Theory

Application of Theory

The group I am most familiar with is the national association of letter carriers (NALC). The NALC begin in 1889 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The NALC represent letter carriers labor rights. NALC is a national organization with 2,500 branches in every city across the United States. The NALC lobbies on the federal level for letter carriers labor rights.

The NALC has power and influence on the sociopolitical scene. They are the voice for the letter carriers. There is a national president, 3 national trustees and 15 business agents. The president consistently gives speeches to congress about labor issues affecting letter carriers. I am part of local branch 1629. We have 160 members active and retired.

The leadership is made-up of a president, vice-president, sergeant-at-arms, treasurer, and secretary. The purpose of the branch is to ensure the national labor agreement and the labor practices of the postal service on a local level are in conjunction. The branch empowers the letter carrier through consciousness-raising. Monthly newsletters and meetings facilitate this empowering process. The newsletters keeps us informed about management unfair tactics as well as any changes agreed to on the local level.

The national branch of the NALC, also provide information they receive. Every two years the NALC holds a national convention where they disseminate information and conduct workshops for issues like healthcare. The organization efforts are macro in nature. They affect policy concerning social issues such as wages, retirement benefits, and healthcare. The union is very diverse members represent every culture and ethnic group in the United States.

The union helps the community by sponsoring food drives and supporting social issues like muscular dystrophy. My role in the organization is limited. I am the eyes and ears as are all of the other letter carriers. In this sense, I would say I am an initiator. We voice our...