What's a Woo? - Branch 9 NALC

VOLUME 64 No 4 Official Publication of Branch Nine, NALC May 2012
What’s a Woo?
◄This is not a WOO.
WOO (Window of Operation) is the new acronym being
used by management in an attempt to justify that all
outgoing mail will make the last truck dispatch. Management
has served notice that they will simultaniously
schedule overtime and 8-hour only carrier’s to be back in
the office 15 minutes before DOV (Dispatch of Value)
departs.
In a letter to Branch 9 President, Mike Zagaros, the Minneapolis Postmaster
stated that managers will openly violate Article 8.5.G. with the misguided notion
that they have the right to do so.
Being proactive, Branch 9 is in the process of developing a step-by-step
guide that even the most inexperienced steward will use to file a successful
grievance.
Branch 9 officer’s cannot emphasize enough that if you (yes, you) see or
know of an 8-hour only carrier working overtime, let your steward know.
Management may try to “work” some private deal with an 8-hour carrier in
violation of our National Agreement. The Contract is just that; an agreement
by both parties.
Upper management has trimmed staffing (both clerks and carriers) beyond a
sane limit, and now cannot adequately get mail delivered at a reasonable time.
So much for customer service.
USPS/NALC headed to arbitration.
From the Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service, the USPS picks an
arbiter, and the NALC picks an arbiter. These two arbiter’s pick a neutral
third arbiter who will be the lead arbiter. The three-person panel then must
set a calendar schedule to hear arguements from the two parties.
Memorial Day Issue:
President’s Article
.. Page 3
Right to Work Fallacy
..Page 4
Vice President’s Article
..Page 5
Stewards’ Corner
..Page 6
Unfair, Unsafe, Unnessary
..Page 8
MDA Bowl-A-Thon
..Page 9
Save the USPS Rally
..Page 10
Wisconsin Governor’s Rebuke
..Page 10
Memorial Day Salute
..Page 12 & 13
USPS Executive Salaries
..Page 14

2
Brian Emke (Robbinsdale)
is honored at his surprise
retirement party at the St.
Michael American Legion.
West Bloomington carriers
with their 25 year pins, 30
year pins and 35 year pins.
Jim Greenfield (St Louis
Park) clocks out for the final
time as Steward, Steve
Rowland witnesses.
Branch 9 President, Mike
Zagaros presents new retiree
Pat Rein (Shakopee) with his
gold watch.
Branch Nine News
From
the Editor’s
Desk
Submitted Amendments
to Branch 9 By-Laws
were acted upon at the
April 24th GMM.
By-Law submission #1.
Voted down
By-Law submission #2.
Voted down
Mike Pearson (Shakopee)
with his 25 year pin.
(l) Tom Taykalo (Steward)
gives a celebratory handshake
to new retiree Dave
Bradley (Metro Hub).
May 2012
Branch Nine, NALC
2408 Central Ave. NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
Voice: (612) 781-9858
Fax: (612) 781-9849
E-Mail Addresses:
Website: branch9nalc.com
Editor:
branch9news@branch9nalc.com
Branch Nine Officers
President
Mike Zagaros
Exec. Vice President
Darrell Maus
Recording Secretary
Jeremy Rothstein
Treasurer
Lisa O’Neill
Financial Secretary
Melia Derrick
Editor
Chuck Glover
Sergeant at Arms
Jim Nelson
Trustee
Barb Watczak
Trustee
Mike Smith
Trustee
Samantha Hartwig
Director of Retirees
Cheryl Stately
NALC Health Benefits Rep.
Julie Waldemar
(612) 963-6252
The Branch Nine News is a monthly
publication of NALC Branch 9, and
is published in the interest of and for
the members of NALC Branch 9.
The opinions expressed by the
writers are not necessarily those of
the OFFICERS, or of NALC Branch 9.
Articles MUST be submitted to
the editor by the 2nd Friday of the
month, and must be signed. The
Editorial Staff reserves the right to
edit or refuse to print articles which
are derogatory in nature. Any official
NALC organization may reproduce
our articles provided appropriate
credit is given.

