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Cliff Guffey,
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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:
Aloha President Burrus. I live in a state (Hawaii) that receives a T-COLA (Territorial Cost of Living Adjustment) payment to defer a high cost-of-living. I (along with ALL postal employees, including management) am concerned about Congress considering legislation that would convert the T-COLA to locality pay for all federal agency employees in Alaska, Hawaii, and the U.S. Territories.
For employees in other agencies this is not necessarily a bad idea as it would be counted toward their retirement, whereas the T-COLA is not. However, postal employees on the mainland do not receive locality pay.
What is the stance of the APWU and other postal unions (NALC, NPMHU, NAPS) regarding this matter? Are all unions working together on this? How will we be protected should Congress pass legislation to eliminate the T-COLA? Does the stance of the union in the contiguous 48 states differ from union members in Alaska, Hawaii, and the U.S. Territories?
Mahalo for your helping us understand the ramifications of this legislation, should it pass.
Brad, Honolulu Local
President Burrus:
Thank you for submitting your question to Ask the President. You ask if the APWU is committed to the retention of the T-COLA payment received by our members in the designated territories, including Alaska and Hawaii. I assure you that APWU will use all of its resources to continue the payment in its current amount.
Efforts are made in virtually every congressional session to modify the criteria or the payments. With our allies we have been successful in defeating those past efforts.
Sept. 18, 2007
