To All Our APWU Sisters and Brothers:
Vote for the Past, Present and Future
Vote No on the Contract!!
Background: Postal Workers today enjoy the wages and benefits we do based on generations of struggle on the part of those who came before us, in particular the bold actions of the 1970 Postal Strike which brought us from “collective begging” to “collective bargaining”. It is fair to say that every contract voted on by the members since that time has advanced the well being of postal workers and our families while protecting the great institution of the United States Postal Service. This is why workers form unions: to uplift our rights, wages, benefits and standard of living, provide good jobs for our communities and set the standard for all working people.
For the first time, we are being presented a tentative union agreement for our final approval that will set postal employees back many decades and leave little for the generations to come. Using the fear tactics that “times are bad” and “things could be worse in arbitration”, the national union leadership created a media blitz “selling” this proposed union contract that includes traveling the country and hours long webinars with a presentation of the “highlights”. These highlights are biased and don’t tell the whole story.
Here are the major facts which form the basis for a principled NO VOTE:
➡ The tentative agreement redefines full-time assignments to be as low as 30 hours a week, through the creation of “non-traditional” full-time assignments. Examples of workweeks could be: three 12 hour days, three or four 10 hour days, five 6 hour days, etc. USPS management has been given full discretion on making up to 50% of all mail processing existing assignments and up to 100% of retail (function four) existing assignments, “non-traditional”. Overtime pay after eight hours will be gone in “non-traditional” assignments of more than eight hour days. A shorter workweek without a reduction in pay would create jobs and be a good thing. Quite another is giving management the unbridled authority to make tens of thousands of 30 hour/week assignments that undermine the standard of living of Postal Workers.
➡ The tentative agreement establishes two permanently lower-tier wage systems. One is for future career employees. ($6,000-$8,000 less per year per employee) The other for “non-career” (to be called PSE) employees ($12-$14/hour). Lower-tier wage systems divide the workforce and will cause dissension in the union ranks. This weakens us in the long run, and lowers the standard of living for workers. These lower-tier wage structures provide every incentive for management to harass and drive out the current higher paid, top seniority workers.
➡ Under the proposed tentative agreement “non-career PSE” bargaining unit employees can make up 20% of the clerk craft, 10% of the maintenance craft and 10% of the MVS craft. There could be 35,000 “non career” employees out of the bargaining unit of about 200,000!
➡ Incredibly, our union has negotiated guaranteed hours for supervisors! 25 hours in level 15 and 16 offices, 15 hours in level 18 offices!
➡ How cheap is cheap? In most cases PSE compensation (wages and benefits) is less than half of current career employees’ compensation. This new PSE pay scale can even be lowered if the union wants it for “competitive” purposes, meaning if they can get the work back inside the USPS by making it even cheaper. This represents a tragic “race to the bottom”. These wage scales (which are much less than the prevailing wage rates mandated by the U.S. Department of Labor for government sub-contracting) clearly lower the standard of living for everyone.
Fortunately for us, those who came before us insured that final approval of any proposed union contract rests with the membership. We have the final say.
Former APWU President William Burrus got it right BY URGING US TO VOTE NO! In an open letter to APWU members he said “This tentative agreement will turn back the clock and erase… years of struggle.” Additionally he stated “Do you resign APWU designated employment to the Fast Food, Walmart category of employment or fight to continue it as a means to a middle class lifestyle?”
Let’s make our voices heard loud and clear. If our only goal is to “make it” to retirement (while being beaten up along the way with non-traditional assignments, higher payments for health insurance, virtually non-existent pay raises and deferred COLA’s) then vote yes for the proposed union contract. If our goal includes not only our present well being, but the future well-being of our children, families, neighbors, the next generation, and communities based on decent jobs, THEN VOTE NO!
Let’s send our union negotiators back to the bargaining table to get the kind of union contract (either negotiated, mediated or arbitrated) that preserves the dignity of full-time career work. This is what we deserve today and what those who follow us also deserve.
And before you cast your vote, ask yourself: If a generation ago our forefathers and foremothers voted yes for a tentative union agreement like this, where would you and your family be today?
Your Ratification Ballots will be arriving sometime after April 8th
Reject the Fear Tactics!
VOTE NO!!
APWU Members Against the Tentative Agreement
Committed to honor the past, protect the present and win the future.
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