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Ask President Burrus

Question:

Why was the conversion of PTFs in the new contract limited to a certain group? As an employee in a 125 man-year office, I feel it would have been a greater benefit to have all PTFs converted.

Matt, Central Nebraska Area Local

President Burrus:

Thank you for writing. I have received several questions from employees and local leaders in offices that do not meet the 200 “man-year” requirement of the tentative agreement. In general, the comments reflect unhappiness that part-time flexibles (PTFs) in those offices will not be converted to full time.

As I have mentioned in response to other questions, I did not write the tentative agreement — it was negotiated, which means that the final product represents a compromise between the union and postal management.

Without referring to the specific proposals exchanged at the bargaining table, I can say that discussions transpired over expanding the number of offices that would be staffed with a career workforce of 100 percent full-time employees. These discussions centered on the question of how many casuals would be needed to provide the flexibility management demanded in the smaller offices.

To appreciate the size office that would be considered, keep in mind that the smallest office included on the roster of 200 man-year locations compiled in the year 2000 was Independence, MO, which had 23 Clerk Craft employees. (An updated list for 2006-2010 — the period covered by the tentative agreement — has not yet been provided by the Postal Service.)

In smaller offices, which are not covered by the 80/20 full-time staffing requirement, PTFs typically account for 30 to 40 percent of the APWU complement. There are exceptions, of course, but the percent of PTFs historically has been significantly higher than the percent used in larger offices.

In exchange for a reduction in PTFs at these offices, management demanded the right to replace PTFs with casuals, essentially on a one-for-one basis. This would have resulted in more than 25 percent of the workforce in these offices being non-career employees — with no benefits and no contractual rights. In some offices the ratio of non-career workers would have been substantially higher. Imagine a small office staffed with only four workers — one full-time career employee and three casuals.

This was a compromise I was unwilling to make.

At future national conventions, this subject should be debated by the delegates — with a sense of realism that in exchange for full-time staffing among career employees at small offices, management will demand a large percentage of casual employees.

Threats to vote against the tentative agreement because employees in smaller offices feel they have been neglected by the union are misplaced. The contract contains many benefits for all union members, including upgrades.

Keep in mind that an upgrade in small-town America has a much greater financial impact than it does in New York or Los Angeles. APWU-represented employees in many areas of the country are among the highest-paid workers in the community, with the exception of managers and owners. Employees in many small offices can purchase a new home at a price that is four times their annual salary, while in the large cities of our country the cost of a new home is 10 times our members’ annual salary. The rent disparity is even greater; and while free parking is the norm at many small offices, in larger facilities employees often must pay a fee of $10 per day.

The fact is there are advantages and disadvantages at both the large offices and small offices. But for those who find conversion to full-time to be a paramount concern, the union has negotiated provisions that guarantee your right to transfer to a 200 man-year office before management hires from the street.

There are real benefits for employees in small offices provided by the American Postal Workers Union. The alternative to voting for the tentative agreement is binding arbitration, where the focus will be on retaining no-layoff protection; protecting cost-of-living raises, and preventing health insurance premiums from being re-allocated to the 70 percent/30 percent split other federal workers pay. There would be no upgrades, and raises and COLAs would be deferred.

Any perceived slight members in small offices will not be rectified by rejecting the contract, and the result could be devastating for all employees.

This is a good contract for all APWU-represented employees, and it deserves your support.

December 20, 2006

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