NAPS — I Could Go On and On!

NAPS — I Could Go On and On!
By Brian J. Wagner
Past NAPS President

I received an email from a newly promoted supervisor after they received my personal letter congratulating them on their EAS promotion. Along with my letter was a “Why Join NAPS?” brochure and 1187 membership form. In their email, the new supervisor asked if NAPS had a social media presence and in what kind of activism was NAPS involved. My reply was direct and to the point — where do I start? Here’s the scoop!

First, I could have gone on and on about how NAPS is second to none when it comes to representing all active EAS members at the local, state and national levels. I could explain that NAPS’ representation is all encompassing when it comes to handling EAS postal workplace issues.

I could have gone on and on about how NAPS advocates for its members regarding filing EAS grievances on members’ behalves, appealing their discipline, adverse action or debt collect charges and supporting members during USPS reductions-in-force (RIFs).

It was a good thing I didn’t continue to go on and on about how NAPS represents the best interests of its members — really all EAS employees — during USPS and NAPS Headquarters monthly consultative meetings. Also, how NAPS aggressively advocates for better EAS pay and benefits for all active members during USPS pay consultations. So, I better move on to this supervisor’s questions.

NAPS’ social media presence and information-sharing is front and center and second to none. NAPS Headquarters provides its members with regular news and association updates through memos emailed to NAPS Executive Board members to share with their respective membership.

NAPS’ strong social media presence can be seen through its Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn accounts. NAPS also sends a monthly electronic NAPS News Update to members’ emails on file at NAPS Headquarters.

Note to current members: If NAPS Headquarters and your Executive Board member do not have your personal, non-government email address, send it to them. You are missing out on a social media presence that is totally socially acceptable.

I kept going on and on about members having access to the NAPS website, www.naps.org, linked to all NAPS’ social media so there is no missing out — socially. The website also contains a vast amount of information on USPS policies and procedures, USPS memos and directives that support EAS employees, training material, membership support and plenty of legislative action. I could go on and on, again.

Speaking of legislative activism, NAPS definitely is legislatively active. The organization has a full-time lobbyist on its payroll –Director of Legislative & Political Affairs Bob Levi. He and Executive Vice President Chuck Mulidore are regularly on Capitol Hill to lobby Congress on members’ behalf. Legislatively, NAPS always is at the forefront protecting EAS employees’ careers, pay and postal retirement.

I went on to say that, each year, NAPS hosts a Legislative Training Seminar (LTS) in the Washington, DC, area. NAPS members visit Capitol Hill to meet with their legislators and congressional aides to put their LTS training and lobbying and activism skills into action to ensure their legislative voice is heard.

I went on and on about how NAPS was very active in getting some poisonous provisions out of the Budget Reconciliation Bill, H.R. 1, passed last year. Without the studious review by Bob Levi, those provisions affecting Postal Service employees and annuitants would have been enacted. And that does not include some proposed postal health benefit changes that would have harmed all active and retired NAPS members. Thank you, Bob.

I started to go on and on about other NAPS benefits not asked about, but which I felt compelled to share. Members have a subscription to The Postal Supervisor magazine as part of their membership. Children and grandchildren of NAPS members have a chance to receive financial aid via two national student college scholarships.

I could go on and on about all the training — in-person and via Zoom — NAPS members receive. Whether it’s EAS career development, understanding their representation, appeal and workplace rights, members have access to a plethora of information, but I had to stop because they only asked about NAPS’ social media presence and activism.

I could have gone on and on and on — well after the cows came home and went to bed — about all the other benefits NAPS offers members, besides a strong social media and activism or legislative presence.

Today’s takeaway: NAPS will continue to go on and on to ensure it represents the best interests of its members in the USPS workplace and EAS pay and benefits, as well as on Capitol Hill — all while being social-media present and socially responsible. Mic drop!

Did I mention cows? That means dairy, which means ice cream! It’s time to go on and on about my ice-cream-flavor- of-the-month recommendation: cherry chocolate chip. Be safe and eat more ice cream.