Are You Ready to K-MIT?

October 23, 2024

Are You Ready to K-MIT?
By Brian J. Wagner
NAPS Past NAPS President

First, I want to congratulate all the NAPS Executive Board members who were elected/reelected at the 69th NAPS National Convention. I wish you all the best and much success. Also, my thanks to all the national convention committee members and delegates, including our 214 first-timers, for their commitment to ensure the will of NAPS members was heard during resolutions discussions, elections and all subsequent votes.

As a former NAPS resident officer, I truly understand the hard work and commitment that go into executing a NAPS national convention. This includes the work of all those individuals behind the scenes or quietly during the event doing their part to ensure our national convention is successful.

My thanks to Host New Haven, CT, Branch 3, the NAPS Headquarters staff, National Auxiliary, Bruce Bishop, Bruce Moyer, Karen Young, Al Lum, the AV team, guest speakers, vendors and the person who delivers the NAPS wow-factor every time—our convention planner, Sheri Davies of ConferenceDirect.

It was an honor to be recognized by NAPS Headquarters as the newest Central Region inductee into the Ann Konish SPAC Hall of Fame. It is a great honor named after a great lady and dedicated NAPS member.

I couldn’t be more grateful to also be recognized by NAPS as one of the top-10 sponsors of new NAPS members over the past two years. I thank and commend all members who donate to SPAC and are committed to doing their part to increase NAPS membership.

As I have written many times, NAPS membership is the lifeblood of our great association. The more members we have, the stronger our voice becomes on Capitol Hill with our legislative agenda, as well as during monthly and pay consultations with Postal Service leadership.

Now that the 69th NAPS National Convention is over, this is a great time to use our national convention momentum to encourage more branch membership participation, promote further SPAC donations and build on our efforts to increase NAPS membership. Therefore, let’s take one initiative at a time, starting with our commitment to membership. Here’s the scoop!

Are you ready to K-MIT? In other words, are you ready to “Keep Membership Increasing Together?” I understand members and branches are working diligently to increase NAPS membership. They personally visit and send out recruitment packets to nonmembers and newly promoted EAS employees from the craft.

I understand NAPS members and branches have varying ideas on how best to market and promote NAPS membership. If we K-MIT by sharing ideas and messaging, I am confident we can get most of the 20,000-plus nonmembers to join NAPS.

You have my K-MIT-ment, too. I have been using various messaging and bullet points in my NAPS recruitment letters and follow-up calls to help increase membership. Below, please find samples of the messaging I have been using. I hope you find them helpful in your personal or branch quest to recruit new NAPS members:

• For the record, NAPS is NOT a union. It is, however, the only postal management association in the country, recognized by law (Title 39 U.S. Code 1004) to represent and consult on behalf of ALL EAS postal employees (supervisors, managers, postmasters and other managerial personnel) in both USPS pay and benefits.
• If you desire better postal pay and enhanced workplace benefits—JOIN NAPS!
• If you require representation by a trained local advocate during a USPS investigative interview or OIG investigation—JOIN NAPS!
• If you need assistance to appeal disciplinary charges or file a respective EAS grievance—JOIN NAPS!
• If you want access to a free, no-cost Disciplinary Defense Fund (DDF) that provides representation from an attorney or experienced advocate when you are the subject of an Adverse Action, Debt Collection or USPS reduction-in-force (RIF)—JOIN NAPS!
• If you seek great training and information regarding your rights as an EAS employee—JOIN NAPS!
• If you want to know more about NAPS membership, please read the Why Join NAPS? brochure and/or call me!

I also want to share that I instituted my own, personally financed NAPS membership drive to encourage EAS employees to join NAPS. My drive is a monthly drawing for eligible sponsored members that includes a chance to win a grand prize at the end of 2024.

I am happy to share that the winner of my “Nifty-50 Membership Drive” of a $100 Visa gift card for the month of July was Alysha Cross, Dayton, OH, Branch 2. If your branch has the funds, consider something similar, if only for a short period of time. Because I am sharing, my ice-cream-flavor-of-the-month recommendation is “Brownie a la Mode.” Be safe and eat more ice cream!