Letter Carriers elect reform slate
Milwaukee, WI – Following the convention of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) in August of this year, NALC held their election for national and regional officers. These officers are elected to 4 year terms and cover the 277,000 current and retired letter carriers across the United States and its colonies.
Letter carriers have endured ever-increasing pressure from USPS management in the form of escalating and arbitrary discipline, routes being removed and consolidated, forced overtime, and constant threats of privatization. This election was seen as a referendum on the long-reigning leadership of NALC, who many in the Concerned Letter Carrier (CLC) slate of NALC have seen as establishment bureaucrats.
“This election means a lot to carriers who have craved change for years. We’ve seen contract after contract that are meant to shut us up, not truly change things for the better,” said Russell Cutter, a letter carrier from Milwaukee.
Sitting President Brian Renfroe was booed, jeered and faced criticisms from all corners of the country represented at the convention. Renfroe’s tenure was marred by two lackluster contracts that led to little progress, collaboration with management and wage increases that failed to track with inflation. In the face of these challenges, he declined to run again and set the stage for an election between his establishment compatriots, headed by Nicole Rhine, and the Concerned Letter Carrier slate headed by Vice President James Henry.
CLC’s platform revolves around ending disparities among the Letter Carrier rank and file. The CLC’s focus is on returning to a single pay-table, ensuring that all USPS letter carriers are career employees with full access to benefits, addressing an ever-increasing backlog of disciplinary issues, labor board charges and grievances, as well as protecting the rights and benefits of retirees. Rhine’s slate and platform held many of the same positions, but had not been established until the election, raising concerns for some letter carriers about the seriousness of that slate’s commitment to these ideas.
The election’s turnout of around 60,000 dues-paying carriers was relatively low despite a protracted campaign season that saw candidates self-funding travel across the United States and its colonies. Puerto Rico was a point of focus, where recurring natural disasters and the lack of infrastructure investment by the federal government make USPS delivery difficult.
On October 23 the results of the election were announced. Of 25 contested leadership seats, the CLC won 6 out of 10 of the executive positions including President, Executive Vice President and Secretary-Treasurer. They also won 2 of 3 Trustee positions and 6 of 12 contested National Business Agent positions. Letter Carriers have long demanded change, and while this may only be a step towards that change, letter carriers who voted for the CLC believe it provides a strong base for the union to alter its “business as usual” mentality and grow into a fighting union.