The Industrial Relations Department plays a major role in our organization's ongoing struggle for better wages and improved working conditions and benefits.
Resources from the Industrial Relations Department
Coronavirus disease 2019 Resources
Latest News from the Industrial Relations Department
November 20, 2020
Penalty Overtime Exclusion Period, New Leave Year
Reminder, in accordance with Article 8, sections 4 and 5, of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, penalty overtime...
October 16, 2020
National APWU Encourages Continued COVID-19 Safety Diligence
Over recent weeks, the United States has experienced a rise in confirmed COVID-19 cases across the country. According...
September 8, 2020
Upcoming Webinars *Updated 9/22*
The Industrial Relations Department will be holding a series of Webinars during the months of September and October for...
August 28, 2020
Retroactive Pay Scheduled
The retroactive pay (also called back-pay) due under the terms of the 2018-2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement is...
About the Industrial Relations Department
The Director of Industrial Relations is charged with responsibility for labor management, national negotiations, mechanization, safety and health for all divisions of the union, and the administration of the collective bargaining agreement.
The Industrial Relations Department's responsibilities and duties include the following activities:
- Administration of the contract negotiation process
- Interpretation and application of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (specifically Articles 1 through 36)
- Appointment and payment of arbitrators
- National-level grievances and disputes
- Compliance with arbitration awards
- Safety and Health
- Appeals to the "Administrative Dispute Resolution Process" (e.g., Step Promotion, Lump Sum, National Level Settlement)
- Family Medical Leave Act appeals and related issues
- Unfair Labor Practice charges
- Legal issues such as Privacy Act, Merit System Protection Board (MSPB) law and procedure, Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Veterans Preference Act
- Collective Bargaining Reports (CBRs)
- Administration of computerized systems concerning the grievance-arbitration process and other provisions of the National Agreement through APWU Search, the Arbitration Payment and Scheduling System (APSS), the Step 3 Case Administration System (Step 3 CAS) and the Step 4 Case Administration System (Step 4 CAS)
- Tracking and reporting on the Consumer Price Index
- Research of arbitration, court and administrative decisions
Management Must Abide by the Collective Bargaining Agreement
(This article first appeared in the September/October 2020 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine)
It has been a different summer for all of us. Every member of the APWU has been touched by the COVID-19 pandemic in one way or another. Yet all of you continued to provide essential postal services to the public admirably and with dedication. The USPS also got a new Postmaster General who implemented changes and policies that severely degraded the services we provide. But you were not deterred; you still worked hard for the public.
The public recognized us for our dedicated work and stood up against the degrading of the service we provide and of our jobs. If we were all in the same room, I would ask you to give yourselves a round of applause for what you have done during the pandemic and the fight to protect the people’s Post Office!