you're listening.
51:26
We know you're listening to this podcast because.
51:30
I've you've talked about. Stuff we've said on this
51:33
podcast. So we know you're paying.
51:37
Attention. But the question is, is are you
51:40
going to take what we say and actually put it to use?
51:48
To the carriers out there. I'm listening my social.
51:53
Media comments are. Open My messages are open.
51:59
I'm here for you at James Brennan for NRLCA president on
52:03
Facebook if. You need somebody to talk.
52:07
To if you need help, you need something.
52:12
Reach out and if you want. To help.
52:16
Reach out, let me know what you want to help me with I'm.
52:21
Available. I have it open. 24/7 The only
52:24
time I don't answer is when I'm actively delivering or when I'm
52:28
sleeping. I do not.
52:34
Let carriers slip through the cracks.
52:37
I'm here for you. I'm here for the craft.
52:42
Because at. The end of the day.
52:45
We're all in this together. We'll.
52:48
Be back next Sunday for. Everybody hopefully with no
52:53
recording issues and we'll see you then.
52:57
Bye bye.