COLA Increase

Career employees represented by the APWU will receive a one-cent per hour cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) effective Sept. 3, in accordance with the 2015-2018 Collective Bargaining Agreement. The increase is the result of a slight increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI-W). The increase will appear in paychecks dated Sept. 23 (Pay Period 19-2016), and will total $21 per year.

This is the first cost-of-living increase under the 2015-2018 contract. Because the Consumer Price Index fell in previous measuring periods, cost-of-living adjustments that would have been effective in September 2015 and March 2016 were zero.

The next COLA increase will be based on the January 2017 CPI-W and will be effective in March 2017. Additional COLAs will be based on the July 2017, January 2018 and July 2018 CPI-W.

The cost-of-living adjustments are in addition to general wage increases, which will be effective Nov. 26, 2016 and Nov. 25, 2017. An increase effective Nov. 14, 2015, will begin appearing in paychecks dated Aug. 26, with retroactive pay for the period from Nov. 14, 2015, through Aug. 5, 2016, expected Nov. 18.

Postal Support Employees are not eligible for cost-of-living increases, but they receive general wage increases.

Updated pay scales [PDF] are available at www.apwu.org. Printed copies will be included in the September-October edition of The American Postal Worker magazine.