Colleen Ellery Wood

This episode features Colleen Ellery Wood, Vice President of South Macomb Letter Carriers Branch 4374 in Michigan.

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:23

Welcome to the History of Female Leadership in the NALC podcast. I'm Craig Schaefer, the city carrier in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, branch 1015. Today, I am honored to have an ERT sister, a brand new ERT sister. If you don't mind, go ahead and introduce yourself.

SPEAKER_00 0:40

My name is Colleen Allery Wood. I am from South McComb Letter Carriers in Centerline, Michigan, branch 4374. I am currently the vice president of our branch, and I work as a letter carrier in Sterling Heights, Michigan. And that's who I am.

SPEAKER_03 0:59

All right. How long have you been with the NALC?

SPEAKER_00 1:01

I've been with the NALC since orientation. How long think about it, right? How long has that been? I started in 2014. Okay. So I'm fairly new. I started, I'm 52 years old. So I started when I was 40, and then I was two years as a CCA and 10 years as a regular, just May 29th was my anniversary.

SPEAKER_03 1:24

Congratulations.

SPEAKER_00 1:25

Thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 1:27

All right. So you've been around for uh what is it, 12 years now? Um what brought you to the postal service in the first place?

SPEAKER_00 1:35

Um weird story. I was in the medical field and I specialize in dementia and Alzheimer's, and I worked with community of mental health. And I was on my way to work one day, and I did that for 14 years. I designed dementia units and dementia programming for a company called Metalod, and they had long-term care buildings throughout the state of Michigan. And I also worked with community mental health because so many people with dementia and Alzheimer's were coming in with um with mental illness. And I wanted to learn more on how to combine those two because there wasn't a lot of research into that. So I was on my way to work one day. I was on I-94, and I was driving and I could see this semi kind of drifting into my lane. And I knew if I sped up, I wasn't gonna beat him. And I knew if I pulled back, I wasn't gonna beat him. And I knew that he was gonna hit me either way. And I just said, I remember saying out loud, here we go. And he ran into me and I flipped and rolled, and I couldn't because I had a head injury and I had memory issues from that. So it was kind of ironic that what I did for a living with people with uh memory loss, and I was in that situation a little bit, and then I couldn't work for a year and a half. I went to work in the private sector and I took care of a woman at her home. She was 93 years old, she had no memory issues. She was absolutely fabulous and wonderful, and um wise, and she told me one day, she said, after you get done taking care of me, you better find a job that has a pension, has great benefits. She goes, Look at me. I worked for the state of Michigan and I have a great pension and I'm taken care of. And I was like, Okay, okay, I will, I will. And unfortunately, she passed away one day during dialysis. And I thought, what am I gonna do? What am I gonna do now? So this was in 2014, and I just started looking online and it said something about, you know, working at the post office. I thought, eh, okay, I knew a couple postmasters out in my area because I'm a theater major by trade, really, from school. I'm a musical theater major. So one of the postmasters out in Michigan in my area, he used to do theater with me. So I reached out to him and I said, How do I get into the post office? Like, what do I do? And he told me how to do it, how to apply. And that's what I did. Um, little did I know that after I took the test and we went down to Fort Street, that's the main building in Michigan District 1, for my interview, there were 300 of us. We are the largest group since the hiring freeze, a seven-year hiring freeze. And they hired so many of us because of the Amazon contract, because Amazon Sundays were gonna be coming, we were getting Amazon. So when I went in for my OJI, like when my first day there, and I go in my first day, and my OJI that I had my first day was wonderful. I think she is my first role model that I had there, and she was just so calm and inviting and so nice. Her route was a great route. It was like what they call a retirement route, you know. And I pretty much did the whole route the first day, and I thought, this is great. I can do this, this is gonna be no problem. I'm gonna have no issues with this. Second day I come in. Oh no, I had a different route, right? It was walking, it's like driving, it's all over the place, it's businesses. I'm like, I don't know if I can do this. I was so nervous. And um, but it was all good. But anyway, when I went through my training in the beginning, that was when there was like no packages. Like I remember this clearly coming in with like 10 packages. And then my second week on my own came in one day, and the packages were just lined up. Like they didn't, the regulars didn't even know what they were. They were like, Oh my gosh, we don't even know how to sort this, but they were just lined up on the floor. They had no, it was so it's I kind of learned with them. I think that was a benefit coming into that point. We were all learning together to try and figure it out. So um, I'm kind of getting off track, aren't I? With what brought me to. Um, no, so that's what brought me, that's what brought me to the post office was um the wonderful woman I took care of in home care. And I knew I couldn't go back to doing what I was doing. I remember in my interview for the post office, the postmaster said to me, Now you understand that the post office is stressful, right? And I said, I'm sure it is. And it changes every day, it changes by minute. And I'm like, Okay. And he's like, So can you handle that stress? Are you sure you're gonna be able to handle that stress? And I said, Well, I I come from the medical field where it changes every minute or every second. I think I can handle it. And he was like, Okay, so but I do love being a letter carrier. I have to say that. I absolutely love being a letter carrier. I I wouldn't change it for the world, even with what we're going through right now and the challenges we have. There's just something rewarding about it. Um, and I like I know we have to deal with management all the time, but I like the fact that they're not following me every minute out in the field with me. And I love our customers, they they love us, and I I love that interaction with them. So I do love that. But that's what brought me there. That's what that's why I'm at the post office.

SPEAKER_03 7:53

Well, I'm I'm glad you got to see the the beforehand where there weren't the packages. Tell a lot of the new guys. I'm like, I remember when coming in certain days, and if you had 10, 15 packages, you're like, what in the world is going on? You know, this is crazy heavy. I don't know what I'm gonna do, how I'm gonna get these delivered, you know. And um, but of course at that point, you know, um my route that I'm on now, I go in on a Monday and I have maybe five feet of flats. Back in the back at that time, you'd come in on a Monday and there'd be 15 to 20 feet of flats, you know. So it kind of which is also really foreign to new employees because they're they can't even fathom the amount of mail we had versus the amount of packages. So it changes, but yeah, that's cool that you got to see the change like overnight with them.

