In the News | Mail theft in River Oaks starts investigation at local post office

  Mail theft in River Oaks starts investigation at local post office

"Post office management are still looking for suspects...HOUSTON (KIAH)–Residents in River Oaks may have noticed missing mail this month after USPS found several P.O. boxes empty and open. The incident happened at the post office at 1900 W Gray Street, Houston, TX 77019. ..."

Reference: cw39.com




 

Negotiations with the NPMHU will continue | USPS, union extend contract talks

  Negotiations with the NPMHU will continue | USPS, union extend contract talks

"...USPS and the National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU) have agreed to extend contract negotiations...contract with the NPMHU expired at midnight on Sept. 20 ..."

Reference: USPS News Link




 

2025 Contract Update #9

  2025 Contract Update #9

2025 No. 9 – September 21, 2025 You are reading the ninth Contract Update produced and distributed by the NPMHU during the course of 2025 negotiations. These updates, along with the Union’s magazine and monthly bulletins, will keep mail handlers throughout the country informed and involved in the issues raised during this round of bargaining.

The final days and hours of bargaining over the terms of the NPMHU-USPS 2025 National Agreement have come to a close, with the parties unable to reach a tentative agreement over all of the terms and conditions that need to be covered by the National Agreement as of contract expiration at midnight on September 20, 2025.

Discussions are continuing and the parties have agreed to extend their negotiations past last night’s deadline to give their bargaining representatives additional time to reach a comprehensive settlement agreement

Though many topics have been discussed, there are still several items left for both parties to discuss. Due to these unresolved issues, the parties have agreed to extend their negotiations based on their shared hope that an overall agreement can still be reached without the interference of a third-party arbitrator.

More details about the past three months of bargaining, and the plans for future negotiations, will be shared in NPMHU publications and discussed with representatives of the Local Unions at a virtual meeting scheduled for Wednesday, September 24, 2025, with the NPMHU Negotiations Team.

As always, please watch your bulletin boards and the National website for the latest information.

Reference: NPMHU via NPMHU Local 317




 

2025 Contract Update #8

  2025 Contract Update #8

2025 No. 8 – September 19, 2025 (pdf) You are reading the eighth Contract Update produced and distributed by the NPMHU during the course of 2025 negotiations. These updates, along with the Union’s magazine and monthly bulletins, will keep mail handlers throughout the country informed and involved in the issues raised during this round of bargaining.

On September 19th, Vice President of Labor Relations Mike Elston and NPMHU President Paul Hogrogian signed multiple tentative agreements in a hopeful show of progress.

Despite this display, USPS representatives continue to resist bargaining in good faith – opposing proposals that would improve the efficiency and operations of the Postal Service.

The NPMHU Negotiations Team will not be deterred. They have drafted numerous revisions to their proposals in hopes of reaching a compromise. Regardless, USPS representatives maintain a noted resistance and lack of transparency. The reasons for their refusal to cooperate are often unstated and therefore unclear.

Beyond the main table, discussions on economic issues have been slow and difficult but will continue until we can get a negotiated deal that meets our priorities.

National President Hogrogian and the rest of the Negotiations Team will keep fighting tirelessly for proposals that will benefit the Union, the craft, and the general mailing public. They’re prepared to work around the clock so that, by the time the deadline expires at midnight on Saturday, they can confidently say they’ve done everything in their power to advocate for meaningful change. They hope that the Postal Service will change their attitude soon, as to not squander this opportunity to reach an agreement in everyone’s best interests.

Reference: NPMHU via NPMHU Local 317




 

NPMHU Bidding Procedures

  NPMHU Bidding Procedures

Dear Brother and Sisters: Please attached PDF of the above-reference NPMHU Bidding Procedures.

Attached is a letter from the Postal Service, confirming that effective September 21, 2025. employees represented by the NPMHU will be allowed to bid under the new contract, whether the parties reach a tentative settlement, extend bargaining, or enter impasse procedures.

Successful bids on or after September 21, 2025, will be counted towards the bid maximums established in the 2025 National Agreement.

Please disseminate this information as you deem appropriate. Should you have any questions contact the Contract Administration Department.

Reference: NPMHU via NPMHU Local 317




 

NPMHU 2025 Contract Update #7

  2025 Contract Update #7

You are reading the seventh Contract Update produced and distributed by the NPMHU during the course of 2025 negotiations. These updates, along with the Union’s magazine and monthly bulletins, will keep mail handlers throughout the country informed and involved in the issues raised during this round of bargaining.

For half a week, the NPMHU Negotiations Team has been sequestered at a Washington, DC hotel with USPS representatives working to reach a tentative agreement on a new contract for the Mail Handler bargaining unit. The three months of contract negotiations have come down to these final days of bargaining. After a long and difficult process, the NPMHU Negotiations Team remains determined to fight hard for its proposals.

The good news is that, while in prior rounds, the Postal Service was unwilling to begin agreeing to our proposals until closer to the deadline, we have already secured a number of tentative agreements. It is understood that tentative agreements reached by the parties on individual items are subject to the parties’ final and total agreement on the entire collective bargaining agreement. Those proposals are only the start though, and the NPMHU Negotiations Team will keep vigorously advocating for our remaining proposals. Where necessary, the team continues to make strategic revisions to address operational concerns that management raises without compromising the best interests of the bargaining unit.

Outside of Main Table negotiations, small groups and subcommittees, led by President Hogrogian and Vice President of Labor Relations Mike Elston, continue to meet to discuss the finer details of each proposal. These meetings are key to the bargaining process. During these sessions, both parties settle their differences and draw closer to a tentative agreement on a particular issue. As evidenced by the tentative agreements already reached, these small group discussions have been productive.

Regarding economic issues, National President Paul Hogrogian and National Secretary-Treasurer Kevin Tabarus have begun meeting with Deputy Postmaster General Doug Tulino. While those negotiations have not yet resulted in any concrete agreements, President Hogrogian maintains that these talks have been productive and have led to an exchange of ideas.

As the deadline for the contract grows closer and closer, it is imperative that both parties remain open to an earnest and thorough negotiations process. NPMHU representatives expect their Postal Service counterparts to approach the bargaining table committed to reaching an agreement with an understanding of the priority issues that the team has stressed since the start of negotiations.

Though the final days of bargaining are never easy, the NPMHU Negotiations Team remains resolute and determined to fight hard for all its proposed changes to the National Agreement.

Reference: NPMHU via NPMHU Local 317




 

In The News | USPS destroyed thousands of mail items at California post office

  USPS destroyed thousands of mail items at California post office

"The USPS said in August that testing at the Torrance Post Office found no asbestos-containing materials in the air duct systems or any human-occupied areas ...However, tests did reveal that all remaining property inside the facility had been contaminated with asbestos, including all mail and packages. ...A USPS spokesperson told Newsweek: "This is an emergency suspension of this office, not a permanent closure."

Reference: www.newsweek.com




 

USPS News Link | Former employee goes to prison for counterfeit check fraud scheme | The USPS Office of Inspector General is highlighting the ‘cautionary tale’

  Former employee goes to prison for counterfeit check fraud scheme | The USPS Office of Inspector General is highlighting the ‘cautionary tale’

"...A former Postal Service employee and her accomplice will spend several years in federal prison for a multimillion-dollar check fraud scheme.

Kalaijha Tomeco Ranier Lewis, the former employee, and her accomplice, Brian Christopher Williams III, defrauded several banks and credit unions between 2021 and 2023, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama.

The USPS Office of Inspector General recently highlighted the case as a “cautionary tale” on its website. ..."

Reference: USPS News Link




 

NPMHU Contract Update #6 (2025)

  NPMHU Contract Update #6

2025 Update No. 6 – September 05, 2025 (pdf) You are reading the sixth Contract Update produced and distributed by the NPMHU during the course of 2025 negotiations. These updates, along with the Union’s magazine and monthly bulletins, will keep mail handlers throughout the country informed and involved in the issues raised during this round of bargaining.

This coming Monday, September 8th is, as in accordance with mutually agreed upon ground rules, the deadline for the NPMHU Negotiations Team and USPS representatives to introduce any additional non-economic proposed changes to the collective bargaining agreement. After September 8th , while the parties can discuss the already-introduced proposals (and make counters to those proposals), no new non-economic proposals can be introduced. This deadline allows the parties to focus on negotiating the details of what will become the new National Agreement.

During the Main Table Sessions this week, USPS introduced aggressive proposals to maximize their flexibility and ability to subcontract out mail handler bargaining unit work. The NPMHU Negotiations Team will not accept any such proposal and will continue fighting hard for more contractual protection against subcontracting.

The NPMHU Negotiations Team has submitted a number of new proposals and revisions since the last contract update, including proposals to enhance communication from management on important issues (such as advance notice at the local level when equipment is added or removed from a facility), further limits on the use of 204Bs, and improvements in the working conditions and benefits for MHAs. The NPMHU Negotiations Team stressed how the adoption of each of these proposals is not only important to the union but is in the Postal Service’s interest as well. Given the continued problems recruiting and retaining MHAs, adopting proposals to improve working conditions should be at the top of the Postal Service’s priority list.

What’s Happening Next?

On Saturday, Sept 13th, negotiations will move to a local Washington, DC hotel, so that the parties can be singularly focused on the bargaining process with the hope of reaching tentative agreements on the remaining outstanding issues.

Beyond the negotiations at the Main Table, the subcommittees continue their vital work in making sure that all the intricate details of each proposal are well understood and any issues or concerns can be addressed.

During their hotel stay, the NPMHU Negotiations Team will continue to advocate for the changes it has already put forward and for their economic proposals. While some of these proposals seek to adopt language already negotiated by other postal unions – what we refer to as “no brainers” – other proposals target specific problems facing our craft. Regardless of the source of our proposals, each is critical to improving the working conditions for Mail Handlers across the country.

As the contract deadline approaches, the NPMHU Negotiations Team remains more prepared than ever to achieve the goals we set out at the start of this process and to reaching a final tentative agreement on the terms of a new National Agreement. That result depends on the USPS representatives coming to the final sessions of bargaining with an open mind and a genuine will to address the problems that Mail Handlers face every day.

The NPMHU Negotiations Team will ensure that these issues remain the priority of the remainder of the negotiation process. In doing so, we are confident that we will secure a new agreement that advance the interests of the NPMHU, the Postal Service, and the American mailing public.

Reference: NPMHU via NPMHU Local 317




 

USPS News Link | She wants to be seen and known | This plant manager says ‘visibility is key’ on the night shift

  USPS News Link | She wants to be seen and known | This plant manager says ‘visibility is key’ on the night shift

"My name is Jacqueline Thomas and I’m the plant manager at the Dominick V. Daniels Processing and Distribution Center in Kearny, NJ.

Most plant managers work during the day, but I love the night shift. ...I also met my husband, Richard, through the Postal Service. He worked here for 39 years and was a mail handlers’ union president. ..."

Reference: news.usps.com




 

2025 Contract Update #5

 

2025 No. 5 – August 28, 2025 (pdf)

You are reading the fifth Contract Update produced and distributed by the NPMHU during the course of 2025 negotiations. These updates, along with the Union’s magazine and monthly bulletins, will keep mail handlers throughout the country informed and involved in the issues raised during this round of bargaining.

With less than one month until the expiration of the 2022 contract between the NPMHU and USPS, bargaining between both of the parties continues in full force. As both sides prepare for their round-the-clock bargaining sessions in a few weeks, the USPS and NPMHU continue to submit and revise proposals.

The Postal Service Negotiations Team submitted their first official proposals during Main Table Bargaining this week, addressing issues in holiday scheduling and the grievance process. The NPMHU Negotiations team continue to revise their proposals to increase the odds of their acceptance while still ensuring maximum benefit to the bargaining unit.

Outside the Main Tables sessions, the parties continue to meet in subcommittees. These off-the-record sessions allow the parties to explore the proposals and to address any issues or concerns.

Most recently, the subcommittees focusing on 204B/Group Leaders, MHAs, Article 12, and Article 8 met to discuss the NPMHU proposals. The NPMHU Negotiations Team has been explaining why our proposals are important and necessary changes that should be adopted. At the heart of these discussions have been proposals to reduce involuntary overtime and overscheduling on holidays, as well as to curb the overuse of 204Bs.

In preparation for the more intense focus on economic issues, the Postal Service provided the NPMHU Negotiations Team with a presentation both on Postal operations, which included an in-depth discussion of the Delivering for America Plan, and a presentation on the current and anticipated future state of Postal finances.

During both meetings, members of the NPMHU Negotiating Team asked detailed questions to better understand the impact the operational plans and financial condition of the Postal Service will have on the Mail Handler craft.

As the proposal deadline of September 8 draws closer, and with additional main table sessions scheduled for next week, the NPMHU team expects to receive more proposals and counterproposals from USPS. On September 13, NPMHU and Postal negotiators will check into the Madison Hotel in Washington, D.C. to begin round-the-clock negotiations with the goal of reaching an agreement by September 20.

The NPMHU remains confident that this round of negotiations will yield a contract that is good for the NPMHU, the Mail Handler Craft, the USPS, and the American mailing public. Please continue to check your board for continuing updates on negotiations for the 2025 contract.

Reference: NPMHU vs. NPMHU Local 317