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The National Association of Letter Carriers recently held its 68th biennial convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where more than 7,000 delegates gathered to discuss the union's priorities and the future of the United States Postal Service.

The union challenged political leaders and postal management for their myopic approach to the Postal Service's financial challenges. In his keynote address, NALC President Fred Rolando said management has just one vision for the USPS: "Cut service. Cut Saturday delivery. Close facilities. Cut the workforce. Reduce wages and benefits. Contract out. Shrink, shrink, shrink ourselves."



The theme of the convention was "Delivering for a World of Change". In outlining the union's plan to transform the USPS, Rolando rallied the members by saying NALC "will be either the agents of change, or the victims." NALC has proposed a plan to grow the Postal Service's activity beyond its traditional core business, to become a leader in parcel and package delivery and to explore other innovative uses of the postal network. Ron Bloom, the industry restructuring expert whom NALC has retained as a consultant along with Lazard, presented the findings of their due diligence report on the Postal Service. Current management's strategy of "shrink to survive" is doomed to fail, Bloom said. Instead, the Postal Service should focus on seizing new business opportunities, particularly by leveraging its unrivaled first and last-mile networks.



The convention featured a strong international presence from UNI and its affiliates. Denis Lemelin, President of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, attended the week-long convention and delivered a spirited message of solidarity on behalf of his union. CUPW and NALC are linked by a common struggle, Lemelin said, to fight for their members and provide quality service to the public. Ruben Cortina, UNI Americas President, addressed delegates about the postal situation in his home country of Argentina and called on letter carriers to continue their fight in the US. He shared stories of union victories in Latin America despite long odds, like the recent successful organizing campaigns in Walmart stores. Geoff Bickerton, CUPW's director of research and UNI's Stephen DeMatteo held a workshop on the state of global postal services.



An impasse was declared in NALC's bargaining with the Postal Service this year. The union announced that interest arbitration is due to begin in the autumn and vowed to defend the rights and interests of its members through that process.