Episode notes
This week on The Last Loop, Jamie covers October 3–9, 2026, as USPS proposes a major revision to the Employee and Labor Relations Manual (ELM), raising important questions about how changes to postal policies could affect letter carriers and contractual protections. We also follow the final week for requesting replacement ballots in the NALC national election and examine what comes next as members prepare for the October 19 ballot count.
We take a closer look at the latest Postal Record and Postal Bulletin, including union election procedures, financial accountability, retirement benefits, and election mail handling. An OIG report examines alternative retirement models, while this week's arbitration roundup includes two sustained grievances and a partially sustained decision, with recognition for the union advocates who successfully represented their fellow carriers. Plus, we check in on the other postal unions, rural carriers, labor developments outside USPS, new stamps, and our new International Postal Watch, where Royal Mail faces restructuring and Canada Post continues navigating labor disputes.
The Postal Podcast Desk is especially busy this week, with conversations about scanner data, PS Form 3996, documenting your work, management observations, mental health, grievance preparation, and the NALC election. We also visit communities around the country for the Local Loop and look ahead to developments worth watching. Running through this week's coverage is a familiar question: when policies change, decisions are made, or management demands answers, are the people doing the work being heard?
For this week's companion report: