Classes of Mail

Michael talks about retirees. I tried to stop him. He also talks about the recent testimony of PMG Steiner before Congress.

Sometimes I think about what it would have been like if I would have realized earlier in my career that I don't have to run, that if I just do the job the right way, it can be low stress. It took me fourteen years to come to those realizations. Ryan Akers figured it out MUCH faster. He joins me on this episode to talk about what it's like being a newer carrier who actually knows his rights. [I for...

These are key provisions. We cover the fact that you are NOT an on-call employee! We also go over the rules governing overtime, out-of-schedule pay, and more.

Howard Komine came to Vegas to campaign with the CLC at my branch meeting. I was fortunate enough to meet up with him at his hotel for an in-person interview. This is Howard's first podcast interview, and he did GREAT! In this episode, he talks about his role as a trustee, how he runs his own branch, and why the oversight a trustee provides is so vital to our union.

Well, well, well... the shoe is on the other foot! Michael Rivera is a reformer from Branch 70 in San Diego who found himself in the national spotlight (at least among reform-minded podcasters) when he brought charges against NALC President Brian Renfroe; and then brought charges against the entire Executive Council. Michael recently ran for office in his own branch, and found what he believes to...

James Henry visited my branch last week, and he brought the energy! I found his speech to be heartfelt, enthusiastic, and indicative of where his mindset is. If you've only heard James Henry on podcasts, you owe it to yourself to give this a listen. I have the audio from his speech, and I also talk a bit in the beginning and end about what it was like to have him there in person, along with Howard...

There were some articles in the December 2025 Postal Record that are relevant to issues important to Michael and me. We discuss them.

Sometimes when you fight, you lose. Michael and I discuss what happened with our appeal, and why it's important to fight, even if you sometimes lose.

My surgery is now behind me, and things appear to be going well. I have my first follow-up in a few days, so this is everything I know as of the date of recording.

This episode is by request, from our friends in New York City. Michael bring the hits with some of his favorite grievance wins. It's a fun list, and the last grievance is a banger.

Mike Caref joins me to talk about the enormous grievance settlements that featured in the Office of the Inspector General report that was released earlier this year. We discuss some of the specific grievances, and the specific payouts. More generally, we go over what it takes to get management to actually comply with the contract.

This one's a little dry. But it does contain some gems that shed light on the fact that Brian Renfroe has no intention of getting rid of the CCA classification.

We drop the educational portion of the podcast, to bring you this very special episode of Classes of Mail. We get to hear Michael Brasaemle's story: how he came to the United States from Korea, his time in the Air Force, and his path through the USPS. It's an amazing story.6

Michael came up with a route inspection checklist that's aimed at CARRIERS (not stewards). It's filled with a ton of useful advice on how to make the most of your route inspection, and how to give your steward as much ammunition as possible for any grievances after the fact.

Michael and I talk news! A final kidney update before my surgery, and the two topics mentioned in the title. For the attendance interview, we go through all the questions in an investigative interview template that has been circulating on social media, to be used against carriers who use their earned benefit of sick leave. We have suggestions on how to answer these awful questions.

Lino Miranda came on to Classes of Mail to talk about the two documentaries he's produces, which expose the Post Office's systemic delay of deliverable mail. We talk about the reaction he got, the legalities of recording on postal premises, and the harm done by the delay of mail. Finally, we talk about CREA, Lino's artificial intelligence grievance research tool.

OK, the first one wound up being pretty well received, so Michael is back for more. In this episode, Michael talks about unadjudicated discipline, deems desirable, and much more.

Bill Kriebel talks about his run for NBA in Region 12.

Holy moly this article is LONG! This section covers transferring to other installations, and the conversion of CCAs/PTFs to full-time regular. It also covers the prohibitions on crossing crafts.

Michael and I read the remainder of the OIG report on grievances. This episode covers the OIG's recommendations, and the Post Office's response.

In this episode, Michael and I read the OIG report that discusses how much money management wastes by not following the contract. During the 3-year period the OIG investigates, it totaled A BILLION DOLLARS!

This episode is what Classes of Mail is all about. We do a deep dive into the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) Section 508. In this section, we learn about what makes a proper mailbox, how we're supposed to handle "refused" mail, what we do when a person doesn't pick up their vacation hold in a timely manner, and SO MUCH MORE!

Michael and I talk about what we have planned for the LA Convention, and a few other items of interest.

We skip Article 6, which is about layoffs. The short version is that we're protected from layoffs. Article 7 is much more relevant, and much longer. Today, we get through all of Article 7.1, which covers the CCA category of employees.

I open the show by explaining WHEN outgoing mail gets its postmark dates. It's handled by a machine called the Advanced Facer Canceler System. Then I get into how that machine actually works. Finally, I answer a question from the mailbag about Commercial Mail Receiving Agencies (like the UPS Store), and what we're supposed to do with their mail. This episode kind of gets into the weeds, and that's...