News & information

NALC President Rolando’s statement on 2016 election results

NALC President Rolando’s statement on 2016 election results

Here is a statement by Fredric Rolando, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, about the results of the 2016 election for president and for members of Congress:

Although yesterday’s election did not turn out as we had hoped, the American people have spoken.

Our endorsement of Hillary Clinton, and of so many other candidates who came up short at the polls, was always about their positions on workplace issues of importance to letter carriers and about their support for a vibrant U.S. Postal Service.

We congratulate President-elect Donald Trump and pledge our determination to work with the new administration and the leaders of the newly elected Congress to strengthen our country and our Postal Service.

Had we prevailed in more races, we would have been in a better position to achieve sensible postal reform legislation and to protect the interests of active and retired members of the NALC. But now we face a lot of uncertainty. We intend to engage with the Trump administration and the new Congress to advance our issues while continuing to vigorously defend letter carriers’ jobs and standard of living as well as the benefits and interests of our retired members.

I remain convinced that strengthening the Postal Service is not a partisan issue. It is an invaluable national institution to all Americans, regardless of where they live and how they voted. Indeed, enacting bipartisan reform presents the new Congress with a way to bring our nation together and to heal the deep political divisions exposed by the 2016 election.

I want to thank the thousands of letter carriers who volunteered their time and energy to help turn out the vote for pro-letter carrier candidates. Win or lose, their dedicated service on behalf of their fellow letter carriers is deeply appreciated.

As a union, we must remain united and strong. We must continue to remember that our diversity is a strength that we can use to pursue our common interests. As long as we have solidarity for each other and for all American workers, there is hope for a better tomorrow.