Since the date of the Nolan Award, NALC and USPS have been discussing the best course of action to implement some new rules. As a result, the parties agreed to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Re: Resolution of Issues Left Open by the Nolan Award of March 21, 2025. This MOU explains that some new provisions in Article 8 of the National Agreement will take effect on July 1, 2025, and that until that date, the language from those sections in the 2019-2023 National Agreement will remain in place. The specific sections of the contract that are being implemented on July 1 are fully explained in the MOU.

New overtime options

The provisions of Article 8, Section 5.A create new opportunities for full-time letter carriers to volunteer for overtime. Under the previous language, in effect through June 30, 2025, letter carriers could either sign the Work Assignment List or the Overtime Desired List (ODL). If they signed the ODL, they were volunteering to work overtime on both their regularly scheduled and non-scheduled days. While they could indicate their preference to work either 10 or 12 hours each day, they were still available to work seven days a week. Beginning July 1, full-time letter carriers will have more options.

As before, they can sign the Work Assignment List indicating their availability to work up to 12 hours only on their own assignment on a regularly scheduled day. The new language does not change the rules regarding the Work Assignment List. Under the new contract, letter carriers who wish to be on the ODL can now select to volunteer to work up to 12 hours on their scheduled days only or they can volunteer to work overtime up to eight hours only on their non-scheduled days. If they desire to do both, they can do so by signing both ODLs. Letter carriers who select to work up to 12 hours on their scheduled days only are available to work up to the daily limitations on each of their regularly scheduled days. On their non-scheduled days, they are treated like other letter carriers who are not on the ODL. For letter carriers who have selected to work overtime up to eight hours only on their non-scheduled days, they can work only on their non-scheduled days up to a maximum of eight hours. On their regularly scheduled days and beyond eight hours on their non-scheduled days, they are the same as non-ODL letter carriers. If a letter carrier chooses to sign both ODLs, they may do so, and they are volunteering to work up to 12 hours per day on both their scheduled and non-scheduled days. In essence, it is the same as the ODL that has been in place for many years.  There is no longer an option for letter carriers to indicate their preference to work up to 10 hours in a day.

As under previous contracts, letter carriers have the right to sign the ODL or Work Assignment List in the two weeks before the beginning of the calendar quarter. Once a letter carrier signed the list, they never had to sign it again as long as they remained in the same installation and did not remove their name from the list. Because of the changes to the ODL, letter carriers who are on the list during the current quarter must sign one or both of the new ODLs if they want to remain available for overtime. The next quarter begins on July 1, so every full-time letter carrier who wants to sign one of the ODLs should indicate their preference during the two-week signup period. Letter carriers who previously signed the Work Assignment List and wish to remain on that list do not need to sign up again. 

Automatic payment for hours worked in excess of daily and weekly limits

While the new language in Article 8, Section 5.G.3 will take effect on July 1, the Postal Service may not have its payroll system updated to compensate letter carriers who voluntarily agree to work in excess of 12 hours in a service day or 60 hours in a service week. As explained in Article 8, Section 4.G, any letter carrier who works over these limitations is automatically paid an additional 50 percent of their base hourly straight-time rate. Until the pay systems are updated, the parties have agreed to a process that requires management at the district level to review the hours of every letter carrier and identify the city letter carriers who have worked in excess of the daily and weekly limitations during the previous pay period. Management must then input the pay adjustments for those individuals into their Grievance Arbitration Tracking System (GATS). Every pay period, the Postal Service must provide documentation to the NALC at the headquarters level detailing which employees worked over the limitations and how much each letter carrier was compensated. Because the new language does not take effect until July 1, any letter carrier who is required to work more than 12 hours in a service day or 60 hours in a service week should notify their shop steward so they can investigate and file a grievance if necessary. After July 1, and until the Postal Service’s payroll systems are ready to provide automatic payments, any disputes regarding the proper payment for hours worked will be handled at the headquarters level. Once the payroll system is updated, the additional compensation will be paid automatically.

New Employee Experience, Retention and Mentoring Program

In addition to the changes in Article 8, the parties also agreed to the nationwide implementation of the MOU Re: New Employee Experience, Retention and Mentoring Program on July 1. Until that time, the only places where this program will be in effect are those locations in which the parties jointly selected to conduct pilot tests under the MOU Re: New Employee Experience and Retention Program and the MOU Re: New Employee Mentoring Program. Under these two agreements, the parties used an alternate dispute resolution process to handle issues that arose in the pilot offices. After July 1, when the pilot programs end and every office nationwide is included in the New Employee Experience, Retention and Mentoring Program, violations of this MOU will be handled through the Dispute Resolution Process outlined in Article 15 of the National Agreement.

