Burrus Update 15-2009, Sept. 22, 2009

The union has received inquiries about the possibility that some applicants for the $15,000 retirement/separation incentive may be excluded because the agreement negotiated by the union limits the number of recipients to 30,000. This concern is especially troubling for employees applying for Voluntary Early Retirement (VER), because the right to revoke applications will expire on Sept. 25, before employees know whether they will receive the incentive.

To date, fewer than 21,000 employees have applied for the incentive or expressed interest, so there may be no reason for concern; however, in the event that the number of applicants reaches 25,000, pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding between the APWU and the USPS, the union and management will meet at the national level to decide the distribution of the remaining 5,000 slots between Mail Handler applicants and APWU-represented employees.

If it is anticipated at that time that the 30,000 limit will be reached, we will also decide who among the eligible employees will receive the incentive. Included among the options for consideration will be increasing the number of employees who will receive the incentive or permitting employees to cancel their retirement.

Employees should not be concerned that they will have committed to retire without assurance that they will receive the incentive.

William Burrus
President