It’s Time to Say Goodbye

After almost 50 years, my career as a Union representative is ending.

I began my career as an active letter carrier on January 5th, 1974 at the Seaford, NY Post Office, 11783. In October of 1975, I was elected the Shop Steward in Seaford. I was a Part-Time Flexible (PTF) letter carrier at the time which meant I did not have any guaranteed hours and when I was scheduled because of the size of the office, I was “only” guaranteed 2 hours of work. There was also “no” language which allowed selecting vacant routes or “hold-down assignments. Management could “pick and choose.” If they liked you and you never questioned them you got preferred treatment.

It was never my goal to be a letter carrier for more than a few years because I believed I would move on to something else. I had a college degree and I thought there would be better opportunities in the private sector. I only became the shop steward because of the way management treated PTFs (including myself) at the time.

In Seaford, management did not like to schedule you and they expected you to wait at home to be “called” in. That was not a “rule” in the contract (still isn’t) and you did not have to answer the telephone. If you did not, however, you might not get many hours of work.

I was the junior PTF of 3 PTFs. At one point in my career all the PTFs boycotted the “on-call” system for 3 weeks. No one answered the telephone. After 3 weeks, the other PTFs went back to “on-call” because they needed the money. During the 3 week “boycott” management paid “overtime” to cover the PTFs who were not available.

After 4 ½ years as a PTF finally I became a career carrier. Being guaranteed 40 hours of work a week made a “big” difference and being available 5 days a week gave me an opportunity to “enforce” the contract on a regular basis. It leveled the “playing” field.

I never forgot the way management treated me and other carriers and I “rigidly” enforced the contract. This frustrated management who had previously done what they wanted with impunity. Knowing the contract and enforcing it became my mantra. It also leveled the playing field for the other letter carriers with management. It was not unusual that in some years I filed over 100 grievances. They were not frivolous and most of them were upheld for the Union and the Members.

I used a portable typewriter (we did not have laptops at this time) on the work floor when filing grievances. When fellow letter carriers heard the “clicking” of my typewriter they knew management was in trouble.

I also conducted monthly “labor- management” meetings because it was permitted by our local agreement. In addition, every time a “new” contract was negotiated, we expanded provisions which were beneficial to all letter carriers.

After almost 15 years as a shop steward, I was elected to a full-time position as Branch 6000, Financial Seceretary. I began that position in January of 1988. And served in other capacities until the end of 2005. In 2005, I was elected President of Branch 6000 and have served in that position for 18 years.

Believe it or not, I enjoyed representing this membership whether it was “filing a grievance”, being a Convention delegate, participating in political activities, being involved in the LI Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO or just visiting post offices to talk with fellow letter carriers and conducting membership meetings.

All of this was a “learning: experience from my first day on the job until my last. I have seen “new” faces begin and mature and “old” faces leave and retire. No words that I write can truly express how I feel about the work with all of you and those experiences have affected my life.

Since we are approaching the “holiday” season I always make it a point to see at least once if not several times the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.” If you have not seen the movie make a point to see it this year (2023).

The main character’s name in the movie is George Bailey. The actor Jimmy Stewart portrays him. The main point of the movie is that it shows George what the lives of others (Family, Friends, and others) would have been like if he never been born. He is assisted with this premise by a Guardian Angel named (Clarence).

After seeing what the lives of others (Family and Friends) were like without him. He realizes how “important” he was to all of them. The best part of the movie is at the end. Clarence leaves George a book he was reading(Tom Sawyer) with an inscription. “No Man Who has Friends is a Failure.” George is also told by his Friends at the end, that he is the “Richest Man in Town!”

If I had to sum up my career as a Union representative it would be those words, “The Richest Man in Town.” With the experiences that this membership has provided me over my 50 years of representing them, I feel like the “Richest Man in Town.” THANK YOU! AND GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU!