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Usps letter carrier pay scale - To find your hourly rate before taxes, take your salary f

The average hourly pay for a Postal Service Mail Carrier is $19.73 in 2023. Visit P

Eric Katz. |. May 15, 2023. Postal Service. Thousands of letter carriers at the U.S. Postal Service are starting to see new schedules that have reduced their hours and cut their pay, causing ...2019-2023 NALC-USPS National Agreement. The 2019-2023 NALC-USPS National Agreement is now available online by clicking here. The PDF includes bookmarks and hyperlinks to make navigating the document easier. Printed copies will be available in the coming weeks. RSS Tweet.According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average USPS truck driver's salary, or, in general, the mail carrier's is $ 54,370 per year. On an hourly basis, the mail delivery driver's average salary is $ 26.14. The lowest salary of USPS driver wages is $8.41 per hour. The postal service offers a salary based on education, experience ...Carrier Technician (add 2.1%) 20.42 20.93 Steps (From BB to AA) in weeks 52 Table 3: City Carrier Assistant Schedule Hourly Rates RSC Q4 (NALC) Letter Carrier Pay Schedule City Carrier Wage Schedule: Effective Aug. 28, 2021 The following salary and rate schedule is for all NALC-represented employees.The City Letter Carrier I salary range is $51,414 to $74,322 in Houston, Texas. Salaries for the City Letter Carrier will be influenced by many factors.become effective after that, and 2) retroactive pay for EACH of about 200,000 USPS City Letter Carriers must be individually calculated. This will be based on pay rates, paid work and leave hours, holiday pay, and premium pay (overtime) hours. Wage schedule changes The proposed contract provides for the addition of a new top step toPay Scale Usps - Pay scales, often called salary scales or pay scales, are structured methods private employers make and use to set an employee's base. ... pay scale usps 2021, pay scale usps clerk, pay scale usps employees, pay scale usps letter carriers. Pay Scale Of Xen In Haryana. Gs Pay Scale 2021 Opm. Search for: Recent Posts. Ups 3 Pay ...City Carrier (Grade 2) 18.51 19.01 Carrier Technician (add 2.1%) 18.90 19.41 Steps (From BB to AA) in weeks 52 ... Letter Carrier Pay Schedule City Carrier Wage Schedule: Effective Aug. 28, 2021 ... and three COLAS will be calculated and paid by USPS as soon as practicable. NOTE: Effective June 19, 2021, the Step CC pay rate in Table Three was ...The estimated total pay for a Mail Carrier at US Postal Service is $42,802 per year. This number represents the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. The estimated base pay is $42,802 per year. The "Most Likely Range" represents values that exist ...8 The Postal Record The Postal Record November 2022 News W hether you’re a new employee or a seasoned carrier looking forward to retirement, the ending of a year and the beginning of a new one is a good time to take stock ... Letter Carrier Pay Schedule City Carrier Wage Schedule: Effective Nov. 19, 2022 The following salary and rate schedule …Nov 24, 2018 · Nov. 24, 2018 Upgrade/Pay Schedule 3.1% Consolidation** ** All Grade 1 and Grade 2 CCAs will receive an average increase of 3.1%. * All career Grade 1 and Grade 2 letter carriers will receive an average increase of 2.1%. NOTE: This pay schedule reflects consolidation of Grade 1 into Grade 2. The remaining grade is called City Carrier. to compensate the letter carrier if he or she suffered a loss in pay or some other loss because of the contract vio-lation. It is important to give your shop steward all of the information about Understanding the grievance procedure March 2021 2019-2023 NATIONAL AGREEMENT National Association of Letter Carriers (AFL-CIO) United States Postal ...THE LIFE OF A LETTER CARRIER; US Postal Service Planning to retire; USPS Dogs; USPS POSTAL MANIACS; POSTAL LINKS. USPS-Cards; LiteBlue; Postal Employees Relief Fund; USPS EAP; USPS Employee Deals; POSTAL NEWS. ... USPS Emergency Hotline 1-888-363-7462 Pay/Benefit Help 1-877-477-3273. CalendarNew Rural Carrier Salary Charts Released Effective August 27, 2022. ... Rural Letter Carriers Receive New Route Changes. 10/06/2023. New 2024 Printable Postal Holiday and Payday Calendar. 10/05/2023. ... the USPS or any state or local association. The materials on Ruralinfo.net's web site are provided "as is".The date to receive the retroactive pay from Pay Period 25-2022 through Pay Period 08-2023 has not been determined. We will post additional information when known. Please see the wage charts linked below: General Wage Increase and Wage Chart Effective November 19. 2022 (Pay Period 25-2022) pdfPostal Service (PS) Schedule Full-Time Regular Basic Hourly Rates Effective March 11, 2023Budget airlines companies are no-frills companies. When you purchase low-budget carriers, you generally buy your presence on board. This means you have to pay for any other service you need.FERS Uses the high-3 average, which means that they will be paying 1-1.1% of the average of your highest paychecks over a three year period. For example, if you have a high three average of around $60,000 and you have put in 20 years of service, you will be earning around $1,007 per month without any deductions which are about $12,000 per year.The average salary for a mail carrier is $19.61 per hour in Ohio and $6,669 overtime per year. 59 salaries reported, updated at September 28, 2023. Is this useful?Red Circle no longer exists in the Postal Service. It is posted here because some local constitutions require that local officers be paid at the red circle rate. These steps will be eliminated effective June 18, 2022. Employees in these steps will move up into the remaining higher steps.The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed an openness to rethinking how employers like the U.S. Postal Service must accommodate their employees' religions as it heard arguments from a former letter ...Carrier Technician (add 2.1%) 21.32 21.83 Steps (From BB to AA) in weeks 52 Table 3: City Carrier Assistant Schedule Hourly Rates RSC Q4 (NALC) Letter Carrier Pay Schedule City Carrier Wage Schedule: Effective Nov. 19, 2022 The following salary and rate schedule is for all NALC-represented employees.Postal Service (PS) Schedule Full-Time Regular Basic Hourly Rates Effective March 11, 2023 The pay is pretty good for entry level, and raises are guaranteed through the union. Not many places have a pension and matching 401k, its a good career if you enjoy it. You will be a temp for 2 years, which is kind of awful, but once you make it through that you will have a schedule and eventually your own route. 6.The 2022 calendar image that accompanies this article shows the 26 paycheck dates for Postal Service employees. Every month this year will have two paydays, except for April and September, which will have three each. The calendar also shows federal holidays, including Juneteenth National Independence Day, which became a holiday in …PSN 7610-01-000-9092 AGREEMENT between the United States Postal Service and the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association 2015–2018 Handbook EL-902to change the rural carrier compensation structures. Therefore, we recommend that the Postal Service negotiate with the National Rural Letter Carriers Association to:--Establish a pay system for the Rural Carrier Schedule and auxiliary rural carriers that is similar to the Heavy Duty Schedule method.--Change the heavy duty relief option provisionLetter Carrier Resource Guide. NALC’s Letter Carrier Resource Guide is a one-stop shop for valuable information for all city letter carriers at every stage of their career. Welcome New Members. Selected articles for city carrier assistants from The Postal Record, one of the best tools to help you make the most of your membership.So, I've been researching the pay grades that exist, the steps, and the positions. The NALC's is easiest, given that it's the same for all NALC represented craft, and that's simply City Carriers. (And basically two grades of it: The regular, and the T6 rates) Those take 12.4 years to reach the top, at 67K and 68K respectively (rounded))The March 2022 JCAM is now available here. All previous versions of the JCAM should be replaced with the March 2022 version. The JCAM is in the printing process. A copy will be sent to each office where city letter carriers are employed. Additional copies will be made available for purchase from the NALC store after printing is complete.Letter Carrier Pay Schedule City Carrier Wage Schedule: Implemented Feb. 29, 2020 The following salary and rate schedule is for all NALC-represented employees. Table 1: City Carrier Schedule RSC Q (NALC) This schedule applies to all carriers with a career appointment date prior to Jan. 12, 2013. Basic Annual SalariesProbably, but that's the bottom of table 1 now, which is why usps used to have a huge line out the door to be hired on. This is if they merge table 1 and 2. If you're newly converted, you'll probably get a pretty good pay bump. For carriers who are maxed out, probably not