NALC

Jim Williams assumes the office of NALC Executive Vice President with a reputation for going the extra mile to defend members' rights and a determination to boost member participation in union affairs from the workfloor to Capitol Hill. Williams, elected by acclamation at the 2002 Philadelphia convention, comes to the union's No. 2 position following more than a quarter century of union service, most recently eight years as National Business Agent for Pacific Northwest Region 2. The Portland, Oregon Branch 82 member began his postal career in 1973, and just three years later started standing up for letter carriers as a steward at the Rose City Park Post Office. "I joined the union soon after hiring and became active because I could not stand to see letter carriers mistreated by managers and supervisors who were blinded by their arrogance," he said. After several years as a steward and a branch trustee, Williams became an EI facilitator in 1984 and was appointed RAA for Region 2 the following year. He served for more than nine years as RAA before being elected Region 2 NBA by acclamation at NALC's 1994 and 1998 conventions. He was educated at Portland State University, the University of Oregon Labor Education Program and the University of Colorado Labor School, gaining expertise in arbitration advocacy and training techniques. "My goals are simple," Williams said. "I believe that by focusing on training and leadership development, our stewards and officers at all levels will be more effective. We must get involved in every aspect of our jobs through activism in our union." "In my 30 years in the Postal Service, the NALC has always been there for me and my family," he added. "Our duty is to continue that tradition. "Apathy is the greatest foe we face. Only by getting the maximum participation from our membership can we be successful." Williams and his wife, Jeanne, have two sons and a daughter. He succeeds Bill Young, who was elected National President.

Gary Mullins was re-elected NALC Vice President by acclamation at the 2006 Las Vegas Convention. He begins his second four-year term ready to apply the test of practicality to the grievance-arbitration procedures. Mullins was elected Director of City Delivery in 1998 and served in that post until February 2002, when he was appointed Vice President by President Vincent R. Sombrotto to fill a vacancy. At President Young's direction, Mullins heads up the union's Contract Administration Unit, a group of NALC officers and staff who deal on a daily basis with postal management on major issues of contract interpretation and enforcement. Mullins also chairs the national Committee on Appeals. Mullins has 35-plus years of postal experience, and his knowledge of carrier route issues and technological changes in the workplace comes both from his experience as a resident officer and his eight years as National Business Agent for Dallas Region 10. As NBA, he earned a reputation as a practical problem-solver. A member of Wichita Falls, Texas Branch 1227, Mullins started carrying mail in 1971. He was a shop steward for 18 years and president of Branch 1227 from 1978-1990. He was also president of the Texas State Association from 1987-1990. As NBA, Mullins worked to expand the Union-Management Pairs process and the Modified Article 15 and 16 programs precursors to the Dispute Resolution Process.

Timothy C. O'Malley was serving his second four-year term as National Business Agent for Region 12, covering Pennsylvania and South and Central New Jersey, when in January 2006 NALC President William H. Young named him to lead the union's health insurance plan to fill a vacancy created by a retirement. At the 65th Biennial Convention in Las Vegas, O'Malley, a member of Philadelphia Branch 157, was elected by acclamation to continue serving as Director of the Health Benefit Plan, created more than 50 years ago by letter carriers for letter carriers. "I'm grateful to President Young for the opportunity to work with the fine people who operate our union's health plan," O'Malley said. "My main goal as Director is to bring all my brother and sister letter carriers both active and retired into their union-owned, union-operated health benefit plan. I look forward to the challenges that lie ahead of me in attaining this goal." O'Malley brings a substantial amount of experience to his position. He became a letter carrier at age 18, just weeks after the 1970 wildcat strike, in which NALC members in the City of Brotherly Love played a significant role. Starting at age 22, O'Malley served for a decade as a Branch 157 shop steward, and later was elected to several branch-wide offices, including trustee, health benefits representative and vice president. He became branch president in 1989.

Brown has been president of the 4,600-member Branch 24 in Los Angeles, California since 1989. He was re-elected as a National Trustee by acclamation at the 2006 Las Vegas Convention, and is serving his third term as chair of the three-member Board of Trustees. Brown began his union career as a shop steward at Highland Park Station in 1973 and served in that capacity right up to his election as branch president. He also was MBA representative from 1981 to 1989. He credits his parents for his involvement in the labor movement. "Being raised by two parents involved in civic and church activities," Brown said, "the union was a natural extension of the leadership qualities and organizational techniques I learned at home." A tireless community activist, Brown is vice president of the Los Angeles Federation of Labor and chairman of the Los Angeles Labor Community Services, AFL-CIO, and sits on the advisory committee of the Los Angeles Trade Technical College. Brown also plays a prominent personal and leadership role in political affairs as the NALC's congressional district liaison for Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D, CA-35) and as an active member of the Los Angeles County Democratic Central Committee. Along with safeguarding members' interests as a trustee, Brown says he also feels a duty to "always be working toward electing government representatives who best serve the needs of our membership." Brown is married to his wife, Carolyn, who is also a carrier and a Branch 24 member. They have three daughters and a son.

