The Postal Record
NALC’s monthly magazine

Published monthly by the National Association of Letter Carriers, AFL-CIO, The Postal Record is received by every member of the NALC—280,000 active and retired letter carriers. It has been published continuously since 1888.

The magazine presents the union's agenda on political, legislative, labor and workplace issues, with an emphasis on factual presentation so members can make informed decisions. It also explains how members can help make their union stronger, their Postal Service better and their country more responsive to the needs of working people.

The Postal Record has been recognized for excellence repeatedly by the AFL-CIO's International Labor Communications Association. 

My address has changed/I no longer receive my Postal Record

Members' address changes are handled by the NALC Membership Department.

You may also contact Membership if, for some reason, home delivery of your Postal Record has stopped.

Call the department at 202-662-2836 Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET.

Branches may submit items for publication in The Postal Record by standard mail, fax or by e-mail. But please note the important information below.

Who can submit: Branch presidents must send The Postal Record a letter designating authorized scribes. If items will be submitted by e-mail, the president also must state the e-mail address(es) that will be used.

Deadline: Items must be received by The Postal Record by the 10th of the month preceding the month of publication, whether by mail, fax or e-mail. For instance, November 10 would be the deadline for the December issue. It is particularly important that branch secretaries be mindful of this when submitting Election Notices (see below).

To submit items by mail: Use upper and lower case letters (not all capitals) on one sheet of 8.5" by 11" paper. Use an easy-to-read font (no scripts) and print in black. Mail to:

THE POSTAL RECORD
100 Indiana Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20001-2144

Include the following information: type of item (Branch Item, State Summary, Retiree Report, Election Notice, etc.); where it comes from (branch city and number); the person sending it; how to contact the sender.

To submit items by fax: Send the item with the above information included to 202-737-1540.

To submit items by e-mail: Send to postalrecord@nalc.org with the branch city, state and number as the subject. The item can be the body of the e-mail or can be sent as an attached Corel WordPerfect or Microsoft Word file. (Do not use Microsoft Works.) Do not type in all-capital letters. Include the same information as listed above.

Word limit: The NALC Constitution limits items to 300 words, preferably fewer. Submissions that are too long or violate the prohibition on defamatory or unlawful matter (such as electioneering) cannot be printed. Also, we encourage scribes to have someone proofread their items before sending them in.

Branches also may submit clear, in-focus, professionally processed photos, or may e-mail digital image files of the same quality and at least 300 dpi resolution as attachments; include caption information identifying all individuals pictured and the event where the photo was taken. Please do not mail computer print-outs; if a digital version is available, please send it by e-mail. "Action" photos, as opposed to "posed" photos, are strongly encouraged and receive preferential treatment. Note: Cell phone pictures are generally of unacceptable quality.

Election Notices must be submitted to The Postal Record, not to other offices at NALC. The Constitution for Government of Federal and Subordinate Branches requires that notice be mailed to members no fewer than 45 days before the election (see Article 5, Section 4 for full details). Branch secretaries must remember the time difference between deadline for submission of notices—the 10th of the month—and publication of the subsequent issue of the magazine, i.e., November’s deadline is for December’s publication.

Due to production requirements, items that do not comply with the styles specified cannot be published. Call the Postal Record office at 202-662-2851 if you have any questions.

How to submit Mutual Exchange Ads

Ads from letter carriers seeking mutual exchange of work locations are published for NALC members only. A branch officer or steward must endorse the ad to certify membership. Please see the Mutual Exchange pages in a recent Postal Record for instructions and cost. Deadline is the fifth of the month preceding the month in which the ad will appear.

How to submit “Proud To Serve” or other service articles

The Postal Record's "Proud to Serve" articles feature NALC members who, while delivering the mail, intervene to save the lives of their postal patrons. Branch representatives are urged to send details about exceptional acts of service to The Postal Record (it's helpful to include newspaper clippings or official reports), as well as clear, in-focus, high-quality color photos (if digital, resolution must be at least 300 dpi).

We also welcome information about branches performing community service and letter carriers known for their humanitarian activities. Send such items to The Postal Record, NALC, 100 Indiana Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20001-2144 or via e-mail to postalrecord@nalc.org.