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Friday Message – June 25, 2021

Postal Service Changes – The Chief Retail and Delivery Officer (CRDO) and Executive Vice President, Kristin Seaver, announced her upcoming retirement this week.    Kristin is leaving the Postal Service having spent more than 29 years in various leadership positions within the organization.    On behalf of UPMA I want to say thank you to Kristin for her efforts to lead the organization forward following the restructuring announcements and her willingness to communicate with us on a regular basis.   While Kristin leaves her position we have the opportunity to welcome Dr. Joshua Colin as the acting CRDO.    Dr. Colin brings a wealth of experience to this new assignment and we look forward to working with him and the other members of the Retail and Delivery team at the Postal Service Headquarters level.

National Convention Update – Planning continues for the National Convention in Sandusky, Ohio next month.   If you have not had the opportunity to send in your registration, I would encourage you to do so as soon as possible.    The representatives from the Ohio Chapter and our National Office staff are working hard to put the finishing touches on the events and trainings that will be taking place at the Kalahari Resort between the dates of August 14^th and 20^th.   Also, remember to get signed up for the free shuttle service on Saturday and Sunday, August 14^th and 15^th from the Cleveland airport to Kalahari and then back to the airport on Thursday and Friday, August 19^th and 20^th.   The deadline for signing up for the shuttle has been extended to August 1^st; however, you do need to be signed up to assure yourself of this opportunity provided by the Ohio chapter.   If you are a first timer at this year’s convention, I can tell you that the committee in charge of assisting you in having a memorable convention continues to work to make that a reality and I want to remind you of the first timers meeting that will take place on Sunday, August 15^th from 5-6 PM, prior to the Welcome Dinner and Dance.   Please plan to be at that meeting.

Pay Talks – We continue to work with the Postal Service Headquarters on the issue of pay talks.    We will be having a meeting in the next couple of weeks with the goal of having an agreement before July 22^nd.    We know that there are issues that we have brought forward that the Postal Service is looking at very seriously and doing the necessary information gathering so we have an opportunity to discuss them before we come to a final agreement.   As things progress, I will do my best to keep you all informed.

Star Chapter Award – Again this year we are going to be recognizing the Chapters that earn the Star Chapter Award at the National Convention in Ohio.   Chapter officers are advised to make sure that you submit your application to the National Office by July 1, to be recognized.    The components of the award are available on our national website.  There is no “application” form, as such, you can just do a narrative about your chapter’s accomplishments as it relates to the five points of the star: Membership, Chapter Recognition, Legislative/PAC Activity, Communication/Training, and Chapter Administration.    Extra credit will be given if your chapter has an Auxiliary group.

As always, take care, stay safe, and follow the guidelines as presented by the CDC and the Postal Service.    

Have a good week!

Dan Heins,
UPMA National President