Volume 134/Number 5 May 2021 In this issue President’s Message 1 National Officers 35 Branch Election Notices 55 Branch Items 56 The monthly journal of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LETTER CARRIERS G THE NEW IN VE- I G IN IMPLEMENT IN COLLECT —PAGES 12-19 BARGA AGREEMENT InstallInstall thethe freefree NALCNALC MemberMember AppApp forfor youryour iPhoneiPhone oror AndroidAndroid smartphonesmartphone As technology increases our ability to communicate, NALC must stay ahead of the curve. We’ve now taken the next step with the NALC Member App for iPhone and Android smartphones. The app was de- veloped with the needs of letter carriers in mind. The app’s features include: • Workplace resources, including the National • Instantaneous NALC news with Agreement, JCAM, MRS and CCA resources personalized push notifications • Interactive Non-Scheduled Days calendar and social media access • Legislative tools, including bill tracker, • Much more individualized congressional representatives and PAC information GoGo to to the the App App Store Store oror GoogleGoogle Play Play and and search search forfor “NALC “NALC Member Member App”App” toto install install for for free free President’s Message American workers need the PRO Act lthough the NALC was sions of a Union Buster: “Union busting is a field populated by founded in 1889, it bullies and built on deceit. A campaign against a union is an was not legally recog- assault on individuals and a war against the truth. As such, it nized as the exclusive is a war without honor. The only way to bust a union is to lie, representative of city distort, manipulate, threaten, and always, always attack. Each Aletter carriers until June 1962, ‘union prevention’ campaign, as the wars are called, turns on when they voted for NALC in a na- a combined strategy of disinformation and personal assault.” tional union recognition election, This behavior is wrong and must be stopped. called for by an executive order (EO) signed by President John That is why NALC and the AFL-CIO are working with the Biden F. Kennedy. There were a dozen administration and congressional leadership to support enact- postal unions at the time, and ment of the Protect the Right to Organize Act—the PRO Act. The every postal employee was sent bill, which already has passed the House of Representatives a ballot to vote for which union and has 45 co-sponsors in the Senate, would make union elec- they wanted to represent them. tions fairer by prohibiting employers from forcing workers to City carriers overwhelmingly attend “captive audience” meetings, where employers issue chose the NALC. We had the veiled threats and present anti-union propaganda to pressure freedom to choose for ourselves. workers to vote against the union. It will modernize our labor The Post Office had no say in the laws by stiffening penalties for employer violations to bring Fredric V. matter, because the EO specifi- them in line with other workplace laws, and by imposing finan- cally prohibited any agency “in- cial penalties on companies and individual corporate officers Rolando terference, restraint, coercion or who violate the law. This will end the epidemic of lawlessness discrimination” with regard to by America’s wealthiest and most powerful corporations, as employees’ union preferences. well as by their consultants and lawyers. That neutrality holds to this day; when men and women be- Once workers vote to form a union, the PRO Act will require come postal employees, they have the right to join their postal the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to order that the union free of employer meddling. employer commence bargaining a first contract. These orders would be enforced in district courts to ensure swift justice, Sadly, this basic workplace freedom is denied to tens of thereby outlawing company stalling tactics. The PRO Act also millions of American workers, which we once again witnessed will establish a process for mediation and arbitration to help last month when Amazon, among the world’s most power- the parties achieve a first contract—the process of interest ful corporations, crushed a union-organizing campaign at its arbitration that has worked well for letter carriers and other distribution center in Bessemer, AL. Fewer than half of the postal employees for decades. And it will restore the effec- plant’s 5,800 workers felt it was safe to participate in the elec- tive right to strike in the private sector and strengthen unions tion—and those who did rejected representation by the Retail, by preventing employers from hiring permanent replacement Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWSSU) by a ratio of workers and banning state “right-to-work” laws that have been 2-1. Amazon used a huge financial war chest and a variety of used to weaken unions by allowing free riders to benefit from tactics (both legal and otherwise) to intimidate workers and collective bargaining without paying union dues. Finally, it will convince them not to form a union, which