National Rural Letter Carriers' Association

10/13/2026

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫?

NOW is the time to start your online retirement application (ORA)! The move to ORA means that you no longer have to track retirement paperwork moving between multiple offices; the system allows information to be exchanged electronically and securely. Applicants can also monitor the progress of their retirement package in real time.

🔗 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐑𝐀 𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐑𝐋𝐂𝐀 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐨𝐧'𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: www.NRLCA.org/news/1888

10/09/2026

𝐆𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐚 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐞: While delivering mail on a cold winter day in Green Bay, WI, Rural Carrier Stephen Sanders noticed something unusual that immediately caught his attention: a 3-year-old boy walking alone in the middle of the road without a jacket.

When Stephen asked if he was OK, the little boy simply replied, “I’m going to see Mom and Dad.”

The WIRLCA member didn’t hesitate. He got out of his delivery vehicle, stayed by the boy’s side, and called a nearby daycare to see if a child was missing.

The boy knew where he was headed, so Stephen safely walked with him to his home. There, his grandmother opened the door, shocked and relieved to see him.

Stephen soon learned the boy had been at the very daycare he had called.

Later, the boy’s mother stopped by the Post Office with a thank-you card and heartfelt gratitude for Stephen’s quick thinking and compassion.

📬 Rural carriers do more than deliver the mail. They look out for the communities they serve. Thank you, Stephen! ❤️

10/09/2026

Are you considering becoming the local steward in your office? ​𝐖𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮!

​To any member considering this leap, there is a clear pledge of the NRLCA’s support. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞. The promise to you is ever constant, high caliber training and unwavering support at every level.

The NRLCA Department of Steward Operations cannot succeed unless every single one of our stewards is 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝, 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝. The goal is to build our steward system from the ground up, fortifying every office until our collective voice is impossible to ignore. This is our definitive call to arms.

🔗 Read more in Director of Steward Operations Michael Merola's October article here: www.nrlca.org/News/1896

10/08/2026

Members of the NRLCA Legislative Committee and Training, Development, and Compliance (TDC) Committee are hard at work at the NRLCA National Office this week, updating the Officer Resource Manual, an essential training resource for state officers.

Their collaboration and expertise help ensure our leaders have the tools and resources they need to serve our members effectively.

👏 We thank these committees for investing their time, knowledge, and energy into strengthening our union and supporting our membership! 👏

From left: Kelly Inman, NJ; Lorraine Pacheco, MA; Tameka Brown, LA; Brinton Eckles, VA; Vicki Gray, NC; Ashley Baker, KY; and Russell Lack, TN.

𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫. 💪

10/07/2026

As Election Day approaches, it is important to be familiar with the provisions of the Hatch Act. The Hatch Act prohibits Postal Service and other federal employees from engaging in political activity at the following times:
• While on duty.
• While wearing a uniform, badge, insignia, or similar item that identifies the employee’s agency or position.
• While on government-owned or -leased property.
• While using a government-owned or -leased vehicle.
• While using a privately-owned vehicle in the discharge of official duties.

If you are found to be in violation of the Hatch Act, you can be disciplined and assessed a civil penalty, so it is good to familiarize yourself with the restrictions.

➡ If you have questions about the Hatch Act, you can call the USPS Ethics Office at (202) 268-6346 or email [email protected].

10/07/2026

📬 Vote-by-mail has been trusted for more than 100 years to securely deliver the nation’s election mail!

With voting well underway, postal workers encourage you to vote with the most convenient method for you, including by-mail.
Postal workers are dedicated professionals, who want to make sure your ballot is returned on time, regardless of who you vote for. The USPS has election measures in place and the 48 million total ballots cast in 2024 were only a small fraction of the 361 million mail pieces delivered EVERY DAY!

10/07/2026

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟕?

Your retirement date can affect:

✅ Your FERS annuity start date
✅ Your lump-sum annual leave payment
✅ Your final pay period earnings
✅ Your retirement cash flow during the transition

➡ The best retirement date is one that aligns with both your financial goals and retirement eligibility.

🔗 Find our retirement articles and resources here: www.nrlca.org/Content/RetirementArticles

10/06/2026

👏 Congratulations to the latest graduates (and new NRLCA members!) at the Bismarck, ND Rural Academy: Travis Velvo, Matthew Fish, and Jamie Wieland.

𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭!

🚨 Academy facilitators: Our Zoom is 𝐓𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓! Join us and help us improve training of our RCAs and ARCs!

🔗 Details here: www.nrlca.org/News/1893

10/06/2026

10/06/2026

📬 60 Years of Service, Dedication, and Union Pride 📬

Norman Youngman served as a rural letter carrier from 1963 to 1993 and has been a proud NRLCA member for more than 60 years. He has also supported the union for many years through PAC donations, demonstrating a lifetime commitment to his fellow rural carriers.

Now 96 years of age, Norman recently moved into Sunnyview Nursing Home to be with his wife of 76 years. While working as the business office department head at Sunnyview, Leona Ricketts, wife of NRLCA Vice President Kirby Ricketts, discovered Norman’s long history with the NRLCA.

Upon consultation with NRLCA Secretary-Treasurer Tommy Turner, it was revealed that Norman had never received his longevity award. That was something that simply couldn’t go unrecognized.

Working with the nursing home, Vice President Ricketts arranged a special presentation Friday afternoon to honor Norman and celebrate his commitment to the NRLCA.

Joining him were Keith Stiles, Norman’s former relief carrier who took over his route following his retirement, along with members of Norman’s family.

👏 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧! Your 60+ years of NRLCA membership represent a lifetime of dedication, solidarity, and service. Thank you for helping build the union we are proud to carry forward today.