This year, the month of July marks an ending point. This is the result of the Local Union holding its Local Election of Officers every three years. July represents the end of the last term of office and August represents the beginning of a new three-year term. I’ve often referred to this cycle as the Local Union “going around the block.”
The 2026 Matt Lopez Local 323 Scholarship has been awarded to Riley Wold. Riley is the son of NDC Branch Member April Sagendorf. The Local Union Council offers its congratulations to Riley and wishes him the best in the pursuit of his education.
We are reaching the mid-point of 2026. Mail volume in the facilities is noticeably lower, and the temperature is noticeably higher. After almost a year of negotiations over the terms of the 2025 National Agreement, the National Union has declared a bargaining impasse and invoked the dispute resolution procedures contained in the Postal Reorganization Act. The Union and the Postal Service will now meet to determine the process to resolve the dispute. What does that mean exactly? I have some thoughts.
We may be starting to see the Postal Service changing course from the path taken by former Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to the direction envision by current Postmaster General David Steiner. While PMG DeJoy’s 10-year Delivering for America plan continues to be implemented, at least in mail processing facilities, PMG Steiner appears to be reassessing the role the Postal Service should play as an American institution. This can only be considered a result of the financial constraints currently faced by the USPS; and, that is impacting on our ability to secure our next contract.
The retirement of Dean Abatte created vacancies in the positions of Vice President and Minneapolis Branch President. Aaron Kobes relinquished the position of Recording Secretary and was unanimously selected by the Local Executive Board to fill the position of Vice President. Similarly, Delicia Johnson was unanimously selected to fill the position of Recording Secretary and Jarred Hoover was unanimously selected to fill the position of Minneapolis Branch President. These appointments will remain in place solely through the unexpired period of the current term.
Local President Jeff Larsen administered the oath of office on March 4th. The Local Executive Board is confident that the people chosen are committed to serving the best interests of the Local 323 Membership.
April 30th represented the end of an era as Vice President Dean Abatte stepped into a well deserved retirement. After more than forty years at the Postal Service, and after more than three and a half decades as a Representative of Local 323, there was no shortage of people desiring to wish him well. It was a bittersweet occasion; tempered only by the knowledge that Dean will still be serving the Membership, albeit in a different capacity. Still, don't call him, he'll call you.
Numerous pictures from Dean's career have been assembled into a slideshow on the photo galleries page.
As noted in the most recent issue of the Mail Handler magazine, the clock continues to tick on contract negotiations. I’m starting to get a little impatient; so, I’m sure that some of you are as well. I’ve been watching the negotiations currently underway between the Postal Service and the National Associations of Letter Carriers; and reading between the lines, it appears to me that they’re running up against the same wall when it comes to wages. In any case, I remain convinced that we will be declaring impasse and heading to arbitration soon.
Saturday, June 27, 2026
12:00 P.M. - 2:00 P.M.
Happy Chef Restaurant
51646 US-169
Mankato, MN
Sunday, July 12, 2026
10:30 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.
Como Park Pavilion
1199 Midway Parkway
St. Paul, MN 55103
