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APWU to Meet With USPS
Over Possible 'Early Out' Offer

Burrus Update #08-08, July 3, 2008

The union has learned unofficially that the Postal Service has requested from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) the authority to offer early retirement to 40,000 postal employees. In response to an inquiry from my office, a meeting with Postal Service headquarters has been scheduled for Monday, July 7, regarding these reports.

No specifics of the early-retirement plan will be available until full discussions have taken place with the USPS. The union interprets the national agreement as requiring negotiations over early-retirement offers, and a written demand for official notification and bargaining has been forwarded to postal management.

The Postal Service is experiencing serious revenue shortfall as a result of the slumping economy. Mail volume is down significantly, and revenue is not keeping pace with inflation. What was touted as “a new business plan” in the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 (PAEA) serves only to place a cap on rate increases in response to the mail-volume loss.

Excessive workshare discounts and the increased focus on contracting postal activities generate budgetary losses that cannot be recovered through internal efficiencies. It is within this environment that the postal monopoly and six-day delivery are being re-evaluated, which guarantees that we will be seeing proposals for revolutionary change.

APWU is demanding bargaining on any proposal to offer “early outs.” We believe that all APWU-represented employees should be eligible, and that there should be monetary incentives for interested employees.

As more information is made available, the union membership will be informed.

William Burrus
President

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