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Ask President Burrus

Question:

I live in an area with a very high cost-of-living. I find it difficult, sometimes almost impossible, to live on my salary. While postal employees in the Midwest and the South may be able to live on this salary, here in the Northeast, we can barely support our families.

James, North Jersey Area Local

President Burrus:

You raise an interesting question: whether the APWU should pursue varying postal pay, based on the cost-of-living of the communities where employees work.

As you may know, federal government “locality pay” supplements the wages of employees who live in areas with a very high cost-of-living. Other major employers have similar pay systems that allow employees in high cost-of-living areas to receive higher compensation for performing the same work as their counterparts in other areas of the country.

In the 1970s, the delegates to APWU conventions engaged in extensive discussions about “area pay” and voted consistently and overwhelmingly to continue the unified pay schedule. This does not preclude future discussions on this subject, but the final decision should be that of the membership, as decided at convention.

Let me add a word of caution: Contrary to the belief of many who live in high cost-of-living areas and who favor locality pay, the application of area wages tends to slow the pay growth of those in low cost-of-living areas more than it increases the pay of those in high cost-of-living areas. The trade-off for higher pay in some areas is lower pay in others.

I encourage debate among APWU representatives on the subject and will be governed by the outcome. From time to time, postal management has submitted pay proposals that include area pay, which have been rejected by the union. If there is an interest in negotiating area pay, the subject would be fully explored in bargaining.

Nov. 29, 2005

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