Bonus: The Postman Always Is Nice
Added 2024-12-24 00:15:05 +0000 UTCWe’re discussing the ongoing labor disputes with the United States Postal Service with Tyler Vasseur, a shop steward with the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC). We discuss the BFN rank and file movement to transform the postal unions, fighting for transparency in bargaining on the long-stalled new contract for letter carriers, what an equitable contract would look like, how the letter carriers fight fits in the broader labor movement, cost of living adjustments in an era of high inflation, changes in work environments post-COVID, and ongoing efforts to privatize the Post Office.
More on BFN here: https://www.fightingnalc.com/about-bfn
Comments
They say Capital has agency? Dems / Feinstein’s husband Richard Blum brokered the sale of the SF USPS real estate (same in PDX). Republican or dem, despite all this, the USPS remains popular & does a lot of low margin shit for edges of empire, so they have yet to figure out how to carve it up/ get the most out of it, I suspect? Of letter carriers >~50-55yo ~50% are ex military & USPS culture and meeting the mandate is very military in nature / military operation and precise organization to preserve privacy and get that kind of volume out 6 days a week. If there were any ‘institutional intelligence’ (good luck finding that anywhere these days?), I’d be able to be a carrier on peak days (mondays, ‘super mondays) (business day after a federal holiday) and fridays-saturdays & work all the cold winter & Xmas rush 24/7 (if I want to and am able for a couple months?) but be vehicle and building maintenance, CDL driver the rest of the time and work fewer days or be off by 2pm all summer, ideally. Further, USPS has a 1bn real estate portfolio adjacent old railroad yards / roundhouses centrally located in major us cities. If we lived in a civilized country, we’d nationalize, grade separate / elevate (F what any condo owners, real estate weasels and suburbanites in their cars say about it being ‘ugly’ or whatever…all those elevated freeways are the same thing for wealthy car centric suburbanites ) the railroads and use no fossil fuel transit, develop the land the post offices are on in cities (solar roof top parking/sturdy buildings for electric converted durable mail LLV that don’t go many miles/eliminate most of the ICE drivetrain complexity/unreliability) and allow secure electric cargo bike delivery with decent safe accessible restrooms and lockers for those guys in abundance. Sadly, we don’t live in that world, it’s all seniority for carrier routes and tiered, there are some real shithead carriers, we fly lots of parcels using tons of fuel & the powers that be are trying to death by 1000 cuts kill/privatize usps every way they can (none have figured out how to land & carve it up entirely?), degrade the service, &, I guess in the meantime it can do annoying customs forms and serve the edges of empire / all 800 military bases & we can have some junk mail domestically and belated delivery of important mail LOL. Sad, but reality / state of the onion? Grateful I can reverse commute a short distance in PDX and SF sans kids and can live in a cupboard / low bills w/someone much older grandfathered in at lower taxes and rents? Nationwide mobility, military leave as last vestige of welfare state/skills training, inspector (if you’re under 35 :/) and federal employee not so bad. Otherwise, it’s a bit like being in the chain gang, but they don’t provide the 3 hots & a cot? And you lose your seniority/must resign one position to take up another or receive continuing education &/or cross crafts..,craft/business unions…gotta love it! Only took the F’n job for these reasons; -nation wide mobility / visit distant relatives or take a position near them a little easier. -federal pension -military leave / get some more certifications / continuing education -live in the usual west coast million dollar slum/working class armpit of the street car suburb/early (but still ‘remodel-able’ 1930s car-centric grid overlayed onto higher orchard/farmstead or sand dunes/sunset SF) & can bike .8mi to work &/or reverse commute. But it’s BRUTAL! I count my blessings, but???
