Featured Stories
NEU Calls for New Ofsted Leadership Following Member Survey
LONDON, England, Oct. 15 (TNSrep) -- The National Education Union issued the following news release:
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NEU calls for new Ofsted leadership following member survey
14/10/2026
The National Education Union (NEU) is calling for urgent change at Ofsted, after a snap survey found that 98 per cent of members said they do not have confidence in its current leadership.
The union is calling for Chief Inspector Sir Martyn Oliver to go, and is demanding a review of the new inspection framework, plus an immediate pause on Ofsted inspections while that review is carried out.
The union surveyed teachers
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LONDON, England, Oct. 15 (TNSrep) -- The National Education Union issued the following news release:
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NEU calls for new Ofsted leadership following member survey
14/10/2026
The National Education Union (NEU) is calling for urgent change at Ofsted, after a snap survey found that 98 per cent of members said they do not have confidence in its current leadership.
The union is calling for Chief Inspector Sir Martyn Oliver to go, and is demanding a review of the new inspection framework, plus an immediate pause on Ofsted inspections while that review is carried out.
The union surveyed teachersand leaders in England as the inspectorate faces mounting calls for change. Pressure is building on Ofsted to respond to the concerns raised by leaders and other educators about the impact of its new framework.
The survey, conducted overnight 12-13 October, had responses from almost 7,000 NEU members in English state schools. It found:
* 98 per cent do not have confidence in the current leadership of Ofsted.
* 96 per cent support calls for an urgent review of the new inspection framework.
* 96 per cent support calls for an immediate pause on Ofsted inspections.
The findings come after the NEU released research (on 23 September) demonstrating that the new framework is driving excessive workload, harming wellbeing and driving one in four from the profession. Deep concerns were highlighted that the new framework is making working conditions worse, not better for teachers and leaders. The report found no evidence that the profession sees this new framework as an improvement. (see Editor's Note)
This week's survey shows the profession supports a call for review of the new framework and the NEU thinks that use of the current framework should be paused while a proper review is carried out. That review should take into account the range of short- and long-term recommendations made in our report to improve the working conditions of teachers and leaders across our schools.
Commenting on the findings, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
"These figures are stark and overwhelming and show a profession united in demanding change.
"Ofsted has demonstrated an inability to listen to the impact of its new framework on teachers and leaders. These are committed, experienced professionals who work in excess of 50 hours per week - and Ofsted continues to add to that workload.
"The removal of one-word judgements was meant to signal a re-set and re-balancing which simply hasn't been delivered. Ofsted casts a huge shadow over the education system and is perpetuating a climate of fear.
"Sir Martyn Oliver has lost the confidence of the profession and it is time for him to go. The pressure of Ofsted needs to be lifted immediately and Ofsted inspections should be paused while a proper review of the inspection regime takes place."
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Editor's Note:
The questions put were as follows:
* Do you have confidence in the current leadership of Ofsted?
* Do you support calls for an urgent review of the new inspection framework?
* Do you support calls for an immediate pause on Ofsted inspections?
In total, 7,014 teachers and leaders in English state schools answered at least one question in the survey, before reweighting. Of these, 6,967 provided enough demographic and employment data to be included in the reweighted sample, in line with national characteristics on age, gender, role and workplace information as published by the DfE.
The NEU's recent report Circle of Stress and Fear (https://neu.org.uk/latest/press-releases/circle-stress-and-fear-neu-reports-first-year-ofsteds-new-framework)
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Original text here: https://neu.org.uk/latest/press-releases/neu-calls-new-ofsted-leadership-following-member-survey?_locale=en
[Category: Union]
AFSCME: Court Orders Stop to USDA Reorganization in Lawsuit Filed by Unions, Nonprofits, Cities, and Counties
WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 -- The AFL-CIO AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) issued the following news release:
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October 13, 2026
Court Orders Stop to USDA Reorganization in Lawsuit Filed by Unions, Nonprofits, Cities, and Counties
San Francisco - A federal court has ordered the Trump administration to stop implementing an unlawful reorganization of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The lawsuit, filed by labor unions, nonprofit organizations, and cities and counties from across the country, asked the court to halt the closure of offices and facilities
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WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 -- The AFL-CIO AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) issued the following news release:
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October 13, 2026
Court Orders Stop to USDA Reorganization in Lawsuit Filed by Unions, Nonprofits, Cities, and Counties
San Francisco - A federal court has ordered the Trump administration to stop implementing an unlawful reorganization of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The lawsuit, filed by labor unions, nonprofit organizations, and cities and counties from across the country, asked the court to halt the closure of offices and facilitiesand the forced relocations of USDA employees implementing the USDA Reorganization Plan, despite Congress expressly prohibiting such action absent congressional approval.
