Kimberly Arnhold

This episode features Kimberly Arnhold, member of Branch 283, Houston, Texas. Kimberly is the Secretary of the Texas State Association of Letter Carriers.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:22

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

SPEAKER_00 0:38

I am a member of branch 283. I'm the secretary of the Texas State Association of Letter Carriers. I have been a member of the NALC for 34 years. I haven't been a union member for 41. I was a clerk for seven years. So day I signed on, which was my 21st birthday, um, I was a union member and still am today, obviously. So um well, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 1:13

Well, um, I'm going to even I'm going to count, even though the NALC is where I'm at, but I'm going to count the uh clerk unions as well. Um, we'll go back those 40 plus years. What brought you to the Postal Service in the first place?

SPEAKER_00 1:28

Um, I am a third generation postal worker. Uh my grandfather worked in the mailroom in the Navy in World War II. I have pictures of him in Saipan in a mail room that said post office, and actually the big bags, the sorting bags. Um, when he got out of the Navy, he started working for the post office. Um he had he was in a management role and he had from Dallas on down. Um, that was back in the day when I had former clerks and come up to me and say, Well, hey, are you are you related to James Dupree? And I'm like, Yeah, that's my dad. No, no, no, no, no. Your dad, that would be too old. But, anyways, back in the day, he'd come get the mechanics and the clerks, and if their day was almost done, they'd go fishing, are the stories I'm told. But um, he was a member of 283. I have his 50-year gold card that my dad gave me because my brothers won't appreciate it as much as me. Um, it was issued to him in 1988, which was three years after I started at the post office. Um just a little bit more history before I go on to my dad. He held NELC insurance until he passed away. My grandmother lived 10 more years after him, and she held NELC insurance. So, although he was in management, he was a union member. He was a big facilitator for Allied Union in Houston, which was the African American at the time. They weren't allowed to be part of the 283. I don't know what it was called then, but they they formed their own separate union and eventually they merged together and became one. He was a big big advocate um for that. And um, my dad is a retired postmaster. Um, he retired the month I actually started carrying mail. I didn't get to go to his retirement because I transferred and was a PTF and could not get off to go to his retirement. Um, he did carry mail. He was also responsible for the zip codes on the north side of Houston. Um, I've always loved mail. Me and my cousins when we were growing up who live in Florida, every two weeks we would just write letters. I just, I mean, to this day I still I send cards. I don't care how much it costs. It, you know, I send birthday cards. Um, I try to, I don't write them as much, but I might sit down and just type a letter and send it to somebody just to brighten their day. So I I love the whole history, the communication of it. Um, was very prideful, and you know how customers respond when you bring in that card or that letter or that package. I promote that a lot. So um just send the card, brighten somebody's day, you'll put a smile on their face. Um, even to my son and daughter-in-law who live half a mile away, I'll send them cards just to, you know, watch them smile when they open it. But that's how I came to the post office. I took I took the test. My mom actually was a casual for a little bit, um, hired on them. My, like I said, 21st birthday. Um, I had the years in, I had 35 years in. I didn't have the age. I had to wait until I was 56. And uh that was in July. I retired. Matter of fact, this Friday will be six years. I was like, no. My husband's like, yeah, I want to keep working. I said, oh, I'm out of here. So uh did my 35 years. It's been it's been comfortable. I've enjoyed it. It's um it's a scary thing, but uh, I've really enjoyed being retired. It you know, we work all our lives and then all of a sudden you don't. And it's it's it's a scary thing to do, but um I definitely would push it. You know, retire. But that's how I I came brought to the post office. I guess I was born into it. Um, I am very proud of the history. I have a lot of my grandfather's old stuff. Um he was very political. He has a lot of letters and stuff from Lyndon B. Johnson and other congressmen doing the same thing we do as LCCLs and stuff. So um, and they were a little bit friendlier back then. There was a lot more Democrats back then, but they were a little bit more friendly as far as responding and stuff.