The electronic version of the 2023-2026 National Agreement is available here. NALC is in the process of printing hard copies of the National Agreement. Information on distribution and availability of hard copies will be provided in the future. 

As it relates to letter carriers, the initial legislation contained harmful provisions, including a 4.4 percent across-the-board increase for all employees’ contributions to the Federal Employee Retirement Systems (FERS) and recalculating retirees’ annuities based on their high-five salary average (instead of high-three). Following aggressive lobbying efforts by NALC and the federal employee community, lawmakers removed these two provisions.

Despite our best efforts, a key threat to postal employees did pass in the House: elimination of the FERS special annuity supplement, a crucial benefit for FERS-covered employees who retire before becoming eligible for Social Security at age 62.

Other anti-federal employee provisions were advanced, including forcing new federal hires to choose between at-will employment or paying an increased FERS contribution of 9.4 percent and imposing a fee for Merit Systems Protection Board Claims and Appeals. While these provisions do not impact letter carriers, they are clear attacks on job security and union protections for hundreds of thousands of federal employees. 

“Passage of this bill and any change to letter carrier retirement benefits is a direct attack on public servants who serve every community,” NALC President Brian L. Renfroe said. “NALC strongly condemns the 215 lawmakers that voted for legislation that included reductions to retirement benefits for letter carriers.  

“As the bill heads to the Senate, we urge every senator to oppose any letter carrier retirement benefits cuts. Letter carriers are employed by an off-budget agency that isn’t funded by taxpayer dollars. We earn our retirement benefits through hard work and contribute to them every pay period. We are fighting like hell for what we deserve and were promised.”

Next steps

H.R. 1 now heads to the Senate, where they have their ideas for changes to the House-passed bill. The Senate has a tight timeline with the goal of getting the package to President Trump’s desk by the July 4 recess.

The Senate, which will only require a simple majority to pass reconciliation (51 votes instead of the usual 60), can remove the elimination of the FERS special annuity supplement from its version of the reconciliation package. With 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats and two independents who caucus with the Democrats, there is little room for Republican objection. Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Chairman Rand Paul (R-KY) has already indicated his opposition, tightening an already very thin margin.

Beyond federal workforce impacts, the bill contains numerous provisions that could derail action in the Senate, including cuts to Medicaid, low-income food and nutrition programs, and clean energy programs, to name a few. H.R. 1 also expands tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Americans while increasing funding for national defense, border security and deportation. The bill would increase the debt limit by $4 trillion.

Take action

The Senate can remove the elimination of the FERS special annuity supplement from its version of the reconciliation package.

Click here to ask them to oppose any cuts to letter carrier retirement benefits.

“It is gratifying to see so many letter carriers and other volunteers contribute their time and energy to make such an impact on their local communities year after year,” NALC President Brian L. Renfroe said. “We know that the recipients appreciate it.”

About 1 in 5 Americans, including millions of children, senior citizens and veterans, are unsure where their next meal will come from. The May food drive helps to relieve shortages of food that local pantries experience in spring after winter holiday donations have been depleted. And when summer arrives, most school meal programs are not available, so the need for food grows.

Since NALC’s first national food drive in 1993, active and retired letter carriers, with the help of volunteers, have collected a total of 1.94 billion pounds of food leading up to this year’s drive. While the total for this year won’t be announced until the July edition of The Postal Record, anecdotal reports pointed to another great year.

“Everybody needs a little help every now and then,” Addie Harford, Gainesville, FL Branch 1025 president, told her local ABC TV affiliate. “We give back to our food banks because we are out there every day, and we see how hard it is, and we just want to contribute back to our community.”

“It’s a great event that they do for us every year,” Devin Scott, treasurer of the Billings, MT Family Service Board, said. “We’re very appreciative they put this on for us. We get great results, and we have an amazing community that does this for us.” During his interview by local TV station Q2, Scott pointed out that the food and money donations add up: “We raise thousands of pounds of food every year. ... The cash donations give us the ability to purchase fresh food, fresh produce and everything else. It’s so meaningful to what we’re able to provide everybody.”

Officials from St. Mary’s Food Bank in Phoenix, AZ, told the local ABC TV affiliate that they were especially appreciative of the food drive results this year because they expect to lose out on more than a million pounds of food this summer because of recent government cuts.

“As letter carriers, we’re very proud of the work we do,” Sacramento, CA Branch 133 Secretary Jeff Bishop told his local NBC TV affiliate. “We’re very honored to be able to give back to the communities that we live in, the communities that we work in.” Bishop added that he looks forward to the drive each year and knows the difference each donation can make. “No matter where you are in the country, the feeling is all the same,” he said. “You know that that you are making an absolute impact in someone else’s life.”

