Negotiations Update, Renewed Demand for Better Staffing

It has been an extremely busy summer for the APWU. Contract negotiations, our National Convention, and the never-ending daily work of representing the membership.

We are in the final stretch of contract negotiations. I can report that progress is slow at best. Soon, the APWU and the Postal Service will be “locking down” to engage in nearly around-the-clock negotiations. The entire APWU negotiating team will be involved in direct negotiations and key staff will be attending in support roles. I am hopeful that we can make progress, and a voluntary agreement can be reached.

I was honored to be amongst APWU unionists at the National Convention, where there was great debate and discussion on the Labor-Management resolutions that direct the negotiating team. The message was clear. Many of the resolutions are already things we are working on in negotiations, and I can assure you that your negotiators are working on many of the items raised at convention.

I want to share an experience that I had recently, which disturbed me not only as a union officer but as a postal customer. I needed to mail items to my home in Orchard Park, NY. It was a Saturday morning in Washington, DC and I pulled up the USPS mobile app to find the nearest Post Office to mail my parcel. I drove to the closest one and walked to the door, but the door was locked! Hanging on the door was a sign saying that it was closed due to “no staff.” There were six other people trying to get in. All of them had walked there with their parcels to mail. I looked up the next office and drove there. What did I find? The exact same thing! It was not until the third Post Office I tried that I found one open. The Sales and Service Associate in that office was pleasant, efficient, and did a great job. I noticed she was the only one at the counter, so I asked if others were there. She told me no. She continued that normally the opening clerk comes in to do the box mail (this office does not have carriers) and to open the window. But the opening clerk was on vacation, so the kind woman I spoke with said she had worked 12-14 hours a day over the last week to keep the office open.

Now, my point is not to blame the folks who were unable to work at the other offices—my point is to make sure we put the blame where it lies—on postal management. Management has the authority to hire more people. Management can treat us well enough to want to come to work. Management can ensure that when they hire new employees they do what’s needed to do to retain the employees. Things like treating them with dignity and respect, scheduling them appropriately, and training them well. Surveys and report after report show that just these three things would help the Postal Service retain employees and keep them wanting to come to work.

This is a subject we are discussing in negotiations, but we need all of you to help! Report your short staffing. Let your union leaders know when offices are closed due to short staffing. Share your concerns with the public! We have a website where the public can go to report and share their concerns about staffing at their Post Office. It is betterpostoffice.org. And don’t forget that you can download tools and materials for personal and local use at apwu.org/staffing to support the APWU “Better Staffing, Better Service” campaign.

The best job security that we can have is a Post Office that works for the people, is properly staffed, and delivers prompt, reliable, and efficient service!

Solidarity! ■