EAS Employees Are in Good Hands With NAPS

EAS Employees Are in Good Hands With NAPS
By Brian J. Wagner
Past NAPS President

Many thanks to members for your continued support of NAPS throughout the year with participation at branch meetings, generous donations to SPAC and attending training seminars and various conventions. Your membership is a true gift to NAPS.

Because of you, NAPS members never have to go it alone. NAPS, we are family. I wish you and your family a very happy holiday season and new year!

As we celebrate this holiday season, there will be some who feels alone or will be alone. Let’s do our best to reach out to those who may need a friend or someone they can consider family. And let’s continue to make that effort not only during the holiday season, but every season.

Volunteer time to help those in need. Donate a gift to an organization that helps those less fortunate. Maybe all it takes is a smile to a stranger with wishes for a happy holiday and new year.

As I think about those who are going it alone during the holidays, it reminds me of some EAS employees going it alone in their postal careers without NAPS. Here’s the scoop!

After sending out initial membership recruitment packets to potential NAPS members, I make follow-up calls to encourage these EAS employees to join NAPS. During some calls, many will tell me they don’t need NAPS. Their rationale? They follow postal rules and, therefore, don’t expect to get into any postal disciplinary or financial trouble, so, why join NAPS?

However, during these conversations, I lay out my rationale why joining NAPS is so important. After numerous discussions, though, with EAS employees telling me they don’t need NAPS, I decided to update my initial membership recruitment letter to include my rationale that includes some thought-provoking questions for potential NAPS members to read and consider before I make my follow-up call.

I hope by sharing my updated membership recruitment messaging, your branch can capitalize on using some, all or a variation of my recruitment messaging to help increase your branch’s membership.

First, I explain NAPS is like insurance. It is better to have insurance (NAPS) and not need it, than need NAPS (insurance) and not have it.

Second, I ask in my recruitment letter for the potential member to consider asking themselves the following questions related to their personal life:

  • If I am given my Miranda rights by the police that results in criminal charges, am I confident enough to go it alone and represent myself?
  • If I am being personally sued in civil court, am I confident enough to go it alone and represent myself?

I am confident the answer to both questions is “no.” Most likely, they will be hiring legal counsel rather than risk going to jail or losing a civil lawsuit that could bankrupt them.

Third, I then ask in my recruitment letter for the EAS employee to ask themselves the following questions related to their postal careers:

  • Am I confident enough to attend a USPS investigation alone, where it is just me and postal officials in a closed-door room, to represent myself in answering work related and/or potentially personal questions?
  • Am I willing to risk being issued discipline, including a removal, and feel confident enough to appeal my own discipline through the USPS established ELM 650 appeal process?
  • If the USPS elects to remove me as an EAS employee, am I confident enough to appeal and represent myself in my removal case? Can I afford to hire and personally pay legal counsel, to the possible tune of thousands of dollars, to represent myself during my USPS removal case?
  • If the USPS charges me with a postal debt under the Debt Collection Act, am I confident enough to file my own petition within the established timelines to formulate an appeal to challenge the alleged postal debt? Can I afford to hire and personally pay legal counsel, to the possible tune of thousands of dollars, to represent myself in appealing a debt collection charge?
  • If I am being denied earned additional straight-time pay (T-Time), being involuntarily reassigned, instructed to drive my own personal vehicle to deliver mail, required to answer my personal or postal phone while on vacation or nonscheduled day, am I confident enough to file my own EAS grievance in accordance with ELM 650 to stop the USPS from violating said postal policies or directives to my detriment?

In my recruitment messaging and follow-up calls, I tell the potential member if they answer “no” to one or more of these questions related to their USPS EAS position, they should join NAPS. I assure these potential members that, besides NAPS representing them in EAS pay and benefits, NAPS has well-trained local and national advocates to represent them and their EAS rights.

I explain that NAPS advocates are experienced in representing EAS employees during investigative interviews (I&Is), OIG investigations, appealing discipline and adverse action and debt collection charges, besides assisting EAS employees in filing grievances in accordance with ELM 650.

Today’s takeaway: NAPS membership is the best postal career insurance an EAS employee can have. Again, it is better to have NAPS and not need us, than need NAPS and not have us. EAS employees are in good hands with NAPS.

Just like you are in good hands with my ice-cream-flavor-of-the-month recommendation: Jeni’s Cognac with Gingerbread. Be safe and eat more ice cream!