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Each year, letter carriers across the country head out on their routes on the second Saturday in May to collect donations of non-perishable food items to benefit local food pantries. Since launching in 1993, the National Association of Letter Carriers’ annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive has grown into the nation’s largest one-day food drive, helping to fill the shelves of food banks in cities and towns throughout the United States.

The need is great, but you can help. We invite you to join letter carriers and our partner organizations in the fight to end hunger in our communities by participating in the annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.

Simply leave your donation of non-perishable food in a bag near your mailbox on the second Saturday in May, and your

NALC branch and Rural Office participation is voluntary. To determine if a NALC Branch covers your area, please use the search tool here. To determine participation, please contact the local NALC Branch or contact your local Post Office.

NALC branches, rural offices and agencies can use the food drive toolkit below to prepare for the Stamp Out Hunger food drive. The toolkit includes options to order posters and merchandise, as well as a list of regional and state coordinators. More information

4/9/26 – Today, the Postal Service announced it will temporarily pause employer contributions to the defined benefit portion of the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) account through the end of the fiscal year. This pause has no immediate impact on any current or future retired letter carriers.

This move is necessitated by the Postal Service’s current financial situation and is a direct result of continued inaction by Congress to fix the legislative constraints that inhibit the Postal Service’s ability to invest in its infrastructure and modernize to meet the needs of its employees and the American people.

If Congress were to allow for a new investment strategy for USPS retiree health and pension funds, a fair recalculation of the agency’s Civil Service Retirement System pension obligations, and an increase in the agency’s borrowing authority, this pause in FERS contributions would not be necessary.

It is time for Congress to act on these commonsense policy changes to protect our jobs, retirements, and the essential and reliable service we provide to every American.

More information is available here.

Caucus co-chairs, which include Representatives Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Jack Bergman (MN-01), and Chris Pappas (NH-01), welcomed attendees and gave opening remarks, followed by the remarks of union leaders, including APWU President Jonathan Smith.

During his remarks, President Smith shared the APWU’s commitment to improving the Postal Service and praised postal workers for the valuable work we do to connect every American home, business, and civic institution across the country and beyond. He also stressed the serious challenges facing the Postal Service at this moment, including the threats of privatization. “Losing the public Postal Service wouldn’t just mean 600,000 postal workers losing their jobs,” said President Smith. “It would mean losing a bedrock of American life.”

Smith reiterated the promise our country made in the U.S. Constitution to move the mail, no matter who you are or where you live, to communicate, conduct business, and engage in civic matters. “So, the APWU rejects efforts to reshape the Postal Service into something other than what it was designed to be—a public, universal service available to all. A place where we see the best of government—a trusted face, a model employer, an anchor of community,” Smith exclaimed.

President Smith stated his appreciation to the members of Congress who are working to advance House Resolution 70 (H. Res. 70) – Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should take all appropriate measures to ensure that the USPS remains an independent establishment of the Federal Government and is not subject to privatization. “I’m heartened to see a majority of the House has signed onto this bipartisan resolution,” said Smith. “Let’s work together to get even more support for H. Res. 70.” To that end, President Smith highlighted common-sense solutions on the table to improve the financial stability of the Postal Service, including changing how the USPS invests in its retirement and health benefit funds and fixing the unfair, decades-old allocation of Civil Service liability. The Postal Service is currently limited to investing in low-yield treasuries for its retirement and health benefit funds and is unable to invest in stocks and bonds. President Smith stated that, “Together, these two fixes could save the USPS billions of dollars a year.”

Concluding his remarks, President Smith said, “I believe the American public doesn’t want just another package delivery company. I believe the American public values a trusted, secure, and familiar face at their door every day. I believe the American public wants an innovative and dynamic Postal Service that continues to evolve, as it always has, to the business, communications, and civic needs of the country. To build that, we will need more creative solutions and more serious investment. We will need the courage to make the case that our public services should be built to serve public needs, not just serve as a last resort. The APWU welcomes those hard conversations. We believe the public is with us. We believe the future of the public Postal Service is bright. And we believe that together, with leaders like you in Congress, and the representatives of postal employees here, we can forge that brighter future together.”

2/20/26 – NALC is heartbroken by the murder of Dequavious Graves, our brother from Branch 2225 in Decatur, GA. Brother Graves was fatally shot on his route last week. While the investigation is ongoing, and a person of interest has been arrested, one thing is certain: This senseless, horrific, violent tragedy should never have happened.

Graves had been a letter carrier for nearly four years and was only 31. The 295,000 members of NALC mourn his loss and send our deepest sympathies to his family, friends, co-workers, and all his loved ones.

His loss is a jarring reminder of the hazards letter carriers face every day on the job as we serve the American public.

