Virtual Rap Session on the 2023-2026 Tentative Agreement

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Hello
brothers and sisters, and welcome to the

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virtual rap session for our 2023
Tentative National Agreement.

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I appreciate you all joining us.

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As you all know by now, if you're watching
this, we reached Tentive Agreement with

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the Postal Service a few weeks ago
on a new collective bargaining agreement

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for letter carriers, and we are currently
in the process of a ratification vote.

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In late October and early November,
we held four different informational rap

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sessions around the country,
where branch leaders from all

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over the country attended.

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We presented all the information, every
single change that's included in this

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tentative agreement, and gave them
the opportunity to ask questions.

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The purpose of this virtual rap session
is to give all of our members the

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opportunity to hear that same information,
and we'll also answer questions

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that were submitted.

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What we will do in this session is talk
about, of course, the terms

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of the tentative agreement.

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We'll begin with the economic terms, and
I will explain each of those in detail.

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We'll then get into
the bargaining process.

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This is an agreement that took us about a
year and a half of

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constant collective bargaining to reach.

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I think it's very important for our
members to understand what goes into that

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bargaining process and
how decisions decisions are made.

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We'll also then talk about what we call
the work rule changes, things that are

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not necessarily economic in nature.

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In other words, they don't directly affect
our pay and benefits, but are very

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important to the work that
we do every single day.

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We'll begin with
the economic terms of the agreement.

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This is an agreement that if ratified, it
would go into effect

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retroactively to May of 2023.

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It will be a 42-month agreement.

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So this agreement would
expire in November of 2026.

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Economically, the structure of our
collective bargaining agreements that have

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served us very well for a long time
have included a combination of general

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wage increases,
cost of living adjustments, which we'll

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get into in a little more detail in a few
minutes, and then also changes to our pay

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tables and pay structures that result
in additional increases.

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So we'll take those one piece at a time.

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The first piece
is what's included in Article 9 of our

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agreement with general wage increases.

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In each year of this agreement in
November, there would be a general wage

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increase of 1.3%, so 1.3% increase
in November of 2023, November

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of 2024, and November of 2025.

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If ratified, those general increases in
November of 2023 and November of 2024

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would be paid retroactively in the form of
backpay, which we'll get into in a

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little more detail here in a few minutes.

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Next is a very important component of our
economic package, not just in this

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tend of agreement, but historically.

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That is our cost of living adjustments.

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We as a union have benefited tremendously,
and letter carriers have benefited

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tremendously over the years
from a cost of living adjustment formula

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that is as good or better than anyone
else in the labor movement has.

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We've certainly experienced that more so
than maybe at any point in our history

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over the last few years where we saw
record inflation happen.

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But thankfully, this cola clause
that we've had for a number of years,

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reacts to that inflation
and increases our pay.

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In this agreement,
the cost of living adjustment

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formula that we have is unchanged.

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It is the same formula
that we had in the 2019 agreement as

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well as several agreements prior to that.

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There would be seven cost-to-living
adjustments, the first of which would take

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place based on
an index that we use to measure inflation

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called the consumer price index.

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The first adjustment would be based on
that index that was

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released in July of 2023.

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Then going forward, every July and
January, when that

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consumer price index is released,
we would determine, based on the formula

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that we've had for a number of
years, what that increase would be.

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There are a total of seven.

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Three of them have already passed, so we
know exactly what those three would be.

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The first COLA, which would be effective
August 26th of 2023,

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would be $978 at Top Step.

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The second COLA, which would be effective
March the ninth of 2024, would be $353.

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And the third cola, effective September
seventh of 2024, would be $978.

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So if you look at the three of those
combined, that's $2,309 just

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in the first three colas.

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There would then be four more cost of
living adjustments going forward, and we

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project what those will be using the same
methodology we've used in the 2019

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agreement and the 2016 agreement
to project them.

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We use inflation
forecast from the Congressional Budget

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Office, which tend to
be fairly conservative.

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If you go back and look in 2016 and 2019,
what those CBO projections,

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how that translated into our COLA
projections, the actual

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COLA increases exceeded those projections.

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We feel pretty confident that this would
be a minimum of the COLA increases.

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What we project, based on the
Congressional Budget Office's inflation

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forecast, over the next four would be for
the COLA that would be effective in March

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of 2025, $620, the
one that would be effective September of

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2025, $604, and
the COLA that would be effective in March

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of '26, $624, and then the COLA that would
be effective in September of 2026, $561.

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All of those would be applicable to all of
table one and then top step in table two.

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Once again, these are projections.

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So as we move through and talk about some
of the other economic terms, terms,

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and some of the other information I'll
share with you in terms of what we project

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the wage increases would be over the
course of the agreement, they do factor in

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these cost of living
projections, and we'll talk a little

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bit more about COLA in a few minutes.

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So that's the baseline that we've had for
a long time, the structure of general wage

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increases and cost of living adjustments.

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In addition to the general wage increases
and our cost of living adjustments, we've

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also bargain some significant
changes to our pay tables.

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These changes in the wage schedules will
result in increases for a lot of our

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members, eventually
for all of our members.

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Two of the goals that we had coming into
this round of bargaining were to

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not only increase our starting pace
significantly for career employees, which

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we did, and we'll get into the details of
that in just a minute, but also to achieve

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an increase in top-step pay, which
benefits all letter carriers eventually.

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There are several changes
that will take place.

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These changes would take place within 180
days of ratification, should

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this agreement be ratified.

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The first is the elimination
of some early steps in table 2.

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So effective within 180 days of
ratification, steps AA, A,

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and B would be eliminated.

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Any letter carrier that was in steps AA,
A, or B at that point in time

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would be moved up to step C.

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Those that are hired
from that point going forward would begin

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at step C, which would include
those that are CCAs that are converted to

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a PTF through the
automatic conversion MOU.

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Each of these
increases would result in starting pay

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going up several thousand dollars a year.

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It would be a significant
increase in starting pay.

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It would also do something that hasn't
happened since

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sometime in the mid-1970s, and that has
reduced the time it takes for a letter

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carrier to get from our beginning pay
to top step by at least 92 weeks.

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So that's a goal that we had as well, and
we are certainly happy in this agreement

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to have been able to achieve that
reduction in time to top step.

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Next is what would happen
at top step, at step B.

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This would be applicable to
both table 1 and table two.

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In addition to the general wage increases
and the colas that we talked about

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earlier, top step would increase
by an additional $1,000 per year.

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That is a one-time increase in addition to
the general wage increases and

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colas that are included here.

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The next is an administrative change.

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We have, in this round of bargaining,
really spent a lot of time

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moving toward a single pay table.

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I mentioned earlier that almost
everyone in table one is at top step.

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Those that are at top step in table one at
step P would be administratively

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slotted into step P in table two.

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This is purely It is an
administrative action.

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It does not affect anyone's pay.

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It does not affect anyone's
retirement contribution.

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It is simply an administrative move to
move everyone into a single pay table.

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In addition to that, those that are not at
step P, when this goes into effect,

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when they reach step P in table one,
they would also be moved into table two.

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The next change that also would go into
effect within 180 days It would be

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applicable to City Care Assistance.

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Before I get to that, let me talk about
the other wage increases for CCAs.

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Ccas would receive the same general wage
increases as career letter

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carriers, so 1.3% each November.

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In addition to that, because CCAs do not
receive a cost-of-living adjustment,

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they would receive an additional
1% increase each November.

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So effectively, CCAs receive a 2.3%
increase in each November

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of this agreement.

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In addition to
that, within 180 days of ratification, on

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the same timeline as
the three other items I mentioned earlier,

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CCA pay would be increased
by 50 cents per hour.

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So CCA pay would go up
an additional 50 cents per hour.

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Next is, I think, where we want to
look into what does all this mean?

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Because pay increases
while While structurally, our CBAs have

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remained similar over the years,
general wage increases, call us changes

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to our wage tables,
we have to look at what is the total

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economic benefit in terms of our wages.

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When we get a paycheck, we don't look and
typically say this dollar is

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this amount of increase is due to this,
and this amount of

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increase is due to that.

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We thought it was important for
informational reasons

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to share what we project the total benefit
would be for the letter carrier,

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regardless of what your status is, what
table you're in, or what step you were in.

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We created a chart that I think gives a
lot of insight here into

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the approach to bargaining and
the process that we go through.

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A very natural question to ask is, you're
eliminating steps A, A, A, and B, and

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step P is getting an additional increase.

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What about all the people that are
currently in steps C through O?

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When we take a look at the benefit to
everyone, regardless of which step they

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are at, we thought the fairest way to do
this in this round of bargaining

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was to take those that make the least
money, give them the biggest increase,

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and then have that incrementally
shift as you move through our pay table.

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If we started our top step, which is step
P, and this is true in both table one and

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table two, we know what
the 1.3% increase would be.

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I talked about a few minutes ago what the
projection is for the cost of living

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adjustments,
at least the three that we already know,

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and then the four that we can project,
and we see an increase that would happen

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of about 11.5%, 11.49.
As you begin to work back through table

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two, and you take into account all the
economic benefits, what you see is

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a gradual increase
depending on what step someone is at.

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So for the purposes of the numbers that
I'm about to give you,

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this is based on an assumption
that a carrier starts at a certain step

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on day one of this agreement.

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So if on May 20th, 2023,
a carrier's very first day in a particular

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step, what would the benefit them over
the course of the agreement?

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This includes general increases,
this includes cost of living adjustments,

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and this includes the changes in the wage
schedules and the pay tables, and also the

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things that we were able to keep,
such as step increases, all of which are

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bargained and negotiated in
Article 9 of our agreement.

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A carrier that was at Step P at the
beginning of this agreement, May 20th,

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2023, the salary was $75,299 a year.

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We project by the end of the agreement,
which would be November seventh

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of 2026, that salary would increase to
$83,954 a year.

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That's an increase
of $8,654 $1.55, an 11.49% increase.

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As we work backwards through table 2,
a carrier that was at step 0.

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And again, this is day 1 in step 0 on May
20th, 2023, the salary was $74,854 a year.

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We project by the end of the agreement,
that salary for that carrier would be

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$83,954 a year,
an increase of $9,100 a year,

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a total increase of 12.16%. At Step
In, the starting salary was $72,796.

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That would increase to $83,954.

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$1,064, an increase of $11,158,
a total increase of $15.33%.

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At Step In, at the beginning of the
agreement, salary would

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have been $70,000 $740.

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That increase would go to $83,954, an

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increase of $13,214, an 18.68% increase.

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You What you can see as you go step by
step, the total pay increase

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gradually goes up as we go
work backwards through table 2.

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At step L, at the beginning of the
agreement in May of 2023,

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the salary was $68,679.

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We project that the salary at the end of
the agreement for that

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carrier would be $82,441.

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That is a total increase
of $13,7 $1,062 or 20.04 %.

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At step K at the beginning of
the agreement, salary is $66,622.

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By the end of the agreement,
it will be $80,000.

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$175, a total increase
of $13,553, a 20.34 % increase.

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At step J, Step I.

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The salary was $64,562.

222
00:17:04,625 --> 00:17:08,840
It would increase to $77,912, an

223
00:17:08,865 --> 00:17:16,050
increase of $13,350, a 20.68% increase.

224
00:17:16,080 --> 00:17:24,980
Step I starts at $62,505,
would increase to 75,641.

225
00:17:25,005 --> 00:17:32,660
This is an increase of
$13,136, a 21.02% increase.

226
00:17:32,685 --> 00:17:38,810
Step H, beginning pay, $60,448.

227
00:17:38,840 --> 00:17:44,660
By the end of the agreement, we projected
it would be $73,374,

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00:17:44,685 --> 00:17:54,740
a $12,926 increase per year and 21.38%.
At step G, the starting

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00:17:54,765 --> 00:17:59,140
annual salary is $58,387.

230
00:17:59,165 --> 00:18:07,460
That would increase to $71,108, a $12,721
annual increase,

231
00:18:07,485 --> 00:18:11,900
a percentage increase of 21.79%.

232
00:18:11,925 --> 00:18:18,620
At step F, starting pay, $56,327 per year.

233
00:18:18,645 --> 00:18:28,220
The ending pay that we project would be
$68,843 per year, an increase of $12,516.

234
00:18:28,245 --> 00:18:33,530
That's $22.2 2% total increase.

235
00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:40,010
Those at step E at the beginning of
the agreement, salary was $54,271.

236
00:18:40,040 --> 00:18:43,420
It would increase to $66,576.

237
00:18:43,445 --> 00:18:53,800
That is a total increase of
$12,305, a 22.67% increase.

238
00:18:54,080 --> 00:18:59,940
Those that were at step D at the beginning
of the agreement, annual salary of $52,201

239
00:18:59,965 --> 00:19:03,900
would increase to

240
00:19:03,925 --> 00:19:10,180
$64,306, a $12,95 increase per year or

241
00:19:10,205 --> 00:19:19,250
23.17%. At step C, the salary at the
beginning of the agreement was $50,153.

242
00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:29,740
That would increase to $62,037, an
increase of $11,884 or 23.7%.

243
00:19:29,765 --> 00:19:33,000
At At Step B,
starting pay at the beginning of

244
00:19:33,025 --> 00:19:36,740
the agreement annual is $48,994.

245
00:19:36,765 --> 00:19:44,040
It would increase to $59,773, an $11,679

246
00:19:44,065 --> 00:19:50,010
increase, a total increase of 24.28 %.

247
00:19:50,040 --> 00:19:53,640
Those at Step A or at step AA, the salary
at the beginning of the

248
00:19:53,665 --> 00:19:57,250
agreement, 46,038 dollars.

249
00:19:57,280 --> 00:20:02,140
It would increase to 57,504 dollars.

250
00:20:02,165 --> 00:20:11,010
This is a total increase of
11,466 dollars or 24.91 %.

251
00:20:11,040 --> 00:20:15,330
So once again, this chart
and the numbers that I just read

252
00:20:15,360 --> 00:20:21,960
assumes that the carriers in each of those
steps were at day one in that step was day

253
00:20:21,985 --> 00:20:27,800
one of this tenet of agreement, May
20th, 2023, and it incorporates all of the

254
00:20:27,825 --> 00:20:31,600
pay increases that are bargain in this
tenet of agreement in Article 9, which

255
00:20:31,625 --> 00:20:35,380
includes general wage increases,
cost of living adjustments,

256
00:20:35,405 --> 00:20:39,680
the changes to the wage schedule, the
elimination of the early steps in table 2,

257
00:20:39,705 --> 00:20:44,720
as well as the additional increase at top
step, as well as step increases, which are

258
00:20:44,745 --> 00:20:51,420
all things that we bargain in
Article 9 of the National Agreement.

259
00:20:51,445 --> 00:20:58,810
There is also a way we created a method on
the website for those of you that are

260
00:20:58,840 --> 00:21:03,720
listening or this,
that you can go see exactly how

261
00:21:03,745 --> 00:21:06,010
this contract would benefit you.

262
00:21:06,040 --> 00:21:09,720
In the numbers I just described in the
chart that you saw, and once again, if

263
00:21:09,745 --> 00:21:14,010
you're listening to this and you
can't see the chart, check out the

264
00:21:14,040 --> 00:21:17,380
postal record in November of this year.

265
00:21:17,405 --> 00:21:21,660
My President's message,
I included this chart.

266
00:21:21,685 --> 00:21:27,840
Obviously, not everyone would be in the
very first day of their waiting period for

267
00:21:27,865 --> 00:21:30,160
the next step at the
beginning of the agreement.

268
00:21:30,185 --> 00:21:34,400
So some carriers would even get larger pay
increases because they

269
00:21:34,425 --> 00:21:36,980
would achieve another step.

270
00:21:37,005 --> 00:21:41,440
So on the NALC website, if you
just go to the front page at nalc.

271
00:21:41,465 --> 00:21:49,500
Org, you will see right there on the top a
link to a wage calculator that we created.

272
00:21:49,525 --> 00:21:53,330
And in this wage calculator, you just
enter some information,

273
00:21:53,360 --> 00:21:58,200
what step you're at, when your last step
increase was, and it will give you exact

274
00:21:58,225 --> 00:22:02,680
information on
using the same baseline that we project

275
00:22:02,705 --> 00:22:08,180
with colas, but what the total economic
benefit, including general increases,

276
00:22:08,205 --> 00:22:12,920
colas, step increases, and those
changes to the wage schedule would be.

277
00:22:12,945 --> 00:22:17,080
I encourage you to do that
Just to have that information that's

278
00:22:17,105 --> 00:22:22,620
specific to you in terms of what
that economic benefit would be.

279
00:22:22,645 --> 00:22:25,840
A number of the provisions that we've
talked about would be paid

280
00:22:25,865 --> 00:22:29,050
retroactively should this be ratified.

281
00:22:29,080 --> 00:22:32,020
I'm going to We'll get
into the specific pieces.

282
00:22:32,045 --> 00:22:36,220
But the first point that I think is really
important is that back pay here

283
00:22:36,245 --> 00:22:38,090
is full back pay.

284
00:22:38,120 --> 00:22:41,960
There is no reduction of any kind.

285
00:22:42,040 --> 00:22:46,320
All of the general increases that would be
paid retroactively, as well as the cost

286
00:22:46,345 --> 00:22:48,880
of living adjustments were paid in full.

287
00:22:48,905 --> 00:22:51,615
They're rolled into
our base annual salary.

288
00:22:51,640 --> 00:22:54,540
Those of you that have been around for a
while remember, probably

289
00:22:54,565 --> 00:22:58,160
throughout our history, we've had
different pieces where calls were paid in

290
00:22:58,185 --> 00:23:01,020
lump sums and things like
There is none of that.

291
00:23:01,045 --> 00:23:02,880
It's full back pain.

292
00:23:02,960 --> 00:23:05,620
What would be paid retroactively?

293
00:23:05,645 --> 00:23:11,810
We project that with the timeline of
ratification, that we will have

294
00:23:11,840 --> 00:23:16,700
the result of the ratification
vote, likely sometime in mid-January,

295
00:23:16,725 --> 00:23:22,160
based on how long it has taken the Postal
Service historically to implement new pay

296
00:23:22,185 --> 00:23:27,330
rates, not pay-back pay, but just
change current pay rates to update them.

297
00:23:27,360 --> 00:23:31,940
We project that would take
place sometime in early March.

