Ever wonder how the resolution process works? What’s’ involved in writing a resolution to submit to the County Local, State or National Convention? Ever wonder how resolutions get to National Convention to be voted on? Is there something about your job or working conditions that you would like to see changed and improved? Remember resolutions are basically a wish list, things we want, from the USPS, from Congress, from the union itself.

Let’s start at the beginning, who can submit a resolution? Any Member or group of NRLCA Members (must be members in good standing as defined by NRLCA C&B’s) can present a resolution.

You will find a resolution form in this newsletter, please make photo copies of it instead of tearing it out of your newspaper, or you can use the form fill version on the NY website. Fill out the form and write down your resolution, county meetings are a good time to work on this in a group. Be sure to mail it to the state secretary early, at least 2 weeks before state convention. Or you can submit it to your county at your annual meeting and the county secretary can submit it, after it has been voted on and passed by your local.

There are two types of resolutions, binding and nonbinding. Resolutions that are advisory in nature are nonbinding. Binding resolutions is defined as the board, State or National, having full authority and control to implement. For example, salary increases for rural carriers would have to be a non-binding resolution, as NRLCA has to convince the USPS to give us a raise! If you wanted to have coffee and doughnuts given out to every delegate at state convention, this could be a binding resolution as the state board has the control and authority to make it happen.

Contract changes can only happen during negotiations with the postal service. Resolutions give our national board some direction. Some of the issues that can be addressed in resolutions are vehicles, relief days, benefits, salary, work rules, COLA’s, leave replacements, time standards, retirement, grievance procedures, EMA, automation and mail count.

At the state convention, there is a resolutions committee. Their job is to go over all of the submitted resolutions and compare, combine, correct (retaining their intent) and report these proposed Resolutions to the delegates. Resolutions are adopted as they are read aloud, at the sound of the gavel unless there is objection by a delegate. The Resolutions that have been objected to will be passed over until all of the Committee Resolutions have been discussed. Then those Resolutions will be considered. It is at this time that the resolution can be better explained by the maker of that resolution, making it clearer. Sometimes someone objects to a resolution, so that it can be discussed and changed in ways the original maker had not thought of. And then it is brought up to a vote once again. There are time limits set to keep things moving along, so that we get to discuss as many of the objected resolutions as time allows.

All proposed Resolutions that address national issues after they have been passed at the state convention will be sent by the state secretary to the national office for consideration at the national convention. At the national convention, the process is basically the same as at state convention. You can see all of the resolutions that the national delegates voted on in the National paper of the official proceedings of the national convention each year.

Remember, only members of the NRLCA can submit a resolution.