May 2012 Branch Nine News 3
President’s Report
I got a letter the other day. It
began with “No customer is
satisfied with the delivery of
mail late into the evening. It is
not practicable to deliver mail
at a time when our customers
do not want it (Ex: 6:00PM &
beyond) or when businesses are
closed and not available to receive
it. …” These are the opening
sentences of a letter sent notifying
the Branch of management’s
(in this case the Postmaster of
Minneapolis) intentions regarding the
“simultaneous scheduling of OTDL
carriers and non-OTDL carriers.”
This is the working of carriers on
and off the Overtime Desired List at
the same time “without maximizing
the list to the limits set forth in
Article 8.5.G…” Management is
giving notice that they are attempting
to establish an operational window
for the Minneapolis Installation
beginning May 14 th . So what is an
operational window or Window of
Operation (WOO)?
The term, simply put, refers to the
timeframe that a delivery unit works
its carriers from start to finish. Often
operational windows are defined with
absolutes like “all carriers off the
street by 5:00 or 5:30PM or whatever.
It has been referred to by arbitrators
as a service goal or commitment
that is used “to effectuate the
timely delivery of mail as well as
the timely dispatch of mail brought
back to the station by carriers.”
But the operational window in the
Minneapolis Installation has not been
defined with a specific time. Instead
the notice provides examples of what
the operational window will be. It
“will be considered open when 80%
of the respective routes caseable
mail volume is anticipated to be
available to be cased by a carrier. It
will be considered closed 15 minutes
prior to the Dispatch of Value’s
(DOV) scheduled departure. ...”
This explanation could allow for
different time frames or windows to
be used at different stations inside
the 554 area. What’s most important
to realize is that management has
the right to do this. They have the
right to establish an operational
window. Article 3 of the National
Agreement (Management Rights)
gives management the ability to set
a service goal that has carriers off
the street by a certain time. BUT,
Article 3 also says that this right
is “subject to the provisions of
this Agreement.” This means that
while management has the right to
determine the method, means and
personnel they will use to manage
the Postal Service. They must do so
within the confines of the contract
including all of Article 8.
What we really are talking about
is the forcing of carriers not on
the Overtime Desired List to work
overtime possibly before the OTDL
is maxed out, which is a violation of
the National Agreement. One of the
purposes of the OTDL is to excuse
full-time carriers not wishing to
work overtime from having to work
overtime when there are carriers on
the OTDL who are available. The
JCAM spells out when a carrier not
on the OTDL can be required to
work overtime. If you are not on the
OTDL and management has you
working overtime, see your steward.
If you are asked to volunteer to work
overtime, see your steward. If you
are on the Work
Mike Zagaros
Assignment List and asked to work
on another assignment, see your
steward. Grievances will be filed each
and every time there is a violation.
Management can’t pick and choose
which parts of the contract they will
follow and which they will ignore.
They are expected to give meaning to
all of it.
Recently the Federal Times published
an article about postal employees
working more overtime. They
reported that overtime pay has
increased by 1/3 since 2009. At the
same time the workforce has shrunk
by 10%. We know that overtime is
usually caused by either too much
mail (from volume or poorly adjusted
routes) or not enough people,
sometimes it’s both. The main
issue in Minneapolis is staffing, and
everyone knows it. The major cause
with late deliveries is not enough
people. Look around at the number
of carriers who have retired and have
not been replaced and you can see it.
Management’s operational window
won’t work in Minneapolis based
on the current staffing. They know
it but that doesn’t mean they won’t
try even if it means that they will
have to violate the contract. In their
notice they said that “management
acknowledges and recognizes the
President’s Report continued on page 12

4 Branch Nine News
The Right To Work Fallacy
Many of us in Minnesota have
been hearing about the Right To
Work, however many of us do not
understand what that actually means.
Here in Minnesota we are currently
not a Right To Work state; but some
Senators, and Representatives in the
State Legislature feel there needs to
be a Constitutional Amendment to
turn Minnesota into a Right To Work
state.
On Monday, March 12, 2012 the
Minnesota Senate Judiciary and
Public Safety Committee held a
hearing on a proposed Constitutional
Amendment that would allow the
voters to decide if Minnesota should
become a Right To Work state. There
was an hour of testimony for those
in favor of Right To Work, an hour
of testimony for those opposed
to Right To Work, and an hour of
debate among the Senators before
voting on whether or not a Right To
Work Constitutional Amendment
will be added to the November ballot
for the citizens of Minnesota to
decide the Right To Work issue.
The Senators voted, and the vote
was along party lines, to add the
Right To Work Constitutional
Amendment to the November Ballot,
this is the first step to adding this
unfair constitutional amendment to
the ballot in November. This is
why it is important to contact the
State Legislators and let them know
the working people of Minnesota
are opposed to the Right To Work
Constitutional Amendment.
In 1961 the Reverend Martin Luther
King Jr. had this to say about the
By: Samantha Hartwig
Eastside
Right To Work: “In our glorious
fight for civil rights, we must guard
against being fooled by false slogans,
such as ‘right to work.’ It is a law to
rob us of our civil rights and job
rights. . . Its purpose is to destroy
labor unions and the freedom of
collective bargaining by which unions
have improved wages and working
conditions of everyone. Wherever
these laws have been passed, wages
are lower, job opportunities are fewer
and there are no civil rights. We do
not intend to let them do this to us.
We demand this fraud be stopped.
Our weapon is our vote.” These
words uttered in 1961 still remain
relevant today, and we need to make
our collective voice heard in the
legislature.
If the Right To Work Constitutional
Amendment is approved it means
that union members in private
sector unions can withdraw from
the Union, not have to pay any dues,
and still reap all of the benefits a
Union job offers. As letter carriers
we already deal with this issue daily
because we are an open shop union.
For the private sector unions this
legislation will financially hurt many
of them, weakening their ability to
bargain collectively, and shift a focus
from representation of members
to collecting dues, and soliciting
members to stay in the union. We
need to support our brothers and
sisters in the private sector; an injury
to one is an injury to all. This is
just the beginning of attacks on
the working class in Minnesota, but
together we can make a difference,
and be heard.
May 2012
In April, I took a trip back to God’s
County, the land of my youth.
Renewed acquaintances with some
childhood friends I hadn’t seen in 40
years or more. We caught each other
up on our lives, our families, etc.
When I told them that I had spent
37-1/2 years in the Postal Service,
a couple of them asked me, “What
is going on with the Post Office? It
ran so well for 225 years. Why is it in
such trouble now?”
That got me to thinking: how would
you describe the Postal Service in a
paragraph? Maybe Chuck should run
a contest in the Branch Nine News,
and the winner gets a Branch Nine
ball cap (if there is such a thing) or
something.
Some say that it’s a very complex
issue, but I disagree. And since I
posed the question, I’ll go first and
tell you my response. I said to my
old friends: “Well, it’s like this. You
take a venerable American institution
of hundreds of thousands of
employees. You find the 5% looking
for an easy path, combine them with
the 5% who are blind to reality. You
put this 10% together, and let them
manage the outfit for 30 years. And
in a nutshell, that’s what wrong with
the Postal Service today.”
Rotten Rodney Anderson, Retired
The Following is a list of Paid
Members of PAL 9 for April 2012.
Very Concerned Members
Kieran Hughes
Charles Glover
Regular Members
Roger G Harwarth
Carlos A Garcia
George B Gray
David J Johnson
Bradley J Knutson
Ron Lawrence
Treasurer PAL 9

