William Burrus  APWU President

Ask the President

Question:

Why does the union give management ways to get around rules that were made for us? I heard that in bigger offices, PTFs became full time, but they are now excessed… Why do you let this happen?

Diana, Virginia Postal Workers Union

President Burrus:

Thank you for your inquiry.

Your question mixes the issue of conversion from part-time flexible to full time with the provisions on excessing. They are two separate issues and cannot be considered as “cause and effect.”

The union was successful in negotiating the conversion of all PTFs to full time in offices of 200 or more work-year during 2006 contract talks. This was a tremendous achievement and one that I am extremely proud of.

Having begun my career as a PTF (along with hundreds of thousands of other employees) I recognize the deficiencies associated with part-time employment and I understand the desire to be converted to full time. Requiring management to hire full-time employees with full contractual rights, including bidding, overtime opportunities, holidays, and seniority, was a major achievement.

Excessing is management’s attempt to adjust the employee complement. In most workplaces this is achieved through layoffs. The APWU’s contractual protection against layoffs means that the only method of complement reduction is excessing. Our National Agreement and law give management the right “to direct employees in the performance of official duties” and to hire, transfer, and assign employees. This right is unaffected by the contractual requirement to convert PTFs to full time.

Your assumption that there is a direct relationship between the conversions and the excessing is not necessarily correct. PTFs also can be excessed under the rules applied to full-time employees, so the assumption that if they had remained part-time employees they would not have been excessed is incorrect.

Your final question, “Why do you let this happen,” indicates a misunderstanding of the employee/employer relationship. Only 12.6 percent of the workers in our country belong to unions. The remaining 87.4 percent work without any contractual provisions governing the terms of their employment. Of the 12.6 percent who have negotiated rights and benefits, none have prohibitions against layoffs similar to those enjoyed by APWU members. Instead of being excessed, they are laid off.

Thank you for your membership in the APWU.

Sept. 17, 2008