Since the convention I’ve had several members ask why I got involved with the legislative and political part of unionism and what I want to do now that I’ve been elected. This really isn’t about me, though. Each of us on the board ran with a common goal - representing letter carriers with our elected officials. I am SO fortunate to have a team around me of outstanding unionists who are motivated, skilled, and professional. They are the reason that we’ll be successful.

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      In 2018, I asked my branch president to appoint me to represent my branch at the Metro Detroit AFL-CIO central leadership council. I felt like we weren’t getting our money’s worth for the dues we were paying. As it turns out, I had a knack for working in the political and legislative arena and was elected to the Metro-D executive board in 2019 and was appointed to fill a vacant position as trustee in 2020, a seat I still hold. In 2023, I was elected to be an executive board member of the MISALC. I felt that with the help of the 10 people who ran with me we could revitalize the state, so I ran for president in 2025.

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      That leaves us with the question  what are we going to do? That’s a tough question to answer. Promise too little and people think that you’re not taking the job seriously. Promise too much and you sound like a blowhard that is all hat and no cattle. Worst of all, fail to deliver on your promises and you put your reputation and integrity into question. Let’s look at a couple of things that we have already started to change. First, the entire board committed to be present. “Go to the places and do the things” is the phrase that best describes that commitment. Shortly after the convention the NBA’s office did training for local negotiations. There were five in-person trainings across the state. While the training was entirely the NBA’s area of responsibility and expertise, there was a board member representing the state at each of the trainings. We’ve already done a branch meeting visit, a topic I’ll discuss more later. Most of the board was at the Detroit Gleaner’s Food Drive kickoff. I was honored to be asked to speak  my first showing representing the State Association in front of non-members. We had four board members at Camp Cavell last month. (There were also 3 more letter carriers  big thanks to them for coming out to support MDA.) An upcoming commitment already in the works is that the State Association will participate in the Detroit Labor Day March - our first appearance there since COVID.

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      Social media is becoming more and more influential among members. Our first step in that direction was to resume using the state Facebook page. I know not everyone uses Facebook, and we will eventually look into other social media providers, but it’s a big first step to have our message go out to those who do use Facebook. We will investigate where our effort will have a return in contacting more carriers and will increase our efforts toward those areas. The great thing about Facebook is that we can get info out in a timely manner. When national issues a Take Action notice we all need to flood those congressional offices with messages. Our webpage hasn’t really been utilized of late. Whether we continue to have a webpage or go in another direction is being considered by the board. We will also consider scheduling WebEx meetings if there’s both a demand and an adequate amount of material to justify the state having its own meeting. I’ve discussed with the NBA getting a few minutes during the region 6 WebEx if there’s a hot topic I need to disseminate. Thanks to David Mudd for graciously allowing me that privilege. The newsletter that you’re reading right now is another method that we will use to contact members, though obviously it’s not as timely as electronic communication. The publication dates for the newsletter will be moved to best impact our mission. An example: the fall 2026 newsletter will be about the November election and will be in mailboxes early enough to have an impact. In addition to the state newsletter, I’ve committed to providing branch editors with about a half-page of copy on a regular basis to use in their newsletters. While this article will be penned by me as we kick off the program, it is my hope that we can “pass the torch” around the board so that each of your officers gets to share.

 

      Earlier I mentioned branch meeting visits. We would like to talk to your branch about legislation. We would like to talk about LCPF as well. Our visits are tailored to your branch’s needs so we can work with your time constraints. Branch presidents simply need to contact me with your meeting schedule and we will get a date that works for everyone involved. If your branch uses Zoom, WebEx, or another virtual meeting solution, we can appear remotely, too. That makes signing people up for LCPF a bit more challenging but that’s not anything that can’t be overcome.

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      One of the most important things that the bylaws charge me with doing is to appoint legislative liaisons. Letter Carrier Congressional Liaisons could be the most important tool we have for influencing congress. For those who attend the Region WebEx, you already know that I’ve asked those who are currently LCCLs or who have been in the past to contact me. I’ve also asked anyone who desires to help as a LCCL to talk with their branch president then either of you can contact me as well. As the LCCL for MI-13, I know that LCCLs haven’t been used to their full potential. We’re going to fix that. I’ve asked Director of Education John Dick to develop a one-on-one training course for new and returning LCCLs. He will be coordinating with Regional LPO Matt Tanner to make sure that nothing gets left out of the syllabus. Once trained, the new LCCL will do their first contact (or two) with a mentor LCCL. While that’s likely to be John Dick or myself we certainly can and will use experienced LCCLs to do this as well. The idea is that you will have someone to assist you until you’re comfortable doing it by yourself. Ultimately, we want each LCCL to be well known by your representative’s staff and hopefully by the representative as well. That way, when you call, you’ll be a well-known voice. Now comes the part everyone tells me is going to be difficult - finding volunteers to be LCCLs. I know legislative work isn’t for everyone. I just happen to think that a lot of people sell themselves short when thinking about our legislative work. If you’d have asked me in 2010 if I wanted to get involved in lobbying congress I would have given you the side eye and moved along. As I mentioned earlier, it turns out I have a knack for the work. 15 years later, here we are! I would encourage each of you reading this to consider becoming a LCCL. Even if your congressional district already has a LCCL, there’s room for two, or three, or four. If you’re interested, we’ll train you. Another point to consider is that you can still be a LCCL even if you live in an area that’s not within your branch. I mentioned that I am the LCCL for MI-13. My branch doesn’t deliver to a single address within my congressional district. That’s not a problem.

