Branch 203
Southwest Missouri National Association of Letter Carriers
Read articles written by branch members focusing on local branch matters and how they may effect you.
If you would like to write an article, please reach out to Alec by email: alechnalc@gmail.com
Read articles written by branch stewards about important grievances, protections, and resolutions in your area. Become educated about the workings of your local representatives and the process of grievance handling here.
Union Meeting
April 2nd @ 6:30 pm
McAllister’s
1711 W Battlefield Rd Suite M
Springfield, Mo, 65807
Come get some grub and get involved in your local union! We have the meeting room until 8:30.
You could win $130 at our monthly drawing!
Retirees Meeting
Mr. Ron Lewis has stepped into the role of the director of retirees!
Our branch is very excited to welcome Ron to the position. Thank you for your work, Ron!
There will be more information as it comes available, so stay tuned.
Scholarship Application Request
It’s that time of year again; time for the annual Branch 203 Scholarship Gladiatorial Games! Well, there’s no gladiatorial violence or blood, but there IS a competition of wits and resumé!
To apply, download this application request, print it out, and follow all the directions therein!
To be eligible you must be a high school senior applying for their first year of college. You could win $1000 to the college of your choice!
2026 Installation Banquet
We had our 2026 Installation Banquet in January, and it was a great time. We had a great turnout with wonderful food, door prizes, and good fellowship.
Thank you all for coming out and celebrating with us as we installed our new officers!
“At the turn of the century women earned approximately ten cents an hour, and men were fortunate to receive twenty cents an hour. The average work week was sixty to seventy hours. During the thirties, wages were a secondary issue; to have a job at all was the difference between the agony of starvation and a flicker of life. The nation, now so vigorous, reeled and tottered almost to total collapse. The labor movement was the principal force that transformed misery and despair into hope and progress. Out of its bold struggles, economic and social reform gave birth to unemployment insurance, old age pensions, government relief for the destitute, and above all new wage levels that meant not mere survival, but a tolerable life. The captains of industry did not lead this transformation; they resisted it until they were overcome. When in the thirties the wave of union organization crested over our nation, it carried to secure shores not only itself but the whole society.”
-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Illinois AFL-CIO Convention, October 1965
Sign Issued Discipline!
Please sign and date any discipline you receive. Signing does not mean that you agree to the discipline, the bottom of your discipline will state that you have the right to grieve the discipline if you’d like. If you don’t sign and date your discipline you may have discipline fraudulently entered into your file! Also, it establishes a timeline for the Union to work with because sometimes management will create discipline, then sit on it a while before issuing it, meaning that you could lose several days for a grievance to be filed!
NALC Contract Talk
“Contract Talk” is an educational series by the NALC for carriers on the workroom floor about their rights, protections, and applicability of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Our National Agreement is made to be easy to read for the everyday worker, and the articles in Contract Talk can help our Union brothers and sisters to not be afraid of the document, processes, and use of the contract in our daily lives. Every carrier should take efforts to learn their rights and current events in the workplace as it is an ever-changing, political juggernaut, regardless of whether we want it to be or not. Don’t trust some hearsay on the workroom floor as gospel because misinformation gets spread quickly that way: the more educated the workforce the less that kind of misinformation can take hold.
Check out NALC Contract Talk articles here, as well as the incredible NALC Activist articles to learn your rights and applications at your own speed.
Empower yourself through education; an educated Union is a strong Union.
Seasonal Safety
Hazards
HEAT: Heat is no joke, and this Summer is set to be a scorcher. Make sure you hydrate before, during, and after work to help get through those hot days. Pack a light lunch and some ice packs to give you clean energy and cooling you’ll need. Remember to take your breaks, and take cooling breaks as needed when the temperature gets above 80 degrees! Remember to write “heat illness prevention” on any 3996 you need to submit when appropriate.
DOGS: Nice days means the dogs will be outside, and some of them aren’t secure! Watch your surroundings for doggo-s in the yards and any time a customer accepts a package at their door.
AGGRESSIVE MANAGEMENT: Some members of management may attempt to push you beyond your abilities and limits. Utilize your rights and perform your job with professionalism to be beyond reproach under any scrutiny. Be honest with yourself and management about your abilities in the heat.
HEAVY PARCELS: Watch out when you’re lifting parcels! Sometimes heavy ones aren’t labelled properly and you go to lift it only to find out some jerk is trying to mail condensed metal from a collapsed star (sometimes it feels like that at least). Even flat trays can get super heavy! Use proper lifting techniques, get a team lift going, and use available equipment to get the job done safely.
THIEVES: Carriers are being assaulted with an increasing frequency since COVID times due to our increased parcel volumes and arrow keys. Keep your head on a swivel, and report suspicious activity. Knock on doors and make the attempt to get it into a customer’s hands before you drop the parcel at the door; that’s right out of our M-41 handbook, so you can help reduce the ability of thieves to ruin people’s winter time gifts and essentials.