On Friday, most of America’s letter carriers at the United States Postal Service will get a raise — nearly $5,000 at the top level — thanks to National Association of Letter Carriers’ negotiations that got the people who deliver our mail full back pay resulting from wage increases awarded over the past two years.
Every day, 200,000 city letter carriers deliver 376 million pieces of mail to nearly 169 million delivery points, supporting a $1.92 trillion mailing industry. This universal service is vital, particularly in rural areas where the Postal Service ensures the delivery of medications, packages and other essential items.
“These payments are transformative for our members, and this major victory is well deserved and rightfully earned,” said NALC President Brian Renfroe in a statement. “Throughout our history, NALC has consistently delivered frequent and meaningful wage increases for letter carriers. These retroactive payments are only the latest in the fight.”
Any letter carrier who was on the rolls and had paid hours during the back pay period will receive this back pay, even if they have switched jobs, retired or left the Postal Service.
NALC has won full back pay for hundreds of thousands of letter carriers, set to be deposited into their bank accounts Friday. The back pay, secured during interest arbitration, is a retroactive result of six pay increases successfully achieved by NALC in the collective bargaining process.
The back pay covers four cost-of-living adjustments and two general wage increases. Preserving COLAs has been a central and distinctive focus for NALC, as these adjustments serve as a key defender against inflation, an economic pressure that has taken a major toll on Americans nationwide.
COLAs have accounted for more than half of all wage increases earned by letter carriers since 1970. NALC has also secured comparatively strong COLA formulas. From 2012-25 NALC’s COLA clause raised top-step salaries by $14,299; that’s in contrast to $2,558 during the same period for UPS drivers.
Since 1970, NALC has secured 149 wage increases for members, including 88 COLAs, 59 general wage increases, two pay upgrades, and two top-step adjustments. With this milestone victory secured for letter carriers, NALC is now in preparation for negotiations for the 17th National Agreement with the Postal Service, set to begin in early 2026.
The National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 84 President Ted Lee was not available for comment on Thursday.
Joe Knupsky
Joe is a copy editor at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at jknupsky@gmail.com.