The U.S. Postal Service and two of its major unions have again agreed to extend contract talks—this time until Jan. 20.
Under a previous extension, negotiations with the National Postal Mail Handlers Union and the National Association of Letter Carriers had been set to end Friday, but all sides agreed to stay at the bargaining table for another month or so.
“The extension will allow the parties to continue to work on the important economic, health care, workplace and other contractual issues being discussed,” the Postal Service said in a news release Saturday morning.
“We are encouraged that progress is still being made and we want to take all the time necessary to reach an agreement that serves the interests of America’s city letter carriers,” NALC President Fredric Rolando said in a separate release. In a article on its web site, the NPMHU said that “slow progress” is being made.
Contracts with both unions officially expired Nov. 20. The NALC represents more than 195,000 employees who deliver mail mostly in urban areas. The NPMHU represents more than 46,000 workers in mail processing plants and post offices.