Jim K
2025-02-23 21:06:58 +0000 UTCI was a CCA out in Boulder, CO back in 2021. My apartment burned down in a fire, but management wouldn’t give me any time off, so I was forced to quit. And then they withheld my last paycheck for months
Max Yusen
2025-01-16 23:58:06 +0000 UTChttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Postman_Always_Rings_Twice_(1946_film)
Jon Lyons
2025-01-02 08:25:00 +0000 UTCIs the episode title a riff on “the sea is always right”
Occam’s Lady Shaver
2024-12-29 22:12:17 +0000 UTCI'm working with Appalachian Creative Front, an organization I started in Asheville after the hurricane. We are an arts based cooperative, and creative activism is a central tenant. I'll get in touch with the lovely people at BFN and put a drive together. My idea is to throw an open crafting party to create and send off mail art. Mail art has an important origin point nearby. At Black Mountain College, Ray Johnson was an innovator in the use of postal service as a tool for artistic expression. His output was relentless, and he challenged his friends, fellow artists, collectors, and strangers, to correspond in kind. Many pieces would be passed along and amended between artists, sometimes for multiple rotations. If anyone wants to track this, get on the (e)mailing list, or get involved, the website is kellisarts.com/acf we are new and small but fierce and strong. Great interview y'all, thanks again, much love ✊
James Kellis
2024-12-29 21:16:22 +0000 UTCAnyone from the CUPW? For the Yanks in the room, the Canadian postal union struck in the late fall, and the media coverage was so overwhelmingly hostile that it was hard to make sense of it from the outside. They were nailed by a crushing Industrial Review Board back to work order, and it feels like internal sabotage to me: the government has been trying to privatize Canada Post for almost 20 years.
Jason Matthews
2024-12-29 02:15:41 +0000 UTCIt's not. UPS is the most physically demanding, has the worst management because they are jealous of the driver pay/insurance/pension, and works the longest hours.
Joseph Mabrey
2024-12-28 19:05:36 +0000 UTCSame. The warehouse is basically a slaughterhouse.
Joseph Mabrey
2024-12-28 19:04:54 +0000 UTCSame at UPS. it's 20 percent communists 50 percent Trumpers and 30 percent divorced alcoholics.
Joseph Mabrey
2024-12-28 19:03:32 +0000 UTCI drive for UPS and USPS just gave us all their surepost back, meaning they effectively ended last mile delivery. Which is good for me more OT but bad for the post office most likely. Without the threat of a strike, I really don't see a way out. Public sector unions and laws regarding them render them basically non-existant. Hell UPS got a pretty fire contract just with the potential threat of a strike, except the part timers got screwed. I almost think privatizing the post office would be better for the workers as they could unionize with teamsters and have the right to strike. Would be awful for the Public though. As a union steward though filing those grievances and getting that triple pay is too nice. I formally formed an organizing committee for social workers with CWA through the state and my ass got fired the minute I formed it 🤣. Public sector unions are cooked.
Joseph Mabrey
2024-12-28 19:02:37 +0000 UTCMy shop steward and other carriers at my station are always prophesying right wing politics and voting against their own protections and interests it drives me insane as a representative for us. Also, conversion from PTF to carrier has been accelerated like crazy I think I became a regular in like two weeks from my hire date, but I’ve heard it definitely depends on the branch.
Rohan Williams
2024-12-27 20:24:16 +0000 UTCYou’re a bloody shambles Michael!
Rohmer Simpson
2024-12-27 18:09:50 +0000 UTCOr fb whatever, I'm connormauche@gmail.com
Connor Mauche
2024-12-27 02:26:26 +0000 UTCSolidarity from Hennepin County, AFSCME Local 34 - just wrapped up six months of being on the bargaining team, cannot imagine doing that for 2 years. Also random but is this Tyler who worked on Ginger Jentzen’s city council campaign a few years back? If so, awesome to see you still in the fight!
Chris Knutson
2024-12-27 01:07:08 +0000 UTCLike phone/email?
Michael Karrer
2024-12-26 23:47:50 +0000 UTCThanks for constructively contributing
Michael Karrer
2024-12-26 23:47:05 +0000 UTCMaybe it’s not for you to “understand”, but to instead listen and take in the issues affecting the workers serving your community and act accordingly. We are currently stuck between a rock and a hard space.
Michael Karrer
2024-12-26 23:45:38 +0000 UTCWe need it
Michael Karrer
2024-12-26 23:42:59 +0000 UTCSame but the math just doesn’t work. My aunt went back & got her masters & she’s over 200k in debt there are really no viable alternatives, depending on your age I guess
Michael Karrer
2024-12-26 23:42:43 +0000 UTCAs a mail carrier and member of NALC local 68 I was really happy to see this episode. I just barely became career this year after two years as a CCA. Another thing to note about CCAs is that they have no guaranteed days off. All the federal holidays and every Sunday that regular carriers get off CCAs have to work a special "Amazon day" where you only deliver Amazon packages, no actual mail. Additionally that means if your manager doesn't like you or your office is understaffed(like every office), they can work you 360 days in a row, that five days break is only because of a quirk of the contract where after a year they fire you and rehire you five days later to prevent owing you benefits. I know carriers who started as a CCa, worked 12 hour days four months straight with 0 days off, then quit or were fired for some bullshit. The CCA system is specifically designed to starve USPS of new hires and carriers and run it into the ground so they can make the argument it needs to be privatized.