Cythensis Lang has been an auxiliary member for 15 years. She had been the president of Auxiliary 2517, Mobile, Alabama, for 11 years, and state president for six years before joining the Board of Directors. She was elected to the National Auxiliary Board of Directors in 2006 as bylaw chairwomen. Cythensis is an elementary teacher and was once named "Teacher of the Year" for her school. Her husband, Vincent, is an active member of the NALC. They have sons and four grandchildren.

Hart discovered that he had been wrong about the schedule situation, "but I found other ways to deal with it, and never looked back." He soon became chief steward and president of Burlingame Branch 1767 and when it merged with San Mateo Branch 1280 he became executive vice president of the merged Branch 1280. By 1976, Hart also was on the executive board of the California State Association, where he remained for a decade. After serving as a local business agent, he was named a Regional Administrative Assistant in 1987. He was first elected NBA in 1994. Hart says he hopes to "use interventions to bring responsibility and accountability to management at the workroom floor level," reduce disputes, improve the atmosphere at the workplace, and enhance respect between managers and the union leadership.

Dan Toth, 51, became a shop steward in Lorain, Ohio in 1984 and has been working on behalf of his brother and sister letter carriers ever since. The 27-year NALC member rose to become president of the 200-plus member Lorain Branch 583 and also served as director of education for the Ohio State Association. In May 2005 he was named a Regional Administrative Assistance for Region 11.

Edie Pottenger of Denver, Colorado Auxiliary 444, has been an auxiliary member for 39 years, joining in Indiana in 1984. She held most offices, including president, in that state, and in Colorado after moving. She was elected to the National Auxiliary Board in 1990, serving as a bylaw director and then treasurer, serving until 1996. She was appointed to be on the Bylaw Committee, filling a vacancy, in 2006. Her husband, retired carrier Rich, continues to be active in the NALC. They have two children and one granddaughter.

A member of Houston, Texas Branch 283, Goodwin says his activism comes from his mother, "a union organizer at her company back in the '60s. I saw how she was mistreated because she wanted to form a union." When Goodwin joined the post office in Houston in 1971, his mother's example led him to join the NALC. By 1975, he was chief shop steward for the 4,500-member Branch 283, a post he held until 1991. In that year, he became a local business agent, and in 1995, he was named a Regional Administrative Assistant. He also held offices in the Texas State Association, including a term as vice president/director of education and two years as president. An Army veteran of Vietnam, Goodwin served in the 101st Airborne as a long-range reconnaissance patrol leader and was awarded the Purple Heart. He has earned an associate's degree in postal technology at North Harris County College and a BA in business from the University of Houston.

George Mignosi, NALC Assistant Secretary-Treasurer, has represented letter carriers in metropolitan New York for more than two decades before moving to headquarters. He began his postal career in 1979 at the GPO in New York City as a clerk, but soon moved to the carrier craft and became a member of Brooklyn Branch 41 in 1980. By 1986, he was an NALC shop steward at Canarsie Station and was elected as a delegate to the 1986 NALC Convention in St. Paul.

A member of Davenport, Iowa Branch 506, Broendel had served three years as Assistant Secretary-Treasurer when she was appointed Secretary-Treasurer by President Sombrotto in February 2002 to fill a vacancy. She was overwhelmingly elected later that year to her first term in nationwide balloting, and was re-elected by acclamation at the 2006 Convention in Las Vegas. As Secretary-Treasurer, Broendel manages both the Finance and Membership Departments and is responsible for organizing national conventions. Broendel became NALC's first female national resident officer when she was elected Assistant Secretary-Treasurer by acclamation at the 1998 Las Vegas Convention. She served on the Board of Trustees from 1995 to 1998, giving her the distinction of being the first woman to sit on the NALC Executive Council. A graduate of Illinois State University who did post-graduate work in nutrition at the University of Iowa, Broendel made a career switch to the carrier craft in 1984. She joined the NALC two days after she started carrying mail. "Within five months, I was actively involved because it didn't take me long to see how the union assisted letter carriers," she said. "The support, education and representation offered by the union motivated me and so did witnessing others' difficulties with management on the workroom floor." Broendel filled many roles in Branch 506 EI facilitator, steward for five years, branch trustee for 12 years. She also was treasurer of the Iowa State Association from 1989 to 1997. Noting that difficult days lie ahead for the postal community, Broendel said, "It is now more essential than ever that all letter carriers, their families and friends become active in the legislative process."

