RETIREMENT, PROMOTION AND APPOINTMENTS IN NPMHU
Contract Administration Department
After a long and prominent career with the NPMHU, Don Gonzales, Manager of the Denver Field Office has announced his retirement effective on May 31, 2024.
Don has served as a Union representative for 34 years. He became a Shop Steward in 1990, serving as Chief Steward starting in 1991, and then Administrative Vice President of the Denver BMC from 1993 to 1996. In 1996, Don assumed the role of Recording Secretary for Local 321 and continued to serve Colorado Mail Handlers in a variety of roles. From 2002 to 2011 he was the Vice President of Local 321. In 2011, Brother Gonzales assumed the position of Local 321 President. In March 2014, Don was appointed Western Regional Director, domiciled in the Denver Field Office, and was appointed to the position of Denver Field Office Manager, on March 1, 2022. Don’s vast experience has contributed to the success of the NPMHU. We wish Don and his wife Sharon the very best as they begin a new chapter in retired life.
With Brother Gonzales retiring, National President Hogrogian has made additional appointments within the Regional CAD Staff. First, National President Hogrogian has appointed Regional CAD representative Nick Lehto to serve as Manager of the NPMHU’s Denver Field Office, effective June 1, 2024.
Nick started as a Mail Handler in 1998 in Milwaukee, WI. In 2008 he became a Shop Steward in Milwaukee P&DC. In 2014 he was elected Milwaukee Branch President for Local 306. In 2017 Nick was elected to the position of Wisconsin State Board Representative. Nick has extensive experience as an Arbitration advocate and is a member to the RI-399 SWAT team. He has led successful LMOU negotiations in multiple Wisconsin facilities and spearheaded the update of RI-399 inventories in all Wisconsin facilities, helping to secure and take back craft jurisdiction for the Mail Handlers of Local 306. Nick was appointed as Regional Director in the NPMHU’s Denver Field Office, on March 1, 2022.
With Nick’s appointment to Denver Field Office Manager, National President Hogrogian next appointed Max Rehbein as CAD Regional Director with representational responsibilities that include the Central and Western Regions.
Max started his career as a Mail Handler in 1996 at Milwaukee P&DC. In 2014, he became a Shop Steward at the Milwaukee Mail Processing Annex. Since then, he has served as Chief Shop Steward, Milwaukee Branch President, and Wisconsin State Executive Board Member for Local 306. Max has completed LMOU negotiations for Milwaukee and Eau Claire, WI and completed RI-399 inventories for the Milwaukee P&DC and the Oak Creek P&DC. Max has been elected as a delegate for the NPMHU conventions in 2016, 2020 and 2024, as well as a delegate for the LIUNA convention in 2021.
Max has attended the Labor Arbitration Institute’s Conference on Labor Law & Labor Arbitration and graduated from the Union Leadership Academy at the UW Madison School for Workers. Max is a Veteran of the U.S. Army.
Please join us in congratulating Don Gonzales on his well-deserved retirement, and in congratulating Nick Lehto on his new appointment in the Contract Administration Department. In addition, we welcome Max Rehbein to the position of Regional Director in the NPMHU Contract Administration Department.
NPMHU Mourns Passing of Richard Siu
Former Western Regional Director
It is with regret and sorrow that the National Office announces the passing of Brother Richard Siu, retired Western Regional Director.
Richard retired on May 1, 2014. Richard began working as a Mail Handler in San Francisco in 1979. He became a shop steward in 1985, and later assumed the role of chief steward. He took on numerous responsibilities in Local 302, including service on both the Safety and Health Committee and the Local Joint Steering Committee for the Quality of Working Life process (QWL). Richard was appointed to the Western Region CAD in 1993, where he continues to serve as Regional Director in the Denver Field Office.
Please keep the Siu Family in your thoughts and prayers.
Workers’ Memorial Day
April 28, 2024
Every year on April 28, the Unions of the AFL-CIO come together to observe Workers’ Memorial Day a day to remember those who have suffered and died on the job and to renew the fight for safe jobs.
On April 28, 1971, Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act, promising every worker the right to a safe job. That Act was finally applied to the Postal Service in 1998. Unions and our allies have fought hard to make that promise a reality - winning protections that have made jobs safer, saved hundreds of thousands of lives and prevented millions of workplace injuries and illnesses.
On April 28, 2024, please remember those who have suffered and died on the job and renew the fight for strong safety and health protections for a safe workplace.
