Testimony Addresses USPS Plans

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) hearing on the Postal Service’s deal with Staples continued on Feb. 25 and 26, with APWU Manager of Negotiations Support Phil Tabbita testifying about USPS documents that discuss management’s plans to transfer retail work from post offices to Staples. He also responded to questions from the Postal Service attorney during cross-examination. Tabbita was the sole witness on both days.

Tabbita’s testimony established that the USPS’s deal with Staples constituted contracting out of bargaining unit work.

During Tabbita's testimony, the NLRB General Counsel introduced several documents that the Postal Service and Staples insisted were confidential and, for the second and third day in a row, the hearing was temporarily closed to the public while the documents were discussed.

“The APWU will continue do everything we can to ensure that these documents are opened to public view,” said APWU President Mark Dimondstein. “The Postal Service must be accountable to the people of the country. The people have a right to know the plans postal management is considering for the future of this great national public treasure.”

The documents illustrated that Staples employees received training based on USPS window clerk training; the Staples employees’ were performing a service – they weren’t just selling products, and the Postal Service relied heavily on reducing window hours at post offices to generate revenue from the Staples Approved Shipper program.

Tabbita’s testimony will continue when the hearing resumes, but a date has not yet been set.