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The Backbone of the U.S. Postal Service

The Backbone of the U.S. Postal Service
By David King
NAPS Southwest Florida Branch 420 President

What would you consider to be the backbone of the USPS? First, let’s consider what a backbone does. If we look at our own bodies, our backbones connect our heads to our arms and hands, legs and feet.

Applying this analogy to our work center, our arms and hands are the clerks and those who sort and handle the mail. Our legs and feet are the carriers and mail handlers who move and deliver the mail to our customers. Our heads are the executives who sit in their ivory towers and watch everything unfolding below them.

Our backbone is the element that ties all the other pieces together—bearing a majority of the weight and virtually all the responsibility for making the magic happen. So, who are these miracle workers who hold everything together, deal with all the issues, solve all the problems, accept responsibility and do their best to make sure everything runs like a well-oiled machine?

Well, if you haven’t already guessed it, I am talking about our EAS workforce. The postmasters, managers, supervisors and those few, brave 204(b)s who work tirelessly every day—often working more hours than their paychecks reflect.

They rarely receive the thanks and recognition they rightly deserve and often are stuck in the middle, receiving criticism from above and grief from below. They arrive home after six days of 10-to-12-hour shifts, knowing they now have an entire day off until they get to do it all over again. And on their one day off, they receive only three calls from their manager with questions about the prior week. Life is so good.

What is my point in describing everything you already know? My point is that your efforts, hard work, sacrifices and your families’ sacrifices don’t go unnoticed. As EAS employees, you are our backbone and the reason for every success we enjoy. You are appreciated for all you do; you deserve to be recognized and celebrated.

On April 28, Southwest Florida Branch 420 held its second EAS Appreciation Day BBQ. All EAS employees, 204(b)s and their families were invited to attend. We made it clear you did not have to be a NAPS member to attend; it was for all EAS employees. Invitations went out to postal executives and MPOOs, as well as NAPS executive officers, region and area vice presidents and Florida officers.

Once invitations went out, the very first person to contact me with his RSVP was NAPS President Ivan D. Butts. Everyone at the BBQ was excited when Ivan and his wife Laurie arrived. Many had never met him in person and took advantage of the opportunity to speak with him and ask questions.

Ivan spent 20 minutes or more giving a very encouraging and appreciated talk on the “NAPS’ Eye View” of what’s going on in the Postal Service and what he foresees in the future. The entire day went great. The food was fantastic, the games were a big hit and the fact that the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall just happened to be scheduled to be in the park on the same day made everything perfect.

From the outside looking in, you might assume an event such as this just happened to come together overnight. I would like to describe for you the months of planning, coordinating, organizing, scheduling, arranging and aggravation required to make this event appear seamless. Planning took five months. It started with a proposal for a date and a venue.

The next step was to bring the idea to the branch membership for brainstorming and approval. Decisions were made, tasks assigned and responsibilities accepted; volunteers stepped forward to help. Altogether, it took over 20 people to organize, schedule, set up and help make this event happen; not all of them were NAPS members. We had many spouses and family members roll up their sleeves and pitch in, for which I am extremely grateful.

We scheduled the event for a Sunday when most EAS employees would not have to work. We planned on “runners” who delivered meals to those who did have to work so they wouldn’t miss out. A location was reserved, vendors were contacted, sponsorship was solicited and catering was arranged. We even had a major grocery store chain donate $500 worth of supplies.

On the day of the event, we had numerous vendors who gave out door prizes. We had several raffles to raise money for SPAC, including a 65-inch TV donated by one of our branch members. By the end of the day, we had everyone asking when we would be doing this again. It really was a great day—a special day—and one we will be talking about for some time to come. We are looking forward to making this an annual event.

I said in my opening paragraph that EAS employees are the backbone of the Postal Service. And it is true that we don’t show them the appreciation they deserve. So, was all the work and aggravation it took to hold an EAS Appreciation Day BBQ worth it? Absolutely! And it is something we plan on doing more often in the future.

Thank you from local NAPS Branch 420 to all EAS employees; your efforts are appreciated. Our only regret is that we can’t do more to show you just how much. Thank you and keep up the hard work.