Advertise on podcast: Parcels of Knowledge

On this episode we go over another Undelivered Mail Win!!! If you want to join the wrecking crew follow the link below: www.patreon.com/parcelsofknowledge Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

What happens when somebody tells you, “The union has always taken this position,” or “That goes all the way back to the 1970 strike”? In the first episode of Footnotes, the Minion from the Old Dominion follows the trail to the Walter P. Reuther Library at Wayne State University, home of the official historical archives of the National Association of Letter Carriers. We look at how the Reuther became one of North America’s major labor archives, how archival research actually works, and what NALC members can find inside its collections; presidential papers, City Delivery records, grievance and arbitration material, convention records, photographs, historic artifacts, and much more. Along the way, we talk finding aids, boxes and folders, what can be researched from home, what requires a trip to Detroit, and why primary sources still need to be questioned instead of treated as gospel. This is the idea behind Footnotes: trust, but verify. A citation should not just be a number at the bottom of a page. It should be a trail somebody else can follow. Because the footnote is not where the boring stuff goes. It is where the receipts live. For the companion report click here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1keGvcJ6U5LTKMZU2SD0CoFfMnliOJkKlwYimmQlASso/edit?usp=sharing Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

This week on The Last Loop, Jamie covers September 19–25, 2026, as USPS tests several changes that could affect the workroom floor, including afternoon Amazon delivery, deferred Marketing Mail, vehicle cameras, scanner updates, new package barcodes, and continued network changes. We also look at the OIG’s report on counterfeit postage, an important workers’ compensation warning, NALC election ballot deadlines, updates from the other postal unions, labor solidarity, and highlights from the increasingly crowded postal podcast world. Then we look ahead to the September 29 launch of the Amazon PM Delivery Pilot before heading to Sycamore, Pennsylvania, for this week’s Local Loop, where the loss of a Post Office lease shows how one small facility can make a big difference to the community it serves. For this week's companion report: https://docs.google.com/document/d/18L7rpSaZ2ERDI2cNUPuwCDCE27WCKXasG1VtXfmTKuA/edit?usp=sharing Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

In this episode we talk about mutual exchanges and transfers. If you want to join our wrecking crew check the following link: Parcels Of Knowledge — A podcast dedicated to delivering education to letter carriers | Patreon Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

today we have Mike Brim on for his candidacy for Region 11 NBA. Does he have what it takes to get your vote? you decide. Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

Vincent Sombrotto went from a rank-and-file letter carrier with no union office to president of the NALC in just eight years — but the road there was anything but simple. In this episode of The Backstamp, Jamie Gregory looks at Sombrotto’s rise from the Great Postal Strike of 1970 through Branch 36, the National Rank-and-File Movement, bitter internal fights, election losses, democratic reforms, and his eventual victory in 1978. Along the way, we ask what really counts as leadership experience, whether union elections were any less contentious then than they are today, and what Sombrotto’s story can teach us about our own messy union democracy. The episode closes with a personal reflection on fighting passionately for the candidates we believe in without forgetting that, when the election is over, we are still brothers and sisters who have to stand shoulder to shoulder — followed by a message submitted by Region 7 NBA candidate Elliot Simmons on accountability, competition, civility, and unity. For those interested in the companion research report: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11liYKizQ4gOUeWVyBgIVeJkwzUsJEZOzIzRIB30Zzxs/edit?usp=sharing Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

The Return of LEWWWWW!!! Drass: Investigative Interview Part II Lew Drass returns to Parcels of Knowledge, and this time Jamie Gregory gets the chance to sit down with him for a longer conversation about his record, his campaign for NALC President, and what he believes needs to change inside the union. We get into his years as a steward, Branch President, Region 8 National Business Agent, Director of City Delivery, and National Vice President; how he says he brought a divided Region 8 together; his role in the aftermath of the Das award and the creation of the CCA workforce; contract arbitration and bargaining transparency; the grievance backlog; M-01769 and management projections; route inspections; steward training; safety; member participation; and his ideas for rebuilding the grievance procedure and making more union resources available to the rank and file. We also give Lew room to respond to criticism, explain what he believes he should and should not be held accountable for, and answer questions submitted by letter carriers. As usual, the goal is not to tell anyone how to vote. It is to give carriers a chance to hear the candidate explain his own record, priorities, and plans in his own words. And yes — LEWWWWW!!! is back. Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

