Classes of Mail

This is one of the most informative episode's I've ever done. Ron Speakman is an absolute treasure. He shares his knowledge about the worker's compensation system, and talks about what to do if you're injured on the job. Don't miss this one.

We get a few updates from Michael and from me. We announce our candidacy in the upcoming rerun of our tainted branch election, and we talk about some of the problems of mandating.

I received a letter from Brian Renfroe today, answering my question of whether it's permissible for me to be nominated for a branch officer position in our upcoming re-run election, AND to be nominated to serve as a steward. Turns out, yes. Yes it is. This ruling will strengthen involvement and democracy in my branch, which is a good thing.

I'm back from vacation! I'll probably talk about Peru at some point, but right now it's time to talk about my other big passion: education.

Michael and I answer questions from listeners.

Michael joins me in studio to talk about the importance of filing preventative grievances. Most of our grievances are reactionary, responding AFTER the damage has been done. Michael makes the argument that there is a role for grievances before the harms to carriers become great.

Carlton and Brian lost their bid to overturn the status quo in their branch election, but that doesn't mean they're giving up. I talked to them about their effort to update their branch's bylaws, the underhanded methods the good ol' boys use to thwart their efforts, and what the future looks like for their reform movement. Despite the discouraging subject matter, this episode serves as an inspirat...

This was a BANGER of a Zoom meeting! Michael and I took part in a national Zoom meeting with a bunch of other podcasters, and special guest Manny Peralta (Director of Safety). John Murphy did a great job of collecting questions about safety issues that affect all letter carriers. I know it's a long episode, but it is very much worth a listen. Sorry about the sound levels. It was recorded off Zoom,...

It's been a while since we've looked at the platform for the Concerned Letter Carriers. In this episode, I will read the platform as published on the CLC website, and comment on it. There have been some updates, and some other planks are out of date. I'll go over the things I agree with, and some parts of the platform that I think are lacking.

David Grosskopf, president of Branch 3 in Buffalo, joins me to talk about investigations being conducted against carriers by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG). Carriers have been tampering with their scanners in an attempt to disable the tracking and communication features. This is getting carriers is MUCH deeper trouble than any initial infraction they were trying to cover up. David gives...

Two of the smartest and most insightful union members I know, have finally gotten together to talk shop. Don't miss this one! Also, we recorded a second episode, which will be released by Delivering Solidarity.

Michael and I have received a certified letter from the National Committee on Appeals, and once again, they have ruled in our favor. If you're keeping score at home, that's ANOTHER sweet victory for our branch's reform movement, and another loss for the good ol' boys who have been running our branch into the ground.

I am stoked to have Rob Kosier on the podcast. As candidate for Director of City Delivery, Rob's focus is on education. Not just for stewards, for ALL carriers! Rob and I talk about some of the reforms we'd like to see within our union's education system, improvements to the Carrier Academy, and changes to our current culture of "good ol' boys" and gatekeeping.

Michael and I answer some questions that were submitted to classesofmail@gmail.com

Things get a lot more lively in this episode. Eric and I share some of our experiences, which helps to enrich the class. At the end of the episode (around the 45:00 mark), Eric gives some legislative updates.

Following up on a topic from last episode, Michael is in studio to talk about the process of writing contentions. We discuss what "contentions" actually are, how to create them, and why they're vitally important to your grievance.

Michael joins us in studio to talk about the goings-on at our last branch meeting. Of greatest importance, our branch passed the motion for the special meeting... OVER THE OBJECTION of our branch officers! Once again, our branch officers have stood against the will of the folks who put the mail in the box. And once again, we carriers won the day.

We're joined by Fred Woodley, host of Delivering Solidarity and president of Branch 385 in Youngstown, Ohio. Fred and I did back-to-back interviews on each other's podcasts, so you should head over to Delivering Solidarity and download that one, too.

This is the module that was the impetus for the very existence of this podcast. We'll learn about the different classes of mail. They fall broadly into two categories: preferential and non-preferential. Today we learn the difference between the two, and what that means to us as carriers.

Michael is back in studio to set the record straight on the timeliness of the request for information. He's fired up!

Michael Rivera joins us from San Diego to talk about the charges he filed against Renfroe and Barner, the dismissal of those charges, and his follow-up charges against the entire Executive Council. We go over the constitutional process, the duties and obligations of our national officers, and the express will of the members of the NALC.

Credit where credit is due: the branch officers are making more of an effort to abide by our bylaws. It's highly satisfying. This episode also includes a few corrections, and an important announcement right at the beginning.

My branch has proposed some bylaw changes. Turns out they're a lot more interesting than I initially thought. TO BE CLEAR, I am fine with the proposed changes. But the way it was presented... Well... Give it a listen.

Michael talks to us about the process of filing a grievance at the Informal A level. I ask lots of questions. (Let's assume I'm asking the questions as a courtesy to our listeners, rather than because of my boundless ignorance.)

The Goodest Oldest Boy wrote an article about us in the state newsletter! We're famous! Michael and I read the article, and respond to it.