Letter carriers have always prided ourselves on showing up to work every day, no matter the weather, and getting people the goods and information they need in a timely manner, regardless of where they live, who they are, or how much money they make.
In many ways, letter carriers and postal workers act as America’s circulatory system — we are an essential network of people who connect families with their loved ones and hold our vast country together, even during the worst of times.
And for many of us, two years ago was the worst of times. As the world battled a once-in-a-generation pandemic, hospitals were full, people were staying home, and the economy had ground to a halt. But even during the darkest days of the pandemic, mail carriers showed up to keep everything moving. A mail delivery could mean the arrival of vital medications, key household items out of stock at the local store, or a letter from a family member you hadn’t seen in months.
As letter carriers we're putting our wellbeing on the line to keep our country connected, our employer was politicized — placing our operations, long-term financial security, and our ability to simply do our jobs and help people get through the pandemic.
Despite the deep partisan divisions, letter carriers came together with management and industry, locked arms, and planned. The Postal Service Reform Act of 2022 is the culmination of those efforts and, when President Biden signs it into law this week, it will mark the most significant Postal Service overhaul in 20 years.
For essential postal workers, that means protecting our health care right now, and for years to come, by ending the crippling retiree health benefit pre-funding mandate and providing for prospective Medicare integration. These are major victories that will keep thousands of retired postal workers in Florida healthy and safe from high-cost medical bills and prescription drugs.
For our country, it means breathing new life into the U.S. Postal Service and ensuring that it is ready to meet the challenges that the future will bring. By adding increased transparency to USPS service issues and guaranteeing six-day delivery, the Postal Service Reform Act is going to connect people faster and more efficiently, and make sure that people can get their letters and products without fear of delay.
And it does all of this while still putting workers and our families first. When President Biden signs the Postal Service Reform Act, it will mark a real turning point for letter carriers, and everyone who uses the USPS in this country. If we are able to put the pandemic behind us once and for all, it will be because of efforts like this to keep people connected - just like we do every single day.
Al Friedman is the President of the Florida State Association of Letter Carriers, part of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), which represents more than 270,000 USPS letter carriers nationwide, including many retired letter carriers in the area.
