A ride-along on a rural USPS route
“It’s the first time in my life I can say I love what I do,” says Daniel Campos, a mail carrier in Hollister, CA. When Campos first transitioned from a retail job to his part-time USPS position, he said, he felt like he didn’t know what he was getting himself ...
FSA expenses for 2024 should be submitted to FSAFEDS
Inspira Financial will replace FSAFEDS as the Postal Service’s flexible spending account program administrator, beginning Wednesday, Jan. 1. All claims for 2024 must be submitted to FSAFEDS no later than Wednesday, April 30. Claims submitted to Inspira Financial for 2024 will be rejected. Employees who have questions regarding the change ...
An Evening With A Rural Mail Carrier
I saw him up ahead in the fading light of an early December evening - an older gentleman was waiting at his mailbox. Informed by no more than my one year's experience as a mail carrier, I suspected that he was most likely impatiently waiting for his tardy newspaper. So ...
Rural America deserves better from USPS
The so-called “Regional Transportation Optimization” plan will cut the number of times USPS visits rural post offices to pick up outgoing mail. This will inevitably cause even more delays for folks in rural America. I’ve written the Postmaster General to let him know this is a terrible idea. In fact, ...
UPDATE: H.R. 82, The Social Security Fairness Act, Passes Senate
UPDATE: On Saturday, December 21, the Senate passed the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82), legislation that would repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO), by a vote of 76-20. Thank you to our members who contacted their senators in support of this legislation! The bill ...
TSP will continue its normal daily operations in the event of a lapse in appropriations (government shutdown)
TSP will continue its normal daily operations in the event of a lapse in appropriations. As a reminder, agencies should not submit Form TSP-41, Notification to TSP of Nonpay Status, if a participant has been furloughed (or their paychecks delayed) due to a lapse in appropriations. Participants should be referred to ...
Would the US Postal Service stop during a shutdown?
A government shutdown will not affect the mail, meaning even if Congress does not pass a funding plan, holiday gifts still out for delivery should arrive. Congress has until midnight Saturday to avoid a government shutdown. If it misses the deadline, several agencies would not have the funds to continue operating, meaning some ...
USPS OIG – Network Changes: Local Transportation Optimization
Background The U.S. Postal Service began deploying a major change to operations in October 2023 with the implementation of the Local Transportation Optimization (LTO) initiative in the Richmond, VA, region followed by 14 additional regions across the nation through August 2024. The initiative is generally designed to reduce the number ...
The Constitution and the Postal System
President-elect Donald Trump has revived talk from his previous term of moving to privatize the United States Postal System. To be sure, such a process would be complicated and would likely require an act of Congress. The Constitution in Article I, Section 8 grants Congress the ability “to establish Post Offices and ...
Hometown Hero: Rural Carrier Christy French
LEWISBURG, Ky. (WBKO) - Life in Christy French’s hometown of Lewisburg is more than just routine — it’s about family, community, and a deep-seated desire to make a difference. Born in Russellville and raised in the quiet streets of Lewisburg, French grew up surrounded by a sense of safety and ...
Bill to repeal windfall elimination provision clears a key Senate hurdle
The Senate voted 73-27 to invoke cloture on the Social Security Fairness Act, clearing the way for a final vote to pass the bill later this week. The Senate on Wednesday voted 73-27 to limit debate on legislation to repeal a controversial pair of tax provisions that impact the retirement ...
NEW VIDEO: From the NRLCA President’s Desk, December Holiday Message
In this new video message, President Don Maston reflects on the challenges the NRLCA has faced, the progress we’ve made, and the road ahead for our Association in the coming year. For rural carriers, peak season is not a time that brings joy. The happiest day for us is the day ...
A man and his mailbox: How a dispute over rural mail delivery became a federal case
On a cold December afternoon, standing next to the empty wood frame where his mailbox used to be, Chuck Klein tried to explain why he’s spent so much time the past few years sending emails to government officials, writing letters to a president and a congressman, working with a private ...
USPS announces more 2025 stamps
The Postal Service has announced more stamp releases for 2025: • Freshwater Fishing Lures, five stamps that will feature brightly detailed photographs of five lures; • Battlefields of the American Revolution, a pane of 15 stamps that will mark the 250th anniversary of the start of the revolution; • Powwows: Celebrating Native American ...
Senate scheduled to vote on H.R. 82 next week; please call your senators
Via NALC - The Senate is scheduled to begin consideration of the Social Security Fairness Act (H. R. 82) next week. The addition to the schedule comes after Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced at a labor-led rally that he would bring the bill to the floor for a vote. The ...
Want to change your health benefits? Act now
Postal Service employees who want to change their health coverage or enroll in a new plan must act now. Open season, the annual period when USPS employees can make benefits changes, ends Friday, Dec. 13, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. This is the deadline to enroll in or make changes to ...
RCA delivers the 1 billionth holiday mailpiece in a city carrier uniform
When the Postal Service delivered its 1 billionth piece of peak season mail, it fittingly went to the “chief elf” in Santa Claus, IN. Danni Fulkerson, a rural carrier associate, delivered the package to Patricia Koch at the Santa Claus Museum on Nov. 29. Koch, 93, the founder of the ...