All Sections ------------------------------- News & Events Pay & Benefits Departments & Divisions Members Only

Advanced Search

Printer-Friendly Page

Major Postal Unions at a Glance History of Postal Workers' Salaries 1969-2010 Comparisons to Other Industries Must Take COLA Into Account

Pay Information

Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) Update

For Employees Covered by the National Agreement and the Operating Services Agreement:

(08/14/08) In July, the Consumer Price Index (CPI-W) rose to 644.303. After the last month of the six-month measuring period, the fourth COLA under the 2006 National Agreement and the Operating Services Agreement will be $1,477 per year, which works out to $56.80 per pay period or 71 cents per hour. The COLA will be effective Aug. 30, 2008 (pay period 19-2008, pay date Sept. 19, 2008).

Effective with the fourth COLA, under the 2006 National Agreement and Operating Services Agreement, employees will have so far received the following cost-of-living adjustments totaling $2,642: $0 (effective March 17, 2007, pay period 07-2007, pay date April 6, 2007; $686 (effective Sept. 1, 2007, pay period 19-2007, pay date Sept. 21, 2007); $479 (effective March 15, 2008, pay period 07-2008, pay date April 4, 2008); and $1,477 (effective Aug. 30, 2008, pay period 19-2008, pay date Sept. 19, 2008).

Click here for a table of historical pay changes.

Pay Scales (Effective Aug 30, 2008)

Full-time Regulars (FTR) [pdf] Part-time (PTF/PTR) [pdf] TE Rates [pdf] Operating Services [pdf]

Click here for the archive of Past Pay Scales

COLA Update for Employees Covered by the Information Technology/Accounting Services Agreement:

(Updated 08/14/08) - In July, the Consumer Price Index (CPI-W) rose to 644.303. After the fourth month of the six-month measuring period, and assuming the adjustment was made based on the July index point, the fourth adjustment under the 2007 IT/AS agreement would be $1,123 per year, which works out to $43.20 per pay period, or 54 cents an hour. However, the adjustment will be based on the September 2008 index point and will be effective Nov. 8, 2008 (pay period 24-2008, pay date Nov. 28, 2008).

Under the 2007 IT/AS Agreement, employees have received the following cost-of-living adjustments totaling $1643: $333 (effective May 12, 2007, pay period 11-2007, pay date June 1, 2007); $499 effective Nov. 10, 2007 (pay period 24-2007, pay date Nov. 30, 2007); $811 (effective May 10, 2008, pay period 11-2008, pay date May 30, 2008).

Click here for the latest IT/ASC payscale (effective May 10, 2008) [pdf]

For CSRS retirees:

(Updated 07/16/08) - The CSRS retiree COLA is based on the increase in the third quarter (July, August, September) average of the CPI-W over the same quarterly average from the previous year. After the third quarter (Q2 of 2008) of the measuring period for the 2009 CSRS retiree COLA, the quarterly average has increased 4.6% above the third quarter of 2007 average. Note: The 2008 CSRS Retiree COLA was 2.3% effective with the January 2008 payment.

For FERS retirees:

(Updated 07/16/08) - The FERS retiree COLA is based on the increase in the third quarter average of the CPI-W over the same quarterly average from the previous year. However, if the CPI-W quarterly average increases three percent or more, the COLA is the increase less one percent. If the quarterly average increase is between two percent and three percent, the COLA is two percent. If the quarterly average increase is two percent or less, the COLA is equal to the quarterly average increase. After the third quarter (Q2 of 2008) of the measuring period for the 2009 FERS retiree COLA, the quarterly average has increased 4.6% above the third quarter of 2007 average. Note: The 2008 FERS Retiree COLA was 2.0% effective with the January 2008 payment.

For Social Security recipients:

(Updated 07/16/08) - The Social Security COLA is based on the increase in the third quarter average of the CPI-W over the same quarterly average from the previous year. After the third quarter (Q2 of 2008) of the measuring period for the 2009 CSRS retiree COLA, the quarterly average has increased 4.6% above the third quarter of 2007 average. Note: The 2008 Social Security Retiree COLA was 2.3% effective with the January 2008 paymen

For FECA employees:

(Updated 08/14/08) - The percentage increase in the December CPI-W index from year to year determines the FECA COLA increase. After the seventh month of the measuring period for the 2009 FECA COLA, the index has risen 5.1%. Note: the 2008 FECA COLA was 4.3% effective with the April 2008 payment.

Leave Accrual

Employees earn sick and annual leave in accordance with postal regulations found in Subchapter 510 of the Employee and Labor Relations Manual (ELM). Article 10, Section 2, of the National Agreement provides that "The leave regulations in Subchapter 510 of the [ELM], insofar as such regulations establish wages, hours or working conditions of employees covered by this Agreement, shall remain in effect for the life of this Agreement."

Annual Leave

Full-time career employees earn annual leave based on their number of creditable years of service in accordance with the following accrual chart:

Leave Category	Creditable Service	Maximum Leave Per Year
4	Less than 3 years	4 hours for each full biweekly pay period; i.e., 104 hours (13 days) per 26-period leave year.
6	3 years but less than 15 years	6 hours for each full biweekly pay period plus 4 hours in last full pay period in calendar year; i.e., 160 hours (20 days) per 26-period leave year.
8	15 years or more.	8 hours for each full biweekly pay period; i.e., 208 hours (26 days) per 26-period leave year.

Part-time employees earn annual leave based on their hours worked in accordance with the following chart:

Leave Category	Years of Creditable Service	Maximum Leave per Year	Rate of Accrual	Hours in Pay Status	Hours of Leave Earned per Period
4	Less than 3 years.	104 hours, or 13 days per 26-period leave year or 4 hours for each biweekly pay period.	1 hour for each unit of 20 hours pay in status.	20 40 60 80	1 2 3 4
6	3 years but less than 15 years.	160 hours, or 20 days per 26-period leave year or 6 hours for each full biweekly pay period.*	1 hour for each uni of 13 hours in a pay status.	13 26 39 52 65 78	1 2 3 4 5 6
8	15 years or more	208 hours, or 26 days per 26-period leave year or 8 hours for each full biweekly pay period.	1 hour for each unit of 10 hours in pay status.	10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80	1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
*Except that the accrual for the last pay period of the calendar year may be 10 hours, provided the employee has the 130 creditable hours or more in a pay status in the leave year for leave purposes.

Sick Leave

Sick leave for all career employees is accrued as follows:

Employee Category	Time Accrued
Full-time employees	4 hours for each full biweekly pay period - i.e., 13 days (104 hours) per 26-period leave year.
Part-time employees	1 hour for each unit of 20 hours in pay status up to 104 hours (13 days) per 26-period leave year.

Click here for a copy of ELM Subchapter 510

Promotion Chart

(Updated 02/14/08) This chart [pdf] answers the question: Upon promotion, what pay step in the promoted grade will I get?

How to Use This Chart:

1. In the shaded 'From Grade' sections, find the grade and step from which the employee is being promoted.

2. In the shaded 'To Grade' section immediately below the section identified above, move down to the grade to which the employee is being promoted.

3. Move across to the right from the grade to which promoted, and down from the step from which promoted, and assign the intersecting step. Example, an employee is promoted from a grade 4, step H in schedule-2 to a grade 6 in schedule-2. Go to the section marked "From Grade 4" and move across to step H. Next go down to grade 6 in the light shaded section, and move across to until to come to the intersection at step H. Assign step H as the step to which promoted.

[ Back to Top ]