Maybe. The minuscule pay increases; the back-loaded, waived and deferred COLAs; the lower starting salaries for future employees; the increases in employees’ share of contributions toward healthcare coverage; the retention of the no layoff clause and the return of many jobs to APWU employees could save the USPS billions of dollars in operations costs, which could possibly preserve APWU craft employees jobs for years. The new Non-Traditional Full-Time duty assignments and the new Postal Support Employee work force would give the USPS more flexibility in adopting employees’ work schedules that would fit their business needs.
All APWU members will be mailed a copy of the Tentative Agreement and a ratification ballot to vote yes or no on April 8, 2011. The ballot must be returned to APWU Headquarters by May 10, 2011. The Choice is Yours!
Show US the Money-If You Want US To Go!
So far, although rumors are saying the opposite, there has been no official announcement indicating that bargaining unit employees will receive retirement incentives.
Fredric Jacobs
President
APWU Oakland Local #78
PostalReporter.com note:A reliable source provided the following info..
At the briefing I attended, two national officers told me privately that a VERA for APWU members was certain if this contract passes. They didn’t know what incentive the USPS would offer. It seems to me that a VERA following approval of this contract should be made public. A lot more senior employees would vote Yes on this contract if they knew.
Readers must keep in mind there has been no official announcement of any VER offer to craft employees. But if you are thinking about retiring soon be prepared to take it.
To those of you who argue that since there’s a bad economy, we have no choice but to accept getting gutted in this sellout contract:
Concessions do not save jobs. In private industry they simply provide more profits for owners, managers and stockholders. In the postal service, concessions do not save jobs either. Under the tentative contract, once the old workforce is retired or forced out, you will have a new and much more poorly compensated workforce. That will mean the postal service management has more money to play with. They are under no obligation to hire more people or raise wages with the extra billions they have. Nor or they obliged to stop cutting jobs through attrition and other means as they have done already on a massive scale. They could fork over the concessions money to pay for the unfair government levy for future retiree health care benefits. They will. as history shows, seek to replace even more human labor with automation, spending billions on that. And they can use the billions they grab under the contract to provide discounts for the big mailing companies, increasing their profits at our expense.
As our wages/conditions plummet, it also sets off a chain reaction throughout the shipping industry. If the postal workforce makes less money, some might think that this will mean we get more business and jobs that used to belong to UPS or FedEx and other private competitors. Maybe, for a moment.. But what glee should we take in underbidding our fellow workers in other companies? And what happens their next contract? Their owners will say, well, if you want to keep your jobs, you better underbid those overpaid postal workers. They will seek to lower their wages. If those workers agree to that, then the jobs we temporarily won will quickly be lost. The only overall effect will be their will be a never-ending downward spiral for ALL workers, whether employed by the USPS or its competitors.
Concessions are necessary, some say, otherwise Republicans will go after our collective bargaining rights. Let’s leave aside for the moment the “small” matter that if you can only have collective bargaining rights if you agree to whatever management or the politicians of both big business parties demands, then you’ve already lost. It’s like saying you have the right to vote, but only if you vote for who I tell you to vote for. But will it really stop those who want to end collective bargaining altogether? Not really. It will encourage them. They will say, look, the concessions you took show that your own union leaders agree you are overpaid and underworked. And they will see that the union leadership is not to be feared, for they cave in when they are threatened.
Yes, economic times are bad and many workers are suffering badly. Accepting that even more workers should suffer is hardly a cure for this. Indeed, the only way to reduce the suffering is for the workers to resist being buried with the burdens of the economic crisis. The great industrial union organizing drives of the 1930s came during the Great Depression. Was that a mistake? Should these workers have said that since there’s massive unemployment, we should take whatever wages and conditions the company forces on me? Did they say, please let us have a union and we will promise not to ask for anything?
Anyone who thinks we will do better in arbitration is crazy! Most of Congress thinks this deal is too good for us. Vote yes or there may not be a Postal Service in 4 years. And Brad, PLEASE LEARN TO SPELL BEFORE POSTING!!!
With the way the economy is, and the contracts the autoworkers settled for , how could anyone want an arbitrator to decide our future..I’m voting YES
i has too inform youse peeple that yoor commie time is up. no mor free monys and tax payors mony. al sort of benyfits and extra gimmie stuff. we needs too lets the free markit take ovor and fix sistem and crate jobs. al the extra monys shood bee sent to corperashun and thy fix job and econamy.
I’ve nicknamed this tentative contract the ‘Privitization Contract, Phase One’.
The deliberate and planned assault on the middle class pay and benefits.
Stockholders, politicians, and corporate CEO’s have been paying close attention to the WalMart business model. If you haven’t noticed, the out of touch in DC refer to the Postal Service ‘business model’. A clone of the WalMart business model. Prior to 2006, the Postal service was a non profit self supporting government agency. We’re destined to be a clearing house for the advertising industry. Low pay, no benefits, pay our medical and retirement if there’s anything left.
