Today, the Postal Service announced it will temporarily pause employer contributions to the defined benefit portion of the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) account through the end of the fiscal year. This pause has no immediate impact on any current or future retired letter carriers.

This move is necessitated by the Postal Service’s current financial situation and is a direct result of continued inaction by Congress to fix the legislative constraints that inhibit the Postal Service's ability to invest in its infrastructure and modernize to meet the needs of its employees and the American people.

If Congress were to allow for a new investment strategy for USPS retiree health and pension funds, a fair recalculation of the agency’s Civil Service Retirement System pension obligations, and an increase in the agency’s borrowing authority, this pause in FERS contributions would not be necessary.

It is time for Congress to act on these commonsense policy changes to protect our jobs, retirements, and the essential and reliable service we provide to every American.

More information is available here.

Today, NALC President Brian L. Renfroe will participate in a House field hearing in California focused on protecting democracy, election security, voting rights and vote-by-mail.

The event will be livestreamed at 11 a.m. PT. Watch the livestream here.

The hearing will be hosted by Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and House Committee on Administration Ranking Member Joe Morelle (D-NY).

The field hearing comes while voting rights and mail-in ballots are facing unprecedented threats. Last week, President Trump issued an executive order aimed at severely limiting mail-in ballots nationwide. At the same time, the SAVE America Act, a voter suppression bill that also targets vote-by-mail, has continued to be debated in the Senate. Identified as a top priority of the administration, the legislation passed the House earlier this year.

President Renfroe was invited to participate as a panelist to share letter carriers’ perspective on the recent attacks on mail-in ballots and how such drastic action could affect letter carriers’ work.

Other panelists include Dr. Barbara Simons, former chair of Verified Voting Foundation; Kevin Shelley, former California secretary of state; Brittany Stonesifer, voting rights and redistricting program manager at California Common Cause; professor Rory K. Little, UC Law San Francisco; and Gabriela Carcamo from The Arc San Francisco.

“The recent attacks on vote-by-mail threaten voting rights, our essential work and the entire Postal Service,” President Renfroe said. “Voting by mail is safe, secure and an essential part of our democracy. I appreciate the opportunity to bring NALC’s voice to this panel as we continue fighting to protect America’s access to mail-in ballots.”

NALC is deeply saddened to learn of the death of Judy Willoughby, former assistant secretary-treasurer and former national business agent (NBA) for Region 9,  on March 26 at the age of 70.

Sister Willoughby began her postal career in 1980 and joined West Coast Florida Branch 1477, where she quickly became a shop steward after witnessing management violations of the contract. She served as a steward from 1981 to 1983 and continued that service after transferring to Tallahassee, FL, in 1984, where she became a member of Tallahassee Branch 1172. She went on to serve Branch 1172 as trustee, vice president and branch president for nearly 12 years.

In 2000, NALC President Vincent R. Sombrotto appointed her as a regional administrative assistant for Region 9. Sister Willoughby also served in several appointed NALC positions in the North Florida District, including as an Employee Involvement facilitator, a member of the local joint steering committee and the joint route inspection team, and as Delivery Point Sequence coordinator. She had also been an arbitration advocate since 1988 and served as a local business agent for many years. She served as an executive board member for District 5 of the Florida State Association of Letter Carriers and as FSALC director of education.

In 2004, Sister Willoughby made history as the NALC's first female NBA when NALC President William H. Young appointed her as Region 9 NBA to fill a vacancy. She was subsequently elected to that position by acclamation at the 2006 national convention and again in 2010. She was later elected NALC assistant secretary-treasurer by ballot among the union's active and retired members, and she retired from the position in 2018 at the end of her term.

An Army veteran, Sister Willoughby held two associate degrees from St. Petersburg Junior College and also attended the University of South Florida.

“NALC mourns the loss of Sister Willoughby,” NALC President Brian L. Renfroe said. “She dedicated more than four decades to fighting for the rights of letter carriers, breaking barriers and setting a standard of service that will not be forgotten. On behalf of the NALC, I extend our deepest sympathies to her family and friends. She will be greatly missed."

A bargaining update has been posted to the Members Only Portal. To access it, sign in and navigate to Members Menu and select the Collective Bargaining tab. You will then see and be able to access “Bargaining Update 3/27/2026.” 

