Parcels of Knowledge

The Last Loop is back! Jamie runs through the biggest postal stories from Sept. 12–18, led by a major new GAO report finding that USPS cost-cutting initiatives have contributed to declining service performance, even as the Postal Service continues reshaping its processing and transportation network. We also look at reporting that Postmaster General David Steiner has told associates he wants to leave the job, USPS’s response that he is not preparing to resign, and where that story actually stands.

On the union side, NALC election ballots are beginning to move, the Branch 1779 National Candidate Forum gave members several hours of unscripted questions and answers, and Region 7 NBA candidate Elliot Simmons issued a broader appeal for candidates and supporters to keep the election focused on records, representation, and policy rather than personal attacks.

Back on the workroom floor, the September/October Postal Record gives us a useful refresher on temporary CCA assignments to other offices under M-01827. That discussion is especially timely as carriers in several parts of the country report Amazon Sunday operations being consolidated into fewer hub locations, raising questions about reporting locations, travel, mileage, relative standing, staffing, and overtime. We also dig into two new Key Cases episodes covering fundamental fairness, due process, and FMLA obligations in removal cases.

Plenty more is in the satchel this week: the latest ballot-mail litigation, Postal Bulletin 22711, carrier safety news, developments from APWU and NRLCA, and a very busy Postal Podcast Desk. This week’s roundup includes From A to Arbitration, Hot House with Richie Ray, Classes of Mail, Carriers for a Better Union, Next Generation Carriers, 763 From the 573, Six Thirteen, The History of Female Leadership in the NALC, The Key Cases Podcast, and a proper introduction to The Table Two Ticket, with a little more about what each show actually discussed instead of just listing episode titles.

Plus, a look at the week ahead and a Local Loop follow-up from Lahaina, Hawaii, where the fight over centralized delivery, rebuilding, and postal access has moved beyond a local service complaint and into a larger discussion about disaster recovery and universal service.

Interested in submitting a local news story, have a question, or have a recommendation for something we should cover? Reach out to me at [email protected].

For the candidate dossiers;

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1y8p4RbRLwOQEvGAZ9c6emRM7WdE7CYlRlvldSL1nhTY/edit?usp=drivesdk

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IuiOLfIJUebaYSI8XXn5_2dazoC5jguaIs0ehI2H2KA/edit?usp=drivesdk

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NHqI-L7cyh0_4p7XdWXxFYa9YGYn5yzBfQFnRAVRakU/edit?usp=drivesdk

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1f_Y354fu5kD5-3Z57NfuW6fb8VUJIdRn8p53He4xBj4/edit?usp=drivesdk

And companion report: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1M0Z6BEsaNUmwLPHQj0zAIEuoyACkZF5HxCULbukncng/edit?usp=sharing

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We have a last minute interview/discussion with candidate Chris Strickland.

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In this episode we talk about how to file a grievance for accountable item signing issues.

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www.patreon.com/ParcelsOfKnowledge

2026 Election Informational Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1y8p4RbRLwOQEvGAZ9c6emRM7WdE7CYlRlvldSL1nhTY/edit?usp=drivesdk

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In this episode we interview Stephanie Stewart for her candidacy for Health Benefits Plan Representative. Does she have what it takes to get your vote? You Decide.

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The Nixie is here! In the first episode of this new Parcels of Knowledge series, I dig into the smaller, stranger, and sometimes forgotten pieces of postal history. We start with two topics that fit together perfectly: what a "nixie" actually is, where the old postal term came from, and why we chose it as the name of the series; then we turn the envelope over and take a deep dive into the backstamp. We look at how backstamps documented a letter's journey through the postal system, the handstamps and markings used to create them, why the Post Office once required them, some of the surprisingly odd ways the backs of envelopes were used, and why routine backstamping eventually disappeared.

The Backstamp is about the big picture; the journey of the Post Office, the NALC, and the people who shaped them. The Nixie is about the small stuff. Old postal objects, equipment, markings, words, forms, and practices that have disappeared, mostly disappeared, or survive in some weird little corner of the Postal Service. We pull one out of the historical mailstream, give it a closer look, and ask, "What the hell is this, and why did we have it?"

Have an idea for a future Nixie, something weird sitting around your office that you have always wondered about, or an old postal term nobody seems to use anymore? Reach out to me at [email protected].

Have a question for Stephanie Stewart? Send those in to Joshua Shrum at [email protected].

Here is also the companion research report for anyone interested in the sources, history, and additional information behind this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aA5Y5gL8ew5bphIN3AeL58ZH1QYBuWaIBedqVydzHEo/edit?usp=sharing

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The Last Loop is back! Jamie runs through the biggest postal stories from Sept. 5–11, including the OIG’s new assessment of USPS network changes, five new NALC national memorandums and settlements covering annual leave, HIPP and PS Form 1767, the latest fight over grievance remedies, and what this week’s developments could mean when national policy finally reaches the workroom floor. We also check in on ballot-mail litigation, carrier safety and crime news, the Postal Record and Postal Bulletin, labor news, and a very crowded postal podcast roundup featuring arbitration, training, small-branch leadership, union elections, health benefits and plenty of contract talk. Plus, a look at the week ahead and a Local Loop from Brookdale, California, where residents are weighing the future of their local Post Office.

Postal news, contract talk, union issues, and everything carriers may have missed while they were out making their Last Loop.

Interested in submitting a local news story, have a question, or have a recommendation for something we should cover? Reach out to me at [email protected].

Here is the companion report for anyone interested in finding the sources and additional information behind the stories mentioned in this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Dp10n4ZHAgV67siiiKF51y3XwTQCAYEmWqJto7dbL2M/edit?usp=sharing

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Today we investigated Larrissa Parde and her candidacy for NALC Assistant Secretary Treasurer. Does she have what it takes to have your vote? You decide.

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In this episode we talk about management stealing time and very specific things regarding the PS Form 1017a.

We will be having Larrissa Parde on the podcast for their candidacy for Assistant Secretary Treasurer. Please send any questions you have for her to [email protected]

If you would like to become a member of the Wrecking Crew please click this link

https://patreon.com/ParcelsOfKnowledge

Here is the link to get a voicemail in to be featured in the theme song

https://rss.com/podcasts/parcels-of-knowledge/voicemail/

Here is the companion report for those interested in where to find any of the information mentioned in this episode:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YW2kFdMxGfh2GuYRJMySPdMTA2oCt4q4HgQ5k_OFqVg/edit?usp=sharing

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The Backstamp makes its debut! Jamie turns the envelope over and follows the marks history left behind, digging into the origins of Labor Day, the early labor movement, the fight for the eight-hour day, the founding of the NALC, and the 1970 postal strike. From carriers organizing above a Milwaukee saloon to the battles that won collective bargaining and political rights, this episode looks at why Labor Day matters far beyond cookouts, sales, and football. Plus, a little Patriots and Raiders suffering, some sailor humor, and a discussion about why voting still matters even when democracy has to be much bigger than a ballot box.

The Backstamp is where Parcels of Knowledge looks backward to understand how the hell we got here.

Interested in submitting an idea, have questions, or a recommendation? Reach out to me at [email protected].

For all the fellow nerds out there, here is the companion report for where to find any of the information mentioned in this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10CmshW4ec7qdaQTF_3g2ZfKx4Yp-LeLw2DFEW5Dqfic/edit?usp=sharing.

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In this episode we let two titans of escalating remedies give advice about how they got to where they are today. Mike Caref and Clarence Blaze both give us some much needed advice.

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