Parcels of Knowledge

Full summary coming soon.

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In this episode we honor accountability day, talk about uniform allowance, and also talk about a game plan to fight management about this new process that is rolling out on Nov. 16.

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In this episode we have roundtable and discuss our thoughts about veterans in the postal service.

Here is a link to a very helpful NALC veterans guide

https://www.nalc.org/news/nalc-updates/body/Veterans-Guide-Final.pdf

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In this episode we compare and contrast both the APWU and NALC 2026 Conventions in Los Angeles.

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Episode 213: Light Blue Greenhorns — Work Hour Limits and Scheduling

In this second installment of LBGH, Just Jenn discusses contractual work hour limits for new CCAs and PTF City Carriers as outlined in the NEERMP (Article 41) and the ELM.

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Whether you're a brand-new carrier, recently converted to career status, or simply looking to better understand your rights, we want this to be a place where questions are welcome, experiences are shared, and we can all learn from one another.

You don't have to know everything to be part of the conversation; we are Learning, Growing and Building Together!

If you're a new employee in the City Carrier craft, you may post questions here on Reddit to be answered on this show or e-mail them to LightBlueGreenhorns @PM.me

Original music "Mid Levels" composed by ‪Stereo Drift via math equations on a graphing calculator, used with permission #GraphTunes

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This week on The Last Loop, Jamie covers October 31–November 6, 2026, beginning with the tragic workplace shooting at the Des Moines Main Post Office that left three postal employees injured. We then turn to USPS preparations for the holiday season, including changes in seasonal hiring, package automation, delivery vehicles, and processing capacity. We also examine the revised scanner software rollout, Amazon's expanding delivery network, and seven new NALC arbitration decisions involving emergency placement, discipline, workplace harassment, official discussions, letters of demand, and compliance with grievance settlements.

On the union side, we follow the transition to the incoming NALC administration as James Henry, Corey Walton, and other newly elected officers prepare to take office in December. We examine developments involving union finances, education, bargaining, and grievance processing, along with national news from APWU, NRLCA, and NPMHU. That includes a major arbitration decision over parcel-sorting equipment and craft jurisdiction, rural delivery concerns, and preparations for Mail Handlers Union interest arbitration. The November Postal Record, Postal Bulletin, and other postal publications bring additional reporting on delivery experiments, employee benefits, military-service retirement credit, and changes affecting postal operations.

Our Podcast Desk is packed again this week, with conversations from From A to Arbitration, The Postal Stand-up, Classes of Mail, The Hot House, Next Generation Carriers, Six Thirteen, From the 573, Key Cases, Postal Pride, History of Female Leadership in the NALC, United We Scan, APWYOU, CBU's La Ruta Concreta en Español, and In Solidarity. We take a particularly close look at the upcoming 2027 Postal Service Health Benefits Open Season, including premiums, deductibles, out-of-pocket costs, retirement coverage, and the choices facing postal employees and their families. We also explore the USPS Inspector General's investigation into billions of dollars in counterfeit postage losses.

Beyond the Postal Service, International Postal Watch visits the United Kingdom and Bulgaria, while Solidarity Corner covers labor strikes, contract victories, and organizing campaigns nationwide. The Local Loop takes us through five communities, from a letter carrier helping a family in Oklahoma to local postal history, public services, and military recognition. Stamp Talk explores current and classic U.S. stamps, including some surprising holiday stamp milestones, while Postal History revisits the beginnings of postal money orders, World War II V-Mail, and the first women known to deliver city routes. Plus, we highlight national training, educational resources, campaigns, and opportunities to get involved.

It's another full trip around Postal Land, with enough news, history, and union coverage to keep you caught up while you do the job that keeps the whole operation moving.

Check out this week's companion report: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a62uxdiKXDrRQv-97m9L-_2THszbJfWT3sHdYRV2w3k/edit?usp=drivesdk

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In this episode we go over how the USPS grants administrative leave to be able to participate in voting and to register to vote.

