Union Experience:

I started as an alternate steward in Merrifield, Virginia in 1982.  I then transferred to Winchester, Virginia where I held the position of steward and then became President of the Winchester Local until 1991. I was also elected Vice-President of the Apple Valley District for the Virginia State Postal Workers Union in 1990 and continued in that capacity until reassigning to the Maintenance Craft in 1993.  In 1995 after transferring to Charlottesville, Virginia, I became Editor for the Charlottesville Virginia Local and also served as maintenance steward.  In 1996 I became Maintenance Craft Director of the Charlottesville Virginia Local.  I was also elected in 1997 as Vice-President of the Maintenance Division for the Virginia State Postal Workers Union, a position I held until 2003.  I became a National Advocate for the Eastern Region in 1998 and was trained by former NBA Doug Mirowski and I have continued as an Advocate under current NBA William "Bill" LaSalle.  I have arbitrated in Virginia, Maryland, Washington DC, Pennsylvania, New York and Delaware.  I am currently maintenance steward and Secretary-Treasurer of the Charlottesville Area Local.

 

I have been chief negotiator for a Local LMOU and have been on a couple of other negotiating teams for LMOU's.  I have performed staffing surveys for my own local and outlying post offices under the MS-47 and appropriate MMO's.  In my local alone we have increased our maintenance complement from 36 employees to 48 over the past years even with a loss of mail processing equipment.  I have served on convention committees for National and State Conventions. I have also participated in the Mediation Pilot Program in the Eastern Region. I am a tough negotiator and am very successful in getting management to sign off on some very lucrative settlements.

Postal Experience

In 1978 I started my first contact with the Postal Service as a casual employee.  I worked over 4 months in that appointment and subsequently for then next couple years I did the same as Christmas help.  I aced the entrance examination in 1980 and was hired on as a career employee in 1981 as an LSM clerk.  I made regular in 30 days and then proceeded to bid from tour to tour to gain experience in all assets of the mail processing experience.  I held positions as a scheme clerk, flatsorter operator, seal clerk, registry clerk, pouch clerk, ODIS clerk and automation operator.  I started in the Merrifield, Virginia office and in 1987 transferred to the Winchester, Virginia office.  In 1991 I transferred to the brand new Dulles, Virginia office and in 1993 transferred to the Charlottesville, Virginia office as an automation clerk.  I reassigned into the maintenance craft in 1993 as a Custodial/Laborer and I enrolled in a two year technical school for Electronics.  Within the next two years attending the school I proceeded to get promoted to MPE Maintenance Mechanic and then to Electronic Technician, a position I hold today.  I have been trained in safety and have been involved in all types of safety programs, fire brigades and evacuation teams. 

Personal

 

I was born in 1959 in Agana, Guam.  I was a military brat as my father was a Chief in the US Navy.  We were stationed in places such as Brazil, Greece, Puerto Rico and then finally to the United States in 1966 to the state of Virginia.  I graduated in 1977 from Woodbridge Senior High School where I was involved in sports, mainly soccer where I received my letter, bar and emblem in that sport.  I worked for the railroad with a company that transported vehicles from Northern Virginia to Florida.  I worked as a window washer, cleaner and then mechanic's helper for this company.  This is also where I learned about the workings of a union.  We went through a couple of election processes to become a part of the IAM- AW Union.  It was not successful at first and I was lucky to see how management treated you when you wanted to join a local and also how a union helped you when you wanted to belong to a union.  This left a strong impression in my mind.  I later worked for the maintenance department for a parks and recreation association.  I started out as a laborer and worked my way up to maintenance foreman, a working foreman if you will.  I was in charge of a crew of about 4 to 8 employees depending on the time of the season.  I mainly lined up the work to be done and ensured to our bosses it was completed.  I then proceeded to take the postal entrance exam and was hired into the Postal Service.  I have been with the Postal Service up to the present.

Family

I have three children,  Ashley, Derik and Jenna.  All are currently attending colleges in Virginia and are pursuing careers in the fields of Automotive, Soil Sciences and Sports Medicine.  I am married to my lovely wife Karen and she is currently employed with the US Postal Service as a Maintenance Operations Support Clerk in my home office of Charlottesville, Virginia.  Maintenance runs in our family.