Arbitrator’s 2001 Analysis Deserves Consideration

Burrus Update #10-07, March 28, 2007

In our continuing effort to educate ourselves about the collective bargaining process, the analyses of the arbitrators who decide the terms of the APWU-USPS contracts when negotiations end in “interest arbitration” can be very instructive. The union posts the arbitrators’ explanations of their awards on our Web site along with the contracts, but they are rarely read in their entirety.

The decision of Arbitrator Stephen B. Goldberg for the 2000 Collective Bargaining Agreement provides a thorough analysis, and I recommend reading it carefully. His examination of the value of postal employment is enlightening.

Of particular interest is Goldberg’s “Supplemental Opinion Dealing with Economic Issues,” issued in January 2002 [PDF], in which he analyzes the “Comparability Standard” for postal pay, as required by law.

I strongly recommend that every APWU representative read it carefully to appreciate how one of the nation’s most highly-respected arbitrators views postal employment.

At some point in the years ahead, when the union’s goals and management’s demands cannot be reconciled through negotiation, our Collective Bargaining Agreement will again be submitted to interest arbitration. It is important that union activists understand the analysis of our industry by arbitrators who could have substantial influence on the future of the postal workplace.

William Burrus
President

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