SPEAKER_01 7:03

Yeah, that is so cool. I mean, you literally were brought bought or born into the postal service, no doubt. You you would have been a disappointment if you ended up anywhere else. So this is perfect.

SPEAKER_00 7:15

Um I I'm the child that everybody's proud of.

SPEAKER_01 7:19

There you go. Yeah, I I kind of have a similar uh setup. My grandmother was uh postmaster in Thebes, Illinois for just short of 40 years. And um my uncle was a he was a carrier, he was a clerk, he went into management, but he it and it actually worked out for me because when I started at Cape as a casual, um some of the uh the seasoned carriers will say that had been there for a minute, um, they would come up to me and they go, uh who do you know Larry? Who's who's Larry to you? And I'm like, that's my uncle. Best supervisor we ever had. And I'm like, because um it could have been ugly for me, and he he paved a good path for me, and then he ended up going into um behind the scenes management role. So it was kind of that by the time I got in, he had moved on. But um, yeah, it was I was fortunate that he wasn't one of the jerky ones because they could have made life absolutely miserable on me. But they they were very uh very chill with me, and I appreciated that. So it it worked out well for me. But I'm I'm probably gonna stay out of the management stuff. I'm I'm just not management material.

SPEAKER_00 8:35

And I think I tried it for a minute, and the day they told me I went in for an interview, and they said, Well, it doesn't matter what the contract says, as like not for me. And and I came out and told my dad, but like you said, it was a different day, it was a different operation. And when we get a little further into a story when I was sick and needed donated and leave, I got 400 hours of donated leave, and all but 80 of it was donated by my dad's former employees. Oh wow, which to me says a lot about him as a postmaster and supervisor. And the other, I know you know, you're not supposed to know where it came from, but they would tell him.

SPEAKER_02 9:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:28

And uh, so I'm like, you know, they it in talking to him, you know, he would say, Well, they can't do that. I'm like, Dad, look, we know they can't do it, but that's what they did. Yeah, now it's time to to fight back. So, and even his postmaster friends, um, if when we get into that, I would have stuff show up that would assist me in my fight. So um, it it it was just a different time.

SPEAKER_01 10:02

100%. It's it's just the management, the the direction they have gone is uh very different from even when I started back, you know, 30 years ago. It's it's completely different. And um, I don't I I personally from my perspective, it's not a good thing. But hey, I'm not in management and I'm not going to talk about them, but I'm just saying, uh, like you said, when they go, uh, you know, they don't care about the contract basically anymore, and so it is what it is. Um, well, you know, clearly you have uh taken a uh a leadership role in the NALC, um, whether it was in your branch, the Texas State Association, um, whatever, you know, whichever way you want to go. But um, what was there something that made you decide to pursue a leadership role, or did it you just fall into it?

SPEAKER_00 10:58

Um well, I kind of fell into it. Um, I wasn't I had transferred, I was cunder covered under uh one of the contracts that if you were a PTF by November of 92, you were gonna be regular by November of 94. I transferred in May of 92. So um I was covered in that, and then I we bid around the Houston area and I got a job and I went to another office, and they were allowing casuals off and they were counting against it. I'm like, no, that's not how it works. And so, you know, I just started making my voice and started going to union meetings, and then the editor of the newsletter kept putting out this call for a co-editor, and so finally I love the computer, I love cards, I love doing, you know, the graphic mail stuff. So um I went to her and said, yeah, I'll do this. So she trained me on doing that stuff, and in doing that, I learned more. You know, you learn a lot just sitting at the round table. Um, then went on to be a trustee. Um, there was an old-time secretary, and he, you know, I never really thought about it at the time. He would tell me stuff. Well, we did this because the bylaws say, and not really, I heard it, but I wasn't writing it down. And then we had some elections come up, and he told me that he was nominating me for secretary, and it kind of clicked that all the stuff he had been telling me, he was training me, and uh, which worked. He was there, he was there for the first couple of years. I would call him all the time, and then you know, I started getting more comfortable, went to a couple of the trainings. Um, next thing I know, we were teaching the trainings um in region 10. Uh, we did that for the the editor and me. She was also the treasurer, started um doing secretary treasure trainings up till 2014 or so, and um then we kind of backed off. But I've been a branch secretary, I've been a trustee. Um, I held the branch secretary from 2004 to 16. Um, I had a little stint in there where they had me doing the treasure as well because they didn't have a treasure. Um I've been a legal, I've been a district board member. Um, and now Carlos kept asking me to be the secretary, and I told him I wouldn't do it till I retired. Um they had somebody when I retired in 2020, but that person decided they want to quit. And so Carlos called me. Do you want to do it? And I was like, he's like, you're retired because I knew it would take a lot of time, and so um I started doing that in 2021, and here I am.

