Representation 101

Representation 101
By Bobby Bock
NAPS Southeast Area Vice President

Having served 43 years as a postal employee, I have spent 35 of those years representing our NAPS members. Working in the trenches, I can confidently say one of the most challenging roles in our organization is serving as a representative for fellow members.

Much of this work is performed on our own time. As a NAPS representative, I always have made it a priority to place my postal responsibilities first, while ensuring our members receive proper representation. Like many representatives, I often handle NAPS matters during lunch breaks or personal time; the needs of our members do not pause when the workday gets busy.

Throughout my career, I have maintained strong pro-fessional relationships with postal leadership. Effective communication is key, whether through phone conver-sations, in-person meetings, Zoom conferences or email correspondence. In my role on the NAPS Executive Board, generally, I have found postal leaders to be professional and willing to engage in constructive dialogue.

In my 35 years of representation, I can count on one hand the number of truly unprofessional managers I have encountered. As in any organization, there will be an occasional bad apple.

At times, some managers misunderstand the role of NAPS representatives. I often compare our position to that of an umpire — we are there to ensure fairness and adherence to established rules. We are not the enemy. Our role is to support the Postal Service and our members by helping resolve issues professionally and constructively.

Recently, I met with a senior executive to discuss workplace environment concerns. The meeting proved productive, allowing me to offer suggestions that were well received. Follow-up discussions with leadership contacts resulted in developing a plan aimed at assisting EAS employees who operate daily on the front lines.

Situations such as that are a true success and provide a win-win outcome. Representation never should be viewed as “us versus them.”

Of course, there are occasions when members of leadership take a representative’s role personally. Sometimes emails are sent and copied to your manager to apply pressure; it happened to me. My advice in those moments is simple: Buckle up and take the high road.

Our rights and responsibilities are clearly outlined in the Employee and Labor Relations Manual (ELM). Section 912 affirms that “postal personnel have the right, freely and without fear of penalty or reprisal, to form, join, or assist a supervisory or managerial organization or to refrain from such activity.”

Additionally, Section 651.2 provides that designated representatives, when in duty status, are granted a reasonable amount of official time to respond to proposed disciplinary actions, prepare for hearings and represent employees during appeals or investigative questioning when disciplinary action may reasonably result.

When individuals allow workplace matters to become personal, the best course of action is to work through your NAPS leadership and always remain professional. Maintain your integrity!

Professionalism and credibility are your strongest tools. When others go low, we go high.

Until next month, remember — the VMF is your friend.