“NALC mourns the loss of John Miller,” NALC President Brian L. Renfroe said. “We celebrate his decades of service to our members and to the American labor movement. On behalf of NALC, I extend our deepest sympathies to his friends and family—most notably his children, grandchildren, and his wife, former National Secretary-Treasurer Jane Broendel. He will be greatly missed.”

After working in academia and teaching at the AFL-CIO’s Labor College, Miller was hired by NALC in 1977 to oversee the union’s research and educational activities for President Joseph Vacca. He then went on to serve President Vincent R. Sombrotto as his executive assistant and staff director for more than 20 years, a role he continued with President Bill Young until 2005.

President Young noted upon Miller’s retirement, “John worked long hours for decades on behalf of letter carriers. His legacy is a stronger, more professional organization.”

Miller helped transform and upgrade the union’s communications, public relations, research, and legislative/political capabilities by recruiting high-quality professional staff and driving innovation. In addition:

• He took the lead in organizing 12 national conventions with videos, educational workshops and organizing activities, as well as the special Centennial Convention held in Milwaukee in 1989, featuring an original play, a statue unveiling to celebrate the NALC’s founding, a parade and a centennial party.
• He collaborated with President Sombrotto to create the Employee Involvement Program with the USPS and helped train a generation of branch leaders in creative problem-solving.
• He helped the union grapple with the emerging challenge of the internet by organizing the NALC 2000 strategic planning conference with representatives of the mailing industry and other unions in 1995.
• He used his training as a historian to help preserve the union’s history by co-writing the NALC’s official history, Carriers in a Common Cause, and creating an archive of historical NALC materials at the Walter Ruether Library at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI.

Miller earned a bachelor’s degree from Carleton College, a PhD in American history from the University of Minnesota, and law degree from Catholic University.

In lieu of flowers, memorials in Miller’s name may be made to Guide Dogs for the Blind at guidedogs.com/27unleash.

“NALC applauds the Supreme Court for upholding the Constitution and guaranteeing Americans’ access to voting by mail,” NALC President Brian L. Renfroe said. “This ruling dealt with an executive order that was a clear effort to diminish the credibility of mail-in voting, sow doubt in our elections, and discredit the work of our union’s 200,000 active letter carriers.

“Voting by mail has been a safe, secure and reliable way to participate in our democracy since the Civil War. As we always have, letter carriers are prepared and proud to get the job done once again in this year’s midterm elections.”

The Supreme Court’s decision blocked an executive order (EO) the president issued in March. The EO aimed to severely limit mail-in ballots by giving the Postal Service new responsibilities outside its typical, constitutionally mandated operations. The order granted USPS the authority to reject and refuse delivery of ballots unless states complied with a uniform envelope style and submitted lists of eligible voters to an online portal that had yet to be released.

These measures were challenged in the courts, and a U.S. district judge in Boston, MA, issued a temporary order blocking implementation until after November. However, on Aug. 24, the Supreme Court overturned that order and allowed the Postal Service to proceed with planning. While the Court did not rule on the legality of the changes at the time, it stated that the lawsuit was premature, given that the Postal Service had yet to issue a rule on how it would implement the EO. The Postal Service released its implementation rule a day before the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Meanwhile, earlier this month, a Postal Service whistleblower said the new online portal that USPS was building in compliance with the EO was dysfunctional and not ready for midterm elections.

Ahead of yesterday’s ruling, on Sept. 10, an appeals court upheld the block on the EO, and on Sept. 13, a U.S. district judge in Washington, DC, issued a similar block.

Last week, a bipartisan group of current and former lawmakers filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court case, urging it to uphold the lower court’s block.

President Trump urged the Supreme Court to rule on the case, while the Democratic states and voting rights groups challenging the plan argued it would be nearly impossible for states to comply with new Postal Service rules weeks before the midterm elections.

Yesterday’s ruling eliminates any proposed changes included in the EO and confirms that the Postal Service and letter carriers’ roles will remain the same in the midterm elections.

The National Election Committee is Brian Wiggins (Chair), Lamanda Bradshaw, Michele Galda, Mike Hansen, Morgan Harrington, Linda Johnson, Melissia Johnson, Eric Lomax, Monique Mate, Juan Munoz, Mike O’Neill, Veronica Ramirez, Joeseph Sterns, Sylvin Stevens, Kathy Walters.