SPEAKER_00 8:41

Yeah, it was overnight packages, no packages one day, then bam, packages. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 8:45

Yeah, it it's wild. I uh you know, talking to older carriers, retired carriers, they they just don't believe it. They're like, I can't imagine how it is, and it is crazy. But um, so you know, you you've been around for a while, and uh, you know, was there something that you saw, or is there was it just in you to pursue a leadership role in the NALC? Or nothing?

SPEAKER_00 9:09

No, no, not at all. I when I came to the post office, I said, I'm gonna come in, I'm gonna do whatever, you know, whatever route I'm doing, and I'm gonna go home. That's it. No, no, nothing. I have always been in roles where I've had to, I was always in management in my previous jobs. And I I just I was in management for uh you know 15 years when I was at when I did long-term care. And I thought, okay, I'm not I just need to go home. And um management would approach me all the time to be to go into management at the post office. Union would approach me all the time to be a steward, and I would always say, nope, no, no, no, no. And um uh until one day a supervisor came in, a new supervisor, and he was horrible, absolutely awful. And I said, Oh, I went to Dan, who was my chief steward at the time and said, Where do I sign up? Where do I sign up? Because I'm not doing another 17 years like this. And I knew I would get in trouble because I I always I I didn't, I was always sassy. I would always I would always stand up for myself. And um, but I did it in a way where I knew it would be okay, where they really couldn't discipline me in a way, but in a way where they left me alone too. And um, but I always helped other CCAs because they just were too nervous sometimes to speak up. But I think when you're 40 years old and you're starting a new job, you just have a different mindset sometimes than you do when you're 20 years old starting a new job. And I think you just feel a different level of I'm not gonna be treated that way, you know. So I knew I was gonna get in trouble if I didn't do that, and I did actually. I was um, you know, before COVID, they really started. Um, I became an alternate in 2019 and became and won the election and became sworn in as a regular um steward in 2020. But in November of 2019 is when they really started incorrectly forcing people, I remember around Thanksgiving time. Um a new wave of supervisors came in the building and they didn't care. You know, I know with the old school supervisors, they actually were kind of worried about forcing incorrectly sometimes, like, oh, you're gonna do a grievance, you know, or they'd come and tell you where we have to do a grievance. It's like this new wave of supervisors came in and they just didn't care. Grieve it, grieve it, grieve it. They didn't care. So I was out in the field one day at six o'clock at night. A new 204B called me and said, Okay, when you're done, you have to go to this route. And I said, No, I'm on work assignment. No, we're you know, we're forcing you. I said, Well, this is bullshit. I said, This is bullshit, and I said, We're gonna, you know, I'm gonna follow instructions and I'm gonna go do what you're telling me to do, but this is bullshit. So I came back after I was done and I told them, I said, remember, they will throw you under the bus to save themselves. And I said, So you really need to think about this. Are you a boss or are you a leader? And I suggest you read the terms of both of them because you're definitely not a leader, you're definitely a boss. And I left for the day. I had an II the next day, and I was written, they wrote me up the letter of warning for conduct for saying bullshit. So yeah, I knew I had to like, you know, but it was fine. It was like I I didn't care, but um, yeah. So that's when I really became part that when I became a steward. But I always feel I was always in the NALC as a part because I think a member is the most important part in the NALC. No matter what kind of what we're dealing with, what's going on, it's always I think very important to stay a member because we're definitely stronger in numbers, and that shows through the whole country when you have such a large union with such a high percentage of people enrolled in our union. And I think it's very important that you stay a member, and I think that's the most important part of the union is being a member. So yeah, I always took pride in that. And then after that, I just kind of they asked me for to be if I would want to put an application in, they were appointing a secretary for the branch, and I was like, I don't think so. And then I'm like, okay, and because I do like paperwork, I'm weird like that, and um so I became secretary and just kind of and went rolling after that. So yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:14

Well that leads me into my next question. What positions have you held?

SPEAKER_00 14:18

Um, well, as an alternate steward, um, then I was on the safety committee, um, and then I was a steward in our building. And um, I I do have to say this too. In region six, the Kim region, I have to say it, the only region with the name. I have to say it, sorry, because that's what we always say, right? Kim region, the only region with a name. So um, but when I went to their School of Stewards in School of Stewards won in 2019, um I was highly impressed with the education we got and received. It was very overwhelming. It was a new, it's like a foreign language when you're learning about the contract and learning about all this stuff, but I was so impressed and I wanted to do more after that training. I was like, this is this is where I belong. You know, I come from a big union family. I'm in Michigan. My dad was an auto worker, and um, so union was just ingrained in us. I mean, he worked at Ford and we'd go to the tour, and to like the River Rouge tour plan, and they always talked about how important union was, my dad going on strike, and um, it just was always, you know, we were we were just a union family, and so I felt it felt good to be part of that. Um, and then I yes, so I was a regular steward, and then um I became chief steward in my building. Oh, I can't even remember the years. This is terrible. Um, about probably three years ago. No, yeah, three years ago, and then um it's hard to remember everything, right? Uh I um let's see, I went, I became secretary. I just recently won the election for vice president in my branch in and I just sworn in in January this of this year. Um I've gone to Beyond Formula and beyond. I went to DRT training. Um, I've gone to leadership, which was a great accomplishment. Now I did all these things in the past year. I went to leadership in August of 2025, then a month later, I went to Beyond Formula and then went back to leadership for the second week. Then after that week, and then the next time I went to DRT training and then went back to the third week. So it was doing our projects along with doing that training. And unfortunately, um, less than 48 hours before I went to leadership, my sister passed away. So I almost did not go. And I called Anna Mud and told her when I was in the hospital uh that I couldn't go. And she's like, I'm not telling you you can't go. I'm not telling you to go. You just take some time and think about it. I'm not telling them either either way. And I said, I'm telling you right now, I'm not gonna be able to go. I need to be here for my mother. And uh then she goes, I'm I okay, just take some time. So that night we go home, and um, my mom and my brother sat me down. They said, You're going because Kathy would want you to do this. She was so excited for you to go. And I said, Are you sure? And my brother's like, I took the week off. You're good, go. And it was one of the best things that for me mentally at the time was to go. They they were wonderful. People didn't even realize it till the our last week that my sister passed because I didn't really say anything, but it kept my mind busy, you know, going through everything. And um, you know, that was my second sister who passed away.

