Region 5 Rap Session
Part 2: President Renfroe’s address
Thanks for snapping a pic of me asking Renfroe about management non-compliance, Colby!
National President Brian Renfroe gave us an info dump.
This address was one of the most anticipated speaking events in our Union. It was the first of the 2024 tour that President Renfroe makes, and as such it was the first address that had all-new information compared to the 2023 tour. In case you didn’t know, there are Rap Sessions all over the country and Renfroe visits each one and speaks on the subjects at hand. So far, 2023 has been rather uniform in the information we have, or haven’t had. This was an important one because it sets the pace for the rest of the year with the info he’s able and willing to give. Without further ado, let’s get into it.
Collective Bargaining
President Renfroe had a lot to say about the state of things, but nothing too specific. He addressed the length of negotiations stating that that this Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) covers the second largest Union membership in the country, that USPS has a huge pricetag associated with a new contract, and that he and his team are responsible for the “best contract available.”
Pay and pay structure is the biggest hold up, according to Renfroe. The pay tables, USPS financial situation, COLA, and more are all factors, so he let us know the angles we’re working with to bargain for better wages. Essentially, he says the NALC is working towards returning to a 1-table pay structure with pay like table 1 but the organization and structure of table 2. The bargaining team is pushing for both higher entry-level wages and top end wages, and while USPS is coming closer to what the NALC is asking for, it’s not as much as they can feel comfortable agreeing to.
Choosing an Arbitrator was a subject he gave insight into as well. The NALC needs an Arbitrator that is predictable, sees our side of the negotiations as correct, and must be experienced. That’s the ideal case. The Arbitrator selection team has been doing lots of research into the work, rulings, and methods of their chosen Arbitrator, and he stated that the NALC chose their Arbitrator within the last 24 hours of his address (which was on Feb 4). The next thing to do is schedule hearings; this will give us a timeline and pushes USPS to act in the face of a looming deadline. Renfroe states they have been preparing for arbitration for over a year and that, “We have a very strong case.”
The Interest Arbitration will include an economic proposal that will present the new pay table (and how it will work with existing carriers), include COLAs, and eliminate non-career status. This presentation will include testimony from expert witnesses in our field about our job. Months ago a sociologist was hired by the NALC to conduct interviews with the membership for this purpose. I am happy to say I was selected to participate in that process, represent our branch, and tell them about what exactly is happening in our area and how it effects us. I was very glad to hear that this is a critical part of the interest arbitration process because no-one knows our job better than us and the challenges we presently face. The economic plan will also include measures to protect us from price gouging in the uniform allowance department. Lastly, he stated that USPS and the NALC are still negotiating in an attempt to avoid arbitration. Arbitration is the Wild West; we don’t know what we’ll get until the dust settles.
Route Adjustment is something that is being addressed in the new CBA. This is great news because while TIAREAP has been a huge leap forward for the Service and the NALC, there are problems with it. The new agreement is hoping to address these issues and improve on the process. I’m excited about that because we learned a lot about the route adjustment process as it came to Springfield, and I’m optimistic about an improved process based on it. Making sure we have a voice in the process is critical, and that’s what the NALC wants.
USPS is pitching more ODL lists. They are looking to offer more flexible ODL lists for carriers with different needs. The service pitched a list that could work 16 hours a day if they signed up for it. The NALC isn’t interested in that unless carriers can walk out the door after their assignment.
Changes to Article 8 are on the table. Article 8 is about our hours of work; overtime, on/off assignment, all that. NALC wants us to be able to walk out at our maximum hours without retaliation. It’s not very likely, but Renfroe mentioned the possibility of streamlining Article 8 because it’s a wreck to read. We do need a more streamlined Article 8, any steward working clock ring grievances would love that.
Safety
Violence against carriers has been a top priority for the NALC recently. Carriers have seen a surge in violent crimes against us since 2020 because of the increase in parcel volumes, the vulnerability of city carriers, and how desirable our arrow keys are. Renfroe explained that check-washing schemes are highly organized, and that arrow key theft is as popular as grabbing it and putting it on E-Bay for a couple hundred dollars.
There were some sobering statistics about the escalation in violent crime, the low number of prosecutions, the light sentencing, and the lack of protection available to carriers. This is a real problem in other places, and while I’m glad it’s not here, it also seems like violent crime against carriers is very hard to stop. The NALC is exploring options to pitch to USPS, but the viability of these programs are a major hurdle.
One strategy is to devalue arrow keys. You may have read about it in an earlier edition of the printed Mountaineer. The plan being tested is to replace all arrow key locks with electronic locks and keys. These are time-locked, route-locked, carrier-locked keys. It’s very tech-y and quite bodacious. However, it’s extremely expensive, so we’re not looking for that to be implemented any time soon unfortunately (keep those arrow keys attached to your hip in the mean time).