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This week on The Last Loop, Jamie covers October 24–30, 2026, beginning with a USPS Office of Inspector General investigation into timekeeping and management oversight at the Richmond Regional Processing and Distribution Center. The audit identified significant discrepancies and more than $429,000 in questioned costs, raising important questions about accountability, supervisory responsibilities, and the evidence needed to establish individual misconduct. We also examine two new arbitration decisions, C-37970 and C-37972, involving discipline, Weingarten rights, GPS evidence, carrier start times, the M-39, and management's obligation to provide information to the union.

On the workroom floor, we break down USPS's decision to delay nationwide multifactor authentication for MDD-TR scanners, supplemental heating tests for Next Generation Delivery Vehicles in Alaska, and extraordinary election-mail procedures ahead of the November 3 election. We review the latest Postal Bulletin, including holiday mailing guidance and reduction-in-force competitive areas, along with important articles from the November Postal Record covering Article 8, December overtime rules, FMLA, workplace safety, veterans' rights, and workers' compensation. Our coverage also includes APWU maintenance testing changes, NRLCA steward development, NPMHU interest arbitration and health benefits, and the latest postal regulatory and operational news.

The Podcast Desk brings together conversations from From A to Arbitration, The Postal Stand-up, Classes of Mail, The Comfort Stop, The Hot House, Next Generation Carriers, Key Cases, Rural Route Realities, The Relay Box, and other postal programs. We examine the NALC leadership transition, election participation, union accountability, grievance handling, the Article 8 rule of reason, electronic signatures through Informed Delivery, and the importance of developing new stewards and union leaders. We also highlight women in NALC leadership, Delaware's new law strengthening protections against assaults on postal workers, and Corey Walton's plans for union education, financial transparency, and workplace representation.

Beyond the Postal Service, our International Postal Watch looks at threatened mass layoffs in Norway, Royal Mail developments in the United Kingdom, labor action affecting Australian postal operations, and a postal strike in Grenada. The Solidarity Corner covers six labor struggles and victories involving public employees, journalists, healthcare workers, university dining employees, and other organized workers. Closer to home, we celebrate a Pennsylvania letter carrier who helped a customer experiencing a medical emergency, visit communities experiencing changes in postal service, and explore the history of Operation Santa, unusual postmarks, and other stories from postal history.

Plus, our new Steward's Action Desk brings the week's most useful contractual lessons, management instructions, and grievance considerations together in one place. With the national election behind us and a new NALC administration preparing to take office, this week's question is how we turn promises of accountability, education, and stronger representation into meaningful improvements for the people doing the work.

Check out this week's companion report: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lWAuzUNAIMnatUkSo4tAGMYh7VUmIKKzScvSipjd3YE/edit?usp=drivesdk

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In this episode we talk about the election results, and Alan Gegax calls in for some interesting news.

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What can a podcast, a website, Facebook, Reddit, and Discord each offer letter carriers trying to understand their rights and do the work together? In the second episode of Footnotes, the Minion from the Old Dominion, Jamie Gregory, follows From A to Arbitration across all five spaces to see how they connect carriers and stewards with information, practical tools, and one another.

We look at the podcast’s lessons, interviews, and arbitration series; the website’s grievance starters, file-building resources, and LMOU database; Facebook’s public page and member group; Reddit’s searchable rank-and-file reports; and Discord’s channels for questions, resources, and events. We also recognize the people who helped build and maintain this community, the members whose questions and contributions keep it going, and Corey Walton’s transition from podcast host and teacher to elected NALC Executive Vice President.

This is the idea behind Footnotes: trust, but verify. These resources can help a carrier find the right question, follow it to the source, and bring what they learn back to their steward and branch. The knowledge grows when members can share it, check it, and build on it together.

For the companion report, click here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1345lwGmwh2yO0K-jlnNq0ts_yICIp38xmSzNg0KkZPk/edit?usp=sharing

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