Episode 155: BUILT FOR THE FIGHT JERRY KERNER JR. ON LEGACY, LEADERSHIP, FEAR, AND THE FUTURE OF REGION 13

Jerry Kerner Jr. is not simply running for National Business Agent of Region 13—he is asking letter carriers to trust him with the responsibility of protecting branches, developing representatives, enforcing the National Agreement, and helping guide the region through one of the mostuncertain periods facing the Postal Service and the NALC.A city letter carrier since 2006, Jerry has spent twodecades inside the Postal Service and the union movement. He currently serves as a shop steward in Baltimore, has represented carriers in multiple offices, graduated from NALC Leadership Academy Class 15, served as a Branch AFL-CIODelegate, participated in the AFL-CIO Young Trade Unionists program, and worked as a Joint Alternate Route Adjustment Team member.But Jerry's connection to the NALC goes even deeper. Heis a second-generation letter carrier whose father served as a carrier, branch treasurer, branch president, and Regional Administrative Assistant in Region 13. Jerry grew up watching union leadership firsthand, traveling throughout the region and seeing what calm, knowledgeable and dependable representation looked like.Now he wants the responsibility himself.In this interview, we go far beyond the résumé.We ask whether being a strong shop steward truly prepares someone to command a regional office. We examine what Jerry has learned from watching generations of NALC leadership, what he would change in Region 13, why he joined the Concerned Letter Carriers slate, and what leadership means when members are frustrated, grievances are multiplying, USPS faces enormous operational and financial challenges, and confidence in institutions is being tested.We also explore one of the hardest questions facing national union leadership. How does the NALC fight aggressively for letter carriers while also recognizing that our members'livelihoods depend upon the survival and success of the United States Postal Service?Where is the line between partnership and complacency?Where is the line between protecting USPS and protectingmanagement?And when those interests collide, who comes first?This is a conversation about leadership, responsibility, fear, legacy, accountability and whether Jerry Kerner Jr. is prepared to carry the weight of Region 13 on his shoulders.