(AP) – Some 200,000 mail carriers have reached a tentative agreement with the U.S. Postal Service that includes backdated pay raises and a promise to provide workers with air-conditioned trucks.

The new agreement, which must still be ratified by union members, runs until November 2026. The postmen have been working without a new contract since their old contract expired in May 2023. Since then, they have continued to work under the terms of the old contract. .

The union and the postal service welcomed the agreement announced Friday.

“Both sides did not get everything they wanted. But by negotiating in good faith, we reached an agreement that meets our goals and rewards our members,” Brian Renfroe, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, told the Associated Press. “To achieve this, the Postal Service had to recognize members’ contributions to the Postal Service and the American people.”

Among other improvements, the deal raises top wages and reduces the time it takes new workers to reach that level, Renfroe said. He thanked Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and his deputy for negotiating in good faith throughout this arduous process.

The Postal Service said the deal supports its 10-year “Delivering for America” mission to modernize its operations and adapt to changing customer needs.

“This is a fair and responsible agreement that serves the best interests of our employees, our customers and the future of the Postal Service,” said Doug Tulino, Postmaster General and Chief Human Resources Officer.

Under the agreement, all urban carriers will benefit from three annual wage increases of 1.3% each by 2025, some of which will be paid retroactively from November 2023. Workers will also benefit from retroactive and future adjustments of the cost of living.

The Postal Service also pledged to “do everything possible” to equip postal trucks with air conditioning.

During the summer, the Post Office began deploying its new electric delivery vehicles, equipped with air conditioning. Although the trucks won’t win any beauty contests, they have received rave reviews from mail carriers accustomed to older vehicles that lack modern safety features and are prone to breakdowns or even fires.

Within a few years, the new fleet will number 60,000 vehicles, mostly electric models, serving as the Postal Service’s primary delivery truck from Maine to Hawaii.

Under the tentative agreement, the Postal Service must discuss with the union any plans to purchase new, non-air-conditioned postal trucks.

This is the second contract negotiated since DeJoy was appointed in 2020. It is expected to take several weeks for union members to ratify it.

Rural mail carriers are not covered by the contract because they are represented by a different union.

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