Paul Lewis Letter

Paul,

I have let some time pass before I prepared this message to you, because it took me some time to compose myself from the level of disgust and disappointment that I had in your accusations that I have sold out NAPS to management and that I only did so because I also hold a senior management position in the Postal Service.

I take my role as an executive board member very seriously and I represent everyone in my region to the best of my ability. I spend long hours on the phone, on email and on the road making sure that the members of NAPS in the Northeast Area receive the best representation possible.

I have toiled for many years representing members and take extreme offense to your characterizations of me undermining members of NAPS. As a retiree you appear to have ample time at your disposal to sit at your computer and take shots at the leadership of this organization. I regularly see emails from you and your posts on the website where you disparage leadership of NAPS at all levels. For the most part I read your posts and remind myself that you have a right to your opinion about how the organization is managed.

I have known you since we first met in Las Vegas and we have interacted numerous times in person. Although I don’t always agree with your position on certain matters, I have given you the respect that you should have in both your opinions and positions.

However, you have crossed the line when you challenge my integrity as a NAPS officer. First, you don’t have all the facts. As usual, you have this penchant for saying: “Ready, Fire, Aim” and you shoot buckshot at a target before you even know what you are shooting at.

I’ll tell you something Paul, you can challenge decisions I make, how I do my job, etc., but don’t ever, ever challenge my integrity in this organization. By the way, the issue that caused all of this consternation doesn’t even involve your area, it is a Northeast Area issue but, as usual here you go again with “Ready, Fire, Aim”.

Although I don’t believe that I have to explain any of my actions to you, I will let you know that the discussions that were held between NAPS leadership and the Northeast Area concerning the Postal Service’s decision to abandon the requirement to conduct Pre-Disciplinary Interviews was initiated by the Postal Service, not NAPS! PDI’s are not referenced in the ELM and are not required as a precursor to discipline.

The elimination of the PDI process does not take away any rights to representation of NAPS members by our organization at any time a member believes that they need representation. No member of NAPS in the Northeast Area has lost any of their rights under Title 39, ELM 650 or any other handbook or manual.

By your own admission, you claim to be an expert in collective bargaining with your many years as a steward and a craft representative. This coupled with your service in NAPS one would think that you would understand more than you do. It is apparent to me that you lack a common understanding of how things work in this business. When virtually anything happens in postal management you immediately point to the failure of NAPS to accomplish something and tout our use of Title 39 as the remedy.

Paul, I am so disappointed in you, words cannot describe it. You have the right to disagree with how I do things, but I will not allow you to trample on my integrity. I don’t even know if an apology could repair the damage you have caused in our relationship. In the future you should think a little more about what you write before you write it, get all the facts and then if you want to put your foot in your mouth, go right ahead.

Tommy Roma
Northeast Area VP
NAPS