Union News

Postal employees in small offices whose hours have been reduced while managerial hours have been increased are being asked to complete and return a union-sponsored questionnaire on the subject. Work-hours for part-time flexible clerks at many small offices have been slashed, APWU President William Burrus noted in a column in the January/February issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.

The USPS announced Dec. 14 that it has reduced the number of stations and branches under consider-ation for closure to 168, but cautioned that the new list does not represent a final decision on consolidation. APWU President William Burrus insisted that the union will continue to oppose management efforts to downgrade service.

Proposed Convention RESOLUTION: Save the BMC Campaign

WHEREAS: The attack on the BMC is a key step toward the Postal Privatization Plan, called the "Network Plan"; and

WHEREAS: Outsourcing the BMC mail processing and transportation network is the tip of the iceberg in the plan to reduce the Postal Service to a symbol at "the first mile and the last mile," while the core functions are contracted out; and

WHEREAS: This is a union busting attack on postal jobs all over the United States; and

WHEREAS: Downsizing stable union jobs will have a negative impact on the economy in every community; and

WHEREAS:  Privatizing USPS will reduce preferential hiring opportunities for our nation's Veterans and

WHEREAS: The "Network Plan" is an outrageous cheat of the American public of a Constitutional right to universal mail service, using the trust placed in the USPS to hand the mail over to an unstable and unsecured work force.  

Therefore, Be it RESOLVED: That the APWU will conduct a massive national campaign to mobilize postal workers, the public, and elected officials to Stop Postal Privatization; and Be it further RESOLVED: That this campaign will begin by combating the proposed outsourcing of BMC parcel processing; and Be it further RESOLVED: That a logo to "Stop the Sale of the Mail" be used on buttons, stickers, and other materials to be used by all APWU members in publicizing this campaign; and Be it further RESOLVED: That there will be a coordinated demonstration and press conference in the city of each of the 21 BMC on the same date in October 2008, supported by an APWU radio ad and outreach to elected officials and other unions, including sister postal unions.

Labor Day Parade Saturday September 6 NY Metro will participate
Information will be posted at stations

APWU Files Suit Against President George Bush

The APWU filed suit against President George W. Bush and Postmaster General John E. Potter in District Court July 16 over their failure to appoint a Postal Service Advisory Council, as required by federal law.

“The Postal Service is required to ‘consult with and receive the advice of the Advisory Council regarding all aspects of postal operations,’” APWU President William Burrus wrote in an April 11, 2008, letter to the president. That letter was a follow-up to a similar letter to Potter last September.

“Despite my entreaties, the advisory panel has not been appointed,” Burrus said in announcing the July 16 lawsuit. “So, of course, no meeting or consultation with the Advisory Council has occurred.”

The lawsuit, which names “Defendant George W. Bush [in] his official capacity as President of the United States,” notes that the purpose and makeup of the Postal Service Advisory Council was outlined in the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 (39 U.S.C. § 206), and was reconfirmed by Congress with the passage of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA) of 2006.

Under the law, the postmaster general serves as chairman of the council, the deputy postmaster general serves as vice-chair, and the president is required to appoint 11 other members, including four nominated by postal labor unions; four representatives of major mail users; and three representing the public at large. The postmaster general is named in the suit because the responsibility for forming the council may have been delegated to him as chief executive officer of the Postal Service.

“As we said in April, it is critical that the Advisory Council be established,” Burrus said. “These are crucial times for the Postal Service and its employees, with ongoing realignment of the mail-processing network, evolving service standards, and implementation of new rate-setting provisions enacted by the PAEA. An advisory panel is more important now than at any time since the passage of the Postal Reorganization Act.”

The lawsuit asserts that “APWU and its members have been substantially harmed by the failure and refusal of President Bush and the Postmaster General to perform their non-discretionary duties under Section 206 of the PRA.”

Other parties interested in postal operations — particularly large mailers whose interests are often adverse to those of postal workers — have another avenue to consult with and provide advice to the Postal Service, the suit notes. Through the Mailers Technical Advisory Council (MTAC), representatives of large business mailers make recommendations to senior USPS management on postal operations, postal rates, and postal regulations; but MTAC excludes representatives of individuals and small businesses. The APWU filed a suit May 30, 2007, challenging secret policy-making by the USPS and MTAC, but the suit was dismissed March 28, 2008.

The July 16 lawsuit asks that the president and the postmaster general be ordered to perform their “non-discretionary duties” by appointing the Postal Service Advisory Council.

Early Retirement

APWU President William Burrus met with postal officials July 8 regarding USPS plans to offer early-retirement opportunities to 40,000 employees. “I conveyed our strongly-held belief that the Postal Service is required to bargain with the union over Voluntary Early Retirement opportunities,” Burrus said. “We do not oppose Voluntary Early Retirements,” he explained, “but we do object to any plan to offer them selectively and exclude some employees from eligibility,” he said. “We also believe that for this VER, which is not the result of contract negotiations, severance pay must accompany an offer of early retirement.” (www.apwu.org/dept/presvp/index.htm APWU President)

Postal workers who are considering early retirement should take a “wait-and-see” attitude before making a decision, APWU President William Burrus said in a recent Update for union members.