National Association of Letter Carriers

Like a beacon of hope lighting the way ahead, here comes 2022!

To all members of Branch 25, we wish you and your loved ones a very happy and healthy new year.

May the next twelve months bring you better things and see you all staying as safe as possible ...

Well, we’ve just posted several pix from the recent Branch Meeting for your enjoyment.

Boy, that food from Spinelli’s looks pretty good!

You can hit the Photo Gallery page to check them out ...

Merry Christmas to you!

To each and every member of Branch 25, thank you and congratulations on another Christmas season well done.

May you and your families enjoy a happy and healthy holiday season.

https://www.massaflcio.org/scholarships

Yes ... December, in addition to being Christmas-time, is also AFL-CIO Scholarship Time!

Follow the link above for all the relevant info you’ll need. And please keep in mind, the deadline for registration is Friday December 17th.

Best of luck to one and all ...

"If we’re serious about tackling emissions in the transportation sector you have to electrify vehicles and you’ve got to do these large vehicle fleets. This is just the supercharging of that transition."

Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA)

Language in President Biden’s social spending package will allow for the USPS to change over 70% of its delivery fleet to electric power by 2028 ... a major win for Biden and PMG Louis DeJoy, who lobbied Congress for the money.

Access the Portland Press Herald story with a simple click or tap.

Where did this year go? It’s already time to think about your health, dental & vision needs again!!!

Sunday, November 7th marks the start of the OPM’s 2022 Open Season for Federal Health Benefits. It will run through Monday, December 13th.

The annual Open Season gives federal employees, annuitants, and other eligible individuals the opportunity to review their FEHB and FEDVIP plan options, make changes, and enroll for the upcoming benefit year that begins January 1, 2022.

Please click here for a press release from OPM, which has more info for you. And have a healthy 2022 ...

From the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a D.C. based ethics watchdog group ...

A story, first reported by NBC News, details the numerous potential conflicts of interest PMG Louis DeJoy had when he assumed the reigns of the United States Postal Service back in June of 2020.

For more details, access the story in Forbes magazine by clicking right here.

In the days after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, an obscure arm of the United States Postal Service did some serious internet sleuthing ...

Well, ya learn something new every day, don’t ya?

And to learn even more about the “Internet Covert Operations Program” and its efforts in tracking extremism, you can turn to the recent Politico website post right here.

From the Center for Public Integrity, a D.C. based nonprofit news organization ...

Across the nation, an illegal, “systemic” policy to cut down on overtime hours through time card manipulation has been uncovered by federal investigators.

To read the Bloomberg News story on this situation, please click here.

Hopefully, this is not happening in your office. Hopefully, this is not happening anywhere within the communities served by Branch 25. But being aware of your hours worked and checking them diligently each pay period is the best way to guard against this problem.

If you suspect you have been a victim of this policy, please contact the Union Office at once. Keep vigilant ... it’s your money.

For your information ...

In an effort to keep ahead of the Delta Variant, the Postal Service has revised its official face covering policy.

Click this link to get yourself a PDF copy of the update.

An Ohio company is questioning the competitive bidding process in the USPS’s search for a new generation of carrier delivery vehicles.

Workhorse Group has challenged the fairness of the decision, which awarded the contract to Oshkosh Defense of Wisconsin last February.

Please click here for the rest of the story from the Arkansas Online website.

Changes, for your information ...

This PDF will explain the USPS's revised policy regarding face coverings in the work environment.

With this new policy in mind, NALC urges all members to remain diligent in their daily activities to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

NALC members that have a COVID-19 related safety concern in the workplace should notify a shop steward or branch officer and consult with a healthcare professional if he/she believes a health risk is present. As a reminder, most COVID-19 related absences will be covered by Emergency Federal Employee Leave (EFEL), which remains available through September 30, 2021.

We’re back, baby !!!

Congratulations on keeping all things Branch 25 rolling along virtually all these many months. Now, it’s high time business gets back to normal, wouldn’t you agree?

Tuesday night, June 1st @ 8:00 pm, we’ll see you all at the K of C Hall, School St. Ext. in Wilmington (... get there at 7 and grab a slice 🍕).

Good tidings continue to flow from Capitol Hill

Late last week, a companion bill to the House of Representatives effort was introduced by Senator Gary Peters (D-MI). This effort is gaining strong bi-partisan support.

Now, two pieces of legislation aiming to fix some of the most pressing problems facing the Postal Service are working their way through the halls of government.

You can get to the NALC.org story outlining this encouraging news by clicking on this link. Fingers crossed everyone !!!

Let's not pop the champagne corks just yet, but things are certainly looking up in Washington.

If advanced, the "Postal Reform Act of 2021" could deliver to the Postal Service legislative fixes it has sought for the last 15 years ... including removal of the oppressive "pre-funding" requirement for future retirees' health care benefits. You can access the story from the Government Executive website right here.

Also of note, Senate lawmakers approved Biden-nominee and former voting rights advocate Amber McReynolds to serve on the USPS Board of Governors. "Amber McReynolds is constantly asking how to make things better, how to make things more efficient, how to make complex systems simpler and more accessible and useful to people." said Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) "That's exactly the kind of experience we need at the Postal Service, especially at a time when more Americans are voting by mail than ever before."

