Best Cartoon or Photo
Overall observations on this category:
As is usual, there were few photo entries in this category, which is a shame. Photos of
members having fun is a great way to create a sense of community and one of the best
advertisements for the union. For those that did enter, the judges looked for interesting
framing and execution—did the photographer do more than just click the shutter? For the
cartoons, while some weight was placed upon artistic skill, the majority of the decisions
considered the story. The more successful cartoons did more than grouse about or take pot
shots at management—they found an interesting or ironic point to make about the
concerns and frustrations of the job, in addition to the importance of union strength and
unity.
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Best Cartoon or Photo
Honorable Mention
Archie Asberry Jr., “CDS shoes”
The Seventy-Niner, Seattle, Washington Branch 79
Though it might work better as a promoting unionism piece, this little drawing shows the
fundamental disconnect between the union and postal management over the use of
Contract Delivery Service with a simple but effective metaphor. Though management feels
that contractors can deliver mail as well as union carriers, it is clear that contractors can’t
fill NALC’s boots. The cartoon, though simple, does an effective job.
2
Best Cartoon or Photo
Honorable Mention
Kevin Wrede, “Quibbles’”
The “B” Mike, Portland, Oregon Branch 82
Altering photos digitally with a computer program is an exciting new way to meld the two
parts of this category, photographic realism and cartoon inventiveness. This piece, featuring
a new snack food, skewers management’s seeming tactic of killing with a thousand cuts.
With vinegar and gall, each little bit gets progressively worse. The small details help to sell
the whole, from the little DOIS trademark to the “From the makers of ‘Nettles’!” tag line,
which combine to reveal the level of commitment the artist brought to his work.
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Best Cartoon or Photo
Third Award
John Morrell, “Bigger is ALWAYS better”
Relay, Youngstown, Ohio Branch 385
USPS’s bulky, inefficient scanner is the butt of the joke in this lengthy, Sunday paper-style
cartoon. A carrier is forced to wait for a special tech squad to show up and operate a coffin-
sized device. When asked about the viability of the gadget, the cartoon makes its best
point: about management’s desire to invest in questionable technology to try to stem labor
costs. The drawing style, as with all of Morell’s cartoons, is distinctive and detailed.
4
Best Cartoon or Photo
Second Award—Tie
Cassie Austin, “What’s everybody complaining about?”
Action 33, Massachusetts North Shore Branch 33
Any letter carrier can tell you that it sometimes feels like management expects you to have
more than the customary two arms to handle the job. Austin found a humorous way to
express that frustration in a well drawn cartoon of management’s ideal carrier—an
octopus. The light-hearted approach to the drawing strengthens the irony of what is really
a fair criticism.
5
Best Cartoon or Photo
Second Award—Tie
Javier Rodriguez, “Strike! for MDA”
The South Florida Letter Carrier, South Florida Branch 1071
The lone photo winner, this snapshot from an MDA bowlathon shows an NALC member in
triumphant joy, pumping her fists in the air, after she bowled a strike. The photo was taken
at exactly the right moment of excitement, capturing the carrier’s unselfconscious and
infectious smile. Seeing her in this instant, viewers can’t help but be convinced the event
was fun and something not to be missed—a good way to attract more members to the next
MDA event. The framing shows the lane with the dropped pins plus space in front of the
carrier, allowing for the overlay of a title for the photo. And while the judges didn’t agree
with the font choice for the title, it undeniably works as a well-designed whole.
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Best Cartoon or Photo
First Award
Robbie Cook, “Not as glamorous as it looks”
North Carolina Letter Carrier, North Carolina State Association of Letter Carriers
This excellent cartoon captures the frustration many carriers feel about delivering late into
the evening, even on cold, wintry nights, with a humorous jab from Santa Claus, who’s on
his own delivery route. The drawing is excellently done, with a hint of Thomas Nast’s 19th
century Santa drawings, and the artist captured both the mood of St. Nick and the
grumbling of the carrier.
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Promoting Unionism
Overall observations on this category:
Be careful not to preach at your audience. Find creative ways to urge union members to
take active roles. An emotionally compelling story is more likely to move a reader to act
than an article that merely shouts. Avoid angry statements and endless questions to the
reader—many articles in the category asked more than one “Have you ever noticed?” or
“What would you do?” question. Think of new ways to get your message across.
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Promoting Unionism
Honorable Mention
Ron Jones, “Shaping Our Future”
Branch 1111 News, Greater East Bay, California Branch 1111
A very good article that drives home the point that just because a new contract is in hand,
union members and the union cannot sit back and rest on their laurels. Jones takes the
piece a step further by describing ongoing projects that will move the union forward.