 

      The Detroit Labor Day March is a tradition going back a long time. There was a break for COVID, just like every other gathering, but it came back a couple of years ago and it’s high time that letter carrier come back to the march. There will be more info as the event draws closer but here’s a rough outline. The MISALC will stage on Trumbull near Branch 1 which is at 1400 Trumbull St at Porter St. Parking will be in Branch 1’s lot, at the closed bank next door to Branch 1, or on the side streets around Branch 1. Times are still tentative, but you can pencil in the staging to start around 8AM with the march to begin around 9:00. Please wear your red “Fight Like Hell” t-shirts from the March & April rallies. If you don’t have one, wear a red t-shirt but be prepared to change shirts. I’ve contacted national and we will have a limited supply of additional shirts available at staging. If your branch has a stash of left-overs from the rallies, bring them along with you. I don’t know if we will have food or refreshments beyond bottled water, so stay tuned for further updates. If you don’t hear anything, plan accordingly. This invitation extends to all carriers and retirees across the state. I do realize, however, that Detroit is at the far southeast corner of the state. If your branch has an event closer to home that you support, please continue to do so. If the state can help you with something regarding your event, contact us. We will do what we can. A side note: the red-hot Detroit Tigers are playing at home on Labor Day afternoon. There are still tickets left if you want to turn your morning into a day-long outing. Unfortunately, there was insufficient time to set up a group outing for this year’s march.

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      Every year is an election year. 2025 is no exception. This newsletter will reach you after the August 5th primary. Not much we could do about that we put most state business on hold so our board members who were on branch negotiating committees could concentrate on local negotiations. Our deadline for the newsletter was July 10th, the same day as our first board meeting. Given the time it takes to edit, publish, and mail, there was no way to get this out in time to remind you to vote in the primary. We won’t be publishing again before local elections in November that is only about two months and this is a twice a year publication. The following paragraph is from an article I made available to branches to publish in their July newsletter. Here’s the rub, most every branch, including my own, suspends publication in July. So here is the gist of what I sent:

 

“As the State Association, we really don’t get involved in local elections that much. Our goal is to affect national legislation. That obviously includes taking a stance on who represents us in Washington, DC. Our representatives and senators are the moving force behind the legislation that we need to improve the lives of City Letter Carriers. The president is head of the executive branch ­of which the USPS is a part, so who holds that office matters to us as well. In general, a city councilperson doesn’t have much influence in, say, the Federal Retirement Fairness Act, so we, as an Association don’t exert much influence in local elections. Here’s the rub ­ that councilperson may have an outsized influence on your life. A local ordinance may have a large impact on your quality of life. That impact may be positive or negative. Paying attention to who gets elected to council or the school board is important.”

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      I will also take this opportunity to point out that many, but not all, of us have a local election in November. Your local AFL-CIO CLC will probably have endorsements - contact them to see who’s friendly to organized labor in your neighborhood races. Be informed and make a plan to vote!

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      Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the previous board. Thanks to Carl Blassingame who led the Association for 10 years. Carl, I can only hope to fill your shoes. Eric Venzke, though you served less time than Carl, we can all look to you as an example of selfless service. Jayme Romine, you even continued to serve after the election by producing the convention minutes. That’s inspirational. I remember when John Serwach was elected to the board - thank you for being so generous with your time for more than a decade. Finally, Darryl Clay. I enjoyed working with you on the executive board and hope that we can work on something together again. I also want to mention the additional six delegates who ran unsuccessfully for positions on the State Board: John Odegard, Mark Owen, Tracy Shuck, Shane Gritzmaker, Zach Schassberger and Katelyn Pueschel. Each of you stepped out and said “YES” to taking on another set of duties beyond your branch. Your commitment to the State Association did not go unnoticed.

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Here's a list of handy contact points:

Facebook group: NALC Michigan

Facebook: Ronald S Zalewski

Email: rszalewski@aol.com

State Office: 734-999-8080

Cell/SMS: 586-206-3770

Mailing Address: MISALC / PO BOX 794 / TAYLOR, MI 48180

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