THE BULLETIN BOARD
June 2004
[June 14th]Celebrate Flag Day!
Did you know that...
- in Pennsylvania, Flag Day is an official holiday?
- to the members of the Continental Congress who established the first flag, red stood for hardiness and courage, white for purity and innocence, and blue for vigilance and justice?
- the basic flag of the U.S. is one of the world's oldest national flags? Only the basic flags of Austria, Denmark, Great Britain, The Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland are older.
- the first official flag of the U.S. was created by Congress on June 14, 1777?
A good way to celebrate Flag Day includes flying one! There are a few rules about the proper ways to do this, and you can visit HolidayInsights.com to read up on them.
Other ideas for celebrating might include reading a little about the flag's design history; asking your family to tell each other what the flag means to each of them, and why; quiz them about the flag's colors, its design, where it was first flown; take in a parade; have a picnic; eat a red, white and blue sheet cake!
So you'd like to buy a flag that has flown over the Capitol Building? You can do this by writing a letter to your Senator with your request. You may request that your flag be flown on a certain date such as a birthday or anniversary. Visit one of the senators' websites and look under constituent links for information on how to get your request completed.
(For example, view this webpage: Flag Requests-- Senator Arlen Specter.) Keep in mind it will take a while to get your flag, but it will be worth in when it comes!
[June 13th]Lockheed Martin to Upgrade AFCS Machines to OCR-Capable
Excerpted from Lockheed Martin News
Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $33 million contract from the U.S. Postal Service to introduce address recognition capability earlier in the mail processing cycle to help postal centers nationwide dispatch mail faster.
As part of the Postal Service's Optical Character Reader (OCR) Enhancements for Letter Automation Program, Lockheed Martin will upgrade Remote Computer Reader (RCR) machines at 350 postal centers throughout the United States to provide greater sort capability on 1,086 Advanced Facer Canceller Systems (AFCS).
According to the U.S. Postal Service, placing OCR technology into machines that automatically position envelopes before applying postmarks enables the AFCS to sort by ZIP code so that letter mail can begin efficient automated sorting sooner, and fewer multiline optical character reader machines are required for dispatch operations.
"These AFCS-level enhancements allow us to be more efficient and serve our customers better because we're consolidating high-speed mail sorting technology and eliminating several mail processing functions," said U.S. Postal Service Vice President of Engineering Tom Day.
The development work through first article tests for the RCR and AFCS enhancements will occur this year with deployment of all AFCS-OCR upgrades completed by June 2005, say Lockheed Martin officials.
[June 8th]PMG Potter Declares "Day of Mourning" for Reagan, June 11, 2004
Read the instructions sent to Human Resources to clarify the use of administrative leave for union employees. You will need to open the file with Adobe's Acrobat Reader program.
[June 8th]Workplace Week of Action, June 28—July 4
Forty-two million workers say they would join a union tomorrow if given the chance, according to scholars Richard Freeman and Joel Rogers. That is why hundreds of thousands of union members are participating in the upcoming week of action, June 28—July 4, to support workers' freedom to form unions.
Join in the campaign during this week of action: union members will spread the word about what happens when workers try to form unions, the high price America pays for the employer war against workers and why current labor law fails to protect workers.
To demonstrate our commitment, we'll wear lapel stickers on July 1 declaring, "I'll Fight for the Freedom to Have Unions." Activists will ask their co-workers to take important steps during the week of action.
Union members will mobilize their co-workers to urge presidential candidates to support workers' rights, build support for the Employee Free Choice Act in Congress and learn more about the obstacles workers face when trying to form unions.
You can help... to see how, please visit the AFL-CIO's Voice@work campaign information page.
[June 1st]PMAPWU Legislative Committee is Seeking Volunteers!
Help Get Out The Vote!
GMF Clerk John Armstrong is PMAPWU Legislative Committee chairman and he's asking for your help. We need volunteers to go door-to-door to get Union families registered to vote for the upcoming National Presidential election this November.
Please consider a donation of your time... more details are available on our Events page.
[June 1st]The Beaver County Labor Council Needs Our Help
Please join us as we walk Beaver County streets in June for Labor 2004 when union members will have the chance to combine a little healthy exercise with political action.
We are calling on union members to hit the streets in June for a Labor 2004 neighborhood action. We'll be visiting fellow union members, spreading the word on how President George W. Bush's record compares with Senator John Kerry's positions on critical issues including good jobs, health care, overtime pay, trade, keeping American jobs at home and workers' rights...and the Beaver County Labor Council is joining in.
The priority day is June 26th , when union members will be walking nationwide in 17 battleground states. Those who can't make the 26th we'd love to see on the 19th walk.
We have already received pledges from the IBEW, Laborers, SEW, AFSCME, Painters and Carpenters.
Please visit the Events page for further details and a contact email address for further information or a pledge sheet.
[June 1st]Solidarity Picnic 2004 -- A Reminder
Only a few days left to register! Please visit the Events page to get all the details and a link to a printable form for registering for this year's Solidarity Picnic. Deadline for completed applications to be received in the office is June 4, 2004.
[June 1st]Postal Labor Unions Summer School
as posted at PostalMag.com
The 26th Annual Postal Labor Unions Summer School at the Institute for Labor Studies, West Virginia University will take place June 13 through June 18, 2004.
The program offers courses such as:
- Basic Grievance Handling
- The Stewards Role in Arbitration
- Interviewing
- Handbooks and Manuals
- Negotiating at the Local Level
among others.
Please read their special announcement at the PostalMag.com site....
Past Issues of the Bulletin Board
[May 2004] [April 2004] [March 2004]
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