The ruling from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California says in part, "on the facts of this case, the most appropriate remedy is indeed to stay USDA's reorganization expenditures, full stop." The ruling enjoins USDA from closing or eliminating offices, or relocating or reassigning employees outside of their local commuting areas, and outside the national capital region. Relocations to another duty station for employees currently within the commuting area of the national capital region will be permitted. The ruling applies to USDA's Food and Nutrition Administration; Research, Education, and Economics mission area; Foreign Agricultural Service; Rural Development mission area; Farm Production and Conservation mission area; Office of the General Counsel; and Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights.
The court found that the overhaul of USDA's structure is being implemented through "reprogramming," or using federal funds for purposes other than Congress authorized. "Congress did not contemplate USDA using its appropriated funds to shut down offices or relocate employees," the ruling states.
The underlying complaint names USDA and Secretary Brooke Rollins as defendants. The union plaintiffs are the American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO (AFGE); the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO (AFSCME); the National Federation of Federal Employees, IAM, AFL-CIO (NFFE); and the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU). Together, the four unions speak for USDA employees in nearly every corner of the department this reorganization touches.
The full coalition also includes the County of Santa Clara, California; the City and County of San Francisco, California; Prince George's County, Maryland; the Alliance of Crop, Soil and Environmental Science Societies; the American Geophysical Union; the Coalition to Protect America's National Parks; NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council); and Western Watersheds Project. Altshuler Berzon LLP is lead counsel for the plaintiff coalition, with support from Democracy Forward.
USDA's reorganization plan would close or sharply cut capacity at offices and facilities across the department. It would eliminate the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, the nation's premier agricultural research facility. It would move the Forest Service headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Salt Lake City, close all nine Forest Service regional offices, and shut 23 research locations across 15 states. The plan would close five of seven regional offices of the Food and Nutrition Administration (FNA) and require employees to relocate across the country, undermining the effective administration of critical nutrition programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). WIC alone supports more than 40% of infants in the United States. USDA's plan would also ship Foreign Agricultural Service employees - whose work focuses on international trade - to Kansas City and relocate Rural Development and Farm Production and Conservation national functions away from the national capital region.
The relocations and resulting workforce attrition would have made the food on American tables less safe, wildfires harder to fight, and rural communities wait longer for help, all while leaving farmers with less support. The lawsuit alleges that USDA knew forced relocation would drive out its experienced people and never once studied what losing that expertise would do to the department's ability to meet its statutory obligations.
"The administration's attempt to gut this essential agency is blatantly illegal, and we're thankful the court has stopped it, for now, from proceeding with a reckless plan that would threaten public benefits like SNAP, endanger public safety by hindering wildfire response, and hurt American farmers at a time working families can least afford it," said AFSCME President Patrick Moran. "Forcing nonpartisan public service workers, including many AFSCME members, to choose between their jobs and uprooting their families to move across the country would undermine the essential services USDA provides. We will keep fighting to protect these AFSCME members and the vital services they provide to rural communities and farmers nationwide."
"Congress told USDA in plain language that it could not close offices and uproot its workforce without permission. USDA did it anyway, so AFGE and our partners took them to court. These forced moves were never about efficiency. They were about pushing experienced people out the door." said Everett Kelley, President of the American Federation of Government Employees. "Today's ruling keeps those workers on the job serving the American people, and AFGE and our allies will keep fighting for as long as it takes to make sure this administration follows the law."
"Since this so-called realignment was announced, NFFE, our fellow federal unions, and partners across the country have fought tirelessly to stop the USDA from being dismantled," said NFFE National President Randy Erwin. "The agency's mission, along with the critical services provided by NFFE-IAM members at the U.S. Forest Service, is far too critical to be damaged by the Trump Administration. This reckless and unlawful plan threatened that mission, and we are pleased to see the court agrees. NFFE and our partners will continue to stand up for the nonpartisan, dedicated USDA employees who keep our communities and public lands safe."