SPEAKER_01 14:19

Awesome. Well, um, that leads me into my next question would be in the position of the state association sex secretary. Um what what do you do in that position?

SPEAKER_00 14:32

Um I keep everybody organized.

SPEAKER_01 14:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:38

I make it look like I'm organized. Uh the minutes, the bylaws, um deadlines. You know, I filled a lot of questions. I order a lot of stuff. Um I know my background's blurred, but this is the bedroom way. I got copiers behind me, hub tubs on the other side, um storage, you know, we have scholarships come in and you know, I gotta prepare those for the committee and um just any correspondence um remind the president, you know, what what needs to be done. Uh it's not quite uh it's a little different than the branch again. Um there's lulls. There's a c sometimes there's a couple months we don't really do stuff, and then we dig in. Like after we get back from the convention, I really have to dig in. I have to prepare our our minute book for our convention in July next year. And while it's being hosted by another branch, you know, we still have to do all this the state part of it. So I'll be preparing that book, um, getting that ready, start getting everything lined out, send a letter to National to uh request a national officer. I won't be specific because who knows um who will come, who will be our national president then, but I will go ahead and get our letter in. Um just communications, things like that. Um big one is knowing the the procedures with the Department of Labor and the bylaws and and making the board members understand why. You know, a lot of it's a learning process too. They're doing the grievance and stuff, they don't understand why do I need this, why do I need that. Um, you having worked for National, you understand you know, the paperwork they want. Well, and we need the same stuff, you know. We feed off pretty much what National does as far as documentation and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_01 17:09

Yeah, you can't play around with the Department of Labor.

SPEAKER_00 17:12

Department of Labor.

SPEAKER_01 17:14

No, they're the bane of my existence, but right.

SPEAKER_00 17:17

Uh and so I'm like, don't blame me, blame Department of Labor.

SPEAKER_01 17:21

Yes, ma'am, that's for sure. Um well, um I have a couple questions that I like I always say, I I hate that I even have to ask them, but it I feel like they're very important. Um, you know, you've been around for a good long while, and you you came in. I mean, you were in there when it's still male dominated, but it was extremely male dominated when you came in. Um, and sometimes with that comes bad things. And so, you know, whether it be uh just it from post the post office or if it's from the union, have you dealt with any exp do have you had any experiences with any like harassment or discrimination? And if so, uh how how are you able to deal with that? And do you feel like you were able to get it resolved?

