Dear President Rolando:

I am very disappointed by your recent decision that Springfield Branch 725 and Landsdowne Branch 1929 co-exist. Keeping Landsdowne their own independent Local.

Being a Letter Carrier for almost 18 years and active in branch 725 Southeast PA merged for at least five years, I realized how important it is to have our people and leaders trained on how to deal with all we face on a daily basis. Going to all the RAP sessions and conventions and getting the updates from National on how to address these problems. I am proud to say I am a member of Branch 725 because I know every time we go to one of these events we have a great showing and when I go to the classes and look around I see our members in attendance. Landsdowne goes to the RAP Session in Atlantic City but don’t bother to go to the State or National Conventions. They miss a lot of training crucial to their jobs in my mind. Next, is the Congressional Breakfast. My husband, also a member or our branch, is the CDL for PA District 7. He worked long and hard to get Patrick Meehan to co-sponsor HR 1351. He contacted both the Presidents of Landsdowne and Chester and got no support. Making him work harder to get things done. Branch 725 is a proactive branch and works hard to get what is right for our members. We work with State and National on all matters and you can see our record. We don’t sit on the sidelines and watch like some of these smaller locals. You had a chance to merge two smaller locals into ours and erase that problem and in my mind you missed your mark. We all have to work harder to make up for these locals that just sit by and let the rest of us do the work.

The President of Landsdowne is a full time Carrier and I believe the President of Chester is as well. They don’t respond promptly to problems when they arise because of this. Jimmy McCullough is a full time President and before him Don Couglin was a full time President. Call them and within a half an hour at the most I get a response. When you are in need and feel threaten or have a serious problem I want that full time President like these two to call. A lot of stress I endure as a Letter Carrier is lessened knowing I have someone like Jimmy to call. Now, if a Landsdowne or Chester Carrier has a real problem who does their President call? They call Jimmy because he has the time to deal with their issues. So why shouldn’t they be in our Local in the first place?

Branch 725 ensures that we all have the training and direction to protect and represent our membership. From Jimmy McCullough on down there is communication. We lean on each other a lot but know when we do we have someone there to help. That is why I think you made a poor choice in not adding Chester and Landsdowne to our Local. They are weak without us and we would all be better served together.

Barbara Kearney
Shop Steward, Springfield PA. 19064