APWU, USPS Reach Tentative Agreement for IT/AS Employees

The APWU and USPS have reached a tentative agreement on a contract for employees in the IT and Accounting Services (AS) units. Union members will have the opportunity to vote to ratify or reject the agreement. Details of the ratification process are expected to be announced July 9.

Employees in the IT/AS unit have been operating under the terms of the old contract since January 2011. Since November 2010, when bargaining for the new agreement began, the negotiating team has engaged in multiple rounds of bargaining, participated in federal mediation, filed charges against the Postal Service at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and participated in early stages of the interest arbitration process before reaching the tentative agreement.

The contract expires Jan. 20, 2016, which means we will open negotiations for the next contract in about 15 months, Support Services Director Steve Brooks pointed out. “Because so little time is left in this contract and because we will have the opportunity to negotiate again soon, we put some issues aside for now.

“Throughout these negotiations, the Postal Service demanded that this bargaining unit make the economic concessions that were part of  the ‘pattern’ established in the APWU National Agreement and the  arbitration decisions covering Letter Carriers, Mail Handlers Union and Rural Letter Carriers – but without the jobs and job protection the union bargained for in the last contract,” he said. “Since coming on board, President Dimondstein has made it clear to the Postal Service that the APWU had no intention of following a pattern that didn’t fit this unit and wasn’t in the best interest of workers,” Brooks added.

“I would like to thank Phil Tabbita and President Dimondstein for their efforts in getting this deal done,” he said. “Without their hard work we would most likely be sitting through interest arbitration sessions today. I believe that we have agreed to a good comprehensive package for our members.”

Highlights of the agreement include:

• No separate category of non-career employees
• Limits on casuals and contractors will remain at 5 and 15 percent, respectively.  The 15 percent cap on contractors includes any casuals used within the 5 percent limit on casuals.  Consequently, it is unlikely the Postal Service will use casuals.
• Health benefit contributions will be the same as in the APWU main agreement

Salary increases will be as follows:

Jan. 26, 2013 - Increase 1% of basic salary in place on Jan. 20, 2011.
Jan. 25, 2014 - Increase 1.5% of basic salary in place on Jan. 20, 2011.
Jan. 24, 2015 - Increase 1% of basic salary in place on January 20, 2011.

Cost-of-Living Adjustments will be as follows:

March 2012 - Effective the second full pay period after release of March 2013 Consumer Price Index
September 2012- Effective the second full pay period after release of September 2013 index.
March 2013 - Effective the second full pay period after release
September 2013 - Effective second full pay period after release
March 2014 - Effective second full pay period after release
September 2014 - Effective second full pay period after release
March 2015 - Effective second full pay period after release
September 2015 - Effective second full pay period after release

The two increases and five COLAs that would have occurred before the signing of the new agreement will be retroactive.

Other monetary improvements include:

• Effective Oct. 4, 2014, all Level 19 programmers who have advanced beyond Step H will be promoted to Level 21.   Thereafter, any Level 19 programmers will be promoted to Level 21 after five years.
• Effective Oct.  4, 2014, all Level 22 programmers will be advanced to Level 23.
• During the term of the agreement the USPS will increase the complement of programmers with 50 additional programmer positions.
• During the term of the agreement the USPS will post 10 additional Accounting Services positions.
• Effective Oct.  4, 2014, TACS Level 13 positions will be promoted to TACS Level 15 after one year of service in the Level 13 position.
• Effective Oct.  4, 2014, Accounting Help Desk (AHD) Level 13 positions will be promoted to AHD Level 15 after one year of service in the Level 13 position.
• Effective Oct.  4, 2014, Accounting Technician (Payroll) Level 13 positions will be upgraded to Payroll Level 14 positions after two years of service in the Level 13 position.
• Effective Oct.  4, 2014, one additional step increase will be added to the top of pay grade schedules 13 through 16.
• Effective Oct.  4, 2014, Administrative Clerk Level 7 positions will be promoted to Level 9.
• Effective Oct.  4, 2014, Office Services Assistant Level 10 positions will be promoted to Level 11.
• New pay structure for grades 19 through 23. This will feature a new pay scale with a 5% increase at each entry step level. While the top pay of the schedule will remain the same (increased by the general increases and COLAs), the intermediate step will be adjusted a bit higher because of the 5% increase in the entry step.  This schedule should help the Postal Service fill the current programmer vacancies and hire 50 more programmers.

New pay structure for grades 19 through 23. This will feature a new pay scale with a 5% increase at each entry step level. While the top pay of the schedule will remain the same (increased by the general increases and COLAs), the intermediate step will all be adjust a bit higher because of the 5% increase in the entry step.This schedule should help the Postal Service fill the current programmer vacancies and hire 50 more programmers.

Some of the non-monetary improvements include:

• A Memorandum of Understanding on Career Development MOU allows for tuition reimbursement.
• A Memorandum of Understanding on Career Mentoring provides for goals and resources for knowledge enhancement.
• A Promotion Task Force will examine the best-qualified process and make improvements.
• The Postal Service will not move work out of the jurisdiction of the centers during the term of the agreement.
• Validation of tests 741 and 744. (The tests must be shown to predict successful performance – or changed so they do predict success in the jobs for which they are required.)