CONTRACT UPDATE

In our last Contract Update, we discussed that bargaining between the NPMHU and the Postal Service has entered a new stage. After months of negotiations, we remained far apart from the Postal Service on key economic issues — areas that we had identified as priorities at the start of negotiations. Because of the gap that remained, the NPMHU declared impasse in negotiations.

Since that time, the NPMHU has been pursuing two separate routes to resolving the terms of the 2025 National Agreement. First, we have continued to engage the Postal Service in discussions about the issues that remain. Those discussions have focused on why it is in the Postal Service’s interest to reach an agreement that fairly compensates Mail Handlers for the important and critical work that we do.

While those discussions have continued, we have also been actively preparing for the possibility that the National Agreement will be determined by binding interest arbitration. That arbitration would be conducted under the supervision of a three-member panel, with a neutral arbitrator serving as chair of the panel. A central part of those preparations is our engagement of a team of labor economists to explain to the arbitration panel why our economic proposals should be adopted. Their research and analysis confirms what we have long known: there can be no fair contract without Mail Handlers receiving a compensation and benefit package that recognizes the value of our work. We will not accept anything less.

We recognize that this has been a lengthy process. We will continue to keep all Mail Handlers informed of developments as the negotiations continue. All members are urged to monitor the NPMHU website to stay up to date on the latest developments as they occur.

NEW MEMORANDA OF UNDERSTANDING

Annual Leave Carryover for Leave Year 2027 and Annual Leave Exchange Option for Leave Year 2027

The first MOU allows for additional Annual Leave Carryover for the 2027 Leave Year. In the 2022 National Agreement, the MOU on Annual Leave Carryover allows regular work force employees to carryover 440 hours of accumulated annual leave. The new MOU on Annual Leave Carryover for Leave Year 2027 expands that limit and allows regular work force employees to carryover 520 hours of accumulated leave from leave year 2026 to leave year 2027. The second MOU deals with the Annual Leave Exchange Option for the 2027 Leave Year. The Annual Leave Exchange Option MOU for Leave Year 2027 will allow career employees to sell back a maximum of 80 hours of annual leave prior to the beginning of the leave year provided the following criteria is met: 1) The employee must be at the maximum leave carryover ceiling (440 hours) at the start of the leave year and 2) the employee must have used fewer than 75 sick leave hours in the 2026 leave year. Normally the maximum amount of hours that may be sold back under the 2022 National Agreement MOU on Annual Leave Exchange Option is limited to 40 hours. If you have any questions, please contact the National Contract Administrative Department.

CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT REPRESENTATIVE POSITIONS

We are updating our files for possible upcoming vacancies in the Contract Administration Department. To ensure that there are qualified and available applicants, the NPMHU is asking any interested Union representatives or members to send in a “statement of interest” to the National Office. Applicants must be willing to relocate to either Washington, DC, or Denver, CO. Any statement of interest should include a listing of qualifications, a description of experience in contractual matters, positions held within the Union, any special projects, duties or accomplishments, training programs attended, education/degrees and other pertinent information deemed appropriate. This can be in the form of a simple letter or as formal as a resume. All submissions may be emailed to tharmon@npmhu.org or mailed to:

Teresa Harmon
NPMHU Contract Administration Department
815 16th St. NW, Suite 5100
Washington, DC 20006