Contract Talks to Resume After Thanksgiving Weekend

APWU has proposed bold steps to address important issues for postal employees, union President William Burrus told APWU members in a telephone message. “Because we are attempting to break new ground, the final pieces of an agreement pose difficult challenges,” he said. “Despite intense discussions today, agreement on all of the issues is still beyond our grasp.” Contract talks will resume after the Thanksgiving weekend. 

The full text of President Burrus’ message is below:

This is Bill Burrus, reporting to you on the afternoon of Nov. 21, on the progress of contract negotiations. The expiration date was midnight, Nov. 20, but we were unable to finalize an agreement prior to the deadline, so we continued discussions. Despite intense discussions today, agreement on all of the issues is still beyond our grasp. We are close, but because of the importance of the issues that are not yet settled, we cannot announce a final agreement.

APWU has proposed bold steps to address important issues for postal employees. But because we are attempting to break new ground, the final pieces of an agreement pose difficult challenges. We will apply all of our resources to close agreement on these tough issues. 

The Thanksgiving holiday is approaching, and members of the APWU Rank-and-File Committee have returned to their homes. After the holiday, we will continue our discussions with the intent of reaching final agreement. 

I will provide a new message on Wednesday, Nov. 29, to inform you if any progress has been made. 

Thank you for calling in, and keep the faith. 

The toll-free number for the APWU Contract Negotiations Hotline is 800-992-APWU (or 800-992-2798).