Swampyville's - Reading Between the Lines!

Dancing with Government Unions!

BEFORE EACH BARGAINING SESSION BOTH SIDES, UNIONS AND

MANAGEMENT, HAVE PREDETERMINED THE GIVE AND TAKE OF

HOW FAR THEY WILL GO.  THE BARGAINING SESSIONS ARE JUST

FOR SHOW, COSTING THE UNION EMPLOYEES AND THE TAX PAYERS

MILLIONS OF DOLLARS!

FOR EVERY INCREASE IN A UNION EMPLOYEE'S PAY THERE IS

ALSO AN INCREASE IN THEIR UNION DUES TO PAY FOR AN

INCREASE IN THE UNION OFFICIAL'S PAY!

In October 1981, I was employed by the U.S. Postal Service.

Eventually, I was encouraged to join the Letter Carriers

Union - National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC).

Told that if any problems between myself and the Postal

Service, that they, the union would step in and aid me.

I joined the Union and union dues were automatically

deducted from my salary.  After joining the union, I

attended a local union meeting. In that this meeting

was nothing more that a BS-ing session, it was the only

meeting I ever attended.

In 1989, while retrieving mail from a collection box,

standing behind my Postal Vehicle, a person drove up

behind me, left his vehicle running, in gear, and left

his vehicle to give me some mail.  His vehicle pinned

both of my legs between his vehicle and my vehicle.

His vehicle kept bouncing back and forth, breaking

my left leg and mashing my right leg. The Postal Service

at first denied that this was an On the Job injury until

they received the complete facts (with witnesses to the

accident - including the person who admitted that he caused

the accident). After a three month "Hard Conditioning"

program, I returned to full employment with a few minor

restrictions. In 1994, while in constant pain, my attending

doctor assigned me to a permanent light duty status. For

the next five years the Postal Service kept threatening

me with unemployment if I didn't accept the job that

they were offering. This job was a part time job, working

from 10 PM to 4 AM, six days a week at a mail distribution

center. Each time I would refuse this offer and each time

I would point out the U.S. Code they were violating!

During this time I was told by the union that this was

an individual not a collective problem and that they

couldn't help me in this matter.

In 1999, I was illegally terminated from my current position

and assigned to the position they had been offering me for

the past five years.  When I went to the union I was told

that they couldn't help me.  However, they did give me a

telephone No. to the National Labor Relations Board (who only

offered lip service).  I didn't report to this job.  I didn't

receive any pay and the union refused to help me. My attending

doctor had been trying to get me to undergo a complete knee

replacement since the time he had assigned me to a permanent

light duty status.  He eventually replaced my left knee.  On

that date, the Postal Service began my reemployment status.

For over seventeen years I paid union dues for the union to

assist me when I had a problem with management. That never

happened and I came to the conclusion that the main reason the

paid union officers were there was for "Collectively Bargaining"

their own pay raises!

As stated above, I began my Postal Career in 1981. In 1983

an amendment to the Social Security Act was enacted for

what was called "Windfall Elimination Provision" whereby

if you received a government retirement where you didn't

pay into Social Security, your social security retirement would

be lowered if you didn't have thirty years of employment under

Social Security.  In that I only had 26 years of social security

employment, my government retirement was deducted by several

hundreds of dollars.  It was not as much as the money that was

deducted; but, the reason that was given in the Government

Retirement Manual. (It's not "Fair" that I should receive more

benefits than those within my same category would be receiving).  

In other words, a person that work the same amount of years that

I did under a government program and who never work under Social

Security was reason for the Government to take from me and give it

to them. (Take from those who earned it and give it to those who

didn't earn it). Isn't that Marxist Socialism?

I'VE COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT IT IS A WASTE OF ONE'S LIFE TO

BE HONEST?

In 2000, while recovering from a knee replacement, with no help from

the union, I filed a discrimination complaint against the Postal

Service.  The Postal Service added their stock untruth's in

their reply to my individual complaint.  Several months later,

I received a reply from the EEO Commission in Washington!  Of

course it believed the Postal Service's lies.  Later, through

a Class Action suit, of which I became a party to, my complaint

was authenticated by a decision on behalf of the employees who were in

my same category.  Using this decision I appealed the EEO Commission

decision to my original complaint!  I received an acknowledgement

that this appeal was received, but as of this date, I haven't

received an answer on my appeal (11 years ago) from the EEOC!

I resigned from the NALC after paying union dues for 17 years.

Prior to my Postal career, I retired after 23 years of Navy service.

I was classified by the Veteran's Administration with a disability

rating of 30%.  When I began receiving a VA disability payment,

the amount of this payment was deducted from my military

retirement.  

Currently the Government deducts approximately $12,000 (an

additional forced tax I have to pay each year) per year

from the retirements that I've earned and from which I have

contributed to for over 50 years!

With the Bush tax cuts ending in 2012, the government will

be extracting a lot more from my earned retirement! If the

Bush tax cuts are rescinded, I estimate that approximately

50% of my earned retirement will be taken by the Government!

Someone once ask me what I was going to do when I retired

completely?  I replied, "sit around and watch the Government

take away every penny that I've earned" and they are doing

a real good job of that!

OUR GOVERNMENT TAKES FROM THOSE WHO WON'T VOTE FOR

THEM AND GIVES IT TO THOSE WHO WILL VOTE FOR THEM!

The last presidential election I voted for Mortimer Snerd

for president. In the next presidential election I'm toying

with the idea to vote for Mortimer again or perhaps Jeff

Dunhams, "Walter". reasoning that they wouldn't be any different

than the other two "dummies" that will be running!

(When you vote for the lesser of two evils, you are still

voting for evil!)

"AB ABUSU AD USUM NON VALET CONSEQUENTIA"

(An inference from an abuse to a use is not valid)