What is PAC? PAC is an acronym for Political Action Committee.  A PAC is a committee that collects VOLUNTARY contributions from members of a group, such as the National Rural Letter Carriers Association (NRLCA) and combines them into a larger fund. The larger fund is then used to make contributions to a candidate for Congress. No NRLCA union dues are ever contributed to NRLCA-PAC.

The NRLCA-PAC committee distributes the PAC funds to candidates for Congress and makes a report on  its activities. Contributions are distributed on a bi-partisan basis. PAC monies contributed to an election campaign are used to send mass mailings, purchase TV and radio ads, etc.

     The Postal Service is often referred to as an independent government agency. The Postal Service receives no tax payer dollars. However, Congress has authority and jurisdiction over many aspects of the Postal Service and its employees. PAC dollars are very important to supporting key congressional legislators friendly to our interests and positions. Particularly those serving on committees responsible over issues important to the NRLCA. PAC contributions have helped defeat past efforts to restrict collective bargaining and anti-labor amendments. They have also been influential in the long awaited passage of the Postal Reform legislation which included the removal of the Prefunding Mandate.

     In short, NRLCA-PAC works to make the lives of Rural Letter Carriers better.

     Perhaps you are hesitant to become a member of NRLCA-PAC because you are on a tight budget and do not believe you can afford to contribute. A contribution made to NRLCA-PAC may qualify for a State of Oregon tax credit of up to $50 if filing single and up to $100 if filing jointly. Please consult your tax advisor about this as I am not a tax advisor. If you are able to claim your PAC contribution as a credit on your Oregon tax return, it is essentially “free” money.

     There are several ways to contribute to NRLCA-PAC. One way to contribute is through Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). This requires signing up on a form and a voided check (no business or farm accounts) to have a set amount deducted on the fifth of each month from your checking account. The minimum amount is $5. EFT is available to active and retired members. Automatic Payroll Withholding is available through the PostalEase system using the payroll allotment. This method is available to active members and is a bi-weekly contribution on paydays. Enrolling in either of these systems gives membership into the NRLCA-PAC Sustaining Donor Society. This entitles the member to a unique donor society pin as well as entry into some sustaining donor only drawings. These methods of giving are also very helpful to the Governmental Affairs Department of the NRLCA. It is helpful to them in their planning because the monies are coming in on a monthly schedule rather than a random spring and fall meeting schedule. In addition, it is less expensive to process the electronic transactions than it is checks and money orders.

      The other ways to contribute to PAC are through checks, cash and credit card reader. These transactions are usually handled at the district, state, regional and national meetings. They may also be transacted through your state PAC chair. You may also contact the PAC manager at the National Office to make a contribution over the phone.