Guffey Elected APWU President, Bell Wins VP
In balloting that ended Oct. 14, Cliff Guffey was elected the new president of the American Postal Workers Union, receiving 69 percent of the votes in a three-way race. Greg Bell garnered 75 percent of votes cast, to win the Vice Presidency.
Guffey, who has served as the APWU’s vice president since 2001, becomes the union’s fifth president.
Also claiming victory was Martha Shunn-King, for Director of Organization. William “Bill” Kaczor was re-elected Health Plan Director.
Rob Strunk won the race for Clerk Division Director, and Princella Vogel was elected Southern Region Coordinator in a three-way contest. Robert “Bob” Pritchard was re-elected Director of the Motor Vehicles Services Division, and Michael Foster was re-elected Assistant Director.
A total of 30 races for national office were contested in this year’s elections. The American Arbitration Association (AAA) tabulated the ballots on Oct. 15. A total of 190,531 ballots were mailed to eligible voters, and 51,994 were returned.
Voting was extended until Oct. 14, after the American Arbitration Association announced that it had received many reports that members had not received ballots more than two weeks after the AAA mailed them.
Unofficial results are shown below. The winning candidate’s name appears first, in bold. Incumbent officers are denoted by (I) appearing after their name. Uncontested races are listed on page 3.
A complete election report can be found on the union’s Web site, at www.apwu.org. Results also will appear in the November/December issue of The American Postal Worker.
The oath of office will be administered in a ceremony on Nov. 6. For information about the Installation Dinner-Dance, see page 2. Newly-elected officers take office effective Nov. 12 and will serve three-year terms.
APWU: National Officers Election Ballots Due Oct. 14
APWU News
With just two days remaining before the APWU election of national officers ends, members are reminded to cast their ballots to determine who will lead the union for the next three years. As of Oct. 12, the unofficial ballot count stands at 44,036.
Ballots must be returned to and received in the designated post office box on the return envelope by 2 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 14. Votes will be counted at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, 1201 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20005.
Preliminary results will be posted on www.apwu.org as they become available, and the unofficial tallies will be updated frequently. Final, official results will be published in the November/December issue of The American Postal Worker.
The APWU Election Committee extended the deadline for voting until Oct. 14 because of reports that a large number of union members had not received their ballots.
It’s your union. VOTE!
Presidential Elections Have Postal Consequences
Filed under: election, NAPUS, postal, usps, usps annual report
From National Association of Postmasters of the US (NAPUS) e-newsletter
Among the new appointments that President-elect Obama will make is the Chairmanship of PRC. Although current Chairman Dan Blair’s term on the Commission extends to 2012, he serves as Chairman, at the pleasure of the President. (Dan is a Republican appointee.) Another decision President-elect Obama could make is the nomination of a new USPS Governor.
In the wake of Sen. Barack Obama’s convincing and historic victory, Postmasters should be attentive to changes that a new Administration can bring to postal governance. For example, it is important to recall that one of the catalysts in jump-starting Postal Reform was a concern within the Bush Administration that the Postal Service’s precarious financial situation could have a negative impact on the U.S. Treasury. Moreover, one of the major obstacles to permitting the Postal Service to benefit from the same Medicare Part D rebate, as enjoyed by other employers, was the Bush Administration’s objection.
Among the new appointments that President-elect Obama will make is the Chairmanship of the Postal Regulatory Commission. Although current Chairman Dan Blair’s term on the Commission extends to 2012, he serves as Chairman, at the pleasure of the President. (Dan is a Republican appointee.) Blair may continue to serve as Chairman until Obama designates a new Chairman. It is, therefore, likely that President-elect Obama would choose between Vice Chairman Nanci Langley and Commissioner Ruth Goldway to succeed Dan. Both Langley and Goldway were confirmed as Democratic members of the PRC. Another decision President-elect Obama could make is the nomination of a new USPS Governor. Prior to the September Congressional recess, President Bush nominated former Washoe County NV Assessor Robert McGowan to succeed Alan Kessler on the USPS Board of Governors. If the Senate does not confirm McGowan prior to January 20, Obama could nominate someone else; however, this scenario may be problematic, because Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) recommended McGowan to the White House.
Another impact that the new Administration’s policy could have on the USPS is through its broad legislative agenda. For example, a major health care initiative could impact the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) and Medicare. Postal employees rely on FEHBP for their health care coverage, while most retirees depend on both. Moreover, since FEHBP coordinates its coverage with Medicare, a substantial change in Medicare can impact the FEHBP. As you may recall, in 1993, former President Clinton led an ill-fated crusade to reform the nation’s health care system. Its earliest incarnations would have eliminated the FEHBP or radically modified it. Only through a concerted effort by the Federal/postal community, were we able to educate the Administration and Congress about the importance of the FEHBP. During that same period the USPS was seeking a way to break away from the FEHBP and negotiate its own health plan with postal employees. NAPUS will be working to ensure that the Presidential transition team is attentive to Postmaster issues.
APWU: PMG’s Message Is Clear – Postal Employees May Face Layoffs For First Time In History
16,000 Postal Employees Lack Years Required for Protection Against Layoffs
USPS’ Bleak Financial Picture And the Presidential Election
Postmaster General John E. Potter informed the unions and the Postal Regulatory Commission this month that the Postal Service has experienced a 12 percent reduction in mail volume and that in Fiscal Year 2008 (ending Sept. 30), expenses will exceed revenue by approximately $2.3 billion. I do not challenge this assessment, as any casual review of mail processing plants or postal vehicles will reveal dramatic reductions in mail volume.