SPEAKER_00 18:13

So um through the union, unfortunately, yes. And it was actually a little bit later. Um, we had a couple of good old boys that came in and didn't like the explanations, what I told them from Department of Labor. And in my I always say, I'm not going to jail for any of y'all. This is the way it is. You know, here it is. If you don't want to do it that way, it's not getting processed. Um it got pretty bad. Um it was, you know, they tried filing article tens. It was just it was it was just bad. Um bad enough that when I retired, the first thing I did was move from the Pasadena branch to 283 because I live in 283. Um, not and I don't want to blame it on Pasadena. I was that was that is and still is my family. I go to a lot of functions there, but the guys that were in control at the time were bad. My my husband would come to the meetings and sit outside in his truck. Um, I had a few brothers that would escort me to my car, and it it just you know, mentally it was rough, but um was it resolved? One of them is now a postmaster in Georgia, I think, and where Antonio Antonio I can't remember her name, she's a very strong union person. Um I've I've heard her speak, but I can only imagine that if they're in that area, she's probably eating them up. Um, and the other one didn't join the union when he retired, and nobody knows where he's at. Um he liked to go out of the country when he was working, and um nobody nobody knows where he's at. So that was resolved. The post office, as you know, as a union person, um, you speak up, you question, you say, okay, you know, you become a target. Um when I first transferred to my new office, uh, I got pregnant in 90, I got there in 94, I was pregnant in 96, actually 95, because he was born right in January. Anyways, um nobody could give me information on the FMLA. So I called the MBA's office at the time Gary Mullins was the MBA, and he's like, Well, I'll just send you the whole book. Next thing I know, I get a book priority from the MBA's office, everything. Well, Postmaster's like, can I have a copy of that? I was like, no. So I kind of became the office referral as far as uh the FMLA and using it. Um, had my son, was able to, you know, it was a lot different. It wasn't they hadn't figured out FMLA yet. So they were going by a very vague outline, which is what I had. Um, got that done. And then um, unfortunately, in 1999, three years later, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and then It became a huge fight. Um, you know, I had radiation, I had chemo, I was only working four hours a day. One day I got home from work and um told my husband, I don't know how I got here. Um, we don't know if it was effects of the chemo or what, but I last I remembered I was at work and then I was home. So um at that point I quit going to work for almost eight months. That's where the donated leave came in, and um it just became a vicious cycle. I was able to get a written job signed by the union president and the postmaster of what my job would be. Um, I still held my T6 position. I cased Mel, I would pull it down as comfortable as it was for me. Um, and then I'd run express or work on edit books or whatever, and then you have a new postmaster come in. This worked for four years, five years, and you have a new postmaster come in, and she decided that it's gonna work. Huge red target on my back. They wrote a letter, or she started pushing it because the person that actually signed the letter started as a clerk with us. I knew him. He was a young, you know, postmaster that grew up like we did in the post office, and um he gave me a letter. They were firing me because of the breast cancer. And I don't know if he wrote it that way on purpose, or they just weren't that smart. So I filed EEO. Um, that took several years. Um, we were in the office negotiating with the lawyer about um whether we were going to trial or not. Um, I gave them what I wanted, knowing that some of the things that I wanted couldn't be given to me, but I could, you know, union, I could take it off the table and um got everything but one thing, and that's part of it. I can't really divulge what I got. It was a very nice route. And um the lawyer's like, well, I don't know. I said, look, we can take it to a jury and my peers. What do you think they're gonna say? This is all I want. They wanted to um pay out some money. I told them I wanted to leave because I had just found out two weeks before that I was diagnosed again. So um, knowing that we were signing this contract, I got the signature, we got the paper, and then per my president, we waited four weeks, and then we went into the postmaster and said, Look, I know we got the signed, but this is what's happening. And he was actually pretty good because he knew he had somebody close to him that had had breast cancer, so he was pretty good with me until I guess it started pushing from the top towards the end, and they were trying to just totally do away with my job the last two years, and that's why I was like 2020, I'm out of here. So um, but I fought back from that. I've met several women through the union, you know, people have referred to me, they've done two articles in the postal record. Um, in I think 1th of November in 2010, when they do the around Christmas time, when they do the little articles. The first one uh maybe it went 2004, 2006. The first one I don't know who submitted it. I just know they called me. I do know the second one Jane submitted because she sent me a little note and told me that she was submitting it and they'd be calling me. But um pushed Fred hard. I don't want to say I'm responsible for the breast cancer shirt, but every time I talk to Fred for whatever reason, I was like, so where's the breast cancer shirt? Um I did a lot of fundraising at our region 10. You know, we have the tables and stuff, and you find out, you know, everybody knows somebody. And you know, you get to listen to their stories and stuff, but that was my uh I want my target in my fight. Um and I've always said the second time, I'd rather it be me the second time than somebody else for the first time. And if I can fight the battles to open the doors for those other people, um just like we do for you know, the stewards and stuff. I'm I'm not a steward type because I get mad at them and then I get upset. So I don't make a good arguer. Um so I but I wanted to be involved in the union and you know, I I knew the contract, I just couldn't fight it. But because you're that union person, yeah, they come in and you know, I I didn't sit there and like, okay, well, I'm sick, I'm not gonna, you know, look, we're people here, and and to that, one of the postmasters that was there was giving me some. We went through about four postmasters. He was giving me some heck. He came to me one day and he said, When I was in my other office, this girl came in, she had a port in. He said she wanted to go every hour and clean it out. And I told her, No, was I wrong? I mean, this was just a conversation between me and him, and I said, Well, yeah, that port goes straight to her heart, and we work in a very dirty business, and if something gets in there, it could, you know, kill her. He's like, ah, you know, postmasters. Well, he was diagnosed with cancer, and he came to me one day while I was filling out why I was casing, and he asked me to help him fill out his FMLA papers. And, you know, he was a very godly man. He's like, I guess I reap what I sow, and I apologize for any, you know, hardness or trouble I gave you. And he was the least of it. We we had this lady come in who eventually went to jail, but she's the one that started it. Um, our peer that started with the clerk, he's the one that actually signed the letter. So I blame him. I I think it could have stopped there. He could have stopped it. So I still, whenever he would come around, I would he'd say, How are you doing? I'm like, I'm still here, you know. So um it's just you you know how they treat people when they're sick, when they're pregnant. Uh, and it's just I don't know. But that was my probably my biggest thing because I spoke up, because I wasn't just gonna, you know, I have cancer not once but twice, and I'm gonna go away. I I still work here. And and like I said, with my dad, the donated leave came from his employees, so that speaks volume on how he was. And I would also get books and stuff from unknown people priority with things marked and highlighted, and I can't for sure say where they came from, but I'm pretty sure by the postmarks I know who sent them, and they weren't from the union side, they were from management friends of my dad's that were trying to help.