A new bill is being presented to help carriers that will help secure funding for the replacement of the arrow keys though. There is bi-partisan effort and sponsorship to see this bill passed. Included in this bill would be more legal power to prosecute violent offenders and make it stick. The NALC has been working with branches to organize rallies for media publicity about the subject; a National day of action rally is on the way.
Delivering for America Plan
This was extensive and full of more nuanced talk about Shipping and Delivery Centers (S&DCs). Basically the NALC let us know that USPS is still moving forward with this and the two parties meet every two weeks to discuss the process, implementation, and more.
They talked about branches existing in the same S&DC, some being merged, and the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding moving branches into the same S&DC.
While this is being implemented in other parts of the country, it has mixed reviews. Some people really like it, others do not. There is no uniform answer on our end as to whether S&DC are great or not. New facilities are nice, of course, but adding travel time for carriers to get to work sucks.
The process for implementing S&DC has the Union very close to it. The NALC is on-site doing inspections, getting carrier feedback, and generally trying to help represent the concerns of the carriers in the building. Renfroe assured us that contractually USPS is within their right to do consolidate offices for these S&DCs, but they still must observe the contract in their implementation. This section really let us get a glimpse of the scope of this CBA, why its so important, and another element as to why it’s taking so long to come to an agreement. Most importantly, he said not to believe anything from management at the local levels because they don’t really know anything. If an S&DC is coming in our branch the NALC will reach out to us immediately.
Dispute Resolution Team
I was shocked this got its own section. Dispute Resolution Teams (DRT) are our Step B level of the grievance procedure (that’s the step just before arbitration). You know this was important because it got its own address.
Renfroe stated that joint communication with these teams were important when they were incepted. However, over the years certain challenges have arisen. Renfroe stated, and I quote, “An element of disfunction has arisen due to USPS’s lack of cooperation.” Say that again, man, because I hear that.
He went on to state that the joint grievance resolution process has become more adversarial in a very short time from USPS, and that the Executive Council is actually having meetings regarding this issue. One of the things they’ve done to help the membership is to revive “The Activist,” a publication for increased carrier education. I’m all about that, and we need it in the face of this openly hostile regime in the Postal Service.
A focus has been made on increased training from the NALC to its membership and stewards. Structured education tools have increased: comprehensive classes for Formal A, OWCP, and Arbitration Education are increasing in frequency. The NALC has gone on to assess it’s onboarding process for new stewards and representatives to increase Union activity and make it easier for carriers to step into steward and leadership roles in their branch. Online training classes are being developed as part of an e-learning platform that will be available to all NALC membership. While there is no timetable available at this time, this is massive and I’m very excited for it.
Legislative Talks
Listen, this subject is way too big for this post. If you’d like to learn about our extensive legislative activity, check it out on the NALC website here. Suffice it to say it was incredibly educational, and I signed up to donate to the Letter Carrier Political Fund.
Carrier Support
This was refreshing to hear in a big way. The NALC is implementing more programs to help carriers in need in a variety of ways. The Emergency Response Team is a program to help carriers in a general way, whether it’s for mental health, substance abuse, depression, critical injuries, and a lot more. This team is being trained to get out in the field and meet with carriers in need, and it’s from carriers helping carriers. The program will roll out in the Spring and Summer time, according to the address.
Mentoring for Women in the Union is a new program available to increase diversity and representation at the national level. This program is a fantastic structured program for women in leadership positions to mentor other women seeking to get into leadership positions. The issue of diversity at the national level was brought up to the NALC and they immediately acted to get a program in place. That’s great turnaround and listening to the membership, and I’d be happy to see more women in leadership roles for the perspective they can bring to represent our diverse membership.
Additionally, there is a new standing committee that is dedicated to the cultural diversity of our Union. Again, this is massive for the membership because this effort aims to bring more representation to the leadership level, and inform our Union in ways that it may not be presently. I’m all about each individual getting representation in our Union, and while stewards can represent someone’s rights, they can’t represent everyone’s experiences, so this is going to be fantastic. Diversity is our Union’s strength, and we can leverage it through representation.
The Wrap
There was a brief question and answer time at the end, and an award given to an exceptional carrier for being an exemplary steward and leader in his branch. I’m a fan of seeing our people recognized for their work and good reputation, I so enjoy that bit at the end. After that, we had a long drive home to digest all that was covered over the weekend.
It’s my job as a delegate to these Rap Sessions to bring back info to my branch, so I’m doing what I can. Thanks for the read, I hope it was a good one, and if you made it to the end you get 10 points. Take care, and keep delivering all that good customer bliss.