Letter Carriers in Milwaukee rally on National Day of Action for a new contract
Milwaukee, WI – On the morning of October 14, 40 letter carriers, their families, other union members, and community supporters gathered outside the downtown center for the United States Postal Service (USPS). The rally was called for by the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 2, and it was held in conjunction with many other actions by other branches of the union across the country.
The focus of the action was primarily the national contract for the letter carrier craft. The NALC and USPS have been negotiating for nearly two years. Rank-and-file members of NALC have been frustrated with the lack of transparency and updates on negotiations from national leaders like NALC president Brian Renfroe. These frustrations came to a head at the union's recent national convention, where Renfroe would have been removed from office on counts of neglect of duty and conduct unbecoming of an officer, but political savvy and manipulation of procedure allowed him to escape that fate. A reform movement is brewing.
Other points of emphasis were more local in scope, addressing issues of widespread and rampant wage theft of carriers across the broader Milwaukee area, as well as major issues of harassment and lack of respect for carriers from management.
Will Shroeder, a steward out of the North Milwaukee Station, served as emcee for the event, leading the crowd with a rousing speech and chanting.
“We’re out here today to demand a contract. We shouldn’t have to be out here fighting for ourselves as we’ve recently passed a resolution that would force national to put on public contract campaigns as well as an open bargaining resolution, but national has continued to leave us in the dark and give us empty promises. It’s been 500-plus days since our contract has expired and that's 500 days too many – especially when our membership has no clue as to what Renfroe and the USPS are up to behind closed doors,” Shroeder said.
He continued, “We’ve had record inflation over the last two years and our union has been incapable of providing for us and our families and we need to let them and the USPS that enough is enough and that we want a contract now!”
The rally featured speakers from Teamsters Local 344, AFSCME Local 526, and the American Federation of Teachers Local 212. Members of the Amalgamated Transportation Union Local 998 and the International Association of Machinists were scattered throughout the crowd, demonstrating working class solidarity.
After the speeches, the assembled crowd picketed outside the downtown office, chanting for an end to wage theft and for a new contract and greater respect.
Mere days after the National Day of Action, a tentative agreement between NALC and USPS was announced. The agreement, lauded by the sellout Renfroe as an historic achievement, has come under intense fire from rank-and-file members for its concessions and paltry wage increases. The next step in this process is a national vote on the contract. A vote no campaign coordinated by the reform oriented Build a Fighting NALC (BFN) is anticipated.