NALC’s peer-to-peer Emergency Response Team was deployed to Brother Graves’s station and is working to assist his family and co-workers in the immediate aftermath of this unimaginable tragedy.

Once again, a violent criminal that harmed a letter carrier has received a light sentence. Under multiple presidential administrations, the Department of Justice has proven ill-equipped to bring justice for the victims and federal sentencing guidelines for these heinous crimes remain woefully inadequate.

Congress must act now by passing the bipartisan Protect Our Letter Carriers Act to fix this broken system.

Letter carriers serve America’s communities every day. The federal justice system must protect us and fulfill its core mission of bringing justice to those who violate federal law by attacking hardworking civil servants.

The 290,000 active and retired members of the National Association of Letter Carriers call on Congress to pass the Protect Our Letter Carriers Act.”

– Brian Renfroe, President, National Association of Letter Carriers

USPS News Link – 1-/20/25 – The Postal Inspection Service has released a documentary about the agency’s investigation into the tragic death of a USPS employee in 2019.

The 28-minute film, “Ambush in Andrews,” tells the story of Irene Pressley, an Andrews, SC, rural carrier who was shot and killed while delivering mail.

The Inspection Service’s investigation showed that a drug dealer killed Pressley to recover a package that contained 2 pounds of marijuana and that had been marked undeliverable.

“Protecting postal employees is our highest priority,” said Dan Mihalko, a retired postal inspector and the documentary’s director.

The documentary shows how postal inspectors used multiple tools and resources to get justice for Pressley, a beloved figure at the Andrews Post Office who was known as “Miss Irene.” Interviews with her co-workers are also included.

“An assault on a postal employee brings the whole postal family together — everyone in the Inspection Service and the Postal Service — in wanting to get those responsible. When it involves the murder of an employee, the Inspection Service puts everything we have into the investigation, and we don’t stop until we have the criminals in custody. And then, postal inspectors work tirelessly with prosecutors to get a conviction,” Mihalko said.

Mihalko and Jonathan Young, a video production specialist for the Inspection Service, worked together for two years on the film, which is the agency’s first in-house documentary.

“Ambush in Andrews” is available on YouTube and the Inspection Service’s website.

Email us your feedback. Your comments could be included in our “Mail” column.

7/23/25 – Today, NALC President Brian L. Renfroe testified before the House Subcommittee on Government Operations at a hearing on mail theft and crime.

In his opening remarks, President Renfroe set the tone with a clear message. “To protect America’s mail, we must start with protecting the people who deliver it,” he said.

While once rare, Renfroe explained that these crimes and assaults have been on the rise in recent years. He urged Congress to pass the bipartisan Protect Our Letter Carriers Act (H.R. 1065/S. 463), referencing the five letter carriers who have been tragically murdered on the job in the last few years, the thousands of other letter carriers who have been victims of crime, and the alarmingly low conviction rates for these cases.

Regarding the Postal Service’s Project Safe Delivery plan, Renfroe said NALC supported the initiative and the work of the Postal Inspection Service, but that “the scope of the problem has severely outgrown their capacity to protect us.”

“We can’t wait for another letter carrier to be murdered or more violent federal crimes against civil servants who serve the American people every day to decide it’s finally time for legislative action. The time is now,” he said.

Renfroe reminded the subcommittee that this is “not a partisan or political issue” or “a finger pointing exercise or blame game.”

“It is a problem that everyone should recognize and be 100 percent behind addressing. No one wants violent crime in their neighborhood,” he added.

Renfroe emphasized that protecting letter carriers must be a top priority. “Letter carriers want nothing more than to serve our people, but we must be protected. And the people that commit these crimes must be arrested, prosecuted, convicted, and sentenced.”

The subcommittee also included witnesses Brendan Donahue, Inspector in Charge at the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Julius Rothstein, Deputy Inspector General at the U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General; Frank Albergo, President of the Postal Police Officers Association; and Anthony Holloway, Chief of Police at the St. Petersburg, Florida Police Department.

Overall, questions focused on types of mail theft, what is driving an increase in these crimes, the role of postal police officers, Project Safe Delivery, and what more can be done to protect mail and postal employees.

In his opening remarks, Chairman Pete Sessions (R-TX) recognized that criminals have increasingly targeted letter carriers, referencing an 845 percent increase in letter carrier robberies from 2019 to 2023.

In his questioning, Ranking Member Kweisi Mfume (D-MD) emphasized that mail theft is about more than data. “It’s also about human beings who are on the other side of the equation. We refer to them as letter carriers. They work day in and day out to make sure that the service that we’ve come to take for granted is still there,” he said.

Ranking Member Mfume then asked Renfroe how the current postal lock and key system works. Renfroe explained the issues with the current method, referenced the Postal Service’s modernization efforts, and explained that passing the bipartisan Protect Our Letter Carriers Act is the most efficient way to modernize all postal locks and keys.

