APWU and Postal Service Extend Moratorium on Private Retail Outlets

In an effort to protect against further contracting out of retail operations and defend the integrity of customer service and our jobs, the APWU secured a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in the 2015 Collective Bargaining Agreement that imposed a moratorium whereby the Postal Service could not expand any Village Post Offices, Contract Postal Units and Approved Shipper outlets.

As part of this MOU, with the exception of the Stop Staples campaign, the APWU agreed that we would refrain from challenging the existing USPS “business relationships” through the same type of activism used in the Stop Staples campaign. That campaign ultimately led to the cancellation of the Approved Shipper program in Staples stores across the country in February of 2017. 

During this moratorium, the union and management agreed to enter into discussions to address the future of retail operations. The Clerk Craft officers have met several times with the Postal Service to discuss the issues involved. 

The moratorium initially expired in July 8, 2017, but was extended through the end of 2017. On February 7, 2018, the parties extended the MOU until September 20, 2018, thus protecting more retail jobs from potentially being lost to these programs through the expiration of the current union contract.