NALC’s Postal Record Audiobook: Recent Episodes
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Listen to audio versions of articles from The Postal Record, the membership magazine of the National Association of Letter Carriers. New episodes are added every month. For more information and to read The Postal Record online, go to nalc.org.
Listen to the September-October edition of The Postal Record.
Browse the digital issue here.
This year, as Congress considers postal reform legislation, letter carriers continue to be inspired by the Great Postal Strike of 1970 and the importance of a unified approach to enact positive change.
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What is “relative standing,” and how does it apply to conversion to career status? These are commonly asked questions by city carrier assistants (CCAs).
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Delegate eligibility lists for the 72nd biennial national convention in Chicago this summer are being mailed to all branches this month.
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President Rolando has appointed two new regional administrative assistants (RAAs).
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Letter carriers serve their communities every day, six or even seven days a week, just by doing their jobs, but their commitment to service extends far beyond delivering their mail routes.
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Jeffrey Barna has been a letter carrier for only four years, but he has been communicating with people all over the world for much longer. Barna’s hobby is amateur radio, also knowns as “ham radio.” Enthusiasts like Barna call themselves “hams.” “As a child, I was always into radio,” Barna, a carrier technician and member of Western Massachusetts Branch 46, said.
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As letter carriers map out what is in store for 2022, it is important to take inventory of the significant events that are expected to shape the November midterm elections.
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As the second session of the 117th Congress begins in what will likely be a competitive election year, NALC remains focused on the passage of the bipartisan Postal Service Reform Act (H.R. 3076/S. 1720), a bill that aims to provide financial and operational stability to the agency. Since the bill’s introduction in the House of Representatives and the Senate last year, both measures have continued to gain bipartisan support.
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The morning routine of estimating your workload for the day is often difficult to do, even for experienced letter carriers.
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Various news stories and interesting anecdotes that celebrate letter carriers and the mail have been appearing on social media.
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If it’s your birthday, your letter carrier probably won’t bake you a gourmet cake or play “Happy Birthday” on the violin—unless you are on Steven Guzman’s route.
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It’s not too late to sign up to support the charity of your choice through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) in 2022, but time is running out—the campaign season goes through Jan. 15
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For as long as there has been a United States of America, and in fact a year longer, the Post Office has been a vital federal agency, starting with the naming by Congress of Benjamin Franklin as the first postmaster general in 1775 and being inscribed in the Constitution in 1787.
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President Fredric Rolando announced the appointment of three new members for the NALC Executive Council.
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Reporting to the DOL: Electronic filing required for Forms LM-2, LM-3, and LM-4.
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Congress continues work on White House Build Back Better agenda; Two nominated for USPS BOG
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NALC members, branches, state associations and others made donations in 2021 to help carriers affected by natural disasters.
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News stories and interesting anecdotes that celebrate letter carriers and the mail.
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NALC has made special arrangements with 10 hotels to accommodate letter carrier delegates attending the 2022 convention in Chicago, from Aug. 8 to 12.
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The union recognizes heroic letter carriers for their bravery and for going above and beyond on their routes and in their communities.
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Everyone has something to express, and when he isn’t delivering the mail in Kansas City, MO, Stephen Diamond expresses himself through painting.
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The bill also includes measures to improve election integrity through the protection of election records, infrastructure, and ballot tabulation.
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Letter carriers, as federal employees, have a convenient way to support charities of their choice by donating through the world’s largest annual workplace giving program, the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC).
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A new year is approaching, and it’s a good time to think about your finances.
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The second week of November signifies the start of the 2021 Federal Benefits Open Season. Now is the time for city carriers and their families to review their health benefit options.
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Various news stories and interesting anecdotes that celebrate letter carriers and the mail have been flying around social media.
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Matt Elkins has been interested in aquatic life since he was a youngster, but he didn’t take the leap into fish-keeping until about seven years ago, around the same time he started as a letter carrier.
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Americans honor the men and women who served in the armed forces each Nov. 11, Veterans Day.
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The year 2021 has been a nightmare for everyone, but we are strong and surviving.
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House passes budget resolution, committee advances funding for Postal Service vehicle fleet
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As communities across the country recover from the economic crisis and struggle to escape the pandemic, non-profit groups are working to assure that no one is left behind. Letter carriers, as federal employees, have a convenient way to help them by donating through the world’s largest annual workplace giving program, the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC).
