APWU, USPS Reach Tentative Agreement Covering Operating Services Workers

The APWU and the USPS have reached a tentative agreement covering Operating Services workers, which is modeled on the Collective Bargaining Agreement for employees in the Clerk, Maintenance and Motor Vehicle Crafts. If ratified, the tentative agreement will cover 90 employees at USPS Headquarters in Washington, DC, and at a facility in nearby Merrifield, VA. A ratification vote will take place on July 5, 2007.

The four-year tentative agreement provides for two wage increases and an upgrade, in addition to Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLAs) two times per year. The Postal Service will pay 95 percent of healthcare premiums for employees enrolled in the APWU Consumer Driven Health Plan; for workers enrolled in other health plans, the employees’ share of premiums will increase 1 percent per year for four years, beginning in 2008.

The Terms of the Agreement

The four-year tentative agreement Provides for the following:

Wages, Upgrades, COLAs:

• There will be a 1.3 percent raise, retroactive to Nov. 25, 2006; 
   
• All APWU-represented employees will receive an upgrade of one level, effective Feb. 16, 2008, implemented by the adoption of a new pay scale; 
   
• There will be a 1.2 percent raise, effective Nov. 21, 2009; 
   
• Cost-of-Living-Adjustments will be made in March and September each year, with a base index of July 2006;

Healthcare Premiums:

• The Postal Service will pay 95 percent of premiums for employees enrolled in the APWU Consumer Driven Health Plan, effective in 2008; 
   
• To be eligible, employees must have been members of a Federal Employee Health Benefit Plan (FEHBP) for a minimum of one year; 
   
• Employees’ share of healthcare premium costs will increase 1 percent each year for employees enrolled in other plans, in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011;

Other Issues

• There will be a 2.5 percent increase in uniform and work clothes allowances in each year of the contract; 
   
• Social Security numbers will be removed from postal forms where the number is not necessary for processing; 
   
• The parties agree to develop a means to provide for the electronic inspection and review of documents, files, and records necessary for processing grievances; 
   
• Memoranda of Understanding were renewed or modified governing Deaf/Hard of Hearing; No Layoff Protection; Annual Leave Exchange; Sick Leave for Dependent Care; Leave Sharing; Timeliness Regarding Step 2 Appeals.

The four-year agreement runs concurrent with the main Collective Bargaining Agreement, and is set to expire on Nov. 20, 2010.