Government affairs

Today, Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) introduced House Resolution 108 (H.Res. 108), which calls on Congress to recognize Postal Service employees as front-line essential workers who must be prioritized for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

While the resolution is non-binding in nature, it recognizes the dedication and importance of letter carriers and postal employees in providing reliable, affordable and universal mail service to America’s homes and businesses in the midst of an ongoing pandemic.

The resolution goes on to commend letter carriers and postal employees for the handling, processing and delivering of an increased volume of election mail pieces, ballots and Census materials during the pandemic under extremely difficult circumstances, and while thousands contracted COVID-19 as front-line workers.

The resolution calls on the prioritization of letter carriers and postal employees in Phase 1b in the COVID-19 vaccination program. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have identified postal employees in Phase 1b; however, states make the determination, which is expected to complicate the vaccination process for the Postal Service.

NALC appreciates the members of Congress who recognize the important contributions our members make every day to serve the public, especially during the pandemic, and who will continue to work to ensure that letter carriers are prioritized during vaccine rollout.