“It’s designed to help feed families across the country, from community to community,” Winston-Salem, NC Branch 461 President Wayne Green told his local NBC TV affiliate.

The annual food drive wouldn’t be possible without the support of our national partners: the U.S. Postal Service, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association, RR Donnelley, United Way Worldwide, the AFL-CIO, Valpak, Kellanova and CVS Health. These partners help through such actions as paying for the specially marked postcards, donating thousands of pounds of food and thousands of dollars to food pantries, donating bags that letter carriers distribute to customers, gathering volunteers, or getting out the message about the food drive.

Branches were asked to report their food drive totals to Headquarters by June 6. The total pounds of food collected, and top branch collections, will be announced in the July issue of The Postal Record.

Congressman Connolly was a true champion for letter carriers and all federal employees. He was a strong leader who always fought to protect letter carriers and the Postal Service. We appreciate his years of unwavering fight, and we send our sincerest condolences to his family.

Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, the House is finalizing the budget reconciliation package. Today, the House Budget Committee voted to reject the full package, but cuts to letter carrier retirement benefits are still on the table.

TAKE ACTION

Click here to ask your representative co-sponsor H.Res. 70 and oppose cuts to postal retirement benefits.  

More information on H.Res.70 is available here.

More information on the proposed cuts to letter carrier retirement benefits is available here.

The Postal Service has informed us that approximately 3 percent of Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) Program enrollees did not have premiums withheld for one or more pay periods. If you find the indebtedness is legitimate, follow the instructions in the letter to either pay the amount in full or pay through salary offset.

"Our members are public servants who provide an essential service for every single American household and business," Renfroe said. "Our members go into public service because it's a good, stable job with reliable benefits.

"Cutting retirement benefits and increasing what we have to pay for them is unconscionable, and let's call it what it is—a pay cut."

Renfroe pointed out that taxpayers do not fund letter carrier retirement benefits or USPS.

"The agency is off-budget. Lawmakers are trying to use hard-working letter carriers and postal employees to offset federal spending, even though taxpayers' dollars have nothing to do with us.

"These proposals are pay and benefit cuts for postal employees that won't make a dent in the deficit. It's an attack. Plain and simple," he said.

Representatives from other unions representing federal and postal employees also attended.

Today's round table followed the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability advancing a measure as part of the budget reconciliation process that attacks postal employee retirement benefits on April 30.

These provisions include:

• Increasing the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) contribution rate for existing employees up to 4.4 percent
• Cutting retirement benefits by eliminating the FERS special annuity supplement
• Reducing annuity payments by calculating a retiree's annuity based on their high-five salary average (instead of three)

The budget reconciliation process allows Republican leaders in Congress to pass these provisions with a simple majority and bypass Democratic opposition. The House is expected to vote on the full reconciliation package by the end of the month. Click here for more information.

TAKE ACTION

Click here to ask your representative to oppose cuts to postal retirement benefits.

As the union representing 295,000 active and retired letter carriers, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) strongly condemns the reported selection of David P. Steiner to lead the Postal Service. Steiner comes directly from service on FedEx’s board of directors, presenting a clear conflict of interest. Steiner didn’t just stroll in from the private sector—he comes straight from one of the Postal Service’s top competitors.

His selection isn’t just a conflict of interest—it’s an aggressive step toward handing America’s mail system over to corporate interests. Private shippers have been waiting to get USPS out of parcel delivery for years. Steiner’s selection is an open invitation to do just that.

During his tenure as Waste Management, Inc.’s CEO, Steiner took a stand against unions. He built his brand on union-busting, slashing jobs, and replacing workers with machines. He has publicly bragged about shrinking the union footprint. Now, he’s being handed the keys to one of the nation’s largest unionized employers. At a time when collaboration with workers helped USPS turn a $144 million profit in the last quarter of 2024, this decision flies in the face of everything that’s working. 

This isn’t just bad policy—it’s a direct assault on the workers who keep the mail moving and the public connected. The damage will hit rural communities hardest, where the Postal Service isn’t just a convenience—it’s a lifeline. And make no mistake: if this appointment stands, it threatens 7.9 million jobs tied to the postal industry and service to over 300 million Americans.

The nation’s letter carriers are outraged that the Postal Service Board of Governors has chosen an anti-union postmaster general with a major conflict of interest. The board has the responsibility to do what is best for USPS. This decision is not only a failure in that responsibility but shows open contempt for the work of America’s letter carriers and the public good.