unknown 18:03

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_00 18:04

So in the last in the in the span of the 10 years, the last 10 years, I lost my dad unexpectedly and got that phone call when I was on a route, and then my sister Chrissy, three years after my dad, and then my sister Kathy, just recently before I went to leadership, and that was on my route also. So there's you know, but um, but I will say that uh the union was there for me and and being around your brothers and sisters at though that time and being in leadership and having support with so many other things that you're doing, but they they didn't even realize how much being around them was so important to me at that time, so it was it was great. Um, and then just recently I went to ERT and which was fascinating to me. I loved it, and I have not been deployed yet. Um, but um it's terrible to say I I'm I'm I can't wait to be deployed, but it's you don't want to be deployed. It's like like that double-edged sword, right? Because you know that it's a tragedy or something, but I can't wait to offer help to somebody to get through a tough situation and be there to give them that information. So um I've done things for the region. I teach at our Kim. This will be my third year teaching at our Kim training that we have in October every year. So um I usually I taught community services the first year, then I taught the joint statement with Anna Mudd last year, and I was invited back again to do joint statement again this year. So I'm looking forward to that. I love teaching. Um, I would do teaching anytime. I love it. Um, and I work on other projects with the MBA office right now, which I really can't go too deep into right now. Um, but I am liking it, and it's a new experience for me, and I'm learning a lot also when I'm doing this project. So hopefully soon we'll be able to say what it is. Um, and that's about it. Yeah, that's the these are the positions.

SPEAKER_03 20:21

That's about it. Mile, mile list long later, you're like, that that's it. Well, let me let me ask you this. Um, I understand that you're the vice president of the branch, but you have a bunch of other things that you're doing as well. If you don't mind, just pick whichever one you want to, and tell me kind of explain what your duties are in that position.

SPEAKER_00 20:45

Well, I think the most important duty uh as vice president is the education. And right now we and obviously filling in for the president if if needed. And I I will tell you that I am struggling with this. I was a secretary for six years, and I I'm I feel like I'm in limbo right now. You know, I I it's a when you flip the role and you are doing a different position, it's like you've got to find your way into that position sometimes. And um, you know, secretary, you have all this paperwork, and and it's like it's totally different than the vice president. And I want to involve so many people. So when it comes to education and stewards training that we have every month, I'm you know, I really want to involve people to our stewards to get involved and and encourage them to um take a topic that is important to them. And so they've been holding some of these classes for stewards training. Which is great because I want them to get involved. I don't want it to be the same person all the time going being the teacher and stuff. That's not, and it's better when you hear a topic from somebody who is passionate about it. And um, but recently in our Michigan one district, our branch is a little different than a lot of the country because we have a past practice, we have a couple past practices, and we're fighting it right now. Um, the no-launch pass practice, which everybody is aware of, and then we also did have a two-track discipline, um, where you know, discipline was issued on a two-track, one attendance and the other track being conduct. So they labor has come after both of those. So when in my station, I just handed in the past practice for the two-track discipline, and then we get hit with the past practice and the no lunch right now, our whole Michigan one district. So, not only our our whole branch, but other branches in that area. So it was really important at that time to come together and have all the stations work on it together and make sure we were all on the same page, make sure that we were all fighting this, and um, it was so that's also important too to keep them updated on what's going on and um to make our branch now, and I we really need to concentrate on the new steward so they don't get frustrated, and it's it's a really it's a different time being a steward right now than it was 10 years ago. It just um like I said, that it's just grieve it, grieve it, grieve it. So you get frustrated when you're a new steward. You want the outcome to be fast, you want it to be, and that's not how the grievance procedure is, and it's really hard to explain that to people, and it's really hard to show that you have to keep building that case and you have to to follow it through and never stop, never quit writing those grievances that that's put management in some sort of place, but because they'll never stop, they're gonna keep coming. So, but it's really frustrating for new stewards to understand that at times, and then I don't want them to get frustrated to where they quit because we need them, we need them right now because we can't one person can't do everything. And um I over the past year, I was gone a lot in my station and being chief steward, I I never want to say no to training, never know when it's gonna be there, you know. I I will never say no to training if it helps me understand more than I'm gonna take as much as I can. And if it's gonna help my station and my branch, I'm gonna do it. And but I had backlash with that. I'm I'm I'm being honest here, right? And uh they were nervous. The P the my members in my station were nervous that I was gonna leave and I wasn't gonna be there anymore. So they started to get a little resentful, and um so I had to fix that and reassure to them I'm not going anywhere, I'm staying here. I care for this station, I care for my branch, and that's why I did it. I want to be focused on you guys. I want to make sure that that's this is what I like. I like being in touch with them and fighting for them. And um, so we had to, you know, you always like they say, you have to stay humble. You have to stay humble and you have to listen to your members and reasonably listen, right? Like you explain things to them if they, you know, it's always hard to have those conversations if they want to do a grievance, and yet it's not a grievance, and you have to explain to them, listen, I know how you're feeling, but this is the way it is with that. We're not gonna be able to do that, and communication in anything doesn't matter in in work and personal life. Uh, communication is always the thing that lacks with people in any type of relationship you have with anybody. And um, I was failing with the communication in my station because I was busy. I went through a terrible time with losing a family member at the same time. I went through a divorce at the same time. So my mind was all over the place. And still, and at the time we had a horrible postmaster, and um we had to do many mutual respects against him. So it was a lot, but that's when you humble yourself, you listen to them, and we did things in my station to help with that, and it's really even did a survey. You know, sometimes you don't want to hear the truth, but it helps you. You have to face reality and you have to look at the truth in the mirror to fix it, and it's like, let's do it. How can we do this? So that's what we did, and we're doing little steps now, and it's helping so much. It's it's it builds that trust and just to let them know I'm not going anywhere, stand what we're doing. Don't don't freak out. Um I'm because they, you know, they get nervous, and then it's like it's okay. And so, but after you explain that, and you know, you do the little things, and um it's it really it actually makes you stronger. So I got the one call the one day from a member, and she's like, Whatever, whatever we gotta do, how can I help you? It's gonna, it's we I know it's not gonna we need to help. And I said, Yes, you do. This is what you can do, you know. She's like, if you want me to get the word out about anything, I'll do it. I'll do, you know. So it was nice to see that flip. And um, you know, like it we know it takes all of us. And I was like, there we go, you know. So yeah, so yes, so that's um as vice president, I want to just keep the education going and the communication and when big things come up in the branch, help work it out and make sure we're all on the same page, and you know, we can agree, agree, and disagree on things, right? But we are there for the same cause as to fight for our members, and we have to remember that too. So there's just not one way to get there, and you don't, and if we were all alike, nothing would get done. If you have a variance of personalities and uh people think of strategies differently on how to accomplish the end goal differently, that makes the best teams because if you do it the one way all the time, then you don't see it differently where you bring in different ideas that gets you to be a better team and a stronger team. So yeah.

