Today, NALC President Brian L. Renfroe testified before the House Subcommittee on Government Operations at a hearing on mail theft and crime.

In his opening remarks, President Renfroe set the tone with a clear message. “To protect America’s mail, we must start with protecting the people who deliver it,” he said.

While once rare, Renfroe explained that these crimes and assaults have been on the rise in recent years. He urged Congress to pass the bipartisan Protect Our Letter Carriers Act (H.R. 1065/S. 463), referencing the five letter carriers who have been tragically murdered on the job in the last few years, the thousands of other letter carriers who have been victims of crime, and the alarmingly low conviction rates for these cases. 

Regarding the Postal Service’s Project Safe Delivery plan, Renfroe said NALC supported the initiative and the work of the Postal Inspection Service, but that “the scope of the problem has severely outgrown their capacity to protect us.”

“We can’t wait for another letter carrier to be murdered or more violent federal crimes against civil servants who serve the American people every day to decide it’s finally time for legislative action. The time is now,” he said.

Renfroe reminded the subcommittee that this is “not a partisan or political issue” or “a finger pointing exercise or blame game.” 

“It is a problem that everyone should recognize and be 100 percent behind addressing. No one wants violent crime in their neighborhood,” he added.

Renfroe emphasized that protecting letter carriers must be a top priority. “Letter carriers want nothing more than to serve our people, but we must be protected. And the people that commit these crimes must be arrested, prosecuted, convicted, and sentenced.”

The subcommittee also included witnesses Brendan Donahue, Inspector in Charge at the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Julius Rothstein, Deputy Inspector General at the U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General; Frank Albergo, President of the Postal Police Officers Association; and Anthony Holloway, Chief of Police at the St. Petersburg, Florida Police Department.

Overall, questions focused on types of mail theft, what is driving an increase in these crimes, the role of postal police officers, Project Safe Delivery, and what more can be done to protect mail and postal employees.

In his opening remarks, Chairman Pete Sessions (R-TX) recognized that criminals have increasingly targeted letter carriers, referencing an 845 percent increase in letter carrier robberies from 2019 to 2023.

In his questioning, Ranking Member Kweisi Mfume (D-MD) emphasized that mail theft is about more than data. “It’s also about human beings who are on the other side of the equation. We refer to them as letter carriers. They work day in and day out to make sure that the service that we’ve come to take for granted is still there,” he said.

Ranking Member Mfume then asked Renfroe how the current postal lock and key system works. Renfroe explained the issues with the current method, referenced the Postal Service’s modernization efforts, and explained that passing the bipartisan Protect Our Letter Carriers Act is the most efficient way to modernize all postal locks and keys.

President Renfroe’s full testimony is available here.

“Reaching a House majority sends a clear message that any privatization proposal would be dead on arrival in Congress,” NALC President Brian L. Renfroe said. “This milestone comes at a critical time, only a few days after the new postmaster general started his tenure.

“This majority threshold should remind the administration, private shippers, and members of Congress who have not yet signed on that Americans have no appetite for privatization. They trust the Postal Service and their letter carriers. They want the agency to succeed. That starts with ensuring USPS remains an independent, non-taxpayer-funded, nonpartisan agency.”

While we celebrate this achievement, there is still work to do to increase House co-sponsors and reach majority support for the Senate companion resolution, S. Res. 147. Click here to take action.

“Letter carriers should be proud of their hard work to reach majority support in the House,” President Renfroe said. “Let’s work together to continue that effort in the Senate and keep fighting like hell to reach a majority in both chambers.”

On Dec. 12, 2024, NALC joined the APWU, NPMHU, and NRLCA in a national-level arbitration concerning employees who had been separated after completing probation due to an unfavorable NACI (National Agency Check with Inquiries) background check.  The background checks are conducted by the Postal Inspection Service (PIS) and are standard for all newly hired postal employees.

The dispute escalated to the interpretive step after management argued that the separations were "administrative" and not subject to arbitration, claiming they were based on failure to meet a condition of employment rather than disciplinary action. However, the unions contended that once an employee completes probation, they are entitled to the full protection of the collective bargaining agreement, including the right to challenge terminations.

Arbitrator Newman rejected the Postal Service’s claim that the separations were outside the scope of the contract, noting that the National Agreement does not exclude such disputes from arbitration. She emphasized that the only explicit exclusion from grievance applies to probationary employees. In addition, Arbitrator Newman maintained that the Postal Service must prove it had just cause for the separation, as required by Article 16 of the National Agreement. Read the award here: C-37276.

Branch Officers Training sessions consist of three and a half days of educational seminars tailored to assist branch presidents, vice presidents, treasurers, recording secretaries, financial secretaries, and trustees in the performance of their duties.

Branch Officers Training covers the basics for financial officers: reporting to the Department of Labor; fiduciary duties under the Landrum-Griffin Act; bonding of branch officers and IRS reporting requirements.

Additional training topics include the NALC Constitution and branch bylaws; branch operations and identifying branch policies; maintaining accurate and complete meeting minutes; member notification requirements; record keeping; branch elections and branch dues and how to read a dues roster.

