Postal Service, union to keep talking until Dec. 1
The U.S. Postal Service will continue negotiating with one of its largest unions about a new multi-year contract until Dec. 1, officials said Tuesday.
A Postal Service spokesman and officials with the American Postal Workers Union confirmed that the talks will continue, but declined to provide details. A four-year contract between USPS and APWU expired Saturday, but both sides agreed to keep negotiating.
A separate deal with the National Rural Letter Carriers Association ended in an impasse and is expected to be considered soon by a third-party arbitrator.
APWU represents 220,000 postal clerks, mechanics, drivers, custodians and some administrative workers.
The Postal Service is seeking greater concessions from both unions on wages, health benefits and working conditions after suffering $8.5 billion in losses during the fiscal year that ended in September. The Postal Service can no longer guarantee eight-hour shifts for clerks, mail handlers and other workers, officials said when negotiations began in September.
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By
Ed O'Keefe
| November 23, 2010; 12:40 PM ET
Categories:
Postal Service, Workplace Issues
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Postal unions need to meet reality. Salaries need 2 year minimum freeze and then small single digit increase. Benefit reductions or larger employee contributions. Put on 401k plan with employee contributions.
Post Office needs to discontinue Saturday deliveries and reduce staff.
This is not easy but gravy train has run out.
Posted by: jnorow | November 23, 2010 4:30 PM | Report abuse
"jnorow" as never worked for the PO, employees have been on a 401K since 1984, we pay almost 20% of are health coverage costs, and the gravy train, how about delivering mail in the winter in Colorado or try California central valley when its 115 degrees. How about the plant clerks that spend 30 year career working from 11:00 pm till 8:00 am with split days off? What needs to be looked out is the recent $5,000,000.00 golden parachute for the retiring Postmaster General, how about the 25% of base pay for current executives called a retention pay, I call it a bonus. Stop crucifying the postal employees that labor, day in, day out, actually moving the mail from mail box to mail box, when they retire they are tired and broken, their is no head hunter offering them millions to go to work for the mailing industry, lobbying there old employees so they can get the postal service to delivery there advertising at less than cost.
Posted by: lostmechanic | November 23, 2010 7:50 PM | Report abuse
BEFORE ANYONE STARTS ON THE SUBJECT OF GRAVY TRAINS OR BLOATED POSTAL EMPLOYEE PENSIONS LET'S GET ONE THING CLEAR. IT IS THE OVERPAID, WELL CONNECTED HIGHER UPS WHO REALLY HAVE NO CLUE WHAT THE WORKERS DO TO MOVE THE EVER SHRINKING VOLUME OF MAIL. THIS CARRIER OF 25 PLUS YEARS STANDS TO COLLECT A WHOPPING $1400. PER MONTH. WITH LUCK THAT WILL COVER GAS,GROCERIES AND HEATING OIL AND MAYBE RENT BUT CERTAINLY NOT ANY KIND OF A MORTGAGE. NOT TO MENTION BAD KNEES, HIPS AND FEET AFTER WALKING APPROX.40,000-50,000 MILES OVER A THIRTY YEARS CAREER.FOR.PMG RUNYUN HAD IT RIGHT IN THE NINETIES "ANYONE WHO DOESN'T TOUCH THE MAIL IS EXTRANEOUS"
Posted by: mailman5218 | November 28, 2010 3:15 PM | Report abuse
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