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(APWU News Service) The tentative agreement to extend by
two years the 2000- 2003 Collective Bargaining Agreement was ratified by APWU members by a vote of 79,932 to 10,568. The National Agreement now expires Nov. 20, 2005. The biggest
accomplishment, according to APWU President William Burrus, is stability. “Every time you enter negotiations,” Burrus said, “management proposes to eliminate such things as cost-of-living
adjustments and no-layoff provisions, and reducing the contributions to employee health plans. These have been preserved, which in effect improves what we have to work with. I’m confident
that securing key benefits for two additional years was important to the membership, and I’m satisfied that the referendum was a vote for job security.”
One immediate effect of the extension is a moratorium on excessing and the reassignment of
employees. Through May 15, there will be no reassignments of any employee to work site more than 50 miles from that employee’s permanent duty station.
Another effect is on the cost-of-living clause. With the contract extended, the fourth – and final –
COLA increase under the 2000-2003 contract now becomes the fourth in series of eight uninterrupted six-month COLA adjustments. This means members will receive the six-month COLA
increase that accrues between August 2003 (after the final COLA measuring period of the 2000 agreement) and January 2004 (two months into the contract extension). These most likely would
have been lost if negotiations, set to begin this summer, had gone on schedule.
“The extension gives us time to focus on issues that are important to members, especially in
light of President Bush’s appointment of a special commission that threatens to completely reshape the Postal Service as we know it,” Burrus said. “Our members remain very concerned about
the future.
“Management has promised to provide the union with a list of facilities slated for
consolidation by the end of this year. In the meantime, we have a moratorium through May 15 on excessing employees beyond 50 miles. Management is required to petition the Office of
Personnel Management for permission to offer all APWU-covered workers early retirement opportunities.
“The moratorium on excessing and the opportunities for early-outs,” Burrus said, “are important
protections against effects of plant closings.”
The 13 members of the APWU Rank and File Bargaining Advisory Committee, called to Washington Nov.
13, unanimously endorsed the extension and recommended it sent to the union’s highest governing body, the membership. “I’m gratified that it passed by a large amount,” said
Terry Grant, chairman of the Rank and File committee. “I think members realized the wisdom of ratifying a contract now rather than going into negotiations next summer in what looks to
be an unfavorable environment.”
Grant, president of the Ohio Postal Workers, said, “This definitely benefits the members of
the APWU. It protects COLA for another couple of years. Obviously, the pay raises don’t look great, but these are very difficult times.”
“This gives our organization a chance to turn its attention other things,” Grant said. “At every
level we can focus grievances and the grievance procedure itself, postal attendance terrorism, excessing ... there are plenty of challenges and contract stability can only help
us.” Ballots were mailed to members beginning on Dec. 2, with returns targeted to a single post office box in Washington. Members of the Rank and File committee picked the envelopes
at 2 p.m. (E.S.T.) Dec. 19, and the count began immediately.
The unofficial results were posted on the APWU Website home page (www.apwu.org) shortly after the nationwide count
was concluded at about 9:30 p.m. A local-by-local count will take several days to tabulate and will be online soon after the first of the year. All other contract-extension details also
will be posted on the Web site.
The agreed-upon extension is the first of its kind in APWU’s 32-year history. Had the extension not
been ratified, full-scale negotiations would have begun in August. “The extended agreement doesn’t begin to meet all of members’ goals,” Burrus said. “But I believe that it is the
best interest of all APWU members, and I believe this was the best time to get it done.”
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