NALC contract enforcers know that portions of USPS handbooks, manuals and other regulations that "directly relate to wages, hours or working conditions" are effectively incorporated into the National Agreement through Article 19. NALC has obtained electronic versions of important USPS manuals and handbooks directly from Postal Service Headquarters. In addition, the Postal Service has made certain publications available online.

Three Cautions on the Use of USPS Publications
1. Check for the latest issue. The Postal Service updates its various manuals and handbooks according to different schedules. (For instance, the ELM has been revised several times during the past couple of years.) To see if you have the current edition of a particular publication, obtain the latest Publication 223, Directives and Forms Catalog, from the USPS website, www.usps.com/publications/welcome.htm. Use the site's search function to locate a publication.

2. Some provisions may be under NALC challenge. Any of the USPS handbooks, manuals or publications provided on this site or available on the Web may be under an NALC challenge in the grievance procedure. NALC's distribution of or links to these materials is not in any way an admission that they are contractually sound or otherwise free from challenge. Check with your NALC branch officers or national business agent about the validity of a particular publication or provision.

3. Some items may not be covered by Article 19. Some handbook and manual provisions—for example, much of the M-39, M-41 and ELM—are enforceable as part of the contract under Article 19. However, certain other USPS publications may not be covered by Article 19.

Most of these materials are also available on the Contract Materials CD