It's that time of year ...

Today, we have an official Employee Resources handout regarding the practice of safe social distancing during a postal inspection.

Remember, knowledge is power ... at the very least, it will keep you safe and healthy.

You can access the handout right here.

NALC Branch 25 Monthly Meeting
May 4, 2021 ... 08:00 PM EST
Click Below To Join ZOOM Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88132987490
Meeting ID: 881 3298 7490

One tap mobile:
+13126266799,,88132987490# US (Chicago)
+19292056099,,88132987490# US (New York)
Meeting ID: 881 3298 7490

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbtbr7Qs1M

The current pay schedule—reflecting changes of the new National Agreement—is available in handy PDF format right here and on the "Carrier Resources" & "Steward Resources" pages of this website.

NALC Branch 25 Monthly Meeting
Apr. 6, 2021 ... 08:00 PM EST
Click Below To Join ZOOM Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85279808589
Meeting ID: 852 7980 8589

One tap mobile:
+13017158592,,85279808589# US (Wash. DC)
+13126266799,,85279808589# US (Chicago)

For your information ...

This link will get you to a PDF file explaining the current use of Emergency Federal Employee Leave (EFEL) as it applies to a COVID-19 situation.

A quick FYI ... the USPS/NALC contract for the period 2019-2023 is available on both the "Carrier Resources" and "Steward Resources" pages of this website.

Here are a pair of links for you:

First, the USPS has released their "Delivering For America" plan ... a vision of "financial sustainability and service excellence" spread across a ten-year timetable.

Second, we have the official response from the NALC regarding said plan.

Some important reading for your consideration ...

From the Massachusetts State website, letter carriers have been included under the "Transit & Transportation Worker" category.

The state website has much more info, including scheduling info, FAQ and more.

Get yours as soon as possible and remember ... all currently available vaccines are proving to be quite effective with minimal side effects.

Sixty thousand to three thousand ... now that's an unmistakable mandate.

The active NALC membership has ratified the tentative national agreement with the USPS. The new contract will cover letter carriers through May of 2023.

The NALC website has the rest of the story right here.

Sure, the current administration had a loaded plate from the moment Joe Biden walked into the Oval Office.

And over on the Hill, things are never much better ... often worse, with everything from riots to partisan rancor.

But light may finally be dawning on crucial pieces of postal legislation ... and in an unusually bi-partisan fashion.

Our "Congressional Bill Tracking" page has been updated, so you can keep abreast of all the bills and resolutions key to our cause.

For your convenience, here are some quick links to the most important ones:

• H.Res. 47 - "Anti-Privatization Act"
• H.R. 82 - "Social Security Fairness Act of 2017"
• H.Res. 109 - "Door to Door Delivery"
• H.Res. 114 - "Six-Day Delivery"
• H.Res. 119 - "Return to 2012 Service Standards"
• H.R. 695 - "USPS Fairness Act"
• S. 145 - "USPS Fairness Act"

NALC Branch 25 Monthly Meeting
Mar. 2, 2021 ... 08:00 PM EST
Click Below To Join ZOOM Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89212419952
Meeting ID: 892 1241 9952

One tap mobile:
+19292056099,,89212419952# US (N.Y.)
+13017158592,,89212419952# US (D.C.)
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kpquwNPwX

It's been a long time coming, but a new fleet of carrier vehicles is a step closer to reality.

The USPS has inked a deal with a Wisconsin company to produce the "next generation delivery vehicle" to replace trucks which have been on the road as long as twenty-years in some cases.

Oshkosh Defense will initially build as many as 50,000 of the new, right-hand drive vehicles in the first phase of the contract.

Please click here for a story from the Government Executive website.

Well, how is your 2021 going so far ???

Now that we've had a bit of time to wrap our heads around the events of the last three months, postal reform remains a primary issue for all of us. Hope does remain alive after the lost years of the last administration.

Please click here for an article from Bloomberg.com which looks at what that reform may look like going forward.

BTW, doesn't the new President look good in that classic uniform?

Enjoy the game this weekend !!!

NALC Branch 25 Monthly Meeting
Feb. 2, 2021 ... 08:00 PM EST
Click Below To Join ZOOM Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82324909250
Meeting ID: 823 2490 9250

One tap mobile:
+13126266799,,82324909250# US
+19292056099,,82324909250# US
Find your local number: https://us02Web.Zoom.us/u/kcj3tqq81

"Letter carriers, like our fellow American citizens, are diverse, opinionated and passionate about their values and politics, which NALC appreciates and celebrates. But a line has been crossed that can never be excused, accepted or repeated."

NALC President Fred Rolando

Please click here to read NALC President Fredric Rolando's thoughts on the insurrectionist takeover of the U.S. Capitol building on Wednesday afternoon.

Here (and on the "COVID-19 Updates" page), we have the latest FAQ sheet from the CDC.

Click right here to download the PDF. Keep up-to-date on the info you can use.

We have the latest USPS COVID-19 contact tracing material available on the website. This includes guidelines from the CDC and all related documentation needed in the event of a suspected COVID exposure situation.

Click here to download.

Stay alert, stay informed ... stay safe !!!