the RWDSU cited in stop employers from misclassifying workers as “independent an April 16 filing to overturn the results of the election. contractors” to prevent them from forming unions and enjoy- Now, imagine what it would have been like for our members ing workplace protections like unemployment insurance and if the Post Office had been allowed to insert itself into the 1962 workers’ compensation benefits. referendum. What if it had brought in hundreds of union-busting consultants to roam mail-processing plants and delivery units In short, the PRO Act would extend to our friends, family and hold one-on-one meetings to denounce the NALC and other members and neighbors all the basic freedoms we enjoy as postal unions with lies and misinformation? What if managers postal employees and NALC members—the freedoms of a had held repeated, mandatory group meetings during work voice on the job, a seat at the collective-bargaining table and hours to mislead workers about collective bargaining and union the dignity of a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work. Labor law dues? What if they produced slanderous videos and posted reform is long overdue in our country. NALC is committed to anti-union posters all over our workplaces, including in bathroom working with our brothers and sisters in the U.S. labor move- stalls—or had sent anti-union advertisements to our homes? ment to urge the Senate to adopt this urgently needed workers’ That is what Amazon did, and it is what most private em- rights bill. ployers do when workers decide to exercise their right under federal law to form a union. It is standard practice. As a famous union-busting lawyer once admitted in a book called Confes- May 2021 The Postal Record 1 Cover illustration by Jim Starr National Association of Letter Carriers, AFL-CIO Contents Since 1889, representing city letter carriers employed by the United States Postal Service. Volume 134/Number 5 May 2021 100 Indiana Ave. NW Washington, DC 20001-2144 202-393-4695 | nalc.org RESIDENT OFFICERS FREDRIC V. ROLANDO MANUEL L. PERALTA JR. President Director of Safety and Health BRIAN RENFROE DAN TOTH The monthly journal of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LETTER CARRIERS Executive Vice President Director of Retired Members LEW DRASS JAMES W. “JIM” YATES Vice President Director of Life Insurance NICOLE RHINE Mutual Benefit Association Secretary-Treasurer 202-638-4318 PAUL BARNER STEPHANIE M. STEWART Assistant Secretary-Treasurer Director, Health Benefit Plan CHRISTOPHER JACKSON Health Benefit Plan Director of City Delivery 888-636-6252 BOARD OF TRUSTEES LAWRENCE D. BROWN JR. 774 Valencia Street Los Angeles, CA 90017 MIKE GILL MACK I. JULION 18682 SW 93 Court 3850 S. Wabash Ave. Cutler Bay, FL 33157 Chicago, IL 60653 NATIONAL BUSINESS AGENTS Region 1: BRYANT ALMARIO Region 9: LYNNE PENDLETON (California, Hawaii, Nevada, Guam) (Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, 3105 E. Guasti Road, Suite 200 South Carolina) Ontario, CA 91761 1101 Northchase Parkway SE, Suite 3 909-443-7450 Marietta, GA 30067 678-942-5295 Region 2: NICK VAFIADES 22 (Alaska, Utah, Idaho, Montana, Region 10: JAVIER BERNAL Oregon, Washington) (New Mexico, Texas) 5115 NE 94th Ave., Suite A 23760 Hwy. 59 North Departments Features Vancouver, WA 98662 Kingwood, TX 77339 360-892-6545 281-540-5627 1 President’s Message 4 News from Washington Region 3: MICHAEL B. CAREF Region 11: MARK CAMILLI 3 Letter from the Editor The White House releases the FY (Illinois) (Upstate New York, Ohio) 4979 Indiana Ave., Suite 203 5445 Beavercrest Drive, Suite 7 4 News 2022 budget outline and announc- Lisle, IL 60532-3848 Lorain, OH 44053 32 Proud to Serve es an infrastructure and jobs plan; 630-743-5320 440-282-4340 34 Retiree Reports meanwhile, the House passes the Region 4: DAN VERSLUIS Region 12: BRIAN THOMPSON 35 Executive Vice President PRO Act and introduces the Public (Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, (Pennsylvania, South and Central Oklahoma, Wyoming) New Jersey) 36 Vice President Servants Protection and Fairness Act 12015 E. 46th Ave., Suite 550 Four Neshaminy Interplex, Suite 111 Denver, CO 80239 Trevose, PA 19053 38 Secretary-Treasurer 8 CCA: The bridge to career 720-828-6840 215-824-4826 39 Assistant Secretary-Treasurer We take a look at city carrier as- Region 5: MICHAEL BIRKETT Region 13: VADA E. PRESTON 40 Director of City Delivery sistants’ path from non-career (Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas) (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West 42 Director of Safety and Health carriers to full-time regulars 1828 Craig Road Virginia, Washington, DC) St. Louis, MO 63146 P.O. Box 2660 43 Director of Retired Members 314-985-8040 Ashburn, VA 20146 44 Director of Life Insurance 12 Implementing the contract 703-840-2010 Following ratification of the new Region 6: TROY CLARK 45 Director, Health Benefit Plan National Agreement, the process (Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan) Region 14: RICHARD J.