The Last Loop is back! Jamie runs through the biggest postal stories from Sept. 12–18, led by a major new GAO report finding that USPS cost-cutting initiatives have contributed to declining service performance, even as the Postal Service continues reshaping its processing and transportation network. We also look at reporting that Postmaster General David Steiner has told associates he wants to leave the job, USPS’s response that he is not preparing to resign, and where that story actually stands. On the union side, NALC election ballots are beginning to move, the Branch 1779 National Candidate Forum gave members several hours of unscripted questions and answers, and Region 7 NBA candidate Elliot Simmons issued a broader appeal for candidates and supporters to keep the election focused on records, representation, and policy rather than personal attacks. Back on the workroom floor, the September/October Postal Record gives us a useful refresher on temporary CCA assignments to other offices under M-01827. That discussion is especially timely as carriers in several parts of the country report Amazon Sunday operations being consolidated into fewer hub locations, raising questions about reporting locations, travel, mileage, relative standing, staffing, and overtime. We also dig into two new Key Cases episodes covering fundamental fairness, due process, and FMLA obligations in removal cases. Plenty more is in the satchel this week: the latest ballot-mail litigation, Postal Bulletin 22711, carrier safety news, developments from APWU and NRLCA, and a very busy Postal Podcast Desk. This week’s roundup includes From A to Arbitration, Hot House with Richie Ray, Classes of Mail, Carriers for a Better Union, Next Generation Carriers, 763 From the 573, Six Thirteen, The History of Female Leadership in the NALC, The Key Cases Podcast, and a proper introduction to The Table Two Ticket, with a little more about what each show actually discussed instead of just listing episode titles. Plus, a look at the week ahead and a Local Loop follow-up from Lahaina, Hawaii, where the fight over centralized delivery, rebuilding, and postal access has moved beyond a local service complaint and into a larger discussion about disaster recovery and universal service. Interested in submitting a local news story, have a question, or have a recommendation for something we should cover? Reach out to me at [email protected]. For the candidate dossiers; https://docs.google.com/document/d/1y8p4RbRLwOQEvGAZ9c6emRM7WdE7CYlRlvldSL1nhTY/edit?usp=drivesdk https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IuiOLfIJUebaYSI8XXn5_2dazoC5jguaIs0ehI2H2KA/edit?usp=drivesdk https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NHqI-L7cyh0_4p7XdWXxFYa9YGYn5yzBfQFnRAVRakU/edit?usp=drivesdk https://docs.google.com/document/d/1f_Y354fu5kD5-3Z57NfuW6fb8VUJIdRn8p53He4xBj4/edit?usp=drivesdk And companion report: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1M0Z6BEsaNUmwLPHQj0zAIEuoyACkZF5HxCULbukncng/edit?usp=sharing Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

We have a last minute interview/discussion with candidate Chris Strickland. Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

In this episode we talk about how to file a grievance for accountable item signing issues. If you want to be a member of our Patreon see the link below: www.patreon.com/ParcelsOfKnowledge 2026 Election Informational Sheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1y8p4RbRLwOQEvGAZ9c6emRM7WdE7CYlRlvldSL1nhTY/edit?usp=drivesdk Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

In this episode we interview Stephanie Stewart for her candidacy for Health Benefits Plan Representative. Does she have what it takes to get your vote? You Decide. Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

The Nixie is here! In the first episode of this new Parcels of Knowledge series, I dig into the smaller, stranger, and sometimes forgotten pieces of postal history. We start with two topics that fit together perfectly: what a "nixie" actually is, where the old postal term came from, and why we chose it as the name of the series; then we turn the envelope over and take a deep dive into the backstamp. We look at how backstamps documented a letter's journey through the postal system, the handstamps and markings used to create them, why the Post Office once required them, some of the surprisingly odd ways the backs of envelopes were used, and why routine backstamping eventually disappeared. The Backstamp is about the big picture; the journey of the Post Office, the NALC, and the people who shaped them. The Nixie is about the small stuff. Old postal objects, equipment, markings, words, forms, and practices that have disappeared, mostly disappeared, or survive in some weird little corner of the Postal Service. We pull one out of the historical mailstream, give it a closer look, and ask, "What the hell is this, and why did we have it?" Have an idea for a future Nixie, something weird sitting around your office that you have always wondered about, or an old postal term nobody seems to use anymore? Reach out to me at [email protected]. Have a question for Stephanie Stewart? Send those in to Joshua Shrum at [email protected]. Here is also the companion research report for anyone interested in the sources, history, and additional information behind this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aA5Y5gL8ew5bphIN3AeL58ZH1QYBuWaIBedqVydzHEo/edit?usp=sharing Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

The Last Loop is back! Jamie runs through the biggest postal stories from Sept. 5–11, including the OIG’s new assessment of USPS network changes, five new NALC national memorandums and settlements covering annual leave, HIPP and PS Form 1767, the latest fight over grievance remedies, and what this week’s developments could mean when national policy finally reaches the workroom floor. We also check in on ballot-mail litigation, carrier safety and crime news, the Postal Record and Postal Bulletin, labor news, and a very crowded postal podcast roundup featuring arbitration, training, small-branch leadership, union elections, health benefits and plenty of contract talk. Plus, a look at the week ahead and a Local Loop from Brookdale, California, where residents are weighing the future of their local Post Office. Postal news, contract talk, union issues, and everything carriers may have missed while they were out making their Last Loop. Interested in submitting a local news story, have a question, or have a recommendation for something we should cover? Reach out to me at [email protected]. Here is the companion report for anyone interested in finding the sources and additional information behind the stories mentioned in this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Dp10n4ZHAgV67siiiKF51y3XwTQCAYEmWqJto7dbL2M/edit?usp=sharing Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

Today we investigated Larrissa Parde and her candidacy for NALC Assistant Secretary Treasurer. Does she have what it takes to have your vote? You decide. Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

In this episode we talk about management stealing time and very specific things regarding the PS Form 1017a. We will be having Larrissa Parde on the podcast for their candidacy for Assistant Secretary Treasurer. Please send any questions you have for her to [email protected] If you would like to become a member of the Wrecking Crew please click this link https://patreon.com/ParcelsOfKnowledge Here is the link to get a voicemail in to be featured in the theme song https://rss.com/podcasts/parcels-of-knowledge/voicemail/ Here is the companion report for those interested in where to find any of the information mentioned in this episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YW2kFdMxGfh2GuYRJMySPdMTA2oCt4q4HgQ5k_OFqVg/edit?usp=sharing Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.