SPEAKER_03 29:06

That's weird because a lot of the stuff you're saying, it's like you must have heard it before in some kind of academy that was focuses on leadership because you know why I that's it's funny because um I, you know, being in management for so long, a lot of those strategies were you know, you hear them all the time, you know.

SPEAKER_00 29:29

It's like, you know, um, but it but they're so true, and it really is comes down to that, that this is the best way to build a team, and you have to make sure that you feel safe to talk to each other, and I think that's the hardest thing is you know, sometimes feelings can get involved, and we have to respect each other's feelings, but also sometimes sometimes things have to be done, and it's not to hurt anybody's feelings, it just needs to get done, and somehow we have to work through that, yeah. So yeah.

SPEAKER_03 30:11

Like I said, I'm like that. That's the key. I'm thinking getting everyone involved, you know. It's this whole thing, it's it it's not a one woman or man show. It's no we gotta all we gotta all jump in there and fight together. So yeah, that's awesome. Um so you know you've dealt with I'm sure you've dealt with adversity. Obviously, you had that manager that kind of turns you towards the union, which I'm very glad it instead of you taking them up on the 204B or something.

SPEAKER_00 30:42

Oh no, never ever, never ever. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 30:44

Um have you know, I don't know what was going on with that one other than him just being a jerk, but have you dealt with any uh discrimination or like even like microaggressions or anything while being at the post office? And it could be even from uh our siblings in the NALC. I mean, have you dealt with anything?

SPEAKER_00 31:04

I you know, I don't think I've ever dealt with discrimination, not to say that women in our building, you know, Sterling Heights, they a lot of the women who have retired and um when they they said when they first came to work in Sterling Heights, it was all men and they remember that. They remember how that was. Um, I we we didn't have I didn't have that. Um and but you have to remember, I came in when I was older, you know. I'm I've only been here 12 years, and um I think though, I think being a woman in a male-dominated field um of even the union, you want to, from my personal experience, I want to be known for my work, what I do, and I want to be valued for my work. It's very easy to say things about women and if they do advance, how they advance, and I think that that's an easy cop out to say that, um, because that's an easy target to say that, um, that we don't actually work to get where we're at. Where so I think that that was always in the back of my mind of just the value of doing your work and um you know being known for that. And uh, but as for I I've never personally had that. Um not to say that it doesn't happen, you know. Um, but I I've I've never myself have never had that happen to me. But that's awesome.

SPEAKER_03 32:58

I would that's the answer I want to hear.

SPEAKER_00 32:59

I I no, I've never I've never had that happen to me.

SPEAKER_03 33:02

Unfortunately, I hear the other way a lot of times as well. So I'm I'm glad to hear that you haven't personally dealt with that.

SPEAKER_00 33:08

No, no, mm-mm.

SPEAKER_03 33:10

Good.

