WASHINGTON — The Postal Service and two of its major unions have agreed to continue to extend separate labor contract negotiations. Although the contracts with the National Association of Letter Carriers, AFL-CIO (NALC) and the National Postal Mail Handlers Union, AFL-CIO (NPMHU) expired at m idnight Sunday, Nov. 20, the Postal Service and the two unions agreed to extend the negotiations deadline until midnight, Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2011. All parties have now agreed to continue negotiations until midnight, Friday, December 16.
The NALC represents more than 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. Should negotiations fail, a process begins which could result in a third party deter m ining contract ter m s and work rules for approximately 240,000 employees.
Unlike the private sector, when negotiations come to an impasse, postal employees are not permitted to strike as Congress has designated the Postal Service as an essential service to the nation. An arbitrator determines the final outcome and is not legally required to consider the Postal Service’s financial obligations when rendering a decision.
For additional background information on labor negotiations visit this link.
the union is a joke, we have no rep. locally, and when we did he only cared about himself. Yes I got out and use the $$ for my kids. Much better use of $$ in my opinion. Tom is right all they care about is the $$ that you send in, after they rolled over on route adjustments, things have only gone down hill. Can’t wait to see what is next.
BRAVO FOR U TOM…..I QUIT THE UNION 4YRS AGO AFTER BEING IN IT FOR 30 YRS…..AND LET ME TELL YOU WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME….BESIDES HAVING THE EXTRA MONEY IN MY POCKET EACH MONTH .I DONT HAVE TO LISTEN TO HOW THE UNION IS SAVING ALL OUR JOBS..AND WHAT A WONDERFUL JOB THEY DO FOR ALL THE LETTER CARRIERS…BULLSHT…..YRS AGO THE UNION STOOD FOR SOMETHING…THE WOULD NEVER EVER LET MGMT BREAK THE CONTRACT THE WAY THAT THEY DO NOW EVERYDAY….JUST ASK ALL THE LETTER CARRIERS IN OTHER BRANCHES AS TO WHAT THE BOSSES ARE GETTING AWAY WITH NOW…ITS A FRIGGIN SHAME….AND TO THINK THAT U GUYS ARE PAYING FOR THIS ON TOP OF IT ALSO…DO YOURSELF A BIG FAVOR AND GET OUT AND PUT THE XTRA MONEY TO GOOD USE…IM SURE YOUR FAMILY CAN USE IT ….AND OH BY THE WAY….IF YOU GET OUT BE PREPARED TO HAVE UR NAME SMEARED ALL OVER EVERY UNION PUBLICATION…AS A SCAB…JUST THINK..I WAS A GREAT GUY FOR 30 YRS AS LONG AS I WAS PAYING THE DUES..BUT ONCE UR OUT..OH BOY UR A DEADBEAT…THEY NEVER TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THAT U MIGHT NEED THE MONEY ….BECAUSE GOD KNOWS WERE NEVER GETTING ANY IN THE NEW CONTRACT…
Mailhandlers it’s time to pack your bags, if you are not a Vet, you can kiss the nature baby good bye. Go to TSA they are hiring, get out while you can and save your hard work fed time that you have . Have a good day
“To those facing a possible forced retirement as federal employees can be per law”
What? When did they change the ADEA of 1967?
There is no longer a federal law requiring mandatory retirement at any age; however, employers may implement mandatory retirement plans for their employees. Laws have been created to protect individuals within the age group of 40 or older from being forced into retirement solely because of their age.
I just finished reading the letter / comment by Tom, and that kind of splitting of the masses is just what postal management is looking for in their desire to break apart and bring down our unions. We need to stand behind the union leadership and know that they are doing the best for our interest. I dont mean to question your reasoning in going to a 5 day delivery, but as a t-6 it would seem to me that you are throwing us under the bus in order to save yourself. I think the union should go to arbitration because it seems obvious to me that the PMG isnt interested in getting a deal done because he goes out of his way to make UPS look so bad financially, when in reality we really wouldnt be in bad shape if we didnt have to pay this insane prefunding measure. Everyone should look up the finances of the UPS from the last 20 years and then subtract the prefunding measure which began in 2006, the results doesnt look like a bankrupt business, it looks like a business that is being manipulated into failure.
Anyone else notice how the NALC is keeping us all in the dark as to what they are asking for on carriers behalf? Even if it is bad news we have the right to know what our supposed union reps are up to. What are they compromising on so that they get their way on dues impacting changes. We need an arbitrator and public negotiations. If this contract is a joke like the last one I will be keeping my sixty dollars a month dues and useing them to pay a bill that should have been paid for by a well deserved and long overdue pay increase. I encourage other NALC members to do the same. If the union cannot get you a much deserved raise in a time when everyone and their mother gets bonuses then give yourself a sixty dollar a month raise by dropping the union dues. The state of the post office is irrelevant to our wages. The problem lies completely in obsolete delivery methods like three billion dollar a year Saturday deliveries and six point something billion dollar a year non curbside deliveries. Someone please do what is right for the future of this company and offer early outs with descent incentives allowing as many junior carriers to stay on board as we transition into a must five day delivery schedule. I urge and plead with all carriers staying to do what is right when this does happen and give a full eight hours worth of work for eight hours pay. As things are now if we continue witha six day week and with time wasting unnecessary delivery points the post office cannot afford to give us any descent pay increase. Goodness I can just picture the NALC reps compromising our pay, benefits and workload so long as the post office stops persuing any restructuring that would affect their dues numbers. With a five day week we would no longer need a floater for every four routes, that would affect their dues numbers and with a full front gate centralized curbside standard delivery for every address most routes would be able to take on a significant addition of deliveries to their routes as the time wasting practice of delivering at multiple points and to different floors at multi unit properties would be eliminated. These are changes that need to happen. Yes I am afraid I might be laid off, but plan on using the two years of unemployment I am entitled to in order to go back to school and get a degree that would maybe not immediately get me a salary like the one I have now, but would set me well on my way to working indoors out if the heat and freezing cold I have to deal with now. I hope all my fellow carriers especially any with less than three years seniority have a plan B. To those facing a possible forced retirement as federal employees can be per law. I hope that you also start getting all of your matters in order just in case. We all need to start looking into how unemployment, public health care and other programs like these can help us in our respective states. We all need to hope for the best, but plan for the worst.
Does it really matter what is in the Contract? Donahue will only whine to congress that the postal service won’t be profitable and have it nullified.
I agree go to arbitration.
Remove the PMG everyone has lost their respect for him.
I absolutely cannot imagine what Rolando and Hegarty are thinking….Donohoboy is a RATTLESNAKE that don’t give a damn about COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS and says so to ALL AMERICA, THE US CONGRESS AND ANYONE ELSE WHO WILL LISTEN AND OFFER HIM A CAMERA TO SPEAK AT.
It’s clear that, if the PMG gets his way, it does NOT MATTER WHAT THE USPS AGREES TO.
Tell them to kiss your ass Rolando/Hegarty and take them right to ARBITRATION.
Vera soon please….I have 36 years but Iam only 53….this suck’s.
Please offer a vera without incentive so I can get out before I loose my pension.
I pay no social security…
If congress thinks we’re an essential service so we can’t strike. Why are they letting the PO be destroyed by Donahue and his gang of hench men? Why are we so essential that we’re not allowed to strike but congress can’t seem to find the time to put us on the front burner? If as I have read the post office is out dated, unneeded, and a thing of the past, why can’t we strike?