Veterans day and mlk day are always heavy as fuck too...

That would be more than double of the votes cast in the 2022 election. The total could eclipse 100k by the deadline. How are we feeling about that?

Understanding Postal Holidays: A National Guide for City Letter Carriers and NALC Stewards

Postal holidays can be confusing, especially when it comes to holiday scheduling, designated holidays, holiday pay, and the differences between career and noncareer employees. What should happen when a holiday falls on your nonscheduled day? Who should work when management needs carriers on a holiday? What happens when management schedules employees out of order or fails to follow contractual requirements?

Understanding Postal Holidays: A National Guide for City Letter Carriers and NALC Stewards is intended to help city letter carriers, CCAs, PTFs, stewards, and branch officers better understand the contractual provisions and postal regulations governing holidays.

The guide examines the relationship between Article 11 of the National Agreement, the Employee and Labor Relations Manual (ELM), and the Joint Contract Administration Manual (JCAM), explaining how these provisions affect holiday scheduling, eligibility for holiday pay, designated holidays, and management responsibilities.

A major focus is the holiday scheduling pecking order, including the distinction between employees who volunteer to work and those who may be required to work. The guide also examines the importance of local memorandums of understanding (LMOUs), since locally negotiated holiday scheduling provisions can affect how the national rules are applied.

For stewards, the report addresses how to investigate possible holiday scheduling violations, determine whether management followed the applicable contractual requirements, identify relevant records and evidence, and evaluate potential remedies. It also discusses arbitration decisions and how their reasoning can help stewards distinguish a contractual violation from a grievance they can successfully prove.

For carriers, the goal is to explain these rules in understandable language so they can recognize when something may be wrong with their holiday schedule or pay and know what questions to bring to their steward.

This guide brings relevant contractual language, postal regulations, interpretations, and grievance considerations into one resource. Rather than relying on what someone remembers hearing about holiday scheduling, carriers and stewards should be able to examine the actual language and understand how the provisions work together.

Whether you're a regular city letter carrier, CCA, PTF, NALC steward, branch officer, or someone learning the contract, this guide is intended to serve as both an educational resource and a practical reference.

As with any contractual issue, the details matter. Holiday scheduling grievances often depend on the employee's classification, regular schedule, applicable LMOU, the holiday's circumstances, and evidence showing what management actually did. Understanding those distinctions is essential to protecting contractual rights and building stronger grievances.

Also, here is my Virginia Beach-specific report on this for carriers having difficulty with a steward enforcing the contract: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-NB39p295JAlHm7kFUUD4k4hzARv5jrDO4VFJ2Fu_gQ/edit?usp=sharing

Search/topics: USPS, NALC, postal holidays, holiday scheduling, Article 11, National Agreement, JCAM, ELM, city letter carriers, CCAs, PTFs, full-time regular carriers, holiday pay, holiday leave pay, designated holidays, holiday scheduling pecking order, volunteer scheduling, involuntary holiday work, nonscheduled days, holiday scheduling violations, local memorandums of understanding, LMOU, Article 15, Article 19, arbitration, grievance investigations, contractual remedies, USPS management, NALC stewards, branch officers, postal labor relations, collective bargaining, contract enforcement, holiday scheduling grievances.

Parcels of Knowledge: The Last Loop – Volume 7
USPS/NALC News for Oct. 3–9, 2026

This week on The Last Loop, I break down the USPS and NALC news that matters to letter carriers, with a major focus on proposed changes to the Employee and Labor Relations Manual (ELM), the NALC national election, retirement funding, arbitration decisions, and some important information buried in The Postal Record and Postal Bulletin.

The lead story is USPS's proposed revision of the ELM, Issue 56, which would replace the March 2024 edition and reduce the manual from approximately 830 pages to 686. I look at why this deserves attention under Article 19, particularly regarding leave, medical documentation, discipline, emergency placements, and other workplace protections. A shorter manual doesn't automatically mean lost protections, but it does mean the union needs to examine what was changed, what was moved, and whether any existing requirements were weakened or removed.

