NMDU

Newspaper and Mail Deliverers' Union
of New York and Vicinity

NMDU Bulletin Board

Letter to Membership from Thomas Bentvena, President

Dear Brothers and Sisters
We've accomplished a lot in the past seven years:
Long term contracts
We've secured jobs
Through the pension case settlement, we've secured the pensions for all members and retirees current and retired.
We've secured company medical for the NY Times, The Star Ledger, The NY Post and the Daily News through our employers.
We saved the death benefit when the medical fund was on the verge of bankruptcy.
We're fighting to increase the death benefit by moving it back to the Pension Fund.
We added 54 secure new jobs, gained jurisdiction at 8 warehouses and in doing so, increased our dues contributions by $60,000 and pension contributions by $200,000 annually.
We've organized the first new shop in over 20 years.

There will always be those dissatisfied few who stand on the sideline complaining that all we've accomplished isn't good enough, that we should have done more. They are the ones who seek to divide us, to prevent us from moving forward and who care not about our union but about their own individual personal interests. We will not survive that way.
The NMDU is now solid and secure. We have withstood drops in circulation unlike anything we've ever seen, yet we've fought and won to remain strong.
There will be tests in the future and we'll need to meet them with unified union strength. We are a union 118 years strong and it's only through unity that we are still here.
My platform, going forward, is to continue to protect the jobs of everyone and get us all to a good retirement.....the finish line.
Continuing to add new jobs and new members to support and expand our jurisdiction will help us achieve this goal.
Protecting the pensions of all union members has and will continue to be my driving force.
Keeping people working until they can retire has and will continue to be our driving force. Change will happen but we have a clear direction to get all of us to a secure retirement.

Fraternally,
Thomas Bentvena
President
Newspaper and Mail Deliverers' Union