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RURAL CARRIER NEWS

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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...

Celebrating Our Postal Workers This Peak Season

Peak season is the busiest time of year for postal workers across the country. From November through December, and even into the New Year, processing returns, postal workers are working tirelessly to ensure packages, letters, and holiday greetings reach their destinations on time. This year, APWU wanted to do something...

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...

After 1.8 million miles of service, rural USPS mail carrier gets big surprise from a Secret Santa

A local Secret Santa is giving $1 million to deserving people in eastern Idaho this holiday season. Every day, from now until the end of the year, the East Idaho News elves will be delivering gifts from Secret Santa and we’ll be sharing the surprise videos here. Jayne has worked...

Implementation Update on the USPS Processing Network

The Postal Service presented its 10-year plan, Delivering for America, back in March 2021. The Office of Inspector General has done numerous audits of the plan, and it’s been reviewed by the Postal Regulatory Commission in two Advisory Opinions (N2021-1 and N2024-1), a Public Inquiry (PI2023-4), and other proceedings as well. In September 2025, the PRC asked the Postal...

NRLCA releases 2024-2027 National Agreement

USPS Handbook EL-902, the 2024-2027 National Agreement between the NRLCA and USPS, is now available.

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...

Winter weather and flooding impacting mail delivery

USPS service alerts have information for consumers, small businesses and business mailers about postal facility service disruptions caused by weather-related and other natural disasters, special events, or other changes impacting service. Winter weather impacting delivery Winter weather in the Northern Plains, Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, and Northeastern U.S. (Montana, North Dakota,...

Amazon denies it is dropping US Postal Service

Amazon has told Newsweek it is not exploring the possibility of ending its longstanding partnership with the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) as it weighs a dramatic transformation in its Prime delivery operation. A spokesman for the company made the remarks following a Washington Post article about how Amazon will go about exploring and expanding its...

Amazon explores cutting ties with USPS, building its own delivery network

Amazon has long been the Postal Service’s top customer, providing more than $6 billion in annual revenue to the agency in 2025. Amazon is preparing to expand its nationwide delivery network and give up its long-standing partnership with the U.S. Postal Service, according to three people with knowledge of the...

2025 – 2026 – 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 4th, 2025 Carriers are paid overtime for all hours actually worked...
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