Death Benefits Director

Nov. 22, 2011

Hello,

I am Barbara Pinckney-Smith and I am a letter carrier in the Charleston, SC area. I have been elected the new South Carolina State Association of Letter Carriers Immediate Death Benefit Association Director. The purpose and function of the association is to provide immediate cash relief to the beneficiaries of its members offset some of cost during their bereavement. I am working hard to ensure each member ‘record that I have on file are up-to-date and accurate.

Also, if there is anyone whom is interested in joining this association. The cost to join is a fee of $5.00.

Upon the notification of a death of a member of the Association, the Death Benefit Director shall notify all members of the Death Benefit Association. Each member whom is in good standing shall pay and assessment fee of $2.50 per death. If any old member’s whom wish to be reinstated shall complete a new application and a fee of $5.00.

Please make all checks payable to Death Benefit Association.

Mailing address is P O Box 32351, Charleston, SC 29417.

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Sept. 1,2011

34 out of the 126 members that paid the June assessment have withdrawn from the program. No money was received from Anderson or Spartanburg for the June assessment. Buddy Ferguson requested that an individual assessment sent to Anderson the last of July, after assessment went out. I told Barbara to send out an individual for Anderson for the 6 deaths in August. No payment has been received as yet that I am aware of. It looks like Orangeburg will be dropping out as well but Bodrick will keep me posted – the Branch has to vote. I have already went in an dropped a number of members who haven’t paid the last assessments that Pam sent out and now those who haven’t paid the individual assessment from June. The last pay out for a death was $252 but the next one should only be possibly $164 unless more members pay up.

This is for your info

Emily

Barbara and I have been working on the total membership for the Death Benefit Account. From the 1st assessment to all of the names on the cards, only 126 out of the approximately 250 have paid the assessment. Orangeburg, Greer, Spartanburg and Anderson received an assessment for their branch membership. Anderson sent word that they will no longer collect as a branch and to send individual assessments, after the assessment was received at the branch. No payments have been received in the 60 day allotted time for a member to retain membership from the vast majority. Three benefits were paid out at the rate that Pam was paying but the last benefit payment was reduced to reflect only the members that had paid the last assessment. No money was received from Spartanburg or Anderson from the last assessment that went out the last of May. The policy file states that assessments must be paid within 30 days. After 30 days, the member goes into a suspended status and then dropped after 60 days. Barbara will send an assessment to the members of 1871 by individual assessment for the next one to include the last assessment but non-payment within 30 days will cause the member to be dropped.

No one has been dropped for non-payment for the past 6 years. Hence the reason for no knowing how many members we have. Members will be dropped for non-payment now . Benefit payments are now only $252. I would ask for the branches to help us in notification when a member of their branch dies. We will no longer go back and pay an assessment because the State was not notified of the death. If the member does not paid the assessment within 60 days, they will be dropped and ineligible for the benefit if they die.

DEATH BENEFITS DIRECTOR

April 18, 2011,

Besides negotiating a new contract, one of the big issues facing Letter Carriers and the union is saving 6 Day Delivery.

The union will continue to fight for 6 Day Delivery, but this becomes difficult if Congress and the public do not fully

support the existence of the U.S. Postal Service. To that end, one of the tools the union uses to fight with is COLCPE.

For those who don't know, COLCPE is the political action fund used to support legislation and legislators who support letter carriers

and our interest. Contributing to COLCPE is the leverage our union need to succeed in the fight to preserve and protect

our jobs and benefits. COLCPE is a weapon we have to help save our jobs and benefits and we can do this by

CONTRIBUTING, CONTRIBUTING, and CONTRIBUTING NOW; It is your job and my job on the line.

Let us remember our brothers and sister we lost since we last met.

William Jenette Br3649

Richard Pritchard Br904

Fred Powell Br4645

Lynda Matheson Br1871

Carolyn Fisher Br1416

Woodrow Wilson Br628

Jack Gown Br628

Donna Duncan Br1569

John Mcknight Br1782

Thelma Trembley Br904

Pam Chapman, Death Benefits Director

October 24, 2010

There are many issues facing the union and the country. This is a call for all to get involved. Involvement can be achieved by

attending union meetings, training sessions, conventions, and rap sessions. By attending some of these events, you can learn of

some of the many pressing issues and contract information. Other ways of getting involved are through COLCPE, E activist, and

the Carrier Corps. Our involvement in these programs is essential to the growth in our immediate and long term future. There is

urgency for all union members to get involved. For those that are not members, it is time to become members and to get involved.

We can no longer sit on the sidelines, waiting for others to do the work or expect for the pressing issues to repair themselves.

The time is now and it is going to take all of us!

<www.nalc.org> is our union website. The information on this website is very useful. The homepage alone, has articles on

the latest issues. Whether it is legislative initiatives or contractual updates, it is all there on the website. The website is a great

resource for not only stewards and union representatives, but for any member searching for information. You can find anything

from JCAM to Health and Life Insurance, as well as, handbooks and manuals. While on this site, you will also be able to sign up

for COLCPE and the E activist. This is a great starting point for all union members, especially new members.

Pam Chapman

September 29, 2010

I attended the National Convention in Anaheim California. There were several issues that were presented by our

National President. The two issues of the greatest importance were saving six day delivery and our upcoming contract negotiations.

This fiscal year the language has not changed concerning six day delivery. As of present day, it is still in affect. However, the fight

is not over. Our National President will need everyone’s help to keep it the way it currently is. In order to do so we need to contact

our Congressmen and Senators concerning the bills that are currently in front of them.

The second issue of great importance that was discussed was contract negotiations. As we all know, our contracts end in

November 2011. The problem that we are facing is that we will not be the first at the bargaining table. The American Postal

Workers Union and Rural Carriers Associations contract expire in November 2010. Our president asks for guidance at the convention

on how to proceed. The body stated that they would like to possible explore early negotiations.

