Today, NAPUS President Bob Rapoza and League of Postmasters President Mark Strong announced that an agreement has been reached with Postal Service representatives to continue Postmaster pay talks as long as progress is being made between the two parties.

Postmaster pay talks between USPS officials and the two Postmaster organizations began in mid-July, 2011 and concluded on November 9, 2011, when the Postal Service issued a final decision on the Postmaster EAS Pay Package for 2011-2015.

On November 16, 2011, NAPUS President Bob Rapoza requested and received unanimous approval from the NAPUS Executive Board to ask the Federal Mediation and Reconciliation Service (FMCS) to convene a fact finding panel to review the Postal Service’s final decision on the Postmaster Pay Package for 2011-2015. On the same evening, the League Executive Board gave the same authorization to President Mark Strong. In a historic action on November 17, 2011, both Postmaster organization Presidents filed a joint request with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, to convene a fact finding panel to review the Postmaster Pay Package for 2011-2015.

On December 6, 2011, NAPUS President Bob Rapoza and League President Mark Strong met with Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe and agreed to re-open Postmaster pay talks. This agreement was reached in the midst of the selection of a fact-finding panel from a list of panelist received from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. If no agreement was reached by the January 27, 2012 deadline, the fact-finding process would then resume.

On January 26, 2012, an agreement was reached between the Postal Service and the two Postmaster organizations (NAPUS and the League of Postmasters) to extend Postmaster pay talks until February 29, 2012. NAPUS President Bob Rapoza said that the talks should continue as long as meaningful discussions continue to move forward. Talks continued to focus on minimum and maximum salary range improvements, health benefits contribution rates and changes to the Performance Evaluation System (PES.)

Updates on the Postmaster pay talks will be posted on the NAPUS website as soon as information becomes available.

Charlie Moser

February 29, 2011