St. Cloud Postal Workers Demand Change Ahead Of Contract Talks

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- Area postal workers took to marching on Sunday to bring attention to their job concerns. Members of the National Association of Letter Carriers, Branch 388, walked in front of the St. Cloud Post Office for about an hour to raise awareness about their upcoming contract talks.

Branch 388 President Jim Heim says they are fighting for a stronger contract:

"We're looking for better wages, especially starting wages that have dramatically been cut starting in 2012 and haven't bounced back. We're looking for better staffing, especially here in the St. Cloud area, staffings been hit really hard ever since the COVID Pandemic; we haven't recovered yet, so we can provide better service to the American public."

He says they are also asking for better working conditions, and it affects postal workers across the area, like in Waite Park, Paynesville, Princeton, and more.

Why were they holding the rally?

The rally was part of a National Day of Action for letter carriers that took place in over 120 cities across the country. Heim says they need the public's support:

"It's all over; it's become a chronic problem that we need to get this fixed. We need help, and then the post office, I think, has to get the union stronger contracts, that's gonna help get the post office staffed and help serve the American public to get better service and make the post office stronger."

Heim says most people don't realize how much has changed with being a postal carrier over the last twenty years, and it is hard for them to retain workers. The NALC says 55% of non-career letter carriers leave the job within the first year, and their work is vital to the economy.

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