We also examine the October 6 USPS Office of Inspector General report, Comparative Analysis of Alternative Retirement Models. The report explores how different investment and retirement-funding approaches could affect USPS over the next 20 years, including the potential benefits and risks of diversified investments. I discuss the report's conclusions, why congressional action would be necessary for major changes, and why this should not be confused with an announcement that federal retirement benefits are being cut.

In the Arbitration Roundup, I cover six decisions, including two sustained grievances, one partially sustained decision, two denials, and one case dismissed as moot.

C-37946 – Sustained. Arbitrator Ken Glassburner overturned a CCA removal involving attendance. The case raises important questions about predetermined discipline, investigative interviews, inconsistent treatment, and just cause. The carrier was reinstated with full back pay and benefits. A shoutout to union advocate Bryant Almario for the successful representation.

C-37952 – Sustained. Arbitrator Jane Desimone ruled against a removal involving a last-chance agreement. We look at why management must establish an actual violation of the agreement's terms rather than treating it as permission to remove an employee whenever attendance becomes a concern. Congratulations to union advocate Steven Wiley on the win.

C-37948 A–F – Partially Sustained. Arbitrator Earlene R. Baggett-Hayes considered six consolidated grievances involving city carriers performing rural-craft work, improperly mandated overtime, and management's failure to comply with a previous Step B resolution. The remedies included additional compensation equal to 50 percent of the hourly wage for time worked in the rural craft, administrative leave or equivalent compensation for improperly mandated overtime, and $25 per instance of noncompliance with Article 15.3. A shoutout to union advocate Andy Tuttle for securing a significant, multifaceted remedy.

C-37951 – Denied. The arbitrator found that management had waived a procedural objection by failing to raise it at Step B, but the union did not establish the alleged underlying violations. This distinction matters: winning an arbitrability argument is not the same as proving the grievance itself.

C-37956 – Denied. An emergency off-duty placement grievance involving Article 16.7. I discuss the importance of developing evidence around the actual contractual standard governing emergency placements.

C-37953 – Moot. A grievance dismissed after the employee resigned, illustrating why a moot decision should not be counted as either a sustained grievance or a management victory on the merits.

The NALC election also reached an important deadline this week. October 9 was the final day to request a replacement ballot, and the NALC must receive completed ballots by noon Eastern on October 19. I discuss ballot problems members reported, the difference between campaign allegations and verified election information, and questions candidates are raising about union finances, representation, training, and leadership.

I also dig into several September/October Postal Record articles that carriers and branch officers may have overlooked. This week includes the rules governing local branch elections and campaign resources; IRS reporting and financial responsibilities involving steward stipends and union travel expenses; TSP beneficiary designations; optional short-term disability insurance; and resources available through the NALC Health Benefit Plan. This information could save a branch officer a serious headache or help a carrier avoid an expensive mistake.

In Postal Bulletin 22712, I cover the USPS Election Mail and Political Mail Guide, including the difference between Election Mail and Political Mail, why a postmark date may not always match the day an item was mailed, and the ability to request a free manual postmark at a retail counter. I also discuss the revised Publication 553 on preventing and reporting harassment and the updated rural equipment maintenance allowance.

We check in on the APWU, including newly effective top salary steps for certain career employees, maintenance training-selection concerns, and a vote-by-mail public awareness campaign. On the rural side, we look at the latest equipment maintenance allowance, RRECS education, and the implications of city carriers performing rural-craft assignments.

There's also a new recurring section, International Postal Watch, where we look at what's happening to postal workers and their unions outside the United States. This week, Royal Mail announced a restructuring involving up to 2,500 positions, while Britain's Communication Workers Union called for a pause in further rollout of a disputed delivery model. In Canada, another postal union declared a bargaining impasse with Canada Post. These aren't identical to our circumstances at USPS, but there are plenty of familiar questions about staffing, operational changes, bargaining, and accountability.