SPEAKER_01 30:54

Wow, that's well. Um first off, how are you today?

SPEAKER_00 31:01

I am good. Um I'm thriving, I guess. I have two grandsons. I keep up with a three-year-old, a recently turned three-year-old grandson that um I watched during the day, Monday through Friday. And um, that was not an easy time. No, that's I'm a lot older. Um, there's 10 years between the two, and so uh it's been 10 years since I've chased a little kid around, and this one is very active. Um, he does not stop, but I am doing good. I go for you know yearly checkups. I have an appointment Tuesday before the convention. Um, you know, just there's things they watch, they keep an eye on it. It's always there.

unknown 31:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:58

Um, I don't like the word cure. I will fight, I will help anybody because if there is a cure, then when we wouldn't be talking about this. We have to continue. And I can see from 99, and it's hard to believe it's been 25 years, from 99 to now the difference in procedures and treatments and and how they treat people. And um one of my best friends from the post office, she goes Monday and starts chemo. And I'm just like, you know, and and she had had breast cancer once before. This is for something else, but she's going, she starts chemo, and I can see the difference. All the funds that people have donated and raised it, and and it's not just Region 10, you know, I would put stuff on Facebook, and the sisters and brothers would um pick it up, uh, leadership. My projects were on how to do a self-examination, and Jimmy Williams was my facilitator, and we talked about it, and he's like, uh, you know, what does this have to do with the post office? I was like, you know, we sell a breast cancer stamp. It's the only stamp that is unanimously voted yes for. And it and I kind of led into it, and my speech led into this. If we can get everybody to vote to keep the breast cancer stamp and keep raising funds for them, why can't we get them if it's unanimous? Why can't we get them to sign on Protect Our Letter Care Act? You know, all these. I'm like, it it is connected, you know. Let's use the stamp. So they allowed me to do my speech on breast cancer in the stamp, and my little project was to teach people how to um do a self-exam. And do you know Jamie Lum?

