National Association of Letter Carriers

Branch 25 gives out two (2) separate scholarships annually in the amount of $1,000 each. These scholarships are administered by the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. Any graduating children of Branch 25 members are eligible to apply for one of these scholarships.

Applicants must register online at www.massaflcio.org/scholarships no later than 5 PM on Friday, December 20, 2024. Exams will be online and available starting Monday, February 3, 2025. All students will take the test at their high school. The school will determine the testing dates and times. All study materials are available at www.learnlaborhistory.com.

The NALC also gives out five (5) $4,000 scholarships nationally. The deadline to apply for those is December 31, 2024 and more information on those can be found at www.nalc.org/member-benefits/benefits-formembers/scholarships. Please call the branch office with any questions.

“The most consequential election of our lifetime ...”

Perhaps you’ve heard those words lately.

A bit dramatic? ... I suppose it depends on your sense of history.

One thing is certain this year, it’s not a time to sit by the sidelines. If you’ve voted already, thank you. If not, spend some time this weekend and think about your decision. Then, get out there Tuesday and make your voice heard.

May of 2023 ... seventeen months.

A long time to be working without a solid contract in place.

As of Friday afternoon, both the USPS and the NALC have finally come to a tentative agreement. This deal, which will need to be ratified by union membership, will run through November of 2026.

More details can be accessed right here on CBS News.com.

A heartfelt congratulations to both sides ...

Based on mailing issues which presented themselves during previous elections, including the 2024 primary season, there have been some doubts as to the ability of the USPS to handle the coming storm of mail-in ballots this November.

Reports have numbered the amount of mail-in ballot requests at more than 40 million nationwide. This is, to be sure, a daunting number. But those at the very top assure us that the USPS is up to the task.

One thing we can ALL do is submit your mail-in ballots early ... the earlier the better! With the stakes so high this time, it just makes sense to not procrastinate here. You may find some useful information here at USA.gov, regarding absentee voting and vote-by-mail issues.

For more info on this, please check out this story from Forbes.com

The trend of letter carrier assaults came much too close to home on Tuesday morning, but the outcome was as good as we can hope for.

As reported by local news, a Tewksbury carrier had a gun pointed at her around 11 a.m. that morning. Luckily, she was able to quickly put her vehicle into drive and flee the scene. Tewksbury Police are reporting no arrest has been made as of yet, but a good picture of the offender is being circulated.

The good news here is that no harm came to the carrier. She went home that afternoon, and that’s the best we can hope for in these situations.

Please keep alert out there! Whether in a small town or a large city, these types of incidents don’t seem to be going away just yet.

We here at NALC Branch 25 offer our heartfelt condolences to the family of a Chicago-area letter carrier, fatally shot while delivering her route. Our thoughts also go out to all of her brother and sister carriers at Branch 11, Chicago.

Octavia Sawyer Redmond, 48, was assaulted late Friday morning outside of her vehicle, shot multiple times. She was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. The ABC affiliate has more details right here.

This sad incident is the latest in a distressing trend of violence against letter carriers. Doing the dance between vigilance and paranoia adds one more unnecessary layer of stress upon all of us. So ... what can you do? Do your level best to be fully aware of your surroundings at all times. Always, always have your phone on your person. Have 911 on speed dial if it makes you feel more secure. Just be careful ... obvious words, but that’s all you really can do.

Be safe out there!

Please ... let’s not even talk about the recent story coming out of Florida regarding heat exposure protections and certain short-sighted government officials.

The more reasonable minds among us know just where the temps are headed. After all, it’s “Global Warming”, not “Global Cooling”, right? Politicians from our own Attorney General Campbell up to President Biden are working to address the problem of summer heat exposure in the workplace.

What can we do? What we’ve always done. Be smart! Be aware! Have plenty of water on hand at all times on the hot days. On your routes, know where you can duck inside for a few moments of cool relief. Don’t push yourself on the savage days ahead!

To the right side of our very own homepage, there is a link to the official OSHA Heat Safety App for your iPhones & Androids. Note, there have been some recent issues with the data sources for this app, but NOAA is aware and is addressing the problem. The National Weather Service has a webpage that addresses heat issues ... worth a look.

Be careful out there this summer! Oh, and one last word ... GATORADE!

Please excuse the Indiana Jones reference ... couldn’t pass it up.

5,800 ... that was the number of dog bites nationwide for the year 2023. As in years past, dog owners neglecting to secure their pets when answering the door to receive a package, sign for a certified or any manner of interaction with their friendly letter carrier can add undue and unneeded stress to your job.

Make sure that you have “situational awareness” at all times! Dogs, bless them, are only doing what dogs do. So keep your pepper spray handy at all times. And not just in the summer months ... make sure you are vigilant all year long.

I've said it in this space more than once and I'll say it again ... it’s a very fortunate carrier who doesn’t have a dog attack story to tell. Dare to be one of the fortunate ones!

How time flies ...

The 2024 NALC Food Drive is right around the corner. This coming Saturday, May 11th, we will do our part to help “Stamp Our Hunger” across these United States.