USPS, NALC Contract Negotiations Heading to Arbitration

From the US Postal Service New Link:

The mediation process with the National Association of Letter Carriers, AFL-CIO (NALC) has come to an impasse and will now enter into interest arbitration, a process which would conclude later this year.

The Postal Service is still in the mediation process with the National Postal Mail Handlers Union, AFL-CIO (NPMHU).

Contracts with both unions expired at midnight, Nov. 20, 2011. All parties agreed to extend negotiations until midnight, Dec. 16, 2011, and again until Jan. 20, 2012, at which time negotiations came to an impasse and then entered into mediation.

Under the statutory procedures that apply to postal labor negotiations, both sides first engage in mediation and, if unsuccessful, go to interest arbitration. The existing contracts will be followed until terms of a new contract are resolved.

The NALC represents nearly 195,000 employees who work as letter carriers delivering mail primarily in urban areas. The NPMHU represents more than 45,000 employees who work in mail processing plants and Post Offices. Respectively, wages and benefits for NALC- and NPMHU-represented employees exceeded $15.7 billion and $3.5 billion last year.

Unlike the private sector, when negotiations fail, postal employees are not permitted to strike as Congress has designated the Postal Service as an essential service to the nation. A neutral arbitrator determines the final outcome.

via USPS News Link  – NALC negotiations go to arbitration

14 thoughts on “USPS, NALC Contract Negotiations Heading to Arbitration

  1. In case you all forgot mr. Rolando’s call 2 weeks ago, the nalc is not in agreement with s1789. FYI…for all you sorry ass scabs out there, you’re welcome from your union about negotiating for your cheap, good for nothing asses. Get with the program and enlist back in. How else is the union to remain strong if we have people like you

  2. The NALC is about to get a dose of reality. Remember guys the food stamp debit card is white so you will be able to find it easy in your wallet

  3. Has arbitration ever handed the workers a pile of crap? I’ve seen quite a few postal contracts arbitrated and I can’t remember a single one that would have been an overwhelming meltdown to the workers. Correct me if I’m wrong. I’m not afraid of an arbitrated settlement.
    I do fear following the republican path for the postal service, which allows for dismantling of our unions, elimination of six day delivery, privatization of postal services and more and more of their goals towards gutting government until it’s nothing more than ink on paper used to wipe their asses.

  4. Not sure who this “Fried Rolando” character is, but it is not FRED Rolando, the President of NALC. NALC does not support S.1789 with it’s currents contents.

  5. this contract will be settled after the election. Anyone who thinks or thought differently was totally naive. Just wasting time talking to PMG and his flunkies.

  6. Send your Senators a message urging support for the S.1789 by CLICKING HERE.  This will take 20 seconds.Provides incentives to eligible postal employees (up to 100,000) to retire 
     
    ACT NOW:  Send your Senators a message urging support for S.1789 CLICKING HERE.   
    Forward this message to your colleagues, relatives and friends too and urge them to send the same message to the Senate to ACT NOW.

  7. Has mediation ever settled a contract? I’ve been through about a half dozen of these contracts and they either have been settled and voted on or gone all the way to arbitration after mediation step has failed. Seems the mediation step is nothing but a time delay in ultimately settling the contract through the arbitration process. Can anything ever be done in an effiecient manner when it comes to postal management??!!

  8. The National Association of Letter Carriers also indicated it would be willing to ask its nearly 300,000 members for more “tough sacrifices” to get the Postal Service out of the red. It didn’t specify what concessions it would seek from members, besides no COLAS and a 1% raise 2 years from now.
    Mail Carriers Try Own Rescue Plan.
    Raising Stamp Prices Is Central to Postal Union’s Plan.
    The Postal Service’s proposal to keep open thousands of post offices and not cut back on the number of days that mail is delivered “will work” and would accelerate the agency’s ascension from debt, according to the six-page report by Ron Bloom, President Barack Obama’s former auto czar, and investment bank Lazard Ltd., LAZ -0.45% who were hired by the union in October.
    Part of this report sponsored by the NALC promotes the VERA, the early outs as so called to allow craft workers to retire with dignity, and the S.1789, the Senate bill is a linchpin of the NALC’s six-page report by Ron Bloom, President Barack Obama’s former auto czar, and investment bank Lazard Ltd., LAZ -0.45% who were hired by the union in October.

    202-224-3121
    (Capitol Switchboard)
    [Click here for direct #s]
    Tell them you Support 
    S. 1789 as it is currently written.

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