NALC: Cutbacks and closures threaten vote-by-mail

According to an article in The Hill, lawmakers across the country are growing increasingly concerned that the cutback of delivery standards and closure of processing facilities proposed by the Postal Service could threaten vote-by-mail. Vote-by-mail is an increasingly popular way for Americans to cast their votes. The Election Assistance Commission estimated that, in the 2010 […]

APWU: Excessing Rules Dramatically Improved

Under previous contracts, thousands of APWU members were involuntarily excessed outside their craft and installation, sometimes hundreds of miles away. Although the opportunity to be excessed instead of being laid off — as would be the case in most industries — is an important right, excessing often had a devastating impact on employees who had […]

NALC Response to USPS Mail-Processing Announcement

The Postal Service has announced its plans for restructuring its mail processing operations across the country. The plan would close or merge some 223 of the 264 processing plants reviewed over the past six months. The NALC Contract Administration Unit is working with the NALC’s 15 regional offices to determine which delivery units, if any, […]

APWU Members Must Continue the Fight

Of 264 facilities studied for closure, 223 were approved for consolidation. Six are still being studied. Only 35 consolidations were disapproved — at this time. The Postal Service’s announcement on Feb. 23 that it has approved 223 mail processing plants for consolidation [PDF] leaves union members just one option, APWU President Cliff Guffey said: We […]

USPS Set to Announce Consolidations – APWU Continues to Oppose Plan To Slash Service, Jobs, Network

As the Postal Service prepares to announce which mail processing facilities will face consolidation beginning in mid-May, the APWU is fighting back. The union is continuing to oppose USPS plans to slash service, eliminate 35,000 jobs, and destroy the mail distribution network. “APWU members have done an outstanding job of expressing our concerns to members […]

NALC: Payroll tax extension heads to president’s desk

Feb. 21, 2012 — Legislation to renew a payroll tax holiday and extension of unemployment benefits passed both the Senate and House on Friday, and is now on its way to President Obama’s desk, where he’s expected to sign it. While the NALC strongly supported the extension of the payroll tax holiday and unemployment insurance […]

OpEd – USPS Open Shop Unions

In a September 19, 2011 OIG audit report “management at Postal Service plants were concerned that work rules inhibit their ability to manage effectively. 259 processing and distribution center (P&DC) managers were contacted using a web survey and 152 (59 percent) responded. Of those responses, 118 (78 percent) indicated they “Strongly Agree” or “Agree” that […]

APWU Says USPS Five-Year Plan is Doomed to Fail

The Postal Service’s latest five-year plan, which it announced with great fanfare on Feb. 16, is “a warmed-over menu of proposals that are doomed to fail,” said APWU President Cliff Guffey. “The Postal Service cannot cut its way to financial health. The USPS must modernize, improve service, and offer new products in order to succeed,” […]

NALC Response to USPS ‘Business Plan’ Announcement

Feb. 16, 2012 — In response to the Postal Service’s proposal Thursday to reduce services in an effort to trim losses, the NALC issued the following statement: The National Association of Letter Carriers will study the Postal Service’s new business plan in more detail over the next few days, but any plan that calls for […]