298
00:23:31,965 --> 00:23:35,920
So we have done some projections that
we'll get to in just a minute

299
00:23:36,440 --> 00:23:40,700
based on the idea of implementing
new pay rates in early March.

300
00:23:40,725 --> 00:23:44,800
When new pay rates are implemented,
that ends the back pay period.

301
00:23:44,825 --> 00:23:51,290
So let's talk about what's included,
would be included in this back pain.

302
00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:57,120
There are two general wage increases,
one that was effective in November of

303
00:23:57,145 --> 00:24:01,500
2023, one that was effective
in November of 2024.

304
00:24:01,525 --> 00:24:04,900
Both of those would be paid retroactively.

305
00:24:04,925 --> 00:24:08,050
There are also three cost-to-living
adjustments,

306
00:24:08,080 --> 00:24:15,780
one that would be effective in August of
2023, another effective in March of 2024,

307
00:24:15,805 --> 00:24:20,700
and another effective just a few
months ago in September of 2024.

308
00:24:20,725 --> 00:24:26,290
Those total $2,309 a year at top step.

309
00:24:26,320 --> 00:24:32,160
So the calculation that would be done
would go all the way back to August of

310
00:24:32,185 --> 00:24:34,900
2023 for that first cost
of living adjustment.

311
00:24:34,925 --> 00:24:38,920
For career employees, for CCAs, it would
go back to their first adjustment, which

312
00:24:38,945 --> 00:24:44,980
would be effectively
2.3% in November of 2023.

313
00:24:45,005 --> 00:24:50,660
Every hour worked
and paid leave, including overtime,

314
00:24:50,685 --> 00:24:53,740
is included in backpay.

315
00:24:53,765 --> 00:25:01,460
To give an idea of
how much backpay would be, We

316
00:25:01,485 --> 00:25:06,220
came up with some numbers just as a
baseline to give an idea

317
00:25:06,245 --> 00:25:08,120
of how much that back pay would be.

318
00:25:08,145 --> 00:25:11,860
Let me first explain the
basis for these numbers.

319
00:25:11,885 --> 00:25:19,290
We created a
chart or some information here for you

320
00:25:19,320 --> 00:25:23,140
just to give you, once
again, simply a baseline.

321
00:25:23,165 --> 00:25:29,180
Like the numbers we discussed earlier on
the total economic benefit, this assumes

322
00:25:29,205 --> 00:25:36,575
that the letter carrier at the indicated
step is there day one in that waiting

323
00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:38,460
period at the beginning of the agreement.

324
00:25:38,485 --> 00:25:41,540
So May 20th, 2023.

325
00:25:41,565 --> 00:25:47,860
The back pay period, as I also just
mentioned, goes back to August.

326
00:25:47,885 --> 00:25:52,260
And as pay increases are implemented and
step increases happen,

327
00:25:52,285 --> 00:25:55,015
it changes back pay amounts.

328
00:25:55,040 --> 00:25:58,080
In order to provide these estimates,
there's really only one way to do it, and

329
00:25:58,105 --> 00:26:03,660
that is based on 40 hours of
work and paid leave a week.

330
00:26:03,685 --> 00:26:07,810
So the numbers I'm about to give you
do not include any overtime work.

331
00:26:07,840 --> 00:26:11,800
Most letter carriers work
some overtime, at least, and many worked a

332
00:26:11,825 --> 00:26:15,330
lot of overtime
over the course of this back pay period.

333
00:26:15,360 --> 00:26:19,940
These numbers are based
solely on 40 hours a week.

334
00:26:19,965 --> 00:26:24,160
And once again, for each step, it is if
you were in that step on day one

335
00:26:24,185 --> 00:26:28,940
in that step on May 20th, 2023.

336
00:26:28,965 --> 00:26:34,200
So for a At CCA, the baseline amount of
back pay based on 40 hours

337
00:26:34,225 --> 00:26:38,900
a week would be $1,492.

338
00:26:38,925 --> 00:26:49,740
At Step AA, if you were in step AA on
May 20th, 2023, $2,359.

339
00:26:49,765 --> 00:26:53,460
At step A, $2,436.

340
00:26:53,485 --> 00:26:59,400
Step B, $2,542.

341
00:26:59,425 --> 00:27:04,810
Step C, $2,647.

342
00:27:04,840 --> 00:27:08,620
Step D, $2,752.

343
00:27:08,645 --> 00:27:12,220
Step E, $2,858.

344
00:27:12,245 --> 00:27:15,780
Step F, $2,963.

345
00:27:15,805 --> 00:27:19,330
Step G, $3,069.

346
00:27:19,360 --> 00:27:23,380
Step H, $3,174.

347
00:27:23,405 --> 00:27:27,500
Step I, $3,279.

348
00:27:27,525 --> 00:27:31,700
Step J, $3,388.
$85.

349
00:27:31,725 --> 00:27:35,570
Step K, $3,490.

350
00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:39,810
Step L, $3,596.

351
00:27:39,840 --> 00:27:43,540
Step M, $3,701.

352
00:27:43,565 --> 00:27:46,570
Step N, $3,805.

353
00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:53,460
Step O, $3,850, and step P, $3,856.

354
00:27:53,485 --> 00:27:58,600
And once again, this is
assuming you were in that step on day one

355
00:27:58,625 --> 00:28:04,620
of that waiting period on May 20th, 2023,
and only 40 hours,

356
00:28:04,645 --> 00:28:09,680
just straight 40 hours each week
of a combination of work and paid

357
00:28:09,705 --> 00:28:11,460
leave during the backpaid period.

358
00:28:11,485 --> 00:28:15,940
Now, of course,
most letter carriers worked overtime.

359
00:28:15,965 --> 00:28:18,740
A lot of letter carriers
work penalty overtime.

360
00:28:18,765 --> 00:28:21,260
Some would get paid Sunday premium.

361
00:28:21,285 --> 00:28:27,380
All of the rates and overtime penalty,
Sunday premium, are also increased

362
00:28:27,405 --> 00:28:29,500
by pay increases.

363
00:28:29,525 --> 00:28:35,320
So If you've worked overtime, and most of
you have, your lump sum back pay is going

364
00:28:35,345 --> 00:28:38,180
to be more than those
amounts I just mentioned.

365
00:28:38,205 --> 00:28:42,500
Those are provided really as
nothing more than a baseline.

366
00:28:42,525 --> 00:28:48,220
As far as the timing of back pay, should
the agreement be ratified,

367
00:28:48,245 --> 00:28:52,360
it does take some time to calculate back
pay for a couple of

368
00:28:52,385 --> 00:28:53,940
hundred thousand people.

369
00:28:53,965 --> 00:28:59,640
We would anticipate that if the agreement
is ratified, it would take a few months.

370
00:28:59,665 --> 00:29:06,500
So sometime, probably in early summer
or mid-summer, back pay would be paid.

371
00:29:06,525 --> 00:29:11,860
For those that have worked some during the
back pay period and since retired,

372
00:29:11,885 --> 00:29:17,020
if you worked at all during the back pay
period, you will receive that back pay.

373
00:29:17,045 --> 00:29:21,740
Those that have retired
in the last agreement, it was

374
00:29:21,765 --> 00:29:25,640
paid in the form of a paper check that was
mailed to the office you

375
00:29:25,665 --> 00:29:29,020
worked in when you retired.

376
00:29:29,045 --> 00:29:34,900
All right, now let's talk What about the
process of bargaining, the economic piece.

377
00:29:34,925 --> 00:29:42,220
This agreement took a long time,
about a year and a half to negotiate,

378
00:29:42,245 --> 00:29:46,050
which if you've been around a while,
you know that's not really unusual.

379
00:29:46,080 --> 00:29:53,980
Historically, we have taken a long time
to reach agreements in most of our cases.

380
00:29:54,005 --> 00:30:00,500
The modern era of our collective
bargaining goes back to 1970,

381
00:30:00,525 --> 00:30:06,290
when all those brave
letter carriers walked out on strike and

382
00:30:06,320 --> 00:30:11,880
to achieve collective bargaining rights,
prior to 1970, we only had very limited

383
00:30:11,905 --> 00:30:16,660
rights, and we had no rights to bargain
over our pay or our benefits.

384
00:30:16,685 --> 00:30:20,570
It was completely up to
Congress at that time.

385
00:30:20,600 --> 00:30:25,570
But the result of that strike
was legislation, the Postal Reorganization

386
00:30:25,600 --> 00:30:29,920
Act of 1970
that, among other things, gave us full

387
00:30:29,945 --> 00:30:33,920
collective bargaining rights
and also laid out the process for our

388
00:30:33,945 --> 00:30:37,460
bargaining that has
largely remained unchanged.

389
00:30:37,485 --> 00:30:41,200
When we look at our bargaining history,
what we would call the

390
00:30:41,225 --> 00:30:44,540
modern era goes back to 1970.

391
00:30:44,565 --> 00:30:48,440
That's since we've had full
collective bargaining rights.

392
00:30:48,600 --> 00:30:55,140
It's true that it has almost always taken
us a long time to bargain a contract.

393
00:30:55,165 --> 00:30:59,290
The question is, why does it take so long?

394
00:30:59,320 --> 00:31:03,160
I think the way to answer it is not just
simply that it's always taken a long time.

395
00:31:03,185 --> 00:31:07,290
It's important to understand
why that's the case.

396
00:31:07,320 --> 00:31:09,080
There's a number of reasons.

397
00:31:09,600 --> 00:31:13,780
Number one,
our bargaining unit

398
00:31:13,805 --> 00:31:18,260
is the second largest single bargaining
unit under one collective bargaining

399
00:31:18,285 --> 00:31:21,260
agreement in America, public or private.

400
00:31:21,285 --> 00:31:26,220
So this agreement affects more people
than all but one other in this country.

401
00:31:26,245 --> 00:31:31,440
From the Postal Services point of view,
what they bargain with us is what they

402
00:31:31,465 --> 00:31:36,380
will pay in the future for what is their
biggest expense

403
00:31:36,405 --> 00:31:38,620
because we are the largest craft.

404
00:31:38,645 --> 00:31:45,200
So it's a really grave responsibility
on both sides of the bargaining table.

405
00:31:45,560 --> 00:31:51,810
Our union has a proud history
of never settling

406
00:31:51,840 --> 00:31:56,540
for less than we could achieve in a
particular round of bargaining

407
00:31:56,565 --> 00:32:00,380
based on the circumstances
that are present at the time.

408
00:32:00,405 --> 00:32:05,600
It's important, I think, at this point to
get into a little bit about what happens

409
00:32:05,625 --> 00:32:08,760
if you can't reach an agreement, because
that dictates the way

410
00:32:08,785 --> 00:32:10,520
we approach bargaining.

411
00:32:11,480 --> 00:32:16,740
Part of that 1970 Postal Reorganization
Law that outlined our process

412
00:32:16,765 --> 00:32:22,290
also gave us a resolution process
if we were unable to reach an agreement.

413
00:32:22,320 --> 00:32:25,380
That process is called
interest arbitration.

414
00:32:25,405 --> 00:32:31,020
An interest arbitration is a process where
a panel of three arbitrators leaders,

415
00:32:31,045 --> 00:32:36,400
one chosen by the union, one chosen by
management, and a neutral chair of that

416
00:32:36,425 --> 00:32:42,960
three-person panel that we jointly choose,
makes a decision after hearings and

417
00:32:42,985 --> 00:32:49,860
evidence from both sides on what a
particular dispute, they resolve disputes.

418
00:32:49,885 --> 00:32:53,720
We have used this process in years past.

419
00:32:53,840 --> 00:32:59,020
Of course, as you bargain, you have to
continually evaluate,

420
00:32:59,045 --> 00:33:03,220
can we achieve a a better result by
continuing to negotiate and hopefully

421
00:33:03,245 --> 00:33:08,810
reaching an agreement or by continuing
to interest arbitration.

422
00:33:08,840 --> 00:33:13,940
We'll get to that here in just a minute,
more about that thought process

423
00:33:13,965 --> 00:33:15,780
and interest arbitration.

424
00:33:15,805 --> 00:33:20,840
But back to the history
and the reason it's taken so long.

425
00:33:21,200 --> 00:33:26,660
My predecessors as president,
several of which I've had the pleasure of

426
00:33:26,685 --> 00:33:31,520
knowing and relying on and talking
with about throughout this process,

427
00:33:31,960 --> 00:33:39,140
have all, in my opinion,
always made the right decisions as to,

428
00:33:39,165 --> 00:33:41,180
do we go forward to interest arbitration?

429
00:33:41,205 --> 00:33:43,495
Do we continue to negotiate?

430
00:33:43,520 --> 00:33:46,360
In our history, there have been There have
been points in time where we have used

431
00:33:46,385 --> 00:33:48,975
interest arbitration successfully.

432
00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:50,700
There have been points
where we've done it.

433
00:33:50,725 --> 00:33:54,220
Actually, the majority of the
time, it got mixed results.

434
00:33:54,245 --> 00:33:58,050
But in the agreements that we've reached
over extended periods of time,

435
00:33:58,080 --> 00:34:01,760
I think it's true that we have always
reached the best agreement we could

436
00:34:01,785 --> 00:34:07,090
possibly reach under those circumstances
that were present at the time.

437
00:34:07,120 --> 00:34:10,580
Those circumstances involve a
number of different factors.

438
00:34:10,605 --> 00:34:15,300
Of course, they involve what we feel
like we need to achieve as a union.

439
00:34:15,325 --> 00:34:22,960
Our bargaining goals come from primarily
resolutions that are submitted by branches

440
00:34:22,985 --> 00:34:26,640
and state associations,
debated and voted on and adopted

441
00:34:26,665 --> 00:34:28,420
at our national conventions.

442
00:34:28,445 --> 00:34:32,020
They become our official
bargaining positions.

443
00:34:32,045 --> 00:34:36,170
In every round of bargaining,
we set those goals.

444
00:34:36,200 --> 00:34:42,100
We have extensive internal processes
where we utilize the executive council.

445
00:34:42,125 --> 00:34:46,800
In this round of bargaining, each member
of the executive council participated with

446
00:34:46,825 --> 00:34:51,880
a group in reviewing those based on a
particular topic that help us

447
00:34:51,905 --> 00:34:54,440
develop what those goals are.

448
00:34:54,600 --> 00:34:57,680
But there are also
circumstances surround us.

449
00:34:57,705 --> 00:35:02,120
We do not live in a bubble,
and we have to evaluate, ultimately for

450
00:35:02,145 --> 00:35:06,900
the purpose of what do we think interest
arbitration would look like, what those

451
00:35:06,925 --> 00:35:10,640
circumstances
are, and how do they affect not just what

452
00:35:10,665 --> 00:35:14,480
we're sitting at the table to negotiate,
but how do they affect what would

453
00:35:14,505 --> 00:35:19,060
potentially happen in interest
arbitration, the preparation of our case,

454
00:35:19,085 --> 00:35:24,400
anticipating what the Postal Service would
present on a particular issue, and then

455
00:35:24,425 --> 00:35:27,440
what we think the outcome would be.

456
00:35:27,640 --> 00:35:33,540
This is a process
that we make decisions

457
00:35:33,565 --> 00:35:39,640
on an ongoing basis in a lot of ways
of, do we continue down the negotiation

458
00:35:39,665 --> 00:35:43,420
road, or do we move towards
interest arbitration?

459
00:35:43,445 --> 00:35:48,100
Historically, our union has been really
good at making the right decisions

460
00:35:48,125 --> 00:35:54,340
and using the process to achieve the best
result that we could at any point in time.

461
00:35:54,365 --> 00:36:00,240
In this particular round of bargaining,
we began with a number of goals, of

462
00:36:00,265 --> 00:36:06,020
course, maintaining our cost of living,
not giving up our standard of

463
00:36:06,045 --> 00:36:11,200
living when it comes to our cost of living
increases, general wage increases,

464
00:36:11,440 --> 00:36:15,460
increasing starting pay, which we were
able to do significantly,

465
00:36:15,485 --> 00:36:20,840
also increasing our ending pay,
continuing our movement towards an

466
00:36:20,865 --> 00:36:24,920
all-career workforce, which
we have done through processes that have

467
00:36:24,945 --> 00:36:28,480
been ongoing for the last couple of years.

468
00:36:28,600 --> 00:36:35,520
As we progress through through negotiation
and continued to bargain,

469
00:36:36,120 --> 00:36:37,620
we continued to make progress.

470
00:36:37,645 --> 00:36:42,540
Sometimes that progress was slow,
but ultimately, we got to a place where

471
00:36:42,565 --> 00:36:46,780
the Postal Service
was willing to spend the amount of money

472
00:36:46,805 --> 00:36:49,100
it would take for us to achieve our goals.

473
00:36:49,125 --> 00:36:53,100
Then you have to, of course, weigh
that against interest arbitration.

474
00:36:53,125 --> 00:36:58,460
Fortunately, we at NALC have a lot of
experience in interest arbitration.

475
00:36:58,485 --> 00:37:03,520
That experience is
officers, of course, I myself have been

476
00:37:03,545 --> 00:37:06,940
very heavily involved in two
rounds of interest arbitration.

477
00:37:06,965 --> 00:37:13,420
But interest arbitration, our preparation
of our case and presentation of that

478
00:37:13,445 --> 00:37:14,780
includes a lot of people.

479
00:37:14,805 --> 00:37:18,320
We bring in a number of professionals.

480
00:37:18,345 --> 00:37:22,980
We have a lot of professional staff,
attorneys, of course, and we have people

481
00:37:23,005 --> 00:37:28,940
in NALC that are exceptionally experienced
in interest arbitration.

482
00:37:28,965 --> 00:37:35,130
I thought that it would be very beneficial
as we did at the four rap sessions we had

483
00:37:35,160 --> 00:37:40,120
for those of you that are tuned in here to
hear from one of those who has been

484
00:37:40,145 --> 00:37:46,680
involved in a number, I believe, six
rounds of interest arbitration

485
00:37:46,720 --> 00:37:52,200
to really explain the process and
share with you a lot of the type of

486
00:37:52,225 --> 00:37:56,320
conversations
that we've had over the course of this

487
00:37:56,345 --> 00:37:59,540
round of bargaining
when making the decision

488
00:37:59,565 --> 00:38:02,980
of continuing continuing to negotiate,
ultimately reaching an agreement

489
00:38:03,005 --> 00:38:06,360
versus proceeding to interest arbitration.

