All-Craft Conference Continues with Maintenance Craft and Support Services General Sessions

On Monday, October 28, the All-Craft Conference continued in Las Vegas, with the first day of meetings for each of the four crafts. The Clerk and Motor Vehicle Crafts held workshops, with the Maintenance Craft and Support Services Divisions meeting for their General Sessions.

In addition, the Retirees Conference held workshops and classes throughout the day.

The Support Services Division held its General Session before breaking up into workshops to address the individual issues and concerns of the Division's units. An issue of concern during the General Session and workshops was the Postal Service's attacks on postal wages during negotiations, despite the skills of Support Service members.

“We had a very good general session,” said Director Steve Brooks. “The attendees were excited and did not hesitate to interact in the open forum on issues within their respective units.”

At the Maintenance Division’s General Session, Craft Director Idowu Balogun provided updates on the status of the craft since the previous All-Craft Conference in 2017. Director Balogun discussed the MS-1 settlement and the implementation of TL-6 handbook.

In addition, assistant Directors Jimmie Waldon and Terry Martinez both gave brief overviews of their work since the last Maintenance General Session at the 2018 National Convention. They reported on their March and August 2019 visits to Norman, OK to observe firsthand the conditions of the training facility, as well as, recent arbitrations and staffing issues.

“I’m proud of this great conference. It was the biggest we’ve seen in recent years, with over 400 in attendance, several local presidents, clerks and a lot of first time attendees. It’s very refreshing,” Director Balogun said. “The sessions were very informative and we learned a lot from each other.”

The All-Craft Conference continues Tuesday, October 29 with Motor Vehicle Service Craft and Retirees General Sessions.