May 2012 Branch Nine News 5
Executive Vice President’s
Report
WE MUST NEVER FORGET
Branch 9 members voted at a special
March meeting in 1970 to go out on
strike. This was not just Union chatter
and idle talk, they followed up the
vote with action. On the morning of
March 21, 1970, Branch 9 carriers
did not report to work. Instead, they
showed up en masse at a parking
lot, grabbed a picket sign and then
walked over the Hennepin Avenue
Bridge to the Main Post Office in
Minneapolis. The Postal Inspectors
were also there on the higher floors
taking pictures (for evidence) of
the unlawful actions of carriers that
were participating in the strike. Our
Branch members walked with “ON
STRIKE” signs defiantly hoisted in
the air. We had now joined the other
NALC carriers from branches across
the country in the movement for
better wages and benefits. In the days
to follow we saw continued strike activities.
President Nixon got involved
and ordered the National Guard in
to sort and deliver the mail - that did
not work out so well. The troops
went to the letter cases without any
idea of what the job involved. Some
carriers had taken their case labels
home, leaving the guardsmen with no
idea of how or where to deliver the
piles of mail.
The detailed news articles and
other preserved artifacts here in our
Branch and around the country are
very interesting. This is a rich piece
of our own Labor History, that is not
only important, but also intriguing
for myself and current members to
hear the stories of these brave men
and women who were involved in the
strike. I am sure they would all gladly
share their personal recollection of
the events, the financial sacrifice (as
they certainly did not get paid by
the US Postal Department while on
strike) and the fear they had of losing
their jobs as a result of the illegal
strike. At the time of the strike, letter
carriers made $3.06 per hour, and
literally had to beg for raises from
Congress.
The strike was possible and
successful because each carrier
made a personal decision to act
in unison with the other brothers
and sisters of this Union
Each March, we must remember and
recognize these bold letter carriers
and the stand they took. They
showed what is possible when everyone
works together towards the same
goal and are not afraid of what might
happen because of their actions.
They were not to be denied or overcome
(over 200,000 carriers stopped
working around the country)!
The current members are (and will
continue to be) eternally grateful
for their heroism and for having the
strength to complete their goal. Our
current benefits are a direct result
of this action taken by our previous
members. THANK YOU!
EAP
Sometimes, when we are in need the
most, we are the least likely to recognize
it. Suffering from grief, financial
issues, serious disease, divorce, or
other family problems outside of
the workplace can affect our day at
work. Most of us can identify with
the enormous impact these issues
Darrell Maus
create in our lives - both at home
and at work. We may witness this
happening to someone else and we
may say we know exactly what we
would do if these events were to
happen in our lives, but the truth is,
no one knows what they will do until
it happens. Being able to recognize a
behavior or action that is not normal
by one of our brothers or sisters on
the workroom floor is the first clue
and it may be the only one. Realizing
and acknowledging that there may be
ongoing issues in someone else’s (or
even our own) life is key to what we
are dealing with and getting the help
needed. EAP is staffed with professionals
and if they are unable to help
there is information available on who
can.
Remember, EAP is FREE to you,
your family and anyone living in your
household (except tenants or live-in
employees). Your privacy is strictly
protected. If you happen to be a
family member and wish to use EAP
anonymously, you can! Your participation
is completely confidential.
There is help waiting and it’s just a
phone call away. Life can be better.
Phone 1-800-EAP-4-You (1-800-
327-4968) 24 hours
Minneapolis 612-349-4421
www.EAP4YOU.com

6
Sometimes it’s the little things.
Sometimes when stewards write
or discuss grievances we spend so
much time and energy with
investigation, arguing, and reading
the JCAM and handbooks and manuals,
that we forget about the little
things. The things that if not covered
and done correctly may make
a difference in the outcome at the
next step of the grievance procedure
or even at arbitration. The Postal
Service’s weapon of choice right now
at the later steps of the grievance
procedure and at arbitration is to argue
arbitrability or procedural issues.
It looks like it’s time for a refresher in
basic grievances.
Put time extensions and
requests for information in
writing.
Yes, we all know that there is no
contractual requirement to put
requests for information or extensions
of time limits in writing. But, if
you don’t, you are simply asking for
trouble. You have nothing to put in
your grievance file to prove that you
had that extension or that you
requested that information. It’s your
word against theirs. Not a chance you
want to take. Put the extension in
writing and have an end date. Open
ended extensions are contrary to the
intent of the DRT process. There
have been too many times where
the local union had a great working
relationship with local management
and these things were never an issue.
Then,all of a sudden, the relationship
changes. You don’t have something
documented and now you, well your
grievant, is up a creek.
In some cases this happens when a
new Postmaster comes in and takes
Stewards’
Corner
Branch Nine News
over. In one installation recently the
branch had hundreds of grievances
backed up on hold for many months
waiting for meeting time and/or
information. The office was understaffed
and there was an “understanding”
that the steward time and
information would be provided as
soon as possible. Well, a new sheriff
came to town and declared all of the
grievances untimely. Was it right?
Ethically, no. But contractually, there
was no proof of any extensions.
Article 15 Section 2 of the National
Agreement, Grievance Procedure,
Informal Step A states in relevant
part:
(a) Any employee who feels aggrieved
must discuss the grievance
with the employee’s immediate supervisor
within fourteen (14) days
of the date on which the employee
or the Union first learned or may reasonably
have been expected to have
learned of its cause. This constitutes
the Informal Step A filing date.
Without an extension, in writing, the
grievances may not stand the test of
the grievance procedure. Argue all
you want about management not being
timely with providing requested
information or in their issuance of
discipline. We make those arguments
in the grievance procedure and move
on. But, if the union is untimely in
filing a grievance we lose. Get extensions
in writing and keep copies.
These extensions should always be
part of the grievance file.
Ok, now you’re asking, “But what if
they wouldn’t give me an extension
and have not provided the information
I need? How can I file a grievance
without getting the time or the
May 2012
Reprinted From:
NALC Activist
March 2010
information? ” I know many people
won’t want to hear this but the answer
is to do the work on your own
time and document that time noting
what you did and when. No, that is
not the way it is supposed to be but
in order to protect your time limits
and your grievant that is what you
must do. Not only that, but you must
also file a second grievance for the
time you spent off the clock and,
if you didn’t get the information you
requested, file yet another grievance
on that issue. These issues will become
part of your contentions and a
copy of these additional grievances
should be included in the original
grievance file as well. No one ever
said being a good steward was easy.
When issues such as this arise make
sure that your branch president and
the NBA are notified. Repeated issues
of this sort are indicators that
an intervention may be needed.
Make sure the entire 8190 is
correct and complete.
Timeliness can also become an issue
with the dates on the 8190. Article 15
Section 2.F states:
The Formal Step A decision is to
be made and the Joint Step A
Grievance Form completed the day of the
meeting, unless the time frame is mutually
extended. The Union may appeal an
impasse to Step B within seven (7) days of
the date of the decision.
It is not uncommon for Formal A
meetings to be extended. You meet
and then decide to get back together
to discuss the matter further or
exchange paperwork. In order to
protect your time limits, make sure to
document the original meeting, but
also don’t forget to document the extension.
Remember to sign and date

May 2012 Branch Nine News 7
the 8190 when the Formal A meeting
is concluded. You might actually have
two or more dates on the 8190 if you
had multiple meetings. Make sure
that the last date is the final meeting,
so that it does not appear as if your
appeal to Step B was untimely.
When you appeal a grievance to
Step B within seven days, any additions
and corrections must be
included in that grievance packet.
Article 15.2.g of the national agreement
states: Additions and corrections to
the Formal Step A record may be submitted
by the Union with the Step B appeal letter
within the time frame for initiating the Step
B appeal with a copy to the management
Formal Step A official. Any such statement
must be included in the file as part of the
grievance record in the case.
The JCAM provides that the union
may submit written additions and
corrections to the Formal Step A
record with the Step B appeal within
the time limit for filing an appeal to
Step B. The filing of any corrections
or additions does not extend the time
limits for filing the appeal. A copy
of the additions and corrections
must be sent to the management
Formal Step A official at the same
time. Management may respond by
sending additional information to the
Step B team which is directly related
to the union’s additions and corrections,
provided that it is received
prior to the Step B decision. At the
same time, management must send
a copy to the union Formal Step A
representative. Any statement of
additions and corrections must be
included in the file as part of the
grievance record in the case. Additions
and corrections received at Step
B after the grievance file could be
found to be untimely and those arguments
and contentions
ignored. Don’t give the Postal
Service the chance to make that argument.
While additions and corrections
should not be needed in every
case and should be the exception
to the rule, if you find that they are
needed in a particular case be sure to
include them in the grievance appeal
to Step B.
“Or” or “and”?
This may sound like a small issue but
in rare cases it may have an affect on
the outcome of a grievance. When
you write an issue statement on
Form 8190 use the word “or” instead
of the word “and.” For instance,
instead of writing “Did management
violate articles 3, 5, and 8 of
the national agreement when they
. . .” write “Did management violate
article 3, 5, or 8 of the national
agreement when they. . .” Using the
word “or” means that if a violation
is found for any of these articles the
grievance should be sustained. On
the other hand, if you use the word
“and,” management could argue, and
an uneducated arbitrator could agree,
that if there was not a violation of all
of those articles of the contract the
grievance should be denied. Don’t
limit yourself. Always remember that
usually you are not grieving a violation
of the JCAM. You are grieving a
violation of the National Agreement.
Those are the terms that should be
Don’t Take a Chance:
Put The Extension
In Writing
used in your issue statement.
Proper use of shop stewards
certified under Article 17.2.A
means that a shop steward certified
to represent carriers in a specific
work location is not certified to
represent carriers in another work
location. A steward certified to be a
steward in one unit within an installation
can not be used as a steward
in another unit without proper certification
for that unit.
In a recent arbitration decision
the arbitrator found that a grievance
was not arbitrable because while the
steward was certified prior to the
Informal A meeting, he was not
certified in writing when he requested
information to investigate the
grievance. The Postal Service
received the certification the following
day. While the NALC believes
that this arbitrator was in error in
his judgment in this case, why take
a chance. Be sure that stewards are
properly certified prior to performing
any steward duties. Article 17.2.A
is certainly not the extent of the
contract language regarding steward
certification, so be sure you read and
understand all of the steward certification
provisions in the JCAM. The
“Contract Talk” article in the April
2010 Postal Record provides
some additional sage advice on this
issue.
Proposed Removals
The JCAM instructs that grievances
concerning proposed removal
actions which are subject
to the 30-day notification period
in Article 16.5 will be held at Formal
Step A of the grievance procedure
until the decision letter is issued.
Consistent with the Dispute
Resolution Process Memorandum,
the employee will remain on the job
or on the clock until after the Step
B decision has been rendered or 14
days after the appeal is received at
Step B (except for emergency or
crime situations as provided for in
Articles 16.6 and 16.7). The JCAM
also states that the union does not
file a separate grievance on the deci-
NALC Activist continued on page 8