490
00:38:06,560 --> 00:38:09,720
Jim Sauber is the former
Chief of Staff at NALC.

491
00:38:09,745 --> 00:38:15,080
He is an economist by trade and
has done a lot more than just being an

492
00:38:15,105 --> 00:38:20,880
economist over the years for us and
was very involved in our, really led our

493
00:38:20,905 --> 00:38:24,300
preparation for interest arbitration
in this round of bargaining.

494
00:38:24,325 --> 00:38:29,690
Jim also is very much an expert on a
number of the topics that come up

495
00:38:29,720 --> 00:38:34,600
such as the Postal Services, Finances, and
the type of things that

496
00:38:34,625 --> 00:38:37,760
historically they have presented.

497
00:38:37,800 --> 00:38:41,520
I thought it would be very beneficial
for you to hear from him, from his

498
00:38:41,545 --> 00:38:44,860
perspective about
just interest to arbitration in general,

499
00:38:44,885 --> 00:38:48,420
some about our history, just to give
context surrounding

500
00:38:48,445 --> 00:38:50,380
this round of bargaining.

501
00:38:50,405 --> 00:38:55,580
Here is a former NALC
Chief of Staff, Jim Sob.

502
00:38:55,605 --> 00:38:56,760
Well, thank you, Brian.

503
00:38:56,785 --> 00:39:00,130
Thanks, President Ramefoul,
for that nice introduction.

504
00:39:00,160 --> 00:39:03,400
It's a pleasure to be
back working at the NALC.

505
00:39:03,425 --> 00:39:06,780
I retired at the end of 2022.

506
00:39:06,805 --> 00:39:12,820
I've really enjoyed being able to come
back and help out as a contractor.

507
00:39:12,845 --> 00:39:17,020
I've been serving as a consultant
in this round of bargaining.

508
00:39:17,045 --> 00:39:20,400
It's something I've really always
enjoyed in my years with the NALC.

509
00:39:20,425 --> 00:39:26,840
I've been basically involved with
every round of bargaining since 1987, and

510
00:39:26,865 --> 00:39:29,840
I personally have worked on
six different interest interest

511
00:39:29,865 --> 00:39:34,020
arbitrations,
two, when I was a research economist,

512
00:39:34,045 --> 00:39:39,260
twice when I was a research director,
and twice as chief of staff.

513
00:39:39,285 --> 00:39:41,650
It's a process I'm very familiar with.

514
00:39:41,680 --> 00:39:47,280
I'm not here today to I'm not going to
weigh in on the decision that the members

515
00:39:47,305 --> 00:39:51,160
are going to make about this contract,
but I am here just to provide a little

516
00:39:51,185 --> 00:39:57,775
historical context and to talk about
what the environment was going into this

517
00:39:57,800 --> 00:39:59,960
round of bargaining,
how interest how interest arbitration

518
00:39:59,985 --> 00:40:04,600
actually works,
and how the financial condition is an

519
00:40:04,625 --> 00:40:08,120
important issue
when you're considering whether or not to

520
00:40:08,145 --> 00:40:13,580
go to interest arbitration, and how that
financial condition can affect the risks

521
00:40:13,605 --> 00:40:16,620
and rewards of interest arbitration.

522
00:40:16,645 --> 00:40:20,130
First, just to talk about
where we are historically.

523
00:40:20,160 --> 00:40:24,840
The Postal Service has constantly had to
reinvent itself to meet changing

524
00:40:24,865 --> 00:40:28,020
conditions over its history.

525
00:40:28,045 --> 00:40:34,420
We had a big, huge transition in We went
from being a taxpayer subsidized

526
00:40:34,445 --> 00:40:40,960
cabinet agency
to becoming a self-supporting corporation

527
00:40:40,985 --> 00:40:42,900
or a government-owned corporation.

528
00:40:42,925 --> 00:40:47,720
That was a really great time in our
history when we've won collective

529
00:40:47,745 --> 00:40:52,020
bargaining rights, thanks to the men and
women who went out on strike in 1970.

530
00:40:52,045 --> 00:40:57,650
But we're now in a major, huge transition
again, once again in the 21st century.

531
00:40:57,680 --> 00:41:02,080
With the Internet age,
we've had a massive decline in letter

532
00:41:02,105 --> 00:41:05,260
mail, huge growth in e-commerce.

533
00:41:05,285 --> 00:41:10,120
And so it's really changing the nature of
the Postal Service, and that certainly

534
00:41:10,145 --> 00:41:13,640
will have effect
now and in the future as we do collective

535
00:41:13,665 --> 00:41:15,690
bargaining on behalf of our members.

536
00:41:15,720 --> 00:41:20,160
In 2009, marketing mail surpassed
first-class mail as the

537
00:41:20,185 --> 00:41:22,200
largest volume of mail.

538
00:41:22,225 --> 00:41:28,980
And in 2016 and
'17, package volume, package revenue,

539
00:41:29,005 --> 00:41:31,860
passed in first-class mail
in terms of total revenue.

540
00:41:31,885 --> 00:41:35,980
So we're really in a quite different
situation than we've been in the past.

541
00:41:36,005 --> 00:41:39,000
And so the Pulse Service is
trying to reinvent itself.

542
00:41:39,025 --> 00:41:45,400
It's got a major restructuring program,
trying to adjust these huge changes that

543
00:41:45,425 --> 00:41:47,690
have happened over the last 20 years.

544
00:41:47,720 --> 00:41:54,100
We're moving from a business dominated by
letter mail to one in which packages

545
00:41:54,125 --> 00:41:58,060
are going to carry much more of
the weight of the universal system.

546
00:41:58,085 --> 00:42:02,540
We're going to have a much more
mixed and variable types of mail.

547
00:42:02,565 --> 00:42:07,620
We're now delivering ballots and
prescription drugs and credit cards,

548
00:42:07,645 --> 00:42:09,280
a lot less letter mail.

549
00:42:09,305 --> 00:42:13,320
Of course, the Delivering for America plan
is really about how do we adjust our

550
00:42:13,345 --> 00:42:18,130
networks to handle this huge
change in the mix of mail.

551
00:42:18,160 --> 00:42:26,200
Since the Great Recession in 2008 and '09,
we've been in a period, it's this extended

552
00:42:26,225 --> 00:42:30,040
period, that when we teach our class at
the Leadership Academy about bargaining,

553
00:42:30,065 --> 00:42:34,940
We refer to this as crisis era bargaining
because we've really been

554
00:42:34,965 --> 00:42:40,580
facing a financial crisis for pretty
much nonstop since the Great Recession.

555
00:42:40,605 --> 00:42:44,520
When the global financial system
collapsed, it really hit the postal

556
00:42:44,545 --> 00:42:47,240
service hard,
and particularly in the industries that

557
00:42:47,265 --> 00:42:53,130
produce the most mail,
real estate, finance, advertising.

558
00:42:53,160 --> 00:42:57,650
And so we lost 30% of our letter mail
volume in the course of a

559
00:42:57,680 --> 00:43:00,320
very short couple of years.

560
00:43:00,920 --> 00:43:06,620
And when we finally dragged ourselves
out of it, we were suddenly confronted.

561
00:43:06,645 --> 00:43:12,100
Within 10 years, we had another giant
recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,

562
00:43:12,125 --> 00:43:18,060
and we lost another 20% of our letter mail
volume as mailers adjusted to

563
00:43:18,085 --> 00:43:20,900
the economic crisis that they faced.

564
00:43:20,925 --> 00:43:26,210
The contracts that President Ruland will
negotiate, those last three contracts,

565
00:43:26,240 --> 00:43:29,080
were probably the most difficult in our
history, our 54-year

566
00:43:29,105 --> 00:43:31,320
history of bargaining.

567
00:43:31,440 --> 00:43:36,340
President Renfra was
a big part of those negotiations, and so

568
00:43:36,365 --> 00:43:41,940
is very familiar with the
challenge of negotiating

569
00:43:41,965 --> 00:43:45,340
contracts when the Postal Service
is struggling financially.

570
00:43:45,365 --> 00:43:50,160
Going into this round of bargaining,
things have improved economically

571
00:43:50,185 --> 00:43:52,820
in the labor market, certainly.

572
00:43:52,845 --> 00:43:58,320
In some ways, we had the best
macroeconomic environment for labor

573
00:43:58,345 --> 00:44:00,100
negotiations than we've ever had.

574
00:44:00,125 --> 00:44:03,420
Lots of unions were getting
really good agreements.

575
00:44:03,445 --> 00:44:09,840
As President Renfro mentioned
in his presentation, a lot of these huge

576
00:44:09,865 --> 00:44:15,320
gains that private companies are making
now are recovering for lost ground in

577
00:44:15,345 --> 00:44:22,800
major concessions that happened
in the period after 2008, 2009.

578
00:44:23,120 --> 00:44:29,780
I was hired in this round to help
organize our interest arbitration case.

579
00:44:29,805 --> 00:44:32,935
Now, that's something that's
unique in our system of bargaining.

580
00:44:32,960 --> 00:44:36,040
Since we don't have the right to strike,
Pulse Services does not have the right

581
00:44:36,065 --> 00:44:39,520
to lock us out, you have to prepare.

582
00:44:39,545 --> 00:44:44,080
Even as you negotiate a contract, you have
to prepare for interest arbitration to put

583
00:44:44,105 --> 00:44:48,815
on the case that you would make
in case you do reach an impasse.

584
00:44:48,840 --> 00:44:52,320
Throughout our history, about half of our
contracts, we've had to go to interest

585
00:44:52,345 --> 00:44:55,380
arbitration or at least
start interest arbitration.

586
00:44:55,405 --> 00:45:00,020
That was my main duties over the last year
and a half was to work

587
00:45:00,045 --> 00:45:05,420
with Cohn Weis and Simon, which is the
NALC's labor law firm in New York,

588
00:45:05,445 --> 00:45:11,980
to build the economic case the NALC
would make in interest arbitration.

589
00:45:12,005 --> 00:45:14,700
Just a little bit about the process.

590
00:45:14,725 --> 00:45:19,800
Interest arbitration, many of you are very
familiar with rights arbitration, things

591
00:45:19,825 --> 00:45:23,500
that you do at the local and regional
level in which the issues

592
00:45:23,525 --> 00:45:28,700
put before an arbitrator
are, what does the existing contract mean?

593
00:45:28,725 --> 00:45:31,940
Are the parties complying with it.

594
00:45:31,965 --> 00:45:33,800
Interest arbitration is different.

595
00:45:33,825 --> 00:45:39,200
It actually is a way of settling
bargaining impasse to decide what's in the

596
00:45:39,225 --> 00:45:42,380
contract, what the actual
provisions of the contract say.

597
00:45:42,405 --> 00:45:45,340
It's a quite different process.

598
00:45:45,365 --> 00:45:50,215
It's to be clear that virtually any
provision in the national agreement can

599
00:45:50,240 --> 00:45:51,880
be brought before an interest arbitration.

600
00:45:51,905 --> 00:45:55,040
It's up to the parties
to make their proposals and

601
00:45:55,065 --> 00:45:56,900
decide what they want to change.

602
00:45:56,925 --> 00:45:58,210
Nothing's off limits.

603
00:45:58,240 --> 00:46:00,060
There's nothing that's guaranteed.

604
00:46:00,085 --> 00:46:03,380
Just because we've had it in the past
doesn't mean we get to

605
00:46:03,405 --> 00:46:07,320
keep it in the future.
Everything is up for grabs.

606
00:46:07,520 --> 00:46:12,600
As President Rindfro mentioned, it's a
tripartite system, meaning there's

607
00:46:12,625 --> 00:46:17,520
actually a panel of three arbitrators
Each, the union and management, get to

608
00:46:17,545 --> 00:46:21,000
name their advocate arbitrator,
and between them, they

609
00:46:21,025 --> 00:46:23,210
choose a neutral chairman.

610
00:46:23,240 --> 00:46:25,380
It's a semi-judicial process.

611
00:46:25,405 --> 00:46:32,300
You have court reporters and transcripts,
and the cases put on by teams of lawyers,

612
00:46:32,325 --> 00:46:36,160
both sides hire law firms,
outside law firms, to help

613
00:46:36,185 --> 00:46:38,820
them put together their cases.

614
00:46:38,845 --> 00:46:45,660
It often involves weeks of hearings spread
out over many months

615
00:46:45,685 --> 00:46:50,200
to deal with the availability of witnesses
and experts, but also the availability

616
00:46:50,225 --> 00:46:52,580
of the neutral arbitrator.

617
00:46:52,605 --> 00:46:58,400
Both sides get to call their witnesses to
sponsor testimony and provide evidence and

618
00:46:58,425 --> 00:47:03,040
data in support of your case,
and also to try to rebut the

619
00:47:03,065 --> 00:47:05,860
other side's case as best you can.

620
00:47:05,885 --> 00:47:07,800
There's actually three rounds to it.

621
00:47:07,825 --> 00:47:11,300
You put on your affirmative case
for your demands in the contract.

622
00:47:11,325 --> 00:47:15,600
Then there's a rebuttal phase, and
then finally, a server butto phase.

623
00:47:15,625 --> 00:47:21,740
It's a very detailed, legalistic,
judicial-like process.

624
00:47:21,765 --> 00:47:26,580
At the end of it, and even at the
beginning of it, legal briefs are filed.

625
00:47:26,605 --> 00:47:31,600
Then after all that work is done,
basically what What happens is the three

626
00:47:31,625 --> 00:47:33,440
arbitrators go into executive session.

627
00:47:33,465 --> 00:47:37,420
They go behind closed doors,
and basically the bargaining resumes

628
00:47:37,445 --> 00:47:42,120
between the union and the management,
and they're both trying to convince the

629
00:47:42,145 --> 00:47:45,360
neutral arbitrator to choose their
proposals on all the

630
00:47:45,385 --> 00:47:47,540
various contract provisions.

631
00:47:47,565 --> 00:47:54,740
Once the neutral chairman makes his or her
decision, he or she issues

632
00:47:54,765 --> 00:47:56,280
something called an award.

633
00:47:56,305 --> 00:47:58,460
It's the Interest Arbitration Award.

634
00:47:58,485 --> 00:48:04,460
Basically, he just writes an award that
identifies all the changes in the contract

635
00:48:04,485 --> 00:48:07,680
that he's going to award to the parties.

636
00:48:07,760 --> 00:48:11,120
That award is final and binding.

637
00:48:11,145 --> 00:48:13,460
You can't take it to court.

638
00:48:13,485 --> 00:48:16,920
You can't go to
There's nobody else to appeal it to.

639
00:48:16,945 --> 00:48:20,600
It's a very high-stakes process.

640
00:48:20,800 --> 00:48:24,780
That's a bit about how it works.

641
00:48:24,805 --> 00:48:30,100
Now, in every arbitration, I just want to
make it clear, under the law,

642
00:48:30,125 --> 00:48:38,340
Arbitrators on an arbitration panel are
required to consider any issue or any

643
00:48:38,365 --> 00:48:42,000
bit of testimony or evidence
that either party chooses to put

644
00:48:42,025 --> 00:48:44,140
before the arbitration panel.

645
00:48:44,165 --> 00:48:47,780
That means really anything goes.

646
00:48:47,805 --> 00:48:51,740
Any provision of the contract, every
article of the contract,

647
00:48:51,765 --> 00:48:56,340
every MOU is subject to change
if the parties want to pursue it.

648
00:48:56,365 --> 00:49:00,380
But there are certain issues that come up
all the time that are just central to

649
00:49:00,405 --> 00:49:04,920
postal interest arbitration that really
stems from provisions in the

650
00:49:04,945 --> 00:49:07,180
Postal Reorganization Act.

651
00:49:07,205 --> 00:49:09,800
Among these are things
like pay comparability.

652
00:49:09,825 --> 00:49:14,575
There's a standard of private sector pay
comparability built into the statute.

653
00:49:14,600 --> 00:49:16,640
That's the requirement
for the Postal Service.

654
00:49:16,665 --> 00:49:20,240
They have to seek to pay
at comparable levels of work in the

655
00:49:20,265 --> 00:49:25,460
private sector that match
that pay and compensation.

656
00:49:25,485 --> 00:49:28,800
Of course, the trick is
getting an agreement between the parties

657
00:49:28,825 --> 00:49:32,060
about who that actually
are comparable workers.

658
00:49:32,085 --> 00:49:36,380
It involves not just the work they do, but
the kinds of employers they do,

659
00:49:36,405 --> 00:49:41,340
whether they have a union,
are they national, are they local?

660
00:49:41,365 --> 00:49:45,400
There's a variety of areas where the
Postal Service and the unions and the NALC

661
00:49:45,425 --> 00:49:50,020
have never quite totally agreed on
the definition of comparability.

662
00:49:50,045 --> 00:49:53,780
That whole issue gets litigated
before the arbitration panel.

663
00:49:53,805 --> 00:49:57,340
But other things that are always in the
case include

664
00:49:57,365 --> 00:49:59,420
things like the cost of living.

665
00:49:59,445 --> 00:50:04,560
That's a central focus
of the NALC is to protect the standard of

666
00:50:04,585 --> 00:50:09,300
living we've achieved through
collective bargaining.

667
00:50:09,325 --> 00:50:13,820
We look at what trends in
there are real wages.

668
00:50:13,845 --> 00:50:17,300
We look at industry trends We
look at labor market trends.

669
00:50:17,325 --> 00:50:22,380
Basically, both sides call
witnesses on all of these issues.

670
00:50:22,405 --> 00:50:28,320
The key articles that always come up in
the economic case include the

671
00:50:28,345 --> 00:50:29,980
structure of our bargaining units.

672
00:50:30,005 --> 00:50:35,020
So Article 7, in terms of the complements
of part-time versus full-time workers,

673
00:50:35,045 --> 00:50:38,780
career versus non-career,
and then the various levels of rights and

674
00:50:38,805 --> 00:50:41,540
protections each type of
worker are entitled to.

675
00:50:41,565 --> 00:50:47,600
Obviously, Article 9 is a central area of
battle Pay Scale, is the number and scope

676
00:50:47,625 --> 00:50:55,760
of general increases, colas, lump sums
versus general increases, step increases,

677
00:50:55,785 --> 00:50:57,780
the structure of the pay scale.

