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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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A union member’s Bill of Rights

A union member's Bill of Rights, primarily defined by the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA), guarantees members equal participation in union activities, freedom of speech and assembly, a say in dues, the right to sue, and protection from unfair discipline, ensuring democratic governance through rights like secret ballots for elections,...

Here comes UPS – Back Again

UPS has reached a tentative agreement with the U.S. Postal Service to provide last-mile parcel delivery for its low-cost Ground Saver shipping service, company officials disclosed on Tuesday, patching up a relationship that ruptured in late 2024 over rate hikes.

USPS releases EMA Charts 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...

There’s a new Thrift Savings Plan benefit

The Thrift Savings Plan will allow participants to convert traditional funds to Roth funds within their TSP account beginning Wednesday, Jan. 28. This is known as a Roth in-plan conversion. Traditional retirement contributions are those that are taken from employee paychecks on a pretax basis, which can lower your taxable income...

Federal retirement inventory reaches another new high

The federal retirement inventory has reached yet another new high. The Office of Personnel Management now has over 50,000 applications still awaiting a finalized annuity. The increase comes after more than 13,000 retirement applications entered OPM’s systems in December. It’s taking OPM about 67 days to process a...

Online Retirement Application (ORA) Effective January 1, 2026

Online Retirement Application (ORA) Effective January 1, 2026 The Office of Personnel Management has introduced a new system to process retirement applications. The Online Retirement Application (ORA) is a secure, fully digital system that replaces the paper-based process. USPS is now processing all optional retirement applications through ORA. (Disability applications...

Special Contract Edition of the National Rural Letter Carrier Containing 2024-2027 National Agreement Released

The Special Contract Issue of the NRLCA magazine containing the 2024-2027 National Agreement between the NRLCA and USPS is now available to download here. It will be mailed to all active members.

UPDATED RIGHT-HAND DRIVE (RHD) VEHICLE INCENTIVE INSTRUCTIONS

Below please find the updated RHD vehicle incentive instructions and forms in accordance with MOU 8: Right Hand Drive Vehicles.

NRLCA – Payment Adjustments Related to Enactment of H.R. 1

The NRLCA has been notified by the Postal Service of adjustments related to enactment of H.R. 1, known as the OBBB, that will appear as “multi-pay period adjustments” in paychecks received 12/5/2025. The USPS has stated the adjustments will only result in increases in payments of varying amounts to...

This business was hoarding more than $10,000 worth of USPS pallets

Postal inspectors and employees at the Wilmington, DE, Processing and Distribution Center have recovered more than $10,000 worth of USPS pallets at one business in Delaware. The Postal Service provides mail transport equipment — including pallets, boxes, trays and tubs — to businesses to facilitate shipping. The businesses are expected to...

Rural families struggle with slower postal deliveries

Reliable mail service is not a luxury in rural America. It is a necessity for receiving checks, handling daily business, and getting critical medicine and supplies that many families cannot easily pick up in town. But delays are becoming more common, and the frustration is spreading well beyond Iowa....

26-year-old U.S. Postal Service mail truck driver (RCA) killed in two-vehicle crash near Kountze

KOUNTZE, Texas — The Texas Department of Public Safety is investigating a fatal crash involving a U.S. Postal Service truck that happened Tuesday afternoon at the intersection of U.S. Highway 69 and State Highway 327 in Hardin County. On Wednesday morning, DPS identified the driver of the postal service truck...

NEW: 2026 Rural Carrier Benefit Plan (RCBP) Premiums and Coverage Details

Did you know the Rural Carrier Benefit Plan (RCBP) is the only plan dedicated to rural letter carriers, annuitants, and their families? Membership is restricted to members of the NRLCA. The RCBP has been providing superior service to rural letter carriers nationwide for more than 60 years. With RCBP, you could save on your...

Here comes UPS – Back Again

UPS has reached a tentative agreement with the U.S. Postal Service to provide last-mile parcel delivery for its low-cost Ground Saver shipping service, company officials disclosed on Tuesday, patching up a relationship that ruptured in late 2024 over rate hikes.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Jan. 19

Martin Luther King Jr. Day will be observed Monday, Jan. 19. King helped organize the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his landmark “I Have a Dream” speech. He also helped pave the way for the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act...

Grievance filed less than 90 days before Allen Park postal worker’s death warned machine was unsafe

Fewer than 90 days before 36-year-old Nicholas John Acker was found dead in a mail-sorting machine at the USPS Detroit Network Distribution Center in Allen Park, a formal grievance had been filed warning that the very same machine was unsafe, Local 4 has learned. Acker, an Air Force veteran and maintenance mechanic...

Postal worker Russell Scruggs Jr. dies at Palmetto, Georgia distribution center

On Saturday, November 15, just one week after Nick Acker’s death in Detroit, another postal worker died at the Palmetto, Georgia USPS Processing and Distribution center. The family confirmed with the World Socialist Web Site that Russell Scruggs, Jr. is the worker who lost his life. The cause of death has not yet...
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CONTRACT AND MORE

2024-2027 National Contract
Handbook PO-603
Employee and Labor Relations Manual

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Order of Consideration
Table of Evaluated Hours for Rural Routes
Leave Replacement Matrix Guidelines

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100% of Proceeds from Shirt Sales Contributed to PERF

SALARY AND EMA

EMA Charts (01/2026)
Salary Charts (11/2025)
RCA wage (11/2025)

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