Dylan Rich
2024-12-26 20:00:58 +0000 UTCThe municipality I work for took the firefighters union to arbitration right in the halcyon days of COVID price gouging and the arbitrator awarded them a higher raise than they were asking for and the city had to pay the bill for the arbitration lol suffice to say they've been terrified of arbitration since which has worked to my union's advantage.
Nick L
2024-12-26 17:26:20 +0000 UTCGot my ballot and voted a big fat "REJECT"
Rory Flaherty
2024-12-26 16:06:36 +0000 UTCGood coverage! I know a few folks represented within this branch. Recently saw some local right-wing media slander the neighborhood's letter carrier- thankfully the union pulled through and our guy kept his route. These public servants walking the beat are some of our most reliable first responders and perform invaluable wellness checks on their constituents.
Tim Lunning
2024-12-26 13:52:44 +0000 UTCI left the post office and became an RN and it's funny because we deal with the same Band-Aids to fix the issues of workplace violence. In Michigan a bill was passed (I think) that would give offenders jail time for assaulting hospital staff. But if most of the assaults are coming from drunks, people in drug-induced psychosis or dementia and altered mental status, what good is a threat of a jail sentence going to do? Of course hospital admins will talk about it as if it's a big step forward
Dark Magicks
2024-12-26 00:06:30 +0000 UTCI was a rural mail carrier in a southern state, and whats crazy to me about the rights attack on USPS is that majority of mail carriers i knew were major trump supporters. there was a whole thing with the ladys i worked with who were antivax. it’s weird and I dont get how they arent offended by the right calling them liars and federal spys.
Creamer
2024-12-25 22:10:54 +0000 UTCi was a rural carrier! the hours are fucking psychotic. they would even put me on city routes which is like against union rules. from what i heard it used to be that before you got your own route you only substituted for one person meaning you could get 1 or 2 days a week and sometimes just say “nah”. but with amazon trying to destroy the usps we didnt even get a sunday off because that became amazon day. loved the job but it was too brutal and i needed to persue what i really wanted. i still appreciate how unionized the post office is though
Creamer
2024-12-25 21:43:33 +0000 UTCAnd by saying that, I will do all in my power to get my local to support our NALC local and support yall!
Luggi
2024-12-25 18:59:33 +0000 UTCI worked as a letter carrier for about 9 months. The final straw for me was working 12 to 13 hour days for 2 weeks straight, and then getting my next week's schedule and I still didn't have a single day off. No way in hell am I going almost a month without a day off
Luggi
2024-12-25 18:58:44 +0000 UTCDamn there are a lot of letter carriers in the comments! Good luck gang.
THEKILLERWHALE
2024-12-25 09:57:17 +0000 UTCReading that contract back in October made me start prepping to go back to school
professional loaf of bread
2024-12-25 01:53:02 +0000 UTCHi fellow letter carriers 👋🏽👋🏽
professional loaf of bread
2024-12-25 01:49:23 +0000 UTCThe minute I saw that dog shit contract I knew I was voting no. Then I went to my monthly union meeting and I was relieved almost everyone else was voting no also. NALC 1197 is in solidarity with the rest of our carrier brother and sisters
Garrat M
2024-12-25 01:25:56 +0000 UTCBuffalo chapter is meeting January second, what contact works for you?
Connor Mauche
2024-12-24 23:24:40 +0000 UTCHow does one get involved with BFN?
Michael Karrer
2024-12-24 23:07:08 +0000 UTCTonawanda 🤜🏻
Michael Karrer
2024-12-24 23:06:33 +0000 UTCI don’t understand what the plan is. They want to go to arbitration and then through public pressure get a better deal? I’m not sure how much rallies are going to influence an arbitrator, if anything they’ll be counter productive since none of them want to be seen as caving to public pressure.
Taylord
2024-12-24 17:59:14 +0000 UTCExcellent Bonus Ep! I was a CCA in Providence Ri for 2 months in 2016 (fuck that job they started me @ 16/hr. Also, dog bites, heatstroke, and slips on the icy stairs are NO JOKE) Have to disagree on one of Tyler's points though: Bernie's postal banking plan would make the USPS a ton of money and put all the check cashers out of business. This, IMHO would be preferable to the USPS getting public funding.