President Renfroe’s full testimony is available here.

FROM PEN:

Honestly, what can USPS, our government, Inspection Service, or police do to stop this attack on letter carriers? We think nothing…other than locking them up faster and with more severe sentencing. Your comments please.

95% of the members who voted, voted “Yes!” in favor of ratification. The vote tally was 34,867 votes for ratification and 1,863 against.

“Congratulations APWU family! I am pleased that our membership recognized the protections that this National Agreement provides to nearly 200,000 postal workers from all divisions,” stated APWU President and lead negotiator Mark Dimondstein. “With absolutely no givebacks, the contract protects the great gains achieved over many years of struggle with the no-layoff protections, full COLA as a true buffer against inflation, regular step increases, the 50-mile limit on excessing, and the two-year automatic conversion from non-career to career. There are general wage increases for the next three years, significant advances in bridging the divisive two-tier wage structure, the first increase in night differential in 30 years, and many positive work-rule changes.

“Every member should be very proud of this huge accomplishment,” he continued. “Our power at the bargaining table was driven by the strength of your solidarity and unity, the foundation of our union.”

Local and state organizations send many resolutions to APWU national conventions that help guide the national negotiators. The kickoff day of action, union gear days, and our “Union Proud, Say it Loud!” contract campaign built the message of unity and solidarity of workroom floor activism, helping secure a solid contract.

The Tentative Agreement was agreed upon and finalized by the negotiating parties on June 2, with the unanimous approval of the National Negotiations Committee and full support of the National Executive Board. It was then unanimously approved by the Rank and File Bargaining Advisory Committee and sent to the members for a ratification vote.

The ratification vote was administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA). A subcommittee of the Rank and File Bargaining Advisory Committee was on site monitoring the entire vote count, which took place on July 10.

“I want to thank all those members who took the time to vote on this Collective Bargaining Agreement. This is an agreement that I am proud to have helped negotiate. The National Negotiations Committee, other officers, and the support staff all worked extremely hard to bring this contract to fruition,” said Industrial Relations Director and Chief Spokesperson Charlie Cash. “But there is more work to be done to get it implemented,” he continued.

Now that the APWU has ratified the new National Agreement, one of the first items to address in its implementation are the retroactive pay increases due to employees. These include the first general wage increase (GWI) of 1.3% for career employees, effective Nov.16, 2024 and the $395 per year cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) due to career employees, effective March 8, 2025.  PSEs, who do not receive COLAs, will receive an extra 1% towards their GWI, for a total of 2.3%, effective Nov. 16, 2024.

APWU-represented bargaining unit employees in the Information Technology/Accounting Services (IT/AS) sector will soon begin programming the payroll system that is required to make these pay changes. Once programming has been completed, retroactive payments will be made to the affected employees, with the dates of these payments to be announced. Please check apwu.org for updated information on your retroactive payments.

Additionally, the APWU and the USPS are in the process of finalizing a print version of the CBA and updating the Joint Contract Interpretation Manual (JCIM). Once available, those publications will be posted on apwu.org. In the meantime, the summary terms of the Tentative Agreement can be found visiting apwu.org/tasummary.

“This contract, with no givebacks or concessions, provides a strong foundation for us to build on in the years to come,” concluded APWU President Mark Dimondstein.  “At a time when government workers are facing layoffs and attacks on their union rights, this contract will protect postal workers through the turbulent years ahead.”

USPS announces implementation dates for CCA wage increases and pay table changes in accordance with Arbitrator Nolan’s March 21, 2025, interest arbitration award

CCA pay increases

NALC – 6/17/25 – Effective June 14, 2025 (PP 14-2025), all city carrier assistants (CCAs) pay rate will be increased to reflect an additional $0.50 per hour. This increase is in addition to their cumulative general wage increases.

Pay table modifications

Also, effective June 14 (PP 14-2025), all city carriers currently in Step P in Tables 1 and 2 will receive a one-time pay increase to an amount that is equal to a flat dollar amount of $1,000. Carrier technicians will receive $1,021. These increases are in addition to the general wage increases and COLAs.

The Postal Service expects the eliminations of Table 2 Steps AA and A to be effective July 12, 2025 (PP 16-2025). In conjunction with the elimination of Steps AA and A, all city carriers in those steps will be advanced to Step B and begin a new 46-week waiting period to be completed before advancing to the next step.

Retroactive (back pay) provisions

USPS indicates that back-pay calculations are ongoing and expects payment in August 2025. The retroactive pay will include the Nov. 18, 2023, and Nov. 16, 2024, general wage increases (plus the 1 percent additional increases for CCAs on those dates) and the first four COLAs for career carriers.

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.