On February 21, 2020, the Postal Service notified the NRLCA that the contractual retro payment would be delayed once again due to programming issues within the system. This delay would cause the retro payment to be processed and paid on May 15, 2020.
The National Agreement was ratified on August 6, 2019. This latest delay would cause rural carriers to wait some forty weeks before receiving the retro payment.
This delay is inexcusable, excessive, unreasonable, and unprecedented. Rural carriers have been harmed by being deprived of these required retro payments.
The Postal Service has unjustly enjoyed an interest windfall as rural carriers have waited patiently and had to forgo or delay financial decisions, losing out on the opportunity to accrue interest and realize other gains through their TSP contributions and other investments.
The Postal Service has not kept its contractual promise and we intend to enforce the National Agreement at Step 4 or in National Arbitration.
You may view/download the Step 4 Grievance letter here.