In addition, the national parties have agreed to a MOU Re: Annual Leave Carryover for Leave Year 2027 (M-02020), which increases the maximum allowable annual leave carryover amounts outlined in the Employee and Labor Relations Manual (ELM). For Leave Year 2027, regular workforce career employees covered by the USPS-NALC National Agreement may carry over 520 hours of accumulated annual leave from Leave Year 2026 to Leave Year 2027. The memorandum, which does not change the provisions in the ELM for payment of accumulated leave, will expire with the conclusion of the 2027 leave year.

Also, in a letter dated Sept. 3, 2026 (M-02021), USPS and NALC have renewed the bidding procedures outlined in Article 12.3.A of the National Agreement, effective May 23, 2026. This renewal allows city letter carriers to continue bidding on, and subsequently be awarded, vacant job assignments during the ongoing contract negotiations and in the event the parties come to an impasse and proceed to interest arbitration. Successful bids following May 23, 2026, will count toward the maximum bids established in the next National Agreement.

NALC and USPS have also resolved two issues pending at the national-level interpretive step. The parties have reached an agreement on a national-level grievance regarding the Postal Service’s Heat Illness Prevention Program (M-02017), and the Postal Service has withdrawn a request for an interpretive review of a national-level dispute (M-02018) regarding the filing of PS Form 1767 and remedies for rights not bargained for in the contract. Grievances held pending the outcome of these national cases will be processed in accordance with Article 15 of the National Agreement.

All five documents can be found in NALC’s Materials Reference System (MRS) on the NALC website at nalc.org/mrs.

The election will be conducted by mail ballot in accordance with the NALC Constitution and applicable federal law. Under the oversight of the National Election Committee, the American Arbitration Association will prepare, print and mail the ballots and tabulate the votes. 

On or about Sept. 28, ballots will be mailed to all eligible voters. Official election instructions will be included with all ballots. To be eligible to vote, a person must be a member of NALC in good standing as of June 1, 2026. Any member who does not receive a ballot by Oct. 5 should contact the NALC Membership Department to request a replacement ballot. The Membership Department can be reached by telephone at 202-393-4695. The deadline to contact the Membership Department is 4 p.m. Eastern time on Oct 9.

To be counted, ballots must be received by noon on Oct. 19. The counting of ballots will begin that day or the next.

The National Election Committee is made up of: Brian Wiggins (chair), Seattle, WA Br. 79; Lamanda Bradshaw, Modesto, CA Br. 1291; Mike Hansen, Salt Lake City, UT Br. 111; Veronica Ramirez, Arlington Heights, IL Br. 2810; Kathy Walter, Tucson, AZ Br. 704; Morgan Harrington, Southwest Michigan Br. 246; Linda Johnson, Duluth, MN Br. 114; Sylvin Stevens, Charlotte, NC Br. 545; Juan Munoz, Corpus Christi, TX Br. 1259; Monique Mate, Rochester, NY Br. 210; Michele Galda, Camden, NJ Merged Branch 540; Melissia Johnson, Rockville, MD Br. 3825; Joseph Stearns, Massachusetts Northeast Merged Br. 25; Eric Lomax, Jamaica, NY Br. 562; and Mike O’Neill, New Jersey Merged Branch 38.

Log in to the Members Only portal and click “National Convention Menu” to download the PDFs.

President
—James Henry, Garden Grove, CA Br. 1100
—Lew Drass, Huntsville, AL Br. 462
—Nicole R. Rhine, Lincoln, NE Br. 8
—Michael Caref, Chicago, IL Br. 11

Executive Vice President
—Manuel L. Peralta Jr., Garden Grove, CA Br. 1100
—Corey Walton, Nashville, TN Br. 4

Vice President
—Mark S. Camilli, Northeastern New York Br. 358
—Kimetra Simpson-Lewis, Dallas, TX Br. 132

Secretary-Treasurer
—Raquel “Rocky” Acasio, San Diego, CA Br. 70
—Mack I. Julion, Chicago, IL Br. 11

Assistant Secretary-Treasurer
—Larrissa Parde, Lincoln, NE Br. 8
—Esteban Ramirez, San Antonio, TX Br. 421