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On Aug. 20, Elizabeth H. “Liz” Shuler was elected president of the AFL-CIO by acclamation by the AFL-CIO Executive Council to serve out the term of President Richard Trumka, who died on Aug. 5.
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NALC and the Postal Service have launched a joint pilot program designed to provide newly hired city letter carriers the opportunity to have mentoring relationships with experienced city carriers, through which feedback, coaching and positive reinforcement can be shared.
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Anthony Denucce, a Boston Branch 34 member, has an interesting talent, one that led him to perform in April for “America’s Got Talent” judges Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, Simon Cowell, and Sofia Vergara, plus a live audience, for a chance to move on to the semifinals.
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Various news stories and interesting anecdotes that celebrate letter carriers and the mail have been flying around social media.
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It’s hard to imagine a letter without a stamp, or at least it’s hard to imagine a letter being delivered without a stamp, but before 1840, stamps were not required to get a letter to its destination.
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By touching every address in the United States at least six days a week, letter carriers naturally develop special relationships with their customers.
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In the more than 18 months since the COVID-19 pandemic altered the way we think about group gatherings, NALC branches around the country have been forced to get creative to ensure that their members were still able to participate in union business and activities.
Most eligible city letter carriers will receive retroactive pay pursuant to the 2019-2023 National Agreement in their Aug. 20 paychecks.
COVID-19-related MOUs and USPS directive to continue through the end of September.
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Various news stories and interesting anecdotes that celebrate letter carriers and the mail have been flying around social media.
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It started as a favor to a friend,” Michael Mcaleer recalled, as well as out of “boredom [as a] young guy retired.”
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Various news stories and interesting anecdotes that celebrate letter carriers and the mail have been flying around social media.
Summer camp is a rite of passage for American children, and thanks to the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), NALC’s official charity, children with muscular dystrophy and other neuromuscular diseases are enjoying the experience again this summer.
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I want you to know I’m a union guy,” President-elect Joe Biden said in a Nov. 16, 2020, meeting with business CEOs Mary Barra of General Motors Satya Nadella of Microsoft and Brian Cornell of Target, as well as union presidents Richard Trumka of the AFLCIO, Mary Kay Henry of the Service Employees International Union and Rory Gamble of the United Auto Workers.
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In the summer of 2020, Amy McCurdy and her family were occupying themselves as many people were during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “We had been watching a lot of Netflix,” she said.
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Union Plus is a program founded by the AFL-CIO to provide benefit programs to union members and their families. Since 1992, Union Plus Scholarship awards have been presented annually to union members or members of their families who want to begin or continue their post-secondary education. This year, Union Plus awarded $250,000 in scholarships to 199 students representing 37 unions.
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A letter carrier’s daily talks with a young, apparently ailing child left an impression that fostered a lifelong admiration for letter carriers.
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During negotiations for the 2019-2023 National Agreement, which was ratified on March 8, NALC put forward a bargaining proposal that, if adopted, would have created a new employee mentoring program for city letter carriers.
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In 1939, a law “to prevent pernicious political activities” was passed with the goal of preventing powerful government officials from having an undue political influence on those seeking work, but the law came to infringe on the free speech rights of all federal employees including letter carriers.
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By touching every address in the United States at least six days a week, letter carriers naturally develop special relationships with their customers.
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Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces comprise almost a quarter of the membership of the National Association of Letter Carriers—active NALC members as well as retired members.
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NALC Director of Safety and Health Manuel L. Peralta Jr. and Director of Retired Members Dan Toth have announced a virtual conference for deaf and hard-of-hearing members to be held Sunday, Aug. 8, at 2 p.m. Eastern time.
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In May, NALC and USPS began jointly testing a program to help contain the spread of COVID-19 in postal facilities by taking temperatures of postal employees as they enter a facility, as well as by providing rapidresult COVID tests.
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NALC and the Postal Service have launched a joint pilot program designed to improve the experience of newly hired letter carriers and to prompt more new carriers to stick with the job.
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At the end of May, NALC President Fredric Rolando sent letters to branch and state association presidents informing them of the cancellation of the postponed 2020 National Convention.
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As part of the 2019-2023 National Agreement, Step CC of Table Three of the pay chart for city carrier assistants (CCAs) was eliminated on June 19.
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After most state associations postponed or canceled their state conventions last year, many are resuming those sessions this year.
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The number of dog attacks reported by letter carriers on their routes increased last year, and the Postal Service is continuing its efforts to help carriers avoid bites.