much more unfortunately.Congress funds government through Dec. 16. Make the most of your investments in the TSP + City carriers to receive 1.3% general wage increase. Effective Nov. 19, all career city carriers will receive a 1.3 percent general wage increase. Time to contribute to CFC. The open enrollment period began on Sept. 1 and ends on Jan. 14, 2023.In this round of collective bargaining, letter carriers have the chance to be recognized, and rewarded, for being the backbone of this beloved American institution, the United States Postal Service. Letter carriers are the face of the Postal Service. We are the ones customers see delivering to their homes and businesses.Production & Manufacturing. Average Canada Post Mail Carrier hourly pay in Canada is approximately $22.82, which is 11% above the national average. Salary information comes from 536 data points collected directly from employees, users, and past and present job advertisements on Indeed in the past 36 months. Please note that all salary figures ...421.44 Terms. The wage terms are as follows: Basic wage — the annual, daily, or hourly rate of pay provided by the applicable salary schedule for the employee’s assigned position. Compensation — the same as an employee’s basic wage plus special pay. Special pay — pay and allowances for additional and premium hours.Win Respect for Postal Workers; Grand Alliance; Postal Banking; Stand Up For Safe Jobs; ... Archive of Pay Scales 1999-1990. 1999-1998 Pay Scales. 1999-11-20 Pay Scale;Headquarters Compensation (RSC-R3-40-hr-230311.xls) 2/15/23 TABLE TWO Rural Carrier Evaluated Schedule Full-Time Basic Annual Rates Effective March 11, 2023 (PP 07-2023)It shows the wage scales for current regular, PTF, and CCA carriers, and includes COLAs and increases retroactive to November 2019 It also gives the schedules for step increases, and the for wage increases (both general increases and COLA's). This pay chart has been implemented on April 10, 2021. To download and/or print a pdf copy of the pay ...Nov 16, 2022 · In accordance with Article 9.1.A.2, effective November 19, 2022 (PP 25-2022), the basic annual salary schedule (Tables One and Two) shall be increased by an amount equal to 1.3% of the appropriate February 27, 2021, salary schedule. The estimated total pay for a Letter Carrier at US Postal Service is $46,642 per year. This number represents the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. The estimated base pay is $46,642 per year. The "Most Likely Range" represents values that ...The United States Postal Service (USPS) offers a variety of services to meet the needs of individuals and businesses. One of the most popular services is USPS First Class Letters, which provides a cost-effective way to send letters and othe...As a Postal Service ™ Rural Carrier Associate (RCA), you will have a continuous, part-time job with a reliable employer. If you are retired, self-employed, an at-home parent, an educator, night student, or are employed on an evening shift schedule, this on-call position could be the ideal job for you. RCAs are responsible for the safe and ...The estimated total pay for a Mailman at US Postal Service is $36,825 per year. This number represents the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. The estimated base pay is $36,825 per year. The "Most Likely Range" represents values that exist ...Aug 27, 2022 · Carrier Technician (add 2.1%) 20.87 21.38 Steps (From BB to AA) in weeks 52 Table 3: City Carrier Assistant Schedule Hourly Rates RSC Q4 (NALC) Letter Carrier Pay Schedule City Carrier Wage Schedule: Effective Aug. 27, 2022 The following salary and rate schedule is for all NALC-represented employees. NEW: Update on Retro Pay Adjustment. As you know, the Postal Service (USPS) and National Rural Letter Carriers' Association (NRLCA) ratified and signed a new collective bargaining agreement on March 23, 2022, approximately 6 months ago. The new ratified agreement covers the period May 21, 2021 through May 20, 2024, and provides much-deserved ...We have had multiple discussions with the USPS yesterday and into the night. ... Rural carriers will not be required to pay it back until the Postal Service has repaid them the correct amount. ... National Rural Letter Carrier’s Association Home Ruralinfo.net 08/30/2023 08/30/2023.Salaries at U.S. Postal Service (USPS) range from an average of $43,165 to $92,918 a year. U.S. Postal Service (USPS) employees with the job title Operations …Carrier Technician (add 2.1%) 21.32 21.83 Steps (From BB to AA) in weeks 52 Table 3: City Carrier Assistant