Hot House with Richie Ray

Brother Obadiah Batten's journey is anything but ordinary. Before becoming a city letter carrier and union representative, he spent eight years serving his country in the United States Air Force, earned a degree in Software Engineering, and performed as a professional wrestler. Today, he's one of thenewest voices representing letter carriers as a steward and Formal Step A representative in Branch 496, Richmond, Virginia.In this episode of Hot House with Richie Ray, we dive into what shaped him, what motivates him to fight for carriers, how military discipline compares to USPS culture, and why serving your brothers and sisters has become his purpose. We also discuss the challenges facing newer carriers, the future of the NALC, and the importance of developing the next generation of union leaders.

This episode is a full-scale training session for shop stewards, branch officers, activists and every letter carrier who has ever wondered what a steward can actually do when management says no.Using the Fall 2004 edition of the NALC Activist as ourfoundation, we are going to break down five major areas:We are going to talk about power.Where does management's power come from?Where does the Union's power come from?Why does arbitration matter even when your grievance never reaches arbitration?What should a steward do when management says, "I don't have time for you today"?What happens when management tries to make the steward sit silently during an investigative interview?How do you document a denial?When should remedies escalate?And perhaps most importantly:Who are we training to take our place?Because a strong union cannot depend upon one president, one chiefsteward, one shop steward or one great grievance writer.A strong union creates more strong unionists.

On this episode of Hot House with Richie Ray, we sit down with Justin Frew, candidate for President of NALC Branch 351 in Olympia.But this conversation isn't going to begin with anelection.Before somebody asks the membership to trust them withthe presidency of their branch, I want to know who that person is.Who is Justin Frew?What kind of letter carrier is he?What did he experience on the workroom floor?What pushed him toward union representation?What did his first grievance teach him?What did winning feel like?More importantly, what did losing teach him?We're going to talk about the grievances that stayedwith him emotionally, the mistakes that made him better, his relationship with management, and how he feels about the carriers he represents.Then we're going to get into the campaign.Why does Justin believe Branch 351 needs change?What problems does he see?What specifically would he do differently?And if the membership gives him the opportunity to serve as president, what kind of Branch 351 does he want to build and eventually leave behind?This isn't just an interview about winning an election.It's a conversation about experience, mistakes, growth, responsibility, leadership, and earning the trust of the membership.

This episode goes far beyond campaign talking points.Richie Ray sits down with Region 1 National Business Agent Allan Rios to discuss nearly thirty years of service to letter carriers. Beginning as a casual employee in 1996, Allan shares how his experiences carrying mail shaped the representativehe became. The conversation explores his journey from shop steward to arbitration advocate, DRT representative, Regional Administrative Assistant, and ultimately National Business Agent.Listeners will hear personal stories from Allan's carrier days, lessons learned representing thousands of carriers, his thoughts on today's challenges facing the NALC, why he chose to run with the Concerned Letter Carriers slate, and whyevery member's vote could shape the future direction of the union.If you've ever wondered what it takes to become an NBA or what keeps someone fighting for carriers after decades of service this is an episode you won't want to miss.

For the third maybe even fourth time, Corey Walton returns to the Hot House with Richie Ray. But this conversation is different.This isn't about introducing Corey Walton. Most letter carriers already know who he is.This is about where the National Association of Letter Carriers stands today, why so many carriers are concerned about the future of the union, the role the Concerned Letter Carriers (CLC) campaign says it hopes to play in the upcoming election, and why Corey believes education has become one of the most powerful tools available to letter carriers. Corey has served as a city letter carrier for nearly three decades, represented carriers as a steward, Formal Step A representative, arbitration advocate, and safety leader,and built the From A to Arbitration podcast into a major educational resource for carriers. We'll discuss:The current state of the NALC. Why Corey decided to leave the comfort of local representation to run for national office. The importance of carrier education. The contract, arbitration, and the challenges facing today'sletter carriers. Why every vote matters. What Corey believes must change inside the union. Then...We'll end with one of the most entertaining parts of the Hot House...The Hot House Rapid Fire Game.

Jerry Kerner Jr. is not simply running for National Business Agent of Region 13—he is asking letter carriers to trust him with the responsibility of protecting branches, developing representatives, enforcing the National Agreement, and helping guide the region through one of the mostuncertain periods facing the Postal Service and the NALC.A city letter carrier since 2006, Jerry has spent twodecades inside the Postal Service and the union movement. He currently serves as a shop steward in Baltimore, has represented carriers in multiple offices, graduated from NALC Leadership Academy Class 15, served as a Branch AFL-CIODelegate, participated in the AFL-CIO Young Trade Unionists program, and worked as a Joint Alternate Route Adjustment Team member.But Jerry's connection to the NALC goes even deeper. Heis a second-generation letter carrier whose father served as a carrier, branch treasurer, branch president, and Regional Administrative Assistant in Region 13. Jerry grew up watching union leadership firsthand, traveling throughout the region and seeing what calm, knowledgeable and dependable representation looked like.Now he wants the responsibility himself.In this interview, we go far beyond the résumé.We ask whether being a strong shop steward truly prepares someone to command a regional office. We examine what Jerry has learned from watching generations of NALC leadership, what he would change in Region 13, why he joined the Concerned Letter Carriers slate, and what leadership means when members are frustrated, grievances are multiplying, USPS faces enormous operational and financial challenges, and confidence in institutions is being tested.We also explore one of the hardest questions facing national union leadership. How does the NALC fight aggressively for letter carriers while also recognizing that our members'livelihoods depend upon the survival and success of the United States Postal Service?Where is the line between partnership and complacency?Where is the line between protecting USPS and protectingmanagement?And when those interests collide, who comes first?This is a conversation about leadership, responsibility, fear, legacy, accountability and whether Jerry Kerner Jr. is prepared to carry the weight of Region 13 on his shoulders.

