Negotiations Update
APWU Web News Article #56-06, Oct. 4, 2006
Management representatives painted a bleak picture of USPS finances during contract talks held Oct. 3, and, to no one’s surprise, concluded that “cost containment is the only answer.” Labor expenses are the “key drivers of costs,” management asserted, in a presentation clearly intended to convey that labor costs must be restricted.
Union negotiators challenged the USPS analysis and raised pointed questions about productivity improvements, excessive postage discounts, and mail volume. Management’s presentation did not include any contract proposals.
USPS spokesmen recited the often-repeated doctrine that “labor costs account for 80 percent of the Postal Service’s expenses,” and union representatives responded by requesting figures showing what portion of postal expenses APWU-represented employees are responsible for. The Postal Service was unable to provide that information at the negotiating session.
Following the two-hour discussion of postal finances, union officers asked questions about management’s previously submitted non-economic proposals, which addressed issues such as work assignments and management’s rights. The next bargaining session is scheduled for Oct. 18.
On The Political Trail
by Muriel Ponder, Maintenance Steward
The APWU local hall will be the staging site for an informational walk on Saturday, October 28, 2006 at 9:00 AM. Last weekend there was a challenge from two other locals for the APWU to provide at least 10 walkers. I am sorry to say the challenge was not met. The most common excuse was that is was too short notice. This is not a valid excuse for the 28th. I need 18 people to show up on the 28th to redeem our reputation.
Other dates and locations are October 14th – IBEW Hall and October 21st – ATV Hall. Both events start at 9:00 AM and will wrap up by 3:00 PM. We certainly welcome those who can only give a few hours rather than the whole day. ANY TIME YOU VOLUNTEER, YOU WILL BE ENTERED INTO A RAFFLE FOR VALUABLE PRIZES!
The AFL-CIO, through its affiliate Working America, organizes walks every day except Sundays leading up to the election. The last Sunday before the November 7th election is the exception. On November 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th, I need 15 people a day to help GET OUT THE VOTE. I will be calling as many people as possible to ask them for their help, but it is not possible for me to call all 2300 members. If you want to help change this country’s leadership, call me at 303-365-1524 ext. 312. You can be sure I will return the call. There is no UNION without YOU!
APWU National Day of Protest
by Dennis Enderson, President
The delegates at the recently concluded APWU National Convention adopted a resolution calling for a nationwide “day of picketing” to protest management’s facility consolidation plan, also called the “Evolutionary Network Development” (END) plan. The APWU National Executive Board has just selected Thursday, October 26, 2006 as the date for this event. This date was chosen to afford local unions the opportunity to coordinate and dovetail their efforts with other local initiatives relative to the upcoming Election Day on Tuesday, November 7, 2006.
With this in mind, we have decided to place our complete focus on our ongoing efforts to encourage our members to get involved with the political process by volunteering to help with our voter registration, voter education, and get out the vote programs.
Elsewhere in this news bulletin, you will find information from Muriel Ponder about opportunities for you to step up and volunteer to help us elect union friendly and labor endorsed candidates in the state of Colorado. The most important of these events is scheduled at our union office at 15677 E. 17th Avenue in Aurora from 9:00 AM until 2:00 PM on Saturday, October 28, 2006. This is a “member to member” walk in which we will be asking volunteers to visit with fellow AFL-CIO affiliated union members in the neighborhood surrounding our union hall to speak with them about the election on November 7th.
It is impossible to over-emphasize how important this election will be to our future. Postal Reform legislation still looms large in the very near future. It is critical that we support friends of labor and friends of maintaining a strong Postal Service in this election. The outcome of this vote will determine our fate. We are calling upon all of our members to volunteer to help out on Saturday, October 28th!
There are no facility consolidations planned that we know of within our local’s jurisdiction, so we are concentrating our efforts upon ensuring that Colorado does everything possible to elect the right candidates who will support our interests in the next congressional session. We believe this is how we can best support our union sisters and brothers in those areas that are facing the dire consequences of facility closings and consolidations. If you are able to help us for all or any part of the time between 9:00 AM and 2:00 PM on Saturday, October 28, 2006, please give us a call and plan to show up that day at the union hall! Thank you for your support of this vital cause!
Union Wins Maintenance Arbitration Case
by Dennis Enderson, President
The Denver Metro Area Local APWU recently received a successful arbitration award on a case in which an employee was improperly denied the opportunity to retake a qualifying examination for a promotion to a Level 8 Maintenance Mechanic position. The arbitrator found that management improperly applied a blanket policy to disqualifying the employee for a single examination failure rather than giving reasonable consideration to allowing the employee a second chance during the one year qualification period.
The employee was awarded full back pay for the period of the violation. This excellent award was achieved through the outstanding efforts of Denver Metro APWU Maintenance Craft Director Miguel Salazar, who served as both the steward for the case, and as the union’s arbitration advocate during the hearing. Congratulations to Brother Miguel for this hard fought and well deserved union victory!
Health Tip – Ibuprofen and Aspirin
by Rick Romero, Denver Metro APWU Safety & Health Representative
The U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is notifying consumers that taking Ibuprofen for pain relief and aspirin for your heart at the same time may interfere with the benefits of aspirin. Ibuprofen can interfere with the anti-platelet effect of low-dose aspirin (81 mg per day), which may make aspirin less effective when used for cardio-protection and stroke prevention. Although it is safe to use Ibuprofen and aspirin together, FDA recommends that you contact your healthcare professional for more information about when to take each of these two medicines, so that both can be effective.