SPEAKER_00 33:11

And yeah, and I and I'm and I'm glad I haven't. I'm glad I haven't. And I've I've had opportunity um even at the post office, even before, like um before I was a steward, you know, they invited me. Well, it was funny, they invited me one time to come to a safety meeting, and I went and I talked about the psychosocial aspects of safety, and I was never ever invited back to that safety committee. So um the postmaster was like, okay, no, we're not taking her back in anymore. Because I was talking about all the psychosocial aspects, you know, when we're stressed, when you're telling us to get out, when you know we have something going on at home, we have the, you know, but so your mind is busy, so that causes distraction, and then you can fall. It's just not physical hazards, it's emotional hazards too. And um, it took me that postmaster left, then I was back on the safety committee, and then being chief steward, I would go to the the district meetings, and it took me at least a year and a half to stand up at district safety meetings, which we have in Michigan, and talk about the psychosocial aspects of safety, and it'd be like, you know, deer and headlights, and then finally, one you know, they were like, Okay, tell us more about this after like a year and a half. And then my postmaster or an S DC, and I just recently went through, and um, so you know, all the whole look changes, and you can't have certain billboards, and you can't have this board, and it's gotta look this way. But he was like, Do you want a board for your mental health awareness? I said, Yes, I do. So he allowed me to have a board, and um I mean community services a couple years ago with Anna Mudd at Kim Training. We developed the which I just brought up in ERT actually when I went to training. Um, we did level up a 1-800 hotline for all the emergency hotlines out there for like you know, tomorrow starts Pride Month. Um, so we had like the Matthew Shepard hotline, LGBTQ, transgender. Um, we had all those hotlines, domestic um, children abuse, 988, which is important, um, vets hotline, um, EAP, of course. So we developed this uh sheet with all these hotlines on where people can take it. Um did that because I had a uh friend who is a carrier who is uh combat vet, and she called me a couple years ago and on a Sunday, and she's like, Um, I need EAP's number. And I gave it to her, and then she called back and she said I had to leave a message. What happens if you like are gonna hurt yourself? I need I need to talk to somebody, and so I talked to her for two hours on the phone, and I said, We need to do something. There needs to be other numbers that we can share with people when they're at that point, and um, so we keep that in our billboard and we pass those out and we put that in our retention program when they come, they get those numbers, and um, it's important. It's uh yeah, after that and dealing with that, you know, when someone's at that point and you know this too be an ERT, that you need to help them now, right now, and can't wait. And uh, so yeah, we did that, and that's the other psychosocial aspect of that. And it's okay not to be okay sometimes. It's okay to talk about it, it's okay to so it's finding that trust and um that person that's safe. And I take great pride in that too. So yeah.

SPEAKER_03 37:00

That's really that's really cool to put all those numbers together on one piece of paper, and you know, that way if somebody needs to talk to somebody, you're not they're not looking, they don't have to come up to you and say, I need somebody to talk to for you know, and and go into it. They can say, Here's the sheet, pick who you need to talk to, you know. That's absolutely that's really cool. And EAP, I I mean, I'm not gonna bad mouth them, but there's been some issues with in my branch, I had a carrier call and uh they they didn't do anything, like it was just basically the same thing, leave a message, and I'm thinking, you know, if somebody is calling EAP, they probably need it now. It's not like hey, just give me a call back in an hour or two to yes. This this guy said it took them a day to call them back, and sometimes yeah, that could have been too late. So that is really cool. I I I really like that idea, and I think yeah, I may steal that and try to no, that's okay.

SPEAKER_00 37:58

Um I have no problem sharing it. Um, a couple people from class that um I sent it to them and they have it, so I have no problem sharing that at all.

SPEAKER_03 38:09

Awesome. That that is really a cool idea. So um another question that is a little bit more uh personal is you know, you just listed off all of the stuff that you do, and you are, you know, to the point where your carriers in your your office thought you weren't coming back.

SPEAKER_02 38:28

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 38:28

So, you know, you're obviously away from home quite a bit. Um, has that caused you any issues with family or friends as far as relationships go?

SPEAKER_00 38:38

Well, it I well, I'm recently divorced, but that me being in the union had nothing to do with that. Um that actually me being in the union and um being a steward, and uh I think it actually helped me find who I was, and um I've always been pretty confident, but I was in a um, I'm a domestic abuse survivor. That was a domestic relationship that um it there was abuse in that relationship, and being in the union and traveling with the union and going to trainings and um made me realize that I could do it on my own even more. Like I can do this, I can support myself. It's gonna be hard. My kids are older, so um, because I'm old. No, just kidding. Um, being 52, my kids are 28 and 26, and they fully support it. And um, like I said, I come from a union family. It is difficult right now with the amount of loss that I've had in my family with my mom, and I worry about her sometimes, and um, but I make it a point to go over there. We live in the same town, so um, and then my oldest daughter lives with my mother, so she's not by herself, but um it can um, you know, there are times where you have to take a break too, and I tend to if it gets too overwhelming, uh I I tend to isolate sometimes, you know. I I'm like I said, I'm very I'm very outgoing, but I also need that time to like decompress at times too. So Sundays are important for me to do that, and um, I do take my scheduled days off, and um I do enjoy that, but it could definitely I could see it um hindering relationships um when you involve yourself so much and use so much time when you're in the union and um when you are going to trainings and uh conventions and it's it's working on grievances and it can consume your life a lot, but it just came to my life at a good time in my life where it was a benefit for me. And um, but I could I have seen it the other way, and I think that's where you have to use that communication again with your family, with your friends, with your loved ones, people who are in your life, and you know, find that balance that's important to make that relationship stay the way it is, that's important and the find the value of it and the time that you share together, make sure it's valuable time and just not sitting and not being valuable, you know, make it the best you can. So um, and that's what I try and do anyway now because I know how precious time is, and sometimes you are here, and in a second that person can be gone, and you have to make sure that you do talk to people, you do tell them how much you appreciate them, um, have that communication with them. You know, we all do become busy, and you just a reach out to say, hey, like, like even when I contacted you, hey, sorry, I'm busy, but I didn't forget about you, and I am gonna, yes, we're gonna do this, you know, so that that connection that you can do because you can very easily get lost in the world of yeah, the union and and and and just the world in general today. I mean, it seems like we're all busy all the time. So um, and to stay on track and keep those connections, but my kids um they are very proud of me that I'm doing it on my own, and you know, they support me very much. So, and my and my mom and my brother too. So, yeah, yeah. So I have a lot of support.

