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On Feb. 29, President Biden announced his intent to nominate Marty Walsh to serve on the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors (BOG).
Walsh’s name will be sent to the Senate in order to fill one of two seats on the BOG vacated Dec. 8, 2023, when the terms of Captain Lee Moak and William Zollars expired. Walsh is a Democratic nominee. The administration has not yet put forward an intended nominee for the vacant Republican seat.
In accordance with the Postal Reorganization Act, the president nominates the nine-member BOG, which is responsible for overseeing the executive management of USPS. By law, no more than five members can be affiliated with the president’s political party.
President Biden previously nominated Walsh to serve as the secretary of labor, and he led the agency from 2021-2023. Prior to service as labor secretary, Walsh served as Boston’s mayor from 2014-2021. Walsh is a second-generation member of the Laborers’ Local Union 223. He currently serves as the executive director of the National Hockey League Players’ Association, the union representing players in the National Hockey League.
The next step for Walsh’s nomination is for it to officially be sent to the Senate to be considered by the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Once advanced by the committee, his nomination needs to be approved by a Senate majority to be confirmed.
President Biden’s announcement comes while NALC has a major ask pending at the White House regarding the misallocation of the Postal Service’s retirement fund obligations. For more than 52 years, this unjust burden has affected the Postal Service’s finances, resulting in a loss of more than $90 billion.
President Biden has full legal authority to stop the raid on the postal pension fund. By directing the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to implement a new and fair methodology, President Biden could right this wrong with one simple executive action and safeguard the Postal Service’s financial stability. This is NALC’s top priority with the White House.
“Marty Walsh is a great friend of letter carriers and the NALC. His life’s work is to better the lives of working people. We look forward to his contribution to strengthening the Postal Service for years to come following his confirmation to the Board.” NALC President Brian L. Renfroe said.
While we are excited about Secretary Walsh’s upcoming nomination, NALC’s focus with the administration is to end the continued failure to fairly value the Postal Service’s pension assets. President Biden can and should stop the raid of the CSRS fund immediately by instructing OPM to implement the widely accepted and recommended valuation methodology.”
Click here to contact White House officials and ask them to stop the raid on the postal pension fund.