APWU Members Ratify
One-Year Contract Extension
by William Burrus, APWU National President
APWU members ratified a one-year extension of the Collective Bargaining Agreement by a vote of 69,763 to 9,201 in balloting that ended August 5th. The National Agreement is now set to expire on November 20, 2006.The tentative agreement provides for a 1.6 percent across-the-board wage increase effective March 18, 2006, and two cost-of-living adjustments, one in March 2006, and one in September 2006. (A cost-of-living adjustment is set for September 2005 under the terms of the previous contract.) The extension upgrades 14 positions; leaves the employee share of contributions to health benefits costs unchanged, and extends no-layoff protection. It also provides improvements in working conditions and employee rights, and includes modifications that would enable union representatives to enforce the contract more effectively.
The contact-extension referendum process began immediately after tentative agreement was reached with the USPS: In accordance with Article 13.9.C of the APWU Constitution, members of the Rank and File Bargaining Advisory Committee approved the agreement before it was mailed to union members for ratification, and the 13-member panel appointed a subcommittee of five people to supervise the referendum. More than 220,000 ballots were mailed to union members covered by the Collective Bargaining Agreement on July 18-20. The vote count took place Aug. 5, immediately after an independent balloting association picked up the envelopes containing the votes from the post office box. Rank and File Committee members monitored the collection of the ballots and the count.
House Approves Postal Reform Bill
Bush Administration Demands Major Changes
by William Burrus, APWU National President
The House of Representatives passed the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act by a vote of 410-20 on July 26 and rejected three amendments approved for consideration by the Rules Committee. The voting lasted until after 9 PM, and followed three hours of debate. But a Statement of Administration Policy, released just hours before debate began, signaled that unless significant changes are made, President Bush will veto the bill.
The Senate is not expected to consider its version of postal reform legislation (S. 662) until after Congress returns from its annual August recess and additional amendments could be introduced at that time. If the Senate approves the measure, a House-Senate conference committee would be convened to resolve differences between the two bills before the legislation is sent to the president. Significant changes could be made by the conference committee, leaving little time for interested parties – including the APWU – to react.
Defeated provisions were amendments that would have removed a labor seat on the postal Board of Governors; established a pilot program allowing local postmasters to conduct privatization experiments; and left responsibility for military retirement costs with the Postal Service.
In its policy statement, the Bush administration repeated its opposition to two key provisions of the legislation that enjoy wide support in the postal community and among lawmakers of both parties.
The administration opposes releasing from an escrow account billions of dollars that the USPS has saved by ending overpayments to the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) unless those funds – up to $70- billion over 60 years – are dedicated to pre-funding health care and retirement benefits for postal employees. Under the current legislation, the USPS would be able to use a portion of those funds to help cover other operating costs. The White House also opposes returning to the Treasury responsibility for paying the military-service retirement pay for postal employees. That responsibility was transferred to the Postal Service under the 2003 law that allowed the USPS to end overpayments to the CSRS system. No other government agency is responsible for such costs.
Postal Day at the Bill Pickett Rodeo
from the Colorado/Wyoming uspsnewsbreak dated July 20, 2005
The Colorado/Wyoming Western Area is proud to invite all Postal employees and their family members to the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo. It will be held Sunday, August 21, 2005 at 3:30 PM at the Adams County Fairgrounds, located at East 124th Ave and Henderson Rd. in Henderson, Colorado. Tickets for general admission are $11 and children two years old and under are free. For more information and to purchase tickets contact:
- Black History Committee: 303-853-6513
- Social and Recreation Committee: 303-853-6938 or
- Doyal Thompson: 720-217-3954.
Denver Metro APWU Supports
Referenda C and D
by Dennis Enderson, President
The Denver Metro APWU supports and endorses two important ballot initiatives that will be voted on this November. Referenda C and D will help Move Colorado Forward by allowing the legislature to earmark money to schools, colleges and universities, fund police and firefighter pension, repair and construct roads, and improve access to health care in Colorado, without raising taxes.
These referenda are particularly important to our brothers and sisters who are state employees and police and firefighters. However, they are important to all working families because most of the money that will be allocated to K-12 and higher education, allowing our kids to have access to better schools. Also, if they decide to go to college, they can gain a more affordable education at solid Colorado state colleges and universities.
