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© Alan Gegax, 2023
Description
This podcast is intended to empower city letter carriers. Through education, we'll make ourselves better carriers who are immune to discipline and mistreatment by management, and are forces for positive change and reform within our own union. I do not speak for the USPS or NALC (or anybody else, for that matter!), this is not an official USPS or NALC podcast, and all opinions and advice are my own or my guests'. Submit feedback, questions, or topic suggestions to classesofmail@gmail.com .
214 Episodes
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In this episode, my lifelong friend and listener favorite Rich joins me to talk about the appeal I have right now at the National Committee on Appeals. I read the entirety of my appeal, the entirety of the branch reply, and we comment on both. Not surprisingly, we find my arguments to be more compelling. Even so, we present the other side as written, and try to give their positions fair treatment.
I'm joined by Chris Persampieri (Next Generation Carriers), Graig Samoluk (President, Branch 334), and Derek Liemohn (BFN alternate steward, and newly minted full-time regular), to discuss plans for nationwide contract rallies in February of 2026. Now is the time to get the ball rolling if we want to have a better outcome in our next contract negotiations.
There are important safety tips in this section including clarification of some controversial topics like curbing your wheels and wearing your shoulder belt.
I've decided to do a reading of the EL-814, the Employee's Guide to Safety. It's full of interesting and useful information.
Michael talks about the proper use of the route count, the one-day count, and office observations.
There is a provision in my branch's bylaws that requires a seminar to be held for anybody who's interested, if the branch pays for a person to attend any special meetings or schools. It's being ignored by my branch president. I want you to listen to the circumstances, and give me your advice on what I should do in this situation.
Michael and I finish the route protection handbook
Michael and I read from a route protection handbook. We talk about how to ensure you get all the time credit your route deserves.
Great questions. Adequate answers. And some corrections.
Results from the election, our takeaways, and our future plans.
Michael and I answer some excellent questions from the mailbag, and we talk a little bit about tomorrow's Branch 2502 election.
More questions, more answers
Michael and I share fun stories from out on the route. We need a break from all the campaigning, and you probably do, too.
The campaign is in full swing, and momentum is building for the good guys.
The Goodest Oldest Boy sent a letter to the retirees of our branch. To call it misleading is to be generous. Michael and I respond to his letter, and we elaborate of his claim that we "have no plans to make our Branch better."
Michael and I talk about the different procedures and policies that exist at installations and stations around the country, and why answering questions from the mailbag might not be as easy as we originally thought. But we still do it, because we're here to help.
Paul Boulanger and I are both passionate about education. In this interview, we talk about what the newly recreated Director of Education will actually do, and what Paul's priorities will be when he takes the helm.
Michael Brasaemle went a little nuts and paid to send out a mailer to our entire branch for our election. He printed all the flyers at home, bought nearly 2000 stamps and 2000 envelopes, and came over to my house for an envelope stuffing party. We had quite a few people show up to help. On this episode, you get to meet some of those people, and hear their stories.
UPDATE: I am running for vice president, instead of secretary. Ballots for the election in Branch 2502 are out NOW!It's been about a year since my lifelong friend Rich Vala has joined me on the podcast. It's also been about a year since my branch had its tainted election. On September 3, 2025, I accepted the nomination for Vice President for Branch 2502. Now, we need you to vote.
1This episode has two topics, which wind up being related. In the first half of the episode, I get on my soap box and talk about why we, as workers, need to unite across class. We are wrongly villainizing other poor and struggling people, when the real enemy are those hoarding ludicrous amounts of wealth at the top of the class structure. (To skip this part, go to around the 12:00 mark.)The second half of the episode talks about what our diet COLAs really are. Spoiler alert: we ALL only get about 55% of the actual cost of living. The rest is supposed to be covered by our general wage increases. Obviously that hasn't been happening, and that's why we've been falling further and further behind.
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