678
00:50:57,805 --> 00:51:00,380
All of that is determined in Article 9.

679
00:51:00,405 --> 00:51:06,160
Also, Article 21 on health benefits is a
perennial issue that comes

680
00:51:06,185 --> 00:51:08,260
up in interest arbitration.

681
00:51:08,285 --> 00:51:12,880
At the moment,
the Postal Service's contribution is set

682
00:51:12,905 --> 00:51:15,680
by the statute, the minimum payments.

683
00:51:15,705 --> 00:51:19,500
It's not been a subject of debate in this
particular round of bargaining,

684
00:51:19,525 --> 00:51:24,260
but historically, it's an area that
Postal Service has really pursued.

685
00:51:24,285 --> 00:51:28,160
The average private sector worker now only
gets 50% of the health premiums

686
00:51:28,185 --> 00:51:29,440
paid for by their employer.

687
00:51:29,465 --> 00:51:35,460
Our statutory level
in the '70s is actually a pretty good

688
00:51:35,485 --> 00:51:37,940
level of protection.

689
00:51:37,965 --> 00:51:42,060
In
preparation for this round of bargaining,

690
00:51:42,085 --> 00:51:48,300
I worked with our lawyers and the NALC
staff to come up with a set of experts.

691
00:51:48,325 --> 00:51:53,440
We also rely heavily,
both economic and non-economic issues, on

692
00:51:53,465 --> 00:51:59,560
the really excellent staff, city carrier
staff employed by the NALC in Washington.

693
00:51:59,585 --> 00:52:05,280
They really help put together what I think
is the most essential part of any interest

694
00:52:05,305 --> 00:52:11,080
arbitration case, which is
getting actual members of the NALC, active

695
00:52:11,105 --> 00:52:13,900
letter carriers, to come
and testify on our behalf.

696
00:52:13,925 --> 00:52:18,980
Basically, we Usually, we use these panels
to reinforce whatever our experts,

697
00:52:19,005 --> 00:52:23,620
the professional economists and
sociologists and

698
00:52:23,645 --> 00:52:28,620
healthcare experts, we bring in letter
carriers to reinforce their messages and

699
00:52:28,645 --> 00:52:34,040
really ground our case place
in the working lives of our members.

700
00:52:34,080 --> 00:52:40,340
That gives you an idea of what we did and
what we are ready to do, if need be,

701
00:52:40,365 --> 00:52:45,660
to pursue a labor contract
through interest arbitration.

702
00:52:45,685 --> 00:52:51,680
Next, I just want to talk a bit about
the financial circumstances that the

703
00:52:51,705 --> 00:52:59,180
Postal Service is facing right now and how
that would affect the decision making,

704
00:52:59,205 --> 00:53:06,060
both for President and the Executive
Council, about whether or not to pursue a

705
00:53:06,085 --> 00:53:09,260
contract in interest arbitration.

706
00:53:09,285 --> 00:53:15,340
As I mentioned earlier, I think we have a
chart that we could show

707
00:53:15,365 --> 00:53:19,620
It shows just the difficult period of time
in the history of the Pulse Service since

708
00:53:19,645 --> 00:53:25,300
2012, this period of crisis
bargaining after the Great Recession.

709
00:53:25,325 --> 00:53:29,240
The Pulse Service has pretty much
consistently lost billions

710
00:53:29,265 --> 00:53:30,860
and billions of dollars.

711
00:53:30,885 --> 00:53:36,700
The losses have mounted, but were largely
driven by the deep economic recessions,

712
00:53:36,725 --> 00:53:40,760
both in the financial meltdown in 2008 and
'09, and then later with

713
00:53:40,785 --> 00:53:44,280
the pandemic in 2020.

714
00:53:44,320 --> 00:53:48,980
Over the last For the last three years,
the Postal Service has lost $24 billion

715
00:53:49,005 --> 00:53:51,160
between 2020 and 2023.

716
00:53:51,185 --> 00:53:54,580
That was the backdrop of
this round of bargaining.

717
00:53:54,605 --> 00:53:57,460
And this is the central part
of the Postal Services case.

718
00:53:57,485 --> 00:54:00,920
Whenever you do an interest to
arbitration, the The biggest issue the

719
00:54:00,945 --> 00:54:04,700
Postal Service brings up every
case is their ability to pay.

720
00:54:04,725 --> 00:54:09,060
They bring up the fact that
under the law, they're required to

721
00:54:09,085 --> 00:54:11,700
make a profit and cover their own costs.

722
00:54:11,725 --> 00:54:14,580
Under the law, they get
no taxpayer subsidies.

723
00:54:14,605 --> 00:54:20,660
So Although the ability to pay is
often the centerpiece of their case.

724
00:54:20,685 --> 00:54:25,120
In 2023, the Postal Service lost six and a
half billion dollars, and then this year,

725
00:54:25,145 --> 00:54:28,940
just recently, they lost 9.5 billion.

726
00:54:28,965 --> 00:54:34,860
Over Over this time, their annual revenue
has been pretty flat, $78 billion despite

727
00:54:34,885 --> 00:54:37,060
really large increases in postage rates.

728
00:54:37,085 --> 00:54:42,580
What's happened is mailers have responded
to higher rates by reducing their volume.

729
00:54:42,605 --> 00:54:51,560
So these macroeconomic conditions have
really been strong headwinds for us in

730
00:54:51,585 --> 00:54:56,240
our attempts to negotiate a new contract.

731
00:54:56,265 --> 00:55:01,540
This is the overwhelming challenge that we
face if we go into interest arbitration.

732
00:55:01,565 --> 00:55:07,760
Let me just talk a little bit about
interest arbitration in terms of how

733
00:55:07,785 --> 00:55:10,500
you make a decision whether to go.

734
00:55:10,525 --> 00:55:14,900
It's important to know that
it's not a risk-free option.

735
00:55:14,925 --> 00:55:20,500
It's both sides take huge risks by going
to interest arbitration because

736
00:55:20,525 --> 00:55:25,000
the arbitrator, the neutral arbitrator,
literally has the power to rewrite

737
00:55:25,025 --> 00:55:27,100
every provision in the contract.

738
00:55:27,125 --> 00:55:32,440
We've actually done fairly well in
interest arbitration, historically,

739
00:55:32,720 --> 00:55:34,440
as a defensive mechanism.

740
00:55:34,465 --> 00:55:38,820
Usually, in most cases, it's the Postal
Service who refuses to make a deal,

741
00:55:38,845 --> 00:55:41,210
and we've been forced
into interest arbitration.

742
00:55:41,240 --> 00:55:46,460
But there have been times, particularly in
1999, when The Postal Service is doing

743
00:55:46,485 --> 00:55:53,400
quite well and the automation
process from delivery point sequences was

744
00:55:53,425 --> 00:55:57,780
in full swing, where we were the ones that
wanted to get to interest arbitration.

745
00:55:57,805 --> 00:56:02,880
But I say in the six arbitrations I've
been involved in, the results are usually

746
00:56:02,905 --> 00:56:07,820
a mixed bag because arbitrators,
they're inherently conservative.

747
00:56:07,845 --> 00:56:14,100
They don't like to disturb long-standing
traditions or between the parties,

748
00:56:14,125 --> 00:56:20,480
but they try to help you get an agreement
that the parties could, in different

749
00:56:20,505 --> 00:56:23,210
circumstances, reach on their own.

750
00:56:23,240 --> 00:56:25,820
What that usually means is
there's a give and take.

751
00:56:25,845 --> 00:56:28,660
You win on some issues
and you lose on others.

752
00:56:28,685 --> 00:56:32,600
For example, the The very first
arbitration we ever did was the Healy

753
00:56:32,625 --> 00:56:35,920
arbitration, and it was
like a split decision.

754
00:56:35,945 --> 00:56:42,940
We got to keep our uncapped colas, but
we lost some ground on layoff protection.

755
00:56:42,965 --> 00:56:49,020
In 1984, we got a great general increases
under the Kerr Award,

756
00:56:49,045 --> 00:56:55,340
but we also had to take a 17% cut in
starting pay, which is obviously the

757
00:56:55,365 --> 00:56:57,860
union didn't support.

758
00:56:57,885 --> 00:57:01,760
That's the typical
experience in arbitration.

759
00:57:01,785 --> 00:57:05,980
You usually take some
losses as well as some wins.

760
00:57:06,005 --> 00:57:10,340
The one pure win we ever got
was the 1999 arbitration.

761
00:57:10,365 --> 00:57:15,140
That was in part because we structured it
in a way that was very favorable to us.

762
00:57:15,165 --> 00:57:21,940
We had a last best offer arbitration,
meaning the arbitrator could only take our

763
00:57:21,965 --> 00:57:23,960
proposed contract or the postal service.

764
00:57:23,985 --> 00:57:25,500
They couldn't pick and choose.

765
00:57:25,525 --> 00:57:28,140
We had such a strong case that year.

766
00:57:28,165 --> 00:57:29,700
Postal service was growing fast.

767
00:57:29,725 --> 00:57:31,540
They We had big profits.

768
00:57:31,565 --> 00:57:36,420
The job of the carrier was obviously
getting much, much harder due to

769
00:57:36,445 --> 00:57:37,340
the automation.

770
00:57:37,365 --> 00:57:42,240
We had a really good case, and
we won that case as a result.

771
00:57:42,520 --> 00:57:48,095
Then I guess I just want to emphasize
It's particularly relevant to

772
00:57:48,120 --> 00:57:49,000
this round of bargaining.

773
00:57:49,025 --> 00:57:55,640
The two most unfavorable awards that we've
ever gotten have been in the conditions

774
00:57:55,665 --> 00:58:00,820
we're facing right now in which the Postal
Service is in deep financial stress.

775
00:58:00,845 --> 00:58:05,820
The first time in 1991, the Mittenthal
Award, there was a recession in 1990,

776
00:58:05,845 --> 00:58:11,055
and then the Postal Service was hit by
huge liabilities put on us by Congress,

777
00:58:11,080 --> 00:58:14,600
these budget reconciliation acts where
they were shifting billions and billions

778
00:58:14,625 --> 00:58:20,160
of dollars in costs from the federal
government for pensions and retiree

779
00:58:20,185 --> 00:58:23,020
health care to the Postal Service.

780
00:58:23,045 --> 00:58:28,480
In that arbitration, that was the first
time that an arbitrator basically

781
00:58:29,640 --> 00:58:34,680
made decision to dramatically alter
Article 7 and created the first group of

782
00:58:34,705 --> 00:58:39,520
non-career employees in the history of the
Postal Service, the

783
00:58:39,545 --> 00:58:41,380
transitional employees.

784
00:58:41,405 --> 00:58:46,260
But there were other things like
cashed-out colas and lump some payments.

785
00:58:46,285 --> 00:58:49,560
That's when we took some big hits on the
Postal Services' contributions

786
00:58:49,585 --> 00:58:51,820
to health benefits.

787
00:58:51,845 --> 00:58:57,340
Similarly, in 2013, in the teeth of the
worst recession since the 1930s,

788
00:58:57,365 --> 00:59:01,620
again, under the DAS Award, that's when
The DAS

789
00:59:01,645 --> 00:59:07,760
Panel decided to create a very large,
almost 15% to 20% of the bargaining,

790
00:59:07,785 --> 00:59:09,780
and it could be city carrier assistance.

791
00:59:09,805 --> 00:59:11,580
We have much lower starting pay.

792
00:59:11,605 --> 00:59:15,740
It's also when we first had the
changes to proportional colas.

793
00:59:15,765 --> 00:59:20,735
I give this history to you, and again, I'm
not trying to sway your

794
00:59:20,760 --> 00:59:21,720
vote one way or the other.

795
00:59:21,745 --> 00:59:25,800
We are ready to go to arbitration if we
need to, and we'll fight like hell

796
00:59:25,825 --> 00:59:28,180
to get the best contract possible.

797
00:59:28,205 --> 00:59:33,060
But I do think that you should know that
the bottom line is that

798
00:59:33,085 --> 00:59:42,960
going to arbitration is not a one-way bet,
and it should only be done with your eyes

799
00:59:42,985 --> 00:59:46,255
wide open, that the possibilities are
that you can win some things,

800
00:59:46,280 --> 00:59:47,420
but you can also lose them.

801
00:59:47,445 --> 00:59:50,200
I think that's where I'll stop.

802
00:59:50,225 --> 00:59:55,100
I hope this is helpful for all of you as
you make this very important decision.

803
00:59:55,125 --> 00:59:58,760
As I said, whatever
decision you make, it's going to be the

804
00:59:58,785 --> 01:00:01,740
right one, and we'll be ready
to to work on your behalf.

805
01:00:01,765 --> 01:00:03,140
Thank you.

806
01:00:03,165 --> 01:00:06,500
That was former Chief
of Staff, Jim Solver.

807
01:00:06,525 --> 01:00:09,560
Jim, thanks for that information.

808
01:00:09,800 --> 01:00:13,900
You heard a lot from Jim about the process
and our preparation for

809
01:00:13,925 --> 01:00:15,210
interest arbitration.

810
01:00:15,240 --> 01:00:19,935
As we move through this negotiation
process, there's a couple of things I

811
01:00:19,960 --> 01:00:21,300
want to point out in terms of decisions.

812
01:00:21,325 --> 01:00:27,160
The first is one that I mentioned briefly
earlier, that on an ongoing basis, once we

813
01:00:27,185 --> 01:00:34,140
get past the initial 90 days of bargaining
and the mediation period that happens

814
01:00:34,165 --> 01:00:40,040
immediately after expiration of a
contract, you make an ongoing decision

815
01:00:40,065 --> 01:00:44,260
about continuing to negotiate versus
moving to interest arbitration.

816
01:00:44,285 --> 01:00:48,020
Of course, a decision
that was made in this round of bargaining

817
01:00:48,045 --> 01:00:52,260
was to continue negotiations because as
long as we were making progress

818
01:00:52,285 --> 01:00:56,460
towards our economic goals,
we thought that was in our best interests.

819
01:00:56,485 --> 01:01:00,900
That's consistent with what our
union has done for a long time.

820
01:01:00,925 --> 01:01:05,940
The last piece is when you get to a point
where both parties have gone

821
01:01:05,965 --> 01:01:08,180
as far as they'll go.

822
01:01:08,205 --> 01:01:15,000
On the economic front, the Postal Service,
eventually, we get to a point where it's

823
01:01:15,025 --> 01:01:21,055
apparent that in terms of the cost of them
of bargaining one of these agreements,

824
01:01:21,080 --> 01:01:23,240
that they are not going to
be willing to go any further.

825
01:01:23,265 --> 01:01:28,340
It's at that point that we decided to
move towards finishing up

826
01:01:28,365 --> 01:01:29,780
a tentative agreement.

827
01:01:29,805 --> 01:01:34,440
I I do think for context, you heard Jim
talk about some of the history of

828
01:01:34,465 --> 01:01:39,720
bargaining, and particularly the more
recent history during the Postal

829
01:01:39,960 --> 01:01:47,440
Services, post-recession of 2008, 2009,
2010, beginning with the 2011 round of

830
01:01:47,465 --> 01:01:50,180
bargaining, some of the
challenges that have been present.

831
01:01:50,205 --> 01:01:55,880
Part of this process was,
as we looked at the things that we could

832
01:01:55,905 --> 01:02:00,180
achieve economically, of course, it's very
natural to compare them

833
01:02:00,205 --> 01:02:06,080
to the previous agreements, of which I was
very involved in negotiating in my time as

834
01:02:06,400 --> 01:02:11,500
Director of City Delivery first, and then
for six years as executive vice president.

835
01:02:11,525 --> 01:02:18,160
Just for a few points of comparison, the
2016 and 2019 agreements both included

836
01:02:18,185 --> 01:02:20,020
general wage increases each year.

837
01:02:20,045 --> 01:02:24,980
The average general wage increase in this
agreement is 1.3%, which is

838
01:02:25,005 --> 01:02:29,520
a slight increase over the general wage
increase that we had on average each year

839
01:02:29,545 --> 01:02:33,580
both the 2016 and the 2019 agreement.

840
01:02:33,605 --> 01:02:36,660
Our cost of living
formula remains the same.

841
01:02:36,685 --> 01:02:40,540
That has served us very well in our
history, and

842
01:02:40,565 --> 01:02:45,460
particularly over the last few years, has
served us very well in late

843
01:02:45,485 --> 01:02:52,780
2021, 2022, in particular, we saw
unprecedented increases as a result

844
01:02:52,805 --> 01:02:56,140
due to inflation that was going on.

845
01:02:56,165 --> 01:02:58,740
Then our wage schedule changes.

846
01:02:58,765 --> 01:03:04,020
In the 2019 agreement, we added a new top

847
01:03:04,045 --> 01:03:08,840
step, Step P, that every single letter

848
01:03:08,865 --> 01:03:13,960
carrier that was at Step O
and had served 46 weeks in Step

849
01:03:13,985 --> 01:03:16,340
O, moved to the new Step P.

850
01:03:16,365 --> 01:03:22,580
At that point in time, it was $444 more
than the Step O rate at the time.

851
01:03:22,605 --> 01:03:28,900
The increase that we are making to top
step here at Step P of $1,000 is more than

852
01:03:28,925 --> 01:03:32,400
double what increase was
in the 2019 agreement.

853
01:03:32,425 --> 01:03:36,180
There was no such increase
in the 2016 agreement.

854
01:03:36,205 --> 01:03:43,180
Then, particularly at the beginning
of our career pay schedule in table 2,

855
01:03:43,205 --> 01:03:48,180
it has been, as I mentioned, in the
opening or early on,

856
01:03:48,205 --> 01:03:54,120
since the 1970s, we've reduced the time to
top step, and in this agreement, achieved

857
01:03:54,145 --> 01:03:58,200
a significant increase
in starting career pay through the

858
01:03:58,225 --> 01:04:02,060
elimination of steps A, A, A, and B.

859
01:04:02,085 --> 01:04:08,700
And in both the 2016 and 2019 agreement,
there was no such increase.

860
01:04:08,725 --> 01:04:15,200
So really, by any
measure, the economic provisions of this

861
01:04:15,225 --> 01:04:20,900
tentative agreement represent improvements
over what we saw in

862
01:04:20,925 --> 01:04:27,620
the 2016 and the 2019 agreement
under very similar circumstances

863
01:04:27,645 --> 01:04:33,560
in terms of the issues that impact
our bargaining environment as well as

864
01:04:33,585 --> 01:04:40,100
ultimately what we would encounter in
interest arbitration, as Jim explained.