Take action

Call 202-224-3121 or visit nalc.org/action to ask your senators to OPPOSE the SAVE America Act.

“I urge all letter carriers to contact their senators and ask them to oppose this bill,” NALC President Brian L. Renfroe said. “This legislation is an attack on the validity and accessibility of mail-in ballots and all Americans’ voting rights.”

More information on the SAVE America Act

The House passed the SAVE America Act in February.

During Senate consideration earlier this week, Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) introduced a substitute amendment (S.Amdt. 4420) that would strengthen the already harsh requirements of the legislation. His amendment would require all voters to show ID, require proof of citizenship to vote, and eliminate mail-in voting, with exceptions for military service, illness, travel and disability. The amendment includes other non-voting related partisan priorities of the administration, like banning transgender athletes from women’s sports and gender-affirming surgery for minors.

The legislation faces an uphill battle in the Senate, where 60 votes are needed for passage.

The SAVE America Act undermines the validity and security of vote-by-mail while aiming to suppress Americans’ right to vote. NALC sent opposition letters to both the House and Senate. 

The subcommittee called Postmaster General David Steiner and David Marroni, director of physical infrastructure at the Government Accountability Office, to testify. Since Congress oversees the Postal Service, it is customary for the postmaster general to be called to testify. This was Steiner's first opportunity since assuming the position last summer to lay out his vision for the agency before the subcommittee. 

In his opening remarks, Chairman Pete Sessions (R-TX) acknowledged that addressing the agency’s financial situation was critical. 

Ranking Member Kweisi Mfume (D-MD) recognized the recent threats facing the Postal Service, including President Trump threatening to put the agency under the Department of Commerce and fire the USPS Board of Governors last year. “The last thing we want is a privatized system,” he said. He also recognized postal employees' dedication and emphasized that no postal employee should ever fear for their safety while at work. 

In his opening statement, Steiner said that if the “status quo” continues, the Postal Service will run out of cash in 12 months. He referenced declining mail volume, the agency’s unfair Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) pension obligations, USPS’s frozen borrowing authority that has not been lifted in decades, the Postal Service being prohibited from responsibly investing its retiree and health pension funds, and USPS not controlling its workers' compensation claims for the current financial situation. He called on Congress to act now by raising the borrowing authority. “One easy action – increasing our borrowing authority – buys us time. Time that we can use to best determine what the Postal Service should do to best serve the American public,” he said.

NALC supports and has advocated for several of these commonsense changes for years. A recalculation of CSRS pension obligations, increasing the borrowing authority, and changing the investment strategy for retiree and health pension funds are key financial changes that Congress and the administration should adopt. In his testimony, Steiner suggested modifications on federal workers’ compensation for postal employees. However, NALC strongly opposes any limitations on letter carriers’ workers' compensation benefits.

In his questioning, Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA) referenced a recent Office of Inspector General (OIG) report that revealed the Postal Service spent more than 800 million dollars on grievances. Walkinshaw expressed skepticism about how an agency that cannot comply with a collective bargaining agreement would properly handle workers’ compensation claims. Steiner said USPS would “outsource” the process. 

Overall, members’ questions focused on service quality, shipping competitors, funding for Next Generation Delivery Vehicles (NGDVs), letter carriers’ participation in the census pilot program, postal facilities, employee safety and more. Several members thanked postal workers for their dedication and service.

“NALC will continue leading advocacy efforts for necessary policy and administrative changes to stabilize the agency’s finances,” NALC President Brian L. Renfroe said. “However, we will fiercely fight limiting letter carriers’ workers’ compensation benefits in any way or increasing usage of non-career employees in our craft as some in the hearing suggested. Even suggesting such foolish actions are insulting to America’s hardworking letter carriers.

“Local postal management’s lack of contract compliance costs the agency hundreds of millions of dollars. An agency that struggles to uphold the basic tenets of a mutual agreement should not have sole control over something as critical as workers’ compensation claims. The current non-career workforce in the city letter craft is a failed experiment.

“We’ll keep fighting like hell for a secure future for the Postal Service. But we’ll fight even harder against those who push any changes that would potentially harm our dedicated, hardworking members,” he said.

Following the hearing, NALC will submit comments for the record.

