Today, the U.S. District Court in Washington, DC, denied the request of two NALC members for a preliminary injunction that would have deferred the counting of ballots on the proposed tentative 2016-2019 National Agreement between NALC and the U.S. Postal Service. Continue reading From the American Postal Workers Union: The 2017 Joint Contract Interpretation Manual (JCIM), a resource for the administration of the 2015-2018 Collective Bargaining Agreement, is prepared and at the printer! In less than two weeks, members can order their bound JCIM for $6 from the APWU Store . Click here for an electronic copy. The JCIM is an APWU and the USPS jointly prepared manual. It serves to address and resolve disputes as well as ensure contract compliance. The National Association of Letter Carriers and the U.S. Postal Service have reached tentative agreement on a national labor contract, covering 213,000 active city letter carriers across America. Continue reading Clerk Craft Gains 362 Administrative and Technical Jobs 04/24/2017 – Arbitrator Goldberg ruled that the Postal Service failed to make a good faith effort to return 362 administrative and technical jobs to the Clerk Craft. The arbitration award was issued on April 21, 2017 and settles a long-standing dispute over the Clerk Craft Jobs Memorandum of Understanding in the 2010 Collective Bargaining Agreement. Continue reading On December 16, 2016, the NPMHU and the Postal Service announced that they had reached a tentative agreement to establish the terms of their 2016 National Agreement. The agreement is subject to ratification by a majority vote of the Union’s membership. The balloting process will begin no later than early January, with a 30-day period for return of ballots. Continue reading 2016 No. 9 – October 11, 2016 (pdf) You are reading the latest Contract Update produced and distributed by the NPMHU during the course of 2016 negotiations. With the completion of the 2016 NPMHU National Convention, the National Office and representatives of the U.S. Postal Service have returned to the bargaining table to reach closure on the issues that remain open before an overall settlement can be announced on the terms of the 2016 National Agreement. Continue reading From the National Postal Mail Handlers Union: Negotiations between the NPMHU and the Postal Service over the terms of their 2016 National Agreement have been revived, with the parties meeting in Washington, DC to resolve their remaining disputes. One of the primary reasons for extending the NPMHU-USPS negotiations deadline past May 20, 2016 was to await issuance of a related interest-arbitration award, and that event has now occurred. On July 8, 2016, an arbitration panel chaired by Stephen Goldberg issued its award, setting the terms of the 2015 National Agreement between the Postal Service and the American Postal Workers Union. With this APWU-USPS award now being implemented, the NPMHU and the Postal Service are jointly aiming to complete their bargaining process. Only a handful of issues remain, and talks are underway to resolve those differences. It will probably be late summer or early fall before all matters are finalized, but if and when a tentative settlement agreement is reached, it will be subject to ratification by the entire membership of the NPMHU. Please watch your bulletin boards for the latest information. Source: UPDATE ON NPMHU-USPS BARGAINING – National Postal Mail Handlers Union 07/23/2016 – The new contract between the APWU and USPS can now be viewed online. Click here to view the text. The 2015-2018 Collective Bargaining Agreement is the result of a decision issued by Arbitrator Stephen B. Goldberg on July 8. A printed copy will be mailed to APWU members within six weeks. “This contract is the result of a two-year struggle for “Good Service! Good Jobs! Contract Now!” by APWU officers and members – at the negotiating table and arbitration hearings as well as on the workroom floor and in our communities,” said APWU President Mark Dimondstein. “We refused to engage in another round of concessionary bargaining. We made significant progress on most of our major goals. We are stronger as a result of these efforts. “And we successfully resisted almost all of management’s concessionary demands – proposals for another new tier of lower-paid career employees, an increase in the non-career PSE workforce, elimination of COLA and weakening of no lay-off protection. “These are major accomplishments. I applaud the role every APWU member played by proudly belonging to the APWU. Many APWU members played a direct part and I salute them all – the officers who participated in negotiations and arbitration; the witnesses, including many rank-and-file union members, who testified; the local and state leaders who helped keep members informed and mobilized, and the members who showed solidarity by wearing union buttons, stickers and T-shirts. Many shared our message with their friends, families and neighbors, and we received great support from our allies in the labor movement and beyond,” Dimondstein said. “I am pleased that the APWU is able to make this electronic version of the full union contract available to you so soon after the Interest Arbitration Award. Please use it well as an important weapon in the fight for workplace justice – for the more members know and enforce their rights, the stronger we will all be.” Click here for detailed highlights of the new contract. 07/08/2016 – The big news is in – 200,000 postal workers represented by the APWU have a new union contract! On July 8th, Arbitrator Stephen Goldberg issued his arbitration award that sets the wages, hours and conditions of employment in our new union contract. This award concluded a two-year struggle for “Good Service, Good Jobs, Good Contract” that included contract negotiations, mediation, arbitration hearings – and solidarity actions on work floors and in communities around the country. “We have gained many positive results in these difficult times,” APWU President and lead negotiator Mark Dimondstein said. “We, as a union, should be proud of the results. We made some real progress on most of our major goals. We gained an all-career workforce in our Maintenance and Motor Vehicle Crafts. We secured real general wage increases. We preserved our COLA and no lay-off protections. We strengthened conversion opportunities for PSEs and improved PSE wages and benefits. We strengthened job security by limiting subcontracting, particularly in relation to MVS. We achieved a temporary moratorium on new plant closings and consolidations. We laid the basis for better protecting retail services and for expanding postal services. While we were unable to stop management’s demand that employees pay a greater share of health insurance premiums, we successfully fought back the main concessionary demands of postal management– for increased percentages of non-career employees, a new tier of lower- paid career employees, the elimination of COLA and the weakening of our no layoff protection.” Below is a summary of the main highlights of the new award (for a full copy click here.) All provisions of the previous contract that remain unchanged carry forward into our new contract including seniority and bidding rights, the grievance procedure, protection against unjust discipline, annual and sick leave, holiday and overtime pay and all the other important union benefits we have won over many decades of struggle. Length of the Agreement Career Employee General Wage Increases Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) PSE Wage Increases In addition to these general wage increases, PSE wages will be increased by fifty cents per hour over the life of the Contract as follows: No Lay-Off Protections for Career Employees Job Security Provisions Workforce Structure Veteran Hiring Career Employee Health Benefits PSE Health Benefits and Holiday Leave Pay Limits on Excessing Bereavement Leave Enhanced and Expanded Services Uniform and Work Clothes for Eligible Career Employees Eligible PSE Employees Clerk Craft Maintenance Craft Motor Vehicle Craft The Canadian Union of Postal workers issued the following statement: The Canada Labour Code provides that the parties have a duty to make every reasonable effort to negotiate a collective agreement and must bargain in good faith. Furthermore, employers are prohibited from interfering in the affairs of a Union. Today, CUPW filed a formal complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) that Canada Post management has failed to negotiate in good faith and is interfering with the Union’s right to represent its members. Instead of bargaining, the employer has simply tabled offers that it knew would be totally unacceptable to the Union. Finally, management representatives have been communicating directly with Union members, making threats and spreading disinformation. Once both parties have made all of their submissions, the CIRB will determine its procedure. We have asked that the complaint be heard immediately. Negotiations Continue We will continue to report developments as they occur.