The registration form for the training will be included in the next NALC Bulletin. Branches and State Associations must use the registration form to register for the class.

Note: Do not make airline reservations until you receive an acceptance letter, as the training has limited space. For budgeting purposes, the daily room rate for the training in Boston is $299 single/double plus tax. 

The Postal Service has informed NALC that the eliminations of Table 2 Steps AA and A were completed and put into effect on July 12, 2025 (PP 16-2025). In conjunction with the elimination of Steps AA and A, all city carriers in those steps were advanced to Step B and began a new 46-week waiting period to be completed before advancing to the next step.

Retroactive (back pay) provisions

USPS has also confirmed that back-pay calculations are still ongoing, and payments are expected to be seen in the Aug. 29 paycheck. The retroactive pay will include Nov. 18, 2023, and Nov. 16, 2024, general wage increases (plus the 1 percent additional increases for city carrier assistants on those dates) and the first four cost-of-living adjustments for career carriers.

Click here for more information.

Of particular note to letter carriers, the final package was stripped of any provision that would negatively impact letter carriers, our bargaining rights, and the postal network. 

In the last two months of congressional consideration, many direct threats were proposed. These included increasing Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) contribution rates as high as 15.6 percent, calculating annuities based on the high-5 average salary instead of the current high-3, eliminating the FERS Special Annuity Supplement,  forcing new federal hires to choose between at-will employment or an increased FERS contribution, imposing a fee for Merit Systems Protection Board Claims and Appeals, taking back unspent funds designated for USPS electric vehicles (EVs) and requiring the agency to sell all its EVs and associated infrastructure, and attacks on other federal employees’ collective bargaining rights.  

Ultimately, NALC successfully got all threats directly targeting letter carriers removed.

"Letter carriers' activism and NALC's strong bipartisan relationships helped us defeat devastating provisions for current and future letter carriers,” NALC President Brian L. Renfroe said. “We successfully delivered a powerful message to Capitol Hill. When lawmakers come after our 295,000 members’ jobs, retirements and futures, we say, 'Hell no!'" 

Overall, H.R. 1 claims to cut government spending. However, it allocates billions of dollars for border security, immigration enforcement, and defense measures and makes permanent President Trump’s 2017 tax cuts while extending corporate tax breaks. All the while, the measure limits eligibility and funding for Medicaid, student loan repayments, and clean energy tax credits. The bill is estimated to increase the deficit by $3.3 trillion over 10 years and cost $507.6 billion over the same time.  

“While the White House and some in Congress may claim victory following today’s passage, the real victory is NALC fending off innumerable attacks on our retirement benefits and the postal vehicles we desperately need in a massive bill that guts working families,” Renfroe said. “This legislation prioritizes corporations and the wealthiest Americans, instead of the workers who keep this country running.

"I am proud that NALC members came together and fought like hell to defend what we’ve earned, deserve and were promised. Unfortunately, this process is expected to happen again later this year for the next fiscal year. NALC members are ready to fight like hell, just as we do every day to protect each other."

The budget reconciliation process allows Senate Republicans to bypass Democratic opposition and advance President Trump’s sweeping tax, immigration, energy, and healthcare agenda with a simple majority, rather than the usual 60-vote threshold.

Notably, thanks to NALC’s efforts, two major attacks on letter carriers that were proposed during the Senate process were ultimately removed from the package.

Increasing the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) contribution rate to 15.6 percent for all postal employees hired after Jan. 1, 2026, and taking back any unspent funds designated for USPS electric vehicles (EVs) and requiring the agent to sell all its EVs and associated infrastructure were removed.

“I would like to thank every letter carrier who contacted their members of Congress to help us win this fight,” NALC President Brian L. Renfroe said. “While the process is not over, this is a major step forward to guaranteeing our retirement benefits stay off the table and the new postal vehicles we desperately need are protected. This victory is a powerful reminder of what’s possible when our union comes together and fights for what is best for every letter carrier.”

During the vote-a-rama, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) introduced an amendment of the idea that had already been shut down: rescinding any unspent funds for USPS EVs. The amendment failed.

Overall, H.R. 1 aims to cut government spending while extending corporate tax breaks. It would make permanent President Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, which are set to expire at the end of the year. The package allocates billions of dollars for border security, immigration enforcement, and defense measures while limiting eligibility and funding for Medicaid, student loan repayments, and clean energy tax credits. The bill is estimated to increase the deficit by $3.3 trillion over 10 years and cost $507.6 billion over the same time.

H.R. 1 now heads back to the House, where the margins are razor thin. Members of the House Freedom Caucus, as well as moderate Republicans, have already expressed reservations about the Senate-passed bill, which includes notable changes from the House version that passed on May 22. These changes include increasing the debt limit by $5 trillion instead of $4 trillion, increasing the state-and-local tax (SALT) deduction cap to $40,000 for five years, instead of permanently, and making permanent several business tax cuts that were temporary in the House bill.

The House is expected to vote on the bill as early as tomorrow to meet President Trump’s July 4 deadline.

