FRIDAY, AUGUST 11, 2006
It's Friday morning, Aug 11th at about 1:00 am and the train from Indianapolis is now delayed almost 2 hours, do we wait. The National Convention starts Monday, and we arrive on Saturday for the pre-convention training and events. One the way, several of the pages of this website are being completed or at least made functional.
The train finally departs Indianapolis at about 3:30 am. and we get onboard and enroute. I am traveling with my wife, daughter and son. Also on the train is State Business Agent #3 and Indianapolis Secretary-Treasurer Jeff Offutt, and Indianapolis Delegate Glenn Littrell.
It is a comfortable ride, as I dose off, awakening as we reach the various stops along the way.
We reach Montgomery at about 10:45 am and the engineer says we will arrive in PA at about 11:45 pm, The coach seating area is about 70°F, we needed more blankets.
More delays, waiting for another passenger train, and a freight train to clear the track, built in another hour and a half delay, an then the power plant failure added a little more. We arrived in Philadelphia at about 1:00 am, checking into the Crowne Plaza Hotel to finally get a good nights rest.
Up early Saturday, and off to the Convention Center, where coffee was $2.75 a cup. I completed my registration, picked up my packet of convention information, and back to the hotel.
The former Secretary-Treasurer of the Indianapolis Local, Martha Foote, joined me for lunch before the start of the Pre-Convention Clerk Craft Conference. The turkey sandwich, fries, and a glass of water was $11.25. Yes, I said turkey, and the sandwich was an open face sandwich, so only one piece of bread. Either the waitress was looking me over pretty good, or the cook decided I didn't need the extra piece of of the bun.
The Clerk Craft Conference convened right on time, with the National Craft Director, James McCarthy, presiding. A presentation by the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Task Force was given to the delegates, and a lot of information on the new Video Remote Interpreter (VRI) program. This program is provided by some Postal Facilities to address service issues, information meetings, etc. where the Deaf and Hard of Hearing employees are present with the rest of the workforce and ALL employees receive the same information at the same time. What a great idea to treat ALL employees
Assistant to the Secretary Treasurer, Judy Beard reminded every one that the proper designation for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is just that and NOT, repeat NOT, Hearing Impaired.
National President, William "Bill" Burrus, addressed the Clerk Craft Delegation on the various issues of the craft, and the importance of the convention before the contract negotiations. All the delegates saw a casually dressed (well as casually dressed as he gets), friendlier, nicer President Burrus. Well that was the explanation, since people sometime misinterpreted the squinty eyes, as anger.
NOTE: CLICK ON ANY OF THE PICTURES IN THIS ARTICLE FOR A BETTER VIEW AND LARGER IMAGE.
A active National Secretary-Treasurer, Terry Stapleton, was so vivid and active in his movement on the get out the vote issue for the to change the voted US electorate in the upcoming election that it was extremely hard to capture the moment on film.
