APWU members approved a new contract May 11, with more than 75 percent of those casting ballots voting in favor of ratification. The final tally was 69,451 to 22,351 in balloting that ended May 10. The agreement will expire May 20, 2015.
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“The new contract is an important achievement for the APWU,” said President Cliff Guffey. “We were able to retain protection against layoffs, bring back thousands of jobs in each craft, and limit excessing.
“The agreement includes many big changes, and I realize that some union activists are apprehensive,” Guffey added.“With help from the national union, I am confident that locals can implement the new provisions and protect the rights of APWU members.
“We also must make legislative activity a priority,” Guffey said. “We must support bills — such as H.R. 1351 — that will enable the Postal Service to remain viable in the future. This measure, which would correct postal funding inequities, is essential to our future.
“APWU members must visit members of Congress frequently and talk to them about our issues,” he said.
“In addition, we must focus on organizing,” the union president noted. “We have an opportunity to reach out to newly-hired workers and to non-members who are already on the rolls,” he said. “They will benefit from many of the new provisions, and we must let them know that their participation will make the union stronger.
“As a result of the new contract, the USPS will begin hiring — for the first time in many years. New people will strengthen the union and improve work life for current employees,” Guffey said.
New Provisions
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In addition to safeguarding jobs and restricting excessing, the contract awards wage increases of 3.5 percent, as well as seven uncapped Cost-of-Living Adjustments. The first increase will take place in November 2012.
The agreement also includes several new concepts: The “full-time” designation will apply to any position of 30 or more hours per week and to any position of 48 hours or less per week. This will allow for the creation of a variety of full-time schedules, including four 10-hour days, three 12-hour days, and four 11-hour days.
However, no current employee can be forced into a full-time position of less than 40 hours per week or more than 44 hours per week. Furthermore, there will be no mandatory overtime for employees in non-traditional assignments or in functional areas that utilize non-traditional full-time assignments.
The new agreement also provides for the creation of new positions for non-career Postal Support Employees.
These employees will have the opportunity to join the ranks of the permanent, career workforce by seniority. They will be part of the APWU bargaining unit, and will receive raises, health benefits, and leave.
Transitional Employees and Casuals will be eligible for conversion to Postal Support Employees if they have passed the appropriate tests and are on the register. “We will begin to spread the word among TEs and Casuals right away and encourage them to take the necessary exams,” Guffey said.
The Numbers
Ballots were mailed to 176,611 union members, and more than 50 percent were returned by the deadline.
“I wish more union members voted,” Guffey said, “but I am pleased that participation increased substantially over previous ratification votes.” Forty percent of eligible union members took part in the ratification process for the 2006-2010 contract.
“The increase demonstrates that our membership is interested and active,” he said.
Ballots were mailed to 35,668 non-members, who were invited to vote, provided they completed union sign-up cards that were enclosed in their ratification packets.
The vote count was conducted by the American Arbitration Association on May 11 near Washington, DC, under the supervision of the Rank and File Bargaining Advisory Committee. Clarice Torrence, chairperson of the committee, announced the final results at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
Results showing the voting by individual locals will be posted at www.apwu.org as soon as they become available. Winners of the union’s voter-participation contest will be announced as soon as they have been identified.
Bargaining between the APWU and the USPS began Sept. 1, 2010, approximately 90 days prior to the expiration of the old contract on Nov. 20. The parties agreed to several extensions while negotiations continued.
On March 14, the union and management announced a tentative agreement. The Rank and File Bargaining Advisory Committee voted unanimously to endorse the agreement, as did the National Executive Board.
Thanks
“I want to thank the members of the union’s Negotiating Team for their invaluable assistance,” Guffey said. “They are Greg Bell, Executive Vice President; Mike Morris, Director of Industrial Relations; Rob Strunk, Director of the Clerk Craft; Steve Raymer, Director of the Maintenance Craft, and Bob Pritchard, Director of the Motor Vehicle Craft. In addition, APWU staff worked long hours and provided expertise that was crucial to our success.
“I also appreciate the seriousness and dedication of the members of the union’s Rank and File Bargaining Advisory Committee,” Guffey said. “They worked diligently to represent the membership of our union.
