GROW. RISE. TOGETHER.
helped to uphold American democ- racy in two national elections by delivering at-home ballots. This was not easy. We also faced the increasingly difficult challenge of attracting suf- ficient applicants for letter carrier jobs at the starting wage at that time. This significantly affected our ability to properly staff post offices and ultimately deliver the nation’s mail. The staffing short- ages, coupled with the influx of parcel volumes, changing tech- nology and heightened customer expectations, had made our jobs more challenging and demanding. Letter carriers were working harder and longer hours than at any other point in our history. Additionally, crime against let- ter carriers was on the rise. The repeated attacks against our mem- bers were horrific and unaccept- able—and unfortunately meant that crime had become a deterrent in an already difficult environment to at- tract letter carriers to join the Postal Service. Economic conditions made it even harder for USPS to hire. As bargaining opened in the spring of 2023, unemployment rates were at a 50-year low and the number of available job openings in the American economy had hit historic levels, giving job seekers plenty of options. As a result, private-sector wages had soared. This economy had been good for organized labor in the private sec- tor. In 2022, unions secured the highest pay raises in more than 30 years—when most unions have not enjoyed the consistent wage in- creases that have been reflected in NALC’s collective bargaining agree- ments over this period. In 2023, newspaper headlines were full of news of major union victories. Unions won historic gains for all kinds of workers, including teach- ers, airline pilots, amusement park workers, screenwriters, movie and film actors, and medical center em- ployees. The United Auto Workers’ (UAW) wins against the “Big Three”
automakers and the Teamsters’ (IBT) win against USPS competitor UPS were particularly exciting for NALC. UAW had won historic raises and the elimination of a lower-tier position created after the 2008- 2010 auto industry crisis. And IBT had similarly won sizable raises. However, despite the booming economy and clear arguments for the increases in pay letter carri- ers deserved, the Postal Service itself was in a very different posi- tion. Despite record-breaking in- creases in parcel revenue during the pandemic and the repeal of the pre-funding mandate in 2021, higher-than-expected costs due to high levels of inflation, significant investment in new infrastructure related to the DFA plan, and the costs associated with high levels of employee turnover all contrib- uted to the Postal Service report- ing a loss of $6.5 billion in fiscal year 2023. But we looked at this as an oppor- tunity: Through a fair contract, the Postal Service could strengthen the letter carrier workforce, and in turn, bolster the Postal Service’s ability to achieve the goals in its 10-year
The opening of negotiations
The Postal Record 21 August 2024
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