Effective April 19 (date is tentative), all city letter carriers will begin earning new pay rates that include the following increases pursuant to the terms of the 2023 National Agreement set by Arbitrator Dennis R. Nolan in the interest arbitration award dated March 21, 2025:

For career city carriers:

• $978 Cost of Living Adjustment effective Aug. 26, 2023
• 1.3% General Wage Increase effective Nov. 18, 2023
• $353 Cost of Living Adjustment effective March 9, 2024
• $978 Cost of Living Adjustment effective Sept. 7, 2024
• 1.4% General Wage Increase effective Nov. 16, 2024
• $416 Cost of Living Adjustment effective March 8, 2025

*Cost of living increases referenced above are adjusted and paid proportionally to each step’s percentage of Step P for city carriers in Table 2 in accordance with Article 9.3.D of the National Agreement.

For city carrier assistants:

• 1.3% General Wage Increase and an additional 1.0% increase effective Nov. 18, 2023
• 1.4% General Wage Increase and an additional 1.0% increase effective Nov. 16, 2024

*City carrier assistants receive the additional 1.0% increases referenced above in lieu of cost of living adjustments pursuant to Article 9.7 of the National Agreement.

These new pay rates for all city letter carriers are tentatively scheduled to be reflected in the May 9 paychecks.

Backpay will be calculated from the effective dates of the pay increases indicated above through April 19 (tentative). The Postal Service has indicated that it will take some time to calculate the back pay for more than 210,000 letter carriers but tentatively expects the process to be completed and payments made sometime in August.

The new pay rates can be seen in the new letter carrier pay schedule available here.

Four senators joined the bipartisan leads as original co-sponsors: Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Susan Collins (R-ME), Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH).

The Senate version is identical to the House version (H.Res. 70), which was introduced by Reps. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) and Nick LaLota (R-NY) in January and currently has 180 co-sponsors.

“Letter carriers take great pride in the work they do, providing universal service to every address in the nation,” NALC President Brian L. Renfroe said. “Every member of Congress represents constituents who depend on the Postal Service. I urge every representative to sign on to this resolution.”

“For more than 250 years, the Postal Service has been a cornerstone of our nation, connecting every household and business across the country,” Sen. Peters said. “Any efforts to undermine the Postal Service’s independence or privatize it would jeopardize affordable, universal mail service and harm the millions of Americans—especially veterans, small business owners, and rural communities—who rely on the Postal Service every day. This resolution reaffirms our commitment to keeping the Postal Service independent and self-sustaining, ensuring it continues to serve as a vital lifeline for all Americans.”

“In a state as vast as Alaska, with many remote communities only accessible by air or water, the USPS serves as an essential government agency, that keeps postal services affordable for Alaskans,” Sen. Sullivan said. “I am glad to work with my colleagues from other rural states on this resolution to oppose the privatization of the USPS and ensure that this critical agency remains focused on its statutory requirement to reliably deliver mail to every household, no matter how remote.”

Take action

Click here to ask your representative to co-sponsor H.Res. 70/S.Res. 147.

Click here for the fact sheet.

This Executive Order is stacked with blatant lies to undermine the nation’s free and fair election process by placing restrictions on voter access to the ballot box. 

Our country is stronger when more people participate in the democratic process, no matter how they choose to cast their ballots: early, in person on Election Day, or through mail-in ballots.

Letter carriers take pride in our work and have safely, securely and successfully delivered ballots since the Civil War. In the 2024 election, letter carriers delivered 99.22 million ballots to and from voters, tens of millions of which were cast for President Trump. In 2020 at the height of the COVID pandemic, as millions of Americans sheltered in place, letter carriers delivered a record-breaking 135 million ballots.

While this EO claims to be about “preserving” and “protecting” American elections, NALC sees this for what it is: a clear attack on voting rights that slams the safety and security of voting by mail.  

NALC will not stand for any attempt to diminish Americans’ accessibility to free and fair elections, and we will fight like hell to protect this right for the millions of Americans who rely on us. 

National Press Club President Mike Balsamo moderated the panel discussion.

The union presidents discussed the severe impacts privatization would have on all Americans, recent actions the unions have taken to bring awareness to this issue, protecting universal service, how Congress and the Administration can help the Postal Service, attacks on letter carriers, former Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's recent exit, and more. 

When asked about DeJoy's exit, Renfroe emphasized that the next postmaster general must continue building infrastructure and maintaining universal service while valuing USPS employees. "The service is provided 100 percent by the employees and our unions," Renfroe said.

Threats of privatization were a recurring topic, and Renfroe reiterated NALC's firm opposition, warning of its negative impact on more than 300 million Americans, especially 51 million Americans in rural areas. "We serve everyone, everywhere, for the same price every day," he said.

The Postal Service's financial situation was also discussed. Renfroe started by emphasizing that it operates as a public service funded by postage and stamps, not taxpayer dollars. He then identified two potential solutions for financial relief: adopting private-sector accounting for retirement funds and passing legislation to allow investments in higher-yield assets. These changes, long advocated by NALC, would help the Postal Service manage costs and ensure long-term stability.

