[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14948]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          HONORING THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LETTER CARRIERS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BOB FILNER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 5, 2007

  Mr. FILNER. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize and honor the National 
Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 70 for receiving the 
Volunteer Dedication Award given by The San Diego-Imperial Counties, 
AFL-CIO.
  NALC Branch 70 was chartered in 1970, and has had a tradition of 
volunteering for charities, food drives, and legislative actions.
  Unfortunately, due to the Hatch Act of 1939, the working letter 
carrier was prevented from taking any significant volunteer role in 
partisan political campaigns until 1993 when the Hatch Act was 
reformed.
  NALC Branch 70, the United States Postal Service (USPS), along with 
the help of many other unions work together every year (on the 2nd 
Saturday of May) to collect food from our customers for those in our 
communities who are in need. This year will mark the 15th anniversary 
of the NALC Food Drive.
  In 1982 the NALC Branch 70 and the USPS established a national 
program called Carrier Alert, of which Branch 70 is a member. This 
program, in simple terms, allows elderly and disabled customers to sign 
up for special attention from their letter carriers. When letter 
carriers suspect there is trouble they report it. One phone call could 
save a life; and in fact, lives have been saved through this program. 
The neighborhood letter carrier is always eager to help monitor the 
well-being of their customers. It is what letter carriers across the 
Nation do every day, with or without a formal program.
  NALC Branch 70 and the USPS once a year also work with the Lions Club 
International by collecting eye glasses which are used to distribute to 
the poor throughout the world and was awarded the International Order 
of The Lion in 2005 by the Lions Club.
  NALC Branch 70 understands it is not just about working together to 
help their own union, but working together with others so that everyone 
can have a better life. This is why the NALC Branch 70 is such a proud 
and distinguished member of the San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor 
Council.

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