contract negotiations
Court refuses to block count of NALC contract ratification ballots
APWU Joint Contract Interpretation Manual (JCIM) is Available Online
USPS and NALC reach tentative contract
APWU Receives Favorable Arbitration Ruling
USPS, Mail Handlers Union reach tentative contract agreement
Mailhandler contract negotiation update: tentative agreement “within reach”
Update on Mail Handler contract talks
That arbitration decision awarded a contract covering 40 months, from May 21, 2015 to September 20, 2018. On the key economic issues, the award provided career employees with three general wage increases of 1.2%, 1.3%, and 1.3%, as well as a potential for five cost-of-living adjustments during the same time period. Non-career employees who are not eligible for COLA were awarded wage increases of 2.2%, 2.3%, and 2.3%, plus another 50 cents per hour spread over the contract. The award also included no layoff protections for career employees currently on the rolls, and a continuation in the cost-sharing adjustments for the costs of career employee health insurance.New APWU Contract Now Available Online
“We improved conditions for career and non-career employees – including Full-Time Regulars, Part-Time Flexibles and Postal Support Employees. We gained wage increases in each year of our new 40-month union contract. We protected full cost-of-living-allowances (COLAs) for all career employees. We defended, and even enhanced, our no lay-off protection for all career employees. We gained new job security provisions, including new limits on sub-contracting of MVS and retail work, and on further plant consolidations and closings. We have better defined full-time work, created an all-career workforce in two of our crafts, strengthened career conversion opportunities for PSEs and protected the 50-mile limit on excessing.
Click here to watch President’s Dimondstein’s special contract video.APWU Contract Arbitration Award Announced
May 21, 2015 – September 20, 2018 (40 months)
There will be across-the-board pay increases of 3.8% for career employees over the life of the Agreement:
The COLA for career employees is maintained under the current formula. Cost of living adjustments will be made in March and September of each year of the Contract.
PSEs (who do not receive COLA raises) will receive wage increases as follows:
The no lay-off protections of Article 6, for employees with more than six years of service, remain in full force. In addition, no lay-off protection is extended to all career employees who are on the rolls as of July 8, 2016. This protection covers the 32,000 postal workers recently converted to career who have not yet achieved the six year threshold of no lay-off protection.
Preference Eligible Veteran hiring will be greatly enhanced with the creation of the all- career workforce in the Maintenance and MVS Crafts where Veterans will now be hired directly into career positions.
The Health Plans and benefits for career employees remain in effect. Over the next three years, the employees’ portion of the health premium will increase 1% a year. For the APWU Consumer Driven Health plan, the Postal Service will continue to pay 95% of the premium.
During the life of the CBA, no employees can be excessed beyond a 50 mile radius.
Clarification on expanded bereavement leave coverage to “in-laws.”
Parties established a joint Service Enhancement and Innovation Task Force authorized to discuss research, and consult experts with a goal of agreeing to programs including pilots to implement agreed upon services and practices. At least one pilot program must be implemented within 12 months.
Allowances for uniform and work clothing programs will be increased
PSEs employed in retail for the first time will receive an annual uniform allowance for three shirts, subject to the normal eligibility requirements.
CUPW Files Unfair Labour Practice Complaint Against Canada Post
The complaint covers both the Urban and RSMC bargaining units. It describes in detail the refusal of CPC to engage in any meaningful discussions or negotiations regarding the RSMC unit. With respect to both the Urban and RSMC units, CPC has refused to negotiate on their global offers which were submitted one week prior to the parties obtaining the right to strike or lock-out. CPC has also circumvented the bargaining process by negotiating through the media. An example is they claim our proposals will cost $1 Billion, which they repeatedly make to the media but refuse the Union’s repeated requests to justify their numbers.
As we previously reported, we met with CPC on July 4th, where they provided us with a written rejection of our global offer. Today, we met with CPC, in the presence of the mediators, to discuss several issues. Although we cannot report any major progress, we remain committed to the negotiations process.