The moderator asked about the increased crimes committed against letter carriers, and Renfroe laid out the details of the Protect Our Letter Carriers Act. "For the longest time, we were viewed among most people as, 'These are federal employees—don't mess with them. If you mess with them, you're going to jail.' We need to make that a reality again."

The value and possible use cases of the Postal Service's network were also highlighted. "Any attack, partial privatization, any reduction in the service we provide, ultimately results in destroying that network and eliminating, probably for good, our ability to do things like the census, like the COVID test, or any other things that we might want to do to serve the people of this country," Renfroe said.

In his closing remarks, Renfroe said that "the Postal Service is as relevant today as ever" and that "we intend to continue to fight any threats."

Following the Executive Council's decision to host a day of action, today's event was the second major public action this week after hundreds of rallies were organized by NALC branches on Sunday, March 23.

Watch today's full event here.

Today was Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's last day at the Postal Service. During his tenure, NALC worked in good faith with DeJoy on behalf of our 295,000 active and retired members.

The USPS Board of Governors' search for a new leader of the agency comes at a critical time for letter carriers and everyone who depends on our service.

The next postmaster general must continue modernizing and investing in USPS' infrastructure while maintaining quality universal service funded by postage, not taxpayer dollars.

They must value and empower the 640,000 Postal Service employees, 73,000 of whom are veterans, who serve the American people.

They must work in good faith with NALC, our sister unions and other stakeholders to get necessary retirement fund investment and accounting policy changes done in Congress. 

Finally, the next postmaster general must fundamentally believe in the agency as a public service and be committed to guaranteeing the universal service Americans rely on.

NALC urges the board to seek out a candidate who meets these criteria. The future of the Postal Service is on the line, and choosing someone with innovative ideas and appreciation for our Constitutionally mandated service is essential.

NALC stands ready to work with whoever the board selects as the next postmaster general. We will fight like hell to ensure our members' perspectives and experiences are considered when the next postmaster general makes decisions that affect letter carriers' working lives.

President Renfroe issued the following statement announcing the arbitration award:

We are pleased that the award includes consistent pay increases with the largest annual general wage increases since the 2006 National Agreement, and six cost-of-living adjustments, as well as full back pay for all hours worked The terms awarded also address our key objectives regarding higher starting pay, and further increasing top-step pay, where letter carriers spend most of their careers at the salary on which retirement calculations are based.

During the interest arbitration process, we fought for wage increases and rebuffed arguments based on the Postal Service’s financial difficulty. Previous interest arbitration boards have cited such arguments to justify increasing our share of health insurance premiums and reductions in back pay. This award contains no changes to these or other provisions that could negatively impact pay for letter carriers. It only moves us forward.

In recent years, we’ve reduced the CCA workforce by 15,000 positions and added 12,000 career PTF positions as we’ve moved to transition the Postal Service’s flexible workforce from 100 percent non-career to now over 30 percent PTFs using MOUs we’ve negotiated. The National Agreement resulting from this award will allow us to continue that process in pursuit of our goal of an all-career workforce.

This award follows years of work by the NALC, including its officers, staff, attorneys, consultants and expert witnesses who diligently put together the case for interest arbitration. Their hard work allowed the case to be presented effectively and efficiently.

I thank all the members of the NALC for their activism and involvement throughout the collective-bargaining process.

Here are some highlights of the contract, which covers the period from May 21, 2023, to May 22, 2026:

Wage provisions

Three general wage increases, and six COLAs were awarded.

Arbitrator Nolan awarded general wage increases of 1.3 percent in November 2023 (paid retroactively), 1.4 percent in November 2024 (paid retroactively), and 1.5 percent in November 2025. These increases exceed the general wage increase pattern established in collective-bargaining agreements between the Postal Service and the other postal unions in the previous round of collective bargaining. The award also provides for the payment of six COLAs to career letter carriers using the formula that has been included in Article 9.3 for many years. That proportional COLA provides all career carriers equal protection against inflation. Four of these COLAs, totaling $2,725 per year at Step P, will be paid retroactively pursuant to Article 9.3. The amounts of the final two COLAs will, as usual, depend on the Labor Department’s Consumer Price Index (CPI-W, 1967=100).

CCA pay increases

CCAs will receive three additional 1.0 percent increases for cumulative general wage increases of 2.3 percent in November 2023 (paid retroactively), 2.4 percent in November 2024 (paid retroactively), and 2.5 percent in November 2025. Within 180 days of the date of the arbitration award, CCAs will receive an additional $0.50 per hour pay increase. This increase is in addition to their cumulative general increases.

Pay table modifications

Steps AA and A will be eliminated from Table 2, raising starting career pay by 4.5 percent. CCAs converted to career PTF position will see wages rise by more than $4.31 per hour. Additionally, the annual rate at Step P in Tables 1 and 2 will be increased by $1,000. This increase is in addition to the general wage increases and COLAs mentioned above. Both of these modifications will be effective within 180 days of the date of the arbitration award.

