THE BULLETIN BOARD
October 2005
[October 7th]Arbitration Award in "5-7-9" Case Sets Principles for Skilled, Semi-Skilled Maintenance Work
After multiple hearings and a lengthy briefing period, Arbitrator Shyam Das has issued an arbitration award that establishes principles for differentiating between semi-skilled and skilled maintenance work. Although the union's grievance was sustained in part, denied in part, and remanded in part, union officers generally believe the award will benefit Maintenance Craft employees.
The award in what is known as the "5-7-9 case" is the result of the Maintenance Division's Article 19 challenge to three Maintenance Management Orders regarding preventive maintenance that the USPS published in 2000.
Read Steve Raymer's discussion of Arbitrator Das's decisions, the three functions that were used to determine minimum skill level, and what lies ahead.
[October 7th]CEO-to-Worker Pay Ratio Shoots Up to 431:1
Biggest Defense Contractors Raise CEOs' Pay 200% Since 9/11
The ratio of average CEO pay (now $11.8 million) to worker pay (now $27,460) spiked up from 301-to-1 in 2003 to 431-to-1 in 2004.
If the minimum wage had risen as fast as CEO pay since 1990, the lowest paid workers in the US would be earning $23.03 an hour today, not $5.15 an hour.
Since September 11, 2001, the ratio between median pay for defense CEOs and pay for military generals has nearly doubled to 23-to-1, up from 12-to-1 just three years earlier. The pay ratio between defense CEOs and army privates soared to 160-to-1, up from just 89-to-1 in 2001.
Read the entire article at FairEconomy.org where you can also download the report, Executive Excess 2005 in PDF format.
[October 6th]Some Mail Processing Operations Shifting from BMC to L&DC?
On Wednesday, October 5, 2005 Local Union Officers and Stewards received a "sneak preview" of the management presentation regarding the movement of some Mail Processing Operations from the BMC to the L&DC.
Despite pointed questions from the Union, management revealed little of their plans as they would affect bargaining unit employees. We were able to elicit the following:
- Renovations will be occurring at the BMC over the next 3-5 years.
- There are no plans to close either the BMC or the L&DC.
- There are no plans to excess employees from the BMC at this time, although staffing changes may occur in the future.
- Beginning, Tuesday, October 11, 2005 management will begin processing some designating tray mail at the L&DC.
- There should be no further transfer of mail processing until January, 2006.
Management has committed to meeting with the Union on a regular basis during this period. As always, our goal remains to minimize the impact on our members and protect your contractual rights. We will keep you informed as developments occur.
[October 1st]Help For Postal Workers Affected by the Recent Hurricanes
APWU members— and locals— are encouraged to help their fellow workers who have suffered tremendous losses by contributing to the Postal Employees' Relief Fund.
The fund is a charitable organization established by postal unions and the USPS, which benefits active and retired postal employees who incur a significant loss in property damage as the result of a major natural disaster.
Contributions can be made to the Postal Employees' Relief Fund and sent to
PERF, PO Box 34422, Washington, DC 20043-4422,
or they can be sent in care of the APWU,
Att: PERF, 1300 L Street NW, Washington DC 20005.
Past Issues of the Bulletin Board
[September 2005]
[August 2005] [July 2005]
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