NALC will keep letter carriers informed as the process progresses.

Brother Barbuzzi began his career as a letter carrier in 1987 and joined Massachusetts Northeast Merged Branch 25. He quickly engaged in union service, becoming a steward and sergeant-at-arms for his branch in 1992. Barbuzzi went on to serve his branch as assistant secretary, secretary, and executive vice president. NALC President Vincent Sombrotto appointed Barbuzzi as a district co-leader in the Joint Route Evaluation Program in 1993. He also served as an arbitration advocate and as a B Team backup member. He was elected branch president in 2011, a position he held until he was appointed as a regional workers’ compensation assistant (RWCA) for Regions 11 and 14 in 2023. He continued to serve in his role as RWCA after retiring from the Postal Service in March 2023.

In November 2023, Brother Barbuzzi was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Despite the diagnosis, he continued to serve the union and his fellow letter carriers with unwavering dedication. He attended last year’s National Convention and, more recently, traveled to Ohio to fulfill his commitment to train representatives on workers’ compensation procedures.

Brother Barbuzzi is survived by his wife, Jean; sons Domenic and Anthony; three grandchildren; and many loving family members.

A fighter until the very end, Dave lived and served his union in a way that exemplified passion and integrity. As one of his favorite singers once said, he did it “my way.”

“On behalf of the NALC, I am grateful for Brother Barbuzzi’s many years of devoted service as a leader, mentor, and friend to his fellow letter carriers,” NALC President Brian L. Renfroe said. “He will be greatly missed, and we send our deepest sympathies to his family, friends, and colleagues.”

“This is a disgusting attack on future letter carriers,” NALC President Brian L. Renfroe said. “Our work is harder than it's ever been, and this is nothing more than a significant pay cut for future letter carriers. We will not stop fighting until this ridiculous proposal is shut down.”

Take action

Call 833-545-2657 or visit NALC’s Legislative Action Center.

Today, NALC President Brian L. Renfroe testified before the House Subcommittee on Government Operations at a hearing on the future of the Postal Service.

President Renfroe began his opening remarks on a solemn note, honoring Jacob Taylor, a letter carrier from Lone Star Branch 132 in Dallas, TX, who died on the job last week. Renfroe’s testimony emphasized the numerous job hazards letter carriers face, including the strenuous nature of extreme heat and crime, explaining that letter carriers must be protected in all circumstances.

“If Congress wants to help the Postal Service, I urge you to do everything possible to protect letter carriers and all postal employees, implement necessary financial changes, and guarantee the Postal Service remains an independent, non-taxpayer-funded public service it has been for the last 55 years,” Renfroe said. “If the American people’s mail and packages are to be protected, the people who deliver them must first be better protected,” he added.

With the hearing focused on the future of the Postal Service, Renfroe emphasized the critical need for Congress and the administration to address Postal Service finances, specifically calling for proper calculation of the Postal Service’s pension liabilities and allowing USPS to invest its retiree health benefit funds more responsibly.

With regard to the Delivering for America plan, Renfroe said that “modernization is long overdue. One of the primary challenges of such a transformation is maintaining and improving service as a massive network is modified.”

The subcommittee included witnesses Jim Cochrane, CEO of the Package Shippers Association; Elena Spatoulas Patel, Assistant Professor at the University of Utah’s Marriner S. Eccles Institute for Economics and Quantitative Analysis; Mike Plunkett, CEO and President of the Association for Postal Commerce; Thomas Schatz, President of Citizens Against Government Waste; and Paul Steidler, Senior Fellow at the Lexington Institute.

These stakeholders’ interests align more with private shippers, ultimately motivated by profit.

“When Congress seeks to make changes or understand the operations of the Postal Service, I urge you to come to us – the people who work within the system every day and are invested in the service we provide to the American people,” Renfroe said.

The hearing was particularly relevant as the incoming postmaster general, David Steiner, is set to lead the agency in a few weeks. His leadership comes with many uncertainties.

“While NALC has reservations about the USPS Board of Governors' selection for postmaster general, guaranteeing that the Postal Service remains an independent, non-taxpayer-funded, non-partisan agency is key. We fulfill a universal service obligation that no other private shipper does, could, or would fulfill.”

Overall, questions focused on the Delivering for America plan, potential impacts of privatization, cost savings, upholding the universal service obligation, the structure of the Postal Service’s leadership, and more.

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) asked Renfroe why a stable Postal Service workforce is important. He emphasized that the “stability of the workforce has gone a long way to building the trust that Americans have in letter carriers and the Postal Service.”

Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) began his questioning by thanking Branch 1091 letter carriers in his district. He then pointed out the difference between private businesses and public services and asked Renfroe how postal privatization could affect customers. Renfroe explained that any effort to privatize would “erode the universal service obligation” Americans depend on.

In his closing remarks, Chairman Pete Sessions (R-TX) thanked postal workers for their contributions and acknowledged the thousands of postal workers working in extreme temperatures as a heat wave sweeps part of the country.

President Renfroe’s full testimony is available here.