“Finally, thank you to all the union members who made the effort to read the agreement and vote. No matter how you voted, the APWU is stronger and better because of your participation.”
now that all the breaking of arms patting themselves on the back the national sent 35,668 ballots to scabs (non members ) is what it says on apwu.org. along with a letter stating that their vote would be valid so long as they returned the completed membership application along with their ballot. so now past pratice says non members are members in good standing! kiss my a2s
4ource, $500 times 24 years equals $12,000 that you paid them over time. If and when you get out, I promise you that APWU reps, union will treat you like as if you had never paid them ever in your life. All the money that you gave them went to pay for their fun trips, extra pay benefits, play around with their friends, pick and choose who they wanted to help.
Good luck!
So long APWU. After 24 years of paying dues, I can’t take it anymore. My completed Form 1186 is just waiting for the 10 day window to send it in. I would rather have the 20 dollars every pay period than this bunch of back stabbing, low life, bottom feeders. Guppy and his crowd are TRAITORS. I urge everyone that voted no to vote no again, and cancel membership in the union.
this is what happens when you have a company controlled union and most union slugs walk around in a constant state of fear.(not to mention living a lifestyle above their pay grade because they get a check every two weeks)
President Roosevelt addresed the fear issue about 68 years ago, but when you have a work force with a collective IQ of 80, these are the kind of contracts one would execpt…..its called getting screwed by both ends against the middle.
Guffy is a little troll creep….I hope his tenure is a short one…..you will not be able to afford a loaf of bread once hyper inflation hits……funny how the Federal Government does not enclude energy or food in the CPI index……hold on to your shorts, you will soon reap the whirlwind with those 30 hour “FULL TIME JOBS”!
there is a penalty in life for being stupid and ignorant….unfortunately working with idiots can also cause you economic harm!
I can just hear that old guy ROSS PEROT shouting in the background ” I can hear THAT GIANT SUCKING SOUND” coming out of the P.O !!! This ratification is definitely the beginning of the end.. Lost pasts,lost present, and lost futures. It is sad to realize at the end of 40 years, the sum total of my entire “career” has
Amounted to “NOTHING”!!!! NADA…….ZIP. !!!!!!
i am a maint employee for 30+ YRS. closed my plant,gave me 2 day noticed that i was being excessed to another plant. where was the union? you want me to join?
what are you smokin ???
Hey guys, remember me? Im LMAO right now. Like you didnt see this coming.
Looks like you all got the union you stood by and did nothing to get. Hope you can afford your meager lives after that 25% pay cut a select “few” of you are going to get.
Better work a little faster, management and your local APWU is looking over your shoulder…….Hahahaa
thank god the morons in bumf##$ck voted yes, and grateful the votes from larger areas were not counted. probably “lost” like last time we voted on a contract when the vote was seeable from oiutside the envelope. the last thing we needed was a good contract that provided a decent wage increase and protection for the workers. what we really neede was the ability for management to control our work hours and bid protections. part time employees are our best remedy to keep the P>O> afloat, that and mismanagement.
Tony, never ever put anything past these low life, bottom feeders.
I WONDER IF THE YES OR NO VOTE ON THIS PROPOSED ..( HA ..HA..)????CONTRACT WAS LIKE ONE OF THOSE TRICK QUESTIONS ON GOVERNMENT BALLOTS WHERE A YES VOTE REALLY MEANS NO ,,,,ETC…….??????
If I am converted as a PTF to be a full-time whatever they call me, “regular”. My hours can be minimum 30 hours plus in a bid converted to making me a regular. After I am made regular, which should be soon because of the newly voted contract, then I will be closer to the bottom of being on the regular list to be excessed as a regular. If there is not enough sufficient work deemed for me to work my 30 hour plus bid, then I can be excessed??? So, if in a 50 mile radius there is no work to give me, everybody else is being excessed to no where to go to, I will be on a 2 year stand by? If sufficient work is not offered to me within 2 years, then I am totally cut lose from being on the rolls of USPS and have to start all over to get hired again in a CASUAL position now called something else, just to get my foot in the door all over again? I don’t see the win/win in that! 🙁
Me too! He’s got a big one!
Lisa on Thu, 12th May 2011 2:20 pm = get out from under the old mans desk!!!
