The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) held a national day of action on Sunday (February 22nd) to call for a contract with fair wages and expansion of full benefits to all Members. Rallies were held just days before NALC was scheduled to open contract negotiations with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) on Wednesday (February 25th). Members are handling larger workloads than ever with increasing concerns around on-the-job violence- and they want a contract that reflects their vital work. The Union is preparing to fight for higher pay - including higher starting wages, less time to reach the top of the pay scale, an all-career workforce where every Letter Carrier gets full benefits from the start and other provisions that will ensure the future of the Postal Service. "We have new Employees come in and don't get the same pay and benefits as Carriers who have been around for five, ten, twenty, thirty years - and we want to eliminate that so-called Two-Tier System,” said Tony Vaughn, who serves as President of NALC Branch 176 in Baltimore. “They're standing side by side and they're delivering side by side with (Long-Term) Carriers, they need the same pay and benefits because there's a lot of attrition, people are leaving.” Ron Fair, the President of NALC Branch 1433 in Medford, Oregon, said: “We’re having a National Day of Recognition here to enter contract negotiations. We provide first class service, we expect first class pay. We deliver to (169 million) addresses a day, six days a week, so you know, we are irreplaceable, we are Essential Workers.”

For More On This Labor News Story, Go To: Postal workers rally for fair wages, safer conditions ahead of contract negotiations And Postal workers rally for fair contracts Sunday, back congressional bills - KQ2 | St. Joseph, Missouri News, Weather & Sports