Union Condemns USPS Invitation to ‘Ignore Agreements’

APWU President William Burrus has criticized the outcome of a meeting of 700 USPS executives, at which participants were invited to identify the best opportunities for improving postal efficiency. According to a USPS News Link report dated Oct. 18, among the top vote-getters were managing sick leave and overtime, and maximizing the use of non-career employees.

In a sharply worded letter to Postmaster General John E. Potter, Burrus wrote, “As you are aware, each of these issues is governed by the Collective Bargaining Agreement, which details the rights of the employees. A request for special focus on these contractual issues is best presented in preparation for contract negotiations.

“I note that compliance with the National Agreement was not listed among the leading objectives,” Burrus continued, “even though millions of dollars have been distributed” as a result of USPS contract violations.

The union president did not object to the solicitation of input from responsible managers per se, he wrote, “but an open-ended invitation to improve efficiencies is a solicitation to ignore agreements.”

Ending harassment of employees and improving employee morale were not included among the top recommendations, Burrus observed, “even though it is clear that serious change [in these areas] would improve efficiencies.”

Burrus ended the Oct. 23 letter by requesting that the Postmaster General officially remind postal executives and managers that the provisions of the Collective Bargaining Agreement must be adhered to.