VIRGINIA CONSTITUTION & BYLAWS
THE
FREE RIDERS' CREED
The dues paying member is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He provided me with paid holidays and vacation, so I may
continue to lie down idle in green pastures beside the
still waters.
He restored my back pay.
He guideth my welfare without cost to me.
Yea, though I alibi and pay no dues from year to year, I fear
no evil, for he pays my way and protecteth me.
The working conditions he provideth, they comfort me.
He anointeth my head with the oil of seniority.
He fighteth my battle for pay raises.
Yea, my cup runneth over with benefits.
Surely, his goodness and union spirit will follow me all the
days of my life, free of cost.
And I shall dwell in the union house that he hath built
forever, and allow him to pay the bill.
"Author Unknown"
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"After God had finished the rattlesnake, the toad, and the vampire, he had some awful substance left with which he made a scab."
"A scab is a two-legged animal with a corkscrew soul, a water brain, a combination backbone of jelly and glue. Where others have hearts, he carries a tumor of rotten principles."
"When a scab comes down the street, men turn their backs and angels weep in heaven, and the devil shuts the gates of hell to keep him out."
"No man (or woman) has a right to scab so long as there is a pool of water to drown his carcass in, or a rope long enough to hang his body with. Judas was a gentleman compared with a scab. For betraying his master, he had character enough to hang himself." A scab has not.
"Esau sold his birthright for a mess of pottage. Judas sold his Savior for thirty pieces of silver. Benedict Arnold sold his country for a promise of a commission in the British army." The scab sells his birthright, country, his wife, his children and his fellowmen for an unfulfilled promise from his employer.
Esau was a traitor to himself; Judas was a traitor to his God; Benedict Arnold was a traitor to his country; a scab is a traitor to his God, his country, his family and his class."
Author --- Jack London (1876-1916)
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(CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE VERSION - .pdf file)
NON-MEMBERS CONTRACT?
For those of you who are not members of our UNION, I want you to read what the USPS offered as their last and best economic proposal before our UNION told them NO.
Here is the outline of the USPS proposal:
**The term of the agreement shall be 4 years (Nov.21, 2000 - Nov. 20, 2004)
**SALARIES AND WAGES
**In November 2000, each non-probationary career employee covered by this agreement will receive a one-time lump-sum cash payment of $500.
**In November 2001, ditto.
**In November 2002, ditto again.
**In November 2003, ditto again.
**There shall be NO cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) provided during the term of the new Agreement.
**ANNUAL LEAVE FOR NEW HIRE EMPLOYEES
**Annual leave for new hire employees shall be earned at the following rates:
Less than 5 years -3 hrs. per pay period -10 days
5 yrs. but less than 10 -4 hrs. per pay period -13 days
10 yrs. but less than 20 -5 hrs. per pay period -16 days
20 yrs. and above -6 hrs. per pay period -20 days
**SICK LEAVE FOR NEW HIRE EMPLOYEES
**Sick leave for new hire employees shall be earned at the rate of 2 hours per pay period. (6 1/2 days a year)
**EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE ALLOWANCE
**There shall be no change to the EMA.
There you have it! The best offer from the USPS. For those of you who don't know, here is what we would be giving up, IF IT WERE NOT FOR OUR UNION!
COST-OF-LIVING ADJUSTMENTS: We got these twice a year, a base salary increase based on the Consumer Price Index. A salary increase is a permanent thing, it continues being a part of your salary year after year. A one-time lump-sum payment of $500 amounts to about $350 after taxes. Over the term of a 4 year contract that would put about $1400 in your pocket, BUT it would NOT increase your salary on a permanent basis. These lump-sum payments were for CAREER employees only, once again leaving the RCA's out. BUT OUR UNION SAID NO.
Now let's look at ANNUAL LEAVE. For those who don't know, our annual leave schedule worked like this:
Less than 3 years -4 hrs. per pay period -13 days
3 yrs. but less than 15 -6 hrs. per pay period -20 days
15 yrs. and over -8 hrs. per pay period -26 days
Compare this to what the USPS proposed. Again, RCA's would be the big losers here. BUT OUR UNION SAID NO.
Let's compare SICK LEAVE. We currently earn 4 hrs. per pay period for a total of 13 days annually. The postal service wants to cut this in half. Once again, RCA's would be the big losers here! BUT OUR UNION SAID NO!
So for all you non-members, you have here in black and white what the USPS thinks of you. They want to cut your wages and your benefits. We all need to support the UNION. It is the only defense we have against wage cuts and loss of benefits.
And I can guarantee you it will be an ongoing battle and an uphill fight to keep what we have now and try to improve our circumstances. All rural craft employees need to be united in this quest! We need your help. You, the non-members, are bound by law to abide by the same labor agreement as union members are. Wouldn't you like to have a say in your future? Join us today, and help fight for your tomorrow!By: Debbie Atwell