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Rank and File Bargaining CommitteeTo Study Proposal
APWU President William Burrus announced Nov. 12 that the union and the Postal Service have reached a tentative agreement on a
two-year extension of the National Agreement, which is due to expire Nov. 20, 2003.
"This is a tremendous opportunity for our members," Burrus said.
"A year from now, the economy may still be soft, mail volume is likely to be low, and postal debt will remain high. By
then, President Bush's appointees to the USPS Board of Governors will be in place." The new board members favor privatization, Burrus noted, and "It's the Board of Governors that determines
management's negotiating strategies."
"The recently announced overpayments to the Civil Service Retirement System don't add a dime of revenue to Postal Service
coffers," Burrus added.
"The tentative agreement secures wage and cost-of-living increases, and maintains members' current share of health-care
costs. We believe it provides needed stability for our members during a time of severe financial difficulty and turmoil for the Postal Service.
"This agreement must be compared to the uncertainty of negotiating -- and perhaps arbitrating a contract -- under less
favorable conditions. But the final decision belongs to the members of the APWU."
The extension proposal will be presented to the Rank and File Bargaining Advisory Committee, which is convening in Washington
on Nov. 13. The committee will decide whether to send the tentative agreement to the full APWU membership for a ratification vote. If an extension is agreed upon, it would be the first of its kind in
APWU history.
The contract extension preserves the terms of the current National Agreement (Nov. 21, 2000 - Nov. 20, 2003), with the follow
ing modifications.
Two General Salary Increases, Four Cost-of-Living Increases
A 1.3 percent wage increase will take effect Nov. 15, 2003, based on
the wages in effect on Sept. 6, 2003. This percentage increase is equal to those granted to other postal bargaining units covering approximately the same period. Because it is based on the higher
wages of September 2003 (rather than September 2000) the dollar value of our wage increase is greater;
A 1.3 percent wage increase will take effect Nov. 27, 2004, based on the wages in effect on Sept. 6, 2003. As with the 2003
increase, the percentage is equal to that granted to other bargaining units covering approximately the same period, but the dollar value is greater;
Wage increases at the same percent and under the same terms will be granted to Transitional Employees (TEs);
COLA (cost-of-living allowance) increases will be granted in March and September 2004, and March and September 2005. A
contract extension will enable our members to enjoy the full benefit of the six-month COLA increase that accrues between
August 2003 (after the final COLA measuring period of the 2000 agreement) and January 2004. Economic consultants advise
us that each member would lose about $180 if the COLA were negotiated under the usual bargaining schedule because of the three-month lag between August and the beginning of a new contract.
Upgrades
Effective Nov. 29, 2003, Level 10 and 11 ETs (Electronic Technicians) will be upgraded to Level 11 and 12, respectively. For
the purpose of implementing this agreement, and on a non-precedential basis, the upgrades will be based on a step-to-step
upgrade mechanism, including credit for waiting period time already served. (This mechanism is identical to the one that will be used to implement the Nov. 16, 2002, upgrades for these positions.);
Effective Nov. 13, 2004, Level 4 CFS (Computer Forwarding System) Clerks will be upgraded to Level 5. For the purpose of
implementing this agreement, and on a non-precedential basis, the upgrades will be based on a step-to-step upgrade mechanism, including credit for waiting period time already served.
Job Security
No later than Feb. 1, 2003, the USPS will petition the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), requesting voluntary early
retirement opportunities for all eligible employees represented by the APWU, which, if approved, would allow employees to retire before they reach 55 years of age and/or 30 years of service;
There will be a temporary moratorium on excessing and the reassignment of employees through May 15, 2003. The
moratorium will not apply to current or future excessings and reassignments where the reassignments are within the local commuting area of the installation (a 50-mile radius);
The parties will establish a joint task force to explore methods of repositioning the workforce, with the goals of minimizing
employee dislocation, maximizing customer service, and maintaining efficient operations. The task force will also compile
existing contractual provisions, arbitration awards, Step 4 agreements and mutually agreed to national-level interpretations
regarding excessing into a single document to avoid disputes at the local level regarding the procedures to be followed when excessing occurs;
A comprehensive developmental training program will be created to provide career APWU bargaining unit employees
opportunities to qualify for placement in skilled positions in the Maintenance and Motor Vehicle crafts. Interested
employees will be provided extensive on-the-clock training for highly-skilled positions;
The agreement extends no-layoff protection to all career employees who were on the rolls as of Nov. 20, 2000, for an
additional two years.
Other Changes
The contract extension proposal also provides APWU-covered employees with:
Two additional opportunities to be declared a successful bidder, increasing the total to seven times during the 2000-2005
agreement;
Annual increases in allowances for uniforms and work clothes that will be proportional to the increases in the current
National Agreement;
A two-year extension of the memorandum of understanding that provides career opportunities for TEs.
The contract proposal would extend the National Agreement to Nov. 20, 2005. If an extension is not ratified, full-scale
negotiations on a new contract will begin next August.
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