Classes of Mail

Michael joins me to talk about all the extra benefits that veterans have earned through their service. We also talk a bit about Michael's time in the Air Force.

In this episode, my lifelong friend and listener favorite Rich joins me to talk about the appeal I have right now at the National Committee on Appeals. I read the entirety of my appeal, the entirety of the branch reply, and we comment on both. Not surprisingly, we find my arguments to be more compelling. Even so, we present the other side as written, and try to give their positions fair treatment.

I'm joined by Chris Persampieri (Next Generation Carriers), Graig Samoluk (President, Branch 334), and Derek Liemohn (BFN alternate steward, and newly minted full-time regular), to discuss plans for nationwide contract rallies in February of 2026. Now is the time to get the ball rolling if we want to have a better outcome in our next contract negotiations.

There are important safety tips in this section including clarification of some controversial topics like curbing your wheels and wearing your shoulder belt.

I've decided to do a reading of the EL-814, the Employee's Guide to Safety. It's full of interesting and useful information.

Michael talks about the proper use of the route count, the one-day count, and office observations.

There is a provision in my branch's bylaws that requires a seminar to be held for anybody who's interested, if the branch pays for a person to attend any special meetings or schools. It's being ignored by my branch president. I want you to listen to the circumstances, and give me your advice on what I should do in this situation.

Michael and I finish the route protection handbook

Michael and I read from a route protection handbook. We talk about how to ensure you get all the time credit your route deserves.

Great questions. Adequate answers. And some corrections.

Results from the election, our takeaways, and our future plans.

Michael and I answer some excellent questions from the mailbag, and we talk a little bit about tomorrow's Branch 2502 election.

More questions, more answers

Michael and I share fun stories from out on the route. We need a break from all the campaigning, and you probably do, too.

The campaign is in full swing, and momentum is building for the good guys.

The Goodest Oldest Boy sent a letter to the retirees of our branch. To call it misleading is to be generous. Michael and I respond to his letter, and we elaborate of his claim that we "have no plans to make our Branch better."

Michael and I talk about the different procedures and policies that exist at installations and stations around the country, and why answering questions from the mailbag might not be as easy as we originally thought. But we still do it, because we're here to help.

Paul Boulanger and I are both passionate about education. In this interview, we talk about what the newly recreated Director of Education will actually do, and what Paul's priorities will be when he takes the helm.

Michael Brasaemle went a little nuts and paid to send out a mailer to our entire branch for our election. He printed all the flyers at home, bought nearly 2000 stamps and 2000 envelopes, and came over to my house for an envelope stuffing party. We had quite a few people show up to help. On this episode, you get to meet some of those people, and hear their stories.

UPDATE: I am running for vice president, instead of secretary. Ballots for the election in Branch 2502 are out NOW!It's been about a year since my lifelong friend Rich Vala has joined me on the podcast. It's also been about a year since my branch had its tainted election. On September 3, 2025, I accepted the nomination for Vice President for Branch 2502. Now, we need you to vote.

This episode has two topics, which wind up being related. In the first half of the episode, I get on my soap box and talk about why we, as workers, need to unite across class. We are wrongly villainizing other poor and struggling people, when the real enemy are those hoarding ludicrous amounts of wealth at the top of the class structure. (To skip this part, go to around the 12:00 mark.)The second half of the episode talks about what our diet COLAs really are. Spoiler alert: we ALL only get about 55% of the actual cost of living. The rest is supposed to be covered by our general wage increases. Obviously that hasn't been happening, and that's why we've been falling further and further behind.

Just when you thought it was safe to go to the union hall... In this episode, Michael and I talk about what happens when you have a Presidential Ruling (actually, TWO presidential rulings!) from the national president, and then your branch president decides to defy those rulings. Shenanigans ensue, people are disenfranchised, and the Goodest Oldest Boy becomes an unlikely ally. For real, hold onto your hat for this one.

Joshua Shrum joins me via Zoom for an interview. We discuss the ever-more-crowded field of postal podcasting. More importantly, we discuss Joshua's upcoming run for vice president in Branch 4374.

Please note that Article 8 is MUCH more complicated and nuanced than what Michael and I have room to describe in this episode, especially what constitutes an "opportunity." There is a fair amount of contractual ambiguity, and local custom, that all serve to muddy the waters.

David Grosskopf joins me again. He's always a great guest, and this time he's here to discuss his run for national trustee. We talk about what trustees actually do, and what his role would be on the executive council. We also discuss his recent victory at arbitration regarding scanner data.I have come up with a reference guide for Robert's Rules of Order that people can use at branch meetings. Send me an email, or reach out to me on social media, if you want a copy.

I got a letter in the mail yesterday from NALC Headquarters. It was unsolicited. As far as I knew, I had no outstanding issues pending at National. But I was wrong. it turns out my branch president tried one more hail Mary to disenfranchise the carriers in Branch 2502 by denying their right to run for office. The letter in my mailbox was an answer to that hail Mary. Guess how it went.

I ask Mike about the positions he takes in his platform. We talk about training, the grievance process, and much more.

On this episode, I read the entirety of Mike Caref's platform. This is in preparation for my interview with him, which will air the following day.

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 inspiration for anyone who is dedicated to reforming their union.

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, and people were at different volumes. I did what I could to balance things out on the fly. This is my recording of the Zoom feed, and includes a little bit of prep in the beginning, and a little bit of post-Zoom conversation at the end.

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 advice to these carriers, and advice for the rest of us if we ever wind up on the wrong end of an interview with the OIG or the Postal Inspectors.

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 [email protected]

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.