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To the men and women in the Boston Mailers Union, thank you for helping make the last six years as President the most rewarding — and challenging — time of my life.

When I was elected in 2002, the Local’s treasury was almost empty, our Health and Welfare Fund was operating at a loss and we faced hard bargaining with our Employers.  

Now, at the end of 2008, I have the satisfaction of knowing that as I leave office, all of those problems have been remedied.

Our Local is on a solid financial footing and we have the resources to defend our members’ right to fair and equitable treatment at arbitration, in the courts and at the bargaining table.

The Mailers’ Health and Welfare Fund at the Globe is better off today than most banks. Your Fund has grown in strength and now has over a million dollars in assets.  This means that the Fund has the ability to provide real protection to our members and their families now and into the future. Today, even our dental benefits have been increased by 50 percent — to $1500.00.

These changes did not just happen. They are the result of the tremendous efforts of all the Union’s representatives — the officers, chapel representatives and Executive Board members.  I especially want to recognize the contributions of my good friend, Daniel Lovett, who passed away while serving as Globe Chapel chairman and Secretary-Treasurer last year. 

No one ever has all the answers and so we owe a debt of gratitude to all our members, past and present, who have helped make this Union strong — by their support and, yes, by their criticism as well.

I have been a member of Local 1 since 1986 and like many of you, I’ve been able to provide a decent life for my family working in the newspaper industry. And while our business is changing day-by-day, I look forward to doing so well into the future.

Now, with a changing of the guard, I extend my best wishes to our new President, Mary White. I hope all you join me in supporting our Union and its officers, no matter how you may have voted.   At the end of the day, it’s important to remember that all of us are the Union’s greatest resource.

Once again, thank you for the privilege to serve as your President for the last six years.

                       Fraternally,

                       Daniel R. Caplette