SPEAKER_01 34:13

I know the name.

SPEAKER_00 34:15

Um, he was the the one in the room when I was doing my project, and apparently it hit close to him because by the time we came out of that room, he was in tears. Um he never said why. Um he just I see you know, something was there, somebody he knew. Um, and then a couple of years later, there was another um lady from Washington that was diagnosed, and he contacted me, asked me to, you know. So so it's just a small, I mean, I leave that door open. People bring me people all the time, or they give me a phone number, and and you just need somebody to understand, just like the union, you just need somebody to understand what you're going through.

SPEAKER_01 35:11

Yeah. Yeah. Well, you you have me in tears, so you had me tearing up. So uh, you know, um, I actually um just I guess it's been about a month ago now. Um, I lost my mom to uh she actually had esophageal cancer. Um never smoked never smoked, never drank in her life, and the the doctors were so you know just baffled by it. Yeah. But um, yeah, um it it just it doesn't there's no rhyme or reason to it, you know. You can do everything right and still end up with this cancer. And I I I one of my uh good buddies, uh president of Columbia, Missouri, you might know him, Kevin Boyer. Um he has a saying about cancer, and I can't say it right here because of uh the the PG rating, but there's a there's a word that I like to put in front of cancer.

SPEAKER_00 36:08

And uh I have some stickers like that.

SPEAKER_01 36:11

Yeah, yeah. So well, thank you for sharing that. I uh that that's it it says a lot about you. I mean, for your the way that you've dealt with that and everything, and I am so sorry that you had managers that I mean it doesn't surprise me. I know how some of them are, but it just still it it's ridiculous. It's it's it's it's embarrassing on for them. I'm embarrassed for them.

SPEAKER_00 36:37

I people I get a lot of they can't do that. Like, y'all aren't telling me something I don't know. They've done it and now it's my up to me to fight it.

SPEAKER_01 36:48

So well, I'm glad I'm glad you were there to fight with them over it because I can you're just listening to you, you're you're very strong-willed, and uh, you know, I and and you'll be helping someone else, I'm sure, you know, by that story, because there's gotta be, I know there's other people that are going through that right now as well. Um another question that is a little rough a lot of times is obviously you um, you know, Texas is huge, we've discussed that, and you know, you probably have to go and travel a lot, and you know, whether it's the regional office that you go to or whatever you're doing, um, and just in general, um, with all the duties that come along with your position, it takes a lot of time away from your family and your friends. Um have you had any problems with that? Has that caused you any problems uh along the way?

SPEAKER_00 37:44

Um I mean, there's the normal stressors. I don't travel as much as I used to. Um, and now that my husband's in a point at his job, he can travel. I mean, he's he's ready to go to LA. He's sad that my grandson didn't get to come. Um, my grandson went to Boston and they had a great time while I was working. And um so that has been enjoyable in our later years. Um, you know, early on I would travel quite a bit, and but it wasn't, you know, he traveled to Deerlease, he went to NASCAR. Um, it wasn't that bad as far as being a female traveling. We have um, you know, I have some brothers, like you said, that are better brothers than my brothers. And we'll take care of, you know, my husband Ed would know that if I needed anything, they would be there to take care of me until he got there. So um just the normal stressors, you're doing that again. Um I'm sure he's probably in there, are you done yet? But other than that, not really the um problem I had with the union and the good old boys, that was pretty stressful. Um, he would have liked me to just quit and stop, but uh I you know I couldn't let him win that way. Um, so he like I said, he would come from work and he'd be outside and text me. I'm out here if you need anything. Um just you know, open the door. And um so other than that, the that was the only time it really got rough. Um he it was hard for him to understand why he kept walking into it. Um, but like I said, they're gone. They're gone, the branch is back. Um, they're still my family. I'm sad that I'm not in their branch anymore, but I am happy where I'm at. I can go to the Houston meetings and leave where when I was at the branch there, you I would get caught. You know, it'd be nine, 10 o'clock before I got home. Um, I don't want to say I'm a nobody at Houston. They know who I am, but they don't catch me like they do. So um, but other than that, no, not not really. I mean, we've been married 40 years next year, so congratulations. We're still together.

