Edwin (Ed) was elected as Director of Education for Branch 36 in 2022. Since the beginning of Edwin’s postal career, he has been involved in anything that benefits his fellow carriers. In 2015 Edwin was elected a Shop Steward by his coworkers. Edwin became a Formal A Designee in 2018 which allowed him to help develop other stewards and ensure the rights of the carriers are at the forefront. In 2019 Edwin became the LBA for Region 15 consolidated Casing. In that same year Edwin was tapped as Trustee for Branch 36. Edwin was ultimately elected to the position of Director of Education where he keeps his fellow carriers educated on all issues that may arise.

Keep the Momentum Going

Brothers and sisters, securing the passage of legislation for letter carriers is cru¬cial to protecting both workers and the public services we provide. With that said, I am happy to announce that our lobbying event in Washington D.C. was a success. The “Protect Our Letter Carriers Act” (H.R. 1065) now has 20 of 26 NY cosponsors. Together, we have to get the remaining Reps. to get to the 218 threshold and bring this bill to the floor for a vote. There are 6 pieces of legislation that must be passed.
1. The Protect Our Letter Carriers Act (HR-1065) - This legislation would increase prosecution rates for crimes against letter carriers 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. 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.
2. The Anti-Privatization Resolution (HR-70) - This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should take all appropriate measures to ensure that the U.S. Postal Service remains an independent establishment of the Federal Government and is not privatized. This resolution has bipartisan support and aims to protect the Postal Service from privatization efforts.
3. The Federal Retirement Fairness Act (HR-1522) - This bipartisan bill would allow certain federal employees, including letter carriers, to make catch-up retire¬ment contributions for time spent as non-career employees after Dec. 31, 1988. Over 65 percent of current letter carriers began their USPS careers as casuals, transitional employees (TEs) or city carrier assistants (CCAs), all of which are non-career posi¬tions. HR-1522 would allow these affected letter carriers the opportunity to purchase retirement credit for the time they spent in these non-career positions.
4. The USPS Shipping Equity Act (HR-3011) - This would allow the USPS to ship alcoholic beverages directly to consumers, leveling the playing field with private carriers. This legislation is projected to generate approximately $190 million annually and would provide an affordable, direct-to-consumer option, particularly benefiting rural areas where private shipping options are limited or expensive.
5. Improving Access to Workers’ Compensation for Injured Federal Workers Act (HR-3170) - This legislation would expand the range of healthcare providers avail¬able to federal workers who suffered an on-the-job injury. This means that more nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) in rural and underserved areas would be able to certify injuries and disabilities. Congress estimates there may be some initial cost increases due to faster treatment access but could be offset by quicker returns to work for injured workers.
6. The Equal COLA Act (HR-491) - This legislation would eliminate the disparity and ensure that cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for Federal Employees Retire¬ment System (FERS) retirees, align with the adjustments provided to Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) beneficiaries. Under current law, FERS annuitants receive a limited COLA increase when inflation exceeds 2 percent, while CSRS receives full COLA adjustments.
There is an easy way for each of us to make our voices heard. Go to NALC.org and click on the Government Affairs tab at the top left corner of the page. Then scroll down to the bottom of that page and select the Legislative Action Center tab. Select the Read More tab under Take Action and login. Once that is done, you will be able to contact your Member of Congress for each resolution separately via email. It’s that simple. Brothers and sisters, we’ve got the momentum. We must stand together and make our voices heard.