GROW. RISE. TOGETHER.
Despite the challenges of Covid, we have a lot to be proud of: Essen- tial workers had carried our country through some of its most vulner- able moments. As essential work- ers, letter carriers played a hugely important role during that time, delivering vital goods to a country in lockdown, and delivering bal- lots and democracy during one of the most consequential elections of our lifetimes. And, following years of letter carriers educating Capitol Hill, NALC succeeded in passing the Postal Service Reform Act, which eliminated the unfair burden of pre- funding retiree health care costs, integrated Medicare for future an- nuitants, and codified six-day deliv- ery into law. Still, we knew there would be more work ahead. Main subjects of focus at the Chicago convention were concerns about the Postal Ser- vice’s implementation of its new 10-year plan, preparations for our upcoming round of collective bar- gaining, the need to address under- staffing and high turnover nation- wide, and the crisis of democracy our country was facing. We have made progress in each of these areas, and other long-term NALC goals, in the last two years. • The Postal Service’s 10-year strategic plan, the Delivering for America plan, is more than three years into implementa- tion. NALC has worked to ensure city carriers’ interests are pro- tected throughout this process. We were heavily involved in the design of the new Next Genera- tion Delivery Vehicles (NGDVs), we have addressed issues with the opening of every sorting and delivery center (S&DC), and we continue to improve the new employee training program ad- opted by USPS. • We opened bargaining with the Postal Service in February 2023. Despite a robust national economy and tight labor mar- ket, USPS’s long-term financial losses created challenges in the
In this issue President’s Message
Volume 136/Number 3
March 2023
1
National Officers 28 Branch Election Notices 53 Branch Items 54
The monthly journal of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LETTER CARRIERS
OPENING OF NEGOTIATIONS
NALC, USPS formally begin bargaining talks — PAGE 4
process. But we looked at this as an opportunity; through a fair contract, the Postal Service could strengthen the letter car- rier workforce, and in turn, bol- ster the Postal Service’s ability to achieve the goals in its 10- year plan. As we have in recent rounds of collective bargaining, we agreed to remain at the table with postal management as long as the prospects remained for reaching a tentative agreement that met our goals. Through it all, we fought for a contract wor- thy of our craft’s contribution to this great public service. • We sought to resolve staffing shortages caused by long-stand- ing managerial shortcomings and a labor market transformed by the COVID-19 crisis. We nego- tiated multiple memorandums of agreement with the Postal Ser- vice to implement an all-career model in hundreds of installa- tions around the country, and we
The Postal Record 19 August 2024
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