Update #4

I am Billy “b.shep.” Sheppard, a Local 311 Delegate to the 2008 National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU) Convention. The Convention will take place next week (August 10-16) at the Grand Floridian Hotel Resort and Spa at Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL. This is the fourth and final issue of my pre-convention reports. These reports have been my way of fulfilling the campaign promise I made that if elected, I would be your “eyes and ears” and provide you with daily reports from the convention. It does not reflect the views of the NPMHU or Local 311 and is produced and paid for entirely by me. Its purpose is to share information, entertain, and provide you, the rank and file membership, with the experience of actually being a delegate and attending the Convention! Ultimately, I hope that these reports will stimulate interest in what can be described as the nuts and bolts of just how our Local as well as National Unions work.

In Update #3 (July 22, 2008), I commented on my disappointment in not being able to gather enough data to submit a proposed constitutional amendment that had a good chance of being selected by the Constitution Committee for consideration and recommendation to the National Convention. Just prior to our last Local Election, Local President Taylor and I had discussed the subject and were in agreement in principle. I have since learned that because of how we both felt, he has resigned as the Branch President of the Dallas P&DC and is devoting his undivided attention to the office of Local President. Also, for those of you who may not have received or read the current issue of The Mail Handler, the quarterly publication of the NPMHU, it lists Local President Taylor and State Executive Board Member Linda Lewis as being members of the Legislative & Political and the Rules Committees respectively. Sister Lewis was also a member of the Rules Committee at the 2004 Convention in Boston, MA.

This past Saturday (August 2, 2008) I received my Local 311 Delegate Compensation Packet which consists of final instructions from both Local President Taylor and Local Treasurer Ron Shepard as it relates to official convention attire, credentials and salary/compensation. All total, my expense/salary payment was $4,358.59. Just for the record, my payment for the 2004 Convention was $3,698.71. For complete breakdown details of this package I have included the actual documents in PDF attachments. For those of you who may not have access to e-mail, contact me and I will provide you with hard copies.

Now for the major announcement that I mentioned in the last issue. Brothers and Sisters, I am excited to announce to you that I have set up a blog. For those of you who may not be familiar with the term blog, it can best be defined and described as an online diary; a personal chronological log of thoughts published on a Web page; also called Web log, Weblog, hence Blog. It is located at http://yourpersonaldelegate.blogspot.com. I’ll have pictures galore for certain from points of interest along the drive to Orlando and throughout the convention. With a little luck, I'm hoping to maybe even have audio and video! I promise you that I’ll do my best to make this convention experience one that we will all remember! I’ll probably leave early this Saturday and travel all night. My blog will be updated at least once daily once I get there so give me a visit and post your questions or comments.

In closing as always, I want to thank all of you for your continued support, interest, and much appreciated feedback. If you have any questions, concerns, criticisms, or you just want to talk, please do not hesitate to contact me at your earliest convenience. Next stop, The Grand Floridian Hotel & Spa, Orlando, FL! :-)

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