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President's Viewpoint

Accomplishments Steel Us For the Future

(This article was first published in the January/February 2005 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.)

As we begin the new year and reflect on last year’s activities, we can be proud of our accomplishments.

• We defended the rights of our members in the debate over postal reform, and were successful in excluding most of the objectionable features of early drafts of the bills;
  
  
• For the second consecutive year, we raised more than $1 million dollars in contributions to COPA, the union’s political action fund;
  
  
• The early-out agreement was implemented, and thousands of APWU-represented employees were afforded the opportunity to retire early;
• Annual postal pay was increased by more than $1,300; and
  
  
• CFS employees – the last group of Grade 4 employees in postal plants – were promoted to Grade 5.

These were major accomplishments for the American Postal Workers Union, and we intend to build upon them in 2005.

The challenges before us are formidable. Postal reform will be revisited; plant-consolidation efforts will intensify; contract negotiations will begin this summer, and regressive legislation is an ever-present threat to our right — and ability — to give our members the representation they deserve.

On the issue of postal reform, immediately following the Nov. 2 national election, large mailers appealed to the White House to support legislation. While there is not unanimity in the postal community, there is a general consensus to urge lawmakers to immediately address two issues that would have a major impact on postal finances. Addressing the military-service pension credits and the escrow fund would give the Postal Service a stronger financial outlook, adding close to $30 billion to its revenues, and forestalling a significant postage increase. However, there is also sentiment among some major mailers to address these paramount issues in conjunction with more fundamental changes to the postal system.

What the White House Wants

The White House has indicated that the pending bills are unacceptable, and has listed 15 modifications that must be made. Included among the proposed changes are five that would negatively affect postal employees and the American public.

The Bush administration seeks to:

Eliminate provisions that would reduce flexibility to negotiate work-sharing agreements. This proposal suggests the most radical change to USPS activities and could affect both statutory and contractual provisions. Among the changes that could result from this proposal are: the elimination of the negotiated no-lay-off and reassignment provisions; limitations on transfer opportunities; and the denial of congressional input regarding the closing of small offices.

Provide flexibility for USPS to optimize its processing and distribution network. The intent of this proposal is to deny citizens the opportunity to voice their concerns in communities where service would be curtailed significantly; congressional representatives would not be able to decide on a facility-by-facility basis, but would be restricted to up-and-down votes on a package of office closings.

Require the arbitrator to take into account the “viability of the business” during contract negotiations. This would radically alter the bargaining process, modifying the existing law that requires “wage comparability,” and interjecting consideration of postal management’s “ability to pay” instead. The inevitable result would be an erosion of postal employees’ wages and benefits.

Adopt the Senate bill’s changes to workers’ compensation laws that require a three-day waiting period before benefits begin, and changes that move workers from workers’ comp to retirement, at the retirement rate… In addition, if the Administration is successful in achieving stronger government-wide FECA reform, the government-wide reforms should supercede postal provisions. Compensation for injuries on duty would be drastically reduced. Since most injuries are for a period of three days or less, employees who return to work quickly would receive no compensation for injuries incurred in the line of duty.

Make clear that the regulator has the sole authority to clarify and periodically change the scope of the Postal monopoly. The Postal Service’s time-honored obligation of six–day delivery and restrictions on access to customers’ mailboxes would be subject to modification by a newly-created Postal Regulatory Board, a politically appointed body that would face no congressional review.

A Great Challenge

These proposed changes pose great challenge to APWU and other postal labor unions. Each is designed to reduce postal costs, which would mean a reduction in wages and benefits to every postal worker.

The recent election confirmed that the public endorses the erosion of worker protections if the result is reduced costs. Our traditional allies have been weakened and cannot provide support to defend the status quo or enact a progressive agenda. In the coming months, we will see if the Bush Administration and the Republican-dominated Congress include regressive postal reform on their list of things to do.

Prepare for the battles ahead. It will take all of the resources at our disposal to protect the gains of the past 34 years.

I hope that you and your loved ones enjoyed a pleasurable holiday season. With your assistance and commitment, we can make the coming year a good APWU year.

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