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Promoting Unionism
Third Award
Beki Serwach, “Job Security is Job #1”
Frontlines, Utica, Michigan Branch 4374
An excellent reminder of the most important role of the union, ensuring job security for
members, and the obligation of union members to their union. This is a very persuasive
article without being overly preachy. It reads much like a speech, which makes the piece
more powerful and authoritative.
10
Promoting Unionism
Second Award
John H. Curtis, “Mother Jones Goes to Wal-Mart”
The Maine Letter Carrier, Central Maine Merged Branch 391
A nice, well written reminder of how a great union activist put herself and her life on the
line to better the lot of working people, and a call for others to be similarly strong for their
union. The language flows easily, the grammar is impeccable, and all of the words are
carefully chosen. Of course, the final call to action is very fitting and quite original.
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Promoting Unionism
First Award—Tie
Javier Rodriguez, “A Year in the Life of South Florida Letter Carriers”
South Florida Letter Carrier, South Florida Branch 1071
This creative calendar gives a daily boost to union activities, plus its clever use of pictures
and illustrations conveys important information in a not overly heavy-handed manner.
Rodriguez manages to capture the news of the branch’s activities while also offering a
personal view of the events. Even the small details, like the photo captions, are well
written, provide pertinent information, and add to the spirit and tone of the piece. It is easy
to imagine this on the refrigerator or on the wall in every union member’s home.
12
Promoting Unionism
First Award—Tie
Pam Donato, “State Fair Booth Visitors Send Greetings to Overseas Troops”
Branch 9 News, Minneapolis, Minnesota Branch 9
This is an excellent story and photo display of a great union undertaking, a special booth at
the Minnesota State Fair that gave visitors an opportunity to send greetings to Minnesota
military personnel serving overseas. The enjoyable event gave veteran and new volunteers
a chance to bond, to promote their union and to reinforce the importance of letter carriers
to the visiting public. The article opens with the mention of cotton candy and corn dogs,
immediately evoking feelings that come from attending a fair. Filled with witty word
choices like “hubbub” and “mind-bending trivia contest,” Donato sets a fun and upbeat
tone. The story describes a great pro-union activity for all concerned.
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Best Editorial or Column
Overall observations on this category:
Be very careful to use your forum to impart information, not engage in predictable anti-
management rants or rely on over-used clichés or too-cute characterizations. Also, lose the
obscenity. It does not strengthen your point; rather, it weakens your credibility. And
excessive punctuation marks do not add flair or emotion—a well crafted sentence will
better serve your piece.
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Best Editorial or Column
Second award
Richard Thayer, “Have We Forgotten or Don’t We Care”
The North Carolina Letter Carrier, North Carolina State Association of Letter Carriers
This is a superbly written piece about the importance of both American history and union
history in everyday life. The description of the author’s pride in his heritage as a letter
carrier and pride in his union is both moving and educational. Thayer makes his points with
clear, well chosen words, without resorting to name-calling, predictable phrases or rants,
which makes his message all the more powerful and effective. He combines personal and
collective experience with facts to make the article both relatable and reliable. The
conclusion to the piece is concise and is sure to resonate with its audience.
15
Best Editorial or Column
First award
Juliette Chen, “Dealing with Bullies”
The Voice of the Golden Gate Letter Carriers, San Francisco, California Branch 214
This article is a stunning story of a woman’s evolution from a person who was picked on
and bullied to that of a strong woman who stands up for herself, and what she lost before
achieving such a transformation. The start of the article seems to lose focus, and it would
have benefited from getting to the point quicker without some of the confusing references
to the mentality of immigrants and Ferdinand the Bull. But the picture of the author in the
“before” stage, when she had nearly floor-length hair, is so compelling that the reader is
pulled in to learn more and finally see the “after” picture, finding out through the story that
she lost all her hair due to stress. It is quickly evident that this is an amazing tale. The point
made in the pull quote, “You must stand up for yourself every day to respond to bullies,”
also encouraged further reading. The story is rich with conflict and concludes perfectly with
a message directed to the reader. What’s more, Chen writes with beautiful style and makes
the right word choices again and again.
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Best News or Feature Story
Overall observations on this category:
Many of the entries here were neither news stories nor feature stories, but were editorials
or columns instead. Even writers seeking to convey important information on timely topics
were unable to resist the temptation of putting an “I” in their articles, creating an opinion
piece out of what should have been a news story or a feature article.
