Today, NALC joins all Americans in honoring and celebrating Juneteenth, a meaningful national holiday that celebrates freedom and commemorates the final emancipation of enslaved Black Americans.

On this day in 1865, federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to finally enforce President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation – more than two years after it was issued. This monumental and historic day of liberation has long been celebrated by Black Americans on June 19 each year. Thankfully, Juneteenth is now celebrated by all Americans after it became a federal holiday in 2021.

While this day marking abolition and freedom is a time for celebration, reflection and reconciliation, we must also recognize and confront our nation’s painful legacy. This includes acknowledging the pain Black Americans and other people of color have experienced in our nation’s past, and the ways this has shaped our present. As we honor the Black community’s contributions to this country and celebrate freedom on this day, NALC reaffirms our commitment to continuing our work toward true racial equality in our workplace, our union and in America. We stand in solidarity with the ongoing fight to realize our nation’s promise of freedom, liberty and opportunity for all.

On behalf of NALC, I wish everyone a happy Juneteenth.

Brother Farris entered the Postal Service in 1963 and served as president of Huntington Beach, CA Branch 2135. In 1973, he played a key role in the merger of 26 branches into Garden Grove Branch 1100, now the largest branch in NALC. He served as Vice President and President of Branch 1100 until 1979, when he was elected Region 1 National Business Agent. He was elected Director of City Delivery in 1986 and served in that position until November 1993.

“On behalf of NALC, I send my deepest sympathies to Brother Farris' family, friends and colleagues,” NALC President Brian L. Renfroe shared. “In addition to his time as our union’s Directory of City Delivery, I am grateful for his years of dedicated service to Branch 1100 and Region 1, where I know he will be greatly missed. We mourn his loss.”

Following these votes, the Council has authorized the release of the investigator’s report and the committee’s report through the Members Only portal on nalc.org.

NALC members can log in here and access both reports.

These vehicles, which are the culmination of more than a decade of planning, designing, building and testing of the NGDV, were deployed to the Athens, GA, Sorting and Delivery Center and will be used to replace the current fleet of right-hand drive Long Life Vehicles. The final design of the NGDV was influenced by the feedback of NALC representatives and city letter carriers from around the country who reviewed the initial design of the vehicle in Oshkosh, WI, in July 2021. The initial production of NGDVs are gas-powered variants, with the battery-electric models scheduled for deployment in August 2024.

As more NGDVs are produced and deployed, NALC will update the membership through website posts and articles in The Postal Record.

The bipartisan legislation, which mirrors H.R. 7629, would provide $7 billion in funding for the Postal Service to secure its infrastructure, including the installation of high-security collection boxes and the replacement of items carried by letter carriers with more secure electronic versions. The funding would be appropriated over five years, $1.4 billion annually in fiscal years 2025-2029. When key infrastructure is devalued and more secure, letter carriers will be safer on their routes.

Additionally, the legislation would increase prosecution rates for these crimes by requiring the Attorney General to appoint an assistant U.S. attorney in each judicial district to prioritize any case involving an assault or crime against a letter carrier. Their principal responsibility in the district would be to coordinate and supervise the investigation and prosecution of these crimes.

The bill would also strengthen sentencing guidelines for these crimes, ensuring that they are treated in the same manner as assaults on federal law enforcement officers.

Since 2020, there have been more than 2,000 crimes committed against letter carriers on the job. Many of these attacks involve a gun or another weapon. Letter carrier robberies climbed to 643 last year, an increase of nearly 30 percent, and the number of robberies resulting in injuries doubled, according to the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).

“NALC appreciates Sen. Gillibrand and Sen. Hawley's leadership in introducing the Protect Our Letter Carriers Act. Every employee has the right to be safe and protected on the job. Our hope is that this legislation will deter these violent crimes and keep letter carriers safe on the job,” NALC President Brian L. Renfroe said. “I urge Congress to pass this bill that would protect the nation’s letter carriers who dutifully deliver medications, checks, ballots, packages, and other essential mail that all Americans depend on.”

“Amid a concerning uptick in postal crime, I’m proud to be introducing this critical bipartisan legislation to protect our mail and those who deliver it,” Sen. Gillibrand said. “This bill will make long-overdue upgrades to mailboxes around the country to safeguard against the theft of Americans’ sensitive information. It will also strengthen penalties for assaulting a postal worker, helping ensure that the hard-working men and women who deliver our mail are not put in harm’s way because of their jobs. I look forward to getting this bill passed.” 