These referenda allow our elected officials to do the right thing with the funds: invest in people and the institutions that help the quality of life of all Coloradans. These referenda will help revitalize the economy and stimulate job growth through the recovering of critical programs and projects, as well as restoring a higher quality of services to Coloradans. Thank you for your support!
Brighton PTF Clerk
Converted to Full-Time Regular
by Dennis Enderson, President
Field Coordinator Joe Quintana reports that he has successfully negotiated to convert the senior Part-Time Flexible Clerk in the Brighton office to full time regular status effective September 3, 2005. Congratulations to our latest Full-Time Regular Clerk, and many thanks go to Joe for his excellent efforts to achieve this conversion. We will continue to pursue PTF maximization until every employee in our local is a Full Time Regular!
Tips: Safety During Summer Activities
by Rick Romero, APWU Western Area Safety and Health Coordinator
The summer weather brings about a lot of activity, inside and outside the home. Many of us will be planning family gatherings, swim parties, home improvement repairs such as roof work, exterior painting, landscaping and other outdoor activities. Pacific Gas and Electric Company wants to remind its customers to be safe around natural gas and electricity while enjoying summer activities and recommends these safety tips:
Inside the home:
Check outlets and extension cords to make sure they are not overloaded, frayed, damaged or placed under rugs or carpets.
Install ground fault circuit interrupters in areas that can get wet such as the kitchen, bathroom or outdoors.
Test your smoke detector batteries annually.
Make sure the proper wattage light bulbs are being used in light fixtures and lamps.
Outside the home:
Kites, balloons, model airplanes and other toys should never be flown near power lines. Toys tangled in power lines can start fires and cause power outages. If something does get caught in the power lines, leave it there and call your electric utility to safely remove it.
“Look Up and Live”. Identify and avoid overhead power lines—especially while using long-handled tools for pool and yard maintenance. Contact with a power line can cause serious injury or death.
If you have a swimming pool or spa, never use extension cords nearby—if they’re plugged in and get wet, electrocution may occur.
Whether you’re planting a garden, installing a water system, or building a fence, you should always be mindful of underground utilities and “Call before you dig”. Call Underground Service Alert (USA) at 800-642-2444 at least two days in advance so underground facility owners can locate and mark any underground facilities before you dig. Electric, gas, water and other utilities lie beneath most city streets and often branch off through yards and driveways to serve homes and businesses. Digging into one of these lines may cause injuries and can be fatal.
Be aware of power lines that run through tree limbs and branches. Climbing or trimming trees near power lines is dangerous. Call a qualified contractor to trim vegetation around aerial power lines.
APPS Implementation Update
by Dennis Enderson, President
We are aware that equipment has begun arriving and the installation of the APPS machine at the Denver MPA has commenced. As previously reported, we expect the machine to begin operating in October 2005. We have been meeting regularly with management to discuss the potential impact of APPS on APWU bargaining unit employees. Management has not yet provided a detailed and specific impact statement. However, here is a summary of the best available information at this time:
- There are no immediate plans to excess and abolish clerks at the MPA until after Christmas of 2005. When APPS is implemented, it will begin absorbing mail immediately from SPBS, Tour 3 Priority and Tour 2 Manual Bundle Operations. However, impacted employees will remain at the MPA through the remainder of 2005.
- It is probable that one or more SPBS crews will remain even after excessing and abolishing occurs early next year. It is unclear which crew or crews may remain at the present time.
- Once excessing and abolishing does occur early next year, the impact will occur in the SPBS, Tour 3 Priority and Tour 2 Manual Bundle Operations. We will share the specific and detailed impact information as soon as management provides it.
- In accordance with the National Agreement, all impacted employees will be afforded retreat rights to future posted vacancies in their former section. Management and the union have agreed that retreat rights also apply to employees who have voluntarily bid out of the impacted operations since July 2003.
- We are expecting to receive a detailed and specific impact statement from management sometime in the near future.
We have been monitoring APPS implementation all around the country, including the Denver BMC. We have concluded that APPS is effective and will have an immediate and comprehensive impact on existing operations. In very short order, at least two SPBS machines will likely be removed from the MPA, along with an uncertain portion of the SPYDER operation. Many employees have received letters giving advanced notice of retreat rights, and many more will receive such notices in the near future. These letters should not be regarded as an indication that excessing and abolishing is imminent. Employees are simply receiving notice that they are being afforded retreat rights in anticipation of future impacts. The union will push hard to ensure that employees who are actually being excessed will receive as much advanced notice as possible. Thank you for your continued patience and understanding as we work through these highly complex and challenging issues.
