Not a member yet? Join the APWU online by following this link

Tentative Contract Agreement pending membership vote.

Contract Time Period

• Three-year contract: September 21, 2021 through September 20, 2024 

General Annual Wage Increases and Cost of Living Allowances (COLA)  

• 1.3% November 20, 2021 (Will be Retroactive) 
• 1.3% November 19, 2022 
• 1.3% November 18, 2023 
• Six (6) Cost of Living Allowances (COLA) for career employees (March and September of each year) with no change to the current formula based on the July 2021 CPI-W. (After the fourth month of the six-month measuring period, the COLA increase is at $0.39 per hour and will be based on the January 2022 CPI-W Index) 
• PSEs receive the general wage increases and an additional 1% increase each year in lieu of COLA (i.e. 2.3% each November)  

• $0.50/hour additional increase for PSEs effective the first pay period of the second full month after the Agreement is ratified 

Job Security 

• No Lay-off protections for career employees with six years of service remain in full-force and effect. 
• Any current career employee on the rolls as of September 20, 2021, with less than six years of service will be included in the no lay-off protections for the life of the National Agreement, providing an additional 72,000 career employees protection from lay-offs. 

• 50-mile limit on excessing of employees 
• The current moratorium on subcontracting of Postal Vehicle Service (PVS) work will continue in its present form during life of the Agreement

Holiday Pay 

• Juneteenth added to the holidays for career employees for a total of 11 paid holidays per year 

• PTF pay rate will be increased to reflect a total of 11 holidays each year, increase will be effective on January 1, 2022 

Health Insurance 

• No change to the Postal Service contribution to premiums for those participating in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.  
• 95% Postal Service contribution to premiums of the APWU Consumer Driven Health Plan (CDHP) 
• PSEs converted to career will receive credit for time they were enrolled in a FEHBP plan towards the 1-year qualifying period for the 95% Postal Service contribution to CDHP premiums 

Enhanced Level 8 & 11 Pay Scales 

• Grade 8 Pay Scale:  

• Bottom Steps FF-AA eliminated with Step A becoming the first Step. 
• New top Step P added  

• Employees currently in Grade 8 will move into new steps while retaining all credit toward next step 
  • Steps FF-BB moved to Step A
  • Step AA moved to Step B
  • Steps B-O moved up one Step 

• Grade 11 Pay Scale increased by an average of 2.3% prior to any general increases or COLAs 

Part-Time Flexible (PTF) Work Rules 

• Schedule guarantee of 24-hour per pay period, increased from 2 hours a pay period 
• Guaranteed at least four hours of work or pay when scheduled 

• Forty (40) hours of annual leave will be advanced at the start of each leave year for immediate use 
• Guaranteed a minimum of one (1) non-scheduled day each service week except during the peak season exception period with notice Wednesday the week prior  
• Within 90-days of ratification a One-time Voluntary Transfer Opportunity to residual full time regular vacancies in larger offices within a district. 

Automatic Conversion of PSEs in Level 20 offices and above 

• PSEs will be converted to career status upon reaching 24-months of relative standing 
  • Clerk PSEs assigned to offices Grade 21 or higher will be converted to Full-Time Flexible with such assignments made in accordance with the Clerk Craft provisions of Art. 37.4
  • Clerk PSEs assigned to Grade 20 offices will be converted to Part-Time Flexible
  • MVS PSEs assigned in any size office will be converted to Part-Time Flexible
  • PSEs converted under this provision start at a new Step GG in Grades 5-7 and Step A in Grade 8. 
  • Automatic Conversion does not apply to PSEs assigned to Grade-4 RMPOs 
• Conversions will still occur prior to the 24-months 
  • The “Filling of Residual Vacancy MOU” and Article 37.5.D remains in full force and effect 
  •  MVS Craft Conversions will be made in accordance with Article 39.2.A.11 
  • Conversion occurring earlier to 24-months start at Step FF for Grades 5-7 and Step-A for Grade 8 

Other PSE Provisions 

• Forty (40) hours of advanced annual leave upon completion of an initial 360-day PSE appointment in Level 20 offices and above. 
• PSEs assigned to Level 4 RMPOs receive an additional one (1) hour of paid annual leave per pay period upon completion of two (2) 360-day appointments 
• PSEs assigned to Level 4 RMPOs upon completion of two 360-day appointments will receive 40 hours of advance leave. 

