Fight Like Hell!

00:00 Introduction00:16 President's message: Collective bargaining begins06:27 News from Washington12:00 Letter carriers call for fair contract as formal negotiations begin31:42 Still time to register for the food drive44:16 Emergency Response Team (ERT)58:16 NALC introduces Informal Step A Training01:15:34 How to request overtime or auxiliary assistance and complete a PS Form 399601:25:21 Mother Jones01:30:28 Strike anniversary 01:36:53 Proud to Serve 01:46:54 Online News01:54:40 Veterans Group02:01:00 Officer and Staff columns 02:01:05 Executive Vice President Paul Barner. Several new cases pending at the interpretive step02:09:18 Vice President James D. Henry: Good, better, best02:14:38 Secretary-Treasurer Nicole Rhine: IRS, Labor Department reporting and other important reminders02:21:34 Assistant Secretary-Treasurer Mack I. Julion: Our fight02:26:54 Director of City Delivery Christopher Jackson: Mercedes-Benz eSprinter pilot test02:32:12 Director of Safety and Health Manuel L. Peralta Jr.: What happens when you report a hazard02:38:27 Director of Retired Members Dan Toth: OPM’s Online Retirement Application02:43:55 Director of Life Insurance James W. “Jim” Yates. Retirement Savings Plan settlement options02:48:51 Director, Health Benefits Stephanie Stewart: 2026 prescription benefits.02:54:34 Contract Talk: Route adjustments after a route inspection03:07:52 Staff Reports: The Winter 2026 NALC Activist03:14:12 MDA Report: Get your action plan ready

Listen to the January 2026 edition of The Postal Record. Browse the digital issue here. 00:00 Introduction 00:14 Looking back and looking forward, by President Brian L. Renfroe 05:03 News from Washington 12:05 2025 JCAM is now available 18:58 Register now for the food drive 25:14 Informal Step A Training announced 30:25 After a year of standing strong NALC is ready to fight on. 2026: A look ahead 50:07 Leadership Academy founder asks grads to serve other letter carriers back home 58:26 Important benefits new letter carriers should expect to receive from USPS 01:11:22 Caretakers of the community 01:39:04 George Meany, first president of the AFL-CIO 01:44:30 NALC Branch Publication competition call for entries 01:50:07 Carriers and the mail make news online 01:56:31 From airwaves to the page: A creative journey and tribute to lifelong friends 02:04:00 Veterans’ legislative update 02:16:56 Executive Vice President Paul Barner: An update to cases pending at the Interpretive step 02:27:38 Vice President James Henry: NALC Needs you 02:32:57 Secretary-Treasurer Nicole Rhine: Reporting to the DOL: Forms LM-2, LM-3 and LM-4 02:38:57 Assistant Secretary-Treasurer Mack Julion: Postal protection 02:44:33 Director of City Delivery Christopher Jackson: USPS pilot testing and additional revenue streams 02:49:48 Director of Safety and Health Manuel Peralta Jr.: Safety committees 02:56:45 Director of Retired Members Dan Toth: Roth TSP—Another tool to manage your taxes 03:02:49 Director of Life Insurance James Yates: MBA Retirement Savings Plan 2026 update 03:08:32 Director of Health Benefits Stephanie Stewart: New benefits and wellness programs 03:14:40 Contract Talk: Route inspections 03:36:41 Regional Workers’ Compensation Assistant Coby Jones: Preexisting conditions 03:43:18 Staff report - CLUW: "Women of the World Unite’

We’re back with Part 2 of our conversation with Ron Osborne, Assistant to the President for Administrative Affairs, to continue our discussion on route adjustments. Tune in for a comprehensive overview of the process so you’ll know what to expect and how to prepare. Plus, don’t miss updates on the newly released December 2025 JCAM, Shut Down Hunger, Advocate Continuing Education (ACE) training, and more. Watch full episodes of the Fight Like Hell Podcast at nalc.org/podcast More info about route adjustments can be found here: https://www.nalc.org/workplace-issues/city-delivery/route-adjustments ICYMI - Highlights from the 2025 national rap session are now available at nalc.org/2025rap. Have questions you'd like answered on the podcast? Email social@nalc.org.

NALC's Emergency Response Team (ERT) deploys specially trained letter carriers to assist other members following traumatic events. In this episode, hear directly from four of our ERT members: Brooke Bollom, Bismarck, ND Branch 957; Rei Santiago, Elizabeth, NJ Branch 67; John Collins, Zanesville, OH Branch 63; Wayne Green, Winston-Salem, NC Branch 461Links:https://fsafeds.gov/https://nalchbp.org/ 00:01:00 - Peak season00:04:00 - National Rap Session recap00:06:30 - Open Season00:09:22 - Flexible Spending Account (FSA)00:13:58 - Roundtable with ERT members

This week’s Thanksgiving episode highlights how letter carriers give back to their communities. President of Flushing, NY Branch 294 Phil Kahn and letter carrier Andy Fontanetta join the pod to discuss the history and success of their branch’s blood drive and offer tips for any branch interested in holding a similar event. 00:01:55 - Peak season00:06:08 - Overtime exclusion period00:08:35 - Open Season and the NALC Health Benefit Plan00:12:30 - Postal Service Fiscal Year 2025 financial results00:20:29 - National Rap Session00:25:03 - Phil Kahn and Andy Fontantetta on Branch 294's blood drives