There were 142 branches and state associations that donated $263,269 to food banks across the country. With NALC’s match, the Shut Down Hunger effort raised $526,538 for food banks nationwide. According to Feeding America, this amounts to 5.26 million meals for those in need.

Delivering to every neighborhood and community in the country, letter carriers know when people are struggling. That struggle heightened last fall as letter carriers continued working uninterrupted during the shutdown. In communities, letter carriers are often the first to notice when something is wrong and take action.

“When we saw the prolonged effects of the government shutdown, we knew we had to step up,” NALC President Brian L. Renfroe said. “And we knew that if asked, our members would chip in to help those in need.

“I am extremely proud and appreciative of every single branch and state association that donated. Our results are remarkable and will undoubtedly have a lasting impact on communities across the country,” he added.

With the success of Shut Down Hunger behind us, preparations are well underway for this year’s Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive on May 9. Branches can register in the Members Only portal until March 20. For more information, click here.

Viget, a digital agency, is conducting this survey on behalf of NALC to better understand visitor needs, goals, and interactions with these tools, and how they can be improved. Participation is voluntary, and responses are anonymous.

It takes about 10 minutes and is open through March 10, 2026.

This survey includes questions about:

• How often you visit the website and/or app
• The information and resources you access
• Your overall experience with these tools

The survey can be accessed here: nalc.org/websurvey

Read NALC President Brian L. Renfroe's opening statement below.

Good morning, everyone. We start by thanking Postmaster General Steiner, Deputy Postmaster General Tulino, Vice President Elston, and everyone here at the Postal Service Headquarters for hosting this kickoff. I'd also like to thank everyone in the room for being here at a kickoff of a process that is, of course, important to America's 200,000 plus letter carriers. It's important to the Postal Service. It's also important to the 300 plus million Americans that we serve every single day. I am joined here this morning by the entire NALC Executive Council, the nine other resident officers that are seated here at the table with me, our 15 national business agents, as well as our three national trustees, as well as key members of our headquarters, letter carrier and professional staff and counsel, of course.

We come here this morning with a singular goal, and that is to reach a contract that fairly compensates, recognizes, and values America's 200,000 active city letter carriers. We know what we deserve. We know the value of the work that we do. We are hopeful that through this process, we are able to reach an agreement that achieves our goals. Everyone on both sides of this table knows that letter carriers’ jobs have always been difficult.

The famous saying that's engraved on a building in New York about rain, snow, and the gloom of night is familiar to everyone. But today, we work through even more hazards than that. Extreme heat, cold, the nature of our work, handling heavy parcels day to day, and unfortunately, the enduring threat of violent crimes. But through it all, we've continued to fulfill our essential duties to the American people. Yet, our compensation has not kept up with that level of dedication. The job of a city letter carrier was once sought after as a stable, middle-class job. Unfortunately, in many locations now, we cannot attract enough people, and we even have some that work multiple jobs early in their careers. This, frankly, is unconscionable, especially as the work we do is more valuable than it's ever been before.

We all know what we do for the American people. No one else can match what the Postal Service does. Letter carriers reach every home and business in the country six and oftentimes seven days a week. There is no service in Postal Service without letter carriers. Time and time again, we proved that we can adapt. Whether it was natural disasters, global pandemics, record-breaking temperatures, and everything in between, we take pride in continuing to serve the American people. It's only right and it's only fair that that commitment is rewarded with a fair contract that's been earned through the dedication and hard work of America's letter carriers. For us, the major pieces of a fair contract are simple.

First is an all-career workforce. Simply put, the city carrier assistant position does not serve our craft, nor does it help achieve the goals of the Postal Service. 55 percent of all city carrier assistants leave the job within the first year. That has been the case every single year since the classification was created in 2013. Astronomically high turnover rates like this seriously undermine the Postal Service's ability to provide quality, universal service. Hiring directly to career nationwide is essential to retain letter carriers, to appropriately staff our delivery units and to give the Postal Service the ability to provide the level of service that our customers expect. We commend the Postal Service for working with us in good faith over the last several years to convert hundreds of installations around the country to an all-career model. There's no question this is a positive step and has shown improvement in those locations, but it's not enough. It's time to abolish this position.