SPEAKER_03 42:59

Yeah, I um know a lot of people like in my branch and others that if you you know, I I kind of felt like I'm a little older to be jumping in so deep into the union stuff because I I really got super involved probably in the last 10-ish years, but I don't think that I could have kept this schedule when my kids were little. Now they're 20 turning 25 this year and 21, and you know, kind of in the same boat as you, where they you know they they handle their own business now. They don't half the time I would be gone for a few days and I'd come home and my daughter would be like, Where are you been? Didn't even know I was gone. Right, right. It's a lot different, but I I that's one of the things that I do kind of stress to younger people that are getting involved. I'm like, listen, take it slow. Don't you know, don't overdo it because I don't want you to burn out and I don't want you to regret missing things with your kids. kids for the union. You know, there the family, I mean, I love the NALC. I I I mean I'm all about it, but at the same time, family is first, you know, and so you've got to you've got to really work on that balance. And especially if you've got little ones or whatever. So yeah, I I I you know at sometimes I'm like, man, I probably I wasted a lot of time. I could have been doing this. But then I look back and I'm like, but I spent all that time doing little league, you know, softball and school events and things like that. And I wouldn't trade it. And it it it worked out the way it was supposed to.

SPEAKER_00 44:40

So yeah. Absolutely. No, I when I started, I there was no way I when I first started the post office, I knew if my kids were little that I would have struggled for sure working at the post office. And so I always give mad respect to single parents mothers and fathers that have their well any any mad respect for single parents but also mad respect for people who work at the post office who have small children.

SPEAKER_03 45:11

It is a major balance of work in life and it's I give them a lot of credit a lot of credit ex and and when you have um married couples that both work at the post office I'm like how do you do this like it would it blows my mind it blows my mind so yeah because we have a couple people that work in our station their their spouses work in other stations but I'm like how do you guys do that like I don't understand you know like it would yeah I don't mad respect for that absolutely this job isn't just a nine to five job you know you never know walking into the door you don't know what you're gonna be in for every day and I don't I don't know how I we were very fortunate that uh we had grandparents that were retired and our kids them their grandfather picked them up from school and everything so you know my wife doesn't work at the post office but she had a job as well and so it was you know it was difficult but these people that uh you know single parents especially that are working at the post office and especially like brand new CCAs or whatever I'm like I don't I don't know how you do it. I it would I would be stressed out all the time but somehow they do it and like you said it's uh I I salute them mad respect mad respect all right well yeah remember David Mud called me and said um you know ERT you know this is and then before Ed called me and I was like he's like you know I just want to make sure you know you could be called you got to leave and you gotta I'm like yes yes my kids are older and I'm not married so yes it's all good you know like it's all good yeah ironically when I got the call for uh from Ed on Leadership Academy he called me one evening um and I saw that name on my phone oh no you know that that's the first thing is and I answered the phone and he had he didn't have his grim reaper voice he had oh yeah yeah yeah joyful vote voice you know about being accepted and but I told him I told him I said man I see your name on my phone and it I'm like this is not good not a good call but like you said though it is very rewarding to go to these offices and try to help people as much as you can I'm sure it is yes but um so when you are on your days off or Sunday when you're not being bugged by me what what do you like to do?

SPEAKER_00 47:46

What do you what are your hobbies do you what do you like to do to unwind well you know um before I used to I still did theater all the way through um even when I started at the post office I still did theater and when COVID hit I just kind of stopped with the theater because all the theaters shut down you couldn't do theater and I was still doing plays um which I love I I will if they still email me they still call me to do shows and um the last one they just tried to get me to do was footloose and I'm like I they it's like five weekends because we get paid it's a theater that you know you get paid yeah so I'm like uh I can't really do five it's a it's a lot of work doing five weekends in a row so um but um but I still like to sing I still sing and um I do go out with friends I I find that uh is very important and um hang out with my family um I am a research nerd this is terrible but um well it's not terrible I love history and so when COVID hit and we were working all those hours but you still couldn't go anywhere when you came home I mean you were you know and so I just started researching um somebody I'm I'm I'm from a small town I grew up in a small town in Michigan and Marine City and it's um that somebody said oh there's never been any murders here I'm like oh no I'm sure there has so I started looking into that and researching that I'm kind of like a um like a creepy girl I guess like I like dark history and uh so that's what I did I started researching you know my town and then I researched the home I grew up in and um because it's it was um an old Victorian home and you know we had the town dances in our town in our house and wow fearing prohibition and um you know he used to provide liquor at these dances and it was fascinating and um then I did another home in town and then my sister and I volunteered once a month at our museum you know I like that kind of stuff. So then I started getting to know all these homes and then people would come in and want to know the research of it but it was they'd ask for like a little bit of history at the home but I always had the dark side of the history you know so it was kind of weird but um I love Halloween um and stuff like that. So I'm always and I like the I like the history the dark history of the post office too I I'm I'm fascinated with stuff like that and um so like I'm a true crime girl and I'm I'm a big I'm really into um I'm really into paranormal and that's uh the paranormal things and you know I know people think that's crazy but if you grow up in a home that you're that you're not alone in that there are some other beings in that home then it's a totally different experience. So that's why so I like to do research like that too. I like to you know find out that kind of thing so that's another little hobby of mine.

SPEAKER_03 50:58

Wow that is so cool yeah my my family seems to think that we have someone else living in our house here we we got a little older you know our house isn't like 1800s it's like 1940s I believe but um they're pretty sure there you know there's somebody hanging out here and not really not not mean or anything but yeah like uh likes to hide things and then they show back up on the table things like that.