865
01:04:40,125 --> 01:04:44,320
For all these reasons, the decision was
made to finish a tentative agreement.

866
01:04:44,345 --> 01:04:46,060
That's not a fast process.

867
01:04:46,085 --> 01:04:52,360
There's a lot of details that have to be
ironed out, and it took us several weeks

868
01:04:52,385 --> 01:04:55,820
to do that, including
a lot of the work rule issues that I'm

869
01:04:55,845 --> 01:05:00,080
going to go through in detail
here in just a few minutes.

870
01:05:00,105 --> 01:05:06,255
But just to sum up the whole economic
parts here, the economic package,

871
01:05:06,280 --> 01:05:07,420
I think, is straightforward.

872
01:05:07,445 --> 01:05:13,400
Once again, I would encourage everyone to
look at the entire economic package and

873
01:05:13,425 --> 01:05:18,360
not be drawn into
focusing on one single piece such as the

874
01:05:18,385 --> 01:05:20,940
general increase or anything like that.

875
01:05:20,965 --> 01:05:25,500
Last thing I want to mention economically,
and then we'll move on to the work rules

876
01:05:25,525 --> 01:05:31,860
section, is very often there is talk and
questions that are asked,

877
01:05:31,885 --> 01:05:37,520
and very well could be a question asked in
this virtual wrap session,

878
01:05:37,640 --> 01:05:39,540
about step increases.

879
01:05:39,565 --> 01:05:45,040
Every round of
bargaining, we bargain a number of

880
01:05:45,065 --> 01:05:48,420
economic issues in Article
9 of our agreement.

881
01:05:48,445 --> 01:05:52,920
We talked a lot so far about the structure
of general increases, the cost of

882
01:05:52,945 --> 01:05:55,100
living adjustment formula that we use.

883
01:05:55,125 --> 01:05:59,020
In this agreement, we made some
significant changes to our wage schedule.

884
01:05:59,045 --> 01:06:01,820
Another part there is step increases.

885
01:06:01,845 --> 01:06:07,820
The reason I think this question comes up
is the 2019 agreement

886
01:06:07,845 --> 01:06:11,100
expired on May 20th, 2023.

887
01:06:11,125 --> 01:06:13,860
Step increases continued.

888
01:06:13,885 --> 01:06:20,240
The reason for that is anytime we have in
our history, gotten to expiration of an

889
01:06:20,265 --> 01:06:26,420
agreement, we have agreed to
continue the terms of that agreement.

890
01:06:26,445 --> 01:06:27,400
The same is true.

891
01:06:27,425 --> 01:06:30,580
Right now, as we go through this
ratification process, Process,

892
01:06:30,605 --> 01:06:35,360
our 2019 agreement is still in effect,
including every single word

893
01:06:35,385 --> 01:06:38,210
and every term of Article 9.

894
01:06:38,240 --> 01:06:41,560
When you read Article 9, there are
specific dates given

895
01:06:41,585 --> 01:06:43,210
for general increases.

896
01:06:43,240 --> 01:06:46,380
There are specific dates given
for Cost of Living adjustments.

897
01:06:46,405 --> 01:06:51,260
All those have been fulfilled
in the 2019 agreement.

898
01:06:51,285 --> 01:06:56,820
Step increases, however, continue,
and we have agreed to continue that.

899
01:06:56,845 --> 01:07:00,080
So it is not a given that
step increases continue.

900
01:07:00,105 --> 01:07:02,060
That's something that
we have to negotiate.

901
01:07:02,085 --> 01:07:08,210
We then have to agree to continue them as
we did when this contract expired in May.

902
01:07:08,240 --> 01:07:13,300
And this tent of agreement includes
all of those Article 9 provisions,

903
01:07:13,325 --> 01:07:14,580
such as step increases.

904
01:07:14,605 --> 01:07:19,420
That's why they are included in many of
the projections, all the projections

905
01:07:19,445 --> 01:07:22,210
that we have provided.

906
01:07:22,240 --> 01:07:27,600
In addition to the economic factors, there
are a number of changes that we'll

907
01:07:27,625 --> 01:07:31,980
just categorize as work rule changes.

908
01:07:32,005 --> 01:07:37,495
And I will go through each one of them
and give some level of detail.

909
01:07:37,520 --> 01:07:39,240
Some of them are very
simple and straightforward.

910
01:07:39,265 --> 01:07:44,580
Some of them may require a little more
explanation, and I'm sure there'll be some

911
01:07:44,605 --> 01:07:50,300
questions, and I'll answer those once we
go through each of the changes.

912
01:07:50,325 --> 01:07:52,540
The first is uniforms.

913
01:07:52,565 --> 01:07:59,900
So let me begin with the uniform
allowance changes or increases.

914
01:07:59,925 --> 01:08:06,700
In May of 2025, the uniform
allowance would increase to $536.

915
01:08:06,725 --> 01:08:10,280
The additional
first-year allowance, that's included

916
01:08:10,305 --> 01:08:15,500
Article 26, Section 2B,
would increase by $125.

917
01:08:15,525 --> 01:08:21,180
Then again in May of 2026,
the uniform allowance would increase to

918
01:08:21,205 --> 01:08:30,220
$549, and that first year additional
allowance would increase to $128.

919
01:08:30,245 --> 01:08:35,880
Something
that's new in this tentative agreement is

920
01:08:35,905 --> 01:08:39,540
the ability to carry over allowance
from one year to the next.

921
01:08:39,565 --> 01:08:42,300
That's something that
we've not had before.

922
01:08:42,325 --> 01:08:45,720
Currently, what happens when someone has
an allowance and they reach their

923
01:08:45,745 --> 01:08:50,640
anniversary date and they lose whatever
allowance they had on the book, so to

924
01:08:50,665 --> 01:08:53,000
speak, they will be
able to carry that over.

925
01:08:53,025 --> 01:08:57,360
There is a limitation, however,
that the balance at any one time cannot be

926
01:08:57,385 --> 01:09:02,220
greater than the
cumulative amount of the current year

927
01:09:02,245 --> 01:09:05,980
uniform allowance and the previous year's
uniform allowance.

928
01:09:06,005 --> 01:09:11,400
Uniforms are a big issue
and something that we spend a significant

929
01:09:11,425 --> 01:09:14,620
amount of time in bargaining on.

930
01:09:14,645 --> 01:09:19,580
Honestly, the
numbers I just gave you in those increases

931
01:09:19,605 --> 01:09:24,480
were not what we spent most of our
time on as it relates to uniforms.

932
01:09:24,840 --> 01:09:29,460
What we spent most of our time on was
we've got to really reform

933
01:09:29,485 --> 01:09:33,300
and modify our entire uniform program.

934
01:09:33,325 --> 01:09:39,680
We have seen unprecedented increases in
the prices of the items, and we've

935
01:09:39,705 --> 01:09:43,620
got a system currently that is broken.

936
01:09:43,645 --> 01:09:46,180
There is no cost control.

937
01:09:46,205 --> 01:09:51,880
Both us, obviously, for the purposes of
our members being able to get the items

938
01:09:51,905 --> 01:09:55,300
that they need
and the post of service because of the

939
01:09:55,325 --> 01:10:00,080
cost that will be passed on to them,
we have a mutual interest in

940
01:10:00,105 --> 01:10:01,780
Really changing this program.

941
01:10:01,805 --> 01:10:06,820
We have an existing MOU in our
contract in the 2019 agreement.

942
01:10:06,845 --> 01:10:11,640
It is a city carry uniform task force that
allows us to do everything

943
01:10:11,665 --> 01:10:13,100
that we need to do.

944
01:10:13,125 --> 01:10:18,380
While I gave you those increases in the
allowance in 2025 and 2026,

945
01:10:18,405 --> 01:10:22,380
I can tell you the priority upon
implementation of this agreement for us

946
01:10:22,405 --> 01:10:28,540
is going to be to work with them
to modify this program altogether

947
01:10:28,565 --> 01:10:33,520
so that we are to build in some cost
control and ensure that our members are

948
01:10:33,545 --> 01:10:37,680
able to get the uniforms that they need.

949
01:10:38,440 --> 01:10:43,380
The next section is related
to employee complement.

950
01:10:43,405 --> 01:10:47,900
I will just go through each of
these changes fairly quickly.

951
01:10:47,925 --> 01:10:52,660
We've made a small change
in Article 7, Section 1C.

952
01:10:52,685 --> 01:10:57,800
So currently, the language in Article 7,
Section 1C, Section

953
01:10:58,240 --> 01:11:04,360
1C1 and 1C2 is language that places
limitations on the number of city care

954
01:11:04,385 --> 01:11:07,460
assistance the Postal Service can employ.

955
01:11:07,485 --> 01:11:13,420
This dates back to the 2011 National
Agreement and the DASA Award from 2013

956
01:11:13,445 --> 01:11:16,900
that established these caps.

957
01:11:16,925 --> 01:11:23,480
The current language in
Article 7, Section 1(c)(1), limits them to

958
01:11:23,505 --> 01:11:30,140
15% of the total number of full-time
city cares in any one district.

959
01:11:30,165 --> 01:11:36,960
And in Article 7, Section 1(c)(2),
it provides them another 8,000 CCAs, but

960
01:11:36,985 --> 01:11:41,560
also limits them to 8%
of the number of full-time cares

961
01:11:41,585 --> 01:11:43,420
employed in any one district.

962
01:11:43,445 --> 01:11:49,300
What's happened over the years is we have
had a lot of agreements to increase

963
01:11:49,325 --> 01:11:54,700
complement, to convert
non-career employees to career status.

964
01:11:54,725 --> 01:11:58,740
And some of those agreements have
included creating part-time flexibles.

965
01:11:58,765 --> 01:12:02,660
And in some agreements, It's those PTFs
that counted as full-time

966
01:12:02,685 --> 01:12:04,700
for the purposes of applying those caps.

967
01:12:04,725 --> 01:12:06,900
In other agreements, they have not.

968
01:12:06,925 --> 01:12:13,100
Essentially, it's gotten very complicated
to track the number of

969
01:12:13,125 --> 01:12:17,135
full-time employees and the PTFs that
count as full-time for the purposes

970
01:12:17,160 --> 01:12:18,740
of these caps and those that don't.

971
01:12:18,765 --> 01:12:23,380
So the change here is just to change from
basing it on the number of full-time

972
01:12:23,405 --> 01:12:25,140
to the number of career employees.

973
01:12:25,165 --> 01:12:32,280
At the time, this language was initially
in our agreement, Back in 2013, the PTF

974
01:12:32,305 --> 01:12:34,440
classification was being phased out.

975
01:12:34,465 --> 01:12:38,500
That has very much been
reversed since then.

976
01:12:38,525 --> 01:12:43,700
The Postal Service employs fewer CCAs than
they have over the last

977
01:12:43,725 --> 01:12:49,120
6, 7, 8 years, and that's not
a result of them having less flexibility.

978
01:12:49,145 --> 01:12:52,060
It's just simply a result of we're
employing a lot more

979
01:12:52,085 --> 01:12:54,080
career employees, PTF.

980
01:12:54,105 --> 01:13:01,220
So it's a very simple change there that
really shouldn't directly affect anyone.

981
01:13:01,245 --> 01:13:05,920
Next is
a small change to the MOU that does the

982
01:13:05,945 --> 01:13:09,700
automatic conversion
after 24 months as a CCA.

983
01:13:09,725 --> 01:13:14,460
That MOU is entitled City Care
Assistance Conversion to Career Status.

984
01:13:14,485 --> 01:13:18,900
There's a line
in the MOU in the 2019 agreement

985
01:13:18,925 --> 01:13:23,760
that states that those conversions, those
PTFs that are created as a result of that

986
01:13:23,785 --> 01:13:27,840
MOU would count as full-time for the
purposes of the caps in

987
01:13:27,865 --> 01:13:30,460
Article 7, Section 1(c).

988
01:13:30,485 --> 01:13:35,460
By
us changing that language in Section 1(c),

989
01:13:35,485 --> 01:13:41,360
that line is no longer necessary,
so that line would be deleted.

990
01:13:43,280 --> 01:13:51,380
Next is the MOU called Full-Time Regular
Opportunities City Letter Carrier Craft.

991
01:13:51,405 --> 01:13:56,860
This is an agreement that dates back that
the very first version of this was created

992
01:13:56,885 --> 01:14:00,780
and agreed upon in November of 2013 2018.

993
01:14:00,805 --> 01:14:05,820
The DAS Award that created the City Care
Assistant Classification

994
01:14:05,845 --> 01:14:10,375
included language saying they would be
converted to career status when the post

995
01:14:10,400 --> 01:14:11,440
service needed career letter carriers.

996
01:14:11,465 --> 01:14:15,500
What it lacked was the
mechanism for how that happens.

997
01:14:15,525 --> 01:14:19,780
We initially negotiated this
MOU to create that mechanism.

998
01:14:19,805 --> 01:14:22,920
It's evolved through multiple.

999
01:14:22,945 --> 01:14:25,740
First, it was just agreements
we did outside of bargaining.

1000
01:14:25,765 --> 01:14:30,040
Then it made its way into our collective
bargaining agreement, and we have made

1001
01:14:30,065 --> 01:14:34,700
a couple of modifications to this MOU.

1002
01:14:34,725 --> 01:14:42,520
In no particular order, the first change
has to do with the fact that this MOU was

1003
01:14:42,545 --> 01:14:45,280
originally written at a time
where PTS were being phased out.

1004
01:14:45,305 --> 01:14:48,480
As I mentioned a minute ago,
that's not the case anymore.

1005
01:14:48,505 --> 01:14:53,000
The number of PTFs we have
just continues to grow, which is good.

1006
01:14:53,025 --> 01:15:00,740
That's part of our pursuit
of an all-career workforce.

1007
01:15:00,765 --> 01:15:06,455
We have situations sometimes where
PTFs that back in the early days of these

1008
01:15:06,480 --> 01:15:08,960
MOUs were given the opportunity to
transfer ahead of everybody

1009
01:15:08,985 --> 01:15:10,860
else to go full-time.

1010
01:15:10,885 --> 01:15:15,220
Part of that agreement was they were given
retreat rights to return

1011
01:15:15,245 --> 01:15:19,580
When a full-time job came up in the
installation, they left

1012
01:15:19,605 --> 01:15:21,420
where they were a PTF.

1013
01:15:21,445 --> 01:15:27,880
And we do occasionally encounter scenarios
where there's another PTF that was senior

1014
01:15:27,905 --> 01:15:31,240
to them at the time they left
that has not yet been converted.

1015
01:15:31,265 --> 01:15:35,220
This just makes clear that they cannot
retreat until that PTF that was

1016
01:15:35,245 --> 01:15:38,660
senior to them has already converted.

1017
01:15:38,685 --> 01:15:41,780
Another piece that's also related to PTFs.

1018
01:15:41,805 --> 01:15:47,220
After the ratification of the 2019
agreement, there was an MOU that we had to

1019
01:15:47,245 --> 01:15:50,840
do that addressed
the circumstance of someone transferring

1020
01:15:50,865 --> 01:15:55,300
into an installation
where PTFs were on the roles.

1021
01:15:55,325 --> 01:16:00,400
This is
also a result of the fact that At the

1022
01:16:00,425 --> 01:16:03,820
time, this language was initially
written, PTS were being phased out.

1023
01:16:03,845 --> 01:16:08,420
Now that we have
thousands of PTFs around the country, when

1024
01:16:08,445 --> 01:16:15,000
someone transfers in under this MOU,
this language just makes clear that if

1025
01:16:15,025 --> 01:16:17,420
there are PTFs there,
they come in as a PTF.

1026
01:16:17,445 --> 01:16:21,560
If there are no PTFs there and there's a
full-time opportunity, they

1027
01:16:21,585 --> 01:16:23,500
can come in as full-time.

1028
01:16:23,525 --> 01:16:28,840
The last piece that I'll mention here
that is something that we've used in a few

1029
01:16:28,865 --> 01:16:34,480
select locations, just in our
continuous efforts to improve staffing and

1030
01:16:34,505 --> 01:16:38,560
complement, is a process to identify what
we call letter carriers that are

1031
01:16:38,585 --> 01:16:41,940
on the roles and not available.

1032
01:16:41,965 --> 01:16:46,560
So you go in,
not every post office, but in a lot of

1033
01:16:46,585 --> 01:16:49,240
places, you may have a carrier
that's on the roles there.

1034
01:16:49,265 --> 01:16:53,140
They have an assignment,
but they're not there for whatever reason.

1035
01:16:53,165 --> 01:16:57,700
They could be out on long-term sick leave,
they could be on military leave, they

1036
01:16:57,725 --> 01:17:02,060
could be a 204(b) someplace, They
could be a full-time union official.

1037
01:17:02,085 --> 01:17:03,400
They could be injured.

1038
01:17:03,425 --> 01:17:07,000
There's all sorts of possibilities.

1039
01:17:07,840 --> 01:17:13,500
Basically, what will happen, according to
this language, is a review will be done,

1040
01:17:13,525 --> 01:17:19,500
and when an individual has been out for
six months or 13 pay periods,

1041
01:17:19,525 --> 01:17:24,080
and they have no work hours, will create
an additional full-time

1042
01:17:24,105 --> 01:17:25,740
regular opportunity.

1043
01:17:25,765 --> 01:17:28,420
It's an unassigned opportunity.
We would fill it.

1044
01:17:28,445 --> 01:17:32,300
It's just designed to increase
the full-time complement.

1045
01:17:32,325 --> 01:17:37,060
It does not impact in any way
the letter carrier that's out.

1046
01:17:37,085 --> 01:17:41,200
For whatever reason they're out, it is
just simply as a result of the fact that

1047
01:17:41,225 --> 01:17:45,400
they've been out, we create a full-time
opportunity to grow that

1048
01:17:45,425 --> 01:17:47,300
full-time complement.

1049
01:17:47,325 --> 01:17:50,980
This is something, once again, that we've
done in a few locations around the

1050
01:17:51,005 --> 01:17:54,660
country, and it's worked really well.