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Best News or Feature Story
Second Award
Laurie Miale, “Contract Delivery Routes: Easy Targets”
South Florida Letter Carrier, South Florida Branch 1071
This is a clearly written, straightforward article that makes its point without resorting to
emotion-laden descriptions or anti-management vitriol. Her grammar, usage and clean
style of writing should serve as an example to other writers and editors in the field. Miale
effectively uses transitions that guide the reader through the story, and she also employs a
sidebar that leads into a special section of the article, demonstrating her added
commitment to the topic.
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Best News or Feature Story
First Award—Tie
Richard Thayer, a collection of personality profiles
North Carolina Letter Carrier, North Carolina State Association of Letter Carriers
Rather than single out a specific entry by Brother Thayer in this category, the judges
recognize him for the collective excellence of his feature writing. He consistently identifies
an important or interesting element in the lives of his subjects and uses that as a hook to
bring readers into the story as he provides insight into the people he is writing about.
Thayer’s writing is excellent, and his style and approach to feature stories is highly
professional and extremely effective. His writing is complemented by the extensive
research he includes in his pieces. His feature writing would hold up well in any regular
news outlet.
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Best News or Feature Story
First Award—Tie
Robert Rutter, “Five Carriers Brave Flames and Save Lives”
Ranch 1111 News, Greater East Bay, California Branch 1111
This is an honest-to-goodness hard news story that is well written and contains all the
elements of a solid news story—who, when, what, why, where and how. The story of a
letter carrier who used his knowledge of a senior citizens’ apartment building to save lives,
and the contributions of his colleagues from the Piedmont Station in Oakland, located next
door to the burning building, is a great read, well structured and clearly written. And even
better, the heroic action of these letter carriers ensured that the story also had a happy
ending! The only critique from the judges is that the author should be mindful of dashes
and commas. Correct grammar and usage can greatly add to the professionalism of a story.
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General Excellence: Small Branches (up to 500 members)
Overall comments
The more successful publications provided both an outlet for carriers’ concerns as well as
relevant community news. Visually, publications should strive for consistent treatment of
typefaces in stories and graphic elements. In addition, successful publications limited the
amount of text and graphics per page so that the information was comfortable to read.
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General Excellence: Small Branches
Third award
The Union Advisor, Greeley, Colorado Branch 324
Clean, systematic structure aids in organization and navigation. Consistent use of typeface
for story headers and body copy aids in readability. Rule lines provide a professional touch.
President’s and vice president’s messages provide important information on the state of
the branch. Review of court cases and current news puts members in touch with issues
relevant to carriers.
22
General Excellence: Small Branches
Second award
The Maine Letter Carrier, Central Maine Merged Branch 391
The pages are easy to navigate and the story information is easy to find because the text on
each page is limited to a reasonable amount. The use of dingbats at the end of each story
adds a whimsical touch. “Ask Dr. Delivery” is a fun way to address the concerns of branch
members.
23
General Excellence: Small Branches
First award
The Informer, Saginaw, Michigan Branch 74
Bright, graphic cover draws attention and entices members to read the publication.
Dynamic organizational elements, such as photos and three-column grid, break up the large
amount of text. Inclusion of fun, family-oriented content and announcement page keeps
constituents and family members interested in what is going on in the branch. Good mix of
branch news and news from related industries, along with features of special interest to
carriers.
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General Excellence: Large Branches or State Associations
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General Excellence: Large Branches or State Associations
Honorable Mention
The Voice of the Golden Gate Letter Carriers, San Francisco, California Branch 214
Well established structure and masthead on the cover page. Looks clean and organized.
Consistent use of headers and footers helps to orient the reader. Good in-depth review of
issues important to the members.
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General Excellence: Large Branches or State Associations
Third Award
Mound City Carrier, St. Louis, Missouri Branch 343
Strong masthead. Strong two-column structure aids in organizing information. Good use of
photographs to add visual interest. Stories are informative and touch on a number of issues
important to the members and their families.
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General Excellence: Large Branches or State Associations
Second Award
South Florida Letter Carrier, South Florida Branch 1071
A full-bleed photo on the cover sets the theme, and consistent visual elements in the main
feature ties them together. The strong page structure aids in readability. Good use of
different typefaces differentiates between information of varying levels of importance. In
the submitted publication, the main feature was a good community interest piece. Other
sections are great sources of useful information for union members.
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General Excellence: Large Branches or State Associations
First Award
Branch 34’s CLAN, Boston, Massachusetts Branch 34
Publication has an eye-catching masthead. Good use of different typefaces to aid in
navigation and to separate headlines from subheads. Interesting use of cartoons as
opposed to relying on photography alone. Consistent use of template so readers will know
where to find sections each month. Varying the color from issue to issue makes it more
lively. Nice mix of news, features and community updates. Writing had an authoritative
voice and comes across as well informed.
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Congratulations to all our winners!
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