It gives me great honor to announce that Branch 274 will be holding a “Rally for Letter Carriers” on June 9 in Allentown at noon. We will meet at noon at 9th and Hamilton and march to the old Post Office at 5th and Hamilton.
Letter carrier assaults have been on the rise throughout the country since 2020. A recent piece of legislation, the Protect Our Letter Carriers Act, or POLCA, would deter crimes against letter carriers. POLCA would provide over 7 billion dollars to install high security collection boxes, timed key access to these boxes, increase prosecution rates of crimes against letter carriers, and create harsher sentencing for crimes against our own.
These upgrades would allow letter carriers to navigate more safely throughout your communities. This would let us better serve our customers as we deliver medications, ballots, checks, packages, and other relevant mail to our customers.
Pennsylvania’s Congressman Fitzpatrick, a Republican, and Congresswoman Wild, a Democrat, have both signed onto HR 7629, the Protect Our Letter Carriers Act, a show of bipartisan support for all letter carriers.
The National Association of Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is a nation-wide food drive where letter carriers donate their time to help collect food for our local communities. The first national food drive was held in 1993. Since then, letter carriers across the country have collected a staggering amount of food items for their communities. The event is now the largest one-day food drive in the nation!
Branch 274 letter carriers have participated in this food drive for over 30 years. Every year, we meet with local Unions and food banks to plan and orchestrate a successful Food Drive. It is our pleasure in doing this knowing the outcome; that our communities less fortunate will have a place to go to receive these donated items. The less fortunate will have a meal in their toughest times.
I am happy to report that on May 11, 2024, Branch 274 collected 28,156 pounds of food for our local area pantries and kitchens! A huge shout out to our Vice President, Tina Weller for her over 18 years of hard work and service as Food Drive Coordinator for our local area! Also, to all those that volunteered their time and efforts, we thank you for your service to the Lehigh Valley community!
The Muscular Dystrophy Association is always in letter carriers’ hearts. Throughout the year, Branch 274 holds small fundraisers to help make contributions to a great Association. This year, along with our monthly 50/50 raffles, we coordinated a shirt sale where all the proceeds went to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. We will be presenting that check to our local MDA office in Bethlehem, PA, a $500 donation.
Letter carriers are some of the hardest working, dedicated, and trustworthy employees in the United States. We work in all elements and even worked through a global pandemic, delivering essential goods to every home in the nation. Our dirty light blue shirts and noisy trucks signify the grit and hard work we do every day. We share a bond with our customers like no other. That bond grows into an extension of our families as we watch our customers’ children grow and graduate and the elderly age and pass.
It has been over one year that Letter Carriers have been working without a contract. An arbitration date has still not been set after months of being told it will be scheduled.
Over the past few years, the letter carrier’s standard of living has been reduced by high inflation, higher rents, and food costs. A letter carrier has always been the definition of a true middle-class job in the United States. We are asking for the public’s understanding and support in our fight for fair wages so we can support our families and continue to serve the communities we love!
I am asking that YOU participate! This will be a fun, engaging, hour long rally!!! Bring your families and friends! This rally is important to ALL letter carriers! Allentown mayor, Matthew Tuerk will be in attendance! If you have any questions, please reach out! We all can’t wait to see you there!
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