The 2008 deficit is not the largest the USPS has ever suffered, but for the first time in postal history, the losses cannot be recovered by postage rate increases.
The 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, which was hailed by many in the postal community as the savior of the Postal Service, may ultimately be the single most damaging factor in its demise. Under the law, the only means for the USPS to recover the losses are:
- Substantial mail volume increases;
- Significant productivity improvements, or
- Invoking the law’s “exigency” clause.
(The exigency clause offers an exception to the law’s prohibition against increasing postage rates above the rate of inflation; it permits such increases in “extraordinary or exceptional” circumstances.)
Regrettably, there are no prospects for increases in mail volume or for productivity improvements sufficient to offset the current losses. Invoking the exigency clause — in order to increase postage rates more than the rate of inflation — would run the risk of accelerating the transformation from hard-copy communication to electronics. (Industry observers suggest that if postage rates rise too sharply, major mailers would abandon hard-copy communication in favor of e-mail and other technologies.)
To make matters worse, the 2008 deficit of $2.3 billion is expected to be matched in Fiscal Year 2009 with losses of an additional $2 billion. This means it will be necessary for the Postal Service to borrow $5 billion over a two-year period.
Although the Postal Service has the authority to borrow up to $15 billion, far in advance of reaching that limit, the Postal Regulatory Commission, Congress and the next president will be under tremendous pressure to privatize the Postal Service.
In response to the financial crisis, the Postal Service has announced a hiring freeze. And, in a meeting with union leaders and management association presidents, the Postmaster General pointed out that 16,000 USPS employees lack the six years of continuous service required to achieve protection against layoffs.
The PMG’s message was clear: For the first time in our history, postal employees may experience layoffs.
This looming crisis is the reason that the 2008 election for president and Congress is so important to postal employees. When serious discussions occur about the future of the Postal Service — and they will — postal unions must have a Congress and a president who understand our concerns. In the face of mounting federal deficits, the nation will decide the future role of the government in providing postal services.
As postal employees cast their votes in the 2008 election, protecting our employment must be a decisive factor in the choices we make. This time the decision cannot be based on abortion, guns, terrorism, or experience. This time it’s about your job.
And simply put, John McCain favors privatization; Barack Obama believes in public services.
The candidates haven’t had an opportunity to vote on postal privatization — yet — but they have voted on the privatization of other federal jobs: Obama voted against the Bush Administration plan to outsource and privatize hundreds of thousands of federal jobs; McCain voted for Bush’s program and voted to privatize federal jobs in 2006, 2004, and 2003.
I know that I cannot tell a member who to vote for. However, it is my responsibility to share with our members what I believe is in their interest as postal employees.
I strongly advise you against jumping from a five-story building without a parachute, but if you chose to do so, that is your right. You also have the right to vote for John McCain, but that decision is no different than the decision to jump.
This election is about your future as a postal employee. It’s about your job.
William Burrus
President
APWU to Re-Run Two National Business Agent Races
APWU News
The APWU will conduct new elections for two National Business Agent (NBA) positions to resolve an investigation by the Department of Labor, union President William Burrus has announced. The two elections to be re-run are the Clerk NBA “A” race in the Dallas Region and the Motor Vehicle Services NBA election in the Southwest Sub-Region. The races were initially contested in 2007, as part of the election of more than 80 national officers.
The new election in the MVS race will be conducted prior to Oct. 5, 2008. New nominations will be held for the clerk position, and balloting will take place prior to Nov. 30. Union members will be notified when a schedule has been finalized.
The elections will be conducted under the supervision of the Department of Labor, in accordance with Title IV of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act. President Burrus has appointed Tony Turner to serve as the APWU Election Committee chairperson.
The Department of Labor sought a new election in the Clerk NBA race because of concerns about local endorsements in that contest. The losing candidate is no longer eligible to run for office, so new nominations will be held.
The new election in the Motor Vehicle race is necessary because some eligible voters initially received the wrong ballots. Although corrected ballots were mailed to all affected voters, some did not cast new ballots.
“We will do everything we can to protect the integrity of our election process,” Burrus said. “The direct election of officers is a hallmark of our union’s democracy, and we will take all necessary steps to ensure that our elections are conducted properly.”
Candidates Announced For Upcoming APWU National Election
Ballots will be mailed to members starting in September; the vote count begins Oct. 5.
APWU News
Secretary-Treasurer Terry Stapleton has announced that the following union members have been certified as candidates for election to national office by referendum balloting, as mandated by the APWU Constitution and Bylaws.
Each candidate in this unofficial listing has secured the necessary petitions required for nomination. The official list will be announced after the drawing for position on the ballot is held.
Incumbent officers are listed first and identified by (I) after their names. Where more than one non-incumbent candidate has been certified, they are listed in alphabetical order. (A list of uncontested national offices appears after the contested races.)
Attention candidates: If your name or local is misspelled or identified improperly, please notify Secretary-Treasurer Terry Stapleton immediately. These corrections must be received by his office by 4 p.m., Friday, June 22, 2007.
General and Departments
President
William Burrus (I), Cleveland Area Local (OH)
Richard D. Cornell, Citrus Center Area Local (FL)
Health Plan Director
William “Bill” Kaczor (I), Buffalo Local (NY)
Terry Finnerty, Southern New York Area Local
Cherli “Cheryl” A. Montgomery, Fox Valley Local (IL)
Regional Coordinators
Western Region
Omar M. Gonzalez (I), Greater Los Angeles Area Local (CA)
J.N. “Jim” Alexander, Southern Oregon Area Local
Mike Stinson, Southwest Coastal Area Local (CA)