February 13, 2026
From APWU:
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 NALC:
The sixth regular cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for career letter carriers under the 2023-2026 National Agreement was $250 annually following the release of the January consumer price index (CPI). This increase was added to every step in Table 1 and Step P in Table 2, and then applied proportionately to Steps B through O in Table 2. The increase has been applied to the linked pay chart, and will take effect March 7.
This is the final increase under the 2023-2026 National Agreement. Over the course of this 36-month agreement, active carriers will have seen an average increase of 19.5 percent including all negotiated increases general wage increases, COLAs and step increases.
City carrier starting wages have risen 14.1 percent, and each step in the pay scale has increased at least 9.2 percent since the beginning of the contract. Steps B through O saw an increase of 9.2 percent, and Step P saw an increase of 10.5 percent with the additional $1,000 received in June 2025.