Director of City Delivery
—David L. Mudd, Louisville, KY Br. 14
—Christopher Jackson, Garden Grove, CA Br. 1100

Director, Safety and Health
—Shawn Boyd, Dallas, TX Br. 132
—Rob Kosier, Milwaukee, WI Br. 2

Director of Retired Members
—Daniel Toth, Lorain, OH Br. 583
—Anita Guzik, Los Angeles, CA Br. 24

Director of Life Insurance
—James W. “Jim” Yates, Long Island Merged, NY Br. 6000
—Phillip C. Rodriquez, Salt Lake City, UT Br. 111

Director, Health Benefit Plan
—Henry Cordero, Beverly Hills, CA Br. 2293
—Kevin Sommers, State College, PA Br. 1495
—Stephanie Stewart, Central Iowa Merged, IA Br. 352

National Trustees
—John A. Cruz, Brooklyn, NY Br. 41
—William Heller, Knoxville, TN Br. 419
—Sandra D. Laemmel, Detroit, MI Br. 1
—Jeffrey Wagner, West Palm Beach, FL Br. 1690
—Howard K. Komine, Honolulu, HI Br. 860
—Elise M. Foster, Chicago, IL Br. 11
—David J. Grosskopf Jr., Buffalo-Western New York Br. 3
—Charles P. Heege, New York, NY Br. 36

Region 1 NBA
—Christopher Reed, Kailua Kona, HI Br. 5516
—Allan Rios, Garden Grove, CA Br. 1100

Region 2 NBA
—Nick Vafiades, Longview, WA Br. 2214
—Debbie Dixon, Olympia, WA Br. 351

Region 6 NBA
—Walter McGregory, Southeast Michigan Br. 2184
—Kyle D. Inosencio, Grand Rapids, MI Br. 56

Region 7 NBA
—Elliott Simmons, Bismarck, ND Br. 957
—Patrick Johnson, Milwaukee, WI Br. 2

Region 8 NBA
—Christopher Strickland, Tuscaloosa, AL Br. 1096
—Steve Lassan, Nashville, TN Br.4
—Danna Chambless, Nashville, TN Br. 4

Region 9 NBA
—Caroline Jones, High Point, NC Br. 936
—Cliff “Eddie” Davidson Jr., Durham, NC Br. 382

Region 10 NBA
—Karrie Blough, Houston, TX Br. 283
—William Moody, Austin, TX Br. 181

Region 11 NBA
—Mike Hayden, Toledo, OH Br. 100
—Michael Brim, Columbus, OH Br. 78

Region 12 NBA
—Brian Thompson, New Castle, PA Br. 22
—William Kriebel, Bethlehem, PA Br. 254

Region 13 NBA
—Vada E. Preston, Tidewater Virginia Br. 247
—Jerry Kerner Jr., Baltimore, MD Br. 176

Region 14 NBA
—Kenneth Janulewicz, Worcester, MA Br. 12
—Tom Rooney, Boston, MA Br. 34

Region 15 NBA
—Roy Jancio Jr., New Jersey Merged Br. 38
—Orlando Gonzalez, New York, NY Br. 36

Elections for national business agents in Regions 3, 4 and 5 are unnecessary, as each had a single nominee. The following were elected by acclamation for NBA in those regions: Region 3—Ronny Morgan, Region 4—John Robles, and Region 5—David Teegarden.

The election will be conducted by mail ballot in accordance with the NALC Constitution and applicable federal law. Under the oversight of the National Election Committee, the American Arbitration Association will prepare, print and mail the ballots and tabulate the votes.

The National Election Committee is made up of: Brian Wiggins (chair), Seattle, WA Br. 79; Lamanda Bradshaw, Modesto, CA Br. 1291; Mike Hansen, Salt Lake City, UT Br. 111; Veronica Ramirez, Arlington Heights, IL Br. 2810; Kathy Walter, Tucson, AZ Br. 704; Morgan Harrington, Southwest Michigan Br. 246; Linda Johnson, Duluth, MN Br. 114; Sylvin Stevens, Charlotte, NC Br. 545; Juan Munoz, Corpus Christi, TX Br. 1259; Monique Mate, Rochester, NY Br. 210; Michele Galda, Camden, NJ Merged Branch 540; Melissia Johnson, Rockville, MD Br. 3825; Joseph Stearns, Massachusetts Northeast Merged Br. 25; Eric Lomax, Jamaica, NY Br. 562; and Mike O’Neill, New Jersey Merged Branch 38.

