SEPTEMBER 3, 2005                                                                      201-653-1767, IN-HOUSE 5082 VOL.19 NO.10                                                                            80 COUNTY RD. 07097

TOMMY REID, Branch President                                          FAX NUMBER 201-653-1767

                                               WEB SITE: l300nji-bmcbranch.org/

                                MANPOWER UPDATE

Local 300 President Paul Hogrogian has filed Labor Board charges against the U.S. Postal Service for their refusal to provide the union with the necessary reports concerning the number of and operations worked by Manpower casuals at the NJI-BMC. These reports are necessary so the union will be able to determine whether or not the casual cap has been violated, in which case a grievance would be filed. As more information becomes available we will pass it on to you.

                     COLA INCREASE

As per the terms of the National Agreement there will be a Cost of Living Allowance of $728.00 that will be reflected in the September 23, 2005 paycheck. This comes to 35 cents an hour increase, which adds up to $28.00 per pay period

                              PICNIC AREA CLOSED

The picnic area was closed by management without any prior consultations with the union. When they did notify the union that they were closing it, they cited safety concerns, for their reason. Allegedly, users of the area were wandering from the picnic area into the truck yard.  The union and the safety office are currently exploring alternative sites that would be suitable for all.

                      Special thanks to Sister Yolanda McCrea

We would like to extend our thanks to Sister Yolanda McCrea who is retiring after a long career with both the Postal Service and Local 300. Yolanda has been a Shop Steward at the NJI-BMC Branch and has been active in many of the union’s struggles over the years. She was a leader in the successful boycott against Blondel. She was also active with the Labor Party, the Women’s Committee and many other struggles. She will surely be missed. We wish her a happy and healthy retirement and thank her for her years of dedicated service to the union and our members.

         LABOR DAY PARADE   UP   5^TH AVENUE

                SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10^TH

                                   11:30 A.M.

 Assembly Point:  46^th St. between 6^th and 7^th Ave.’s

The theme of this year’s parade is “Working families”. We are requesting that everyone please set the date aside and join with Local 300 members from all over the local. The parade is a big hit with the kids and as usual refreshments will be provided. The parade provides an opportunity for us to join in solidarity with other unions from the entire N.Y. Metro area.

                               SNOW DAY GRIEVANCE SETTLED

The union and management have mutually resolved the grievance for January 22, 2005, which covered employees on both Tour III and Tour I.  The agreement states that all employees who were unable to report due to weather conditions will be paid 8 hours of administrative leave. Those scheduled for overtime or those on advanced annual leave or sick leave will not be included in this settlement. Special thanks to shop steward Dave Lake who processed the grievance and Tom Mullahey who reached the agreement with management.