Union, Management Reach Settlement On Individual Retirement Counseling

The APWU and Postal Service reached a settlement on Sept. 21 reaffirming management’s responsibility to provide individual retirement counseling to APWU-represented employees. In 2007, the Postal Service centralized its retirement counseling process, with specialists at the Human Resources Shared Services Center (HRSSC) providing counseling, primarily by phone. Management said the change was made so that postal employees across the country would receive consistent information.

The settlement stipulates that local management must arrange reasonably private space for employees who wish to receive individual retirement counseling on the clock.  Employees are permitted to have their spouse and/or advisor present during counseling.

Employees who cannot obtain counseling from HRSSC without assistance will be offered help from local management. Whether an employee is unable to start or complete the retirement counseling without assistance will be determined jointly by local management and the union on a case-by-case basis.