Judy Willoughby, a member of Tallahassee, Florida Branch 1172, was elected Region 9 National Business Agent by acclamation at the 2006 Las Vegas Convention. She had the distinction of becoming the NALC's first female NBA in April 2004 when President William H. Young appointed her to the position to fill a vacancy created by retirement. Willoughby began her postal career in 1980 and served as a shop steward for St. Petersburg Branch 1477 before transferring to Tallahassee in 1983. She soon became deeply involved in the 200-member Tallahassee branch, working her way up the leadership ladder, serving as steward, trustee, vice president and president. She also was a member of the Florida State Association executive board as District 5 chairperson and the Director of Education. Willoughby served in several appointed NALC positions in the North Florida District, including as an EI facilitator, as a member of the local joint steering committee, on the joint route inspection team, and as DPS coordinator. In addition, she was an arbitration advocate and local business agent for many years. She was serving as a Regional Administrative Assistant when she was tapped as Region 9 NBA. An Army veteran, Willoughby got involved in the union because "I saw management routinely violate the contract and abuse letter carriers. I felt the only way to stop management was to become educated and develop the skills to help all letter carriers and protect the collective bargaining agreement the union had fought so hard to achieve."

Kathy joined the auxiliary in the 1960s. She has held nearly every office in the Iowa City, Iowa Auxiliary 200 and the Iowa State Auxiliary. In 2004, she was elected national bylaw director and was elected treasurer in 2006. She has done an outstanding job in this capacity, making many needed changes. Kathy's letter carrier, Joe, is a retired carrier and a past national business agent. They have a daughter, a son who is an active letter carrier and NALC member, and one granddaughter.

Larry Cirelli was elected Region 15 National Business Agent by acclamation at the 2006 Las Vegas Convention, adding a new milestone to a 20-year union career.

At the 2006 Las Vegas Convention, Lew Drass was re-elected by acclamation as the National Business Agent for Region 8, an endorsement he says will reinforce his strong commitment to defending letter carriers who need help. A steady history of union service has prepared him to do just that. Drass began his postal career in Riverdale, Maryland, where he served as an NALC shop steward from 1983 to 1989. He transferred to Huntsville, Alabama in 1989, and soon made his presence known, becoming assistant newsletter editor and Muscular Dystrophy Association coordinator for Hunts-ville Branch 462 in 1990, serving in both posts until 1993. In 1993, Drass was elected president of the 280-member branch, a job he held at the time of his first election as NBA at the 2002 National Convention in Philadelphia. Along the way, he also served as an Employee Involvement facilitator and, starting in 1997, as a local business agent. Drass served as director of education for the Alabama State Association from 1995 to 1997, its vice president from 1997 to 2001, and president from 2001 to 2002. Drass explained he became so active in the union because "I never have liked bullies. I still don't. I just couldn't sit by and watch management pick on other letter carriers who couldn't or wouldn't defend themselves." That accounts for his primary goal "to ensure that letter carriers receive the best representation possible," which he tries to encourage by "providing a quality training program and developing a communications network to produce effective results for all the letter carriers of our region." Another of his primary goals has been "to convince every letter carrier to become actively involved in the legislative process," he said.

Linda joined the auxiliary in 1989 when she re-established the Kenosha, Wisconsin Auxiliary 465 charter. She quickly became involved with the state auxiliary, holding offices as vice president and president. In 2000, Linda was elected to the NALCA board of directors as bylaw chairperson and then became the assistant secretary. She was elected president in 2006. Linda hopes to help the organization become solvent and increase its membership. Linda's letter carrier is retired carrier Jim, who is still active in the NALC on the local and state levels. They have two children and two granddaughters.

Manny Peralta didn't waste any time becoming active in the NALC. He started his career in October 1979 at Brookhurst Station in Anaheim, California, and became a shop steward shortly after his probation ended. He served Garden Grove, California Branch 1100 as an EEO representative, as a member of its executive council, and then six years as a full-time officer, first as vice president and later as executive vice president. He was executive vice president in December 1990 when NALC President Vince Sombrotto appointed him as a Regional Administrative Assistant for Region 1. In 2006, he was elected Region 1 National Business Agent by acclamation at the Las Vegas National Convention.

Marie has been a member of Racine, Wisconsin Auxiliary 430 since 1996. She is their secretary and organizer. She has held the office of vice president and is currently the president of the Wisconsin State Auxiliary. Marie was appointed by the WSALC president to serve as a CDL assistant for Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District. She has a wide variety of board experiences in the other organizations she has been in. We welcome her and her experience to this board. Her letter carrier, retired carrier Mike, is active in his local NALC branch. They have four children and four grandchildren.