Ian Fletcher
2024-12-24 17:32:29 +0000 UTChaving now listened to the ep, goddamn Tyler is so sharp on this stuff. I got so fucking tired of politicians and NALC leadership touting increased criminal penalties for people that rob or assault carriers as a potential solution to a societal problem. short of employing an armed escort for every carrier, there is absolutely nothing USPS or the feds can do about this aspect of carrier safety. you know what they can do though? pay them more for their trouble
thicchatlogan
2024-12-24 16:46:48 +0000 UTCI've told everyone that will listen that if I had died out on my route one day my office's postmaster would forget my name before she turned in the paperwork, most people that have never worked for usps really don't understand how shitty and inhuman postal management are encouraged to be on an institutional level
thicchatlogan
2024-12-24 16:42:07 +0000 UTCYeah Buffalo
Connor Mauche
2024-12-24 16:40:42 +0000 UTCI’m a rural carrier so I may be biased but the push to privatize the post office seems like the ultimate “stripping the copper wires” scheme The post office does provide a great service to the average person but it functionally exists to stimulate private sector growth by allowing small businesses (anyone who isn’t Amazon) to conduct business anywhere in America with low shipping costs. If it becomes privatized shipping costs will go way up and push everyone who isn’t Amazon out of the market. They’re going to kill a section of the economy so that a few powerful logistics companies can eat up their share
Aaaaaaaaaaa
2024-12-24 16:11:04 +0000 UTCI was an NRLCA steward (rural carrier union) and I gave up the job because of how poorly our union handled the new evaluation system. Theres no reason our wages should be cut thousands of dollars to subsidize Amazon and UPS. Hope the city side gets what they want because it ain't happening with rurals.
Stealtreasure
2024-12-24 15:53:09 +0000 UTCFrom a letter carrier feeling pretty unseen thank you for the exposure
Michael Karrer
2024-12-24 14:44:55 +0000 UTCWNY?
Michael Karrer
2024-12-24 14:41:26 +0000 UTCRespect lol
Rohmer Simpson
2024-12-24 14:36:38 +0000 UTCWe had a guy one time, and a Playstation came down the belt, had a guy the manager pissed off (manager was a total asshole) and that guy chucked that thing into the truck like he was throwing a fast ball during a baseball game lol
Man
2024-12-24 14:21:41 +0000 UTCOne time I saw some Fedex workers loading a truck and they were basically doing football shit with the parcels. I had to give it up though— it was pretty funny.
Rohmer Simpson
2024-12-24 13:58:58 +0000 UTCAlso, never worked at USPS but if it's anything like UPS they absolutely deserve bigger Raises, that was one of the most physically intensive/grueling jobs I ever had and yet somehow one of the lowest paying jobs of my life
Man
2024-12-24 13:33:05 +0000 UTCI use to work at UPS, and I can promise anyone who thinks USPS mishandled your package, you would be horrified by what happens to some of your boxes when it comes down the belt at UPS
Man
2024-12-24 13:31:44 +0000 UTCCan’t you guys ever have a union rep on who sounds exactly like Nick Mullen’s NYC Guido twitter?
Rohmer Simpson
2024-12-24 13:18:16 +0000 UTCListen to Chapo on my route every week and it’s so cool to actually be talked about 😭 solidarity with all fellow grey wolf letter carriers, VOTE NO!
Nigel L
2024-12-24 10:42:07 +0000 UTCWhen I was a CCA, my supervisor told me I couldn't use my one honest to God NS day to go see my cousin out of state who'd just been hit with a cancer diagnosis. I put in the formal request and everything in advance, and she still denied it. I'm so thankful for my steward who simply told me not to worry and that she would handle everything. Mgmt can get fucked
Dark Magicks
2024-12-24 10:29:36 +0000 UTClet's fuckin go! I love Tyler and I'm glad to see yall covering our struggles too
Joan LaBarge
2024-12-24 10:29:07 +0000 UTCOh sick, I never would have thought someone from the NALC would be on Chapo lol. I got my intro to the pod when looking for shit to listen to while delivering mail on my routes. I specifically remember hearing the hot couch guys episode w/ Stav while delivering mail to 80 trailer park CBUs (the bulk mailboxes with a dozen addresses) in an uncovered circle on a +100° day. It took 4 hours and I ran out of water, but the Chapo boys kept my spirits high. The union was the only saving grace when I was at the USPS, wishing them all the best
Dark Magicks
2024-12-24 10:23:13 +0000 UTCHope the mail people get their demands.
