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Cliff Guffey,
President |
Ask the President Archives
Below is a response by former APWU President William Burrus to a question posed online by a union member. Other questions cover a wide range of topics, from contract enforcement to union governance.
Question:
Why hasn’t night differential pay been increased? When will it change? I remember at one time it was 10 percent more than regular pay.
Name Withheld, San Antonio Alamo Area Local
President Burrus:
During the 1994 national contract negotiations, the APWU and Postal Service were unable to reach an agreement, so the unresolved issues were referred to interest arbitration. Among the items in dispute was a management proposal to reduce night differential from 10 percent of base pay to a flat dollar amount.
As a part of his decision, Arbitrator Jack Clarke modified payment procedures that had been in place for more than 40 years, and substituted a fixed rate of pay for night differential.
The union had vehemently opposed the proposal and presented supporting evidence and testimony during the arbitration proceedings. Regrettably, the arbitrator disagreed with the union’s stance and imposed the current compensation schedule for work hours between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
In subsequent negotiations the issue has been revisited, but we have been unable to agree on modifications to the 1994 ruling.
As we approach 2006 contract negotiations, I want to assure APWU members that an increase in the night differential rate will be among the union’s top priorities. Night-differential pay cannot be permitted to diminish to an amount so low that it no longer serves as a deterrent to anti-social scheduling.
Jan. 31, 2006