A 30-plus-year history of union leadership reached a new height for Mike Gill when he was elected National Trustee by acclamation at the 2006 Las Vegas Convention. Gill, a veteran member of South Florida Branch 1071 based in Miami, started his career with the Postal Service in 1973. "As a second-generation letter carrier, I understood the importance of the NALC," Gill said. "I saw the need to assist my fellow letter carriers because of the injustice that took place on the workroom floor," particularly on behalf of carriers who were frustrated or exploited in their dealings with "unreasonable" postal managers. In 1981, Gill was elected Branch 1071's treasurer. Nine years letter, the branch membership voted him in as executive vice president, and in 2002 he was elected branch president. The branch, one of NALC's largest, is also one of the best organized in the nation, with more than 98 percent of all carriers belonging to the union. As a National Trustee, Gill has three main goals: to strive to improve the work life of letter carriers; to help make the NALC strong as it addresses the challenges it faces, from Congress to collective bargaining, from COLCPE to the e-Activist Network; and to educate the membership about the importance of staying involved in all of these areas.

Neal Tisdale was re-elected by acclamation to a second four-year term by the 2006 Las Vegas National Convention. In July 2002, President Vince Sombrotto appointed Tisdale as Region 3 NBA to fill a vacancy. A few weeks later, the 2002 Philadelphia Convention affirmed the president's appointment when Tisdale was elected to the position by acclamation. Tisdale began his postal career in March 1978 as a carrier in Havana, Illinois. A year later, motivated, he said, by "the mistreatment of letter carriers and the total disregard by management of the labor agreement," he became a shop steward, a role he held until he transferred to Springfield, Illinois Branch 80 in 1986. In 1987, he served a year as Branch 80's financial secretary, followed by four years as branch vice president. In 1991, Tisdale became a local business agent, and a year later, he began a concurrent stint as the Springfield branch's chief steward. He became a part-time RAA for Region 3 in 1994 and was named a full-time RAA in 1998. There have been many changes over the past three decades, Tisdale notes, but the union must remain prepared as the pace and impact of change accelerates. "We as letter carriers are dealing with ongoing changes in the communications field daily, and are constantly adapting to these changes," he said. "I feel that we as a union need to position ourselves to make these future changes the least disruptive as possible for letter carriers." Tisdale's other second-term goals include continuing to fight to protect letter carrier jobs and to provide a better work environment.

The saying goes that some people seek out the spotlight while others are thrust into it. Ned Furru began his NALC career when he was thrust into a leadership role.

Carroll has two primary goals in serving the members of the Kentucky, Indiana and Michigan region. "The first is to stop abusive managers and make the workplace a safe and harmonious place without threats and intimidation by management," he said. "The second goal is to provide education and training to branch leaders and members to make them more aware of their rights." Carroll attended Eastern Michigan University and Lawrence Institute of Technology. Heand his wife, Grace, have two children: an adult daughter, Lisa, and a teenage son, Christopher.

Price became a branch trustee as well as steward for three years, Price was his father's steward at Rose City Park station. He became an arbitration advocate in 1992 and also worked as a local business agent from 1990 to 1994. In 1994, he was appointed Regional Administrative Assistant, serving until his election as Region 2 NBA by acclamation at the Philadelphia Convention in 2002. Along with enforcing carriers' rights, "my emphasis continues to be to devise ways to capture the interest of the uninvolved union members so that they become life-long activists," said Price, who attended Portland State University.

Bledsoe, a member of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Branch 458, became a letter carrier and NALC member in 1980. He has served his fellow workers as a shop steward and arbitration advocate, and has held terms as branch trustee and secretary. Later, he worked on the Oklahoma district's Dispute Resolution Team. Then-President Vincent R. Sombrotto named Bledsoe a Regional Administrative Assistant for Region 4 in 1998.

A three-term president of the Virginia State Association, Dowdy began his postal career in Virginia Beach in 1977. He served as a local business agent for 11 years, working with three predecessor NBAs. Dowdy had served as a full-time Regional Administrative Assistant for five years, before succeeding Richard Gentry, who retired at the end of 2004. Dowdy was re-elected by acclamation to a full term as NBA by the 2006 Las Vegas Convention.

Lucini started his postal career in 1975 as a distribution clerk at the main post office in Philadelphia. "It didn't take me long to figure out that I didn't like working nights and weekends," he recalled, "but it took five long years before I finally got a transfer to the carrier craft." Lucini was assigned to the Jenkintown Post Office in 1980 and joined the NALC. In less than a year, "the steward asked me to be his assistant and I became the steward in 1983," he said. Jenkintown had merged with Philadelphia Branch 157 and Lucini's commitment to the union was apparent. In 1986, he was asked to serve as branch Retirement and Death Benefit Trustee. He was later elected to two other positions, serving four years as trustee and three years as Health Benefits Rep.