“Postal carriers work day in and day out to fulfill critical needs, like package deliveries, that Americans often take for granted,” Sen. Hawley said. “The recent uptick in violent assaults against these men and women is unacceptable and inexcusable. Congress should protect our postal workers on the job, and that starts by increasing enforcement of the law for crimes committed against them.”

TAKE ACTION

Click here to ask your members of Congress to cosponsor the Protect Our Letter Carriers Act.

Click here for the fact sheet.

After conclusion of the evidentiary hearings by the panel of three disinterested members, the panel submitted its report and recommendations on each of the four charges to the Executive Council in accordance with Article 10 of the NALC Constitution. On April 25 and 26, the Council met in Washington, DC to review and discuss the panel’s report and recommendations on each of the four charges. After review of the panel’s findings, the Council voted on each of the charges as follows: 

• For the charge alleging “Neglect of Duty,” the NALC Executive Council found President Renfroe not guilty.
• For the charge alleging “Circulating False or Misleading Statements about a NALC Officer,” the NALC Executive Council found President Renfroe not guilty.
• For the charge alleging “Conduct. Impaired driving after hours in a NALC owned vehicle,” the NALC Executive Council found President Renfroe guilty.
• For the charge alleging “Abandoned Position and Dereliction/Neglect of duty,” the NALC Executive Council found President Renfroe not guilty.

 Article 10 of the NALC Constitution states:

“If the Executive Council finds the officer guilty, it shall be empowered to remove them from office, or impose such other penalty as it may deem appropriate.”

For the one charge in which the Council voted guilty, the Executive Council voted to revoke, for the period of one year, the driving privileges of President Renfroe in any NALC owned vehicle, in addition to any rental vehicles for conducting union business. President Renfroe will also record a public service announcement, in collaboration with the Director of Safety and Health and Director of Health Benefits about alcoholism and driving under the influence.

This decision of the Executive Council is subject to appeal to the National Convention in accordance with Article 10 of the NALC Constitution.

Carol Ford-Duncan

Vincent Walsh, a member of Boston, MA Branch 34, passed away on Jan. 17, after collapsing while on duty. Brother Walsh was 66 years old with 40 years of service as a letter carrier.

Gary Tompkins, a life member and former vice president of Lansing, MI Branch 122, passed away on February 5. He was 80 years old and was a NALC member for 55 years. Brother Tompkins is survived by children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Gary will be greatly missed by his family, friends and fellow letter carriers.

Damian Dunning, a member of Chicago, IL Branch 11 died on March 3 after being shot. Brother Dunning was 41 years old with 8 years of service. He was survived by an 8-year-old son.

San Diego, CA Branch 70 member Gerald Duenas died on March 20 while on duty of natural causes.  Brother Duenas was a letter carrier for 18 years. He was 55 years old.

Jay Larson of Rockford, IL Branch 245 was among the victims of a stabbing spree that occurred in a Rockford neighborhood on March 27. He was killed while on duty delivering mail to customers on his route. Brother Larson was 49 years old and had served his community as a letter carrier for 25 years. Jay is survived by his mother, siblings and other family members. He was greatly loved and appreciated by both his colleagues at the post office and his customers in the community, and he will be remembered for his unfailing positivity and kindness. Residents of Rockford, IL organized a display of blue balloons on their mailboxes in his memory, and Larson was further honored with a ceremony at the Harrison Avenue Post Office and a city-wide procession. 

 Gary Robinson, a member of Carmel, IN Branch 888, passed away on April 1 following a car accident. He was 71 years old. In addition to being a NALC member for almost 43 years, Brother Robinson formerly served as Branch Treasurer and a steward for his fellow letter carriers. Gary carried mail for 36 years before retiring. He is survived by his wife and four children.

Carmel, IN Branch 888 gold card member Robert Spears passed away of natural causes on April 10. Brother Spears, a Navy Veteran, was a member of NALC for 50 years and previously served as Branch President and a member of the Indiana State Executive Council. He is survived by his wife and children.

Joseph Morris, retired Regional Administrative Assistant in Region 14, passed away on April 17. He began carrying mail in 1969 and was a member of Boston, MA Branch 34. Brother Morris was 75 years old, and is survived by his wife, Shirlee.

Seattle, WA Branch 79 member and Shop Steward Teresa Danning passed away on April 18. She was 49 years old and served as a letter carrier for 23 years.

“NALC is deeply saddened by the deaths of these letter carriers,” NALC President Brian L. Renfroe said. “On behalf of NALC, I recognize their decades of service and send my deepest sympathies to their families, friends and fellow letter carriers.”