September 2023 Minutes

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF POSTAL SUPERVISORS

JAMES E. PARKS JR. VIRGINIA BRANCH 526

MINUTES – GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING – ZOOM

Thursday, September 21, 2023

Lloyd Cox called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm via Zoom. The following officers were present:

Lloyd Cox – President; June Marie Brandt, Editor in Chief. Committee Chairs: Deborah Holley – Constitution and By-Laws; Andrew Martin – Membership; Kenny Marshall – Sergeant at Arms; Harold Wade – Legislative; James Reedy – Resolutions; and Darcy Driscoll – Benevolence.

The agenda was read, and Harold Wade made a motion to accept the

agenda as read with any additions; Wanda Burroughs seconded the motion, and the motion was passed. 

The minutes from the last meeting were read and June Brandt made a motion to accept the minutes as read with any necessary corrections; Bill White seconded, and the motion was passed.

The treasury report (July 1- August 31, 2023) was read and June Brandt made the motion to accept the treasury report with any necessary correction; Harold Wade seconded, and the motion was passed.

Advocacy Reports

Harold Wade – 1 LOW reduced to an official discussion

Deborah Holley – no cases

Andrew Martin – no cases

June Brandt – 1 removal with DDF; 1 debt deferment with DDF; 2 I & I’s;

2 LOW’s appealed; 1 case of approved FMLA/not FMLA going through documentation for input.

Rose Allen – 1 LOW waiting for the manager to return from vacation to finalize; 1 put out of work no FMLA possible DRAC.

Kenny Marshall – no cases

Darryl Beasley – no cases

Earl Baylor – no cases

Bill White – 1 I & I 

Old Business

Second reading of the proposed amendment to Article XIII Dues and Assessments- 

Current: 

Section 1: Membership dues of the District Branch 526 shall be $15.00 per pay period and shall be increased by like amount when National or State per capita tax is increased.

Proposed:

Section 1: Membership dues of the District Branch 526 shall be $17.00 per pay period and shall be increased by like amount when National or State per capita tax is increased.

Current:

Section 2: Associate membership dues of the District Branch 526 shall be $100.00 annually and shall be increased by a like amount when the National per capita tax is increased.

Proposed:

Section 2: Associate membership dues of the District Branch 526 shall be $200.00 annually and shall be increased by a like amount when the National per capita tax is increased.

The changes to Section 1 were voted on and passed unanimously. 

The changes to Section 2 were discussed as Mr. Parks motioned that the associate membership dues be set at $150.00 annually; Wanda Burroughs seconded the motion. During the discussion Mr. Parks stated that the annual dues of the membership were to go up by $2.00 per pay period however the associate member dues were going to double from $100.00 to $200.00. Wanda Burroughs agreed with Mr. Parks that doubling the annual associate membership dues was too much as associate members have already put in their time. In rebuttal, June Brandt discussed that the increase of associate membership dues to $200.00 was not too much to ask as it has been many years since associate membership dues have been increased and that costs to the branch have gone up - flights are more expensive, room rates are higher and $200.00 is a good value and good investment. Ultimately, Wanda Burroughs posed another motion that the associate membership dues should be increased to $150.00 for this year, and in 12 months the branch will re-visit the increase of the associate membership dues. Mr. Parks seconded this motion after withdrawing his prior motion. The vote was taken, and the members were polled so that a proper count could be decided. The following is the result: Andrew Martin-aye; Harold Wade-aye; Tina Barrett-aye; Rose Allen-nay; James Parks-aye; Darcy Driscoll-nay; Earl Baylor-aye; June Brandt-nay; Deborah Holley-aye; Shawn Standard-aye; Darryl Beasley-aye; James Reeder-nay; Wanda Burroughs-aye; Kenny Marshall-aye; Bill White-nay. The motion passed. 

The other old business was the reminder of advocacy training taking place in Maryland on October 5, 6, 7, and 8, 2023. Branch 526 will send twelve delegates to the training.

New Business

President Lloyd Cox reminded the membership that elections will be held in November 2023 for the office of President and Editor in Chief. Three members volunteered for the election committee: Yvette Merkison, Darryl Beasley, and Bill White- chairperson.

Deborah Holley- chairperson asked for assistance with the Constitution and By-Laws committee and three members volunteered: June Brandt, Harold Wade, and Wanda Burroughs.

President Cox turned next to the Eastern Region Cabinet meeting to be held in January 2024 in Hilton Head, SC, and asked who plans to go. He also said that Secretary-Treasurer Joanne Farmer would check for eligibility. The members were polled, and the following are the results: Deborah Holley-yes; Andrew Martin-yes; June Brandt-yes; James Reeder-no; Wanda Burroughs-isn’t sure she qualifies but says yes if she does; Tina Barrett-yes; Rose Allen-yes; Darryl Beasley-yes; Yvette Merkison-yes; James Parks-no; Earl Baylor-yes for now; Shawn Standard-yes; Kenny Marshall-yes; Darcy Driscoll-yes; Harold Wade-yes.

Wanda Burroughs suggested that we post to our website information on NAPS by way of an FAQ sheet for our members. 

Rose Allen wanted to share information on the upcoming conversion of postal facilities into supercenters as part of the 10-year plan. Lloyd stated that change is change and people do what they do. 

There was a question regarding changes to our open season process and the new medical plan being rolled out. June explained it was happening from 2024 into 2025, not from 2023 to 2024. Lloyd said he is trying to get the expert to speak to the branch about the changes.

President Comments: Lloyd spoke about the importance of bringing in new members. 526 members who sign up new 526 members will receive an additional $50.  Naps National Headquarters will continue to give out the $25 new member gift.  Dulles has signed up a lot of new members and Merrifield needs to step up. We need representatives. 

Lloyd wanted to make sure that everyone knew how to find all of the resources available to us as a professional management organization. We have our national magazine, The Postal Supervisor, which provides valuable information on a wide variety of topics. Everyone should be reading the Postal Supervisor. We also have our local newsletter to give us current updates and announcements. We also advocate for postal legislation every year on Capitol Hill to promote bipartisan postal growth. Individual advocacy is also a valuable resource to give guidance to all members. Branch 526 has a website now that the membership can access. NAPS has a national website that can also be utilized for information and answering questions. All of these resources help move the organization to a higher caliber to ensure the continued success of the membership. 

Lloyd also stated in closing that he was still trying to meet with the District Manager to discuss other concerns of the membership such as moving supervisors from city to city and changing reporting times as well as the possibility of involuntary reassignment. More information will be provided as it becomes available. 

Harold Wade made a motion to adjourn, and Earl Baylor seconded. The president ended the meeting at 9:39 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Darcy Driscoll

Chairperson, Benevolence Committee