After conclusion of the evidentiary hearings by the panel of three disinterested members, the panel submitted its report and recommendations on each of the four charges to the Executive Council in accordance with Article 10 of the NALC Constitution. On April 25 and 26, the Council met in Washington, DC to review and discuss the panel’s report and recommendations on each of the four charges. After review of the panel’s findings, the Council voted on each of the charges as follows: 

• For the charge alleging “Neglect of Duty,” the NALC Executive Council found President Renfroe not guilty.
• For the charge alleging “Circulating False or Misleading Statements about a NALC Officer,” the NALC Executive Council found President Renfroe not guilty.
• For the charge alleging “Conduct. Impaired driving after hours in a NALC owned vehicle,” the NALC Executive Council found President Renfroe guilty.
• For the charge alleging “Abandoned Position and Dereliction/Neglect of duty,” the NALC Executive Council found President Renfroe not guilty.

 Article 10 of the NALC Constitution states:

“If the Executive Council finds the officer guilty, it shall be empowered to remove them from office, or impose such other penalty as it may deem appropriate.”

For the one charge in which the Council voted guilty, the Executive Council voted to revoke, for the period of one year, the driving privileges of President Renfroe in any NALC owned vehicle, in addition to any rental vehicles for conducting union business. President Renfroe will also record a public service announcement, in collaboration with the Director of Safety and Health and Director of Health Benefits about alcoholism and driving under the influence.

This decision of the Executive Council is subject to appeal to the National Convention in accordance with Article 10 of the NALC Constitution.

Carol Ford-Duncan

Vincent Walsh, a member of Boston, MA Branch 34, passed away on Jan. 17, after collapsing while on duty. Brother Walsh was 66 years old with 40 years of service as a letter carrier.

Gary Tompkins, a life member and former vice president of Lansing, MI Branch 122, passed away on February 5. He was 80 years old and was a NALC member for 55 years. Brother Tompkins is survived by children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Gary will be greatly missed by his family, friends and fellow letter carriers.

Damian Dunning, a member of Chicago, IL Branch 11 died on March 3 after being shot. Brother Dunning was 41 years old with 8 years of service. He was survived by an 8-year-old son.

San Diego, CA Branch 70 member Gerald Duenas died on March 20 while on duty of natural causes.  Brother Duenas was a letter carrier for 18 years. He was 55 years old.

Jay Larson of Rockford, IL Branch 245 was among the victims of a stabbing spree that occurred in a Rockford neighborhood on March 27. He was killed while on duty delivering mail to customers on his route. Brother Larson was 49 years old and had served his community as a letter carrier for 25 years. Jay is survived by his mother, siblings and other family members. He was greatly loved and appreciated by both his colleagues at the post office and his customers in the community, and he will be remembered for his unfailing positivity and kindness. Residents of Rockford, IL organized a display of blue balloons on their mailboxes in his memory, and Larson was further honored with a ceremony at the Harrison Avenue Post Office and a city-wide procession. 

 Gary Robinson, a member of Carmel, IN Branch 888, passed away on April 1 following a car accident. He was 71 years old. In addition to being a NALC member for almost 43 years, Brother Robinson formerly served as Branch Treasurer and a steward for his fellow letter carriers. Gary carried mail for 36 years before retiring. He is survived by his wife and four children.

Carmel, IN Branch 888 gold card member Robert Spears passed away of natural causes on April 10. Brother Spears, a Navy Veteran, was a member of NALC for 50 years and previously served as Branch President and a member of the Indiana State Executive Council. He is survived by his wife and children.

Joseph Morris, retired Regional Administrative Assistant in Region 14, passed away on April 17. He began carrying mail in 1969 and was a member of Boston, MA Branch 34. Brother Morris was 75 years old, and is survived by his wife, Shirlee.

Seattle, WA Branch 79 member and Shop Steward Teresa Danning passed away on April 18. She was 49 years old and served as a letter carrier for 23 years.

“NALC is deeply saddened by the deaths of these letter carriers,” NALC President Brian L. Renfroe said. “On behalf of NALC, I recognize their decades of service and send my deepest sympathies to their families, friends and fellow letter carriers.”

AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Fred Redmond, TTD President Greg Regan, and two letter carrier attack victims also spoke at the event.

This bipartisan legislation would provide $7 billion in funding for the Postal Service to secure its infrastructure, including the installation of high-security collection boxes and the replacement of items carried by letter carriers with more secure electronic versions. The funding would be appropriated over five years, $1.4 billion annually in fiscal years 2025-2029. When key infrastructure is devalued and more secure, letter carriers will be safer on their routes.

Additionally, the legislation would increase prosecution rates for these crimes by requiring the Attorney General to appoint an assistant U.S. attorney in each judicial district to prioritize any case involving an assault or crime against a letter carrier. Their principal responsibility in the district would be to coordinate and supervise the investigation and prosecution of these crimes.

The bill would also strengthen sentencing guidelines for these crimes, ensuring that they are treated in the same manner as assaults on federal law enforcement officers.

Since 2020, there have been more than 2,000 crimes committed against letter carriers on the job. Many of these attacks involve a gun or another weapon. Letter carrier robberies climbed to 643 last year, an increase of nearly 30 percent, and the number of robberies resulting in injuries doubled, according to the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).

“The rise in robberies and violent assaults being committed against letter carriers in recent years is deeply concerning and Congress must act to ensure their safety,” Rep. Fitzpatrick said. “I am proud to be leading this bipartisan effort, which provides necessary resources to protect our dedicated letter carriers while making sure we are punishing criminals to the fullest extent of the law. The men and women of the postal service are often the backbone of a community, and they work hard around the clock, rain or shine, to deliver essential goods, and I will always have their back.”

“Our letter carriers are such a big part of our lives, and we have to keep them safe. This bipartisan effort will do just that,” Rep. Landsman said.

“I urge the House to pass this bill that would protect the nation’s letter carriers who dutifully deliver medications, checks, ballots, packages, and other essential mail that all Americans depend on,” President Renfroe said.

TAKE ACTION

Click here to ask your member of Congress to cosponsor the Protect Our Letter Carriers Act.

Click here for the fact sheet.

For the dispute regarding Caser/Streeter, M-02000 in NALC’s Materials Reference System, the parties agreed the test has concluded and that the data collection and testing did not involve or result in any changes to current work measurement systems, work, or time standards. The test also did not result in any permanent changes to the current route structure or route evaluation and/or adjustment process in the city letter carrier craft. As a result, it was agreed to close this case without prejudice to the position of either party in this or any other matter. Additionally, any remaining issues will be subsequently resolved in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement.

For the grievance regarding the expiration date of the October 22, 2008, MOU Re: Assignment of City Delivery (M-02001), the parties agreed the expiration of the MOU coincides with Arbitrator Das’ interest arbitration award dated January 10, 2013.  It was agreed that any new delivery growth which was improperly assigned during the timeframe in question, November 20, 2011, through January 10, 2013, will be properly reassigned.

All cases being held pending resolution of these national-level disputes will be reviewed for application of these settlements. The Materials Reference System can be found under Workplace Issues on the NALC website, nalc.org.

Arbitrator Nolan is a member of the American Arbitration Association’s labor panel and has been a full-time labor arbitrator since 1976, serving for many years as a national arbitrator on the NALC/USPS panel. In 1985, he was selected for membership in the National Academy of Arbitrators, and eventually served as its president in 2006. Arbitrator Nolan served as the parties’ neutral arbitrator in the interest arbitration proceedings for the 2019 National Agreement, which were near conclusion when the parties reached a negotiated settlement late in 2020. 

As final preparations for interest arbitration are made, NALC and the Postal Service continue to negotiate in an attempt to reach a tentative agreement. Further updates will be provided as the collective bargaining process moves forward. 

Walsh’s name will be sent to the Senate in order to fill one of two seats on the BOG vacated Dec. 8, 2023, when the terms of Captain Lee Moak and William Zollars expired. Walsh is a Democratic nominee. The administration has not yet put forward an intended nominee for the vacant Republican seat.

In accordance with the Postal Reorganization Act, the president nominates the nine-member BOG, which is responsible for overseeing the executive management of USPS. By law, no more than five members can be affiliated with the president’s political party.