Today, NALC President Brian L. Renfroe testified at a hearing before the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections. The hearing focused on reform and oversight of the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) program.

Other witnesses included Scott Szymendera, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress; Luiz Santos, Acting Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor; and Tammy Hull, Inspector General, U.S. Postal Service.

In her opening remarks, Ranking Member Ilhan Omar (D-MN) referenced a Minnesota letter carrier who was struck by a speeding vehicle while on the job, was ultimately unable to return to work, and has been dependent on FECA for support. She also mentioned how letter carriers go above and beyond for their communities, highlighting NALC's Hero of the Year, Tesfaye Deyasso, a letter carrier from her district who saved a man from a burning vehicle.

President Renfroe used his opening remarks to highlight letter carriers' essential work and outline the critical health and safety issues facing letter carriers every day.

"Five years ago, during a global pandemic when most businesses shut down as the rest of the nation sheltered in place, letter carriers didn't take one day off," he said. "We were lifelines for the American people, delivering paychecks, bills, ballots, test kits, and other essential packages while providing a sense of normalcy during a time of worldwide uncertainty."

Next, he emphasized how vital FECA is for letter carriers. "Postal employees account for nearly half of the claims made to the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) each year, and letter carriers file most of these claims. FECA benefits provide critical financial support, allowing them the time to heal and rehabilitate so they can rejoin the workforce or compensate them for their lost wages if they are permanently unable to do so," he said.

Renfroe then pivoted to the pressing issues facing letter carriers, which, if appropriately addressed, could reduce workers' compensation claims – the hazards from heat and crime.

He closed by stating, "When a letter is injured, we must ensure they receive the care and the help they need. Reducing benefits or making it harder for injured workers to access care are contrary to the goals we all share – prompt provisions of benefits to injured employees and more timely return to the workplace."

Overall, questions to the witnesses focused on the administration of FECA and how to cut back on fraud and abuse.

Ranking Member Omar asked Renfroe what common challenges letter carriers face in the FECA process. He explained that provider access was one of the most significant issues and referenced the union's support for the Improving Access to Workers' Compensation for Injured Federal Workers Act (H.R. 3170). This bipartisan bill would allow nurse practitioners and physician assistants to treat federal workers' compensation claims instead of just doctors.

Omar also questioned him about the importance of timely OWCP hearings. He said timeliness was "very important" and in the best interest of the workers, the Department of Labor and OWCP.

Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) started his questioning by thanking letter carriers for their service before detailing the importance of H.R 3170, the bill he co-leads.

Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA) asked Renfroe if management had resistance to letter carriers taking a break when the temperature was extremely high. Renfroe explained that while USPS has a heat illness prevention program in place, it does not include all provisions recommended by experts. He added that OSHA's heat safety standard rule is the comprehensive solution to addressing heat safety for letter carriers and every worker who is exposed to extreme heat.

Rep Joe Courtney (D-CT), the co-lead of H.R. 3170, referenced the legislation. He also asked Renfroe if the union supported cracking down on "waste, fraud and abuse" in FECA. "One hundred percent," Renfroe said. He emphasized that NALC has worked for years with OWCP and past administrations to make the process as efficient as possible.

In her closing remarks, Omar said, "FECA is not just a program; it's a promise." She then voiced her support for the heat safety standard, saying it is "morally right and fiscally savvy."

President Renfroe's full testimony is available here.

NALC has created an LMOU Negotiations Guide and accompanying reference documents to assist local branch presidents in this very important process. The guide contains helpful tips to prepare for negotiations, writing proposals and the impasse rules. The electronic version of the guide and sample documents are available now in the Members Only portal of the NALC website under the Presidents Docs tab. Printed copies of the guide will be mailed to each of the regional national business agents’ offices beginning Tuesday, May 6.

Preparation is key for successful LMOU negotiations. Be sure to review the guide so you can be ready!

These proposals include:

• Increasing the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) contribution rate for existing employees up to 4.4 percent
• Cutting retirement benefits by eliminating the FERS special annuity supplement
• Reducing annuity payments by calculating a retiree's annuity based on their high-five salary average (instead of three)

Our benefits are not free. We earn them through hard work and contributions.

Click here to contact your representative and ask them to OPPOSE cuts to letter carriers retirement benefits.

The budget reconciliation process allows Republican leaders in Congress to pass these provisions with a simple majority and bypass Democratic opposition, making it easier for them to cut services, many directly targeting active and retired letter carriers and federal employees.

The Republican-supported House budget resolution that passed earlier this year tasked the COR committee with cutting $50 billion. This measure aims to meet this threshold by cutting federal employee benefits at a cost to the employees.