Retroactive (back pay) provisions

Full back pay for all letter carriers, covering all paid hours since the expiration of the 2019-2023 contract, was awarded by the arbitrator. Back-pay calculations will include the Nov. 18, 2023, and Nov. 23, 2024, general wage increases (plus the 1 percent additional increase for CCAs on those dates) and the first four COLAs.

Uniforms

All letter carriers will receive the following uniform allowance:

• May 21, 2025: $536 plus an additional $125 for a newly eligible carrier
• May 21, 2026: $549 plus an additional $128 for a newly eligible carrier

Unused portions of an eligible employee’s annual allowance for uniform and work clothing will be carried over and available for use beginning 12 months after the end of each anniversary year. An eligible employee’s uniform or work clothing allowance balance may not exceed the sum of two years of the employee’s annual allowance entitlement. This awarded uniform and work clothing program adjustment will be implemented no later than 12 months from the date of the interest arbitration award.

Additionally, a joint task force shall be established to study the uniform program with a view toward reaching an agreement for a new and/or revised program that would take into account the following guidelines: 1) be cost-effective for both management and city letter carriers; 2) provide the parties with more direct control of the Uniform Program; 3) limit management and city letter carriers’ exposure to future increases in uniform costs; and 4) create practices for the manufacture and purchase of uniform items that will reduce the rate of increase.

Layoff protection

The no-layoff clause that protects letter carriers after six years of service as a career employee is retained in the 2023 National Agreement.

Sub-contracting of letter carrier work

The existing prohibitions against contracting out city carrier work are continued for the duration of the 2023 National Agreement.

Health insurance contributions

The employees’ share of health insurance premiums remains the same as in the 2019-2023 National Agreement for both career and non-career letter carriers.

NALC and USPS representatives will put together the entire text of the 2023-2026 National Agreement in the coming weeks.

"We are aware of a document circulating on the internet that purports to be communication from USPS Deputy Postmaster General Doug Tulino dated March 17, 2025, regarding our upcoming interest arbitration process. That document is completely fabricated. It is fake. Deputy Postmaster General Doug Tulino did not author or distribute the document."

We are fully prepared and looking forward to beginning the interest arbitration process on Monday, March 17."

NALC is aware of the agreement between the Postal Service, GSA and DOGE to assist with “identifying and achieving certain efficiencies.” We remain in contact with the Postal Service regarding DOGE’s efforts at USPS and any potential impact on NALC members.

The safety of our members always comes first. That includes their information and data. Prior to DOGE’s engagement with the Postal Service, we prepared for potential legal action if DOGE was to gain access to our members’ information in USPS records in violation of any applicable laws and regulations. We also expressed our concern over the privacy of our members’ information to Postal Service leadership. Our understanding of the agreement between USPS and DOGE is that it does not grant such access. We commend the Postal Service leadership for protecting employee information. Still, we will continue closely monitoring the situation and will fight like hell against any attack on the rights and privacy of NALC members.  

In a letter to Congressional leaders today, Postmaster General DeJoy laid out some of the “big problems” DOGE could assist with. Some of these are issues we have been actively engaged in and advocating for years. These include USPS’s misallocated pension liabilities, which have cost the agency tens of billions of dollars, and a new investment strategy for USPS’s three retirement funds, which are currently held in Treasury bonds, missing out on hundreds of millions in annual returns.

These policy changes are needed to improve the Postal Service’s financial viability, and we welcome anyone’s help who can influence Congress and the Administration to finally enact them.

As DOGE attempts to tackle these or any other issues at the Postal Service, it is important that they know what our members do and who they are. Letter carriers are lifelines to American communities who uphold our Constitutionally mandated service obligation by delivering to 169 million delivery points, including 51.5 million rural households and businesses, six and sometimes seven days a week.

Five years ago, during a global pandemic when most businesses shut down, letter carriers did not take one day off. We did not work from home. Instead, we delivered every single day, just as we have for 250 years.

If DOGE wants to improve the Postal Service’s finances, the above actions will do just that. Misguided ideas like privatization will not. Common sense solutions are what the Postal Service needs, not privatization efforts that will threaten 640,000 postal employees’ jobs, 7.9 million jobs tied to our work, and the universal service every American relies on daily.

On Sunday, March 23, NALC branches are encouraged to host local rallies to say “Hell no!” to dismantling the Postal Service.

With branches holding events nationwide on the same day, we will send a clear, unified message: Hands off USPS!

If your branch is interested in hosting an event on March 23, please contact your national business agent’s (NBA) office.

NALC Headquarters will work with NBA offices to ensure that each event has materials and resources to be successful. To guarantee the delivery of supplies, all event requests must be submitted to NBA offices by Thursday, March 6.

“These local rallies nationwide will bring together NALC members and the public to show their support for letter carriers, all postal employees, and the Postal Service,” NALC President Brian L. Renfroe said. “At a crucial time, this is an opportunity to educate our customers about everything at stake if the Postal Service is privatized or restructured.

“Our jobs, our service, and the entire Postal Service are on the line. We need everyone’s help in our fight like hell against these attacks. I encourage every NALC branch to mobilize and host a local rally on March 23.”