On this episode of The Hot House with Richie Ray,we sit down with Elliot Simmons, a Table 2 City Letter Carrier, union representative, educator, podcaster, and CLC candidate for National Business Agent of Region 7.Elliot began his Postal Service career in February 2015 as an RCA before becoming a CCA in 2017. Within months of entering the city carrier craft, he discovered a passion for representing working people. That passion grew into a commitment to grievance handling, education, contract enforcement, and developing stronger union representatives. After transferring to the Bismarck-Mandan, North Dakota Branch 957 in December 2023, Elliot continued building on that mission.But this interview goes far beyond Elliot's biography.We dig into his work with Cole Billups and their podcast, why independent union media matters, and whether podcasts and social media can make union leadership more transparent and accountable.Then the questions get harder.Why does Elliot believe he is ready to become an NBA afterentering the Postal Service in 2015? Does he have the experience, judgment, temperament, and knowledge necessary to lead an entire region? Why shouldveteran carriers and longtime union representatives place their trust in him?We also confront the criticism directly.Some people say Elliot can be difficult to deal with. So what kind of person is Elliot Simmons? Is he difficult, stubborn, aggressive—or simply unwilling to back down when he believes carriers are being wronged? Can he accept criticism? Can he admit when he is wrong? Can people around himchallenge him?Most importantly:Does Elliot Simmons truly love the letter carrier, and will the carrier always come before politics, personalities,friendships, and factions?We examine the core priorities of his campaign: expanding steward and Formal A training throughout Region 7, strengthening contract enforcement, taking more properly prepared grievances to arbitration, developing arbitrationadvocates, and creating meaningful opportunities for the next generation of letter carriers to become involved in the NALC.Then we go national.Elliot gives his assessment of the current state of the NALC, the grievance procedure, membership participation, transparency, leadership, accountability, and whether today's union is properly connected to the rank-and-file carrier.We also discuss the NALC National Convention and ask what Elliot saw, what concerned him, what gave him hope, and what the convention revealed about the direction of the union.Finally, we get into the politics.Why did Elliot choose the Concerned Letter Carriers?Why does he support the CLC slate?Why James Henry for President?Why Corey Walton for Executive Vice President?And why does Elliot believe 2026 is the moment for change?This is not meant to be a campaign commercial.It is a conversation about leadership, experience, character, accountability, contract enforcement, democracy, trust,and the future of the National Association of Letter Carriers.If Elliot Simmons wants the members of Region 7 to place their trust in him as their next National Business Agent, then he should be willing to answer the difficult questions.On The Hot House, he gets that opportunity.No softballs. No hiding behind campaign slogans. No automatic trust.Make your case.Earn the membership's confidence.And as Elliot himself says:Keep Fighting, Brothers and Sisters. Keep Fighting!

For decades, Orlando Gonzalez has dedicated his career to representing letter carriers not only as a steward, Formal A representative, route adjustment specialist, and RegionalAdministrative Assistant for Region 15, but as a mentor committed to developing the next generation of union leaders. In this episode of Hot House with Richie Ray, Orlandoshares the personal journey that shaped his commitment to labor activism, the challenges facing today's Postal Service, and why he believes the future of the NALC depends on stronger leadership, better training, and reconnecting with the rank-and-file.Orlando reflects on the evolution of the Postal Service from the early 1990s to today, discussing the growing pressures placed on letter carriers, the impact of burnout and declining morale, and the importance of ensuring grievances are handled effectively and timely. He explains why stewardeducation and mentorship are essential to protecting the National Agreement and preparing the union for the future.The conversation also explores Orlando's decision to support the Concerned Letter Carriers (CLC)movement and seek election as the next Region 15 National Business Agent. He discusses the principles that motivated his decision, the challenges that followed, and his perspective onleadership, accountability, transparency, and the importance of listening to the membership.A significant portion of the interview focuses on Orlando's passion for safety and the innovative GAS Club training program he developed during his time as Region 15 RAA. He explains how the program was designed to create meaningful safety discussions, encourage active participation, and build a workplace culture where protecting carriers is a shared responsibility rather than simply a compliance requirement.The episode concludes with an energetic "Hot House Heat Check" rapid-fire segment, where Orlando responds to thought-provoking words and phrases with one-word or brief answers, giving viewers an unfiltered look at his philosophy, leadership style, and vision for the future of Region 15.This is an in-depth conversation about service, sacrifice, leadership, accountability, and what Orlando Gonzalez believes it will take to strengthen the union and better serve the members of Region 15.