SPEAKER_00 51:26

That's that's how it was for us growing up in my home my childhood home and it used to drive my mother crazy. She's like I knew it was here and she I mean I remember some Christmases or something she or like there are times where she's like did I throw it away like did like she would go through the garbage she would like it really I and to a point where we would talk to the house okay can you just put it back like can you just what what you took just put it back. So then when my daughter moved into the house after my dad passed away so my mom went by her house it's this it's this huge home you know it's like almost a 3000 square foot home it's all big vic Victorian she's by herself and so she moves in with her and um my daughter she's like I can't find my car keys but I'm like okay I'm gonna tell you this you need to talk to the house you need to tell them to put your car keys back and she thought I was crazy and I'm like no I'm telling you so then a couple days later she calls me and she's like um well I was playing Sims and I fell asleep on the couch in my room and I woke up in the morning and the keys were sitting on my chest and I said I told you told you and she's like how would they happen I said I don't know but see you got them back. So it's like a different it's a different feel but that's nothing nothing ever sinister mean just like you said things just where did this go and why is it here like it was not here before so yeah yeah we have that happen regularly around here and yeah I I I try to I try to be the voice of reason and say oh I'm sure you just missed it but there's been a couple times and I'm like okay I don't know this happened either so as long as we stay on the good side of it whatever going on I'm I'm good with the little few little pranks here and there. Right right so that's why I'm just fascinated with stuff like that.

SPEAKER_03 53:16

Yeah very cool. That's real cool. So um you know you have got quite a story and not only just in the postal service but you know leading to the postal service and um you've seen a lot of things and you've obviously done a lot of things. What would be a piece of advice that you would give to someone that maybe is looking or listening to this and thinking you know what I think I want to get involved in my branch or whatever what what would be a piece of advice you'd give that person?

SPEAKER_00 53:50

Well I think um I think that that can be depending on what they want to do I think how do I want to put this something was brought up to me before about actually when we were when I was sitting in ERT class and then somebody we were talking about leadership before and then when they brought up Maslow's you know hierarchy of accept uh acceptance right and I and you start thinking about leadership too and it's like I when I first came to the post office it was a foreign world and that OJI Margaret Strong um I even wrote an article about her in our paper because to me she was the first female reader I saw at the post office but she was completely content and accepted being the OJI and being a great member and she was a great leader because she loved what she did and she accepted what she did. And I think sometimes when new people are starting in the union I feel that they sometimes may not think that they're a leader because of the fact that they are not working at the NBA office or don't have a position at uh headquarters in DC andor a position in the branch but that does not mean that you're not a leader. It comes down to accepting yourself and being comfortable with just being a great carrier and being able to express to people if they need help how to help them um being a great member and getting the word out on how important it is if you write a statement if it's to you um it's you know telling that CCA, you know, it's okay that you feel this way, but let's go let's go talk to your union and figure this out. There's there's so many roles that leadership can play with new people. And I think that if you are the food drive coordinator and you do and you love it, you're a leader. And if that's what you want the NALC and that's where you feel comfortable and you give it your all then that's great because we wouldn't be able to do it without you you don't and I I always just want to express that that whatever role that you play and you give it your all that's that's great. You're a leader you are a leader and you're doing what you can and don't try yeah don't try to do too much because that's another thing. If you try to do too much then we're gonna lose you because it's gonna be too overwhelming and I don't want that either what you can give and what you feel comfortable with which gives you confidence because in the end it's the confidence because you feel comfortable in it and you're you're strong in that and you're that's always you're always going to learn I mean look at this past year and with all this training I've had you think oh no it's great and then no I come back and it's a you know excuse my language it's like a shit show in my building because they're all afraid that I'm leaving and it's like wait what what happened here you know so it's going back to that roots and the what's going on you know and then but anybody who's getting involved and I don't care how old you are uh you know I started later um it's just about finding your niche and it's about asking questions it's about um and knowing how to navigate through the negativity of things too because sometimes people feel threatened when new people come aboard and I think that that's one of the biggest things that um hinders us sometimes in a union where you have new people come forward um new people trying to step into positions and and um just trying to play a role trying to give it their all and then you have some people who have a hard time taking off hats like they can still do everything where um but we need to let new ones come in we're talking about how we need new people we talk about it all the time like we're struggling to find people to help people don't want to take off hats and allow new people to come in yeah it's gonna be they're gonna learn I make mistakes every day every day I make mistakes and but it's okay to make those mistakes and learn from them but you have to realize that you make those mistakes and you have to be truthful with the reality that you made that mistake and that's because that's how you learn if you don't look at things truthfully and realistically you're never gonna learn from it and you're never gonna be able to fix it. So I think we need to not be so um threatened by new people and really bring them in because we all have different strengths and we all have I I went to DRT training and I shadowed with them and I didn't like it. I I would not want to do that all day long sit in that office and do that. But somebody else might want to do that. And if we don't give other people chances then how are we going to find those other people that do like that we all have our different strengths and we all have our different you just keep on your path you keep you know you know find that person that you can trust and you can talk to about how you feel and um don't give up because we all have felt that way in one way or another and but it does take all of us to get this done. It's not easy. And I think we have to remember too that the fight is against management and not each other. I think that's the bottom line it's management that we're fighting against not each other. So when you focus on your station you focus on your branch and you remember what the core element is it's management. That's why we get upset it's because of management and that's what I that's what I think is new people coming aboard just remember it's management this is why we're in this position that we're in and don't get frustrated don't take on too much where you get overwhelmed where you don't do anything at all I'll take whatever and don't feel that you're not doing you know that you're not a leader because you are um the food drive coordinator or you're an OJI or you're the like it's it's okay. We we need all of that to make a strong group so feel accepted feel proud of what you do no matter what it is and get that confidence because we all play different roles so that's that's what I wanted to say.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:24

