“This is a massive victory for letter carriers and our fellow public servants,” NALC President Brian L. Renfroe said. “For the first time in decades, affected CSRS retired letter carriers won’t have their Social Security benefits unfairly reduced. They, alongside thousands of other public service annuitants, will finally receive justice by receiving the full benefits that they earned.

“I want to congratulate and thank every NALC member who lobbied their members of Congress to get this bill through the House and Senate. Our union has worked for years to repeal the WEP and GPO. Thanks to the unwavering dedication and advocacy of our members, this repeal is finally being signed into law.”

The Social Security Fairness Act will repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO). These are parts of Social Security law that unfairly reduced, or sometimes eliminated, Social Security benefits of certain Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) federal annuitants, including letter carriers.

Beginning on Dec. 9, active letter carriers eligible to vote in the contract ratification process were mailed a ballot to vote on the proposed 2023-2026 National Agreement between NALC and USPS. Mailing of ballots to the 185,894 eligible active letter carriers was completed on Dec. 16.

While we have received many reports of ballots being received throughout the country, we have also been made aware of a few locations in which ballots have yet to be delivered by USPS. It is anticipated that ballots in these locations will be delivered by early next week, however we will continue to monitor the situation and provide future updates as necessary.

As previously stated, if you are eligible to vote on the proposed agreement and do not receive a ballot you can call NALC Headquarters at (202)393-0614 (9 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Eastern time) to request a replacement ballot. A replacement ballot will be mailed after your eligibility is verified.

The Senate will begin with procedural votes on Monday evening that require 60 votes, or two-thirds of the members present to proceed to a final vote. With 62 bipartisan supporters of the Senate companion bill, we need to ensure every cosponsor votes to advance and pass H.R. 82.

We encourage all letter carriers to contact their senators through the congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121 or visit nalc.org/action to ask their senators to vote ‘YES’ on ALL PROCEDURAL VOTES and H.R. 82. 

“NALC members have been fighting for years to finally repeal the WEP and GPO,” NALC President Brian L. Renfroe said. “We are closer than we’ve ever been, and I urge all letter carriers to call their senators so we can finish the job.” 

More on H.R. 82
H.R. 82 would repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO), which are parts of Social Security law that unfairly reduce or sometimes eliminate Social Security benefits of federal annuitants, including letter carriers. 

Last month, the House voted overwhelmingly to pass H.R. 82.

Click here for NALC’s fact sheet. 

Beginning on Dec. 9, active letter carriers eligible to vote in the contract ratification process were mailed a ballot to vote on the proposed 2023-2026 National Agreement between NALC and USPS. Mailing of ballots has now been completed.

Included in the mailing are a letter from NALC President Brian L. Renfroe; a booklet containing all the contractual language changes in the tentative National Agreement; a summary of the tentative National Agreement provisions; a ballot and secrecy envelope; a return envelope; and instructions for casting a vote. For a ballot to be counted, it must be received by Jan. 13, 2025.

Regular members, excluding retirees, OWCP departees, and non-letter carrier regular members, as of 90 days prior to Oct. 17, the date the tentative National Agreement was reached, are eligible to vote in the contract ratification election, per Article 16 of the NALC Constitution. If you are eligible to vote on the proposed agreement and have not received a ballot in your mailbox by Dec. 19, call NALC Headquarters starting Dec. 20 at 202-393-0614 (9 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Eastern time) to request a replacement ballot. A replacement ballot will be mailed after your eligibility is verified.

Further updates will be provided as necessary.

“Eighty thousand members of our union are retired. I often hear from these members and their families about how the WEP and GPO impact them,” NALC President Brian L. Renfroe said at the rally.

“We are here to deliver this message to every senator: Vote for simple fairness for the people who have served your constituents in your state. Vote to give those who have served our communities, saved lives, protected our citizens, and educated our children the benefits they have earned—just as we do for all the other constituents who you represent. Vote ‘yes’ and pass the Social Security Fairness Act,” he added.

Several other national labor leaders spoke at the event, including from the International Association of Fire Fighters, the AFL-CIO, the Communications Workers of America, and the American Postal Workers Union.

Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and other members of Congress also spoke at the event in support of the bill.

With only seven scheduled legislative days remaining for the Senate this year, time is running out to pass H.R. 82. NALC encourages all members to call 202-224-3121 or visit nalc.org/action to ask your senators to bring H.R. 82 to the floor for a vote.

More on H.R. 82
H.R. 82 would repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO), which are parts of Social Security law that unfairly reduce or sometimes eliminate Social Security benefits of federal annuitants, including letter carriers. 

Last month, the House voted overwhelmingly to pass H.R. 82.

Click here for NALC’s fact sheet. 

The complete tentative National Agreement, the booklet containing the changes, the summary of the changes, as well as the projected pay tables showing the new salaries and pay rates if the agreement is ratified are now available.