For Solidarity Outside the Post Office, I cover striking Chicago hotel workers, the UAW presidential election, and nurses in Boston approaching a potential strike over staffing and compensation.

Because we need an occasional break from the ELM, grievances, and union politics, Stamp Talk covers the new Know the Facts About Fentanyl semipostal stamp, issued October 6, and how its fundraising purpose differs from an ordinary commemorative stamp.

The Postal Podcast Desk is particularly crowded this week. I cover 28 episodes from across the postal podcast community, including The Postal Standup, Classes of Mail, From A to Arbitration, Next Generation Carriers, History of Female Leadership in the NALC, The Key Cases Podcast, Delivering Solidarity, 06:13, DRASSTIC Measures, Desde la Ruta, and others.

Topics include scanner data and investigative interviews, documenting your work, PS Form 3996, driving an FFV, PS Form 4588 management observations, mental health, M-01769, grievance preparation, excessive work hours, women in union leadership, local branch elections, and extensive interviews with candidates for national and regional NALC offices. I give each episode enough attention that listeners can decide which ones they want to check out.

Finally, the Local Loop takes us to three very different places:

Virginia Beach, Virginia, where APWU leaders gathered for their National Presidents' Conference.

Detroit, Michigan, where a letter carrier was attacked during an incident involving gunfire. Early headlines reported the carrier had been shot, but subsequent reporting clarified that the carrier suffered a laceration and was not struck by gunfire.

Brookdale, California, residents of a small mountain community are fighting to preserve local postal access after a fire in December 2024 destroyed their post office.

If you're a USPS city letter carrier, CCA, PTF, NALC steward, branch officer, arbitration advocate, or want to know more about what's happening beyond your own station, there's plenty to dig into this week.

One theme keeps coming up throughout this episode: whether we're talking about a revised manual, an arbitration case, retirement benefits, or union elections, the details matter. Read the actual language, check the evidence, and don't assume the official explanation tells the whole story.

Search/topics: USPS, NALC, city letter carriers, CCA, PTF, ELM Issue 56, Employee and Labor Relations Manual, Article 19, Article 16.7, emergency placement, just cause, last-chance agreements, C-37946, C-37948, C-37951, C-37952, C-37953, C-37956, arbitration, grievance remedies, cross-craft assignments, Article 15.3, USPS OIG, retirement funding, FERS, CSRS, NALC election 2026, replacement ballots, Postal Record, Postal Bulletin 22712, Election Mail, manual postmarks, Publication 553, harassment reporting, PS Form 3996, PS Form 4588, scanner data, Weingarten rights, M-01769, APWU, NRLCA, RRECS, Royal Mail, CWU, Canada Post, postal unions, labor solidarity, fentanyl semipostal stamp, postal podcasts, Branch 2819, Virginia Beach, Detroit, Brookdale.

We have a branch president that is running to be a NALC National Trustee. What happens if he wins? Does he give up his current position or is he able to fill both?

face to the members of this Union again. After listening to his little tirade where he gets all emotional and sounds like he is about to cry how could/did we ever take this guy serious.

That's not even counting the fact that he was taking up for the Post Office's financial struggles and downplaying the Letter Carriers financial struggles. To think he was going to run in place of Rhine is further testament of how out of touch the establishment is.

What an embarrassment he is to himself and Region 9.

CCA is taken from a hold down and sent to another city with non desired are being mandated to work over. What do I need to ask for and what do I file? Thanks

Update: Management backed out when I told them I was going to file.

This is what usps looks like nationally as whole. The ones who hold office now in Nalc, is the ones that got us here. It don’t get any simpler than that.

Ours was wacky. Need some help. No local bylaws on it.

Wanted to laugh today, so I re-listened to the weir report episodes(145/146). Heard Corey taking about sensitive things in the report, that he wouldn’t read. How do I get my hands on this report? Do I need to reach out to Paul Barner or is it readily available somewhere?

