February 2025 Update
We have entered a period of unprecedented uncertainty. It began with an announcement from the Postmaster General that the USPS Board of Governors should start looking for his replacement. This was surprising as he had indicated in recent months that his intention was to remain as the head of the Postal Service. What followed was an article in the Washington Post that the current administration was poised to issue an Executive Order dissolving the leadership of the Postal Service and place it under the control of the Commerce Department. While to some degree the administration walked back that such an Executive Order was immediately forthcoming, continuing reports in the media indicate that it remains on the table. Many of these reports seem to suggest that the administration is exploring additional functions for the Postal Service unrelated to delivering the mail.
The Postmaster General posted a video to all employees on February 25, 2025, in which he discussed recent developments concerning the Postal Service. I’ve included a link to that video in case this information has not made its way to the Membership. Give it a watch as it is informative. Postmaster General Video - February 25, 2025.
Your legislative representatives including me, have already contacted out Congressional representatives and expressed our desire for the Postal Service to remain an independent mail agency. We need you to add your voices to our efforts. I’ve created a link on the home page for all Members to subscribe to political updates and receive action items which allow everyone to easily contact their Congressional representatives. Please take a moment to check this out. The threat is real and the time for action is now!
The 2022 National Agreement will be expiring on September 20th of this year. We are currently the only Postal Union with a contract that isn’t expired. There will still be two cost of living allowances. The first will be effective March 8th (PP-07-25), and the second will come “the second full pay period after the release of the July 2025 Index.” Formal negotiations for what will become known as the “2025 National Agreement” will begin in June.
In preparations for national negotiations, I was in Washington, DC the week of February 3rd serving as a member of the Field Negotiating Committee. More than 450 proposals submitted by Members, Representatives, and Local Unions from all over the country were reviewed and debated. Of course, at the forefront were proposals to increase both MHA and Mail Handlers wages. Among the economic proposals was a proposal from Local 323 which concerned the proportional COLA. This proposal represented a joint effort by NDC Branch President Aaron Kobes and St. Paul Branch President Edward Yun to which more than 200 Members of the NDC and St. Paul Branches added their signatures. I would like to thank every Member who supported our efforts at correcting the proportional COLA problem. I felt like I had 200 Local 323 Members sitting with me at the table. The Field Negotiating Committee will next meet at the Semi-Annual Meeting of the Local Unions this April to further refine our proposals for national negotiations. There is no substitute for being well prepared.
The implementation of the Postmaster General’s 10-year plan will be continuing, even though he decided to depart before the halfway point. We don’t know who the next leader of the Postal Service will be, but we do know that the Representatives of Local 323 remain committed to addressing all of the issues which arise as we go forward.
JL