"Congress acted to protect the USDA, including the dedicated workers at the Food and Nutrition Administration," said Doreen Greenwald, President of the National Treasury Employees Union. "Congress's words, thanks to the federal district court's ruling, mean something--here, that the Administration's illegal reorganization cannot move forward."
"Federal land management agencies are under siege, and the Trump administration is doing its utmost to get rid of experienced regulators and scientists in its push to maximize the commercial exploitation of our nation's public-land legacy," said Erik Molvar, executive director of Western Watersheds Project. "We're delighted that the courts have once again stepped in to stop the bloodletting, to make sure that Forest Service offices aren't gutted of employees, and to halt the closure of research facilities."
"The actions of this Administration to reorganize USDA are a ruse for forcing employees to quit, because they work on programs (like feeding low-income women and children, protecting our forests, or scientific research) that this Administration opposes for political reasons. That is unlawful," said Corinne Johnson, Altshuler Berzon partner. "Congress, not the President, still determines the mission and functions of federal agencies created by statute, and Congress has drawn the line to say no to this reorganization. On behalf of our clients, we will continue to ask the courts to hold that line."
"The court's stay of USDA's forced relocation plans will allow the essential work of the department and its employees to continue, protecting the families and communities across the nation that rely on its vital work. Democracy Forward is honored to work with an extraordinary coalition to protect civil servants from unlawful attacks that will undermine USDA's ability to provide crucial services to the American people. We are grateful that the court paused the government's destructive plans while the case proceeds and we are eager to argue this case in court," said Elena Goldstein, a Legal Director at Democracy Forward.
Read the court's order here (https://democracyforward.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/26-cv-09976-VC-Stay.pdf).
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AFSCME's 1.4 million members provide the vital services that make America happen. With members in communities across the nation, serving in hundreds of different occupations -- from nurses to corrections officers, childcare providers to sanitation workers -- AFSCME advocates for fairness in the workplace, excellence in public services and freedom and opportunity for all working families.
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Original text here: https://afscme.org/press/releases/court-orders-stop-to-usda-reorganization-in-lawsuit-filed-by-unions-nonprofits-cities-and-counties/
[Category: Union]
AFL-CIO: Sh*t's Too Expensive and Working People Are Fired Up to Get Out the Vote
WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 -- The AFL-CIO issued the following news release:
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AFL-CIO: Sh*t's Too Expensive and Working People Are Fired Up to Get Out the Vote
October 14, 2026
AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler issued the following statement in response to today's Consumer Price Index Report, which showed prices rising, gas in particular, and inflation exceeding wages for the sixth straight month:
I've been traveling the country from Maine to Alaska, and everywhere I go workers are saying sh*t's too expensive. Working people are living on the edge, working longer and harder than ever for less money.
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 -- The AFL-CIO issued the following news release:
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AFL-CIO: Sh*t's Too Expensive and Working People Are Fired Up to Get Out the Vote
October 14, 2026
AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler issued the following statement in response to today's Consumer Price Index Report, which showed prices rising, gas in particular, and inflation exceeding wages for the sixth straight month:
I've been traveling the country from Maine to Alaska, and everywhere I go workers are saying sh*t's too expensive. Working people are living on the edge, working longer and harder than ever for less money.They're angry every time they fill the tank. They're terrified of what their heating bills will look like this winter. As prices soar, their paychecks aren't keeping up. Today's numbers make it clear this problem isn't going away until we elect new leaders who will help workers instead of billionaires.
In the final sprint to Election Day, we're knocking on doors, making phone calls and talking to people at their worksites. They're telling us they are pissed off about how expensive gas, food and everything is. But they're also saying they are ready to fight back by voting for pro-worker candidates across the country, including a record number of union candidates.
Politicians who did nothing about rising prices, stalled wages or unchecked corporate power are about to be swept out by a rising wave of union voters.