1051
01:17:54,685 --> 01:18:02,860
I mentioned the MOU, City Care Assistance
Conversion to Full-Time Status,

1052
01:18:02,885 --> 01:18:08,340
and that we have amended and deleted some
language there

1053
01:18:08,365 --> 01:18:12,220
that was no longer necessary
because of Article 7, Section 1C.

1054
01:18:12,245 --> 01:18:18,260
The next one is a modification to an MOU
entitled Additional Resources,

1055
01:18:18,285 --> 01:18:19,900
Holiday Carrier Assistance.

1056
01:18:19,925 --> 01:18:25,880
So since we've had CCAs in our craft,
we've also had a category of employees

1057
01:18:25,905 --> 01:18:29,460
that are for use during
the holiday season.

1058
01:18:29,485 --> 01:18:34,220
We We've had this for a long, long time
in different classifications

1059
01:18:34,245 --> 01:18:35,540
of non-career employees.

1060
01:18:35,565 --> 01:18:42,140
But holiday carrier assistance currently
can be hired during the December period.

1061
01:18:42,165 --> 01:18:46,760
We have done agreements over the last few
years to allow the It serves to bring them

1062
01:18:46,785 --> 01:18:51,700
on the roles just for the purposes of
training prior to that December period.

1063
01:18:51,725 --> 01:18:54,340
The changes here, there
are a couple of changes.

1064
01:18:54,365 --> 01:18:59,420
Number one, it extends that December
period in additional two weeks.

1065
01:18:59,445 --> 01:19:04,540
In Most years, that's going to be the week
of Thanksgiving and then either the week

1066
01:19:04,565 --> 01:19:06,940
before or the week after Thanksgiving.

1067
01:19:06,965 --> 01:19:15,780
Those of you that know, really, right now,
peak season now starts in November.

1068
01:19:15,805 --> 01:19:19,560
Peak season
used to be much more of a December thing,

1069
01:19:19,585 --> 01:19:25,460
but with online shopping
and e-commerce and Black Friday and Cyber

1070
01:19:25,485 --> 01:19:28,740
Monday and all that stuff,
these resources are needed.

1071
01:19:28,765 --> 01:19:33,040
So it extends that period two weeks,
and it allows the Postal Service to hire

1072
01:19:33,065 --> 01:19:38,380
these folks and get them trained
up on whatever they'll be doing.

1073
01:19:38,405 --> 01:19:42,660
Typically, that'd be parcel delivery
before that period starts

1074
01:19:42,685 --> 01:19:44,180
where they can be employed.

1075
01:19:44,205 --> 01:19:49,000
It's important to point out that this
maintains protections for anyone that

1076
01:19:49,025 --> 01:19:52,840
could be adversely
affected by hiring them.

1077
01:19:52,960 --> 01:19:57,240
Ccas that are on the roles and
installations where holiday care

1078
01:19:57,265 --> 01:20:02,060
assistants are hired, they They're
entitled to all the straight-time work

1079
01:20:02,085 --> 01:20:06,900
prior to it being assigned to a holiday
carrier assistant, and any overtime

1080
01:20:06,925 --> 01:20:12,080
that needs to be worked has to be assigned
to an ODL carrier prior to giving these

1081
01:20:12,105 --> 01:20:14,860
holiday carrier assistance over time.

1082
01:20:14,885 --> 01:20:18,920
Just an extension of two weeks, frankly,
during a period of time where we need to

1083
01:20:18,945 --> 01:20:24,740
help, but maintains a protection against
anybody that could be adversely affected.

1084
01:20:24,765 --> 01:20:32,540
The next one that I mentioned related to
complement is a test that we are going to

1085
01:20:32,565 --> 01:20:38,200
conduct, jointly,
with establishing carrier technician

1086
01:20:38,225 --> 01:20:42,500
assignments that cover
multiple installations.

1087
01:20:42,525 --> 01:20:45,360
So we have,
for the most part, in smaller

1088
01:20:45,385 --> 01:20:50,460
installations, this applies to
level 20 and below post offices.

1089
01:20:50,485 --> 01:20:56,720
You may have two, three routes, or you may
have, say, seven or eight routes where you

1090
01:20:56,745 --> 01:21:02,180
got a carrier technician assignment, but
you have one or more that are not covered

1091
01:21:02,205 --> 01:21:04,420
by a carrier technician assignment.

1092
01:21:04,445 --> 01:21:08,600
And what this test would entail is
creating assignments that would

1093
01:21:08,625 --> 01:21:10,380
cover multiple installations.

1094
01:21:10,405 --> 01:21:15,800
It's beneficial because it provides
coverage every week for someone's

1095
01:21:15,825 --> 01:21:21,220
non-scheduled day, but also is
additional full-time work for us.

1096
01:21:21,245 --> 01:21:26,900
It'll be just a test phase to begin, and
we look forward to working through that.

1097
01:21:26,925 --> 01:21:33,740
Next is an MOU that was new in the 2019
agreement called Compliment and Staffing.

1098
01:21:33,765 --> 01:21:38,120
A lot of the work that we have done over
the last few years related to our

1099
01:21:38,145 --> 01:21:41,280
complement,
improving our complement in so many

1100
01:21:41,305 --> 01:21:46,400
places, we've done agreements that we've
converted hundreds of installations around

1101
01:21:46,425 --> 01:21:50,340
the country to an all-career model where
we hire PTFs and

1102
01:21:50,365 --> 01:21:54,260
don't have non-career employees
have resulted from this agreement.

1103
01:21:54,285 --> 01:21:57,940
The changes in the agreement, in this
tentative agreement,

1104
01:21:57,965 --> 01:22:01,880
the change in this MOU, I should say, this
tentative agreement, are just to

1105
01:22:01,905 --> 01:22:04,920
recognize that success we've had.

1106
01:22:04,945 --> 01:22:09,500
Also, it's a commitment to continue that
process, which has continued all through

1107
01:22:09,525 --> 01:22:12,820
this long period of collective bargaining.

1108
01:22:12,845 --> 01:22:15,740
We look forward to continuing that.

1109
01:22:15,765 --> 01:22:21,860
Next is a very small change
to a very important agreement.

1110
01:22:21,885 --> 01:22:26,520
The MOU is entitled Article 7, 12,
and 13, Crossing Kraft and Officeize.

1111
01:22:26,545 --> 01:22:32,020
We refer to this
casually as the Bridge Memo.

1112
01:22:32,045 --> 01:22:38,740
It dates back a number of years to days
when we bargain jointly with

1113
01:22:38,765 --> 01:22:41,060
some of the other postal unions.

1114
01:22:41,085 --> 01:22:46,060
And in a nutshell,
this agreement says that among our craft,

1115
01:22:46,085 --> 01:22:51,100
the mail handlers and the APWU-represented
crafts, that the crossing craft provisions

1116
01:22:51,125 --> 01:22:54,820
of Article 7, 12, and 13
in all of our agreements

1117
01:22:54,845 --> 01:23:02,615
will remain the same as they were in the
1978 agreement, which is important.

1118
01:23:02,640 --> 01:23:04,480
I'll talk a little bit
more about this MOU layer.

1119
01:23:04,505 --> 01:23:09,740
But for the purposes of this change,
it's just simply changing

1120
01:23:09,765 --> 01:23:15,080
an outdated term, man years to work years.

1121
01:23:15,120 --> 01:23:17,600
Next, let's talk about health
insurance a little bit.

1122
01:23:17,625 --> 01:23:23,540
For the first time,
I guess since the 2001 agreement,

1123
01:23:23,565 --> 01:23:28,220
there are no changes to
health insurance coverage.

1124
01:23:28,245 --> 01:23:32,520
There are no changes to the percentage of
the premiums that the post-service pays,

1125
01:23:32,545 --> 01:23:35,540
percentage of the premiums that we pay.

1126
01:23:35,565 --> 01:23:38,620
They remain exactly the same.

1127
01:23:38,645 --> 01:23:40,860
That is true for career employees.

1128
01:23:40,885 --> 01:23:44,340
That is true for CCAs as well.

1129
01:23:44,365 --> 01:23:48,940
We The post-service
continues to pay the same,

1130
01:23:48,965 --> 01:23:54,600
and we will continue to pay
the same for our health insurance.

1131
01:23:54,760 --> 01:23:57,060
Okay, next is Article 8 and overtime.

1132
01:23:57,085 --> 01:24:02,020
And there are a couple of
very significant changes here.

1133
01:24:02,045 --> 01:24:09,100
These are changes that are consistent with
our official bargaining positions and

1134
01:24:09,125 --> 01:24:13,700
that we have tried to achieve in multiple
rounds of bargaining

1135
01:24:13,725 --> 01:24:21,180
and we think will really be beneficial to
our craft, and of course, keeping with the

1136
01:24:21,205 --> 01:24:25,960
intent of Article 8, which is
to protect those that don't want to work

1137
01:24:25,985 --> 01:24:29,960
over time while also providing
opportunities for those that do and

1138
01:24:29,985 --> 01:24:33,160
options for those that do
want to work over time.

1139
01:24:33,280 --> 01:24:41,820
So the first change that I'll talk about
has to do with maximum work hours.

1140
01:24:41,845 --> 01:24:45,380
And before I get into the specifics of
these changes,

1141
01:24:45,405 --> 01:24:51,460
I think we need to talk a little bit about
and understand where we are

1142
01:24:51,485 --> 01:24:53,940
when it comes to maximum work hours.

1143
01:24:53,965 --> 01:24:58,455
So we currently have
maximum work hour limitations.

1144
01:24:58,480 --> 01:25:01,800
For those that are only over time desired
list, those are included in Article 8,

1145
01:25:01,825 --> 01:25:06,580
Section 5G, 12 hours a day,
60 hours a week.

1146
01:25:06,605 --> 01:25:10,620
For those that are not on the ODL, there
are limitations

1147
01:25:10,645 --> 01:25:12,580
in other sections of Article 8.

1148
01:25:12,605 --> 01:25:17,140
There are limitations in the
Employee Labor Relations manual.

1149
01:25:17,165 --> 01:25:19,420
So there's a lot of...

1150
01:25:19,445 --> 01:25:26,220
It's a little bit of a confusing
issue depending on your classification.

1151
01:25:26,245 --> 01:25:31,620
And these are work hour limitations
that were supposed to be Absolute.

1152
01:25:31,645 --> 01:25:37,620
And it is something that we deal with
a lot in the grievance procedure.

1153
01:25:37,645 --> 01:25:43,260
Typically, where we have staffing
difficulties for various reasons, where

1154
01:25:43,285 --> 01:25:49,620
our members are forced to work beyond
these maximum work hour limitations.

1155
01:25:49,645 --> 01:25:54,600
What we pursue through the grievance
procedure is, of course, make whole

1156
01:25:54,625 --> 01:25:58,560
remedies, but ultimately to stop this
problem of our members being forced to

1157
01:25:58,585 --> 01:26:04,840
work is we want them to be protected from
discipline, that whenever they reach

1158
01:26:04,865 --> 01:26:07,460
their maximum work hours, they go home.

1159
01:26:07,485 --> 01:26:10,980
And that's what this
bargain is centered around.

1160
01:26:11,005 --> 01:26:13,360
So I'll go through it section by section.

1161
01:26:13,385 --> 01:26:19,340
The first is a new section
of Article 8, section 2.

1162
01:26:19,365 --> 01:26:24,880
And we've added a paragraph D
that basically says that full-time

1163
01:26:24,905 --> 01:26:27,380
carriers are not only ODL
or work assignment list.

1164
01:26:27,405 --> 01:26:34,615
So non-ODLs, their limitation is 11 and
a half hours a day, 60 hours in a week.

1165
01:26:34,640 --> 01:26:36,900
That's not a change in terms
of what their limit is.

1166
01:26:36,925 --> 01:26:39,220
The limits remain the same.

1167
01:26:39,245 --> 01:26:44,920
But what this language says is they will
not be worked over that, and

1168
01:26:45,120 --> 01:26:50,120
When they reach those maximum work hours,
they will terminate their tour and go

1169
01:26:50,145 --> 01:26:54,100
home, and they will not be
disciplined for doing so.

1170
01:26:54,125 --> 01:26:57,800
A couple of very important
points to make here.

1171
01:26:57,840 --> 01:27:03,140
Point number one,
this does does not modify in any way

1172
01:27:03,165 --> 01:27:07,700
any of the other relevant sections,
Article 8, Section 4 or 5,

1173
01:27:07,725 --> 01:27:14,020
related to the Postal Services obligation
to work ODLs and others

1174
01:27:14,045 --> 01:27:16,140
before working non-ODLs.

1175
01:27:16,165 --> 01:27:20,380
It is not an extension
of Article 8, Section 5F.

1176
01:27:20,405 --> 01:27:24,500
It does not change those
limits that are placed.

1177
01:27:24,525 --> 01:27:32,440
It only means
that if non-ODLs reach 11.5 in a day or 60

1178
01:27:32,465 --> 01:27:37,640
in a week, they can terminate their tour
and go home, and the contract will read

1179
01:27:37,665 --> 01:27:40,740
that they are protected from discipline.

1180
01:27:40,765 --> 01:27:47,400
Now, one issue that
We had to deal with, and I'll get to the

1181
01:27:47,425 --> 01:27:50,420
ODS, a similar protection
in just a minute.

1182
01:27:50,445 --> 01:27:54,200
One issue that we had to really
deal with is a pay rate here.

1183
01:27:54,440 --> 01:27:59,400
Currently,
when someone is forced to work beyond

1184
01:27:59,425 --> 01:28:04,420
maximum work hours
as a result of a national arbitration

1185
01:28:04,445 --> 01:28:10,060
from a very respected arbitrator
from years past named Carlton Snow,

1186
01:28:10,085 --> 01:28:14,300
and this actually appears in our joint
contract administration manual,

1187
01:28:14,325 --> 01:28:18,140
there's a remittance of
an additional 50% pay for those

1188
01:28:18,165 --> 01:28:22,000
that work beyond maximum work hours.

1189
01:28:22,040 --> 01:28:30,935
There is a new provision added
to Section 4, which covers It covers

1190
01:28:30,960 --> 01:28:33,720
various things, but in this context, we're
talking about a pay rate

1191
01:28:33,745 --> 01:28:35,980
where there is a new pay rate.

1192
01:28:36,005 --> 01:28:38,060
We'll talk about it in just a minute.

1193
01:28:38,085 --> 01:28:41,920
Odl carriers will have that protection
against discipline but have

1194
01:28:41,945 --> 01:28:43,860
the ability to volunteer.

1195
01:28:43,885 --> 01:28:47,940
But if any letter carrier
works over 12 hours in a day

1196
01:28:47,965 --> 01:28:53,740
or 60 hours in a week for any reason, it
does not matter why, they will be paid

1197
01:28:53,765 --> 01:28:56,340
two and a half times pay.

1198
01:28:56,365 --> 01:28:58,020
So this is a new pay rate.

1199
01:28:58,045 --> 01:29:00,740
It is just like the overtime
rate of time a half.

1200
01:29:00,765 --> 01:29:02,580
Penalty rate is double time.

1201
01:29:02,605 --> 01:29:09,780
This is a new pay rate of double time
and a half, two and a half times pay.

1202
01:29:09,805 --> 01:29:15,180
Okay, next, let's talk about Article 8,
Section 5, and talk about

1203
01:29:15,205 --> 01:29:17,220
Carriers that are on the ODL.

1204
01:29:17,245 --> 01:29:24,420
So we have added
language to Article 8, Section 5G,

1205
01:29:24,445 --> 01:29:28,800
specifically,
that covers ODL carriers in a similar way

1206
01:29:28,825 --> 01:29:32,360
to what we talked about just
a minute ago with non-ODLs.

1207
01:29:32,640 --> 01:29:36,860
So ODLs are currently limited to
12 hours a day, 60 hours in a week.

1208
01:29:36,885 --> 01:29:39,660
That limit remains.

1209
01:29:39,685 --> 01:29:45,480
When those carriers reach those
limitations, they may terminate

1210
01:29:45,505 --> 01:29:48,180
the end of their tour and leave.

1211
01:29:48,205 --> 01:29:51,940
They are not, and the post service
cannot discipline them for that.

1212
01:29:51,965 --> 01:29:56,800
That is crystal clear in the
language of the tentative agreement.

1213
01:29:56,840 --> 01:30:01,400
The other change here
is that the ODS of service, if needed, may

1214
01:30:01,425 --> 01:30:07,840
seek volunteers from the ODS,
and ODS may volunteer if they wish to

1215
01:30:07,865 --> 01:30:11,620
exceed 12 hours in a day
or 60 hours in a week.

1216
01:30:11,645 --> 01:30:16,020
If they do not volunteer,
they simply clock out and go home,

1217
01:30:16,045 --> 01:30:18,100
and they have protection from it.

1218
01:30:18,125 --> 01:30:23,180
If they do volunteer, that new pay rate
we just talked about would come into play.

1219
01:30:23,205 --> 01:30:28,740
Once they exceeded 12 hours in a day or 60
hours in a week, then they would receive

1220
01:30:28,765 --> 01:30:32,695
that additional two
and a a half times pay.

1221
01:30:32,720 --> 01:30:34,240
A couple of just points to make here.

1222
01:30:34,265 --> 01:30:40,000
For CCAs and PTF, there are no changes
to their maximum work hour

1223
01:30:40,025 --> 01:30:42,220
limitations or any application.

1224
01:30:42,245 --> 01:30:47,380
There, things remain exactly the same with
the exception of the pay rate,

1225
01:30:47,405 --> 01:30:51,620
the new pay rate for if they were to
exceed for any reason,

1226
01:30:51,645 --> 01:30:57,060
12 hours in a day or 60 hours in a
week, CCAs and PTFs, just like all letter

1227
01:30:57,085 --> 01:31:03,240
carers, would receive
two and a half times the rate of pay.

1228
01:31:05,000 --> 01:31:08,180
Next, just to clarify something,
it does apply...

1229
01:31:08,205 --> 01:31:11,380
These limitations apply daily and weekly.

1230
01:31:11,405 --> 01:31:14,340
So just to give an example
to illustrate that.

1231
01:31:14,365 --> 01:31:24,140
If a carrier on the ODL, let's say, works
12 hours on Saturday, 12 hours on Monday,

1232
01:31:24,165 --> 01:31:30,500
12 hours on Tuesday,
12 hours on Wednesday, and 12 hours on

1233
01:31:30,525 --> 01:31:35,815
Thursday, they have worked 60 hours.

