We are now six months past the expiration of our agreement that expired on September 20th, 2024. I do want to remind everybody that while we’re struggling for a new contract, all our rights and benefits, our contractual gains remain in place, outside of when our next general wage increase will be and when our COLA will be.
But everything else is in place and that’s a very good thing for all of us.
Look, negotiations are always difficult. They’re always complicated. They always have been, and they always will be. We’ve had some unique complications, in this round of bargaining. One is we have internal changes at the post office with the changes in the PMG. We had a change in presidential administrations. While we’re in the middle of collective bargaining, that certainly has an impact. We now have a change in the leadership of the postal service with PMG DeJoy resigning. We’ve had a situation where the NALC, our sister union, the National Association of Letter Carriers, took a very long time for whatever their reasons to reach a new agreement.
First, a tentative agreement that was rejected by the members. Now a mediation arbitration award that’s come out. All of that had an impact on the pace of our negotiations and had an impact that we’re still in the process. So, here’s where we are. We’re still meeting, in fact as we’re recording this podcast, when I’m done, we’re going to have meetings with the top management, officials that are responsible for negotiations on their side.
But here’s the deal. Negotiations have gotten more difficult in a period where the federal unions and the postal unions are under severe assault and threat from this administration. But having said that, and understanding that we need and really need to secure a good contract that protects all the great gains of generations of struggle, and we need to get that contract signed. We’re still in the process. We’re going to keep you posted. Obviously, the NALC contract will have an impact on the parameters of what we’re able to negotiate, but we’re going to do the very best we can and we’re going to have to bring it to a head soon.
It’s either going to be a voluntary agreement where you will all as members have a final vote on whether it’s acceptable to you, given the times and given the challenges, or whether we go to what’s called an interest arbitration process, where our wages, rights, and benefits going forward will be determined by one arbitrator. Obviously, it’s better if we can control our own destiny and you’ll be the final decision makers on whether that contract meets our needs the best we can, going forward.
So that’s where we’re at. We’re going to continue to keep you posted. We’re going to continue to push forward, and we should have some news one way or the other, the fork in the road that we’re getting close to on whether we’re going to reach an agreement or whether we’re going to enter the arbitration process.