Next is higher wages at all steps of the pay scale. While starting pay is undoubtedly too low, and it must be addressed, letter carriers, regardless of where they are in their career, should be compensated fairly and should be rewarded for their contributions for our service to the American people. We spend the majority of our working hours on the street exposed to risks that typical indoor or work from home employees will never face. Heat, cold, injuries, the physical toll of the job, unfortunately, the threat of being attacked on the job, these are all real hazards that we face every day. Our current wages do not match this work. The Postal Service cannot expect to retain and attract new letter carriers without substantial wage increases that account for the physicality and challenges of this job.

Similarly, the time to reach top step of our pay scale must be reduced. More than 12 years to reach the top of the pay scale is unacceptable to America's letter carriers, particularly when workers in a number of similar jobs enter at a higher rate and reach top pay in a third of the time that we do. We understand our industry, and we know that the structure of our pay scale is no longer competitive. In today's world, more than a decade to reach the top of the pay scale takes our experience and our skills for granted. For the Postal Service to retain seasoned and experienced letter carriers that have made this service great for many, many years, this time must be substantially reduced.

The last specific issue I'll point out is local postal management's lack of contract compliance. A lot of people on both sides of this table and in this room have worked hard and in good faith on the existing terms of our collective bargaining agreement. The words of that agreement mean nothing if local managers violate them, as they do across the country every single day. Whether it's caused by the decision of a supervisor, a station manager, a postmaster, or district management, it's clear how letter carriers view this constant and willful disregard for the terms of our collective bargaining agreement. They view it as disrespect. It's disrespectful to a proud, dedicated workforce, and it's disrespectful to our union. This problem is rampant. It hurts morale. It hurts productivity. It costs the Postal Service hundreds of millions of dollars every year. To us, it's simply a matter of dignity and respect.

Thankfully, there is what should be an easy solution. For managers that make operational decisions at the local level every day, simply comply with the terms of the agreement that we have negotiated in good faith at this very table over the years. In this round of bargaining, we are eager to engage on anything we can do to improve contract compliance across the country.

Now, it's no secret that the Postal Service faces financial hurdles. Some changes that are needed on the path to financial solvency involve action from the Congress or the Administration. Our union will keep doing more than anyone else to make further legislative and administrative changes that benefit the Postal Service a reality. But it doesn't stop there. As we all know, to succeed, the service must be competitive. Particularly in the package business, where there continues to be opportunity for significant revenue growth. For us to stand out in this increasingly competitive package delivery market, exceptional, reliable service is key. There's no question that finding ways to invest in and modernize our infrastructure is very important. We are committed to continuing to do our part to make that happen, as we have for many years.

But the most important piece of achieving the levels of service that we, and more importantly, our customers expect is a stable, well-compensated workforce. There is value for everyone here in the Postal Service properly investing in its workforce. There is no service, there is no operation without the work that our members do. We are the key to the service that will allow us to surpass our competition. In many ways, we are the key to the success of the Postal Service. As Deputy Postmaster General Tulino mentioned, last year, the Postal Service celebrated its 250th year. Letter carriers are proud to be part of this 250-year legacy. We are proud to be the face of the Postal Service that the American people see every single day. This pride largely comes from our craft's very rich history of providing a safe and reliable middle-class job, working life, and retirement. That is what we are pursuing in this round of collective bargaining. The promise of a well-respected, well-compensated job. One where you can go to work, do your job, be paid fairly, and return home safely to your family and your loved ones. We are committed in this round of bargaining to doing everything possible to reach an agreement on a fair contract.

We are very appreciative of our long history of good faith bargaining, and we look forward to continuing that over the course of the coming weeks and months. Thank you once again for hosting this opening session. We are excited and eager to get to work.

NALC is heartbroken by the murder of Dequavious Graves, our brother from Branch 2225 in Decatur, GA. Brother Graves was fatally shot on his route last week. While the investigation is ongoing, and a person of interest has been arrested, one thing is certain: This senseless, horrific, violent tragedy should never have happened.

Graves had been a letter carrier for nearly four years and was only 31. The 295,000 members of NALC mourn his loss and send our deepest sympathies to his family, friends, co-workers, and all his loved ones.

His loss is a jarring reminder of the hazards letter carriers face every day on the job as we serve the American public.

NALC’s peer-to-peer Emergency Response Team was deployed to Brother Graves’s station and is working to assist his family and co-workers in the immediate aftermath of this unimaginable tragedy.