• PSEs will be offered one (1) non-scheduled day each service week except during peak season with notice the Wednesday the week prior.  

PSE Staffing 

• The 12 PSEs per District assigned to Level 4 RMPOs will no longer count against the 20% District cap  
• 10 PSEs in the 46 Package Support Annexes (PSAs) will not count against the District cap (for a total maximum of 460 PSEs) and will be allowed to work in any facility in the installation the PSA is attached to 

• A four (4) weeks “ramp-up” period prior to the start of accounting period 3, the 20% PSE District cap will be temporarily increased by 1% per week equating to no more than a 4% increase. 
• New protections for the OTDL during “ramp-up” whereby prior to utilizing a PSE more than 8 hours in a day or 40 hours in a service week, qualified and available employees on the appropriate OTDL will be utilized. No requirement to use an OTDL employee on the second non-scheduled at the penalty rate prior to using a PSE in excess of 40 hours.  

Uniform/Work Clothes Program Allowances 

• 2.5% increase to the uniform/work clothes allowances in 2022, 2023, and 2024 

• Delivery/Sales Service Distribution Associate (DSSDA) will receive Type 1 uniform allowance 
• New “Rollover” program where unused funds can carry over to a successor allowance year 

Additional Work Rule Improvements 

• Remote Encoding Center staffing ratio changed to 62% Full-time Regular and 38% PSE and all career duty assignments are Full-time Regular. 

• 90-day waiting period to use annual leave eliminated for new career employees with 90-days continuous service prior to their conversion.  
• Updated the Deaf and Hard of Hearing MOU  
• Work Environment Improvement Task Force 
• Work Place Free of Harassment 
• Enhanced and Expanded Services 

• Environmental/Sustainability issues, EAP, and Child and Elder care, included in the jurisdiction of the National Labor Management Committee 
• District Safety Committees made permanent 
• Right of Union Officials to Enter Postal Installations 
• Regional Safety and Health Representative Training Opportunities 
• Repromotion MOU  

• Article 8 Task Force to address excessive overtime, particularly in relation to non-list employees 
• Election Mail Task Force MOU 
• Full per diem for employees traveling to NCED  

Additional Clerk Craft Provisions 

• Window training starts within 10-days after posting of the senior bidder 
• Updated NTFT duty assignments language 
• Pilot program to test new pecking order for the assignment of PTF Hub Clerks  
• Filling of Residual Vacancy MOU updated 

Additional Motor Vehicle Service Craft Provisions 

• PTFs identified for conversion to FTR converted within 28-days 
• APWU will have opportunity to submit recommendations on new vehicles prior to specifications being sent to contractors and before manufacturing and completion of new vehicles 
• National committee established to address training initiative and opportunities  
• HCR limitation on Subcontracting MOU remains in full force and effect. 

Additional Maintenance Craft Provisions 

• No additional custodial staffing packages will change from MS-47 TL-3 to TL-5 for life of the contract 
• Change the calculation method of PS Form 4852 for Juneteenth Holiday 
• Annual cap on the number of times an employee can be involuntarily assigned to off-site training courses  

• Career employee may request to be tested for maintenance craft positions and if rated eligible may request placement on the appropriate in-service register.  
• Updates to the posting of relief assignments in the craft 
• Agreement to consolidate and upgrade multiple legacy jobs.  
• Employees traveling to NCED for training receive full per diem for length of stay 

Additional Support Services Craft Provisions 

• In Material Distribution Centers Maintenance Mechanic General Grade 7 eliminated and Building Equipment Mechanic Grade 9 added. 
• Penalty Overtime provisions applied to Operating Service employees