All with the blessing of Congress who are the mouthpieces of corporate america.
Take a stand now before it’s too late. Once we give up what we have, there’s no getting it back. A simple NO vote tells those in the ivory towers that enough is enough. If we lose in arbitration, then so be it. Better than voting yes and handing it over, which is why the threats and innuendo are coming down the pike.
Vote no for more dough
Gerald Reid. Please change your mind. We have never lost in arbitration. We won’t loose on a new arbitrated contract either. No one would take 25% from a body of people except crooked Union Officials.
Yes people. Let’s let an arbitrator decide our future. Are you all out of your ever loving minds. I will be voting yes and I hope some of you who have your heads up your @#@ will wake up and do the same.
After speaking with my moles in the system,the postal services is willing to part with the elder work force for $15,000 over two years $5000 first year and they are banking on you not making it to the second year for the remaining $10,000 the choice is yours.Leave with your health or die with the wealth.
The commie Republikkkans who are against collective bargaining don’t think you should even have whats offered, dumbf**k.
it is always the commie liberal shits from califucnia that want us to swallow it whole vote no hell no o plus o is still shit
GIVE BARGAINING UNIT EMPLOYEES A DECENT MONETARY INCENTIVE AND THEY WILL GO, AND FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE DON’T VOTE YES OR ELSE THEY WILL FORCE US OUT ANYWAY WITHOUT ANY MONETARY INCENTIVE. READ THE FINE PRINT IN THE TENTATIVE AGREEMENT!
There are items in the contract that haven’t been agreed upon yet and they want us to vote on it.I’ll be voting no
Well it looks to me like a VERA will be like the rest with no incentive. That little tidbit they through out there about vote yes and there will be a VERA for Craft employees does not guarantee a incentive because their giving all the money to management to get them to retire. And whats so interesting about that VERA is they have to take it or they won’t have a job….(READ BETWEEN THE LINES).
I wholeheartedly agree. Vote no and take your chances with an arbitrator. The union bigwigs are only about themselves. It’s about time you dues paying members realize that and make an effort to vote certain bums out who aren’t doing as you wish. They are no different then the politician who says one thing to get elected and once in office they forgot why they were voted in in the first place. As long as they get to stay off the workroom floor and get all the benefits afforded their positions, it’s really not about you. I know because as a letter carrier and former 204b I’ve seen and heard enough from both parties to make you cringe. Young’s parting gift to the post office was MIRAP, which is now called JARAP 2011. Like a catchy name with a year behind changes the fact that it’s the same old bullshit with garbage in, garbage out. According to the local Business Agent we NOW have to believe that the numbers are accurate. Believe they are accurate even though higher ups throw out PFP increases based on numbers that a supervisor inputs into a computer. Turncoats looking out for themselves. You the actually person doing the job, you’re not as smart as either your union reps or management. Ask them, they’ll be glad to inform you as to how and why they know better. Vote no and regardless of ISSA (who every postal employee in his district should get family members to vote this thug out of office), a good arbitrator worth his weight realizes that we are not tax funded (which these moronic politicians seem to either not know or don’t give a shit) and that if it weren’t for are prefunding current and FUTURE retirees benefits to the tune of 5.5 billion dollars a year we would have actually posted a profit. One has to wonder why congress makes us do this in the first place. It’s been stated many times that NO OTHER ORGANIZATION, PRIVATE OR GOVERNMENT HAS TO DO THIS. Makes you wonder, if it doesn’t go back to watching cartoons.
I ain’t gonna vote — but I will Bit@ch !!!!
two national officers told me privately that a VERA for APWU members was certain if this contract passes0
What has a APWU officer got to do with a VERA – Seems to me it would be part of the contract if that was true!!!
I wouldn’t vote for that contract unless I changed my name to Packass !
25% cut in pay; 25% cut in annual leave; 25% cut in paid sick leave; 3.5% pay raise; 4% increase in health care cost. A complete sale out for the APWU officers. They are lying threw their teeth when they say this is a fair and just contract. A decent job just became a pathetic job. No one in their right mind would make a career at USPS as a craft worker. We all know Management is a bunch of unintelligent people always trying to sound smart but just not capable of pulling that off. Vote no and stand for what has been fought for over the last 40 some years; A decent job you could be proud of. VOTE NO!!!
25% cut in pay; 25% cut in annual leave; 25% cut in paid sick leave; 3.5% pay raise; 4% increase in health care cost. A complete sale out for the APWU officers. They are lying threw their teeth when they say this is a fair and just contract. A decent job just became a pathetic job. No one in their fight mind would make a career at USPS as a craft worker. We all no Management is a bunch of unintelligent people alwasy trying to sound smart but just not capable of pulling that off. Vote no and atand for what has been fought for over the last some 40 years. VOTE NO!!!
NO! NO!NO! That’s how I’m voting.
I think you just bribed 30000 employees by throwing out that bribe….
i am also voting yes also if it is not passed i think we will lose with Issa and congress getting into the mix
I am voting YES