COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — After two years of negotiations, the National Association of Letter Carriers has a new contract.

The debate took so long that it will expire on May 22, 2026, so union leadership for the National Association of Letter Carriers will be back to the drawing board shortly. NALC members said they hope union leaders push more strongly next time for the rights letter carriers wanted.

NALC leaders initially struck a tentative contract with the U.S. Postal Service in October, but union members voted it down three-to-one. After postal workers were “excited” the tentative agreement failed, negotiations went to arbitration, a process for resolving disputes where a third party decides. Arbitrator Dennis Nolan issued his binding arbitration award to set the terms for this new contract on March 24.

Worthington mail carrier McClain Murphy said he was so disappointed with the final contract that he is encouraging union action against national leadership. Murphy said he wants NALC President Brian Renfroe and the Executive Council removed after their management of contract negotiations.

“The now-binding arbitrated agreement, as signed by Mr. Nolan, shows the weakness of our union leaders, and their utter capitulation, and suggests strongly some level of collusion between the parties to delay this contract and to suppress the clear will and intent of our brothers and sisters,” Murphy said.

Union members’ main concerns were economic, and a lot of them went unaddressed, Murphy said. Mail carriers said the pay difference between the rejected tentative agreement and the final version was just 0.3%, which they said was not enough to keep up with the rate of inflation. The contract also does not address NALC wishes to allow all mail carriers to have the benefits of career positions, which are currently reserved for just some letter carriers.

But Renfroe and other NALC leadership said the contract made strides, highlighting general wage increases, cost of living increases and retroactive payments. As this contract was supposed to cover 2023 to 2026, there have been two years under the contract where mail carriers have not gotten paid new wages, and the contract allows for back pay to make up for it.

“During the interest arbitration process, we fought for wage increases and rebuffed arguments based on the Postal Service’s financial difficulty,” Renfroe said. “Previous interest arbitration boards have cited such arguments to justify increasing our share of health insurance premiums and reductions in back pay. This award contains no changes to these or other provisions that could negatively impact pay for letter carriers. It only moves us forward.”

Members like Murphy say it was not enough. The NALC presidential election will take place in 2026, and NALC member Mike Caref is running against Renfroe. He has been a staunch critic of Renfroe and union leadership, and even filed charges against Renfroe to address alleged mismanagement of negotiations.

These charges included failing to update NALC members as dictated by union rules, failing to go to arbitration back in 2023, and negligence in the negotiations. Thousands of NALC members signed onto Caref’s charges, and Murphy is joining NALC members across the nation in requesting the union move forward with those charges now.

“We, the members, decisively and emphatically rejected the (tentative agreement,) by a resounding margin of nearly three-to-one. Renfroe nonetheless capitulated, gaining us next to nothing,” Murphy said.

Murphy encouraged the removal of Renfroe in a letter to regional leadership. Negotiations for the next NALC contract will likely begin in spring 2026.