October 2019 All Craft Conference Retiree Summary

October 2019 All Craft Conference Retiree Summary

Approximately 200 Retirees, the National Retiree Director, and five (5) Regional Delegates attended the All Craft Conference – Retiree Meeting. We came from all parts of the country.

I would like to thank the National APWU for accommodating retirees and making the conference comfortable for retirees. We are some of the oldest members of the APWU, AFL-CIO.

The Retiree Conference began with five (5) hour meeting on Sunday, October 27, 2019, 2 PM – 7 PM. We had approximately 65-70 retiree officers present.   Retiree Director Nancy Olumekor scheduled three speakers to address us and they reviewed all the reports chapter and state president had access to and discussed the fiduciary responsibility of retiree officers. The main thing I got from this meeting is the reports we have access and what they meant. The issue of cash paying retiree members being delinquent in dues was a major concern during the 2019 National APWU National Election.

We had retirees from 705 locals voting. Not all retirees listed are associated with a Local Retiree Chapters. Retirees voted at an approximately 33%. Currently the national APWU lists six (6) State Retiree Chapters and sixty (62) Local Retiree Chapters.

State Retiree Chapters
1 Florida State Retiree Chapter
2 Ohio State Retiree Chapter
3 Michigan State Retiree Chapter
4 California State Retiree Chapter
5 Texas State Retiree Chapter
6 Missouri State Retiree Chapter
Local Retiree Chapters
1 Atlanta Metro Area Retiree Chapter
2 Baltimore Francis “Stu” Filbey Retiree Chapter
3 Brooklyn Retiree Chapter
4 Broward County Retiree Chapter
5 California Area Retiree Chapter
6 Central Florida Area Retiree Chapter
7 Chicago Area Retiree Chapter
8 Cleveland Area Retiree Chapter
9 Columbus Area Retiree Chapter
10 Dallas Area Retiree Chapter
11 480-481 Dave Lenard Area Local Retiree Chapter
12 Dayton Area Retiree Chapter
13 Denver Metro Area Retiree Chapter
14 Des Moines Area Retiree Chapter
15 Detroit District Area Retiree Chapter
16 Fayetteville Area Retiree Chapter
17 Flint Area Retiree Chapter
18 Fort Worth Retiree Chapter
19 Gone But Not Forgotten
20 Greater Cincinnati Ohio Area Retiree Chapter
21 Greater Los Angeles Area Retiree Chapter
22 Greater Las Vegas Area Retiree Chapter
23 Heart of Illinois Retiree Chapter
24 Houston Area Retiree Chapter
25 Indianapolis Area Retiree Chapter
26 Kansas City Golden Jazz Retiree Chapter
27 Kansas KAW Retiree Chapter
28 Lima Area Retiree Chapter
29 Lincoln Nebraska Retiree Chapter
30 Long Island Area Retiree Chapter
31 Manchester Area Retiree Chapter
32 Miami Area Retiree Chapter
33 Moe Biller Retiree Chapter
34 Nation’s Capital/Southern Maryland Area Retiree Chapter
35 Northeast Florida Area Retiree Chapter
36 Northwest Illinois Retiree Chapter
37 Oakland Retiree Chapter
38 Omaha Area Retiree Chapter
39 Philadelphia Area Retiree Chapter
40 Philadelphia BMC Retiree Chapter
41 Phoenix Area Retiree Chapter
42 Pittsburgh Metro Area Retiree Chapter
43 Puerto Rico Area Retiree Chapter
44 Red Bank Area Retiree Chapter
45 Richmond Area Retiree Chapter
46 Saginaw 486-487 Retiree Chapter
47 San Antonio Retiree Chapter
48 San Diego Area Retiree Chapter
49 San Francisco Area Retiree Chapter
50 South Suburban IL Retiree Chapter
51 Southwest Coastal Area Retiree Chapter
52 St. Charles Retiree Chapter
53 St. Louis Area Retiree Chapter
54 St. Paul Area Retiree Chapter
55 Suncoast Area Retiree Chapter
56 SFVAL Golden Oldies Retiree Chapter
57 Tampa Area Retiree Chapter
58 Toledo Retiree Chapter
59 Tri-County Ohio Retiree Chapter
60 Twin Cities PDC Retiree Chapter
61 Western MI Area Retiree Chapter
62 Youngstown Area Retiree Chapter

 

This was the schedule of event.