Schedule Hourly Rates RSC Q4 (NALC) Letter Carrier Pay Schedule City Carrier Wage Schedule: Effective Nov. 19, 2022 The following salary and rate schedule is for all NALC-represented employees.Top 5 States with Higher Salaries For. Letter Carrier in the United States: Letter Carrier in Alaska: $57,598. Letter Carrier in California: $57,393. Letter Carrier in District of Columbia: $57,151. Letter Carrier in New Jersey: $56,807. Letter Carrier in Massachusetts: $55,903.USPS 2021 Pay Dates and Leave Year. The following chart lists the 2021 pay periods. For the convenience of timekeepers, each biweekly pay period appears as two separate weeks, with the beginning and ending dates indicated for each week. ... New Orleans Letter Carrier Indicted for Delay or Destruction of Mail November 16, 2021; U.S. Postal ...Postal Service managers must make a concerted effort to minimize the number of hours carriers work over 2,080, and strictly monitor these carriers to ensure that no carrier works in excess of 2,240 actual work hours. The 2022-2023 guarantee period will begin on Saturday, October 8, 2022, and continue through Friday, October 6, 2023. — Rural ...Learn about the rights and benefits of letter carriers in this comprehensive resource guide from the National Association of Letter Carriers. Download the PDF now and get updated for 2023.August 21, 2023 6:18 pm. 7 min read. Several thousand Postal Service rural carriers say they're in favor of decertifying their union, after USPS implemented a new pay system that led to significant pay cuts for two-thirds of the rural carrier workforce. A grassroots network of rural carriers across the country is collecting signatures from ...See the projected pay charts on page 6. All Letter Carriers All city letter carriers will receive the following general wage increases: • Effective Nov. 23, 2019 – 1.1% paid retroactively • Effective Nov. 21, 2020 – 1.1% paid retroactively • Effective Nov. 20, 2021 – 1.3% • Effective Nov. 19, 2022 – 1.3%The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) guarantees eligible letter carriers up to 12 weeks of leave each postal leave year, for: A new child in the family—by birth, by adoption or by placement in foster care; The employee's own serious health condition that prevents him or her from performing the job, or.The difference is year over year vs month to month, so if it was 5.4 then and now its 7.4, then the rates only increased by like 2 of that percent. Main reason tho is gasoline costs, national avg gas cost in January of 21 was $2.24, by July it was $3.12. Since July to now it's gone to $3.44.Headquarters Compensation (RSC-R3-40-hr-230311.xls) 2/15/23 TABLE TWO Rural Carrier Evaluated Schedule Full-Time Basic Annual Rates Effective March 11, 2023 (PP 07-2023)CEDAR PARK, Texas — Some U.S. Postal Service (USPS) carriers nationwide are seeing major pay cuts, losing anywhere from $10,000 to $30,000 a year in some cases, after a fight between the postal ...The USPS 25lb USB Postal & Freight Scale is perfect for home and office use. Please note: This scale is only compatible with Windows 7- Windows 10. Product Features. Weight: 2.6 lbs. Unit Dimensions: 8 in x 2.75 in x 8 in (W x H x D) - Extra large, easy-to-read 1.3 in, LCD display. - Switches between ounces and grams.Letter Carrier Pay Schedule City Carrier Wage Schedule The following salary and rate schedule is for all NALC-represented employees. 1. This pay chart includes the following increases for career carriers: ... The Postal Service has informed the NALC that due to the complexity of imple-menting a new pay scale, including step increases, that the new pay …The average usps letter carrier (united states postal service letter carrier) salary in New York, United States is $66,948 or an equivalent hourly rate of $32. Salary estimates based on salary survey data collected directly from employers and anonymous employees in New York, United States.Aug 28, 2021 · Carrier Technician (add 2.1%) 20.42 20.93 Steps (From BB to AA) in weeks 52 Table 3: City Carrier Assistant Schedule Hourly Rates RSC Q4 (NALC) Letter Carrier Pay Schedule City Carrier Wage Schedule: Effective Aug. 28, 2021 The following salary and rate schedule is for all NALC-represented employees. 