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In many union workplaces, noncareer employees are not eligible to join the union, vote, hold office, or otherwise participate in the governance of the union.
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Various news stories and interesting anecdotes that celebrate letter carriers and the mail have been flying around social media.
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The 29th annual Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger® Food Drive, initially scheduled for May 8, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The Executive Council is the governing body of NALC between national conventions and is responsible for determining the direction of the union.
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Since February, NALC has held four sessions of its Branch Officers’ Training and one special session of a Preparing the LM-2 class virtually for 579 branch officers.
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May was a busy month on Capitol Hill on postal issues with two bills seeing action (see page 6) and two of three postal nominations advancing.
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Following months of negotiations during a period of intense public scrutiny of the U.S. Postal Service, House lawmakers have introduced the Postal Service Reform Act of 2021 (H.R. 3076).
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We all know that working in a pandemic is not normal. We’ve cased and carried the mail as essential employees while taking precautions such as wearing masks, washing our hands frequently and disinfecting surfaces.
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Stamps.com has donated $475,000 to the Postal Employees’ Relief Fund (PERF) as part of its special promotion that latenight comedian and host John Oliver launched last year on his show, “
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The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Postal Service have issued guidance implementing the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which was signed into law on March 11.
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Since the 2020 elections, many states have seen bills introduced in their legislatures to either make voting by mail more restrictive or make it more accessible.
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After much consideration, NALC decided to cancel the Letter Carriers’ Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive for 2021 because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
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Letter carriers often spend hours in the sun while on our routes. We deal with the various hazards of the job, such as heat, cold, snow and ice, and aggressive dogs, but we can’t forget another danger: skin cancer.
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Joining NALC allows you to become part of a group of hundreds of thousands of dedicated letter carriers, united to protect their jobs and their rights, and to promote the safety and welfare of the members.
For most of its existence until 1921, NALC had struggled with management at the Post Office Department.
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Heroism, like the mail, comes in many packages—think of police officers or firefighters.
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The NALC Health Benefit Plan has issued the following statement concerning the postponement of its annual fall health seminar: “After much consideration, the NALC Health Benefit Plan, with approval from NALC President Fredric Rolando, has decided to reschedule the upcoming October Health Benefit Plan seminar.
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The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) protects the job rights of individuals who, either voluntarily or involuntarily, leave employment positions to undertake military service or certain types of service in the National Disaster Medical System.
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In sixth grade, “I picked up the trombone and thought, ‘This was it,’ ” Bradley Niblock said. “My parents will say I never put it down.”
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Various news stories and interesting anecdotes that celebrate letter carriers and the mail have been flying around social media.
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NALC has raised more than $70,000 so far in 2021, thanks to the 65 branches that have gotten us off to a great start!
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For as long as letter carriers have been delivering the mail, the Post Office has been looking for ways to speed up the delivery process, often through the use of vehicles.
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In late February, the Postal Service awarded the contract for the Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV)
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Study shows mail-in voting did not provide an advantage for either political party
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Non-career city letter carriers have existed within the Postal Service since 1970, but city carrier assistants (CCAs) are the first non-career employees with a direct path to career status.
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My grandfather was an avid beekeeper in northern Wisconsin where I grew up,” Clayton Cook said.
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Following balloting, eligible NALC members ratified the tentative National Agreement by an overwhelming margin.
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On the second Saturday in May for nearly three decades, letter carriers have collected bag upon bag of groceries donated by postal customers who leave the food at their mailboxes.
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By touching every address in the United States at least six days a week, letter carriers naturally develop special relationships with their customers.
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The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has begun implementation of a new contract to provide pharmacy benefit management (PBM) services to the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) program for all claims covered under FECA.
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Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces comprise almost a quarter of the membership of the National Association of Letter Carriers active NALC members as well as retired members.
With the recent ratification of the 2019 National Agreement, this is a good time to review how our union is structured to serve members.
Music has always been a family affair for Tim Sullivan, and the guitar in particular has always intrigued him.
A year after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic in March 2020, 529,000 Americans had died as a result of the coronavirus.
As I write this message in mid-March, it is hard to believe that it’s been one year since we began to shut down our country to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over the years, the Postal Service has introduced new vehicles, equipment and technologies for use in city delivery initiatives.
One of the most important decisions to make when purchasing life insurance is choosing a beneficiary.