That is that's perfect. Uh I think you stressing the point that not everybody falls into one group like it's not just um you know everybody isn't a grievance filer not everybody wants to be a steward you know um that I mean I'm I'm that guy I'm not a fan of doing steward work. I it's just not my thing. But I like to do a lot of other things. And so you know fortunately there's a lot of guys and ladies that they love doing steward work. They love going there and getting in the dirt with management. It's just not my thing. And I love it that they love it because that means I don't have to do it. So yeah I mean if you if if you're somebody that wants to do that step up because I guarantee you your branch wherever you're at they would be more than happy to take up take you up and and you know start you know doing the mentor thing. I mean that's kind of what I heard a lot of what you were saying was you know like at leadership that's what they told us they stressed that all we're in our position for is finding our replacement finding somebody that can take over and and do it right.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:31

And so yeah that's that's and why would you not want to train them to where they're strong and what what if they if they excel in something that you didn't even better right like or it's that that shows that you we're doing what we're supposed to be doing. Yeah um to excel we're allowing them because we're not going to be here like forever and they may be they may be better at something than you are that's okay yeah that's that's okay and you know being in theater for I had to go to multiple auditions and my parents always said and from a small town you know you can be your little hero in your small town right you can be the best in your little small town get any audition that you got and then when you go out in the real world my parents always told me and I'll never forget this there's always somebody better than you out there. And it's like yeah there is you're right there is you know so when you're you know it's it's this but that's okay embrace it because you can learn from that and we all have a role so yeah embrace it and accept it invite it in you know don't get so threatened where you just shut it out and don't want to share anything or teach them anything. I think that's one of the worst things we can do.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:55

So yeah you're you're doing a great disservice to whatever your organization is your branch or whatever if you're gatekeeping information because yes um you you're you're really ruining the branch honestly that's what's happening. So yeah that thank you for that you know giving all that information and and you know letting people know that there are all those different options so that's that's great. Absolutely well that's all my questions so now I'm just gonna throw it back to you and ask you is there anything else that you would like to mention anybody that you would like to call out not call out shout out call any i i'm not looking for any call outs uh no is that is there anybody that you want to throw out there um or anything that I didn't ask that you would like to throw out yeah I I think I've said way too much no I'm just kidding I think um there are so many people that have helped me along the way and uh Anna Mudd she just was wonderful um Manny Hankins another one they're both RGAs in in our branch um they just kind of really helped me along the way um there's many just so many people Jeannie larch she was a she's in our branch she's great um all the women that have been in my branch that have worked you know we we've only had a couple women presidents in our branch and uh um there was Becky Sirwok Pam Kraft um um Nicole Wheatley has helped me she was uh she's our secretary right now and she's a steward in my building and then I see there's so many people I I feel like I'm gonna forget somebody and then I'm gonna feel bad.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:45

Um Andrea Zabata's the new one she's uh Sherry Rutledge I mean there's there's so many and then when you go to leadership and then you go to all these trainings are so I just have a list. I just thank everybody who's ever helped me in any way anyway. There's And all the you know there's um just you know Mike Sheridan and Steve Urbino, my stewards in my building, um Terry Utley, Chris Tannis, and Dan Whitaker, who was our uh union steward, our um chief steward before me, he taught me so much. Um, he was very patient with me at times. He wasn't, but he was great. He was um um we got along wonderfully, and I really respect him taking that time. Pat Carroll, um, who really believed in me from the beginning. He was my mentor, and I'll always respect him for that too. David Mud, you know, I just there's so many of them. There's there's just so many. Um yeah, all of my all of my all of the members in my station, all of the members of our brand branch, the retirees are great. I just can't thank enough people. And and and even in my station, when they were honest and how they felt and um how we had to get you know back on track when they were nervous that I was gonna leave. I'm glad that they did tell me. You know, at first it was like, what, you know, what do you mean? And then it was like, no, okay, we need to look at this, you know. There's they're saying this for a reason. So um, and so it's it's refreshing to have that where, yeah, you know, it's okay to have that constructive criticism and stuff. So you need that, and it's okay to say that. But there's so many people I just um and my family, of course. My family's always been supportive and um understand what I do and my kids, um, always and my all my friends, my close friends. So and um yeah, they've been everybody's been very supportive. So it's been a good experience for you.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:53

Yeah, and it's just starting. You got a long way to go.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:56

Sometimes you get frustrated, but it's been a bit more. So no, but no, this is great. And I think you doing this too, um, talking to people and getting people's experiences, different experiences, because you know, when you go to these trainings, you hear all these different fabulous stories from people, and you're like, wow, that's a great story. That's so fascinating to me, you know. And um so it's just good that you're doing this and getting, you know, stories from people and their experiences. It's nice. So yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:28

I I I appreciate you saying that, and I I love doing it. I think that it's a good way to kind of um archive the ladies that are that are taking care of their business right now for you know, I'm I hopefully this will stay uh going for a while and you know hopefully um you know, future generations will be able to listen to it and say, Oh wow, I I I didn't know that about her, you know, and stuff like that. So that that's kind of the thought process behind it. I've I've really enjoyed it and I'm gonna keep going as long as the ladies want to keep talking to me. I'll I think that's great. Thank you, and thank you again for jumping on here. I know we've uh been going back and forth for uh a month or so trying to get a plan, and uh yeah, it's uh I I last week my internet was horrible on vacation. I planned on talking to you and thank you for being willing to wait. And then of course, today we had crazy storms that came through this evening, and so my internet was kind of a little sketchy. There's a few spots in there, but um overall it went well, and uh I think you got you got your story out, and that was all that was important to me.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:43

So thank you for letting me that was nice. Yes, I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:46

All right, well, thank you so much for joining me. I really do appreciate you, and thanks to everyone listening.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:53

Um, and I just want to say one thing. If I forgot anybody, I'm sorry. So in the shout out, so sorry if I forgot anybody, but she's just she's just shouting out all of their mentors, everybody. All of you, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:06

All right, well, everybody out there be safe and be kind of