Khemith
2024-12-24 06:11:55 +0000 UTCHavent felt this seen since taylor swift’s august 15 2020 tweet
Aaron Kamolz
2024-12-24 05:59:14 +0000 UTC"A society with festering workers cannot flourish, just as a man with rotting toes cannot skip." — Ricken Hale, Severance
Schwartz666
2024-12-24 04:20:24 +0000 UTCThis brings up a good point: why isn’t Medicaid and Medicare making a profit? It seems that they always have more money going out than coming in? I think we need a businessman in charge of these failing government businesses.
Noctor
2024-12-24 03:42:51 +0000 UTCnow that's post casting
etienne
2024-12-24 03:13:20 +0000 UTCty for this .. this is vegetables we need
chronye
2024-12-24 02:00:22 +0000 UTCAs a city letter carrier, I feel very seen Mr Chapo. Vasseur is a really good dude too.
Charles Calvert
2024-12-24 01:55:39 +0000 UTCCan't wait to listen to this on my route tomorrow!!!
Ryan Coleman
2024-12-24 01:47:06 +0000 UTCreally hoping they get into what a huge piece of shit brian renfroe is
thicchatlogan
2024-12-24 01:35:54 +0000 UTCformer carrier here, resigned last month because I was working 7 days in a row with one day off for six months this year and it was ruining my life, still sent in my ballot to vote no last week. the contract the NALC offered is insulting and fucks over hundreds of thousands of working people that subsidize this dogshit country's economy. tyler is an incredibly inspiring and smart dude and it's awesome to see him getting boosted like this.
thicchatlogan
2024-12-24 01:35:09 +0000 UTCI'm in APWU and I've always been astonished at how poor the carrier contracts have been. Best of luck to NALC members in getting an equitable contract. Rising tide raises all boats!
Kevin Davis
2024-12-24 01:24:13 +0000 UTCFamily full of past and present usps LC and we say: hell fuckin yes to this bonus ep
Where there’s a Wills there’s a Way
2024-12-24 01:10:30 +0000 UTCNO!!!!!
ploob
2024-12-24 01:09:40 +0000 UTCI'm an NALC shop steward and BFN member from Branch 3, thank you and remember our hard work for the public cause we get grinded on the street and by mgmt constantly
Connor Mauche
2024-12-24 01:06:54 +0000 UTCI hope there’s chat in here about how a month long strike by Canada Post almost toppled our centrish government and greatly impacted small businesses during the busiest shopping time of the year because the “business” “leaders” at the top of Canada Post couldn’t put together a piss up at a brewery. Workers were forced by the government back to work with no deal. Solidarity with all postal workers!
Scoundrel Babe
2024-12-24 01:06:00 +0000 UTCmuch love to all the USPS comrades from Australia Post.
Maggie+Al
2024-12-24 01:02:01 +0000 UTCAs an Australian postman this speaks to me specifically
Pato522
2024-12-24 00:35:31 +0000 UTCReally appreciate this as a nalc member
Nicholas pelosi
2024-12-24 00:26:10 +0000 UTCOh shit Tyler is in my branch! Hell yeah!
mail daddy
2024-12-24 00:25:19 +0000 UTCI quit, QUIT being a carrier after ten years. Loved my route. Think of those fine people everyday. Miss them so much. I heard a supervisor say something so chilling, I was convinced after that they truly didn’t care if I lived or died, any of us. I had kids! I can’t let someone like that have power over me! That drove me away! I would have given my 30 to the postal service I believe in it! Shame!
McMiller
2024-12-24 00:23:28 +0000 UTCAs a mail carrier this is amazing thanks for actually talking about this bullshit contract negotiations
Deli Outlaw
2024-12-24 00:22:50 +0000 UTCYou're straight and fifth
Mr Tu Damn Quoque
2024-12-24 00:21:37 +0000 UTCThank you Chapo for lapping the garbage american media at least 500 times this year
Reece Coren
2024-12-24 00:20:49 +0000 UTCCUPW fully supports our brothers and sisters south of the border in their struggle. We were on strike for 31 days, and the Canadian gov't just forced us back to work without a deal. Canada Post is also attempting to slowly privatize imo.
Erik Bourre
2024-12-24 00:19:55 +0000 UTCThank you for the holiday content drop! And thank you just for being there all these years. You are a real comfort and a salve for the soul. Hope you all have a blessed holiday season 💞
Mr Tu Damn Quoque
2024-12-24 00:19:37 +0000 UTCMew
Skwilly
2024-12-24 00:19:02 +0000 UTCGay and first
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2024-12-24 00:19:01 +0000 UTC
