This week on The Last Loop, Jamie covers October 24–30, 2026, beginning with a USPS Office of Inspector General investigation into timekeeping and management oversight at the Richmond Regional Processing and Distribution Center. The audit identified significant discrepancies and more than $429,000 in questioned costs, raising important questions about accountability, supervisory responsibilities, and the evidence needed to establish individual misconduct. We also examine two new arbitration decisions, C-37970 and C-37972, involving discipline, Weingarten rights, GPS evidence, carrier start times, the M-39, and management's obligation to provide information to the union. On the workroom floor, we break down USPS's decision to delay nationwide multifactor authentication for MDD-TR scanners, supplemental heating tests for Next Generation Delivery Vehicles in Alaska, and extraordinary election-mail procedures ahead of the November 3 election. We review the latest Postal Bulletin, including holiday mailing guidance and reduction-in-force competitive areas, along with important articles from the November Postal Record covering Article 8, December overtime rules, FMLA, workplace safety, veterans' rights, and workers' compensation. Our coverage also includes APWU maintenance testing changes, NRLCA steward development, NPMHU interest arbitration and health benefits, and the latest postal regulatory and operational news. The Podcast Desk brings together conversations from From A to Arbitration, The Postal Stand-up, Classes of Mail, The Comfort Stop, The Hot House, Next Generation Carriers, Key Cases, Rural Route Realities, The Relay Box, and other postal programs. We examine the NALC leadership transition, election participation, union accountability, grievance handling, the Article 8 rule of reason, electronic signatures through Informed Delivery, and the importance of developing new stewards and union leaders. We also highlight women in NALC leadership, Delaware's new law strengthening protections against assaults on postal workers, and Corey Walton's plans for union education, financial transparency, and workplace representation. Beyond the Postal Service, our International Postal Watch looks at threatened mass layoffs in Norway, Royal Mail developments in the United Kingdom, labor action affecting Australian postal operations, and a postal strike in Grenada. The Solidarity Corner covers six labor struggles and victories involving public employees, journalists, healthcare workers, university dining employees, and other organized workers. Closer to home, we celebrate a Pennsylvania letter carrier who helped a customer experiencing a medical emergency, visit communities experiencing changes in postal service, and explore the history of Operation Santa, unusual postmarks, and other stories from postal history. Plus, our new Steward's Action Desk brings the week's most useful contractual lessons, management instructions, and grievance considerations together in one place. With the national election behind us and a new NALC administration preparing to take office, this week's question is how we turn promises of accountability, education, and stronger representation into meaningful improvements for the people doing the work. Check out this week's companion report: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lWAuzUNAIMnatUkSo4tAGMYh7VUmIKKzScvSipjd3YE/edit?usp=drivesdk Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.
