It is a great honor to have been bestowed the position as your newest state officer, and I would like to introduce myself to you in this issue of the “Garden State Letter Carrier.”  I started in the postal service some 20 years ago, and since that time, I have held the positions of shop steward, Editor to our local newsletter, “The Dispatch”, Branch Secretary, and am now currently our Branch Vice President.  However, like all people, positions held never fully explain who the person really is, so I will try to give you a short synopsis of what I believe truly qualifies me as a Union officer.

 

Born in Elizabeth, I had two parents who both worked factory jobs, one at night, one during the day, so that one of them could be available for their children’s needs at all times.  Neither of them had Unions in their workplace, and they struggled with poor benefits and salaries.  In the working poor class, we had to scrimp for what we needed. 

“On my first day in the postal service,

I proudly signed my NALC enrollment form”

 

In my thirteenth year on this planet, a Union came to my mother’s workplace.  They told them about the benefits of unionizing, and planned a picnic to introduce themselves to the workers.  The management at her company threatened to fire anyone who went, and promised to have “spies” there to get their information.  Despite this intimidation, my mother put me in the car, and we were one of two families who showed up.  While most people would have given up at that point, she took home buttons and fliers to bring to work the next day, and handed them out to her coworkers.  She then spent the next month or so vigorously campaigning for unionization.  I had never seen her look so empowered as in those days.  In her eyes, you could see that she understood the power of solidarity.

 

Management spent that month terrifying employees and sadly, fear won out over solidarity, and they lost the vote to unionize by about 10 ballots.  But her accomplishment of turning around hundreds of people has always stayed with me.  Subsequently, the slimy management she was working for fired her for “leaving her work station”, when she went to get water for someone who passed out.  Lessons learned:  fear is the enemy, management is not to be trusted, and standing together is more important than any job.

 

On my first day in the postal service, I proudly signed my NALC enrollment form and thanked god that I didn’t have to go through what my mother did to be unionized.

 

Since that day, I educated myself in the contract, and have tried to always stand together with my coworkers.  I believe that within all of us, this very same empowerment exists.  We merely have to let it out.  Whether we win or lose, we are fighting the most honorable fight, to be treated fairly and with respect.  In this day and age, there is multitude of information, manuals and support on the internet, and it costs nothing but a little time to learn.   Start at www.nalc.org. Educate yourself and then empower yourself to use that education. 

 

The NALC has carried us very far, but we must continue the strength, solidarity, and pride of those that came before us.  See your coworkers for what they are, your union brothers and sisters, and remember that management is not your friend.