8
Unfair,
Unsafe,
Unnecessary
Samantha Hartwig
Eastside
The Right to Work Constitutional
Amendment that some legislators
are trying to place on the November
ballot in Minnesota will be bad for
the working class across the state.
Governor Dayton is opposed to
making Minnesota a Right to Work
state, but that is not stopping many
legislators from taking a back door
approach to making this a Right
to Work state. Knowing that the
Governor will veto any bill that
makes Minnesota a Right to Work
state, many Republican legislators are
attempting to place a constitutional
amendment on the November ballot,
which will prevent the Governor
from being able to veto any Right to
Work legislation.
After attending the debate at the
state capital on March 12, 2012,
on Right to Work, it became clear
to me that many people have a
misunderstanding on what a union
really does. The union not only
represents workers during times
of contract negotiation, but also
represents the workers when their
rights within the confines of the
contract have been violated. For
example, in a private sector union,
one important role the union plays
is to train the workers. The union
spends the money and time to train
workers, which benefits employers.
The Right to Work legislation would
take away the ability of the union
to not only negotiate a contract and
Branch Nine News
safe working conditions; but also
take away the resources of the union
for training workers. The union
would have to shift their focus from
representing members to collection
of dues. This unfair, unsafe, and
unnecessary legislation would make
it possible for workers to not be in
the union, not have to pay dues, and
still reap the benefits a union job
offers.
In Right to Work states wages of
workers tend to be lower than non-
Right to Work states. It is more
important than ever that we stay
engaged and informed with the
path the current state legislators are
walking. We need make our voices
heard, and make sure all of the
legislators know that Right to Work
is not right for Minnesota.
NALC Activist continued from page 7
sion letter. Rather, the union may
make additions to the file based on
the decision letter at either Step A or
Step B.
While the parties have agreed
that the union is not required to
file two separate grievances, one on
the proposed removal and one on
the decision letter, it is the NALC’s
position that a grievance filed within
14 days of receipt of the decision
letter is timely. Be aware though
that arbitrators have ruled both for
and against the NALC’s position on
this issue. Because it has never been
tested at national level arbitration,
stewards should not wait until receipt
of the decision letter to file a grievance.
You don’t want your
grievance to become a test case on
the issue. Play it safe and don’t
May 2012
give the Postal Service an argument
you don’t have to give it. File the
grievance within 14 days of receipt
of the proposed removal.
Step B
Even at Step B the little things
can become an issue down the road.
The JCAM states that a Step B impasse
decision must state in detail
the reasons for the impasse, and
also must include a statement of
any additional facts and contentions
not included in the Step A appeal.
The parties have agreed that the
impasse decision should contain all
issues in dispute and the parties’
respective positions on those issues
and that an arbitration would thus
generally be limited to those issues.
While there are always exceptions
to general statements like this, an
arbitrator could use his or her authority
to hear additional arguments
if persuaded of the necessity.
Again, why take the chance that the
arbitrator might decide not to hear
additional arguments that were
brought forward in the earlier steps
of the process? A Step B impasse
decision should include enough
information that anyone can identify
the issue and what both sides’
arguments and positions are without
looking at the rest of the file.
The NALC has used procedural
issues to argue against management
for many years reasoning that it failed
to meet, failed to provide information
or issued discipline in an untimely
manner. USPS has finally learned
to do the same. Let’s learn to defend
ourselves against these arguments
better than the Service has done in
the past.
Document everything and don’t
forget the little things. The basics.
It’s that little dog that can jump
up and bite you in the butt.

May 2012 Branch Nine News 9
Branch 9
MDA
Bowl-A-Thon
On Saturday, April 14, 2012, carriers
descended upon Park Tavern in
St. Louis Park for the Annual
Ron St. Clair MDA Bowl-a-thon.
Along with bowling, our Branch 9
members raised money with a Silent
Auction, 50/50 drawings and raffles.
By the end of the night, we had
raised over $5000 for MDA in our
effort to “Deliver the Cure”! The
winner of the Best Silent Auction
was Anoka, with their “Everyone
Wins” basket. The winner of Best
Individual Series was Bob Phillips of
Brooklyn Park Station. The Team
Best Series winner was the Brooklyn
Park Team, knocking Lake Street
from their long-standing 1 st place
status. Thank you to everyone who
participated, and donated silent
auction baskets. Our lane sponsors
this year were Betts and Hayes
Accounting and The Fink Agency.
Special thanks to Kevin Lane of
Bloomington Station, who went the
extra mile and obtained many, many
raffle items for the event. As always,
an extra thank you to our volunteers
who make the event happen.
JoAnn Gilbaugh
Branch 9 MDA Coordinator

