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RURAL CARRIER NEWS

2025 Rural Carrier Year in Review

A look back at the rural carrier universe in 2025

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Rural Carrier EMA to Decrease 0.5 Cents Per Mile Effective January 10, 2026

On December 18, 2025, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the November 2025 Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). Based on the release, the Equipment Maintenance Allowance (EMA) for rural carriers will decrease 0.5¢ to 97.0¢ per mile. This EMA rate will be effective...

USPS bets it all on critical ‘last-mile’ plan as boss warns agency will be ‘out of cash’ by early 2027

THE United States Postal Service is leaning on its critical plan relating to its “last-mile” delivery services in order to help pull the federal agency out of financial troubles. The Post Office is hoping that expanding this delivery network for major retailers and shippers will boost revenue – a move...

Postal employees to get letter with overtime tax deduction information

The Postal Service will send a letter in mid-January with information about a new temporary federal tax deduction for certain portions of federal overtime payments made to eligible employees. The letter will include the employee’s qualified overtime amount for 2025. Employees are encouraged to ensure their mailing address is up to...

NEW VIDEO: NRLCA December Holiday Message

We want to say thank you to every rural carrier for the long hours, hard work, and dedication you show during the holidays. While this season brings joy to our communities, it also brings heavy workloads, challenging conditions, and added stress—and rural carriers rise to meet it every day. You...

U.S. Postal Service Announces Bid Solicitation for Access to Last-Mile Delivery Network

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service today announced that it will open up entry to its valuable last mile delivery network. Shippers large and small will be able to access the more than 18,000 USPS delivery destination units (DDUs) nationwide via a solicitation process that will begin accepting bids in late...

GAO – U.S. Postal Service: Action Needed to Fix Unsustainable Business Model

What GAO Found In 2021, the United States Postal Service (USPS) introduced a 10-year strategy designed to improve its poor financial condition while fulfilling its statutory mandates. USPS has taken many actions to try to increase revenue and reduce expenses since this strategy was introduced, such as increasing prices and...

USPS employees can accept a book as a gift

The Postal Service is reminding employees that they can accept gifts of books and other informational materials from outside sources — under certain conditions. Informational materials are writings, recordings, documents, records or other items that are educational or instructive. They are not primarily created for entertainment, display or decoration, and...

2025 National Convention Room Block Now Open

2025 National Convention HQ Hotel: Rosen Shingle Creek 9939 Universal Blvd. Orlando, FL 32819  www.rosenshinglecreek.com   Phone Reservations: 1-866-996-6338 or 407-996-6338; Use Group Code 69446 Group Rate: $149 Single-Quad, excluding taxes (No resort fee) Guestroom rates are good 3 days pre- and post-convention dates upon availability NOTE: Room Block open Thursday, May 1 and closes Monday, July 28, 2025   To...

Delivery driver shoots US postal worker in Everett, WA

EVERETT, Wash. - Police arrested a delivery driver accused of shooting a U.S. postal worker in Everett on Friday. Officers were called to reports of a shooting around 12:50 p.m. at the West Mall Place Apartments, located on W Mall Dr just north of Hwy 99. They found the victim, a USPS postal worker, suffering...

2024 – 2025 – New Guarantee Year provisions important to rural carriers

There are certain rural carrier provisions that happen around the new Guarantee year and the end of the year.   Pay close attention to anything highlighted, or you may end up being surprised. Guarantee Year The new Guarantee year starts on October 5th, 2024 Carriers are paid overtime for all hours actually worked...

Daylight saving time will end Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025

Daylight saving time will end Sunday, Nov. 2, at 2 a.m. In areas where the change is observed, people will “fall back” and set their clocks back one hour at bedtime Nov. 2. Standard time will be in effect until March 8, 2026, when daylight saving time will resume.

Audit: PSHB Program at Risk of Underfunding, Understaffing; No Plan B

The Postal Service Health Benefits program faces “critical resource issues” and the OPM has not ensured that the underlying system “will remain fully staffed, supported and funded” in light of OPM’s downsizing and reorganization, an inspector general audit has said. OPM further does not have “a contingency plan to ensure...

DeJoy announces plans to step down as USPS postmaster general

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is planning to step down from his role, and is calling on the Postal Service Board of Governors to start looking for his successor. DeJoy, in a letter dated Monday, told the USPS Board of Governors to begin searching for a new postmaster general. DeJoy took office...

Few People Know West Virginia Was Home To The First Rural Free Delivery Service In America

Here's a fun piece of historical trivia that you might not have known about West Virginia: our state was home to the first five rural free mail delivery routes offered by the US Postal Service in the nation. Rural free delivery, a United States service providing free mail delivery to...

Fake NRLCA website

From our National NRO Kirby Rickets- All, I am not sure if you are aware of this, but someone just made us aware of this fake website purporting to be the NRLCA: https://www.nrlca-hq.org/ The National Office is looking into what can be done, but for now please warn all the carriers that you...

Amazon’s expansion in Knoxville threatens jobs and livelihoods of rural carriers

Amazon’s expansion of its delivery network into rural areas is replacing the United States Postal Service (USPS) as its last mile delivery service and threatening the livelihoods of rural carriers. The e-commerce giant has extended its reach into smaller markets and rural areas, a move that has significant economic implications...

2025 NRLCA Contract Ratification Meeting Schedule

Dear NRLCA Active Craft Member: The NRLCA and the USPS have reached a tentative agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement: the 2024-2027 National Agreement between the USPS and the NRLCA. Pursuant to Article XI of the NRLCA Constitution, "National Agreements reached between the Association and the USPS shall be presented...
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