City letter carriers have been working without a contract for more than 400 days, and leaders of the Letter Carriers (NALC) still refuse to provide any substantive updates from bargaining. As rank-and-file anger boils over, a new group called Build a Fighting NALC (BFN) is building momentum to demand a stronger and more transparent contract fight next time.
We’re bringing an “Open Bargaining” resolution to the national convention, August 5-9 in Boston. As of this writing, two NALC state associations and 44 branches across the country have passed the resolution to show their support.
There was a time when the NALC, under the leadership of President Vince Sombrotto (1978-2002), used to engage in contract campaigns, hold rallies, make its demands public, and keep members informed of contract progress. Our resolution calls on the union to build on that legacy.
Union leaders have promised us over and over that contract resolution is imminent. But they share details only in closed-door meetings, where attendees are discouraged from sharing specifics with the membership. They insist we must trust them and trust their process.
If the parties reach an impasse in bargaining, the unresolved items will be taken to an arbitration panel and the resulting contract will be binding, with no opportunity for the 200,000 members to vote.
