Postal workers rally for fair contracts Sunday, back congressional bills

By: Marie Moyer; Euphenie Andre

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ) -- Postal workers and letter carriers gathered at the USPS office on Walnut Street Sunday afternoon for the "Fight like hell" protest in Columbia.

The demonstration was held in coordination with events across the country. Despite cold temperatures leading to a smaller turnout locally, carriers said the message remains urgent: they want better pay, improved staffing and stronger safety protections.

According to the National Association of Letter Carriers, letter carriers deliver nearly 376 million pieces of mail and packages to approximately 169 million delivery points every day nationwide.

Carriers in Columbia said the workload has become increasingly difficult to manage. Robert Blackmore, who has worked as a letter carrier in Columbia for 33 years, said staffing shortages are one of the biggest challenges.

“We have a shortage of mail trucks, which is one of our biggest problems. So, we’re shorthanded every day,” Blackmore said.

According to the NALC paychart entry-level transitional employees start at about $21 an hour. Workers argue that pay has made it difficult to attract and retain workers.

Anthony Mitchell has worked as a letter carrier in Lexington, Missouri, for the past 28 years and also serves with the National Association of Letter Carriers. He traveled to Columbia Sunday to show his support for the rally.

“We’d like to get a better starting pay to attract more people,” Mitchell said. “Right now the staffing shortages are really incredible and typically within the first year, we’re having over 50% of the new people quit.”

According to a press release from the National Association of Letter Carriers, contract negotiations between the NALC and the U.S. Postal Service are set to begin. The current contract was last updated in May 2025, with the agreement stating it is effective through May 22, 2026.

The NALC is also backing two congressional bills, the Protect Our Letter Carriers Act and the Federal Retirement Fairness Act.

The Protect Our Letter Carriers Act focuses on both mail security and the safety of mail carriers. According to the NALC, over 1,300 cases were opened between 2019 and 2023 for crimes against postal workers, including assault, robbery and burglary, with over two-thirds of attacks involving a weapon.

"More and more carriers are just under assault, whether it's physical violence or verbal, and we have carriers that are being murdered daily," Mitchell said.

Mitchell and Blackmore said they don’t fear for their safety on their daily routes, but they acknowledge that letter carriers face greater risks in larger cities like Kansas City and St. Louis.

"It's not just an issue for the Democats or Republicans," Mitchell said. "Both parties are coming together because everybody loves their letter carriers,"

If passed, the act would provide $7 billion in funding over five years to the Postal Service to modernize mailboxes with high-security collection boxes and update current universal mailbox keys with electronic ones.

The post office has reportedly rolled out the new security measures in select areas and saw an increase in prosecution rates.

"When these carriers get not necessarily killed but attacked, robbed. The penalties are so low right now, and there aren't enough prosecutors to do anything about it," Blackmore said.

The act will also streamline court cases by assigning a district attorney for each judicial district to prioritize cases of crimes against mail carriers. Sentencing guidelines would also be adjusted so that assault or robbery of a postal employee would be treated similarly to the assault of a law enforcement officer.

The Federal Retirement Fairness Act will allow part-time or transitional hires in the postal service to purchase retirement credit for time spent working.

The NALC reports that more than 65% of current letter carriers worked at USPS in non-career positions, some for two or more years. Those who start as noncareer employees are not creditable under the Federal Employees Retirement System.

The NALC adds that more than 132,000 letter carriers who started in non-career positions often work similar shifts and roles as career employees, but do not receive the retirement credit.

Both bills have been introduced in the House of Representatives.