1234
01:31:35,840 --> 01:31:39,040
If they don't want to work on Friday, they
cannot be forced to work and they cannot

1235
01:31:39,065 --> 01:31:44,940
be disciplined for it, even if
it's a regularly scheduled day.

1236
01:31:44,965 --> 01:31:47,700
Let's simplify, create another scenario.

1237
01:31:47,725 --> 01:31:53,940
They work 12 on Saturday, 12 on Monday, 12
on Tuesday, 12 on Wednesday, and then

1238
01:31:53,965 --> 01:31:57,460
let's say they work 8 on Thursday.

1239
01:31:57,485 --> 01:32:03,500
In that particular example,
they will have worked 56 hours,

1240
01:32:03,525 --> 01:32:08,080
which means if they come in to work on
that Friday, they'll reach 60 hours after

1241
01:32:08,105 --> 01:32:12,980
working 4 hours, at which point, if they
do not volunteer to exceed 60 in a week,

1242
01:32:13,005 --> 01:32:15,460
they clock out and they go home.

1243
01:32:15,485 --> 01:32:19,380
And post-service, because of guaranteed
time, has an obligation to pay them

1244
01:32:19,405 --> 01:32:23,540
for the rest of that day, and that pay
would be at the two and a half times rate.

1245
01:32:23,565 --> 01:32:29,820
So the work hour limitations applies
daily, but it also applies weekly.

1246
01:32:29,845 --> 01:32:34,400
And the protection against discipline for
terminating a tour comes into play

1247
01:32:34,425 --> 01:32:38,420
whenever the daily or the weekly
work hour limitations are reached.

1248
01:32:38,445 --> 01:32:43,300
It doesn't matter when those
limitations take place.

1249
01:32:43,325 --> 01:32:50,980
The second major change to Article 8 has
to do with the overtime desired list.

1250
01:32:51,005 --> 01:32:55,780
In discussions in bargaining and in
convention resolutions,

1251
01:32:55,805 --> 01:33:00,180
for us, that our official bargain
positions at NALC conventions have

1252
01:33:00,205 --> 01:33:07,055
have adopted, we have
tried to add additional options

1253
01:33:07,080 --> 01:33:09,660
for letter carriers that want to
be on the overtime desired list.

1254
01:33:09,685 --> 01:33:13,580
So currently, we have the work assignment
list, and we have the overtime desired

1255
01:33:13,605 --> 01:33:18,160
list, which means you work overtime on any
assignment, non-scheduled day, regularly

1256
01:33:18,185 --> 01:33:23,380
scheduled day, up to 12 hours,
or with a 10-hour preference,

1257
01:33:23,405 --> 01:33:24,960
which we'll cover in a minute.

1258
01:33:25,800 --> 01:33:32,040
The change here, we wanted to give options
for those that that may be willing to work

1259
01:33:32,065 --> 01:33:37,880
overtime or desire to work overtime
up to 12 hours on a regularly scheduled

1260
01:33:37,905 --> 01:33:42,080
day on any assignment, but they don't
want to work their non-scheduled day.

1261
01:33:42,600 --> 01:33:46,740
Also for those that may not want to work
last eight hours

1262
01:33:46,765 --> 01:33:50,160
on the regularly scheduled day,
but they would be willing to work

1263
01:33:50,185 --> 01:33:53,140
their non-scheduled day up to 8 hours.

1264
01:33:53,165 --> 01:33:55,060
And that is what this agreement does.

1265
01:33:55,085 --> 01:34:00,560
So what this agreement will do is when we
get to the sign-up period, beginning

1266
01:34:00,585 --> 01:34:03,900
two weeks before a quarter starts.

1267
01:34:03,925 --> 01:34:07,100
Currently, you can sign a work
assignment or you can sign the ODL.

1268
01:34:07,125 --> 01:34:11,040
The options will be work assignment is
unchanged, no change to the

1269
01:34:11,065 --> 01:34:13,740
work assignment list at all.

1270
01:34:13,765 --> 01:34:15,540
But you will then have two options.

1271
01:34:15,565 --> 01:34:20,800
Option number one
is a list that you will work over time up

1272
01:34:20,825 --> 01:34:24,440
to 12 hours
on your regularly scheduled day on any

1273
01:34:24,465 --> 01:34:32,580
assignment, but you will not work or
not to work on your non-scheduled day.

1274
01:34:32,605 --> 01:34:33,500
That's number one.

1275
01:34:33,525 --> 01:34:39,120
Option two would be
you don't want to work past eight hours,

1276
01:34:39,320 --> 01:34:42,100
but you would work your non-scheduled day.

1277
01:34:42,125 --> 01:34:47,700
So you can sign one or the other
Or you could sign both.

1278
01:34:47,725 --> 01:34:53,620
And if you sign both, you are then on
the equivalent of what is today's ODL.

1279
01:34:53,645 --> 01:34:59,180
The only other change here is the
elimination of the 10-hour preference.

1280
01:34:59,205 --> 01:35:03,000
So currently, when When you sign
the overtime desired list, you can

1281
01:35:03,025 --> 01:35:05,975
indicate a preference
to work 10 or 12 hours.

1282
01:35:06,000 --> 01:35:07,120
It is simply a preference.

1283
01:35:07,145 --> 01:35:12,500
It does not contractually limit
someone to 10 hours.

1284
01:35:12,525 --> 01:35:17,960
If the management has the obligation
under A5G to use to max out ODLs, they got

1285
01:35:17,985 --> 01:35:21,300
to max out the 10-hour
preference people to 12.

1286
01:35:21,325 --> 01:35:25,800
We actually tested this
a few years ago around the country, the

1287
01:35:25,825 --> 01:35:30,060
elimination of it with the establishment,
and now with the establishment of

1288
01:35:30,085 --> 01:35:33,860
these new lists and the additional
options, there will no longer be

1289
01:35:33,885 --> 01:35:36,220
a 10-hour preference.

1290
01:35:36,245 --> 01:35:41,520
So this just provides multiple options,
more options than we currently have while

1291
01:35:41,545 --> 01:35:45,560
maintaining
the options that we currently have with

1292
01:35:45,585 --> 01:35:49,820
what we know as the ODL today
and the work assignment list.

1293
01:35:49,845 --> 01:35:54,280
The one thing I'll mention that's a
natural question, probably from shop

1294
01:35:54,305 --> 01:35:59,140
stewards more than anybody else,
is how on earth

1295
01:35:59,165 --> 01:36:04,340
does this change the way we calculate and
monitor and track and enforce

1296
01:36:04,365 --> 01:36:09,520
the contractual provisions around
equitable distribution of overtime?

1297
01:36:09,640 --> 01:36:12,100
The answer is actually very simple.

1298
01:36:12,125 --> 01:36:16,920
This would be reflected, should the
agreement be ratified and explained in the

1299
01:36:16,945 --> 01:36:21,100
J-CAM, and that is,
they just simply have to,

1300
01:36:21,125 --> 01:36:25,180
using existing equitability rules,
make people equitable

1301
01:36:25,205 --> 01:36:27,100
within the list that they're on.

1302
01:36:27,125 --> 01:36:30,440
So you've got these two
overtime desired lists.

1303
01:36:30,600 --> 01:36:34,500
Whoever's on one list,
all those people got to be made equitable.

1304
01:36:34,525 --> 01:36:37,620
The people on the other list also have
to be made equitable.

1305
01:36:37,645 --> 01:36:41,560
So it's actually a pretty simple change.

1306
01:36:41,880 --> 01:36:46,660
All right, moving on to some other
important provisions.

1307
01:36:46,685 --> 01:36:48,460
Layoff protection.

1308
01:36:48,485 --> 01:36:53,855
We have layoff protection in our agreement
for those that have six

1309
01:36:53,880 --> 01:36:54,920
years as a career employee.

1310
01:36:54,945 --> 01:36:57,920
It's been in place a long time now.

1311
01:36:57,945 --> 01:37:02,660
Thankfully, it's something that
we We have never really had to invoke.

1312
01:37:02,685 --> 01:37:06,740
We certainly don't anticipate
over the course of this agreement having

1313
01:37:06,765 --> 01:37:10,500
to invoke the layoff protection,
but the layout protection is continued.

1314
01:37:10,525 --> 01:37:16,080
This is one of those things, along with
the next topic I'll mention that is

1315
01:37:16,160 --> 01:37:22,100
not often talked about among our members.

1316
01:37:22,125 --> 01:37:25,880
It's not something as I go around the
country and meet with our members that we

1317
01:37:25,905 --> 01:37:30,100
talk about a lot, but it is a topic
of collective bargaining.

1318
01:37:30,125 --> 01:37:36,060
Layout protection continues as well as
our protections against subcontracting.

1319
01:37:36,085 --> 01:37:40,800
Those of you that were around back in
the mid-2000s, remember, this was quite a

1320
01:37:40,825 --> 01:37:46,560
battle in the 2006 round of negotiations
and In that round of bargaining, we

1321
01:37:46,585 --> 01:37:49,460
achieved some
significant protections against

1322
01:37:49,485 --> 01:37:54,600
subcontracting that are mostly
in Article 32 of our agreement, but also

1323
01:37:54,625 --> 01:38:01,460
mostly in the form of MOUs,
and those protections continue.

1324
01:38:01,485 --> 01:38:07,640
So they've served us very well, and
we're happy to continue them.

1325
01:38:07,720 --> 01:38:08,120
Great.

1326
01:38:08,145 --> 01:38:14,380
Next is a modification to a
task force called the City Delivery and

1327
01:38:14,405 --> 01:38:16,160
Workplace Improvement Task Force.

1328
01:38:16,185 --> 01:38:22,460
This is a big
umbrella of different

1329
01:38:22,485 --> 01:38:26,680
topics, and therefore, different work
groups that we do jointly with the

1330
01:38:26,705 --> 01:38:28,420
Postal Service and headquarters.

1331
01:38:28,445 --> 01:38:31,540
This task force It covers
a lot of different topics.

1332
01:38:31,565 --> 01:38:33,820
There's a high-level oversight.

1333
01:38:33,845 --> 01:38:36,940
And then we assign what we call
subcommittees,

1334
01:38:36,965 --> 01:38:42,740
which are officers and staff from any LC
that work with managers from the Postal

1335
01:38:42,765 --> 01:38:45,420
Service headquarters on different topics.

1336
01:38:45,445 --> 01:38:49,980
And the changes that we've made here
are really more than anything else, just

1337
01:38:50,005 --> 01:38:55,140
to align with the way that we actually
structured those subcommittees in practice

1338
01:38:55,165 --> 01:38:56,935
in the 2019 agreement.

1339
01:38:56,960 --> 01:38:58,840
But a lot of good things
have come from this.

1340
01:38:58,865 --> 01:39:03,320
We've had a lot of productive
things related to route adjustments and

1341
01:39:03,345 --> 01:39:08,020
complement and staffing and
what we do with onboarding employees and

1342
01:39:08,045 --> 01:39:12,500
mentoring and retaining them, which
we'll talk about here in just a minute.

1343
01:39:12,525 --> 01:39:17,640
So this task force will continue We are,
should disagree, would be ratified,

1344
01:39:17,665 --> 01:39:24,100
excited to get started with it and address
all the topics that are included there.

1345
01:39:24,125 --> 01:39:30,340
Next is a new MOU called the New Employee
Experience Retention

1346
01:39:30,365 --> 01:39:31,540
and Mentoring program.

1347
01:39:31,565 --> 01:39:36,080
This was a result of that City Delivery
Workplace Improvement Task Force.

1348
01:39:36,105 --> 01:39:39,420
We've tested this all over the country.

1349
01:39:39,445 --> 01:39:43,900
Currently, it's in a test phase still in
almost a thousand

1350
01:39:43,925 --> 01:39:45,980
post offices around the country.

1351
01:39:46,005 --> 01:39:54,260
But the idea was for us to structure
the work and the experience

1352
01:39:54,285 --> 01:39:58,660
for newly hired employees, some cases at
CCA, some cases

1353
01:39:58,685 --> 01:40:03,660
that's PTFs, and just Give them the best
opportunity we could to learn,

1354
01:40:03,685 --> 01:40:07,020
to learn the job and to succeed.

1355
01:40:07,045 --> 01:40:11,960
This began as just a retention
pilot program.

1356
01:40:11,985 --> 01:40:15,240
It puts in, as you see, the
MAU, it's very detailed.

1357
01:40:15,265 --> 01:40:21,880
It puts in work hour limitations during
their first few weeks on the job.

1358
01:40:21,905 --> 01:40:26,400
It also includes certain items that have
to be provided to them and just structures

1359
01:40:26,425 --> 01:40:29,620
the experience,
the feedback that they get.

1360
01:40:29,645 --> 01:40:37,780
We We also had a separate mentoring
pilot, at least early on, I guess, back in

1361
01:40:37,805 --> 01:40:42,640
2020, 2021, late 2021.

1362
01:40:42,760 --> 01:40:48,500
Mentoring was just identifying
an experienced carrier that could be a

1363
01:40:48,525 --> 01:40:53,360
point of contact for a new employee and
help them, we then merge those two

1364
01:40:53,385 --> 01:40:56,780
together, and that's what
this agreement represents.

1365
01:40:56,805 --> 01:41:01,260
It's been very successful
in places that we've been able to

1366
01:41:01,285 --> 01:41:06,740
hire employees, and we're definitely
excited about the

1367
01:41:06,765 --> 01:41:11,820
possibility of implementing this
nationally just to improve staffing and

1368
01:41:11,845 --> 01:41:18,200
improve the experience for employees
that we hire and NALC members.

1369
01:41:19,680 --> 01:41:19,980
Okay.

1370
01:41:20,005 --> 01:41:25,680
Next is an existing MOU that in
the tenet of agreement really doesn't

1371
01:41:25,705 --> 01:41:29,320
look anything like the existing MOU.
We changed it so much.

1372
01:41:29,345 --> 01:41:35,080
The joint workplace and improvement
process, this has been

1373
01:41:35,105 --> 01:41:37,060
around for a few years now.

1374
01:41:37,085 --> 01:41:40,060
Jwip is what we call it for short.

1375
01:41:40,085 --> 01:41:45,620
It was brand new, and it was mostly
headquarters-driven.

1376
01:41:45,645 --> 01:41:51,460
We had varying levels of success with it,
we learned a lot from it, and we have

1377
01:41:51,485 --> 01:41:56,000
significantly modified and added
lots of structure that will allow

1378
01:41:56,025 --> 01:41:58,700
us, we think, to have greater reach.

1379
01:41:58,725 --> 01:42:05,240
This is just an additional avenue
going above and going beyond what we do

1380
01:42:05,265 --> 01:42:08,940
best, and that's enforcing our agreement
through the grievance procedure

1381
01:42:08,965 --> 01:42:13,780
to address the problems we had that
contribute to poor work environment.

1382
01:42:13,805 --> 01:42:18,220
The structure that we put in place,
potentially with this

1383
01:42:18,245 --> 01:42:23,540
agreement, we think is going to allow us
to really reach into more locations and

1384
01:42:23,565 --> 01:42:28,640
the places we have that are toxic to
work because of all sorts of things.

1385
01:42:28,665 --> 01:42:33,660
But usually at the core of contract
compliance and people's behavior,

1386
01:42:33,685 --> 01:42:38,260
give us the opportunity to
address those beyond all the things, the

1387
01:42:38,285 --> 01:42:40,420
methods that we already use.

1388
01:42:40,445 --> 01:42:44,060
Local implementation.

1389
01:42:44,085 --> 01:42:50,340
So our LMOUs, Brace is out there, I know,
are hard at work in preparation for

1390
01:42:50,365 --> 01:42:52,580
local implementation.

1391
01:42:52,605 --> 01:42:59,620
There are no substantive changes to
the process of negotiating locally.

1392
01:42:59,645 --> 01:43:02,900
We one exception, and that
is what the period would be.

1393
01:43:02,925 --> 01:43:08,040
So the local implementation period, should
this agreement be ratified, would be April

1394
01:43:08,065 --> 01:43:13,740
third, 2025, through May second, 2025.

1395
01:43:13,765 --> 01:43:17,240
Let's talk, there's a couple of agreements
related to route adjustment that

1396
01:43:17,265 --> 01:43:19,500
are important for us to cover.

1397
01:43:19,525 --> 01:43:24,400
The first is an agreement that there's not
really any substantive change to,

1398
01:43:24,425 --> 01:43:26,820
but I think it's worth mentioning.

1399
01:43:26,845 --> 01:43:30,760
The MOU, an alternate route evaluation
and adjustment Adjustment Process.

1400
01:43:30,785 --> 01:43:36,640
This is an agreement that we've had
going back to the early 2000s.

1401
01:43:36,880 --> 01:43:42,020
We've had six separate
joint route adjustment processes.

1402
01:43:42,045 --> 01:43:51,840
Back to IWrap, MyWrap, JWrap, WRAP, JWRAP,
too, CDWRAP, and most recently, TIWRAP.

1403
01:43:52,000 --> 01:43:58,220
Each of these processes has been a
result of what this MOU established.

1404
01:43:58,245 --> 01:44:00,220
So this agreement continues.

1405
01:44:00,245 --> 01:44:06,740
We intend to continue to utilize it, to
try to reach agreement

1406
01:44:06,765 --> 01:44:11,900
with the Postal Service on joint route
adjustment processes that are fair.

1407
01:44:11,925 --> 01:44:16,400
Of course, coming off our most recent
joint process, there's a lot of pieces of

1408
01:44:16,425 --> 01:44:21,560
it that work very well, and
there's a lot of pieces of it that in any

1409
01:44:21,585 --> 01:44:25,980
future joint process need to be modified
based on the experience that we had.

1410
01:44:26,005 --> 01:44:31,680
The discussions that we will have would
start there, just as they have in the past

1411
01:44:31,705 --> 01:44:35,900
with the most recent
process, but while also

1412
01:44:35,925 --> 01:44:40,220
knowing what we learned
and trying our best to

1413
01:44:40,245 --> 01:44:45,220
come to agreement on
a process that addresses those concerns

1414
01:44:45,245 --> 01:44:47,520
and continues to move us forward.

1415
01:44:47,545 --> 01:44:52,820
Because ultimately, NLC having a seat at
the table in a fair joint route adjustment

1416
01:44:52,845 --> 01:44:56,900
process is the best way to adjust routes.

