USPS has failed to reach agreements on new labour contracts with the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) and the National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association (NRLCA) respectively, with the negotiations coming to an impasse in both cases.
Last week, the US postal operator agreed with the APWU union to extend the contract negotiations deadline by one week to May 27, 2015, although the contract already expired on May 20. But the negotiations on May 27 also ended without an agreement and ‘hit an impasse’, USPS said. “The parties will continue to follow the current agreement until a new contract is reached through the dispute resolution process.”
APWU President Mark Dimondstein declared: “USPS scuttled any prospect of reaching a deal by insisting on severe cuts in pay and benefits, despite the fact that progress had been made on many non-economic issues. Management’s economic demands and proposed changes to the workforce structure were completely unacceptable.”
The union claimed that USPS proposals included: eliminating cost-of-living adjustments; increasing employees’ contributions to healthcare coverage; creating a new, ‘permanent lower pay scale for future career employees with reduced benefits’; increasing the percentage of non-career employees and weakening protection against layoffs.
For its part, APWU claimed that it had proposed “fair and reasonable” wage increases, limits on subcontracting, more career jobs, improvements for Postal Support Employees, limits on excessing, and better service for customers.
In accordance with the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, the union confirmed that it will participate in mediation and proceed to arbitration if attempts to mediate a settlement are unsuccessful. Mediation will be conducted by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) and is expected to last 60 days.
“All the protections of the 2010 Collective Bargaining Agreement will continue in full force and effect until a new contract is reached,” Dimondstein stressed.
The union urged its members to wear the union gear every Thursday, beginning on June 4. “This is a simple way that we can continue to demonstrate solidarity and build our campaign for a good contract,” Diamonstein said. He also mentioned the ‘I Stand with Postal Workers’ postcards and signature collecting to ‘keep the pressure on the management’.
As for the negotiations on a new labour contract with NRLCA, USPS admitted that they also came to an impasse. “The parties will continue to follow the current agreement until a new contract is reached through the dispute resolution process,” it said.
In a separate statement, NRLCA confirmed that the parties failed to reach an agreement, after more than two months of negotiations. The union said its final proposals provide for appropriate and reasonable wage increases, continued cost-of-living adjustments, and the maintenance of core benefits. The parties expect to meet soon to discuss the next steps, NRLCA stressed.
The APWU represents more than 196,000 employees who work as clerks, mechanics, vehicle drivers, custodians and some administrative positions. The NRLCA counts more than 116,000 workers who deliver mail primarily in rural and suburban areas.
