October 27, 2006 NALC E-ACTIVIST
Dear Member,
Between now and the scheduled end of the current round of collective
bargaining, I want to use our e-Activist network to provide periodic updates
on the status of our contract negotiations with the United States Postal
Service. Over the past several weeks bargaining activity has accelerated
as the Executive Council works to achieve a negotiated settlement.
This week our main table bargaining team presented postal management
with a number of contract proposals regarding the principal economic areas
of the next National Agreement, as well as on route inspections, workforce
structure and health benefits. We also received an additional set of proposals
from the USPS that we have yet to discuss in full, but about which I will
report next week.
The parties will resume main table talks October 31 as we work
toward the November 20 expiration of the current 2001-2006 contract.
NALC's opening economic proposal calls for a seven-year agreement which
would include a continuation of the existing cost-of-living adjustment
clause, with no changes; general wage increases of 3 percent in each year
of the agreement; and a pay upgrade of one grade for all letter carriers.
I explained that a long-term contract served us well over the past five
years and that an even longer period of stability is necessary in the
future to allow the parties to work cooperatively toward the transformation
of the USPS.
The union also proposed significant changes in the way routes are evaluated
and designed and called for the letter carrier craft to be converted to
a 100 percent all-regular work force. In addition, NALC offered creative
suggestions for reducing the ever-increasing costs of health benefits
without reducing the Postal Service's share of the cost of premiums.
I reiterated this week that labor relations have improved dramatically
during the current contract term despite multiple challenges and that
the Postal Service has been able to improve service and maintain a strong
financial footing.
Although major strides have been made to change the adversarial culture
of labor relations at the national and regional levels, I noted that "the
traditional paradigm of adversarial confrontation at the workroom floor
level remains."
I went on to say: "This situation is no longer acceptable. A dramatic
shift in paradigm to a cooperative relationship on the workroom floor
must be driven by a commitment not merely to the survival of the Service,
but to its revitalization as an essential and dynamic element of the domestic
and commercial service sectors of our society."
I called for a joint revision of the methodology for the evaluation and
design of letter carrier routes to defuse widespread and daily confrontation
over delivery issues. I remarked that "unilateral efforts by the
USPS in the past not only have failed, but have been counter-productive."
I firmly believe that letter carriers are the very heart of the service
provided by USPS, as well as the deeply respected everyday face of the
Service. A dedicated workforce of full-time regular professionals is essential
in an increasingly competitive and challenging environment.
The Postal Service has yet to fully respond to our proposals, but we
expect to learn more from them at next week's main table sessions. Keep
your eyes open for future NALC Bulletins and for additional e-Activist
messages in the weeks to come. Your ongoing support is crucial to our
efforts to negotiate a fair contract for America's hard-working letter
carriers.
In Solidarity,
William H. Young |