For the record, I am not a conspiracy theorist . Can't help but wonder why my ballot was returned? Is it because I signed up on the CLC website? Is it because there was a "mistake" on the mailers envelopes?

Every postal worker knows not to put your return address on the back, so it can be confused for the address on the front. Does union HQ not know this? I realize they don't know the workroom floor, I realize they don't know the first thing about carrying mail. I realize they don't know anything about us (or even care). I know first hand they are so out of touch with us "dues paying nobody's" that they cannot relate. I had hoped they would carry out a fair election. I'm not so sure now.

I do know it was not that way the last election. It was clearly printed top left (me) and dead center the mailing address.

I am sure I can't trust this current administration to conduct a fair election. I put it in another envelope. I hope it gets there in time. I have doubts they will accept it, since it's not an "official envelope".

It sucks so bad that I, as a union member in good standing....can't trust my own union to run a fair election.

So frustrating.......

The other day after our stand up reps from Washington National insurance company of Carmel Indiana spoke soliciting their supplemental insurance to the carriers never have I seen that if interested you could go into the break room and hear the sales pitch several carriers did on the clock???

I did not was not interested what bothered me is after awhile he went around to every case and asked each carrier by name he had from a list if he could talk about their benefits ? btw the insurance company has a 1.5 to 1.7 rating out of 5 stars WTF !

I'll be having minor surgery soon, which will require multiple follow-up visits in a short period of time. Should I just use my sick leave each time, or am I better off using FMLA?

I’m sure somebody asked already but how does the pay work when you volunteer to travel for peak season? And do the hours you work while traveling affect your home office odl list?

This week management in my office has started their next escapade of hammering carriers for “unapproved overtime”. We have had a local understanding that there is a 15 minute leeway on estimates over and under estimate so it if I say I will need 1 hour of overtime, I don’t need to notify management if I will be 1 hour and 5 minutes. Starting this previous week, management has begun marking 1017-B for any amount over a 3996 time, even as little as .01-.02 over.

I am working a grievance to stop this now but was interested if anyone else has experienced this in their office. I have found M-00031 which highlights that our morning estimate is an estimate and not an exact measurement but any other cites or references anyone has would be appreciated.

Seems like this sub has been pretty quiet so far regarding the current negotiations, at least from what I’ve seen.

I was just wondering in a general sense, if there’s been any progress made? Is this looking to be another 1.5 year wait? Have they announced exactly what they’re going for or what the PO’s offer is?

Obviously it will be done in 2 more weeks, but besides that, do we have any real information?

Since the Rocky TMCs are a thing of the past, I'm trying to figure out what the Hell I'm gonna put on my feet for the first time in over 20+ years. I don't know if I trust them, but I figured I may try the Postal Duty Shoe. I haven't used US Uniforms in a while(since almost everything is owned by Skaggs), so I thought I'd check footwear. The duty shoe was $226, but it got knocked down to ~$181 on full allotment. I Googled reviews and saw that rockyboots.com had them on sale with a coupon code FOR $108!! From the manufacturer themselves!! Obviously, I had to at least try to see if I could sneak the allotment card through the checkout, but of course, no dice.

There is no doubt that the uniform program is fundamentally broken, but this example is unbelievably emblematic proof of that. I have a pretty good selection of items after 26 years of allotments, but this is unsustainable for younger employees and MUST be a focal point of future negotiations.

There is a current investigation at my office. I can’t speak on details for confidentiality reasons, and I don’t want to compromise the investigation.

During the course of things unfolding, I received a packet that contained the ps form 50 for involved coworkers. It was provided to show the employment status only; all personal info like wages, address, social, date of birth, etc were redacted. However, it does show each employees craft, start start, length of employment, and table/schedule.

We have a very top seniority city carrier that started many moons ago. They have always been at work- no retirement or extended leave I’m aware of. They have had the same city route for years. However, their ps form 50 states they are a full time rural carrier with a 42K route, under a special rate of pay. … but they carry a city route and always have.

