Successful leaders set a good example. This begins with following work rules and performing your job as a letter carrier in a professional manner. An effective leader always tries to maintain a positive attitude and looks out for the group before themselves. Your participation in NALC initiatives and functions will also speak volumes to the members you serve and will encourage their involvement in the union.

A leader gets things done with support from the people that he or she represents. The NALC is a voluntary, democratic organization that thrives on the support of its members. That support will enable you to make decisions that affect both individual letter carriers and the group as a whole.

A fair, even-handed leader will get the support and cooperation of fellow workers. You should listen to the members you represent and take their views into account. When you make a decision, explain your reasons to them. Good communication builds solidarity and trust.

As a leader, you will be called upon to address a variety of issues, some of which may not involve the union-management relationship. The steward may also be a counselor, peacemaker, and friend.

The steward plays an important role in organizing letter carriers by first signing them up as NALC members and then by building unity and support for union goals.

While many new letter carriers sign up at orientation, some do not. Sometimes it is necessary for the shop steward to seek them out and explain the importance of being a union member. The steward should always greet new letter carriers, give them advice and assistance on their new job, and tell them about the NALC.

New letter carriers will need information about the NALC’s accomplishments, its structure, and its methods of operation. The Letter Carrier’s Guide (available free from the NALC Supply Department ) contains a basic introduction to the NALC and to the job of a letter carrier.

Stewards should work hard to organize all letter carriers who are non-members. The best way to organize non-member letter carriers is through demonstrated union effectiveness.

Your job is not finished when your unit is 100 percent organized. It has just begun. You should work to motivate members to attend and participate in NALC branch meetings, learn more about NALC programs and goals, and volunteer their time for union activities.

The steward works continuously to build support for the union and solidarity among the members. There is strength in presenting a united front to management.

Stewards are in the best position to educate the members they represent. NALC members will benefit from information that only an NALC representative can provide. The steward is usually the only NALC representative that rank-and-file letter carriers see and interact with on a daily basis.

As a steward you can learn how to protect letter carriers’ rights, build upon your knowledge of the union, and provide education about the National Agreement. This information can be grouped into three major topics: the union, members’ rights, and NALC benefits for members.

The Union: The steward should educate members on the basic history of the postal labor movement and the National Association of Letter Carriers. A detailed history of the NALC can be found in the publication Carriers in a Common Cause. This and other publications are available from the NALC Supply Department.

Members and potential members should also understand how the NALC operates. All letter carriers should know about our role as the exclusive collective bargaining agent for letter carriers, our membership services, and our link with the wider labor movement through our AFL-CIO affiliation. Encourage them to read the NALC Bulletin, The Postal Record, and the NALC website to keep updated on national issues affecting letter carrier jobs and the Postal Service.

To promote interest in branch affairs, inform members about upcoming branch meetings and about what they missed at branch meetings they did not attend. Stewards should encourage active participation in local union affairs and should teach members about branch by-laws and the NALC Constitution. Many branches have newsletters to help with your efforts to keep members informed, but a one-on-one conversation is the best way to communicate and get members involved.

Members’ Rights: The steward should teach letter carriers about their rights under the contract and the law. While the steward is the person responsible for representing letter carriers, each NALC member should know the basics of their wages, benefits, and working conditions as well as their collective legal and contractual rights and protections.

The steward will need a great deal of self-education to be able to teach members all these subjects. Effective stewards continuously strive to learn more, improve their skills, and pass their knowledge on to the members.

NALC Benefits for Members: The steward should educate letter carriers about the NALC Health Benefit Plan and the United States Letter Carriers Mutual Benefit Association. Both of these organizations offer great benefits and are owned and operated by the NALC for the benefit of our members.

The NALC Health Benefit Plan (HBP) is always among the top-ranked health insurance plans available to federal employees. The NALC Health Benefit Plan is geared toward providing the best coverage at the lowest possible rates. During “Open Season,” the steward should assist the branch health benefits representative by discussing the benefits of the NALC HBP.

The United States Letter Carriers Mutual Benefit Association (MBA) offers basic life insurance, retirement, and accident plans designed to give NALC members and their families the best possible protection for the lowest cost. Every letter carrier who is a member of the NALC receives a $5,000.00 accidental death policy. There is no initial cost or premium to pay. It is just one of the many benefits NALC members enjoy.

The steward also plays a vital role in the NALC’s legislative and political efforts. Letter carriers should be active participants in legislative matters for the NALC to fight attempts by some politicians in Congress to rob letter carriers of existing rights and benefits by changing current law or passing new legislation.