Registry Move Completed –
Express Mail to Follow
by Dennis Enderson, President
The combination of the AMC Registry Unit with the GMF Registry unit has been completed. The new Registry cage is up and running, and all impacted employees have been relocated with their duty assignments intact. The AMC Express Mail operation will move to the GMF this weekend, on August 20, 2005.
Again, all impacted employees will be relocated to the GMF in their current duty assignments. Our goal has been to ensure that the adverse impact to bargaining unit employees is minimized as much as possible.
At some point after APPS is fully implemented and two SPBS machines are removed from the MPA, Triple ‘A’ will move to the MPA and the AMC will largely be given over to an outside contractor. All of this is part of a nationwide effort to eliminate all 80 AMC’s around the country. We will keep you informed as information becomes available.
Heat
by Rick Romero, APWU Western Area Safety and Health Coordinator
According to OSHA, older workers, obese workers and personnel on some types of medication are at greater risk to heat-related health problems. Harvard Health Letter offers steps older people can take to beat the summer’s heat. In addition to heading for the air conditioning, staying out of the sun, and wearing loose, light clothes:
REVIEW YOUR MEDICATIONS - Painkillers, for example, can reduce awareness of the heat. Talk to your doctor about your medications if temperatures are climbing, especially if you’re not protected by air conditiong. Older people are also more likely than younger folks to be taking medications that cause fluid loss (and therefore dehydration), including some laxatives, furosemide (Lasix) to counteract water retention, and other diuretics for blood pressure control.
STAY HYDRATED - Thirst declines with age, and older sweat glands don’t produce as much sweat as they used to. The sweat that is produced tends to contain more salt, and lack of salt in the body can lead to sudden drops in blood pressure.
LISTEN TO YOUR BODY - Muscle cramps, fatigue, weakness, impaired concentration, confusion, lightheadedness, nausea, labored breathing, chest discomfort and a rapid or erratic pulse can all be signs of trouble. If you feel ill – even just a little – get to a cool place, drink plenty of cool water and seek medical help if you don’t improve promptly.
Next COLA Raise Will Be
Biggest in 25 Years
from APWU Website
APWU members will receive their largest COLA increase in more than 25 years next month. The annual raise of $728 will be the biggest Cost-Of-Living-Adjustment since mid 1980, inflation was raging at an annual rate of approximately 14 percent. The latest adjustment for APWU-represented postal workers will take effect September 3, 2005. The eighth Cost-Of-Living Adjustment period in the National Agreement ended July 31; the adjustment amounts to a 35 cents per hour increase, which equals $28 per pay period.
The COLA increase will be reflected in September 23, 2005, paychecks (Pay Period 19-2005). As of that date, Level 5-0 postal employees will earn approximately $46,000 per year in base salary. Since November 18, 2000, Grade 5 employees have received COLAs and raises totaling $5,525. The ratification of the one-year contract extension means there will be two additional COLA adjustment periods, in March and September 2006, and an annual raise effective March 18, 2006. Updated pay scales will be distributed in the September/October edition of the American Postal Worker. Pay scales also can be viewed on the APWU Web Site.
GMF Employee Craft Fair
Tuesday, November 8, 2005
by Sandy Carruthers, Administrative Aide
Your Social and Recreation Committee is sponsoring a Craft Fair for Postal Employees who make handcrafted items. All items must be handcrafted (no garage sale items or food items).
- Each person participating will be provided with a six foot table
- Three different time frames will be available for employees interested in reserving a table
- 1000 AM to 1500 PM 1700 PM to 2200 PM
- 2300 PM to 0400 AM
- There will be a $25.00 non-refundable fee for each time slot reserved.
- Please complete a registration form and submit to Sue Boucher 303-853-6938 with your fee no later than September 15, 2005.
- Information required: Name, P/L, Type of Product; Time Requested
- Requests for times will be honored as closely as possible.
- Reservations are first come, first served (Number of tables is limited).
For more information or to get a registration form, call Sandy Carruthers at 303-853-6646.
Meeting Notices
by Dennis Enderson, President
- The regular Membership Meeting at the Union Hall at 15677 E. 17th Ave. in Aurora will be held at 9 AM on September 24, 2005.
- The next Executive Board Meeting will be held at the union hall on September 9, 2005 at 10 AM.
/jd
opeiu #5
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