Union administration
Director, Health Benefit Plan
Stephanie Stewart was elected director of health benefits by mail balloting of NALC members in 2022.
Stewart was hired as a letter carrier in 1995 for the Morgan Street Station in Des Moines, IA, and quickly joined Central Iowa Merged Branch 352.
“I became involved as the shop steward because I couldn’t sit by and watch management violate our contract and abuse letter carriers,” she said. “I knew I had the ability to stand up and defend my co-workers, so I signed up and kept fighting anywhere I was needed.”
As a member of Branch 352, she served the membership as a shop steward, Formal A designee, safety captain, workers’ compensation officer, trustee, and vice president, and went on to become president in 2013. She also filled many roles at the request of the national business agent’s office, including NALC co-leader for route inspections, District EAP committee member, District Safety Committee co-chair, Master Carrier Academy facilitator and as an arbitration advocate.
“The challenge of representing letter carriers through a variety of different ways became my passion,” Stewart said. “I was eager to learn and very fortunate to be surrounded by strong mentors who pushed me at every turn. I quickly realized we stay strong by leaning on each other and being proactive through ongoing education.” Her desire to help letter carriers in new ways led to her involvement as an officer with the Iowa State Association of Letter Carriers, where she served as vice president and director of education from 2011 to 2015.
In 2015, NALC President Fredric Rolando appointed Stewart regional administrative assistant for Region 5, serving Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas. Rolando appointed her director of health benefits in 2018 to fill a vacancy, and she was elected to the post later that year by national balloting.
As director of health benefits, Stewart’s goal is to educate members about our health benefit coverage and promote wellness and healthy living. “When our bodies are taxed by injury or illness, the physical and mental demands of being a letter carrier are even more challenging,” she said. “If I can help lessen that burden, it must be a priority.”
Additional information on the NALC Health Benefit Plan, which is available to federal and postal workers as part of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), can be found by connecting to the NALC Health Benefit Plan website.