In closing, our National Leaders are going to need everyone’s help to ensure that the issues are resolved in the most beneficial way.

We cannot expect it to be done by our National Leaders alone.

Sincerely,

Pam Chapman

March 12, 2010

To the members of Death Benefits, I need to request more recent and accurate information from the members.

Over the years I have ran into problems with the addresses and other information that I now have.

It is somewhat outdated. So if you would please provide me with the following information.

I need updated addresses for each member as well as updated list of beneficiary or beneficiaries.

This will help the program to be more efficient and allow the money to be there when need.

Thank you for help and understanding.

Now let us take sometime to remember the brothers and sisters we lost since we last met.

1.David Reed Br 904

2.Charlie Amerson Br 904

3.Ralph Overstreet Br 904

4.Frances Mackinnon Br 1871

5.Mary Childress Br 628

6.Bernard Nielson Br 233

In Soildarity

Pam Chapman

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December 27, 2010

As everyone know or should know, the health care debate is raging and very heated. As

Letter Carriers with health insurance, you may feel that this debate has nothing to do with us.

But remember, that could change. Thats why we need to stay involved. One of the best ways

to do that is by signing up for COLCPE. The instructions are listed in the Postal Record each

month. So, I call on all who are not signed up already, to:

1. Sign to be an e-activist, this allows you to get instant messages from the National Union on

the issues at hand and what actions to take if any.

2. Contribute at least one dollar a week to COLCPE.

In closing, I would like to wish each and everyone of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy

New Year.

In Solidarity

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Why do I need a Will?

October 6, 2010

It seems as though one can never be prepared for death. In recent years we watched the controversy over

the estates of Anna Nicole Smith, James Brown, and Micheal Jackson. In light of the fact that these individuals

were celebrities, their deaths demonstrated how complexed it can be dividing assets amongst surviving

family members. Yes, it is important to have a will and update it from time to time.

A will is a device that lets you tell the world whom you want to get your assets. Die without one, and the state

decides who gets what,without regard to your wishes or your heirs' needs. So-called intestacy laws vary considerably

from state to state. In general, though, if you die and leave a spouse and kids, your assets will be split between your

surviving mate and children. If you're single with no children, then the state is likely to decide who among your blood

relatives will inherit your estate.

Making a will is especially important for people with young children, because wills are the best way to transfer guardianship

of minors. You may amend your will at any time. In fact, it's a good idea to review it periodically and especially when your

marital status changes. At the same time, review your beneficiary designations for your 401(k), IRA, pension and life

insurance policy since those accounts will be transferred automatically to your named beneficiaries when you die.

A will is also useful if you have a trust. A trust is a legal mechanism that lets you put conditions on how your assets are

distributed after you die and it often lets you minimize gift and estate taxes. But you still need a will since most trusts deal

only with specific assets such as life insurance or a piece of property, but not the sum total of your holdings. Even if you have

what's known as a revocable living trust in which you can put the bulk of your assets, you still need what's known as a pour-over

will. In addition to letting you name a guardian for your children, a pour-over will ensure that all the assets you intended to put

into the trust are put there even if you fail to retitle some of them before your death. Any assets that are not retitled in the name

of the trust are considered subject to probate. As a result, if you haven't specified in a will who should get those assets, a court

may decide to distribute them to heirs whom you may not have chosen.

You can write your own will. However, preparation of the will should be preferably prepared by an attorney. There it can be

typed, notarized legally, signed by your lawyer, and have at least two witnesses present to ensure this is undisputably your will.

Copies of your will should be printed and kept in a safe place. At least one copy should be filed at the lawyer's office. The cost

for preparing a simple will can start under $100.00 and go up, depending on the complexity of the will, the number of assets, total

estimated value of the estate, any business contacts, and many other considerations including any family members.

I wish everyone the best of health and have a Happy Columbus Day Holiday!

Pam Chapman, Death Benefits Director

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July 24, 2009,

Dear Union Brothers and Sisters,

I hope everyone is in good health and spirits. In the years that I have been doing this job as Death Benefits Director,

lord knows it doesn't get any easier. However, I must admit that I take comfort in knowing that the loved ones of our fellow deceased

carriers are provided financial aid during the immediate days after god's calling. This aid comes from the members of the South

Carolina State Association of Letter Carriers (SCSALC) that contribute to the death benefits fund.

The Death Benefits Fund is a plan. Our plan is supported by each and every union member that participate in the plan.

We presently have 295 union members in the plan. Our payout is contingent on the number of members in the plan. Our average

pay-out to the beneficiaries of deceased letter carriers is $710.00. We have well over 1,400 city letters in the SCSALC. But only 295

members are in the plan. The present pay-out is $737.50. Each member is sent an assessment of $2.50 after a pay-out. By this

time next year I am confident we have over 350 members in our Death Benefits Fund (plan). We will have enough funds in our

Death Benefits account to pay beneficiaries enough financial aid to take a week off from work without pay or whatever they will

while they mourn and prepare their final burial plans for their loved ones and our union brother or sister.

There is an old proverb that states, "the afterthought is good, but the forethought is better". If you are not already a member

of the Death Benefits Fund, join today. Let your thoughts materialize on an application.

Mail the completed application with the one time enrollment fee of five dollars ($5.00) payable

to the SCSALC Death Benefits Association to the Death Benefits Director. When a member of the Death Benefits Association dies,

the beneficiary is issued a check equal to two dollars ($2) per member of the plan. This provides immediate funds when other income

and assets may not be available.

Unity Always,

Pam Chapman, Death Benefits Director

SCSALC

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