The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has reached a new tentative agreement with 200,000 union employees that will run through Nov. 7, 2026, which will hike their pay and expand their fleet of air-conditioned vans.

Members of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) still must ratify the deal with a majority vote, which will take several weeks to complete, USPS said in a statement.

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The carriers had been working without a new contract since the expiration of their last deal on May 20, 2023. Since then, the drivers had worked under the terms of the old contract.

All city letter carriers will receive general wage increases of 1.3 percent per year, with the first being paid back retroactively through November 2023. The second increase will be effective this November, and will be paid retroactively if a deal isn’t ratified by then. The final wage jump will take place Nov. 22, 2025.

The tentative deal also retains a no-layoff provision for letter carriers after six years of working as career employees.

Rural mail carriers are not covered by the contract because they are represented by a different union, the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association (NRLCA)

“This is a fair and responsible agreement that serves the best interest of our employees, our customers and the future of the Postal Service,” said Deputy Postmaster General and chief human resources officer Doug Tulino. “The agreement supports the Delivering for America 10-year plan’s mission to modernize our operations, so we are better able to adapt to changing customer needs and deliver service excellence.”

The new deal will also include cost-of-living adjustments aimed at protecting workers against future inflation. In total, the carriers will receive seven cost-of-living adjustments, three of which would retroactively go into effect following ratification totaling a combined $2,300.

Under the deal, the Postal Service must “make every effort” to acquire air conditioning-equipped vehicles.

“If USPS plans to acquire vehicles without air conditioning due to the climate in a particular geographic location or other factors, the issue must be discussed with the NALC,” said a summary of the new tentative agreement. “Additionally, USPS must continue to follow repair and maintenance procedures to ensure that any necessary maintenance or repairs to air conditioning systems are completed in a timely manner.”