Baltimore Letter Carriers Rally for Better Pay and Benefits

Workers demand equal pay and benefits for all postal workers

Published on Feb. 23, 2026

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Letter carriers held a rally in downtown Baltimore on Sunday to demand better pay and full benefits for all postal workers, including new employees. The National Association of Letter Carriers said that tens of thousands of letter carriers distribute millions of packages and mail nationwide, but many new hires do not receive the same pay and benefits as more experienced carriers.

Why it matters

The rally highlights concerns about high turnover rates among non-career postal workers, with the union reporting that 55% of new letter carriers leave within the first year. Ensuring equal pay and benefits for all postal workers is seen as crucial to retaining talent and maintaining reliable mail service.

The details

Workers converged at the Baltimore Main Post Office to demand that the so-called 'two-tier system' be eliminated, where new letter carriers do not receive the same pay and benefits as more experienced carriers despite doing the same work side-by-side. The union says this disparity is leading to high attrition rates among new hires.

  • The rally was held on Sunday, February 23, 2026.

The players

National Association of Letter Carriers

The union representing letter carriers nationwide, which organized the rally in Baltimore.

Tony Vaughn

President of the Baltimore chapter (Branch 176) of the National Association of Letter Carriers.

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What they’re saying

“We have new employees come in and don't get the same pay and benefits as carriers who have been around for five, 10, 20, 30 years, and we want to eliminate that so-called two-tier system. They're standing side by side and they're delivering side by side with carriers, they need the same pay and benefits because there's a lot of attrition, people are leaving.”

— Tony Vaughn, President, Baltimore Chapter (Branch 176) of the National Association of Letter Carriers (wbal.com)

The takeaway

This rally underscores the challenges facing the U.S. Postal Service in maintaining a stable and experienced workforce, as the union pushes for equal pay and benefits to help reduce high turnover rates among new letter carriers.