SPEAKER_01 40:39

Well, congratulations on that. And uh I'm I'm glad that you didn't let those guys run you off because uh I think that the whole union is lucky to have you. So we're I'm very happy that they didn't uh you didn't let them get to you. Um, and I have a feeling that my next question will probably have some of the people that you've just been talking about recently involved. But what do you like to do when you uh you know, when you close the laptop, when you turn the phone off, and it's just you know, time to unwind and relax. Do you have hobbies? What do you like to do?

SPEAKER_00 41:14

Um travel, garden, grandsons, um hunt, uh, just sit and be. You know, life has always been so busy, and now it's funny. My husband and I will binge a show, we'll watch movies. We've watched more movies in the last six years than I think I ever saw tonight. But you know, just sitting in the room. Um, the the kids are grown, you know, they're not here, it's just us. Um, so you know, my garden. When we finish with this, I I have to go finish mowing because I didn't finish yesterday, and um the sun will be past the trees so I can fertilize and water my plants. So, and then my grandsons are my heart. Um, I don't see them as much on the weekend because I'm there during the week. Um, but we go, we stay busy, adventures every day. Um it's it's been really fun. I have been able to capture things that I didn't get to see when my kids were growing up because I was working. So I I would come home, I'm like, it's so wonderful watching this. And why didn't I experience this with our kids? And I realized that, you know, I wasn't, I may have seen it, but watching the wonder of grandson number two um discover something has just been uh it just makes my heart happy. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 43:01

Well, we were very fortunate as well. Her uh my wife's uh parents, well, her dad, when we had our first child, he retired. He they they had hit her my wife a little later in life, so they he retired when we had our first baby, and um he she stayed with him, she never went to daycare or anything like that, and um he loved it, and she loved it because she had Pawpa wrapped around her finger, and the same with the second one, and then mama when she retired, same deal, wrapped around the finger, you know. But um I I know they loved it, but it was just so comforting, and I'm sure it is for your kids that to know exactly where their kids are and know they're being loved because nothing against daycare. I know it a lot of people have to use it, and there's great daycares, but it's just different when grandma and grandpa are taking care of.

SPEAKER_00 44:01

You know the person, you know the love, you know the care. And I mean, that's what I tell them. I'm like, I I will get hurt protecting him.

SPEAKER_02 44:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 44:11

You know, I may fall on the ground, and um, I had shoulder surgery in December, and I was like, you know, if it comes to it, if it's for his life or protecting him, yes, I will re-injure my shoulder. But you know, he's he's been great, he knows which one's sore. And he is so cute, he will give it a little peck and say, better now. And it's like it's a little bit better, but um, he's been really good. He knows which one is hurt and which one's not, and it's getting stronger. Yeah, but um, when it first happened, so but I I tell my daughter-in-law all the time, I was like, you know, I I will do what you will do to protect this child. Yeah, and I I think it's more comforting to them.

SPEAKER_01 45:02

Oh, I I guarantee you it is. Um, and uh I can tell that they are your life because when you talk about them, you immediately start smiling the whole time you're talking about them. So, yes, you you definitely light up when you're talking about them. So, yeah, they're they're in very good hands, clearly. Um, another question I have for you, because of all the time that you've put in and all the things you've done, the things you've seen, the things that you have dealt with, um if there's someone listening to this and they're kind of thinking, you know, maybe I I want to pursue some kind of uh position in the NALC, just anything, what would be a piece of advice that you might give that person?