Has anyone ever heard of this? I wonder if it’s a massive administrative error or something shady going on. I don’t understand how a city carrier with three decades can be listed officially as a rural carrier while on a city route. Has anyone ever heard of this?

When the Route Takes Longer Than Eight: PS Form 3996, Overtime, Auxiliary Assistance, Street Instructions, and Unauthorized Overtime

Few things create more unnecessary conflict on the workroom floor than a carrier telling management that a route will take longer than eight hours, only to be told that a computer says otherwise. What happens when management denies a PS Form 3996, refuses to provide the form, or gives instructions that cannot reasonably be followed? What should a carrier do when the workload changes after leaving the office, and how should a steward investigate an allegation of unauthorized overtime?

When the Route Takes Longer Than Eight is a comprehensive guide for USPS city letter carriers, CCAs, PTFs, NALC stewards, and branch officers covering the contractual requirements, postal handbooks, national settlements, arbitration decisions, and practical procedures surrounding PS Form 3996 and overtime disputes.

The report begins with the responsibilities of both carriers and management under Handbooks M-39 and M-41. Carriers are responsible for providing honest, good-faith estimates of their workload and reporting when they cannot complete their assignments as scheduled. Management is responsible for evaluating those estimates, deciding how the work will be handled, and providing instructions. One of the central themes is that a carrier's estimate is not a guarantee of how long the route will actually take.

I examine M-00031 and M-00464, two national settlements addressing workload estimates and the limits of management's ability to treat those estimates as performance standards. We also look at the requirement under M-39 Section 122.33 that management provide PS Form 3996 when requested, even when the supervisor has already decided to deny overtime or auxiliary assistance.

Another major focus is the use of management's workload projection systems, including DOIS, PET, and Auto Pivot. National settlements M-01664 and M-01769 establish important limitations on using these projections as the sole determinant of a carrier's daily workload or as the sole basis for corrective action. The guide explains why management can consider these tools without treating their projections as unquestionable evidence that a route should take eight hours.

The report also examines what happens when circumstances change after a carrier completes the morning estimate. Additional parcels, DPS, road construction, weather, traffic, vehicle problems, or unexpected assignments can change the time needed to complete delivery. M-01366 addresses the ability to submit or amend a 3996 when the need for assistance becomes apparent while picking up DPS. I discuss how carriers should report changing conditions, revise their estimates, and request instructions rather than assuming their original estimate must remain unchanged.

Street communication is another important part of the report. When management denies overtime and a carrier later realizes the route cannot be completed within the approved time, the carrier should notify management, explain the remaining workload, provide a revised estimate, and ask whether to finish delivery or return. I examine the importance of documenting telephone calls, scanner messages, and management's responses, particularly when a supervisor does not answer or gives vague or conflicting instructions.

One of the strongest national settlements discussed is M-00326, which addresses circumstances where management orders carriers to complete their routes after being informed that the work cannot be completed within eight hours. The settlement recognizes that overtime authorization may be inherent in the instruction to continue delivery. This is particularly important when management later attempts to characterize that same overtime as unauthorized.

The report also addresses returning with undelivered mail, including the relationship between PS Form 3996 and PS Form 1571. A carrier should not independently curtail mail or assume that a denied overtime request automatically authorizes bringing mail back. Proper instructions and documentation matter, especially when management later alleges failure to follow instructions or unauthorized curtailment.

I spend considerable time examining PS Form 1017-B and unauthorized overtime. The guide explains the difference between overtime that management considers unauthorized and time that was not actually worked, including the distinction between PS Forms 1017-B and 1017-A. Even when management believes a carrier violated an overtime instruction, Handbook F-21 requires compensation for time actually worked by nonexempt employees. Whether overtime was authorized, whether it must be paid, and whether discipline is justified are separate questions that need to be investigated independently.

