From APWU.org

The APWU Scholarship Applications deadline is soon approaching! Your graduating high school seniors are welcome to apply for either the Vocational Scholarship, E.C. Hallbeck Memorial Scholarship or Best Essay Award through May 31, 2026. For application forms and eligibility requirements, please visit apwu.org/scholarships.

The E.C. Hallbeck Memorial Scholarship will award $8000 ($2000 annually) to ten recipients (one male and one female from each of the five postal regions) to apply towards their four-year college tuition.

Vocational Scholarship winners will receive up to $3,000 for specialized training in such fields as culinary arts, medical or dental assistant, electrician, real estate, auto mechanic, certified IT/computer education, cosmetology, or massage therapy, etc. Eligible programs can be of a nine-month to three-year duration.

Best Essay Award
One “Best Essay” winner is selected from the applicant pool to receive a one-time $2,000 award towards his or her four-year college tuition.

Applicants must be the child, grandchild, stepchild, or legally adopted child, of a current, retired, or deceased APWU member and a senior attending high school or other secondary school. Encourage your high school graduate to apply today! Visit apwu.org/scholarships to download an application.

April 9, 2026

To our Union family,

The United States Postal Service announced today they are temporarily suspending contributions to the FERS retirement system. Here is the National APWU statement on this announcement:

APWU Statement on USPS’s Temporary FERS Suspension

The APWU is aware of the Postal Service’s actions announced this morning related to temporarily suspending USPS’s contributions to the FERS retirement system. APWU members should rest assured that this will have no immediate impact on any current or future retiree. Your benefits are earned and they are guaranteed by law, regardless of how they are funded.

The APWU continues to study the Postal Service’s actions. Join President Smith’s livestream on Tuesday, April 14 at 7:00 pm for more details on this and other developments facing postal workers.

APWU will continue to monitor the situation and release more information as it becomes available.

Please go to APWU.org and sign up to participate in President Jonathan Smith’s livestream on Tuesday, April 14 at 4:00 pm PST. You will be given the opportunity to submit questions for our National leadership to answer.

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE ACT) represents a significant threat to our
democracy. Passed by the House on February 11, the SAVE Act would make it significantly more
difficult to register and vote in elections. Hallmarks of this legislation include:
 Strict ID requirements to prove citizenship for anyone registering to vote. Unless you are in the
minority of Americans who have a passport, you would be required to provide documents such
as your birth certificate and social security card. A REAL ID does not establish citizenship.
 Making it harder to vote by mail by requiring a photocopy of your ID to accompany your ballot;
 Would require that anyone who registers to vote by mail would still need to show proof of
citizenship in person;
 Requires most voter registration updates to be made in person, even something as simple as
an address change;
 Makes voter roll purges more likely which will require many to re-register in person which will
place additional burdens on those who have had name changes.
The Senate is facing increasing pressure from the White House to pass this legislation so it can go
into effect before the upcoming midterm election.

Call your senators today at 844-402-1001 and tell them to stop this undemocratic power grab by
voting NO on S. 1383, the SAVE America Act!

Join APWU President Jonathan Smith’s Livestream Celebrating the Great Postal Strike of 1970, Preparing for the Struggles Ahead | American Postal Workers Union

From APWU.org

In accordance with the 2024-2027 Collective Bargaining Agreement, career employees represented by the APWU will receive a $0.12 per hour cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), effective March 7, 2026.

The increase is the result of a rise in the Consumer Price Index (CPI-W). It will appear in paychecks dated March 27 (Pay Period 07-2026). The value of the COLA for full-time employees in each step and grade will increase by $250 annually, and the hourly rates for part-time employees will be adjusted accordingly.

The COLAs are in addition to general wage increases. This is the third cost-of-living increase under the 2024 contract. The first increase, effective March 8, 2025, amounted to $00.19 per hour or $395.00 annually. The second increase, effective September 06, 2025, was $0.39 per hour or $811 annually. The total cumulative COLAs received during the 2024-2027 National Agreement so far is $0.70 per hour, or $1,456 annually.

Because Postal Support Employees (PSEs) do not receive cost-of-living increases, new step increases have been created specifically for PSEs in addition to the general wage increases for all employees in the APWU bargaining unit under the 2024 contract. COLAs are added to the base pay schedule, so PSEs will see these increases when they convert to career status.

Rising inflation underscores the importance of our negotiated COLAs within our union contract, made possible by the strength of our membership. In our 2024-2027 contract, we fought to keep twice-a-year COLAs, our best protection against inflation. Postal workers are some of the few U.S. workers who receive COLA increases. Even in the postal world, we are the only postal union that has maintained full COLA in our union contract.

From the Portland Oregon Area Local

From APWU.org

In accordance with Article 8, Sections 4 and 5 of the APWU Collective Bargaining Agreement, penalty overtime rules are not applicable for a consecutive four-week period each year during December. The “Penalty Overtime Exclusion” period for calendar year 2025 will begin Pay Period 26-2025, Week 1 (November 29, 2025), and end Pay Period 01-2026, Week 2 (December 26, 2025).

Penalty Overtime Exclusion Period
November 29 – December 26, 2025