Code (Lite) Blue: A Postal Podcast

Make sure to check out the podcast, "Classes of Mail," for all the backstory on the March 11th, 2026 episode titled, "Charges Against Michael Rivera," as well as the June 2nd, June 5th, and the upcoming episodes that are now available on YouTube for a full scope on the story out of NALC Branch 70 in San Diego, CA.  This episode covers my appeals against the charges from Branch 70 with a bit of add...

Brace yourself: It's a long one. This is a slightly abridged version of the Election Appeals, one of three that were shared to the membership via Facebook, which led to Article 10 charges against the appellants, a violations of labor rights under LMRDA.  Special thanks to Classes of Mail, Next Generation Carriers, and Table Two Ticket for the platforms, the support, and the clips used in this epis...

One Year Later...  A call to action to the rank and file of the NALC. Thank you for listening!

This episode wraps up the Exhibit A series with a reading of the Executive Council's response to the charges and the full rebuttal that was submitted. All six original charges are now on record. We end with a direct call to action for NALC members to get involved and hold leadership accountable.

In this episode, we close out the original set of Article 10 charges filed on April 3rd with a pointed examination of Charge VI, a charge that calls into question President Renfroe's overall readiness and fitness to lead the National Association of Letter Carriers, as well as Executive Vice President Barner. 

The curious case of Paul Barner is explored, where a man who had a hand at the elusive Rolando proposal failed to disclose it, placing himself in the same corner as President Brian Renfroe. The signs of collusion, of suppression, is made clear. 

We start the episode with a revelation from the Matty Rose report; one that can have dire consequences for an already beleaguered NALC Executive Council. We then read Charge IV of Exhibit A (the original six charges) We cite the Nolan Award and lay out, clear as day, that mediation, not arbitration, had been done. The members of NALC were deprived their right to receive the agreement for ratificat...

We examine Charge II of the original six Article 10 Charges, in which President Renfroe violated Convention Resolutions 12 and 22, failing to provide the NALC membership regular collective bargaining updates.  

A ship without a compass. That was the situation in which the NALC was in over the two years of clandestine collective bargaining. We dive deeper into how President Renfroe seized control of the narrative, dismissing alternate proposals, shutting out the will of the members, and stalling arbitration. Framed as a quest for a "historic agreement," the truth was far more cynical: a deliberate effort...

We open the Exhibit A series by reading Charge I of the original Article 10 charges filed on April 3, 2025. We follow that up with reading a key portion of the Weir Report, which confirms the existence of a Rolando/Barner proposal. A proposal that was inexplicably tossed out by President Renfroe, and one that its details were never disclosed to the membership.

In this very short episode, we reflect and prepare to revisit the early warning signs, the roots of the constitutional crisis: the original six charges filed on April 3rd, 2025. 

The final charge accuses the NALC Executive Council of illegally rewriting Article 10 by dismissing charges without investigation or Convention approval. Their April 16 vote bypassed both process and precedent, creating a dangerous new standard where officers can nullify the Constitution without member consent. Included is a reading of the Final Statement of the Article 10 charges filed on April 2...

This charge alleges that the NALC Executive Council ignored a formal request for constitutional interpretation - a separate duty outlined in Article 9. Regardless of their vote on the charges, they were required to respond to key questions. Their silence constitutes a separate and serious breach of duty. 

Charge IV explores the direct role NALC President Brian Renfroe and Executive Vice President Paul Barner played in orchestrating the dismissal of charges against themselves. It highlights contradictions between Renfroe's own 2023 due process rulings and his 2025 actions, framing this as a knowing effort to suppress accountability with Council complicity.

This charge outlines how the NALC Executive Council's actions - including procedural manipulation, failure to investigate, and dismissal of charges - directly undermined the NALC Constitution and eroded member trust. It frames this not as a mistake, but as conduct that harms the union itself.

Charge II accuses the NALC Executive Council of acting as a bloc to suppress accountability, shield Renfroe and Barner, and dismiss serious allegations without constitutional justification. Evidence includes testimony from NBA Mike Caref and VP James Henry, showing that the process was politically driven and predetermined. 

This episode covers the first formal charge of the April 23, 2025 filing in which the NALC Executive Council, led by President Renfroe, violated Article 10 by dismissing the charges without investigation, hearing, or recusal. It details the April 16, 2025 emergency vote, which was convened by Renfroe despite being the subject of the charges - a profound breach of due process and executive ethics.