Laws passed in Congress can have a major impact on the working lives of letter carriers as well as the service we provide to our customers. The impact may be positive or negative depending on the nature of the law being changed or created.

Some examples where federal laws have created rights, rules, and benefits that affect the working lives of letter carriers are:

• Our right to collectively bargain with the Postal Service over wages, hours, and working conditions. This includes our right to have a grievance procedure.
• The Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) rules.
• The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) rules.
• The Federal Employees Compensation Act (FECA) rules for injured letter carriers.
• The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

There are other examples of laws that affect the working lives of letter carriers, but you get the idea of why legislation is important.

Federal law can impact the service we provide to our customers. Issues such as how many days a week our customers receive mail, their right to receive delivery to their door, and the cost of postage are all governed at the federal level.

As postal workers we are federal employees. However, the United States Postal Service (USPS) receives no tax dollars for day-to-day operations. It relies on income from stamps and other postal fees to keep running.

Legislative awareness and participation is extremely important to us as letter carriers, because many on Capitol Hill are constantly attacking our wages, benefits, and the level of service we provide to our customers. These are all issues worth fighting for. Federal employees have increasingly become a target for many politicians and it is vital to our success that stewards understand what is at stake in the halls of Congress and participate in this fight.

The Hatch Act: With increased involvement by letter carriers in the political process, it is more important than ever to review the rules and regulations by which letter carriers can participate in elections. Specifically, carriers need to be aware of the Hatch Act, which governs specific activities by federal employees, and the Federal Election Campaign Act, which regulates monetary and other contributions (e.g., in-kind, volunteering, etc.) in the campaign process.

Hatch Act Do’s and Don'ts; Here are the primary guidelines that active letter carriers need to follow when working or volunteering on political campaigns.

Do’s: Active letter carriers may on their own time, away from work, out of uniform, and without using a postal vehicle —

• Be candidates for public office in nonpartisan elections (that is, elections in which none of the candidates to be nominated or elected are representing a political party)
• Register to vote and vote
• Sign and circulate candidate nominating petitions and ballot initiative positions
• Assist in voter registration drives
• Speak and write publicly and otherwise express opinions about candidates, ballot measures, and issues
• Attend political rallies, meetings, and other events
• Attend fund-raisers and contribute money to political organizations and campaigns
• Volunteer for political campaigns and encourage others to volunteer
• Participate in phone-banking and precinct-walking for candidates and ballot measures
• Display bumper stickers, lawn signs, and other campaign paraphernalia
• Raise money for COLCPE from other NALC members [Note: letter carriers should not solicit contributions to COLCPE while detailed to 204b or other higher level assignments from postal employees who may be viewed as their subordinates]
• Volunteer, run for, and hold an office in a local or state political party or club

Don’ts: Active letter carriers may not, while on the clock, at the workplace, in a postal uniform, or in a postal vehicle —

• Engage in any of the otherwise permissible political activities listed above; for example:
• Send or forward a partisan political email
• Wear or display any political or campaign material, even as a computer screen-saver
• Circulate partisan political materials to co-workers
• Sign up electronically to contribute to COLCPE or solicit other letter carriers to contribute

Don’ts: Active letter carriers may not, even on their own time, away from work, out of uniform, and without using a postal vehicle —

• Use their official titles or positions when engaging in otherwise permissible activities
• Raise money for partisan political groups or campaigns (except COLCPE), including phonebanking, letter-writing, selling tickets, hosting a fund raiser, inviting people to attend a fund raiser, or allowing your name to be used in a fundraising appeal
• Otherwise solicit, receive, or handle contributions for a partisan political group or campaign
• Run for elective office in partisan (party-label) elections (even if you report "No Party Affiliation")
• Raise money for COLCPE from non-NALC members (except for their immediate families in the same household)

Bottom line: Be off the clock, out of uniform (and government vehicles) and away from the workplace whenever you engage in any partisan political activity, and make sure that activity is in a permissible category. If you have any questions about permissible political activity as a letter carrier or if you would like to know more about the history of the Hatch Act, visit the NALC Legislation and Political Action page on the NALC website.

Stewards should promote participation in the NALC’s e-Activist network, COLCPE (Committee on Letter Carrier Political Education), and other NALC legislative and political efforts. Stewards should also encourage members to stay informed by regularly checking for updates on the NALC website.

Note: COLCPE is the NALC’s political action fund that helps pro-labor, pro-letter carrier candidates for Congress get their message out so they can go to Washington to support and protect our jobs so we can serve the public.