The Postal Service has provided a tentative date to the APWU for the pay increases due under the National Agreement. As outlined in the July/August issue of The American Postal Worker magazine, the period from the start of the National Agreement to when the pay rates are reflected in paychecks is called the “stopgap” period. The stopgap period is the time from the date the first pay increase was to be effective until it is reflected in the employee’s pay.
The tentative date for the stopgap programming of the pay and COLA increases due the APWU under the terms of the 2024-2027 National Agreement has been set. The pay increases will be reflected beginning in pay period 19-2025 (begins August 23, 2025) and will show in pay checks dated September 12, 2025. The $811 COLA will be effective pay period 20-2025 (begins September 6, 2025) and will show in pay checks dated September 26, 2025. These are tentative dates. If something changes, the Postal Service will notify the APWU and Industrial Relations will notify the field.
To be clear, this is not the retroactive pay. It is only when the new pay rates will start to be paid. If this date holds firm, that will mean that the retroactive payments to employees will encompass the period of November 16, 2024, through August 22, 2025. The Postal Service has not provided the date that the retroactive payments for the time period listed above will made. As soon as the date of the retroactive payments are scheduled to be made is provided to the APWU, that date will be shared with the field.
Updated pay charts through March 8, 2025, can be found here: apwu.org/pay-information. Pay Charts with the second COLA of $811 will be posted at the same location on August 29, 2025.