10
Branch Nine News
On Thursday, April 12th, between
6:00 & 7:00PM, over one hundred
letter carriers gathered, to do their
part in the NALC Day of Action,
outside of Senator Klobuchar’s Minneapolis
office. Letter carriers and
their supporters across the nation
met outside senate offices to send a
simple message. “Congress, don’t dismantle
the U.S. Postal Service.” Here
in Minneapolis, the rally brought
carrier’s together to listen to MN
Senator Barb Goodwin, and MN
AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Steve
Hunter. Commuters on their way
home on Washington Avenue saw
signs held by letter carriers asking for
their support to preserve 6-day door
to door delivery. Some pulled over
to ask questions, but most honked
their car horns in support as they
passed. Thanks to all who did more
than talk the talk, but stood up to be
counted and got our message out.
May 2012
Wisconsin’s
Governor Walker
gets a slap on the hand
By Lisa O’Neill
Source: Alternate.org
Wisconsin’s recall-facing Republican
Governor Scott Walker and his
legislative allies received a stunning
rebuke from a federal court on Friday
that ruled the state’s Act 10 that
stripped most state employee unions
of the collective bargaining rights
and dues-collecting authority was an
unconstitutional abuse of power.
The ruling by U.S. District Court
Judge William Conley, which struck
down those sections of the law, held
that the Legislature had the right to
deny union bargaining rights, so long
as that policy was applied evenly
across all state employee unions--not
just the ones opposing the Governor’s
or his party’s policies. Conley
wrote, saying that targeting of some
unions violated the Constitution’s
equal protection clause.
“There is no dispute that a state
may bar its public employees from
engaging in any form of collective
bargaining. The only question
is whether a state may restrict the
collective bargaining rights to one
category of public unions while allowing
full rights to another category,”
he wrote. The Court also said
that Walker and his GOP allies also
went too far in trying to stop the
collection of union dues for some
state employee unions but not others,
saying that restriction violated
both equal protection and freedom
of assembly rights.
The judge also said in a footnote
that Walker’s vendetta against the
unions was not related to Act’s supposed
purpose of saving taxpayers
money.

May 2012 Branch Nine News 11
Branch 9 NALC
Fishing on Lake Mille Lacs
Twin Pines Resort & Motel-Restaurant
Located just two hours north of the Twin Cities on U.S. Highway 169 (mile marker 232).
Poles and bait provided, but feel free to bring your own poles. For more
information call 1.800.450.4682 or visit www.twinpinesmillelacs.com
Sunday, June 10th
8:00AM - 12:00PM
(Meet at the resort at 7:45AM)
*Twin Pines opens for breakfast at 7:00AM*
$30/Adult
$25/Children under 12
*The Branch will be hosting a roasted chicken lunch
(with hash browns, cole slaw and a drink) at Twin Pines Resort
after we return from fishing. This lunch is included in the price.*
Name:
Amount Paid:
Name of Guests (if under 14 include age):
Station:
Deadline is on
Friday, June 1st
Checks payable to: Branch 9 Fishing
2408 Central Avenue NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418

12
President’s article from page 3
obligation to make every effort to
minimize the mandating of non-
OTDL list carriers in accordance
with Article 8.5. However, it can not
be considered reasonable to deliver
mail well into the evening hours. …”
The problem is that the contract
doesn’t call for “every effort to
minimize the mandating of non-
OTDL...” It requires much more.
For more information see your
steward.
Traditional observance of
Memorial Day has diminished
over the years. Many Americans
nowadays have forgotten
the meaning and traditions of
Memorial Day. At many cemeteries,
the graves of the fallen
are increasingly ignored and neglected.
Most people no longer
remember the proper flag etiquette
for the day. While there
are towns and cities that still
hold Memorial Day parades,
many have not held a parade in
decades. Some people think the
day is for honoring any and all
dead, and not just those fallen in
service to our country.
To help re-educate and remind
Americans of the true meaning
of Memorial Day, the "National
Moment of Remembrance"
resolution was passed on December
2000 which asks that
at 3:00PM local time, for all
Americans "To voluntarily and
informally observe in their own
way a moment of remembrance
and respect, pausing from
whatever they are doing for a
moment of silence or listening
to “Taps."
Branch Nine News
Twas the Night
Before Christmas...
Submitted by: Peter Joseph
(Elmwood)
Are you tired of hearing the misinformed
reports of the doom &
gloom of the postal sevice? Frustrated
with the horrible management
tactics and their lack of direction and
honesty? Well gather round boys and
girls and let me tell you a story about
the heart and soul of the post office;
the dedicated men and women in
blue- the letter carrier.
This story starts on December 1st
at the Elmwood station. My wife,
Cheryl and I have made a few sacrifices
along the way to provide great
education opportunities for our kids,
Zach & Julie. We just went to Las
Vegas for Cheryl’s 50th birthday, so
this year it was all about me. With
hip replacement surgery coming in
March, I was going to take my tip
money and get a big, comfy, leather
recliner.
On the day I reached my goal I
found out my son needed his wisdom
teeth removed and another
minor surgery done. Oh well, easy
come easy go, and my old beat up
sofa still kinda looked comfortable.
Arriving home on Christmas Eve,
I sensed a giddy, excited family
awaiting me. After a little chit-chat,
I walked through the living room
and, to my great shock, there was
the most beautiful leather recliner
evveerrr. I turned to thank my wife
and kids but they just shrugged their
shoulders and said it was not from
them. I was going to call my mother
in Florida to thank her, but nope,
wrong again. I’m kindof old to believe
in Santa Claus, but????
Cheryl finally told me that Mike
Erhard, P.O. Johnson, Kelly Kjeseth-
Goering, and Perry Korzenowski,
had ponied up their money and
May 2012
bought it for me. She said that they
(allegedly) went off their routes, went
to Slumberland Furniture at the last
minute, delivered the chair, and vanished.
I was in complete shock and
can honestly say I was speechless ( a
status my wife and many co-workers
wish would become permanent). It
was a Christmas I will never forget.
We have a unique, crazy cast of
characters at Elmwood Station, but
we really do look out for each other.
When I quizzed them why they did
this selfless act, they said it’s because
I’m willing to give 110%, and I point
out daily that we are turning the corner,
and Elmwood is on the verge of
greatness. Thanks so much to those
four wonderful fellow carriers.
Peter Joe
P.S. I wonder if they noticed that I
don’t have a big screen TV? Hmmm?
Reprinted From:
savethepostoffice.com