2019-2023 NALC-USPS National Agreement. The 2019-2023 NALC-USPS National Agreement is now available online by clicking here. The PDF includes bookmarks and hyperlinks to make navigating the document easier. Printed copies will be available in the coming weeks. RSS Tweet.Welcome to NALC Branch 343 web site!. Our purpose is two-fold. First, to promote unity via the Internet. Secondly, to share information and resources with our members. We hope you find your visit here informative and useful.If you are in charge of clerks (operations), you would start at 5% above top step level 7. Which is $36.8288/hr. 1. sonnysoncere • 10 mo. ago. Thanks a lot! I appreciate your feedback. 1. Pretend-Ad-853 • 10 mo. ago. If you go into eCareer, a supervisor posting will show the E17 pay range.The average US Postal Service salary ranges from approximately $31,569 per year for a Cashier to $170,669 per year for a President. The average US Postal Service hourly pay ranges from approximately $15 per hour for a Cashier to $81 per hour for a President. US Postal Service employees rate the overall compensation and benefits package 3.7/5 stars.The following chart lists the 2022 pay periods. For the convenience of timekeepers, each biweekly pay period appears as two separate weeks, with the beginning and ending dates indicated for each week. The leave year always begins the first day of the first full pay period in the calendar year. The 2022 leave year begins January 1, 2022 (Pay ...Letter Carrier Resource Guide. NALC’s Letter Carrier Resource Guide is a one-stop shop for valuable information for all city letter carriers at every stage of their career. Welcome New Members. Selected articles for city carrier assistants from The Postal Record, one of the best tools to help you make the most of your membership.Letter Carrier Pay Schedule City Carrier Wage Schedule: Effective Aug. 31, 2019 The following salary and rate schedule is for all NALC-represented employees. Table 1: City Carrier Schedule RSC Q (NALC) This schedule applies to all carriers with a career appointment date prior to Jan. 12, 2013. Basic Annual Salaries Q. Will my pay be different as a PTF? A. Upon conversion to career status, PTFs will see changes in their pay structure and new entries on their pay stub. Article 9 of the National Agreement identifies the pay struc - ture for all city letter carriers: ARTICLE 9 SALARIES AND WAGES Section 1. Salary and Wage SchedulesAs an RCA, you will replace a regular rural carrier on his or her scheduled day off (primarily Saturday), on vacation, or on other leave. Work hours will vary depending on the office and route to which you are assigned. You must be willing to work weekends and some holidays and be available for on-call employment. You may be assigned to other ...4 The Postal Record News M ost eligible city letter carriers will receive retroactive pay pursuant to the 2019-2023 National Agreement in their Aug. 20 paychecks. Back pay for some former city carrier assistants (CCAs) who were converted to career status between Nov. 23, 2019, and April 9, 2021, must be calculated manually, resulting in aEffective September 25, 2021: New pay scale for Grade 11; Effective Feb 26, 2022: Sixty-three cents/hour COLA, for career employees ... National Association of Letter Carriers; National Postal Mail Handlers Union; National Rural Letter Carrier's Association; MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATIONS. National Association of Postal Supervisors;Full-time reserve and unassigned regular letter carriers occupying a hold-down position pursuant to the provisions of Article 41.2.B.3 have the right to bid for a full-time duty assignment. If such letter carrier is the successful bidder, he shall be placed into the duty assignment pursuant to the provisions of Article 41.1.C.3.Fifth contract COLA set at $1,331. The fifth regular cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for career letter carriers under the 2019-2023 National Agreement is $1,331 annually following the release of the January Consumer Price Index. This increase will be added to every step in Table 1 and Step O in Table 2, and then applied proportionately to ..."I'm a postal worker. I took a 25 percent pay cut today," a Reddit user wrote on April 1. The carrier revealed that their pay is going down from $65,000 to $47,000, and that they're hardly the only one taking a hit. "Almost every carrier in my office is also receiving a pay cut. Anywhere from 5-30%.Full bio. Since 1950, the NALC Health Benefit Plan (HBP) has provided letter carriers and their families with first-rate health insurance. The NALC’s health plan is a natural choice—as the only health plan owned and operated by letter carriers, it pays particular attention to their health needs. And because NALC HBP is a not-for-profit ...Lets hope our great NRLCA leadership has at least negotiated well enough to match the letter