Letter Carriers Gear Up for Major Union Election Amid Pay and Safety Discontent

Around 200,000 letter carriers will elect a new slate of officers, trustees and regional agents at the NALC convention in Los Angeles from August 3-7, after months of unrest over low pay, forced overtime, heat-related hazards and a rejected contract. Three reform tickets are in the mix: the Concerned Letter Carriers slate headed by James Henry, independent candidate Mike Caref, and a group of incumbents led by Eddie Davidson; President Brian Renfroe remains silent on a second bid.

The vote coincides with heightened concerns about the USPS’s fiscal health, recent Trump nominations to the Board of Governors, and Postmaster General David Steiner’s warnings of possible service cuts. Parallel actions by the American Postal Workers Union aim to raise the debt limit and adjust retiree fund investments, while activists push for broader revenue ideas such as banking services and rural delivery subsidies.

Delegates will also consider constitutional amendments, including ranked-choice voting, and will elect representatives to the 2030 AFL-CIO convention. The outcome will shape the union’s strategy in confronting both internal grievances and external political pressures.