CWU General Secretary, Steve Fitzpatrick is due to address over 8,800 delegates at the 66th Biennial National Convention of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), the largest convention among AFL-CIO unions in the US, which takes place in Boston from 21st to 25th July 2008.

The week-long event at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Centre (BCEC) will bring together carriers from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam. The 303,000-member union, founded in 1889, represents active and retired city letter carriers employed by the U.S. Postal Service.

NALC has cancelled the traditional opening reception initially scheduled for Sunday evening, July 20 at the BCEC in support of members of Local 26 of the UNITE-HERE union who are engaged in a bitter contract dispute with Aramark Corporation, the firm that handles food service at the convention site. The NALC also cancelled all food services at the Convention Centre during workshops and general sessions throughout the week and has moved breakfast workshops to the Westin Boston Waterfront hotel.

During the convention, delegates will discuss issues critical to the future of the Postal Service including efforts to stop contracting out of letter carrier positions by the Postal Service, the work of special task force to evaluate postal delivery routes, and resolutions and constitutional amendments submitted by delegates.

Speakers scheduled to address the Conference include:
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY)
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino;
Reps. John Tierney and Michael Capuano, both (D-MA), and John McHugh (R-NY); American Postal Workers Union President William Burrus;
Alan Kessler, Chairman, USPS Board of Governors;
Michael Critelli, executive chairman of the board, Pitney Bowes Inc.;
Bill Disbrow, president and CEO, Valpak;
Philip Bowyer, deputy general secretary, Union Network International;
Stephen Fitzpatrick, general secretary, Communications Workers Union, Ireland;
Dean Baker, co-director, Center for Economic and Policy Research.

The NALC, founded in 1889, represents all 230,000 city delivery letter carriers employed by the U.S. Postal Service throughout the 50 states and U.S. jurisdictions.