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Original text here: https://aflcio.org/press/releases/afl-cio-shts-too-expensive-and-working-people-are-fired-get-out-vote
[Category: Union]
Wichita nurses ratify new contract with strong measures to improve patient safety and nurse retention
SILVER SPRING, Maryland, Oct. 14 [Category: Union] -- National Nurses United posted the following news release:
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Wichita nurses ratify new contract with strong measures to improve patient safety and nurse retention
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Registered nurses at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis and St. Joseph hospitals in Wichita, Kansas, voted overwhelmingly in favor of ratifying a new three-year contract today, winning protections to improve patient safety and nurse retention, announced National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU). NNU is the largest and fastest-growing union of registered
... Show Full Article
SILVER SPRING, Maryland, Oct. 14 [Category: Union] -- National Nurses United posted the following news release:
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Wichita nurses ratify new contract with strong measures to improve patient safety and nurse retention
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Registered nurses at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis and St. Joseph hospitals in Wichita, Kansas, voted overwhelmingly in favor of ratifying a new three-year contract today, winning protections to improve patient safety and nurse retention, announced National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU). NNU is the largest and fastest-growing union of registerednurses in the nation.
"After a successful strike in July, and with the threat of a second strike, we were able to win key improvements on all our priority issues," said Marvin Ruckle, RN in the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Joseph. "Patients will be safer, and nurses will stay at our hospitals because of this agreement."
Highlights of the contract include:
* Safe staffing improvements, including protections for charge RNs, and enhanced floating protections for nurses working outside their normal unit.
* Workplace violence prevention language, including guaranteeing staffed weapons detection systems at all public entrances.
* Economic gains to help retain and recruit experienced nurses: The agreement includes a 17-24 percent wage increase over three years and additional paid holidays.
* One master agreement that covers all NNOC represented nurses in Wichita.
* No contract takeaways.
"Nurses in Wichita are one," said Shelly Rader, RN in the emergency unit at St. Francis. "And now, we have one master agreement to cover all union nurses in Wichita, we are united for our patients."
The new pact covers the period October 2026 to October 2029.
NNOC represents more than 1,100 nurses combined at Ascension Via Christi St Francis and St Joseph and more Ascension nurses across the United States.
National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.
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Original text here: https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/wichita-nurses-ratify-new-contract-with-strong-measures-to-improve-patient-safety-and-nurse
National Nurses United endorses Rep. Ramirez's Reimagining Safety Act
SILVER SPRING, Maryland, Oct. 14 [Category: Union] -- National Nurses United posted the following news release:
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National Nurses United endorses Rep. Ramirez's Reimagining Safety Act
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National Nurses United's statement on the Reimagining Safety Act:
"National Nurses United (NNU), the largest union of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members, is proud to endorse Representative Delia Ramirez's Reimagining Safety Act. This legislation would abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), dismantle the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), terminate immigration
... Show Full Article
SILVER SPRING, Maryland, Oct. 14 [Category: Union] -- National Nurses United posted the following news release:
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National Nurses United endorses Rep. Ramirez's Reimagining Safety Act
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National Nurses United's statement on the Reimagining Safety Act:
"National Nurses United (NNU), the largest union of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members, is proud to endorse Representative Delia Ramirez's Reimagining Safety Act. This legislation would abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), dismantle the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), terminate immigrationenforcement agreements between states and local law enforcement, close Guantanamo Bay, establish the Department of Community Safety, and commit major invest in social safety net programs that will actually keep us safe and healthy, including Medicare for All. These goals align with nurses' values and vision for a healthy society.
"By repealing the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to eliminate ICE, Customs and Border Patrol, and the Department of Homeland Security, Representative Ramirez is taking bold steps towards building a society that invests in people over profits, health care over warfare, and dismantles one of the most destructive agencies established in the 21st century.
"The Trump administration has used agencies within the Department of Homeland Security to enact his inhumane political agenda. He's used ICE as a paramilitary force and held funding hostage for other agencies within DHS, like FEMA, that aid our communities. From Minnesota to New York, ICE agents have been terrorizing our communities with impunity. We continue to mourn the lives of registered nurse Alex Pretti, Renee Nicole Good, Joan Sebastian Guerrero, and dozens of other innocent victims who have been killed by ICE.
"The acts of violence and terror committed by a federal agency against our communities were exacerbated by Trump and his billionaire cronies by ballooning ICE's budget by tens of billions of dollars and stripping working class people of our health care in the 'big ugly bill.'
"It's immoral and does not have to be this way. ICE has only existed for a few decades and, even prior to this administration, has been used to terrorize our immigrant neighbors. It is long overdue for Congress to get rid of this harmful agency and reimagine what a healthier society should look like."
