Take Action Today to Save Bargaining Rights for Postal Workers

by Mike Hall, Aug 3, 2009

An amendment to a short-term financial assistance bill for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) would destroy collective bargaining between the USPS and its unions. The Postal Workers (APWU) and the Letter Carriers (NALC) are mobilizing to defeat the amended bill (S. 1507) when it comes to a vote before the full Senate later this week.

APWU President William Burrus warns that if the bill passes as written,

it will destroy collective bargaining for postal workers.

Click here to visit APWU’s website and to send a message to your senators.

The amendment to the financial relief bill was approved late last week by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. NALC President Fredric Rolando says it is “disappointing” that Congress

would interfere with postal collective bargaining and seek to put a thumb on the scale in favor of postal management in the next round of bargaining.

The amendment would require arbitrators ruling on postal contracts to take into account the financial health of the USPS. Under current law, arbitrators must consider the “comparability” of postal wages to employees in the private sector who perform similar work. Says Burrus:

In fact, arbitrators routinely consider the Postal Service’s financial status as part of the context of negotiations. However, to attach this specific requirement to the law leaves workers at a severe disadvantage.

By singling out this one factor, the amended bill would give the Postal Service’s short-term financial conditions supremacy over all other relevant considerations. It will make the bargaining process subject to all-out manipulation.

Both unions support a House version of a financial relief bill for the USPS, H.R. 22, that does not interfere with the bargaining process. For more information on both bills, click here.

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