Tentative Agreement Gains for Support Services Craft Members

(This article first appeared in the January/February 2022 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine)

Brothers and Sisters, there is exciting news to report regarding the APWU main agreement. The Postal Service and the American Postal Workers Union have agreed-upon terms, the APWU Rank-and-File Bargaining Advisory Committee is recommending the terms to the members, and a ratification vote will take place.

In this Tentative Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Support Services Division negotiated the terms for the Operating Services/Facility Services (Article 40) and the Material Support Craft (Article 41). Assisting me in the negotiations for these crafts were Judy McCann, NBA, Arrion Brown, Support Services representative for the Nation’s Capital Southern Maryland Area Local, and Clint Holbert, President of the Western Area Supply Center Area Local (KS).

In the Operating/Facility Services Craft, we were able to achieve a penalty overtime provision. Prior to 2010, this group had its own separate bargaining agreement. In the 2010 negotiations, the parties agreed to merge the group into the main APWU agreement and establish them as Article 40. At that time the Postal Service, for some reason, would not agree to a penalty overtime provision because in their prior separate agreement they did not have one.

I attempted to get the language in the 2015 and 2018 agreements but was unsuccessful. Those two agreements were decided in interest arbitration. In this agreement we were successful in obtaining the same penalty overtime provisions that the other crafts have had in place for years.

In addition to this provision, the employees in Level 8 positions in this craft will have their salary changed to reflect the elimination of steps FF-AA and the creation of a new top step P. The employees in steps A-O will be advanced one step.

In our Material Support Craft, we proposed several changes to the job posting process. We were not successful in resolving our issues to come up with actual contractual language. However, the parties have agreed to continue talks in attempts to develop a process that the parties can accept outside of the contractual language change. We were successful in permanently eliminating the Article 41 Maintenance Mechanic General Level 7 position and replacing it with a Building Equipment Mechanic Level 9 position. Keep in mind that the members under Article 41 are separate from any Article 38 positions.

In addition, the PSEs at the Material Distribution Center will receive the PSE wage increase, and will be advanced annual leave after their first 360-day term.

Naturally we do not always get everything that we want in bargaining. I believe that the Support Services Crafts were able to achieve some of the most important demands we put across the bargaining table.

In my opinion, the total agreement is a very good agreement. I was very proud to be a part of this negotiation team. I wholeheartedly encourage members to ratify this agreement.