Our Continuing Fight to Improve Our Quality of Life

By Edward P. Fletcher, President

As your President and in our continuing efforts to improve the quality of life for all brothers and sisters in Branch 1111, I wrote the following article in the June 2023 Postal Record:

Greater East Bay, California

“The continuing chronic understaffing in Branch 1111 is extremely bad. Carriers are frequently worked more than 12 hours a day, there is no quality of life, attrition rates are above 50 percent, and the fatigue and stress levels are unhealthy. The starting wages are too low, the cost of living is too high, and there is too much mandatory overtime, even on Sundays. M-01968 did not fix it (Band-Aid), and it hurts us because no dues are paid. We must increase the starting wages above $26 an hour. The higher wages will slow down attrition rates, reduce mandatory overtime and improve the overall quality of life for all letter carriers. I believe our pay schedule should be shortened to eight years, with Steps AA-C tossed out. We can accomplish our goals through unwavering negotiations, or in arbitration. Too many crimes are being committed against our brothers and sisters in Branch 1111. We have had armed robberies (guns/knives), a carrier punched in the face, and locks shot out of the back of LLVs. Many carriers have suffered PTSD. There have been numerous smash-and-grabs. We need more law enforcement resources allotted to stop these crimes and to prosecute the criminals. Postal inspectors should be used to protect us from the criminals who assault letter carriers and steal postal keys, mail and packages. If we do not do more now to stop them, these crimes will spread like wildfire. Now is the time to stop talking and start doing more to protect our carriers who put their lives on the line to deliver the mail. We must do whatever we can to protect our families, our jobs and our communities. We must fight like hell to accomplish our goals.”

In solidarity

Edward P. Fletcher, Branch 1111

National Negotiations Update

NALC and the Postal Service have agreed to continue negotiations on a new collective-bargaining agreement. The current agreement, which was set to expire at 12 o’clock on the evening of Saturday, May 20, will remain in full force until a new negotiated or arbitrated agreement takes effect. A mandatory 60-day mediation period will follow, as required by statute. NALC will continue to work toward reaching a negotiated agreement with the Postal Service during this 60day period. Issues that remain in dispute after the mediation period would be addressed through an interest arbitration process, which would result in a final and binding decision on the contents of a new national agreement. The parties would select a neutral arbitrator to chair an arbitration board that would also include one management and one union arbitrator. Further updates will be provided as the process moves forward (see NALC.org).

What Happens to Successful Bids After May 21, 2023?

On June 6, 2023 the following information was posted on the NALC website concerning successful bids during the ongoing negotiations. “The USPS and NALC have renewed the bidding procedures outlined in Article 12.3.A of the National Agreement, effective May 21, 2023. This renewal allows city letter carriers to continue bidding on, and subsequently be awarded, vacant job assignments during the ongoing contract negotiations and in the event the parties come to an impasse and proceed to interest arbitration. Successful bids following May 21, 2023, will count toward the maximum bids established in the next National Agreement.

A letter dated June 2, 2023, from USPS acknowledging this renewal (M-01994) can be found in NALC’s Materials Reference System on the NALC website.” Once our new contract is settled, it will show what was agreed to for the number of success bids under Article 12.3 of the CBA.

How Much Annual Can we carryover into the 2024 Leave Year?

Step 4 Decision # M-01993 – April 24, 2023, states, “Memorandum of understanding (MOU) regarding the agreement of the national parties to allow regular work force career employees covered by the USPS-NALC National Agreement to carry over 520 hours of accumulated annual leave from leave year 2023 to leave year 2024. Provisions in the Employee and Labor Relations Manual (ELM) regarding payment of accumulated leave are not changed as a result of this MOU, which expires December 31, 2024.”

Please note that this MOU does not change the maximum annual hours that a carrier can get paid into retirement and/or when leaving the USPS, which is still 440 hours.

The Rising Tide Lifts All Boats!

“Although it is true that only about 13 percent of American workers are in unions, that [13 percent] sets the standards across the board in salaries, benefits and working conditions. If you are making a decent salary in a non-union company, you owe that to the unions. One thing that corporations do not do is give out money out of the goodness of their hearts.”

– Molly Ivins