The members of the National Election Committee are Brian Wiggins (chairman) Seattle, WA, Br. 79; Lamanda Bradshaw, Modesto, CA Br. 1291; Mike Hansen, Salt Lake City, UT Br. 111; Veronica Ramirez, Arlington Heights, IL Br. 2810; Kathy Walter, Tucson, AZ Br. 704; Morgan Harrington, Southwest Michigan Br. 246; Linda Johnson, Duluth, MN Br. 114; Sylvin Stevens, Charlotte, NC Br. 545; Juan Munoz, Corpus Christi, TX Br. 1259; Monique Mate, Rochester, NY Br. 210; Michele Galda, Camden, NJ Merged Branch 540; Melissia Johnson, Rockville, MD Br. 3825; Joseph Stearns, Massachusetts Northeast Merged Br. 25; Eric Lomax, Jamaica, NY Br. 562; and Mike O’Neill, New Jersey Merged Branch 38.

Candidates for office who wish to observe the lottery selection in person should contact Chairman Wiggins at NALCElections2026@Outlook.com. The lottery selection will also be livestreamed on NALC’s YouTube channel for anyone to watch.

The members of the National Election Committee are Lamanda Bradshaw, Modesto, CA Br. 1291; Mike Hansen, Salt Lake City, UT Br. 111; Brian Wiggins, Seattle, WA Br. 79; Veronica Ramirez, Arlington Heights, IL Br. 2810; Kathy Walter, Tucson, AZ Br. 704; Morgan Harrington, Southwest Michigan Br. 246; Linda Johnson, Duluth, MN Br. 114; Sylvin Stevens, Charlotte, NC Br. 545; Juan Munoz, Corpus Christi, TX Br. 1259; Monique Mate, Rochester, NY Br. 210; Michele Galda, Camden, NJ Merged Branch 540; Melissia Johnson, Rockville, MD Br. 3825; Joseph Stearns, Massachusetts Northeast Merged Br. 25; Eric Lomax, Jamaica, NY Br. 562; and Mike O’Neill, New Jersey Merged Branch 38.

Brian Wiggins was elected by the committee to be chairperson. Candidates may contact Wiggins at NALCElections2026@Outlook.com.

On Monday, Aug. 17, members of the National Election Committee will convene at NALC Headquarters in Washington, DC, to conduct a lottery selection to determine the order in which the listing of the names of the nominees for all national offices will be placed on the ballot. The lottery selection will be livestreamed on NALC's YouTube account. Candidates for office who wish to observe the lottery selection in person should contact Chairman Wiggins. Once the lottery selection is completed, the National Election Committee will announce on the NALC website the order in which the listing of the names will be placed on the ballots. Additionally, the committee will also provide information on election-related timelines.

The National Election Committee has retained the services of the American Arbitration Association (AAA) to assist in the preparation, distribution, collection, and tabulation of the ballots.

Further information will be mailed to the candidates. If they wish to receive information electronically, they may contact Wiggins at his email address.

Candidates must make a request for the preparation of any mailing lists for their literature in writing to the NALC secretary-treasurer. The written request must include a breakdown of the mailing list identifying the distribution (i.e., all members, partial list, active separate from retirees, etc.). The written request also must include the date of the mailing.

The cost for a mailing list is $50 each. Candidates must pay NALC directly.

The list will not be mailed directly to the candidate. Lists will be given only to NALC’s designated printer for campaign literature. NALC has designated The Kelly Companies and Mosaic, both of Cheverly, MD, as printers for campaign literature. Their contact information:

• The Kelly Companies, Primary contact: Marley Bechtel, mbechtel@thekellycompanies.com, 301-386-8287; Secondary contact: Shannon Kelly, Shannonkelly@thekellycompanies.com, 240-750-9249
• Mosaic, Tom Patterson, tpatterson@mosaic.buzz, 202-497-7600

Candidates may have their election materials printed at another printer and use either of NALC’s designated printers solely for mailing. If using another printer, all mailings must be pre-packaged, sealed and have adequate postage. NALC’s designated printer will affix the address and distribute into the mail stream. There will be a fee for distribution of the literature via mail by the printer.