Union “hopeful” with USPS labour talks set to continue

The US Postal Service has agreed to extend current working arrangements as it continues discussions with the American Postal Workers Union (APWU). Negotiations between the two sides are now set to continue to December 1, after yesterday’s extended contract deadline passed with no agreement.

However, discussions with the National Rural Letter Carriers Association, which ground to a halt at the weekend, look set to remain in stalemate.

The full terms of the 2006-2010 Collective Bargaining Agreement with the APWU will continue for the rest of this month, the union confirmed. The Agreement had been due to expire on November 20 before a three-day extension was granted through to yesterday’s noon deadline.

“The future of 220,000 postal workers and their families is at stake,” said APWU president Cliff Guffrey yesterday. “We are committed to achieving a beneficial contract, and ask for the continued support of union members.”

Key sticking points center around USPS proposals to counter some of its $8.5bn annual losses and declining mail volumes with a more “flexible” workforce.

Unions are objecting to proposals for wage freezes and benefit cuts, along with a move to a five-day week. The APWU said it wants to see less work outsourced to the private sector or turned over to managerial personnel, citing record productivity levels being achieved by USPS workers.

“The union’s strategy has been to offer proposals that will also benefit the Postal Service,” insisted Guffrey. “Returning work to our members makes sense because our members can perform the work more efficiently and less expensively than subcontractors and supervisors.”

Confirming the continuation of contract talks, USPS spokesman Mark Saunders told Post& Parcel today: “We’re looking for a contract that is in the best interests of our customers, our employees and the Postal Service.”

The APWU, which represents 209,000 clerks, mechanics, vehicle drivers, custodians and administrative workers, said yesterday it was hopeful of reaching an agreement with the USPS.

The same cannot be said for the National Rural Letter Carriers Association, which represents 115,000 delivery employees in rural and semi-rural areas.

It reached an impasse with the USPS on Saturday after two months of talks, with the USPS seeking a hold on salary increases while the union is holding out for “appropriate and reasonable” wage increases.

The NRLCA said the two sides expect to meet soon to discuss the next steps, with the USPS spokesman telling Post&Parcel that an arbitration process was “a distinct possibility”.

An arbitration process kicks in if labour negotiations are not settled within 60 days of a contract expiring, with US postal workers forbidden by law from striking. The process involves a review by an arbitration panel comprising a representative from each side and a neutral arbitrator.

USPS negotiations with two other unions, the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) and the National Postal Mail Handlers Union, are set to begin next year, with their current contracts running until November 2011.