Well, I know of one custodian Scab that voted for this contract – He is senior custodian and has no intentions of ever becoming a dues paying member – Just glad I will be out the Door June 30th….good luck to all — you are going to need it!!
So if PTFs are converting to 30 hours work week, WHEN will this goes in effect?? Hope i turn regular before the signing of the contract causes i’m next to turn regular.
Well, we still have a job….
The union should be ashamed of themselves.all I want to know is who sucked of who
Right on Joe. My office has four APWU members presently, but three of us are out of the union on our anniversary date. I would not call the union for anniversary date. This is dues deduction anniversary date, not your postal anniversary date. Call Shared Services, 1 877 477 3273, for date. DO NOT USE FORM 1188, even though it has a code for APWU. USE FORM 1186. I am sick of paying dues to just another branch of these socialist minded people, that absolutely does not give a blank about betterment of workers or the environment that we work in every day.
All you yo-yo’s better be lucky you have a job at all. I’ve got 27 years in and there are numerous postal employees that would not make it in the real world of business, too lazy, complain too much. Be thankful for what you have…….quit complaining about having a job.
Wage freeze – with cost of living expenses going up! The non-members were sent a ballot to entice them to join the union. Some were members for a long time, but quit. Unions are not what they use to be. Our local union make no effort to help the employees. Same guy in there as the president for decades. Most co-workers are chicken-shit….so not a surprise that they voted yes for a bad contract.
That contract got ratified, because people are running scared.
When they talk, they are scared.
They so scared to take the chance at voting no, so voted yes on a bad contract.
Unions has lost members’ dues money to NRP.
Those employees no longer get union dues taken out – no pay checks!!
What does your locals do with your dues money??
Support the DEMON-crats.
YOU ARE NOW OFFICIALLY ON A ‘W A G E F R E E Z E’
danny, I am not an idiot and I know how to read very well. What I do not understand is why non-union members were given the option to join and voice their opinion at the eleventh hour without having paid any dues up to that point. If anyone can answer that question intelligently, I would really appreciate the information.
It’s time to give yourself a raise of about $625 a year, about $ 50 a month and about $24 each pay period. The APWU is dead now with the the new contract. Guffey cared about him and his buddies. You take care of yourself and stop giving your $50 a month to him.
Start now to pull out from the union. Here is the process. Call 202-842-8505 or call main APWU # 202-842-4200 and ask for your “anniversary date” first. You must have your employee ID number available to you. Write down your anniversary date. Download PS Form 1186 in USPS Blue under Forms and print it.
You can only mail within a 10 day window frame by CERTIFIED Mail only. This 10 day window must be NO more than 20 days before your anniversary date and NO later than 10 days before your anniversary date
Example: If your anniversary date is May 20, you must mail your PS Form 1186 between May 1 and May 10 by Certified Mail only. Make sure you fill out legibly and accurately.
I think Cliff showed what courage is:
Judgement to distinquish right from wrong. Vision to see the truth.
Courage to act. Strenght to stand by good at any price.
Sam, APWU sent out vague information which was bias (more pro for their contract) with their ballots for everyone to send back to them. In a way, it was a bit rigged, APWU knows it. Votors didn’t know exactly what they were voting on when it came to looking at the whole picture, pros and cons. By seeing what only APWU said, members believed more good was in it than bad, not understanding how screwed they were by voting yes on it. Now yes member voters will see how great their voting for yes was. Even if all the APWU non-members vote would have been counted in the vote and all have them had voted no, it still would not have mattered. There would have still been too far of a wide gap to change the vote around.
Sam, APWU sent out vague information which was bias (more pro for their contract) with their ballots for everyone to send it. In a way, it was a bit rigged. Votors didn’t know exactly what they were voting on when it came to looking at pros and cons. By seeing what only APWU said, they believed more good was in it than good, not understanding how screwed they were by voting on it. Now they will see how great their voting for yes was. Even if all the APWU non-members vote would have counted and all have them had voted no, it still would not have matter. There was way too much of a wide gap.
Oh good. now we can start excessing
LEMMINGS
Dumb bastards handed it over on a silver platter.
I can’t wait for those AM breaks that we share with the clerks, the APWU will start telling us “They can’t do that” when mgmt. starts to dismember them.
