Postal Nurses’ Interest Arbitration Hearings Conclude

Interest-arbitration hearings over a contract between the National Postal Professional Nurses-APWU and the Postal Service concluded April 2. Arbitrator Stephen Goldberg is expected to issue a ruling within the next several weeks on the wages, hours, and working conditions for the nurses, who have had contracts with the USPS since 1978.

The nurses union voted to affiliate with the APWU shortly before its most recent contract expired in 2007. APWU officers and Postal Service officials met several times before submitting the outstanding issues to the interest arbitrator.

Testifying at the hearings on behalf of the NPPN-APWU were unit President Idell Mitchell, Vice President Maria Hicks, and APWU members Jane Freeman, Suzanne DeWeese, Emily Jones, Deborah DiBennedetto, and Carol Anchak.

The nurses testified on the topics of the bargaining history, case management, Certified Occupational Health Nurse (COHN) certification-reimbursement, and the uniform allowance. The APWU members also made presentations on the history of the NPPN, including examples of numerous lives saved in postal workplaces.

In addition, economist Kathryn Kobe presented testimony to support the union’s requests for increased wages. Support Services Division Director Bill Manley testified in favor of changes to the grievance process, work-rule improvements, and granting nurses better access to union representatives.

In its testimony, the Postal Service alleged that postal nurses’ duties are limited to “band-aids and aspirin.” The most significant contract proposal offered by the Postal Service was to reduce the bargaining unit from 130 nurses now in 51 locations to 41 nurses in 41 locations. There would be no more than one nurse per location under the USPS plan.