A July 2026 NNU report found that over 600 safety net hospitals are at risk of closure entirely or cuts to essential health services due to the enactment of President Trump and Congressional Republicans' cruel H.R. 1, which will exacerbate rural and community hospitals' financial crises. Patients will lose access to care in their communities and be forced to drive hours to receive care while nurses will lose their jobs.
The Reimagining Safety Act would redirect funding away from the public health threat of ICE -- which has killed, caused bodily injury, and imprisoned our neighbors -- and invest in public health through guaranteed health care through Medicare for All, universal childcare, free public education, climate justice, and more.
National Nurses United is proud to endorse this legislation and reiterate our demands to permanently abolish ICE.
NNU has consistently called for ICE's abolition. Nurses have held multiple actions to protect nurses from detention and demand an end to this campaign of community harassment and endangerment.
National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.
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Original text here: https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/national-nurses-united-endorses-rep-ramirezs-reimagining-safety-act (TNSmrp)
National Education Union: CEO Pay in Multi-Academy Trusts
LONDON, England, Oct. 14 -- The National Education Union issued the following news release:
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CEO pay in Multi-Academy Trusts
12/10/2026
Commenting on Systems Matter III, a report for the Campaign for State Education about high pay in academy trusts and local authority sectors, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
"This comprehensive piece of research gives us the clearest picture yet of how excessive pay for MAT CEOs is driving waste and inefficiency in the schools system, diverting public money from the classroom into a layer of highly paid bureaucrats.
"The
... Show Full Article
LONDON, England, Oct. 14 -- The National Education Union issued the following news release:
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CEO pay in Multi-Academy Trusts
12/10/2026
Commenting on Systems Matter III, a report for the Campaign for State Education about high pay in academy trusts and local authority sectors, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
"This comprehensive piece of research gives us the clearest picture yet of how excessive pay for MAT CEOs is driving waste and inefficiency in the schools system, diverting public money from the classroom into a layer of highly paid bureaucrats.
"TheMAT system allows its CEOs and leaders to set their own pay, without appropriate public scrutiny and regulation, while the hard work and collective endeavour of the vast majority of educators is not fairly recognised.
"The basic starting point should be to ensure that pay decisions in education are being made on a fair, transparent and objective basis. Executive pay must be fair relative to the pay of others working in education. There must be transparent pay outcomes and appropriate challenge on pay decisions for academy executives.
"The action taken by the government on MAT CEO pay is a start, but it is not enough. It will not be retrospective, so excessive CEO pay is baked into the system. Unlike other areas of pay in schools, there is no national pay framework for MAT CEO pay and this must be put right. The waste and inequality in the academies system must be tackled through a fair, transparent and enforceable shared pay framework."
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Original text here: https://neu.org.uk/latest/press-releases/ceo-pay-multi-academy-trusts?_locale=en
[Category: Union]
NALC Health Benefit Plan: 2027 PSHB benefits released
WASHINGTON, Oct. 14 [Category: Union] -- The AFL-CIO National Association of Letter Carriers issued the following news:
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NALC Health Benefit Plan: 2027 PSHB benefits released
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The NALC Health Benefit Plan's 2027 Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) rates and coverage details have been released. NALC members and their families can now review the updated plan offerings, benefit changes and premium rates to prepare for the upcoming Open Season. Full details are available on the Plan's PSHB Open Season page at nalchbp.org.
Open Season for the 2027 plan year begins Monday, Nov. 9, and continues
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Oct. 14 [Category: Union] -- The AFL-CIO National Association of Letter Carriers issued the following news:
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NALC Health Benefit Plan: 2027 PSHB benefits released
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The NALC Health Benefit Plan's 2027 Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) rates and coverage details have been released. NALC members and their families can now review the updated plan offerings, benefit changes and premium rates to prepare for the upcoming Open Season. Full details are available on the Plan's PSHB Open Season page at nalchbp.org.
Open Season for the 2027 plan year begins Monday, Nov. 9, and continuesthrough Monday, Dec. 14, 2026. This is the annual opportunity for Postal Service employees and annuitants to evaluate their health insurance options, compare plan features, and make any necessary changes to their enrollment.
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Original text here: https://www.nalc.org/news/nalc-updates/nalc-health-benefit-plan-2027-pshb-benefits-released