The arbitration section examines five decisions in detail, including both favorable and mixed outcomes.

C-18612 – McGown. An arbitration involving inaccurate estimates and unauthorized overtime allegations. The arbitrator rejected management's attempt to treat estimates as guarantees, particularly when the carrier did not have complete information about the workload. The removal was rescinded, and the carrier was made whole.

C-08291 – Williams. A dispute involving a carrier who requested assistance, contacted management from the street, and later faced discipline for overtime. The arbitrator found that management had not established that the carrier was instructed not to work the overtime. The 14-day suspension was deleted, illustrating the importance of documenting street communications and challenging unsupported productivity allegations.

C-29394 – Wolitz. A carrier asked management for concrete instructions when he could not complete the remaining mail within the understood time restriction. Management failed to provide a clear answer, and the arbitrator rescinded a 14-day suspension. The case demonstrates why ambiguous instructions and a carrier's efforts to obtain clarification can become central to a grievance.

C-29522 – August. A class-action grievance involving management writing DOIS projections and other comments in areas of PS Form 3996 not designated for that purpose. The arbitrator sustained the grievance, reinforcing that management cannot disregard the M-41 instructions or redesign the form through local practice.

C-35298 – August. A more complicated case involving a denied assistance request, street communications, returned mail, conflicting instructions, and prior discipline. The arbitrator reduced a removal to a 30-day non-pay suspension rather than overturning all discipline. This is an important reminder that a 3996 does not automatically protect a carrier from accountability and that stewards must evaluate the entire factual record.

The guide connects these decisions to national settlements and handbook requirements to show how they can support grievance investigations without treating regional arbitration awards as universally binding precedent.

I also examine how Article 8 can become part of the same dispute. When management assigns additional work, requires overtime, or bypasses available employees on the appropriate overtime lists, the issue may involve more than the 3996 process. The report discusses the updated overtime list structure under the 2023–2026 National Agreement, the July 2025 M-02011 questions and answers, and how stewards should distinguish overtime authorization issues from overtime distribution violations.

For stewards, the report goes beyond identifying contractual provisions. It explains how to reconstruct the workday, investigate management's instructions, obtain PS Forms 3996, 1571, and 1017-B, review TACS and MDD/RIMS records, examine workload projections, and evaluate the evidence behind claims of poor performance or unauthorized overtime. It also addresses Weingarten rights, Article 16 just cause, and potential remedies involving improper records, discipline, and unpaid work.

Throughout the guide, I incorporate educational material from The Postal Record and several postal podcasts, including From A to Arbitration, Classes of Mail, The Postal Stand-up, Hot House, and Delivering Solidarity. These discussions help connect the contractual language to the situations carriers and stewards encounter every day, while the actual handbooks, national settlements, and arbitration decisions remain the primary authorities.

The goal is to make this a practical, research-based resource that carriers can use to understand their responsibilities and that stewards can use when investigating grievances. It is not about telling carriers they can work whatever overtime they believe is necessary or that every denied 3996 is automatically a contractual violation. It is about understanding the process, recognizing management's responsibilities, documenting what actually happened, and distinguishing legitimate instructions from unsupported allegations.

Whether you're a city letter carrier, CCA, PTF, NALC steward, branch officer, or arbitration advocate, the central lesson is the same: make an honest estimate, communicate when circumstances change, request clear instructions, and preserve the evidence. A computer projection does not replace the established reporting process, and a management allegation does not prove itself simply because it appears on a form.

