The National Postal Mail Handlers Union 2022 National Agreement is set to expire on September 20, 2025. Negotiations with the Postal Service will formally commence on June 25, 2025. Our National Agreement establishes wages, benefits and working conditions for Mail Handlers.

The Postal Service continues to claim, both publicly and privately, that it is in dire financial condition. While the Postal Service has experienced a significant decline in first-class mail volumes, there has been significant growth in package volume. The Delivering for America Plan continues to be implemented impacting Mail Handlers through the redesign of the mail processing network.

The challenges we face in National Bargaining are not insurmountable, but they are substantive. Currently the National Association of Letter Carriers, American Postal Workers Union and the National Rural Letter Carriers Association are in contract negotiations with the Postal Service. The NPMHU will work to achieve a negotiated National Agreement; that is our goal, but there are many hurdles to overcome.

Preparation for negotiations has been ongoing for months and includes the following:

• On September 9, 2024 National President Hogrogian issued the Official Call for Bargaining Proposals from all members and Local Unions. The deadline for submission of proposals was January 31, 2025. There were 458 bargaining proposals submitted.
• On November 6, 2024, a bargaining strategy session was held with the attendees to the Semi-Annual Meeting of Local Unions in Houston, TX.
• The NPMHU’s Field Negotiating Committee met at NPMHU Headquarters in Washington, DC from February 3 through 7, 2025 to discuss each of the 458-proposals submitted. From these proposals submitted, the NPMHU’s Field Negotiating Committee’s feedback will help formulate the Union’s initial bargaining proposals.
• The Field Negotiating Committee will meet again in April at the Semi-Annual Meeting of Local Unions.

On behalf of the Contract Administration Department, we express our deep appreciation to all members of the Field Negotiating Committee for their invaluable work on these proposals. Once bargaining kicks-off, the National Office will be posting periodic updates of the status of negotiations.