Classes of Mail

Rich Vala is a lifelong friend who also served as my campaign manager in my branch elections. He has good insights here, and provides an outside perspective on what we have to deal with inside the NALC.

As described in the title. We also get an update on Michael's shoulder.

Chris Reed talks about why he's running for office, and what his plans are for Region One. This episode was recorded during the 2026 NALC National Convention.

Eric Ellis comes on to bring some much needed nuance to our political discussions. We discuss the recent muckraking of Corey Walton, bringing up political posts from 10 years ago. I get Eric's take on what it means for Corey's run for Executive Vice President. We also talk about letter carriers' political divides more broadly, and the union's need to reach politicians on BOTH sides of the aisle. We finish with a discussion about Josh Hawley, who has taken a significant interest in the Post Office lately. Is he a friend to the letter carrier?

John and Joshua talk about how they put their campaign together, and the fruit it bore. They discuss the importance of participatory democracy in our union.

Elliot is running for Business Agent in Region 7, which includes Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and South Dakota. We go over his platform, the current problems he sees in his region, and how he plans to address them.

Chris Strickland is running for NBA in Region 8. You may remember his as one of the Regional Administrative Assistants (RAA) who was fired when he announced he was running for office. In this interview, we go over Chris's platform, and discuss his values and his vision.

Hear our final thoughts, as well as a recap of what went down on the last day. Plus, two SHOCKING bits of praise from Michael and me.

Corey Walton joined Michael and me for a discussion about the convention, his candidacy, and (thanks to Michael Brasaemle's courage) Michael Rivera. You should listen to this episode, if for no other reason, to hear Corey's voice in full, high-quality audio.

We recap another day of victories for the reform movement, but more importantly, we get to hear the insights and wisdom of Melissa Rakestraw, a branch president from Illinois who I believe is on the right side of every single issue.