American Postal Workers Union

Austin Area Local 299

General Membership Meeting Minutes

3/21/09

President Larry Roberts called the meeting to order at 12:12pm at the AFL-CIO Bldg. Brother George Roman led the Pledge of Allegiance. There was a roll call of the officers by Secretary Cory L. Purifoy. There was a quorum.

Excused Absent: John Mercado

Unexcused Absent: none

 1. The General Membership Minutes from February 21, 2009 were provided to the members for review and questions. A motion was made to accept the minutes from February. (Motion passed)
 
 2. The Financial Report from February 21, 2009 was provided to the General Membership for review and questions. A motion was made to accept the Financial Report from February. (Motion passed)
  
 3. The Executive Board is bringing forth a request before the General Membership that the local authorize 40hrs of LWOP for each trustee for constitutional audit. (Motion passed)
 
4.  The Executive Board is bringing forth a request before the General Membership that the local spend $150 to secure a full page ad in the Corpus Christi local’s booklet for the TPWU State Convention. (Motion passed)
 
5.  There was a certified interpreter available for hearing impaired members during the General Membership Meeting.
 
6.  Nominations were accepted from the (3) representative crafts: Motor Vehicle Craft, Maintenance Craft, and Clerk Craft. Each craft is constitutionally authorized a specific number of delegates to include (1) alternate. Motor Vehicle (1) delegate, Maintenance (2) delegates, and Clerk Craft (8). The General President is an automatic delegate. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
7.  Below are the names of the nominees by their perspective crafts:
 
 Motor Vehicle Craft: Gerald Reichl Jr. 
 
 Maintenance Craft: Khong Baker, Abdul Essa, Jim Nettles
 
 Clerk Craft: Roy Vasquez, Linda Daniel, Cathy Robbins, Henry Rios, John Castillo, Al Garcia, Monte Lane, L. Chernosky, J. Brock, George Roman, and Jose Reyes.
 
8.  Below are the names of the delegates who will be attending the TPWU State Convention in Corpus Christi, Texas June 11-13, 2009. Alternates will be used in the event that a delegate cannot attend. The total amount of votes received in (parenthesis) next to their names.
 
 Motor Vehicle Craft: Gerald Reichl (1) 
 
  Maintenance Craft: Khong Baker (7), Abdul Essa (6), First Alternate: Jim Nettles (2) 
 
 Clerk Craft: Roy Vasquez (15), Henry Rios (15), Linda Daniel (14), Cathy Robbins (13), John Castillo (11), Monte Lane (11), Cory L. Purifoy (9), Al Garcia (9). First Alternate: L. Chernosky (6), Second Alt. Tie: George Roman (5), Second Alt. Tie: Jacque Brock (5) Fourth Alternate: Jose Reyes (3).
 
9. There was a second round of voting as a tie breaker for the “Second Alternate” slot between George Roman and Jacque Brock. After second round of voting was complete, it was determined that Jacque Brock will be the “Second Alternate” and George Roman the “Third Alternate.”
 
10. There was a discussion about employees preparing their own 3971(s) when returning to work from an absence. Also, employees should be diligent in reviewing the computer-generated version of the 3971(s) to ensure accuracy or to prevent errors.
 
11. There was a discussion about the financial difficulties the USPS faces, and the need to streamline postal operations in order to improve efficiency. As part of the USPS initiative, the Voluntary Early Retirement (VER) will be offered to 150,000 employees who currently meet the minimum age (i.e. 50 yrs old) and service (20 yrs credible service) requirements. 
 
 
12. President Roberts spoke about a FERS Sick Leave “Bill” that if passed would give FERS employees credit for their unused sick leave.
 
Announcements:
 
Sister Cathy Robbins donated $100 to COPA from USPS Settlement
 
COPA Drawing Winners:
 
$40 Winner – Ben Soliz
$20 Winner – Barbara Abercrombie
 
$50 Door Prize Winner – None
Door Prize Amount increases to $75
 
 
A motion was made to adjourn.
 
Meeting adjourned at 1:36pm.
 
United As ONE,
 
Cory L. Purifoy