Union Frustrated by Lack of Progress in Contract Talks

APWU President Cliff Guffey has summoned the union’s Rank and File Bargaining Advisory Committee to Washington, DC for an update on contract negotiations, but he was quick to point out that no tentative agreement has been reached and none appears imminent.

“I am increasingly frustrated by the lack of progress in contract talks,” Guffey said. The Collective Bargaining Agreement, which was set to expire on Nov. 20, 2010, has been extended, and numerous meetings and discussions have been held since then, the union president noted.

“However, six weeks later, management negotiators seem unwilling to make the commitment necessary to reach a negotiated settlement,” he said.

The union president and other members of the APWU negotiating team plan to update members of the Rank and File Committee on the status of negotiations on Jan. 4. The committee is expected to remain in Washington through Jan. 6.

In accordance with the APWU Constitution, each member of the union’s National Executive Board names one person to the committee; a 14th member, appointed by the president, is a representative from the APWU Deaf/Hard of Hearing Task Force. The committee provides input to the union’s National Negotiating Team, and any tentative agreement between the union and management must be approved by a majority of the committee before it can be submitted to APWU members for a ratification vote.

For the latest developments on contract negotiations, please visit www.apwu.org . Members are also encouraged to follow the union on Twitter and Facebook to receive up-to-the-minute alerts by e-mail or text message.