At the markup, Chairman James Comer (R-KY) said these cuts would save federal funds while Acting Ranking Member Stephen Lynch (D-MA) referred to it as an attack on the federal government and its workers.

Many Democratic members praised federal employees for their dedicated service and spoke against benefit cuts.

One Republican, Mike Turner (R-OH), opposed the measure. "I believe that making changes to pension retirement benefits in the middle of someone's employment is wrong. Employee benefits are not a gift. They are earned," he said.

Several amendments were introduced at the markup, but all were rejected. Notably, Rep. Emily Randall (D-WA) introduced an amendment to add the text of the Federal Retirement Fairness Act (H.R. 1522). H.R. 1522 would allow federal employees, including letter carriers, to make catch-up retirement contributions for time served as non-career employees, making it credible under FERS. Although the amendment failed, H.R. 1522 remains a top priority for NALC. 

"NALC completely opposes this measure," NALC President Brian L. Renfroe said. "We see this for what it is – a pay cut for letter carriers and all federal employees.

“Our retirement benefits aren't free handouts. We earn them through our years of service and contributions.

“Taxpayers don't fund the Postal Service or letter carriers' retirement benefits. Cutting our benefits will do nothing to improve the federal deficit. If Congress wants to balance the budget, changes to our independently funded retirement benefits will not do it and should be off limits.

“This is a disgusting attack on every letter carrier, postal employee and federal employee. We will continue fighting like hell against these attacks to preserve the retirement benefits that we've earned, and that we already pay our fair share for every pay period.”

The next step is for the measure to be considered by the full House. Republican House leadership has indicated it plans to vote on all reconciliation measures before the end of May.

Given the controversial and harmful elements of this package, it is unclear whether it will pass in the House even with the reconciliation process. While advancing through the committee was almost certain, with extremely tight margins in the House, passing in the full chamber will be more difficult.

The large capacity hampers, in use since 2015, were introduced as a replacement and/or equivalent to the 1046p hamper. The resolution aligns itself with the Job Safety Analysis (JSA), Carriers Using Large Capacity Hampers, dated July 18, 2024. In addition, the parties addressed the ergonomic issues of bending and lifting mail into and out of the hampers by agreeing that spring-loaded hamper elevation platforms/inserts may be used to raise the level of trays/tubs of mail to reduce the lift height in loading and unloading mail. In the absence of the spring-loaded platforms, the parties agree that placing inverted plastic trays at the bottom of the hamper as an insert is one way, among others, to address any bending and lifting concerns at the local level if the need arises.  

This agreement can be found in NALC’s Materials Reference System on the NALC website.

Branch presidents may begin registering their MBA representatives for the training through the branch president’s Members Only portal. The registration directions are below.

The class will begin at 2 p.m. Eastern time and will be an hour and a half long.

NALC has developed the ability to create a registration and training gateway through the Members Only portal on the NALC website.

Registration

Once a meeting has been scheduled through the Members Only portal, branch presidents will need to register their members in order for them to attend. To access the registration option, branch presidents can go to the NALC website and log on to the Members Only portal.  Once logged on to the Members Only portal, click the “Meetings Registration” button, which will display a list of upcoming meetings. From there, presidents can register a member(s) by entering their last name in the “Search” box and selecting the correct member from the drop-down list. A member can also be removed from the “Registry” list by checking the box under the delete column next to the corresponding member. Branch presidents will not be able to register more than the maximum number of attendees per branch or exceed the maximum number of attendees for that session. The maximum number of registrants per branch and for the session, as well as the number of registrants registered to date, are displayed on the registration screen.

Training materials

Training materials and other pertinent information may be supplied for each session in the form of PDFs. These documents will be available to registrants on their Members Only page. The documents can be printed, copied and/or saved.

Accessing meeting information and/or joining the meeting

When a registered member wants to access training materials, view topics, or join a meeting, they can go to the NALC website and log on to the Members Only portal. Once logged into the portal, the member will press the “Meetings” button, which will display a list of those meetings the member is registered to attend. For each meeting, there will be three buttons: the “Documents” button will give the member access to the training materials; the “Topics” button will give the member access to a list of topics (if any); and the “Join” button.  The “Join” button will appear 10 minutes prior to the start time on the day of the meeting. If you log into the Members Only portal sooner than 10 minutes prior to the start of the meeting, you will need to exit to the home page and re-enter to access the “Join” button. Once you click "Join," you will be taken to a Webex window titled “Starting your meeting…”  Scroll down to select “Join from your browser.”  When joining, the member will be prompted to enter their name and email address in order to attend the meeting. Proceed by selecting the “Next” button followed by the “Join Meeting” button.