WASHINGTON (Michigan News Source) – Amidst other union contract negotiations this year, the United States Postal Service (USPS) has negotiated several contract improvements for the coming winter season. 

Career postal employees represented by the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) will receive a union won general wage increase (GWI) equivalent to 1.3% of base pay, beginning on Nov. 18. According to the APWU, the raise will be reflected first on paychecks beginning on Dec. 8, 2023.

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“This latest wage increase caps off two years of strong raises secured in the 2021-2024 contract and follows record-breaking cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for career employees, which totaled $2.39 per hour, or $4,971 annually,” according to the APWU. 

American Postal Workers Union President Mark Dimondstein shared the future trajectory of further negotiations next summer. 

“These negotiated increases can only happen because of the strength of our collective endeavor,” APWU President Dimondstein said in a statement. “We are already preparing for the opening of negotiations on our next union contract in July 2024, and the activism and organizing of our members will play a crucial role in delivering an even stronger collective bargaining agreement.”

The announcement comes ahead of the United Auto Workers Union (UAW) reaching contract agreements with all of the Big Three Detroit Automakers, including Ford and Stellantis on Monday. 

“After the historic Stand Up Strike, UAW members at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis have voted to ratify their new contracts, locking in record gains at the Big Three automakers,” the UAW said on social media, “Across the three companies, 64% of voting members voted in favor of the agreements.”

Similarly, the Detroit Casino Council has also reached a tentative agreement for a new five year contract with MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino and Hollywood Casino, after a little more than a month of striking. 

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“Our strike showed the casino industry and the world just what Detroit’s casino workers are made of,” said Tavera McCree, a Valet Cashier at Hollywood Casino at Greektown and member of Teamsters Local 1038. “This is a defining moment for workers in Detroit and nationwide.  The gains we have made will change the lives of so many families who are living paycheck to paycheck. I would like to thank everyone who stood strong on the picket line to make this win possible.”

The tentative agreement includes more than 3700 employees and includes the largest wage increase ever negotiated in the Detroit Casino industry’s more than two decade history.