USPS, NALC reach contract agreement

The US Postal Service said on July 12 that the tentative agreement it reached with the National Association of Letter Carriers on a five-year contract will benefit the USPS, customers and employees.

If ratified by union members, the agreement will run through Nov. 20, 2011, and affect approximately 222,000 career employees who deliver mail to residences and businesses on city delivery routes.

Doug Tulino, vice president for labor relations at the USPS, said the contract addresses important issues related to labor costs, revenue and delivery operations.

The USPS and the NALC had been scheduled to enter into binding interest arbitration later this year after being unable to reach a new tentative contract. If the current tentative agreement is ratified, the arbitration will not be needed. The USPS and the NALC formally opened national contract negotiations in August, 2006.