President Biden previously nominated Walsh to serve as the secretary of labor, and he led the agency from 2021-2023. Prior to service as labor secretary, Walsh served as Boston’s mayor from 2014-2021. Walsh is a second-generation member of the Laborers’ Local Union 223. He currently serves as the executive director of the National Hockey League Players’ Association, the union representing players in the National Hockey League.

The next step for Walsh’s nomination is for it to officially be sent to the Senate to be considered by the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Once advanced by the committee, his nomination needs to be approved by a Senate majority to be confirmed.

President Biden’s announcement comes while NALC has a major ask pending at the White House regarding the misallocation of the Postal Service’s retirement fund obligations. For more than 52 years, this unjust burden has affected the Postal Service’s finances, resulting in a loss of more than $90 billion.

President Biden has full legal authority to stop the raid on the postal pension fund. By directing the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to implement a new and fair methodology, President Biden could right this wrong with one simple executive action and safeguard the Postal Service’s financial stability. This is NALC’s top priority with the White House.

“Marty Walsh is a great friend of letter carriers and the NALC. His life’s work is to better the lives of working people. We look forward to his contribution to strengthening the Postal Service for years to come following his confirmation to the Board.” NALC President Brian L. Renfroe said.

While we are excited about Secretary Walsh’s upcoming nomination, NALC’s focus with the administration is to end the continued failure to fairly value the Postal Service’s pension assets. President Biden can and should stop the raid of the CSRS fund immediately by instructing OPM to implement the widely accepted and recommended valuation methodology.”

Click here to contact White House officials and ask them to stop the raid on the postal pension fund.

Branch presidents may begin registering their MBA Representative for the training through the branch president’s Members Only page. The registration directions are below.

As a reminder, the delegates at the 2022 convention in Chicago amended the constitution to require every branch to have an MBA Rep as an officer in their branch. If you do not currently have this position, you may still assign up to three members to attend this training while you go through the process of updating your branch by-laws to add the MBA Rep officer position.

The class will begin at 2 p.m. eastern and will be one and a half hours long.

NALC has developed the ability to create a registration and training gateway through the “MEMBERS ONLY” portal on the NALC website.

Registration

Once a meeting has been scheduled through the “MEMBERS ONLY” portal, branch presidents will need to register their members in order for them to attend. To access the registration option, branch presidents can go to the NALC website and log on to the “MEMBERS ONLY” portal. Once logged on to the “MEMBERS ONLY” portal, click the “Meetings Registration” button, which will display a list of upcoming meetings. From there, presidents can register a member(s) by entering their last name in the “Search” box and selecting the correct member from the drop-down list. A member can also be removed from the “Registry” list by checking the box under the delete column next to the corresponding member. Branch presidents will not be able to register more than the maximum number of attendees per branch or exceed the maximum number of attendees for that session. The maximum number of registrants per branch and for the session, as well as the registered-to-date counts, are displayed on the registration screen.

Training Materials

Training materials and other pertinent information may be supplied for each session in the form of PDF documents. These documents will be available to registrants on their “MEMBERS ONLY” page. The documents can be printed, copied, and/or saved.

Accessing Meeting Information and/or Joining the Meeting

When a registered member wants to access training materials, view topics, or join a meeting, they can go to the NALC website and log on to the “MEMBERS ONLY” portal.  Once logged into the portal, the member will press the “Meetings” button, which will display a list of those meetings the member is registered to attend. For each meeting, there will be three buttons: the “Documents” button will give the member access to the training materials; the “Topics” button will give the member access to a list of topics (if any); and the “Join” button.  The “Join” button will appear 10 minutes prior to the start time on the day of the meeting.  If you log into the “MEMBERS ONLY” portal sooner than 10 minutes prior to the start of the meeting, you will need to exit to the home page and re-enter to access the “Join” button. Once you select the join button, you will be taken to a WebEx website titled “Starting your meeting…”.  Scroll down to select “Join from your browser.”  When joining, the member will be prompted to enter their name and email address in order to attend the meeting. Proceed by selecting the “next” button followed by the “Join Meeting” button.

This is an urgent issue. All four postal unions are urging the Biden Administration to act quickly and remedy this unfair misallocation. Learn more at stoppostalraid.com.