The projected pay tables include all wage increases negotiated in Article 9 of the tentative National Agreement, including cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs), general wage increases, and the continuation of regular step increases. The projected pay tables outline the elimination of Steps AA, A, and B at the beginning of the scale as well as adding an additional $1,000 to top Step P upon implementation of the National Agreement.

The projected pay tables show the total increase in salaries over the course of the contract for carriers at each step in both dollar and percentage terms. The pay tables can be seen here.

Follow these links for the complete tentative National Agreement, the booklet containing the changes, and the summary. 

As previously reported, it is expected that ballots will be mailed by Dec. 13. The deadline for ballots to be returned and counted is Jan. 13, 2025.

The publication described the honorees as “some of the best in the business and have been go-to advocates during a year defined by unprecedented political events, legislative logjams, federal spending cut crusades and big rulemaking swings by the outgoing Biden administration.”

“Our union is fortunate to have a professional with Kori’s talent, dedication, and work ethic representing letter carriers and continuing to grow our influence in the federal government,” NALC President Brian Renfroe said. “Even while taking on new and additional responsibilities as chief of staff over the last two years, she continues to be one of the strongest and most respected voices on Capitol Hill, with the administration, and across the federal government. We congratulate Kori on this well-deserved recognition.”

Please note:

• This extension applies only to PSHB.
• The deadline for the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB) and other federal benefits programs remains Monday, Dec. 9th at 11:59 pm (based on your local electronic enrollment system).

As a reminder, if you received an auto-enrollment letter and reviewed the PSHB information but do not need to make changes, no action is required during Open Season.

For additional information about PSHB, click here. 

On Oct. 17, NALC and USPS reached tentative agreement on the terms of the proposed 2023-2026 National Agreement. Shortly after being announced by President Renfroe, NALC Secretary-Treasurer Nicole Rhine provided a list of NALC regular members, excluding retirees, OWCP departees, and non-letter carrier regular members, as of ninety (90) days prior to the date the proposed agreement was reached. Per Article 16 of the NALC Constitution, the 185,894 active letter carriers on this list are eligible to vote in the contract ratification election. 

Beginning on Dec. 9, eligible active letter carriers will be mailed a ballot to vote on the proposed 2023-2026 National Agreement between NALC and USPS. Included in the mailing will be a letter from NALC President Renfroe; a booklet containing all the contractual language changes in the tentative National Agreement; a summary of the tentative National Agreement provisions; a ballot and secrecy envelope; a return envelope; and instructions for casting a vote on the contract. The mailing will begin with eligible members on the West Coast of the United States and finish with those on the East Coast. The Ballot Committee will monitor and observe the dispatch of the ballots, which is expected to be completed by Dec. 13.

The deadline for ballots to be returned will be Jan. 13, 2025. Members should return their ballot as soon as possible after reviewing the tentative agreement and election material. The Ballot Committee will observe the receipt and tabulation of the ballots and upon completion of counting will certify the results of the election. Such results will be timely furnished to the National President and the membership in accordance with the NALC Constitution.

MOSAIC of Hyattsville, MD is handling the printing and mailing of the election materials, and Survey and Ballot Systems of Eden Prairie, MN is conducting the ballot counting. The Ballot Committee will provide further updates once the mailing of the election material is completed.

Last month, the House voted overwhelmingly to pass H.R. 82. We must build on this momentum and urge the Senate to bring the bill to the floor before the end of the year.

Take Action

• Call (202) 224-3121 and ask your senators to bring H.R. 82 to the floor and support its passage
• Click here to visit NALC’s Legislative Action Center

More on the Social Security Fairness Act
H.R. 82 would repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO), which are parts of Social Security law that unfairly reduce or sometimes eliminate Social Security benefits of federal annuitants, including letter carriers. 

Click here for NALC’s fact sheet. 

This year, the December period begins Pay Period 26, Week 1 (Nov. 30, 2024) and ends Pay Period 01-25, Week 2 (Dec. 27, 2024).

As federal employees, letter carriers can support charities of their choice by donating through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), the world’s largest annual workplace giving program. Since its inception in 1961, the CFC has raised more than $8.7 billion for charities and people in need. 

Anyone can be a changemaker through CFC! This year’s campaign, “Show Some Love: Be the Face of Change,” began on Sept. 1, 2024, and ends on Jan. 14, 2025.

“Letter carriers are known for taking care of our communities,” NALC President Brian L. Renfroe said. “The CFC is a convenient way for letter carriers to support their favorite charities and help those in need.”

NALC is directly involved with two charities eligible for support through the CFC, the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) and United Way Worldwide. To learn more about these charities, click here. 

CFC makes it easy for all federal employees to donate online and gives federal retirees an easy option for donating through deductions from their annuities. To donate online, register an account at givecfc.org. 

Carriers can choose the charity or group of charities they want to support from a list of more than 2,000 eligible charities, and an amount they choose will be deducted from their paychecks each pay period and automatically sent to each charity.

For more information about the CFC, click here.