There’s a lot to consider when planning for retirement, and the best time to start preparing is right now! This week, we’re joined by Director of Retired Members Dan Toth to break down the ins and outs of navigating retirement preparation at any stage of your letter carrier career. Watch now or tune in wherever you get your podcasts: nalc.org/podcast 00:01:24 Region 2 Rap Session 00:02:54 Cincinnati Branch 43 Veterans Day & Retirees Breakfast 00:04:34 Executive Council and bargaining subcommittees prepare for the 2025 National Rap Session 00:05:50 Interpretive disputes update 00:07:16 Memorial for former Manchester, NH Branch 44 President Yankee 00:09:08 Open Season 00:11:28 Ask the Mailbag: Penalty overtime exclusion period 00:14:50 Retirement basics with Director of Retired Members Dan Toth

This week, we’re proud to feature NALC members who have served in our nation’s military or are currently on active duty in honor of Veterans Day! Tune in to hear overviews of essential topics and resources for our fellow veteran letter carriers. Our sincere thanks go out to our special guests and to all our veteran members for their service to our nation. Watch or listen wherever you get your podcasts! Info about NALC Veterans Group and the Veterans Group Guide are both available at nalc.org/veterans. 00:00:50 – Committee of Presidents 00:03:56 — NALC Health Benefit Plan Seminar and Open Season 00:09:17 — Bargaining Subcommittee Updates 00:10:50 — 2025 National Rap Session 00:13:50 — "Shut Down Hunger" Food Drive 00:20:20 — Introduction to Veterans Day Episode 00:25:01 — Nora Stamper | Seattle, WA Branch 79 | Marines | Veterans’ Preference—Discipline Process and the Merit Systems Protection Board 00:39:12 — Troy Saunders | Baltimore, MD Branch 176 | Marines | Buying Back Your Military Time, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service Website, the Buy Back Estimator, and Annual Leave Accrual 00:47:27 — Artegus Felder | Montgomery, AL Branch 106 | Army | The Hoover Executive Order 5396, MOU 00165, and Wounded Warrior Leave 00:55:56 — Carman Montgomery | Mobile, AL Branch 469 | Active Duty Air Force | Military Leave and Uniformed Services Employment & Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) 01:07:02 — Charles Bundy | Chicago, IL Branch 11 | Navy | ID.me Virtual ID, Veteran License, State and County Benefits, DMV Plates and Stickers, and the NALC Veterans Group 01:14:04 — Shane Davis | Jonesboro, AR Branch 1138 | Navy | On-the-Job Injuries—OWCP/DVA Dual Coverage, Veterans and Mental Health 01:27:53 — (In English and Spanish) Christopher Cotto-Sanchez | San Juan, PR Branch 869 | Army | DD 214 Requests and the Veterans Affairs App

Listen to the October 2025 edition of The Postal Record. Browse the digital issue here.

This week's episode discusses a national-level interpretive dispute recently filed by NALC regarding S&DCs (Sorting & Delivery Centers), followed by a look at the Protect Our Letter Carriers Act. Then, we hear from four members of the Branch Leaders group: Kelsey Crosbie, Columbus, OH Branch 78; Linda Johnson, Duluth, MN Branch 114; Veronica Ramirez, Arlington Heights, IL Branch 2810; and Vincent Smith, Worcester, MA Branch 12. This episode is also available to watch on YouTube. Hear more from Rank-and-File Bargaining Committee members here. Have questions you'd like answered on the podcast? Email social@nalc.org. Keep up with NALC on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky and Threads! 00:06:51 - What is an S&DC? 00:15:15 - Route adjustments and evaluations 00:16:38 - What is an MOU? 00:18:43 - TIAREAP expiration and M-02006/02007 00:21:27 - Route adjustment process 00:24:12 - The interpretive dispute 00:27:52 - Protect Our Letter Carriers Act 00:44:47 - Q&A 00:52:10 - Roundtable with Newer Member Rank-and-File committee members

Special Assistant to the President Doug Lape joins the podcast to go in-depth on the structure and goals of the Rank-And-File Bargaining Committees. Then, we hear from four members of the Branch Leaders group: Valerie Castillo, Salem, OR Branch 347; James Collins, Knoxville, TN Branch 419; Elise Foster, Chicago, IL Branch 11; Leigh Smith, Decatur, GA Branch 2225 Watch the full episode here. Hear more from Rank-and-File Bargaining Committee members here. Have questions you'd like answered on the podcast? Email social@nalc.org. Keep up with NALC on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky and Threads! 00:09:22 - Interview with Special Assistant to the President Doug Lape 00:13:21 - Developing the Rank-and-File Bargaining Committees 00:18:18 - How were committee members selected? 00:23:30 - Goals 00:27:18 - Reports and meeting minutes 00:33:00 - What info and materials did the committees review? 00:35:30 - Structure and schedule / Economic proposals 00:45:00 - What's next? 00:47:10 - Feedback 00:49:40 - Roundtable with members of the Branch Leaders Rank-and-File Bargaining Committee

In this week's episode of Fight Like Hell, we deep dive into Article 8. Then, we review some scenarios and decide: Is it a gripe? Or is it a grievance? Watch the episode here. Click here for the special edition of The Activist. 00:00:00 – Intro00:06:47 – Deep dive into Article 801:03:05 – LMOU impasse update01:06:23 – Gripe or Grievance

In this episode of Fight Like Hell!, we take a look at the arbitration process and discuss the upcoming rallies being organized by branches across the country on Sunday, March 23. Our jobs, our service and the entire Postal Service are on the line. We need everyone’s help as we fight like hell against these attacks. Together, we will send a loud, clear message: HELL NO to dismantling the Postal Service. Reach out to your National Business Agent by Thursday, March 6 to organize a rally in your area. More information at nalc.org/March23. Have questions you'd like answered on the podcast? Email social@nalc.org. Keep up with NALC on Facebook, Twitter/X, Bluesky and Instagram!