I had three pages of information, opinions, and ideas to report to you in this article, but upon reflection, why write all that because it all broke down to this; if you, each and every letter carrier, does not make one simple decision, what I have to write won’t make any difference to thousands of you because you won’t be in this union anymore.  Those thousands won’t be in this union because you have to work for the Postal Service to be in the NALC, and you will not be working there. More

 What a great place to hold a National Convention!  Delegates were blessed with WONDERFUL weather – what a great break that was from the hottest Texas Summer in 120 years.

Our newly elected National President, Fred Rolando, did an exceptional job conducting the convention.    More

An agenda for a middle-class economy:

Supporting MDA

Telethon appearances: NALC President Fred Rolando and letter carriers representing the top fund-raising branches in the country will present a check for $1.9 million to the Muscular Dystrophy Association during the 2010 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon this weekend. Click here to find out more.

On the record: NALC President Rolando testified before a congressional committee hearing on the Postal Service's action plan for the future, which includes the possibility of cutting a day of mail delivery service each week. "We think this would be a blunder of the first order—saving very little money and risking the loss of much more revenue over time," he said. Click here to read his complete testimony

Bills advancing: After reports confirmed that the USPS was overcharged anywhere between $50 billion and $75 billion for pension costs related to service performed by the taxpayer-supported Post Office Department before 1971, Rep. Stephen Lynch introduced H.R. 5746, a bill designed to help correct this error. Click here to read more

A threat to our collective bargaining agreement: Meanwhile, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) has introduced H.R. 5919, a bill the NALC feels would give the USPS authority to randomly assign 12 furlough days a year, thus directly interfering with our collective bargaining agreement. We will continue efforts to pass H.R. 5746 since it would provide the Service with significantly more financial relief than H.R. 5919 would, with no impact on letter carriers' pay and benefits.

You can help 'Save Saturday Delivery': The NALC has launched a nationwide campaign to stop the USPS from making "a big mistake." You can do your part by submitting comments to the Postal Regulatory Commission's website. Click here to find out how.

Now accepting applications: NALC Executive Vice President Gary Mullins is now taking application forms for the 2011 Leadership Academy classes. To be eligible for next year's training, forms must be postmarked by September 30. Click here to learn more about the Academy. Please note: Previous applicants must reapply and include updated information, along with renewed commitments from their mentors. Download the application form

The NALC's legislative and political action blog

H.R. 5746 co-sponsors: 51

Financial reform legislation advances: A House subcommittee has voted 8-1 to support H.R 5746, the bill introduced July 15 by Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) to address the Postal Service's financial problems. If passed, the bill would implement many of the Postal Regulatory Commission recommendations. It now goes to the full House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The NALC is now calling on all legislative activists to recruit co-sponsors for H.R. 5746.

H.R. 173 co-sponsors: 240

Wait just a second: Remember, only Congress can authorize any reduction in the number of delivery days—and so far, 239 House members have signed on as co-sponsors of H. Res. 173, "expressing the sense of the House ... that the United States Postal Service should take all appropriate measures to ensure the continuation of its 6-day mail delivery service." Has your rep signed on? Click here to find out how you can contact your rep and find out if they're with us in our fight to prevent a potential Postal Service death spiral.

Record collected in 2010 food drive: Americans donated a record 77.1 million pounds of food to help "Stamp Out Hunger" this year in the annual Letter Carriers National Food Drive. Read more

Branches ready to 'Bust a Billion': With just days to go until the 18th annual "Stamp Out Hunger" NALC National Food Drive on Saturday, May 8, letter carriers are stepping up preparations to break the billion-pound collection milestone, with a boost from celebrities, a race car driver, and an offer of some tabulation help from global consulting firm Accenture. Click here to find out more. | NALC Bulletin