The official Convention Call to the 71st biennial convention of the National Association of Letter Carriers to be held in Detroit July 16-20 was mailed to each NALC branch and state association in October.
The branch Convention Call included a branch delegate allotment card advising each branch of the maximum number of delegates it can send to the convention, per the provision of Article 4, Section 1 of the National Constitution, which provides for one delegate for each 20 members or fraction thereof. The number of delegates a branch is entitled to is based on the branch’s active and retired membership as of Oct. 1 of the year preceding the national convention, the “benchmark” date adopted by the delegates to the 2004 national convention. Branch officers should read the Convention Call thoroughly, since Articles 4 and 5 of the National Constitution—provisions concerning the election of delegates, voting strength and related issues—are explained.
Information regarding the room rates of the NALC block hotels is provided below and in the December 2017 issue of The Postal Record on page 13. The reservation process does not start until February, and not until the branch’s delegate eligibility list (DEL) is received, delegates are registered and the credentials are sent to the branch secretary.
NALC Headquarters will be advising its official housing company of all confirmed registered delegates. Anyone booking a room who is not a confirmed registered delegate at the time of the booking will be subject to cancelation and will receive a notice of such. Any individuals who have called NALC Headquarters to inquire about making reservations are advised that they must get the information from their branch to make reservations. This cannot be done until the DEL has been received and processed and the credentials have been mailed to the branch secretary. Do not contact the host branch officers about housing—they will not be able to assist you.
The DEL will be mailed to each branch the last week of January and must be returned to the office of NALC Secretary-Treasurer Nicole Rhine no later than May 17. The DEL includes the branch’s regular members in good standing as of Dec. 31. No housing information is included in the mailing of delegate eligibility lists. Branch secretaries should read the enclosed instructions thoroughly, complete the DEL fully and accurately, sign it, keep a copy for the branch, and return the original to Rhine's office.
After Rhine's office has received the DEL and registered the delegates, the credentials will be mailed to the branch secretary. Included with the credentials is information on the housing process. This information includes a web address and a code specific to your branch so that you may reserve rooms for your delegates. Branch secretaries may prefer to copy the instructions and give them to each delegate to make their own reservations.
For branch secretaries or delegates who do not have internet access, NALC will include with the credential mailing a room reservation form with a fax number. Branch secretaries with no internet access may make reservations for all their delegates in this manner or may wish to copy the forms and give to the delegates.
Reminder: Most NALC branches with more than 500 members register their members electronically rather than checking off the delegates on the DEL paper copy. The option to register electronically was also extended to all NALC branches with more than 250 members. Branches that received the electronic registration information must return the card that was enclosed to Rhine's office no later than Dec. 31.
Again, branch secretaries are reminded that no housing information will be included in the mailing of the delegate eligibility lists the last week of January. That information will be provided when NALC Headquarters mails you the credentials. Branches and individuals are not to contact hotels directly and must wait until credentials and NALC housing instructions are received.