We explain the grievance process and how understanding it puts letter carriers in a better position should management violate the contract
An Ohio member is featured in a CBS Sports television segment aired prior to the Super Bowl to honor him for his heroic actions on his route
How letter carriers’ fight led to a Supreme Court victory and legitimized the newly formed National Association of Letter Carriers
A Louisiana carrier tells us about his lifelong interest in filmmaking and how he’s making his dreams come true
Many organizations, including labor unions, have political action committees (PACs), which pool contributions from members and donate those funds to campaign efforts for
Every active letter carrier eligible to vote in the election to ratify the tentative 2019-2023 National Agreement between NALC and the U.S.
Every eligible active carrier will soon have a chance to vote in the contract ratification election; NALC names Ballot Committee
In the wake of a whirlwind election year, it seems likely that voting by mail will be an option for more Americans in future elections.
We explain the process of how the union engages in contract negotiations, including the role carriers play in NALC democracy.
A New York carrier tells us about her hobby of making wreaths and other crafts in her downtime.
Since USPS’s Customer Connect program began in 2003, thousands of carriers have successfully leveraged their interactions with business customers to encourage them to use the Postal Service, rather than rely on private delivery and mailing services.
Let’s face it: 2020 has been a terrible year. A deadly pandemic has cost the lives of more than a quarter million Americans and has totally disrupted our lives.
After 17 months of continued effort, concentrated teamwork and intense bargaining, even as the parties pursued a resolution through interest arbitration.
It’s the time of year for letter carriers to think about the dangers of working in winter weather.
With the 2020 elections behind us, the new landscape for letter carriers in Washington will continue to be challenging.
On a daily basis, letter carriers assist people who need help, and each year NALC highlights the special acts of courage and compassion performed.
From the wildfires in the northwest to the derecho in the Midwest to the hurricanes along the Gulf Coast.
Article 15 of the NALC Constitution sets forth rules that branches and state associations must follow to approve a change in their by laws.
Recently, I have received a variety of questions from members on various topics related to city.
I have previously written about planning for retirement from five years out and one year out.
When an assignment is temporarily vacant for five days or more, a special procedure called “
COVID-19 has affected virtually every element of legislating during the second session of the 116th Congress.
The interest arbitration case for a new National Agreement between the National Association
Doherty & Donelon Scholarships awarded Six children of NALC members to receive funding for college
Americans pause each Veterans Day, Nov. 11, to honor the men and women who have served in the armed force.
Last month, NALC and the Postal Service agreed once again to con-tinue several pandemic-related memorandums of understanding (MOUs).
The NALC Disaster Relief Foundation is providing both financial support and immediate help with basic supplies to carriers in need.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many branches have had to request dispensation to change the way they conduct elections.
The 1962 presidential order that led to NALC being recognized and negotiating the first national agreement.
Some recent stories about Customer Connect leads submitted by letter carriers that have helped USPS earn new revenue.
The platforms are finalized and voted on at the parties’ conventions. The Democratic and Republican party platforms cover a wide range of domestic and foreign policy
The new organizational structure will consist of three operating sectors: Retail and Delivery Operations, Logistics and Processing Operations, and Commerce and Business Solutions.
The United States has a rich history of tall tales: stories of the men and women who helped tame the wilderness and establish our nation. Think Johnny Appleseed or John Henry or Molly Pitcher—many of these tales are rooted in fact, even as the myths have grown larger and more unbelievable.
Letter carriers have their own tall tales of postal pioneers, those letter carriers and others who moved the mail across this wide country, delivering vital news and important materials. These tales remind us that though letter carriers today wear the same uniform and do the same job, they come from a long line of proud individuals who helped bind this nation with the mail.
In times of adversity, the country recognizes the importance of its mail and letter carriers
NALC and the U.S. Postal Service settled a national-level grievance regarding the Postal Service’s unilateral testing of Consolidated Casing
- Letter carriers killed by COVID-19
- Pandemic forces cancellation of NALC’s 2020 national convention
- Doherty & Donelon Scholarships selection postponed
House introduces fourth COVID-19 stimulus package; poll shows support for USPS; new postmaster general chosen
Former NALC Legislative and Political Assistant to the President George Gould died on April 6
White House signs third COVID-19 stimulus package into law, next package in development; states look to vote-by-mail
NALC launches “You Are the Current Resident” podcast with COVID-19 pandemic information
Letter carriers have raised tens of millions of dollars for our union’s official charity, the Muscular Dystrophy Association.