2006 THIRD BIENNIAL APWU OF FLORIDA STATE RETIREE CHAPTER CONVENTION IN DAYTONA BEACH, FL.!

RETIREE CHAPTER FREE LUNCHEON AND CONVENTION TO BE HELD IN DAYTONA BEACH, FL. ON WED., MAY 10, 2006

A luncheon is scheduled from 11:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on Wednesday, May 10, 2006 at the Plaza Resort and Spa Hotel Restaurant (same luncheon site as in 2004), 600 Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach, FL 32118 next door to the APWU of Florida Headquarters Plaza Ocean Club Hotel, 640 Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach, FL 32118 where the APWU of Florida State Retiree Chapter business Convention will be held starting at 1:00 p.m. in a meeting room at the Plaza Ocean Club Hotel. All active APWU dues paying National, State and Area Local/Local Officers, Delegates, members and their families and APWU Auxiliary Officers, Delegates, members and their families are invited to attend all our State Retiree Chapter meetings, luncheons, and Conventions. Douglas Cowan Holbrook, Natl. APWU Retiree Director from Washington, D.C., has been invited to speak at the Retiree Convention luncheon.

Preparations have been made for the APWU of Florida State Retiree Chapter to pay for a FREE luncheon for each APWU of Florida State Retiree Chapter member registering as a Retiree Delegate, and a FREE luncheon for up to one (1) family/spouse guest for each family in attendance at the Retiree Convention. Freebies, give-a-ways, historical archive gifts, Ten (10) $25.00 Centenarian Cash Door Prizes, and COPA 50/50 cash drawings will be awarded to Chapter members, delegates, and family guests to reward those in attendance.

All 3,000 APWU Retiree members paying $24.00 yearly or $2.00 automatic monthly dues to the National APWU Retirees Department and their families residing in Florida State zip codes 320 thru 349 are invited to the 3rd Biennial Founders’ APWU of Florida State Retiree Chapter Convention, AFL-CIO, to be held on Wednesday, May 10, 2006 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Plaza Ocean Club Hotel, 640 Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach, Fl. 32118. We wish to thank all the State and Area Local/Local Presidents, Officers, Stewards, and active working members who continue to sign up APWU retiring members on Form 1187 Retired Member application and mail it in to the National APWU Retirees Department in Washington, D.C. Call the Plaza Ocean Club Hotel at 1-800-874-7420 and ask for the APWU discounted Single/Double rate of $85.00 night, plus 12.5 % taxes to reserve your room.

Election of APWU of Florida State Retiree Chapter Officers shall be held at the Retiree Convention on Wed., May 10, 2006 in accordance with the State Retiree Chapter Constitution and By-Laws. The elected Officers of this State Chapter shall be: President, Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer, Legislative Director, and up to three (3) Trustees and they shall comprise the Executive Board of the State Chapter. To be eligible for office and to vote in an election of officers, a Retiree Chapter member must be in good standing for three (3) months of the previous calendar quarter immediately preceding the election, as certified by the Secretary-Treasurer.

Blank APWU of Florida State Retiree Chapter Delegate credentials have been mailed to all APWU Area Local/Local Presidents in the State of Florida by John Sardin, Jr., Secretary-Treasurer, for completion and return no later than May 1, 2006. Registration kits will be issued at the hotel for this Convention and State Chapter Retirees’ registration fees have been waived for the Retiree Convention in Daytona Beach to encourage more APWU Retiree families to attend. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR AREA LOCAL/LOCAL PRESIDENTS TO RETURN THE COMPLETED RETIREE DELEGATE CREDENTIALS BEFORE MAY 1 IN ORDER FOR US TO KNOW THE NUMBER WHO WILL ATTEND AND MAKE PLANS WITH THE HOTEL MANAGER FOR FOOD SERVICE AND SEATING AT THE CONVENTION!

This historic Retiree Convention precedes the regular Florida State APWU Convention which is scheduled in the Plaza Ocean Club Hotel from Thursday, May 11 thru Saturday, May 13, 2006. Florida State Retiree Chapter Resolutions will be debated and sent to the regular APWU of Florida State Convention beginning on Thursday, May 11, and the National APWU Retiree Convention to be held in Philadelphia, Pa. on Saturday and Sunday, August 12-13, 2006.

If you have any questions and for more information, contact Jack Gose, President, at home phone (727) 343-2998 or E-mail: Jak.Gose@Excite.com or Local Web site: www.apwu1228.org or Fax: (727) 526-0351. You may also visit our APWU of Florida, AFL-CIO, award winning website page www.apwuflorida.org/retiree which was launched in October, 2003 by our wonderful Webmaster, Greg Dixon. Our State Retiree Chapter website is now linked up with the National APWU home page www.apwu.org under Local Websites and Links, 21st Century Postal Worker at www.21cpw.com and the Postal Electronic newsletter at www.postalreporter.com under Postal Retirement-22 Tips.

FLARA STATE CONVENTION ALTAMONTE SPRINGS JUNE 4-6, 2006

It is a pleasure to invite all 3000 APWU of Florida State Retiree Chapter union dues paying Retiree members, Retiree delegates, active APWU dues paying officers and members, and family members to the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans (FLARA) 2006 Annual Convention and Quarterly Board of Directors meeting to be held on Sunday, June 4 thru Tuesday, June 6, 2006 at the HILTON ORLANDO HOTEL, 350 S. North Lake Boulevard, Altamonte Springs, FL 32701. Your departure check-out date is on Wednesday, June 7, 2006.

The Hilton Orlando Hotel room rate for FLARA members is $85.00 per night for single or double room, plus 10 % taxes. Please note the hotel cutoff date for room reservations is May 4, 2006. Any reservations made after this cutoff date CANNOT be guaranteed at our group rate. When making your reservations, please call toll-free 1-800-678-4380 and ask for the FLARA special group rate.

The registration fee for the Convention is $80.00 per person. Any registered delegate wishing to bring a guest to the prepaid meals should register their guest at $60.00 each. If you are interested, contact Yvonne Garrity, Executive Director, at the FLARA office in Wellington, Fl. by phone at 561-792-8799 to register and receive Convention materials and an updated agenda. Submit your registration form along with your payment made payable to “FLARA” to: FLARA, 12773 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 211, Wellington, FL 33414. Registration forms and fees must be received by FLARA by May 20, 2006 to process your credentials and better plan for a successful convention. Many well known political and union leaders are invited to attend this annual event. Resolutions will be offered to oppose the Privatization of the U.S. Postal Service, Retirement benefits, and the Social Security Program entitlements for all Americans. Go to www.flara.org for more info about FLARA.

At this Convention, in addition to the election of Officers and Board Members, any proposed changes to the FLARA Constitution and By-Laws will be discussed and voted upon by the convention body. It is important that all Board Members, Club, and Individual members be in attendance for this discussion and action. If you wish to submit a proposed change to the By-Laws, they must be received at the FLARA Offices no later than 30 days prior to the Convention. APWU is one of 22 unions affiliated with FLARA! All FLARA club/chapter dues must be current in order for clubs/chapters to have proper voting status. If you have not sent in your chapter or individual dues, please do so immediately. If you have any questions, ask to speak with Tony Fransetta, President, FLARA, by phone at 561-792-8799. As the elected FLARA 2nd Vice President, I look forward to meeting with you and your family in Altamonte Springs, FL on June 4th thru 6th, 2006!