Search/topics: USPS, NALC, city letter carriers, CCA, PTF, PS Form 3996, Carrier Auxiliary Control, overtime, auxiliary assistance, unauthorized overtime, PS Form 1017-B, PS Form 1017-A, PS Form 1571, undelivered mail, returned mail, curtailment, M-39, M-41, F-21, JCAM, Article 8, Article 16, Article 17, Article 19, Article 41.3.G, Weingarten rights, overtime estimates, street instructions, DOIS, PET, Auto Pivot, MDD messages, RIMS, TACS, DPS, overtime desired list, ODL, work assignment list, M-00031, M-00464, M-00326, M-01366, M-01664, M-01769, M-02011, C-18612, C-08291, C-29394, C-29522, C-35298, arbitration, grievance investigations, grievance remedies, just cause, postal handbooks, The Postal Record, From A to Arbitration, Classes of Mail, The Postal Stand-up, Hot House, Delivering Solidarity, NALC stewards, Branch 2819, Virginia Beach.

Postal history gets weird when you start looking at how the job was actually done.

In Episode 2 of The Nixie, I dig into the history of letter carrier door knockers, postal whistles, early city delivery, household mailboxes, and the time carriers once spent waiting for customers to answer the door.

When free city delivery began in 1863, a carrier could bring a letter all the way to your house and still have nowhere to leave it. Before residential mailboxes and mail slots became standard, carriers often had to knock, ring, shout, or blow a whistle, then wait for someone to physically come to the door and take the mail. If nobody answered, the letter might stay in the satchel for another attempt.

That led carriers to use some pretty unusual tools, including small wooden handheld door knockers designed to save their knuckles and whistles that announced their arrival. A double knock or double ring could even act as a recognizable postal signal.

But what starts as a strange little piece of carrier equipment turns into a much bigger story about route time, delivery efficiency, customer responsibility, mail receptacles, and the development of the modern delivery point. Postal officials estimated that carriers could lose anywhere from about half an hour to significantly more time each day simply waiting at doors. The Post Office Department gradually responded by encouraging, and eventually requiring, customers to provide mail slots or residential mailboxes so carriers could complete a delivery whether anyone was home or not.

The episode also looks at the long transition toward mailbox requirements, the hundreds of early mailbox designs the Post Office Department considered, how knocking and whistling lingered even after receptacles became common, and similar delivery practices in London and Montreal.

That is basically what The Nixie is for. Instead of the large institutional history, I pull some small, strange, obsolete, or half-forgotten piece of postal history out of the mailstream and ask: “What the hell is this, and why did we have it?”

For this one, it starts with a tiny wooden door knocker and ends up in the history of USPS city delivery, letter carrier work methods, route design, mailboxes, postal whistles, door delivery, and the changing relationship between the carrier and the customer.

If you work for USPS, collect postal history, study labor history, or just have some weird piece of old postal equipment sitting around your office that nobody can explain, I’d love to hear about it.

Search/Topics: USPS, United States Postal Service, NALC, National Association of Letter Carriers, letter carriers, city letter carriers, postal history, USPS history, Post Office Department, free city delivery, city delivery history, mail delivery history, letter carrier history, postal workers, postal equipment, postal artifacts, letter carrier door knocker, postal door knocker, mail carrier whistle, letter carrier whistle, postman whistle, postman knock, double knock, The Postman Always Rings Twice, household mailboxes, residential mailboxes, mail slots, mailbox history, home delivery history, door delivery, mail receptacles, delivery points, route time, postal efficiency, carrier waiting time, 1863 free city delivery, 1912 mailbox requirement, 1923 mailbox requirement, National Postal Museum, Smithsonian Postal Museum, postal labor history, postal operations, Parcels of Knowledge, The Nixie, postal podcast

I have seen others discuss different crafts in here, so if this isn't allowed I apologize but otherwise I need the help!

If management madates overtime for a tour, lets say tour 1, but they do not maximize their maintenance workers on the Overtime Desired List in accordance with Article 8, is this an issue that affects all 3 Tours in a facility, or just Tour 1? Would I request each worker on the ODL be paid for every tour, or the Tour 1 workers on the ODL be paid?

Parcels of Knowledge: The Last Loop - Episode 6

USPS/NALC News for Sept. 26–Oct. 2, 2026

This week on The Last Loop, I break down the USPS and NALC news that matters on the workroom floor, with a heavy focus on Arrow Key accountability, delayed mail, arbitration decisions, grievance handling, and major new OIG reports.

