APWU Contract Negotiations: Navigating Challenges and Opportunities
Industry ExpressWednesday, May 14, 2025 12:30 pm ET
3min readThe American Postal Workers Union (APWU) finds itself at a critical juncture in its contract negotiations with the United States Postal Service (USPS). As two other major postal unions, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) and the National Rural Letter Carriers Association (NRLCA), have recently concluded their negotiations, the APWU is now seven months past the expiration of its own contract. The outcomes of these sister unions' negotiations are likely to have a significant impact on the APWU's bargaining strategy and expectations.
The NALC finished their nearly two-year negotiations with a mediation-arbitration award issued by arbitrator Dennis Nolan on March 21. This award sets a precedent that the APWU must consider in its own negotiations. The NRLCA, on the other hand, reached a tentative agreement with postal management on April 18, which is now in the ratification process. Their contract expired in May 2024, four months prior to the expiration of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the USPS and the APWU. The APWU has fully studied and discussed both of these results, recognizing that the outcome of negotiations with their sister postal unions certainly have an impact, positive or negative, on their negotiations with postal management.
The prolonged negotiation process with the NALC has presented several specific challenges for the APWU. One of the key challenges is the potential impact of the NALC's tentative agreement (TA) on the APWU's own negotiations. The APWU Negotiating Committee has conducted a deep analysis of the terms of the NALC's TA, recognizing that it could influence their own bargaining process. This analysis is crucial because the terms agreed upon by the NALC could set a precedent or benchmark that the APWU must consider in their negotiations with the Postal Service.
The APWU has decided to continue meeting weekly with the Postal Service, exchanging ideas, and pushing forward for a strong, new contract. This approach is aimed at achieving a good tentative agreement that the Rank-and-File Committee would approve and send out for the membership's vote. The APWU's goal remains to secure a contract that reflects the hard work of postal workers, ends between the divisive tiered pay , secures more career work, expands postal services, and protects the great gains that have been achieved over generations of struggle.
The impact of the NALC's TA on the APWU's negotiations is significant. If the NALC membership decides to ratify their January 2025 TA, it could influence the terms and conditions that the APWU seeks in their own negotiations. The APWU is prepared to move forward to interest arbitration if they do not achieve a TA that both sides agree to. This preparation includes choosing a national interest arbitrator to keep the process moving forward.
The APWU is now considering one of two paths: they will either have a new voluntary agreement, which will have been presented to the Rank & File Bargaining Advisory Committee, per the APWU Constitution, for its decision on whether to put it out to a vote of the entire membership. Or alternatively, they will have begun the process of interest arbitration to determine the provisions of a new contract.
“Negotiations are never easy and never will be. However, these negotiations were complicated by the almost two-year length of time it took our sister union, the NALC, to complete their negotiation process,” declared the APWU President. “Most importantly, the political shift in the administration and ongoing assaults against federal workers, their unions, and union contracts, made negotiations even more difficult, as well as vital, to secure a new ratified and signed agreement.”
APWU members often view the general wage increases (GWIs), which have been relatively modest over the last 20 years, as the sole compensation package of their Collective Bargaining Agreement. However, their negotiated compensation package is much more comprehensive and includes general wage increases, full cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs), regular step increases, night differential, Sunday premium, and overtime, including penalty pay. Just consider this one example of union-won results from the last nine years of three union contracts (2015, 2018, and 2021): If an APWU-represented employee was hired in August of 2015 as a Level 6 career employee, this employee is now earning $31,000 more every year based on union-secured modest GWIs, , and regular Step Increases! This amounts to an incredible 83% increase over those nine years!
The APWU's contract negotiations are a testament to the power of collective bargaining and the importance of union representation. As they navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by the outcomes of their sister unions' negotiations, the APWU remains steadfast in its commitment to securing a fair and equitable contract for its members. The union's approach to negotiations, which includes a deep analysis of the terms of the NALC's TA and a willingness to move forward to interest arbitration if necessary, demonstrates their determination to achieve a strong, new contract that reflects the hard work and contributions of postal workers.
The NALC finished their nearly two-year negotiations with a mediation-arbitration award issued by arbitrator Dennis Nolan on March 21. This award sets a precedent that the APWU must consider in its own negotiations. The NRLCA, on the other hand, reached a tentative agreement with postal management on April 18, which is now in the ratification process. Their contract expired in May 2024, four months prior to the expiration of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the USPS and the APWU. The APWU has fully studied and discussed both of these results, recognizing that the outcome of negotiations with their sister postal unions certainly have an impact, positive or negative, on their negotiations with postal management.
The prolonged negotiation process with the NALC has presented several specific challenges for the APWU. One of the key challenges is the potential impact of the NALC's tentative agreement (TA) on the APWU's own negotiations. The APWU Negotiating Committee has conducted a deep analysis of the terms of the NALC's TA, recognizing that it could influence their own bargaining process. This analysis is crucial because the terms agreed upon by the NALC could set a precedent or benchmark that the APWU must consider in their negotiations with the Postal Service.
The APWU has decided to continue meeting weekly with the Postal Service, exchanging ideas, and pushing forward for a strong, new contract. This approach is aimed at achieving a good tentative agreement that the Rank-and-File Committee would approve and send out for the membership's vote. The APWU's goal remains to secure a contract that reflects the hard work of postal workers, ends between the divisive tiered pay , secures more career work, expands postal services, and protects the great gains that have been achieved over generations of struggle.
The impact of the NALC's TA on the APWU's negotiations is significant. If the NALC membership decides to ratify their January 2025 TA, it could influence the terms and conditions that the APWU seeks in their own negotiations. The APWU is prepared to move forward to interest arbitration if they do not achieve a TA that both sides agree to. This preparation includes choosing a national interest arbitrator to keep the process moving forward.
The APWU is now considering one of two paths: they will either have a new voluntary agreement, which will have been presented to the Rank & File Bargaining Advisory Committee, per the APWU Constitution, for its decision on whether to put it out to a vote of the entire membership. Or alternatively, they will have begun the process of interest arbitration to determine the provisions of a new contract.
“Negotiations are never easy and never will be. However, these negotiations were complicated by the almost two-year length of time it took our sister union, the NALC, to complete their negotiation process,” declared the APWU President. “Most importantly, the political shift in the administration and ongoing assaults against federal workers, their unions, and union contracts, made negotiations even more difficult, as well as vital, to secure a new ratified and signed agreement.”
APWU members often view the general wage increases (GWIs), which have been relatively modest over the last 20 years, as the sole compensation package of their Collective Bargaining Agreement. However, their negotiated compensation package is much more comprehensive and includes general wage increases, full cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs), regular step increases, night differential, Sunday premium, and overtime, including penalty pay. Just consider this one example of union-won results from the last nine years of three union contracts (2015, 2018, and 2021): If an APWU-represented employee was hired in August of 2015 as a Level 6 career employee, this employee is now earning $31,000 more every year based on union-secured modest GWIs, , and regular Step Increases! This amounts to an incredible 83% increase over those nine years!
The APWU's contract negotiations are a testament to the power of collective bargaining and the importance of union representation. As they navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by the outcomes of their sister unions' negotiations, the APWU remains steadfast in its commitment to securing a fair and equitable contract for its members. The union's approach to negotiations, which includes a deep analysis of the terms of the NALC's TA and a willingness to move forward to interest arbitration if necessary, demonstrates their determination to achieve a strong, new contract that reflects the hard work and contributions of postal workers.
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