Although the union is “increasingly frustrated” at the slow pace of contract negotiations, bargaining is continuing, APWU President Cliff Guffey has announced. After briefing the Rank and File Bargaining Advisory Committee on Jan. 4 and 5, members of the union’s negotiating team held discussions with their management counterparts on Jan. 6 and 7.
“It remains to be seen whether management negotiators are willing to make the commitment necessary to reach a negotiated settlement,” Guffey said.
“As we have said many times, we are determined to safeguard jobs and to lessen the pain of excessing for our members.” In December, the APWU and the Postal Service agreed to a moratorium on excessing. The moratorium applies to excessing outside of a craft or installation, and will remain in effect as long as bargaining continues.
“We are seeking an agreement that will benefit postal workers and the Postal Service,” the union president said. “One of our top priorities is to restore work that has been contracted out or assigned to supervisory personnel. This would restore a sense of stability to APWU members who have endured severe hardships due to the long-distance reassignments caused by excessing,” he said.
“The proposals we have submitted to achieve our objectives also would benefit the Postal Service,” Guffey said. “They would save the USPS money, because our members can perform these duties more efficiently and at a lower cost.”
In addition to job security and excessing, the parties are discussing wages, benefits, and issues related to workforce structure
The betting is heavily in favor of ALL the union contracts going to arbitration. The USPS has no interest in trying to find middle ground and proves it every day in it’s horrendous and reccurring treatment of it’s employees.
How can the Postal Service accept losing the same grievances year after year for poor management decisions WITHOUT replacing the managers. The same managers making all the same unbusinesslike and abusive decisions and are never disciplined themselves ?
All that can mean is that the Postal Service wants them to manage that way, oppressively !
I am just trying to save the PO. After I screw over craft, I will be giving myself a 39% raise, just Mr. Pooter did!
well it would be good if the union and management would agree to get A negotiated contract, but since friday postamaster general got rid of the southeast area office and those pces don’t have a job , they have to find one, but i would like to see how 120 PCES EMPLOYEES get a job. B ut i think this is just the begining of a FULL BLOWN RIF and hardly no JOBS left but CRAFT JOBS LEFT AND hardly no top management at the trough getting their high 3.
postmaster general donahue is a head hunter, job slasher, and don’t care about what happens next. he’s so stupid he even got rid of the technicians that work with the postal inspectors that catch criminals on tape with cameraS and said job gone ………. he’s another RUNYON JOB SLASHER ……………. IF YOU HAVE A FULL TIME JOB YOU BETTER STAY IN IT SLASHER IS COMING …………….
I hope that the Post Office and the Union can come to a mutual agreement. It would save money not to arbitrate. There must be some kind of way that the 2 sides can agree at least partially……..