Sunday, October 27, 2019 

Registration for All Craft, Retiree and Legislative/Political Conferences

Retiree Officers Meeting

Installation of Officers Ticket Pickup

Exhibit Booths Grand Salon

Disability Retirement

FERS & CSRS Retirement System

TSP from A to Z

AA/NA

Monday, October 28, 2019

MVS Dinner Ticket Pickup

AA/NA Meeting Skyview Office

Training – wide range of subjects related mostly to the crafts/divisions.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019, 9 AM – 5 PM

All Day Retiree Conference

Wednesday, October 30, 2019, 9 AM – 5 PM

All Day Retiree Conference

Thursday, October 31, 2019

BMC Meeting 9 AM -2 PM

Installation of Officers 5 PM -11 PM

The Retiree Conference involved presentation from people that offer benefits to Retiree – TSP, Voluntary Benefits, Auxiliary, and Social Security. In addition, we heard speeches from our National President, Vice President, Secretary Treasurer, Legislative Director, Health Plan Director, and an introduction of our new Health Plan Director.

This took up a lot of time and we were rushed to discuss the Resolutions Submitted. This year the Retiree Delegates had a lot of resolutions to discuss.

The issues were:

  1. Voice and Vote at the National Convention. (2 Resolutions)
  2. Increase Rebate to Local and State Retiree Chapters. (1 Resolution)
  3. Increase due to Local and State Retiree Chapters. (2 Resolutions)
  4. Members at Large (MAL) Retirees Representation. (1 Resolution)
  5. Forming State Retiree Chapters. (Referred to National Executive Board)

Items 2, 3, and 4 were all voted down because the Retiree Delegates voted to only submit one constitutional resolution to the National APWU – Voice and Vote based on 1 delegate for every 100 retirees in Local and State Retiree Chapters.

The actual resolution is being referred to the five regional delegates for development. I sent the blow to Dr. Pat Williams our Western Regional Delegate for consideration or for a starting point.

ARTICLE 6 REPRESENTATION

WHEREAS, as the mothers and fathers of the American Postal Workers Union, retired members are a storehouse of knowledge, battle-tested experience, and wisdom to be utilized as a valuable American Postal Workers Union asset, and

WHEREAS, American Postal Workers Union Retiree Department members paid full dues for decades, and

WHEREAS, most American Postal Workers Union Retiree are like all retirees and live on a fixed reduced income, and

WHEREAS, many American Postal Workers Union Retiree step forward when the union needs assistance or support, and

WHEREAS, a united American Postal Workers Union benefits all APWU Members, therefore be it  

Resolved, to amend the American Postal Workers Union Constitution and Bylaws Article 6.   Add a new Section 6 and changing current section 6 to Section 7.    New section 6 would read: SEC. 6. National Convention local, state, regional affiliates, or organizations voting strength/representation provisions will apply to chartered APWU State and Local Retiree Chapters with the exception that Retiree Chapter’s voting strength/representation will be one (1) for one hundred (100) or fraction thereof.

The Red T-Shirts with the slogan “We are not the Enemy” which came out of the 2018 National Convention was a success.

Many of the retirees are former officers and stewards, as well as delegates to State and National Conventions in the past. They would like to stay involved and allowed to speak and vote at the National Convention. This issue has been discussed at previous National Conventions and has been voted down. The primary reason was retirees did not pay full dues locally.

I have paid full dues to the National APWU and Southwest Coastal Area Local since I retired in July of 2003, cost to the retiree in excess of $750.00 annually this year in my case as well $36 annual dues to be a member of the APWU Retiree Department.

Bobby Donelson,

President Southwest Coastal Area Local Retiree Chapter and California State Retiree Chapter Vice Presdient

November 6, 2019

 

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