Maintenance Vacation Bidding for 2007
by Miguel Salazar, Maintenance Craft Director
‘Tis the season – the season for holidays, family and fun. It is also time to start planning for your 2007 vacations. The Denver Local Memorandum of Understanding states that the vacation selection period will begin November 1st and conclude no later than December 31st. Maintenance management and I have come to an agreement because of the size of the sections, to start the process on October 14th. As in the past, each employee will have three days to make their selection. If you need the three days, use the time to properly plan, if not please expedite the process and turn in your selections early. Please do not go beyond the three days. You will be by-passed and the next person on the seniority list will then go. Happy planning!
Congress Adjourns Without
Passing Postal ‘Reform’
Postal Workers Avoid a Legislative Disaster
Burrus Update #14-06, Oct. 3, 2006
On the evening of Sept. 30, 2006, as Congress was poised to adjourn to campaign for the mid-term elections, postal workers avoided a legislative disaster. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), Chair of the Senate Government Affairs Committee, finalized a revised version of a Senate postal “reform” bill and initiated parliamentary procedures for a vote. Only through the combined efforts of the postal craft unions (APWU, National Association of Letter Carriers, National Postal Mail Handlers Union, and National Rural Letters Carriers Association) were we able to delay final action on this bill that would have been bad for American citizens and bad for postal workers.
We are most appreciative of Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI) and Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), for their support on issues that were important to us during the tense hours of negotiations. If this legislation had passed, the winners would have been the large mailers, their congressional supporters, and the White House. The losers would have been individual postal customers, small businesses, and postal employees. The bill would have put in motion a legal framework that would have led to the erosion of service and a reduction in wages and benefits. This is a bad bill and it does not deserve to become law.
Notwithstanding the flowery rhetoric proclaiming that it would “save” the Postal Service, this legislation would have ensured its demise. Collective bargaining would have been subordinated to unrealistic and inflexible restrictions on postage rates; operational control would have been transferred to a politically-appointed board, and unjustified financial obligations would have remained — requiring the USPS to make ongoing payments to an escrow account.
Compounding this assault on workers and citizens was an 11th-hour “compromise” concerning workers rights when they are injured on the job. An earlier version of the bill would have required postal workers who are injured on the job to use annual or sick leave for the first several days of their recovery and would have required eligible injured employees to retire. This amounts to employees being forced to pay for injuries they suffer in the performance of their duties. Through compromise, supporters of the bill agreed to eliminate the retirement requirement but retain the requirement that injured employees use annual leave or sick leave for the first three days of job-related injuries. An analogy would be threatening to sever my arm and comprising to take only a finger. What a deal!
In addition, a provision the APWU had worked so hard to have included in the bill — which would have limited excessive worksharing discounts — was gutted in this final draft of postal reform. Most surprising to APWU was that our friend, Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), joined with Sen. Collins in agreeing to modify the worksharing provisions in a way that would permit excessive postage discounts to continue unabated. This would have legalized discounted postage rates for large mailers far below rates that could be justified by cost savings due to worksharing. Increasingly, our work would have been contracted out to profit-seeking large mailers and consolidators, even in those circumstances where the Postal Service could perform the work more efficiently and cheaper.
This is a bad bill and we are pleased that Congress has deferred final action. However, Congress is expected to return for a “lame-duck” session after the November elections, and we may once again be subject to parliamentary maneuvering designed to pass this terrible legislation. The APWU’s position has been consistent throughout the reform process: This bill was never about saving the Postal Service; it is and was about reducing the rates for large mailers and reducing the federal budget deficit. I want to thank Legislative Director Myke Reid for his diligent work on this issue. We will be equally vigilant following the November elections and can hopefully kill, once and for all, kill this charade of postal “reform.”
2006 Komen Race for
the Cure a Huge Success
by Dennis Enderson, President
As always, the 2006 edition of the annual Komen Race for the Cure was a huge success. Over 65,000 individuals participated in this year’s race in downtown Denver, representing the largest event of its kind in the nation. The Denver APWU supported the team sponsored by the United States Postal Service, which for the third straight year fielded the largest team of any participating organization. Our delegation was led by long time Administrative Aide Sandy Carruthers, who is herself a breast cancer survivor. We were proud to march with Sister Sandy to support this very worthy cause!
Help Us Protect Your Privacy!
by Dennis Enderson, President
Recently we have become aware that supervisors are keeping filing cabinets with confidential employee information on the work room floor at the Denver General Mail Facility. Despite repeated complaints from union officials, some supervisors continue to leave these cabinets unlocked, thereby exposing employees to unnecessary risks of inappropriate disclosure of their private information. Management has instructed supervisors to keep these cabinets locked, but some supervisors refuse to comply. Please help us monitor this situation so we can help protect your privacy. If you observe unlocked filing cabinets, please notify your union steward as soon as possible. We will do everything possible to rectify this unacceptable violation of your right to privacy.
Mold Sampling Conducted at Montclair Station
by Dennis Enderson, President
Foothills Environmental conducted airborne mold sampling and a building material moisture content investigation at the Montclair Station in Denver on September 25, 2006. This procedure was ordered by the Postal Service in response to concerns raised by employees after a major roof leak caused by incomplete repair activities being performed by a contractor. No major issues were discovered by these tests, and employees are in no danger of being exposed to unnecessary hazards at this station. We appreciate postal management’s comprehensive and rapid response to this unfortunate situation, and we are pleased that our major concerns have been appropriately addressed.
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