carriers Nov. 24, 2018 rate of 2.1%! We should ...The average rural carrier associate salary ranges between $21,000 and $80,000 in the US. Rural carrier associates' hourly rates in the US typically range between $10 and $38 an hour. Rural carrier associates earn the highest salaries in Oregon (65,600), Washington (57,490), and Montana (57,198).Nov 16, 2022 · In accordance with Article 9.1.A.2, effective November 19, 2022 (PP 25-2022), the basic annual salary schedule (Tables One and Two) shall be increased by an amount equal to 1.3% of the appropriate February 27, 2021, salary schedule. Letter Carriers Cost-of-living adjustment (08/22/05) All letter carriers will receive a contractual cost-of-living adjustment of 34 cents an hour, $27.20 per pay period and $707 annually effective the pay period beginning September 3, 2005 (pay date September 23, 2005). The $707 COLA is the sixth of eight regular COLAs provided by the 2001-2006 ...The March 2022 JCAM is now available here. All previous versions of the JCAM should be replaced with the March 2022 version. The JCAM is in the printing process. A copy will be sent to each office where city letter carriers are employed. Additional copies will be made available for purchase from the NALC store after printing is complete.Aug 28, 2021 · Carrier Technician (add 2.1%) 20.42 20.93 Steps (From BB to AA) in weeks 52 Table 3: City Carrier Assistant Schedule Hourly Rates RSC Q4 (NALC) Letter Carrier Pay Schedule City Carrier Wage Schedule: Effective Aug. 28, 2021 The following salary and rate schedule is for all NALC-represented employees. Starting salary can be as high as $19.62 per hour. The Postal Service also hires large numbers of temporary clerks and mail handlers for a 21-day period for the Christmas holiday season. These holiday casual positions have no benefits; but can lead to a 360-day appointment. Casual temporary positions are a good way to familiarize yourself with ...Average United States Postal Service Mail Carrier hourly pay in South Carolina is approximately $20.23, which is 9% above the national average. Salary information comes from 25 data points collected directly from employees, users, and past and present job advertisements on Indeed in the past 36 months.See full list on postalwork.net 422.21 Salary System. 422.211 Salary Schedule. The City Carrier (CC) Schedule consists of two rate schedules. Schedule 1 (RSC Q) is applicable to city carriers with a career appointment date (CAD) before January 12, 2013. Schedule 2 (RSC Q7) is applicable to city carriers with a CAD on or after January 12, 2013. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average USPS truck driver's salary, or, in general, the mail carrier's is $ 54,370 per year. On an hourly basis, the mail delivery driver's average salary is $ 26.14. The lowest salary of USPS driver wages is $8.41 per hour. The postal service offers a salary based on education, experience ...The purpose of this Association shall be to improve the methods used by rural letter carriers, to benefit their conditions of labor with the United States Postal Service (USPS), and to promote a fraternal spirit among its members. ... 2015-2018 Contract Signed Between USPS and NRLCA; New Rural Carrier Pay Schedules Posted; May 2016/Pre ...Average United States Postal Service Mail Carrier hourly pay in Oregon is approximately $19.55, whic, Apr 14, 2021 · The Postal Service has indicated that it will take some time to calculate the back pay for more th, UPMA has been discussing with Postal Headquarters EAS salaries, Pay For Performance, and NPA for many, this column while all other letter carrier work is designated with “01.”, On Aug. 23, NAPS Headquarters received the Postal Service's final pay decision through May 20, 2023, for su, Postal Service and the National Rural Letter Carriers' Asso, Jack Leventhal Branch 41Proud union members since 1890. Bra, Carrier Technician (add 2.1%) 21.32 21.83 Steps (From BB, Combined Federal Campaign. As federal employees, letter carriers ca, The United States Postal Service (USPS) offers a variety of serv, The average pay is $52729 a year for an USPS Letter Carrier Job in , Purchase Money Orders. Sending money orders at any Post , Payments decrease for contributions to survivor's benefits or, Board Memo 061 -2021: NAPS Approves USPS EAS Pay Decision, $19.73 / hour Avg. Base Hourly Rate ( USD) 10% $17.13 , 27. All Day Pay Day. 28. 29. 30. The 2022 calendar imag, The following salary and rate schedule is for all NALC-represe, According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average U.