About the MVS Division
The Motor Vehicle Service Craft is composed of APWU members who transport mail and maintain postal vehicles. It is — and always has been — the best-organized craft in the APWU. Approximately two thirds of MVS members are drivers and one-fifth are mechanics. The Motor Vehicle Service Craft also includes Driver Safety Instructors who train and familiarize all employees with driving duties and MVS Clerks who work in Vehicle Maintenance Facilities and in Transportation Departments in mail processing plants.
![APWU Motor Vehicle Service Division Director Michael Foster Headshot of APWU Motor Vehicle Service Division Director Michael Foster](https://d1ocufyfjsc14h.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/styles/officer_bio/public/foster-michael-26-final.jpg?itok=0JPsJFI3)
Focused on Negotiations
(This article first appeared in the July/Aug 2024 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine)
As this edition of The American Postal Worker arrives, the 2024 APWU/USPS Contract Negotiations will be underway. The Collective Bargaining Agreement expires Sept. 20, 2024, with the Opening Day of negotiations on June 25, 2024. We, as always, will pursue the best possible outcome for the members of the Motor Vehicle Service (MVS) Division regarding pay, benefits, and working conditions. Be mindful, this is not a one-sided process.
MVS Division Settles Step-4 Grievance on Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse
“The Consent form negotiated by the parties was substantially different from the original USPS Limited Query Consent form. This form is for a two year period, the same length of time as the DOT physical card,” said MVS Director Michael O. Foster. “The employee still has to give permission for the USPS to run a full query if something comes up in the limited query. There’s also language against running a limited query if the employee is not in a safety sensitive position that requires a Commercial Driver’s License.”
MVS Division Resolves National Dispute on Article 32.2 Vehicle Costs
On November 23, the National MVS Craft Division came to agreement with the USPS on a class action Step-4 dispute regarding PVS Costs, case no. Q10V-4Q-C 16534585/HQTV20160326.
The issue presented was whether or not the USPS violated Article 32.2 of the National Agreement when they assigned the full cost of a vehicle as a line item in their cost comparison. The MVS Craft officers complained that these were unreasonable costs added to PVS making it harder to compete with HCR costs in the comparisons. This issue had been occurring for several years and was first challenged by former MVS Director Bob Pritchard. The MVS Craft always felt that this was a violation of several provisions of the Collective Bargaining Agreement including the Contracting or Insourcing of Contracted Services MOU.
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