Revised: Raises Take Effect March 3; Other Changes Feb. 3

APWU News Bulletin #03-2007 omitted the full application of the recently negotiated limitations on the use of casuals. Clarifications are marked in bold.

• The USPS will be authorized to hire casuals for 360-day terms; 
• The limit on the use of casuals “in lieu of ” career employees will no longer apply to Clerk Craft employees in “200 man-year” offices; 
• The assignment of casuals to positions that require training and testing will be prohibited;
• Full-time employees in all crafts on the Overtime Desired List will receive priority for overtime scheduling before casuals working overtime; 
• Local implementation will begin of the consecutive days-off requirement for career employees in all crafts in offices of 200 man-years or more (except Customer Service) unless otherwise agreed to by the local parties;
• Restrictions on the hours that casuals can be scheduled will be applied;
• The 6 percent limit on casuals employed within a District will be applied; 
• The 6 percent limit on casuals nationwide will be applied; The 2.5 percent limit on part-time regular positions nationwide will be applied.

Consistent with the provisions of the new contract, the conversion of Clerk Craft part-time flexibles in offices of 200 man-years or more will take place no later than Dec. 1, 2007. Compliance with the 11 percent ceiling on Clerk Craft casuals in 200 work-year installations (except for reporting periods 3 and 4), is also deferred until Dec. 1, 2007.

APWU News Bulletin #3 also reported that new pay rates established in the 2006-2010 Collective Bargaining Agreement will be implemented March 23. Increases in wages and uniform allowances will be paid retroactively. Checks for the back-pay period (from Nov. 25, 2006) will be disbursed at a later date, which the union will publicize as soon as the date in known.

Union negotiators and their management counterparts are compiling a series of “Questions and Answers” regarding the agreement. Because new circumstances and questions are expected to continue to arise, this process will be ongoing. When the Questions and Answers have been finalized, they will be posted on the union’s Web site, www.apwu.org; additional subjects will be published as issues are resolved.

The official signing of 2006-2010 Collective Bargaining Agreement will take place in March 2007, but the union will prepare the contract for printing in the interim. Copies will be distributed as soon they are available.