May 2012 Branch Nine News 13
Memorial Day Salute
At each General Membership Meeting, we begin by standing and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. We as a union
can be proud that, regardless of our differences, be it political or religious, we stand together in support of our
republic. Red Skelton (a 50’s & 60’s comic) recited the Pledge of Allegiance on his television show. It may make
reciting it more meaningful for us at the next GMM.
On January 14, 1969, I presented “The Little Old Man” as a teacher. The time was 1923. The students had finished
reciting the Pledge of Allegiance which at the time was but 10 years old. The old sage called the children together
and said--
“Boys and girls, I have been listening to you recite the Pledge of Allegiance all semester and it appears that it has
become monotonous to you or could it be you do not know the meaning of those words. If I may, I would like to
recite the Pledge and give to you a definition of the words.
I----meaning me, an individual, a committee of one.
Pledge----dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self pity.
Allegiance----my love and my devotion.
To the Flag----our standard, Old Glory, a symbol of freedom. Wherever she waves, there is respect because your
loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts freedom is everybody’s job.
Of the United----that means that we have all come together.
States----individual communities that have united into 48 great states. 48 individual communities with pride and dignity
and purpose, all divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common cause, and that’s love of country.
Of America.
And to the Republic----a republic, a state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the
people to govern. And government is the people and it’s from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the
people.
For which it stands!
One nation----meaning, so blessed by God.
Indivisible----incapable of being divided.
With Liberty----which is freedom and the right of power to live one’s life without threats or fear or any sort of
retaliation.
And justice----The principle and quality of dealing fairly with others.
For all.----which means, boys and girls, it’s as much your country as it is mine.”
Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our nation, and two words have been added to the Pledge of
Allegiance “under God.” Wouldn’t it be a pity if someone said, “That’s a prayer” and that would be eliminated from
schools, too?
The Twin Cities Postal Headquarters
Minneapolis
2220 Lyndale Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55405
612-377-0011
USA
Union preferred
St. Paul
935 N. Dale Street
St. Paul, MN 55103
651- 224 - 7567

14
Branch Nine News
May 2012
It was a very good year: The salaries of USPS executives
Source: Save the Post Office http://www.savethepostoffice.com
The Gannett 2012 salary finder for USPS employees came out this week, and it contains a wealth of information.
You can find the salary, job title, workplace, and year of hire for any postal employee. That includes all the executives
in L’Enfant Plaza.
Unfortunately, the salary finder doesn’t contain information about bonuses and compensation packages, which for
upper echelon executives can add up to almost as much as the base salary. For example, according to the USPS Form
10-K for 2011 (p. 54), Chief Operating Officer Megan Brennan earned $225,308 in 2011, but brought in a total of
358,996, and Chief Information Officer Ellis Burgoyne earned $220,846 but brought in $508,688.
Even though the salary finder does not provide this kind of information about total compensation, it is still a useful
tool and lots of fun. For instance, here’s one use for the salary finder.
Back in November, the Federal Times revealed that “as the U.S. Postal Service was careening toward a record $8.5 billion
loss in 2010, it was paying more than three dozen top executives and officers salaries and bonuses exceeding that
of Cabinet secretaries.” A list was not available at that time, but using the salary finder, we’ve produced a list of the
38 postal executives earning the highest (base) salary as of February 2012. You can see the list here.
Searching the salary finder for zip code 20260, the zip for postal headquarters at L’Enfant Plaza, and then sorting by
salary, we’ve learned that there are over one thousand employees in HQ who earn $100,000 a year or more.
We’ve also analyzed the data for the top 300 salaries in HQ, the 28 Vice Presidents (not all are in HQ), the 49 District
Managers, and 57 plant managers. (There are over a hundred job titles listed on the website, so we probably missed a
few other high-paying jobs.)
There are 415 employees who fall into one of these categories. You can see a list of their salaries here. We’ve omitted
names as a courtesy, but if you’re curious about anyone in particular, the salary finder can help.
The salaries of these 415 employees range from $103,480 to $276,840, and the average is about $152,500. Here’s the
breakdown:
Position
Number in
group Average Salary Average years of service
Top 300 salaries in HQ 300 $151,210 22
Vice Presidents 28 $189,000 25
District Managers 49 $163,135 32
Plant Managers 57 $143,101 29
Combined list 415 $152,428 25
The salary finder also provides the
date of hire for postal employees, from
which we’ve calculated years of service.
Most of these 415 executives and
managers have put in a lot of time at
the Postal Service, some as many as 44
years. The median is 28 years, and the
average is 24 years.
If you’d like to put some faces on some
of the top earners, the USPS website provides an organizational chart — complete with photos — of Postal Leadership,
the 37 folks running the show.
As for the significance of the information on the salary-finder website, make of it what you will. Wages and salaries
are relative — what looks like a huge salary to one person may look meager to another. It just depends on where
you’re sitting.
Wages around the world range from virtually nothing — Third-World peasants earn a dollar or two a day — to the
millions of dollars earned annually by the super rich. The bottom 90% of American households average $31,244 a
year, while the top 0.1% average $3.2 million a year and the top 0.01% average $27 million a year. (See this article in
Mother Jones for more data on income inequality.)
Just to take an example, consider Fred Smith, CEO of the Postal Service’s biggest supplier, FedEx. Smith earns $8 to
$10 million a year — about $4,500 an hour (if he’s putting in a 40-hour week) — which puts him in the top 0.1% of
the nation. For the rest of us — the other 99.9% — that sounds like a pretty nice salary, but from the point of view
of the billionaire Koch brothers, two of the richest people in the world, it’s probably not very impressive. They’re
worth $25 billion each, and between March 2010 and September 2011, they accumulated $15 billion in wealth. (Some
of that wealth goes to fund think tanks that publish books and articles advocating postal privatization.)As for postsalaries
overall, the average USPS employee — this includes the entire workforce, from non-career casuals to the Post-

