THE BULLETIN BOARD
December 2010
[December 1st]Contract Talks to Continue
excerpted from APWU News Bulletin 14-2010
The APWU and Postal Service will continue contract negotiations, and have agreed to extend the 2006-2010 Collective Bargaining Agreement for a third time, APWU President Cliff Guffey announced Dec. 1. "We will be working late tonight and early tomorrow. We have agreed to 'cover the clock,'" APWU President Cliff Guffey said, adding that the parties would continue working until they reach agreement or it becomes clear that an agreement is not possible.
"We will be working late tonight and early tomorrow. We have agreed to 'cover the clock,'" APWU President Cliff Guffey said, adding that the parties would continue working until they reach agreement or it becomes clear that an agreement is not possible.
"These are tough times, and the Postal Services financial difficulties are well-known," Guffey said, "but the truth is, postal workers are not the cause of these problems." In a Nov. 23 report, the USPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) concluded that if USPS pension and retiree healthcare pre-funding levels were set at levels closer to those used by other organizations, the Postal Service would save $60.6 billion.
Under the terms of the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970, when the union and management fail to reach agreement on a successor contract and do not agree on an alternate procedure, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) appoints a mediator. If a settlement is not reached within 60 days of the expiration of the contract, both parties submit all outstanding issues to binding arbitration.
If arbitration becomes necessary, the APWU will appoint an arbitrator, as will the USPS. The two party-appointed arbitrators will work with a neutral arbitrator to ensure that each sides interests are clearly understood.
Read the entire article at the APWU.org's News and Events page for further details.
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