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.
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.
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. 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.
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.
