Classes of Mail

It's time to move on from season 4 of Classes of Mail. I'll give another update on my local branch election, talk a bit about union accountability and ethics, and reiterate my position against the tentative agreement. Finally, I'll talk about what's to come in season 5.

My running mate Michael, and our campaign advisor Leslie, sit down in my back yard to talk about EEO complaints. Equal Employment Opportunity is a set of laws that cover mistreatment of certain protected classes of people. Michael and Leslie go over some of the basics of putting these laws to use.

In this episode, Michael talks about a grievance settlement he won, concerning "deems desirable." We'll read some chunks from the settlement, and talk about the process. It's educational. FYI, this episode was recorded in my back yard, before I got my new audio set up. Please bear with the sound quality.

The results are in! For now... Our election is essentially guaranteed to be rerun. For now, we've lost. The incumbent ticket won across the board, which is no surprise, given their inherent advantages, and the additional advantages conferred by the election's improprieties. This episode also features a brand new computer that will be dedicated to podcasting. I recorded on Audacity for the first time. It sounds really compressed and muffled to me. Let me know what you think.

Amazingly, there are still more improprieties in our branch election. Michael is in studio to talk about the latest developments. It's a doozy!

John Murphy is back to talk about the Tentative Agreement, and more importantly, about the labor movement in general. We talk about our plans to vote no, and we talk about the importance of staying in the union and transforming it into a true rank-and-file movement.

The election in my branch is a mess. We're closing in on election day, and Michael and I are getting positive feedback from carriers, in spite of all the improprieties. We know that carriers in our branch are being disenfranchised, and we're fighting back against it.

Wednesday, October 30, 2024, will be a National Day of Action for letter carriers. C Moline is on the program to talk about the contract, to urge all of us to VOTE NO, and to tell us what WE can do to help win back our rights and improve our conditions within the NALC. As always, C is a fantastic guest who brings great energy and enthusiasm, as well as a ton of information. Help us Build a Fighting NALC!

Leslie ran for president of Branch 2502 in 2016 and lost by a razor thin margin. Before and after, she has been a tireless supporter of her carriers, and she has been a mentor for Michael and me in our run for office, and as stewards. In this episode, she'll share her insights into the process, the role of branch officers, and a handful of other topics.

This episode was recorded in my back yard, so there's no echo. We had to crank the microphone up so we could hear Leslie, and it worked. She sounds great. But there's also aircraft noise, and distractions from Annie. Listen and enjoy.

Shenanigans are afoot in the Branch 2502 elections. And wouldn't you know it... they all seem to favor the incumbents. We have still more errors in the election process. We also have a new development: Michael and I have been on the receiving end of a smear campaign. Good times. Michael and I talk about what's been going on as the day of the election draws near.