SPEAKER_00 45:44

Um first piece of advice is don't be afraid to ask. Ask the questions. Um their answers may not be what you want, but you'll get them. Uh my second one is if you're not that person to fight the contract, there are many other jobs that need to be done with other skills. Um, you don't have to be the negotiator, you don't have to be the fighter. Um, so ask. Ask the questions, ask why. That's how you learn. Um network, you always have things to learn, and I call it street smart. You learn a lot from sitting around a table just listening to people, and um something I knew but was kind of beat into our heads when we went to leadership is excuse me, don't think you know it all. The moment you think you know it all is the moment you fail to lead. So um there's always something to learn. Always something to learn. I've been to quite a few Secretary of Treasure um seminars, and yes, some of it's repetitive. Dave Dorsey knows who I am. Uh I'm sure if he's teaching a class, he'll greet me and say something. He won't ever allow me to throw the item. Um but there's always something new in those classes that you learn. When you, you know, I can sit there, I'm like, okay, I know that. And yeah, that's right. Oh, that's new. I didn't know that. So now we have to change things. So um, those would be my things. Uh especially don't not get involved if you don't think you're the fighter. There there's a lot to do on the other side. I don't have to fight the contract, I don't have to go in there and negotiate or anything. Um, I organize which is what I like to do. Um, so there's a lot of other skills.

SPEAKER_01 48:22

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I'm right there with you. I'm not a I I'll do the steward stuff if I have to, but fortunately, I have uh a group of uh siblings, the union siblings that love to go in there and fight all the time with them. And I'm like, you keep doing that, and I will stay in my path and we'll yeah, we're we're good, you know. And so I I I always appreciate hearing, you know, the you guys, you ladies telling the fact that there are so many other positions in the union, because like you said, you know, if you're just you know, you just look and you see the e-board, and all you really see, if you especially if you don't go to meetings, is hey, I need to go talk to my steward, and you think that's the union, just that guy or that lady that is going up there fighting with management, that's not it. That's just uh that's just one one small part of it. So yeah, thank you so much for that. Um I am uh I'm out of question, so I'm gonna throw it back to you and ask you is there anything I left out, anything I forgot, anything you'd like to add? The floor is yours.

SPEAKER_00 49:26

I don't think so. I think you pretty much pulled out of me. You did a good job. I again I am honored to be with the group of women that I've looked at, that you've done the podcast, that my names even in there are mentioned. Um I don't feel like I do that, I guess. I I you know I was surprised. I wish I had known about the podcast sooner, um, so I could listen to them as they came out, but I not quite a few out why as mowing yesterday.

SPEAKER_01 50:11

Good deal. Well, thank you. I appreciate that. Um, and as far as you uh belonging in the group, every lady I've had on here is always kind of the same way. I I don't think I belong with this group. And it kind of uh there's no doubt you belong right here with everyone else that's been on here. Uh the the story you just told shows why you deserve to be on here. And uh I I think I can fairly confidently speak for every member of the Texas State Association and saying that you definitely belong on here and you are definitely an awesome leader, and they appreciate you because, like I said, your name has been brought up to me by multiple other people that I tried to get need to get in contact with you. And so I I thank you for taking time away from uh your husband who's ready to get you in the other room and get you out there on that lawnmower. So uh I won't take any more of your time. I uh I really do though. I really appreciate you, and I I uh I I hope you keep keep fighting the good fight for all of the all of our union siblings down there.

SPEAKER_00 51:27

I will, I will, and thank you very much, Craig. It's it's been a pleasure um doing the podcast.

SPEAKER_01 51:35

Well, thank you so much, and uh I just want to thank everyone in LA. Yes, ma'am, I will definitely see you there. And thank you, thank you to everyone that's listening and everybody out there, be safe and be kind of a