Well, thanks to this vote they sure can. Mgmt. will just say, you agreed to this. Welcome to tour 1. We just lost 2.2 billion for a single quarter, you honestly think mgmt. is not going to squeeze this sponge dry. Hang on to your asses!!!
I have been sick all day and have just now looked at the voting results. Now, I’m sicker. WTF happened? I know in my office everyone was against this. But how many actually voted? About half. They all had stupid excuses: I got busy, lost the ballot, meant to do it, forgot. Whatever. My manager already said all current FTR jobs are being reposted, other duties added to all jobs, day off’s split up. Congratulations all, that is your future. What happened to fighting for the betterment of our future employees. All union members before us fought for US to have better, we fought to screw the future. Congrats! And the “no excessing beyond 40 miles” clause. Are you frickin kidding me. If there is not enough work for you, and not enough jobs inside 40 hours what the heck do you think the result will be? Duh, your hours will be cut or they will give you a split shift. Also, we had people excess to another city as another craft, and came back when an opening was available. They were back within 6 months and glad they did it. Also, it says in the contract that a committe is being put together to look at this new NTFT position, where they are considering split shifts for them. Already, split shifts are coming. Congrats, we’ve sold out. Bet NALC won’t screw their members like this
You clerks are screwed! My Plant Mangager is already drawing up plans to revert all bids and many will not be reposted in any form. You guys are gonna start being replace by our former casual friends right away! This is going to be fun!!
Folks: This is the beginning of the end of APWU. It’s time that we abandon the ship and quit the union and save yourself about $625 a year, about $52 a month or about $24 per pay period. Here is the process to get out from the union.
You first find your anniversary date by calling APWU or HR. Print PS Form 1186 online on USPS Blue Page or call and get from HR. 20 days before your anniversary date, you must fill out this form accurately and mail it by CERTIFIED MAIL only no earlier than 20 days before your anniversary date and NO later than 10 days before your anniversary date.
For example. If your anniversary date is May 20, you must PS Form 1186 by CERTIFIED MAIL only between May 1 and May 10.
TO YOU PTF YOU WILL BE CONVERTED TO A 30HR WEEK
Can someone explain this to me: I’m a MVO PTF. I joined MVO 1 1/2 years ago. Will i be \CONVERTED to “Non traitional full time” with 30 hour work week? or Regular FULL TIME with a 40 hour work week??
Ditto Zack.
Dennis, Sounds like you will throw anybody under the bus to make money for the union, to get your money. Good for you. The only SCAB is you for calling others one.
Non-Union members DO NOT vote. They have to join to vote. They are given the paperwork to join the union along with their ballot. The ballot is not counted unless the paperwork to join is included with the ballot. It is idiots like like that cannot read or understand what they read that are going to be the down fall of the USA.
Jobs secured until May 2015, at which time the NO LAYOFF guarantee will be history. The situation will be so bad by then that the negoiations will focus on to handle the massive RIF required.
Enjoy your last 4 years of job security. The days of that kinda protection are almost done.
I don’t understand why non-union members got to vote…..can someone explain that?
Dear “Heywood”: Who is “Ray Burris”??
I do believe that you are either a non-union troll/scab or you are a terrifically
uninformed member…
We are a DEMOCRACY in this Union. WE cast ballots to either approve or
disapprove of what we have in front of us.
PREPAID BALLOTS are MAILED TO OUR RESIDENCES. All one has to do
is mark YES or NO and then MAIL IT BACK….no getting dressed to go to a
polling place in the rain or snow….no driving around town looking for a
voting booth….HOW MUCH MORE SIMPLE CAN IT GET???
Outright ANGER at your brothers and sisters who take a different stance
than what would have been YOURS IS FOOLISH AND DIVISIVE.
One does not have to like the outcome of an election, but one has to
respect the system and the very principals of UNIONISM.
And…if you were referring to our EX-PRESIDENT, Mr. BILL BURRUS,
I believe that overall, he did an excellent job as Union President. I
believe that he could have done a better job with negotiating our last
two Labor contracts, but that is JUST MY OPINION, the majority of my
brothers and sisters felt differently.
Our struggle continues….Solidarity is the ANSWER.
