Printer-Friendly Page
President's Viewpoint
Achieving Progress Through Bargaining
(This article first appeared in the January/February 2007 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.)
My job is done. Now it’s your turn. Over the past year, I have been preparing for contract negotiations and participating in the bargaining process. Now I have completed the task of securing a National Agreement with postal management and have submitted it for your consideration.
|
I consider the tentative agreement to be among the boldest efforts our union has ever made; clearly we have learned much from the past and have moved well into the future.
What Would Be Gained
If the contract is approved by the membership, every APWU-represented employee will receive an upgrade, from the nine Level 1 employees to the thousands of Electronic Technicians and every worker in every other position in between. For the first time in postal collective bargaining history, agreement was reached to upgrade an entire bargaining unit — 272,000 employees. (I draw a distinction between the Letter Carriers’ upgrade and our recent agreement in that the NALC upgrade was secured through arbitration, rather than through bargaining.)
Every part-time flexible clerk in more than 400 installations will be converted to full time. Contrary to the assumption that this benefit will apply only to a limited number of workers, the newly negotiated feature will in fact benefit generations of employees far into the future. Never again will clerks in these offices be subjected to the terrible conditions forced on such “PTFs.” Upon their entry into the Postal Service in the Clerk Craft, employees in offices of 200 man-years or more will be assigned fixed schedules, have bidding rights, be treated as equals in work assignments, and be able to select vacation periods and sign the Overtime Desired List.
The national union will negotiate a single Local Memorandum of Understanding that will apply universally to the thousands of small offices that do not have a union structure to negotiate local agreements.
Perhaps the most innovative aspect of the agreement is the memorandum committing the parties to develop rules and procedures for the employment of retired postal employees to perform retail services. These employees will be hired by and paid by the American Postal Workers Union, and contracted to the Postal Service. If successful, this program will present an opportunity to expand retail services to locations where it is not cost-effective to open a full-service facility. Thousands of contract stations where postal services are treated as an afterthought could be converted to official USPS facilities; these facilities could expand our outreach into commercial venues with heavy consumer traffic.
Of course, care must be taken to ensure that these new retail opportunities do not distract from official retail sites and that our career employees are not adversely affected. But this bold move provides the union and management the opportunity to form a beneficial partnership that also expands services for the American public.
In addition, beginning with this contract (if it is approved) employees will have a contractual right to up to three days Bereavement Leave. They also will enjoy a host of other contractual improvements in the craft articles.
The wage increases, uninterrupted continuation of the Cost–of-Living Adjustments, “No Layoff ” protection, work-hour guarantees, and numerous other previously achieved benefits were secured and will continue.
Your Healthcare Benefits
Beginning in 2008, 1 percent of the employer’s share of health-plan premium payments would be shifted to employees each year for four years, which would increase the employee percentage of the premiums by a total of 4 percent — 3 percent in the 2006-2010 national agreement and 1 percent in the succeeding contract. We knew that reducing health-benefit costs would be a management objective and concluded that a voluntary agreement would not be achieved without compromise on this issue.
The 4 percent shift of premium cost is a modest compromise on an issue that dominates collective bargaining in every industry, and the pay increase over the life of this agreement will dwarf the increased health-care premium cost. Estimates put the ratio at more than 10 to 1, so the financial impact will be minor. (Approximately $4,500 in wage increases, compared to $350 in increased healthcare premium costs.)
The employer’s payment of 95 percent of the APWU Consumer Driven Plan will provide our members with an option. This change is not presented as a benefit for every employee, as many are comfortable with the coverage provided by other FEHBP plans, but it does provide an attractive option to be considered.
Employees should consider that members of the Consumer Driven Plan will pay approximately $1,300 less each year in premiums than they would for traditional high-option plans. (If invested in a tax-free Health Savings Account, the financial advantage would be in the range of $1,600 annually.) When combined with the $2,400 Personal Care Account, Consumer Driven Plan members with family coverage would have $4,000 to spend on healthcare before the Member Responsibility takes effect.
Each employee must apply individual judgment to healthcare coverage; only you can determine what is best for you and your family.
Change and Progress
Contracts are not written; they are negotiated: Taking into consideration the entire tentative agreement, there is no doubt that APWU-represented employees have made progress, and that is what the negotiations process is all about.
Many employees believe that if the union is convinced of the righteousness of a desired change and advances it with sufficient vigor, postal management has no option but to relent. In fact, a negotiated contract can be reached only if both sides agree.
I present the tentative agreement to you with my endorsement, along with the approval of the constitutional Rank-and-File Bargaining Advisory Committee, and the entire roster of resident officers. We believe this agreement is worthy of your consideration and your support.
We have done our job. Now it’s your turn. Historically only 30-odd percent of APWU members take the time and interest to vote in a contract referendum. Many of those who seem to have the most to say about postal employment will not take the time to mark an X on a piece of paper, put it in a pre-paid envelope, and take it with them to work. Well, Sisters and Brothers, there is not a single APWU member who can say that this contract will not make a difference in their lives. And if it will make a difference, how can you leave it to others to determine whether it passes or fails?
You have demands and expectations, but you also have responsibilities. Get involved in your union and vote!
As part of an unprecedented organizing campaign, the APWU sent a “ratification packet” to workers represented by the union who are not members. The mailing was much the same as that sent to members, but with a catch: A vote would be counted only if the non-member completed a union signup card, which also was enclosed.
Invitation to Non-Members In a letter accompanying the mailing, APWU President William Burrus wrote, “If you approve of these changes, the only way you can have a voice in whether or not they are enacted is if you become a union member. The stakes are too high for you to defer to others the decision on your future...” A new contract is an ideal recruitment tool for the union, Burrus said. “Non-members may believe that their pay and conditions of employment are determined by their work performance, but the fact is that every aspect of the job is governed by APWU USPS agreements. “The non-members will receive the benefits of these agreements,” he said. “They have an obligation to themselves — and their co-workers — to join the fight for better conditions for postal employees. The way to do that is to join the union.” The mailing was sent after the ratification mailing to APWU members. |
APWU President William Burrus
Telephone: 202-842-4250
ABOUT THE
APWU PRESIDENT
The American Postal Workers Union’s top officer is its president, William Burrus. The president has overall responsibility for the operations of the APWU, as directed by the Constitution and Bylaws.