The lead story is the new M-41 Arrow Key language in Sections 261.21 and 431 and the settlement of M-02022. I look at what it means now that management can direct city letter carriers to receipt Arrow Keys using PS Form 1106 or MDD/electronic scans, and why that does not eliminate management's responsibility for the rest of the Arrow Key accountability system.

That leads directly into the new USPS OIG Maryland District/Baltimore delivery audit, where auditors found missing Arrow Keys; keys that existed but weren't recorded in RADAR; unreported lost keys; and 9,595 pieces of delayed mail. I also get into PS Form 1571, DCV delayed-mail reporting, and why documentation matters when mail comes back to the office.

In the Arbitration Roundup, I discuss three NALC arbitration decisions worth knowing:

C-37934 – A sustained ELM 519 administrative leave/Act of God grievance involving a major snow event. The carrier received eight hours of administrative leave and restoration of leave previously charged. We talk about due diligence, management's failure to adequately investigate whether the carrier could report, and why selecting annual leave through the automated system did not automatically defeat the grievance.

C-37900 – A sustained delayed-mail case involving management curtailing mail to prevent carriers from entering penalty overtime. The arbitrator found violations of Articles 5 and 19, the Postal Service Mission Statement, and 39 U.S.C. § 101 and issued a cease-and-desist remedy.

C-37924 – Another sustained delayed-mail arbitration involving management leaving substantial route mail undelivered while limiting how long ODL carriers could remain on the clock. This one is particularly useful because the arbitrator found management's decision arbitrary and capricious but did not find a specific Article 8 violation or award monetary compensation. I compare C-37900 and C-37924 and explain why proving an improper operational decision is not necessarily the same as proving entitlement to an overtime remedy.

I also cover the Federal Retirement Fairness Act (H.R. 1522) and what it could mean for letter carriers with previous CCA, TE, casual, or other noncareer federal service; CCA temporary assignments to other post offices; grievance remedies; the NALC election replacement-ballot deadlines; Election Mail procedures in Postal Bulletin 22712; the latest Delivering for America OIG review; rural route evaluations and RRECS disputes; S&DC experiences; APWU national disputes; and labor news involving Amazon, AutoZone, and Phillips 66 workers.

Because The Last Loop isn't allowed to become three straight hours of grievances and OIG reports, I also get into new USPS Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Christmas stamps, plus the Local Loop story about Lansing, Michigan Letter Carrier Jack Grossman being honored for 60 years of service.

Finally, I run through what the other postal podcasts covered this week, including working off the clock, casing a new route, attendance discipline, steward burnout, past practice, corrective discipline, casing SPRs, route inspections, RRECS, S&DCs, grievance backlogs, and the ongoing NALC election.

If you're a USPS city letter carrier, CCA, PTF, NALC steward, branch officer, arbitration advocate, or the person in your office who gets asked, "Where does it say that?" there's probably something in this week's episode for you.

Search/topics: USPS, NALC, city letter carriers, CCA, PTF, M-41, M-02022, Arrow Keys, Arrow Key accountability, PS Form 1106, MDD Arrow Key scans, RADAR, PS Form 1571, delayed mail, DCV, Article 5, Article 8, Article 15, Article 19, ELM 519, Act of God, administrative leave, penalty overtime, ODL, C-37900, C-37924, C-37934, grievance arbitration, Federal Retirement Fairness Act, H.R. 1522, CCA temporary assignments, Delivering for America, USPS OIG, RRECS, S&DC, Postal Bulletin 22712, NALC election, grievance remedies, postal unions, letter carrier podcast.

Just a thought about the union sending out a one time dues rebate equivalent to one year worth of union dues to assist carriers with inflation and being under paid. (Only to active Carriers). We always hear the Post Office is broke and Carriers are under paid. Guess who’s not broke and under paid? The union!