Say good-bye to the middle class! I figure we should be a 3rd world country before I die. With wages like these for future employees, and inevitable inflation with a weaker dollar, everyone’s spending power is headed for the toilet. Our economy depends on our spending power. When we have little or no money, there goes your economy, and here comes China. They may as well have eliminated the “Vacation Planning” program while they were at it, because no one will be able to afford a vacation pretty soon; unless you want to stay at home and count beans.
This is just one more step toward the demise of this country. Your socialist government will take care of the rest.
Too late for prayers. The APWU is already in hell. What an unlaughable joke. This is what happens when we have virgins in COO positions ie, like Guffey and Obama.
I think however you voted you need to give those who didn’t vote the same a break. Situations are different whether you’re living in a big city, small city, town or village. Situations are different because of lifestyles and age, different areas cost of living etc. I’m from an MPC in a small city in upstate NY with POUM’s from a larger city intent on tearing us apart. Well they pretty much have succeeded. We use to have around 120 full time clerks–now we’re down to about 15. We have some people in Binghamton, Rochester, Syracuse now. Far enough away where working 40 hours means half your pay might be going to an apartment while you’re left trying to keep things afloat back home. It’s not nice. Of those left and I’m one there are a number who have been excessed. Next month I’ll be working on my 30th year–4 in the service–almost 25 now for USPS. I have 873 days to go. This is my last contract. My choices before the excess freeze came down were 1. Rochester 70-80 miles away-2.switching to full time carrier (until a full time clerk position became available at which time I would be forced to retreat to whatever that job was) or 3. PTF clerk. That’s pretty much where 29 years had got me and others who work with me.
Some people need their 40 hours–hopefully they won’t have problems keeping that. My situation–the 40 isn’t that important. I don’t mind the 30 hours. I’m pretty much just trying to get the minimum requirements in to retire. This is an aging work force–there are a lot of clerks set to retire in the next few years and USPS and APWU need new blood if this service is going to survive. It’s not hard for me to understand why this agreement came about. At the same time for those who think we could have won an arbitration–IMO that was very unlikely. Past arbitrations gave us minimal wage gains–and sometimes there were takebacks in other areas. As I see it neither side has ever really won an arbitration and the deck was stacked against APWU in this one–with the script already written about USPS’s economic woes.
I have no love for management. Might as well make that clear. I don’t think in the time I’ve been here that anybody in this plant I’ve worked in has had more jobs taken away from them than me. They always found a way. We had a local president here for years who worked hand in glove with them. I voted for this contract because I thought it the best possibility for us–not just me. Am I sure it’s going to work for us?–not really but I didn’t see any other realistic alternative that was better.
I wonder if management will show their true colors by raping the APWU right away, or if they will be smart enough to wait until after the Mailhandlers and City Carriers arbitrate their contracts. There is NO WAY the NPMHU or the NALC will agree to anything even resembling the APWU contract, so the USPS will probably start immediately. Step 1. Early outs for APWU to get the top earners off the rolls. Step 2. Convert every FTR job in sight to a 30 hour NTFT job. Step 3. Hire as many PSE (casual) employees as possible to fill all the new 30 jobs. At least Congress might be happy that the APWU workers were willing to take pay cuts to help ease a Postal burden not of their making. Let’s all give our thoughts and prayers to the APWU.
APWU Guffey was “pleased” that 50% of the membership participated and responded to ratify the tentative agreement by almost a 75% margin. And that was a big improvement over the previous Contract when only 40% of the membership sent back in their ballots! With a Unionized workforce that is that Apathetic towards casting a yes or a no to an Agreement that will be the Blueprint for your working conditions for the next half decade, don`t bitch now, You deserve whatever you got! Now, go blame Ray Burris that you got screwed! IDIOTS!
Well it has began, the beginning of the end. If the Union is weak now when it comes to standing up to Postal management to represent a union member then where will such end. The question you each must answer is;Will you still be working for the postal Service come May 20, 2015? Will you continue to be forced to work in a hostile work environment without clear relief?
Whether or not this is a good or bad contract only time will tell but without strong union representatives who stands “UNION FIRST” then the trade offs will continue.
In Solidarity
PEACE
The membership has spoken loudly and clearly that we support our national leadership and our outstanding new contract. Way to go APWU! I am proud of my UNION!
(Maybe now the SCABS who frequent these websites will STFU and crawl back into their wormholes to sulk.)
Union busting at its best