May 2012 Branch Nine News 15
master General — earns $57,000 a year, not counting benefits. The following numbers come from the Form 10-K for
FY 2011, and the averages use 645,950 as the total workforce, as indicated in the 10-K.
Category of payment Total(in billions) Average
Compensation $36.8 $57,003
Retirement $5.9 $9,101
Health benefits $5.2 $8,084
Other $0.4 $601
Total $48.3 $74,789
From the point of view of a Wal-Mart employee earning $10 an
hour, the salaries of postal workers must look quite enviable. Lots
of people think postal workers make too much, and there are many
stakeholders in the mail industry who argue that high wages and
generous benefits are driving up costs and making rates too high.
Postal management seems to think the same way. It’s been saying
that it needs to get rid of the no-layoff clause in union contracts,
replace full-time employees with contract workers, and take control
of the pension plans and retiree health care plan so that wages and benefits can be brought down to meet the “private
sector comparability standard.”
That’s a reference to a passage Title 39, the 1971 Postal Reorganization Act (PRA), which says, “As an employer, the
Postal Service shall achieve and maintain compensation for its officers and employees comparable to the rates and
types of compensation paid in the private sector of the economy of the United States.”
The irony is that postal executives use the same passage in Title 39 to justify their large compensation packages. The
Form 10-K states that given the “size and scope of operations, the comparability requirement in Title 39 would suggest
that the Postal Service’s executive officer compensation and benefits should be on par with the compensation and
benefits of the very largest private sector companies in the United States. Even in these challenging economic times,
comparably sized companies typically provide their top executives with annual salaries well in excess of $1 million and
total compensation and benefits valued at several million dollars.”
If postal executives had their way, then, the salaries and benefits of regular postal workers would be decreased while
their own compensation packages would be increased — all to bring postal salaries into compliance with Title 39 and
the “private sector comparability standard.”
Needless to say, postal management would probably prefer if the public did not know very much about their compensation
packages, and they’ve fought the APWU’s effort to find out more about performance bonuses. But as the
salary finder FAQ page explains, government workers aren’t entitled to the same kind of privacy as workers in the
private sector:
“Open record laws and court decisions for at least the last 40 years have maintained that a government employee’s
name, salary and job-related information is open to anyone who requests it. Courts and government rules have long
held that federal employees are public servants, and that the public has a ‘significant interest’ in knowing how their
employees are paid.”
With the fiscal situation of the Postal Service a matter of intense public debate right now, there’s obviously “significant
interest” in how postal workers and executives are paid. Last week, revelations about the postal salaries of
executives, coupled with news about impending plant closings, prompted New York Congresswoman Kathy Hochul
to introduce legislation limiting compensation for postal executives to the same level of pay as the President’s Cabinet.
Huchel is concerned about the 700 jobs that will be lost in Buffalo when its mail processing plant closes.
“The Postal Service cannot make the argument that they need to cuts costs and let go hard-working postal workers
when their own management team continues to rake in bonuses and make more than the President’s Cabinet,” said
Hochul. “The jobs of over 700 Western New Yorkers and thousands of Americans across this country are worth
more than bonuses for a handful of individuals at the United States Postal Service.”
In response to Hochul’s proposal, postal officials are using the argument they make in the Form 10-K. They say that
because the Postal Service functions like a business, it is important for executive salaries to remain competitive with
the private sector.
USPS spokesman Mark Saunders put it this way: “When you compare the size and scope of an organization that employs
well over half a million employees operating among 32,000 locations linked by more than 210,000 vehicles, our
officer compensation is well below that of similar private sector positions.”
Maybe so, but there are a lot of people wondering how postal officers and managers can pay themselves so well and
at the same time say that the financial crisis is so bad that they need to eliminate 155,000 jobs and close half of those
“32,000 locations” (a.k.a. “post offices”). It’s something to wonder about.

Branch Nine News
2408 Central Avenue NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418-3712
Change Service Requested
PRSRT STD
US POSTAGE
PAID
TWIN CITIES MN
PERMIT NO. 91964
Branch Nine Calendar
May 22
Nokomis Retiree Breakfast
9:00AM
Fred Babcock VFW
6715 Lakeshore Drive
Richfield
June 5
Northside Retiree’s Breakfast
9:30AM
Elsie’s
729 Marshall St. NE
Minneapolis
Sunday, June 10
Fishing on Lake Mille Lacs
Twin Pines Resort
2hrs. north on U.S. Hwy 169
mile marker 232
8:00AM - Noon
June 12
Southside Retiree Breakfast
9:00AM
Fred Babcock VFW
6715 Lakeshore Drive, Richfield
June 12
Stewards Meeting
7:00PM
Golden Valley VFW Post 7051
7775 Medicine Lake Rd
Golden Valley
June 26
Nokomis Retiree Breakfast
9:00AM
Fred Babcock VFW
6715 Lakeshore Drive
Richfield
Tuesday, June 26
General Membership Meeting
7:00PM
Golden Valley VFW Post 7051
7775 Medicine Lake Rd
Golden Valley
July 3
Northside Retiree’s Breakfast
9:30AM
Elsie’s
729 Marshall St. NE
Minneapolis
July 10
Stewards Meeting
7:00PM
Golden Valley VFW Post 7051
7775 Medicine Lake Rd
Golden Valley
July 10
Southside Retiree Breakfast
9:00AM
Fred Babcock VFW
6715 Lakeshore Drive
Richfield