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SAVANNAH, Ga. () — On Sunday morning, a group of letter carriers affiliated with the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 578 gathered in front of Savannah’s main post office. This event was part of a coordinated national protest advocating for improved pay.
“These demonstrations are happening everywhere, even in the snowy conditions up north,” remarked Robert Moore, Vice President of NALC Branch 578. “Our colleagues are taking to the streets, just as we are here.”
According to information shared by the branch, the NALC is pushing for several key demands:
- Higher pay, including higher starting wages
- Shorter time to reach “top of pay scale”
- Full benefits
“Our aim is to bring top-notch individuals into the Postal Service, and achieving that requires fair wages and benefits,” explained Brendan Lamar, the financial secretary for Branch 578. “This will enable us to deliver outstanding service to our valued customers.”
Statistics highlighted during the rally underscored the critical role of letter carriers, noting that the daily delivery of 376 million pieces of mail and packages to almost 169 million delivery points across the country relies on their efforts.
Moore and Lamar both said letter carriers are delivering more parcels than ever before.
“That’s the brunt of what we’re delivering,” Lamar said. “We’re appealing to the United States Postal Service that we want a fair contract.”
Another request by the NALC includes an increase in a uniform allowance.
“[New employees] don’t have a uniform allowance right away, and when they can get a stipend for a uniform allowance, it covers hardly anything, probably 30% of what the uniform is,” Lamar said. “That’s unacceptable for the people, for the customers.”
Current conditions are leading to over half of new employees leaving quickly.
“55% of the new employees now only stay with the Postal Service for less than a year,” Moore said. “If we have the starting wage increase, the benefits increase, people are going to want to stay with this job.”
Those interested in supporting the movement and requests should reach out to their local post office, according to Lamar.
“What the customer can do is simply reach out to the local postal service and say, ‘Hey, we honor the employees. They come, our mailmen, our mail ladies, they come every day. You guys just need to simply take care of them.’”
Moore told that national negotiations between the NALC and the United States Postal Service for letter carriers’ next contract will begin this week on Feb. 25.