1417
01:44:56,925 --> 01:45:03,180
Then we will continue towards
the negotiating to do just that.

1418
01:45:03,205 --> 01:45:08,040
The next MOU
is a new MOU, and it's related to joint

1419
01:45:08,065 --> 01:45:13,240
route adjustment processes,
and it has to do with fixed office time.

1420
01:45:13,400 --> 01:45:18,280
Fixed office time is an issue that we,
through a lot of our joint processes here

1421
01:45:18,305 --> 01:45:24,260
at headquarters, at least in the 13
years that I've been here,

1422
01:45:24,285 --> 01:45:29,020
we have been very heavily engaged with
them while trying to find a better way

1423
01:45:29,045 --> 01:45:32,160
to evaluate Fixed office time.

1424
01:45:32,600 --> 01:45:39,660
Fixed office time is office time
that we spend that does not include

1425
01:45:39,685 --> 01:45:43,600
cacing mail and pulling down mail.

1426
01:45:43,640 --> 01:45:48,280
It includes things like dealing with
accountables and

1427
01:45:49,560 --> 01:45:54,660
dealing with checking our vehicles and
personal needs time in the office and

1428
01:45:54,685 --> 01:45:59,820
going withdrawing our parcels or whatever
other things we do in the office

1429
01:45:59,845 --> 01:46:02,780
besides Caising and pulling down mail.

1430
01:46:02,805 --> 01:46:07,600
And the system that we have and that we've
used in each of our previous six joint

1431
01:46:07,625 --> 01:46:13,220
processes is
almost exactly like the system

1432
01:46:13,245 --> 01:46:18,320
that's used in Chapter 2
of the M-39, where the post-service does

1433
01:46:18,345 --> 01:46:21,540
unilateral route adjustment processes.

1434
01:46:21,565 --> 01:46:27,500
And what this agreement does is recognizes
that in future joint route adjustment

1435
01:46:27,525 --> 01:46:34,740
processes, we should improve
that system of evaluating it.

1436
01:46:34,765 --> 01:46:39,900
So the way office time is structured for
routes, when we evaluate them,

1437
01:46:39,925 --> 01:46:43,820
we come up with a standard,
18 letters, 8 flash per minute,

1438
01:46:43,845 --> 01:46:45,860
based on the case of volume.

1439
01:46:45,885 --> 01:46:49,920
But we also have to have a fixed office
time piece that is considered

1440
01:46:49,945 --> 01:46:51,980
in that evaluation.

1441
01:46:52,005 --> 01:46:56,660
And in Chapter 2 of the M39,
that fixed office time

1442
01:46:56,685 --> 01:47:03,340
has minimum time values for each line item
or different activities.

1443
01:47:03,365 --> 01:47:11,560
And those line items are used as minimums
to create this fixed office time.

1444
01:47:12,000 --> 01:47:17,180
What we currently, in a joint process, or
at least in from previous ones do not have

1445
01:47:17,205 --> 01:47:22,640
is a way to
efficiently evaluate what that fixed

1446
01:47:22,665 --> 01:47:27,560
office time is for every route, because it
needs to be as accurate

1447
01:47:27,585 --> 01:47:29,260
as it possibly can be.

1448
01:47:29,285 --> 01:47:34,300
Because Because if it is inflated too much
or it's too little, it causes problems

1449
01:47:34,325 --> 01:47:36,060
in both directions.

1450
01:47:36,085 --> 01:47:39,340
And ultimately, in any joint process, what
we're trying to do is

1451
01:47:39,365 --> 01:47:44,460
evaluate a route based on
the time it takes the carrier to do it.

1452
01:47:44,485 --> 01:47:49,900
So what this does is first recognizes
we need to find a new way to do it.

1453
01:47:49,925 --> 01:47:51,500
We're going to do it.

1454
01:47:51,525 --> 01:47:57,620
And what we're going to do is find a way
to evaluate the fixed office time

1455
01:47:57,645 --> 01:48:02,960
that each route, that carrier
on that route actually uses.

1456
01:48:03,000 --> 01:48:07,640
And then, because line items have been
such an important piece of this,

1457
01:48:07,680 --> 01:48:13,880
at least historically,
what we have agreed is that when we

1458
01:48:14,600 --> 01:48:20,360
make this change, we've set bare
minimums for each of these line items.

1459
01:48:20,640 --> 01:48:23,020
And it's just a handful of line items.

1460
01:48:23,045 --> 01:48:26,740
We've changed some of the ways
that we would record mail.

1461
01:48:26,765 --> 01:48:31,540
So I'm going to go through the line
items that are changed and explain why.

1462
01:48:31,565 --> 01:48:36,560
The first one
is, or actually the first two,

1463
01:48:36,680 --> 01:48:41,980
have to do with ways that we would record
certain activities.

1464
01:48:42,005 --> 01:48:48,360
So lines 8 through 13, which
currently include things like handling

1465
01:48:48,385 --> 01:48:52,880
changes of address and markup
mail and stuff like that.

1466
01:48:53,440 --> 01:48:57,580
That work has changed so much over the
years because of the volume that we handle

1467
01:48:57,605 --> 01:49:01,220
in the office in the morning
has gone down dramatically.

1468
01:49:01,245 --> 01:49:07,380
So rather than use line 8 through 13, we
are not going to use those lines anymore.

1469
01:49:07,405 --> 01:49:11,840
We would still record the time it takes,
but we're going to record that time on

1470
01:49:11,865 --> 01:49:16,560
line 21, which is office work that's
that's occurring that's not

1471
01:49:16,585 --> 01:49:18,440
covered on another line item.

1472
01:49:18,480 --> 01:49:22,740
The next is withdrawal of
mail, which is line 15.

1473
01:49:22,765 --> 01:49:28,420
Withdrawal of mail is very inconsistent in
terms of the way it's recorded,

1474
01:49:28,445 --> 01:49:31,780
especially as we've established SMDCs.

1475
01:49:31,805 --> 01:49:36,560
In some locations, carriers have to
really take a long time to walk

1476
01:49:36,585 --> 01:49:38,580
a long way to get their parcels.

1477
01:49:38,605 --> 01:49:41,620
A lot of times that's
recorded under line 15.

1478
01:49:41,645 --> 01:49:46,175
So anytime that previously was recorded
under Line 15, The time,

1479
01:49:46,200 --> 01:49:48,460
obviously, is still there.
It will still be recorded.

1480
01:49:48,485 --> 01:49:50,180
We just won't use line 15.

1481
01:49:50,205 --> 01:49:53,180
We'll also record it under line 21.

1482
01:49:53,205 --> 01:49:56,740
Because ultimately, where we want to
go here is to simplify this process.

1483
01:49:56,765 --> 01:50:01,260
The things we do are either
recurring or they're not recurring.

1484
01:50:01,285 --> 01:50:06,560
And what is recurring that we do
on a recurring basis should be included

1485
01:50:06,585 --> 01:50:08,860
in the evaluation of our route.

1486
01:50:08,885 --> 01:50:15,240
The other changes from what has been the
minimums, the most significant

1487
01:50:15,265 --> 01:50:17,460
one is Line 14, accountables.

1488
01:50:17,485 --> 01:50:21,300
In Chapter 2, that minimum has
been six minutes in the office.

1489
01:50:21,325 --> 01:50:26,540
Based on a lot of the studies that we've
done and post-service has done,

1490
01:50:26,565 --> 01:50:31,940
there's a significant change to what we
do with accountable mail in the office.

1491
01:50:31,965 --> 01:50:37,780
Most letter careers know the certified
mail, which is by far the highest volume

1492
01:50:37,805 --> 01:50:40,140
accountable piece that we get.

1493
01:50:40,165 --> 01:50:43,740
Most of the time we spend handling those
is on the street now

1494
01:50:43,765 --> 01:50:46,940
as opposed to in the office.

1495
01:50:46,965 --> 01:50:49,260
That's been a pretty significant shift.

1496
01:50:49,285 --> 01:50:53,060
But in any joint route adjustment process
going forward, the minimum

1497
01:50:53,085 --> 01:50:54,180
would be two minutes.

1498
01:50:54,205 --> 01:50:58,060
So no matter how much time somebody spends
on accountable mail,

1499
01:50:58,085 --> 01:51:03,120
and for some people that might nothing
more than getting a key, that value

1500
01:51:03,145 --> 01:51:04,820
will not go below two minutes.

1501
01:51:04,845 --> 01:51:09,720
Line 19, which is personal need,
excuse me, vehicle inspection.

1502
01:51:09,880 --> 01:51:12,220
Vehicle inspection is unchanged.

1503
01:51:12,245 --> 01:51:14,300
It will not go below three minutes.

1504
01:51:14,325 --> 01:51:16,340
Line 20 which is personal needs.

1505
01:51:16,365 --> 01:51:22,740
That is the time that we spend on the
locker room, restroom, that type stuff.

1506
01:51:22,765 --> 01:51:26,775
Currently, the minimum of five minutes,
it would not go below five minutes.

1507
01:51:26,800 --> 01:51:27,740
That would remain the same.

1508
01:51:27,765 --> 01:51:33,020
And then line 21, The current
minimum for line 21 is nine minutes.

1509
01:51:33,045 --> 01:51:39,260
That would be increased in a joint
process to a minimum of 10 minutes.

1510
01:51:39,285 --> 01:51:46,580
So the terms of this MOU
only apply to these line items

1511
01:51:46,605 --> 01:51:50,360
only apply in a future joint process.

1512
01:51:50,760 --> 01:51:55,460
Just as importantly in this MOU is the
commitment and what that joint process

1513
01:51:55,485 --> 01:52:00,360
would allow us to do,
and that is to evaluate the time on every

1514
01:52:00,385 --> 01:52:05,280
route, what the carrier actually takes,
and what should be fair for them on that

1515
01:52:05,305 --> 01:52:11,100
route in the calculation of fixed office
time to apply to their standard

1516
01:52:11,125 --> 01:52:14,280
for evaluation purposes only.

1517
01:52:14,360 --> 01:52:18,980
This is only for evaluation in a
joint route adjustment process.

1518
01:52:19,005 --> 01:52:24,040
This is not for daily workload
measurement or anything like that.

1519
01:52:24,360 --> 01:52:28,080
It's only in the event we're able to
come to an agreement on a joint process.

1520
01:52:28,840 --> 01:52:29,620
Okay.

1521
01:52:29,645 --> 01:52:32,680
A few other things I'll
go through fairly quickly.

1522
01:52:32,705 --> 01:52:39,600
Article 2, Section 1, we have made some
changes to include pregnancy

1523
01:52:39,625 --> 01:52:42,060
as a protected class.

1524
01:52:42,085 --> 01:52:50,180
And then in the second
paragraph there, we have modified the term

1525
01:52:50,205 --> 01:52:55,020
handicapped employees and replaced it with
individuals with disabilities.

1526
01:52:55,045 --> 01:53:02,900
Also, Article 8, Section 3, this is a
really good change that PTFs and CCAs

1527
01:53:02,925 --> 01:53:08,080
will be guaranteed at least one day off
per service week.

1528
01:53:08,400 --> 01:53:14,120
A few changes related to leave in Article
10, the monetization of

1529
01:53:14,145 --> 01:53:15,640
annual leaves It's a new MOU.

1530
01:53:15,665 --> 01:53:20,560
This would allow our members to carry over
the maximum number of leave hours

1531
01:53:20,585 --> 01:53:23,600
to sell back some annual leave.

1532
01:53:23,625 --> 01:53:29,920
There is a requirement that they
can not have exceeded 75 hours of

1533
01:53:29,945 --> 01:53:31,940
sick leave usage in the previous year.

1534
01:53:31,965 --> 01:53:36,495
Questions that often come up about
that, or is there any impact of FMLA?

1535
01:53:36,520 --> 01:53:37,280
And the answer is no.

1536
01:53:37,305 --> 01:53:40,060
It doesn't matter why
the sick leave was used.

1537
01:53:40,085 --> 01:53:42,700
It's just simply a threshold.

1538
01:53:42,725 --> 01:53:48,500
They have to use less than 75 hours
of sick leave, and then you can cash in

1539
01:53:48,525 --> 01:53:51,400
up to 40 hours of annual leave.

1540
01:53:51,600 --> 01:53:53,780
Cca advanced annual leave.

1541
01:53:53,805 --> 01:54:01,360
So upon completing a 360-day term and
then being reappointed, CCAs will be

1542
01:54:01,385 --> 01:54:07,700
advanced 40 hours of annual leave,
which is a big step forward for us.

1543
01:54:07,725 --> 01:54:13,180
That's a good thing for those CCAs that
come back after completing a term and

1544
01:54:13,205 --> 01:54:15,380
may want to take some time off.

1545
01:54:15,405 --> 01:54:22,100
Similarly, PTFs,
once upon hiring, would also be advanced.

1546
01:54:22,125 --> 01:54:29,520
That same amount of annual leave, if they
are converted, CCA is converted to PTFs or

1547
01:54:29,545 --> 01:54:35,620
PTFs higher in the middle of the leave
year, then upon becoming a PTF in whatever

1548
01:54:35,645 --> 01:54:39,880
fashion, they would be given a prerated
amount of the 40 hours for

1549
01:54:39,905 --> 01:54:42,200
the rest of that leave year.

1550
01:54:42,960 --> 01:54:48,520
The bereavement leave MOU, Which gives us
the ability to take annual leave or sick

1551
01:54:48,545 --> 01:54:54,220
leave or leave without pay for bereavement
purposes for certain family members.

1552
01:54:54,245 --> 01:54:59,660
We've expanded the definition of family
members to include grandchildren.

1553
01:54:59,685 --> 01:55:05,720
In the unfortunate loss of
grandchildren, that would be eligible.

1554
01:55:05,745 --> 01:55:08,300
You'd be eligible for
bereavement leave now.

1555
01:55:08,325 --> 01:55:14,680
A new MOU on time limitations about
bone marrow, stem cell, blood plate,

1556
01:55:14,705 --> 01:55:19,900
litter organ donations for
those that participate there.

1557
01:55:19,925 --> 01:55:25,380
This is provided for in the elm to take
the leave, and what we did is

1558
01:55:25,405 --> 01:55:30,040
created their limitations,
but they're consistent with what's the

1559
01:55:30,065 --> 01:55:33,020
typical amount of time
someone would be absent.

1560
01:55:33,045 --> 01:55:39,580
So it clarifies and clears up any
potential disputes over the amount of

1561
01:55:39,605 --> 01:55:40,800
time someone would use.

1562
01:55:41,200 --> 01:55:45,320
Article 11, holidays, a couple of changes.

1563
01:55:45,345 --> 01:55:49,380
Officially, Juneteenth
becomes our 11th federal holiday.

1564
01:55:49,405 --> 01:55:53,415
We have observed that the last few years,
but that will now be in our

1565
01:55:53,440 --> 01:55:54,500
collective borrowing agreement.

1566
01:55:54,525 --> 01:56:00,760
And as a result, the way we
calculate PTF hourly rates changes.

1567
01:56:00,880 --> 01:56:07,300
So currently, we have in whatever step
a carrier is at,

1568
01:56:07,325 --> 01:56:12,640
if to calculate a full-time carrier's
hourly rate, you take their annual

1569
01:56:12,665 --> 01:56:15,940
salary and divide it by 2,080.

1570
01:56:15,965 --> 01:56:22,160
Etfs are not paid holiday leave on the
holiday, but they are compensated for the

1571
01:56:22,185 --> 01:56:27,340
holidays because to determine their hourly
rate, you subtract 80 hours

1572
01:56:27,365 --> 01:56:31,340
currently, the 80 hours for
the 10 holidays we had prior to

1573
01:56:31,365 --> 01:56:37,615
Juneteenth, and divide the annual rate
by 2,000 to equal their hourly rate.

1574
01:56:37,640 --> 01:56:40,780
With the addition of another federal
holiday, that means you have to subtract

1575
01:56:40,805 --> 01:56:47,300
88 hours because we now have 11 federal
holidays So PTF hourly rates

1576
01:56:47,325 --> 01:56:51,380
are now determined
by taking the annual salary and

1577
01:56:51,405 --> 01:56:56,760
dividing it by 1,992 instead of 2000.

1578
01:56:57,800 --> 01:57:02,720
Some changes in Article 12.

1579
01:57:03,640 --> 01:57:09,440
Throughout Article 12, there's a lot of
sections that are not and haven't been

1580
01:57:09,465 --> 01:57:12,420
for some time applicable to our craft.

1581
01:57:12,445 --> 01:57:18,160
You will see that if you look in
the J-CAM, you'll see language often that

1582
01:57:18,185 --> 01:57:21,880
says this is not applicable
to the letter carrier craft.

1583
01:57:22,720 --> 01:57:27,720
We have agreed to remove all of those
sections of Article 12 that are

1584
01:57:27,745 --> 01:57:29,535
not applicable to our craft.

1585
01:57:29,560 --> 01:57:31,400
Let's just something we've
talked about in years past.

1586
01:57:31,425 --> 01:57:37,980
There was hesitancy to do so for reasons
that are really historical in nature.

1587
01:57:38,005 --> 01:57:45,740
I mentioned the Bridge memo earlier, the
MOU, Article 7, 12, 13, Crossing Crafts,

1588
01:57:45,765 --> 01:57:50,140
that we are party to as well as
the mail handlers in the APW.

1589
01:57:50,165 --> 01:57:55,040
But over the last several years with us
developing our conversion to career

1590
01:57:55,065 --> 01:58:00,760
process and transfer process and the other
unions following that and having their own

1591
01:58:00,785 --> 01:58:06,620
processes, we're in a place where we're
pretty comfortable with the application of

1592
01:58:06,645 --> 01:58:11,440
the limitations in that breach memo
to go ahead and clear up Article

1593
01:58:11,465 --> 01:58:14,740
12 by removing these sections.

1594
01:58:14,765 --> 01:58:18,920
Another change in Article 12 has to do
with those that leave our craft and come

1595
01:58:18,945 --> 01:58:23,940
back, that leave our craft to
go to a non-bargaining position.

1596
01:58:23,965 --> 01:58:29,320
So now, when someone leaves our craft,
typically, they're going to go be a

1597
01:58:29,345 --> 01:58:33,940
manager full-time, but it's not just
related, not only applicable to

1598
01:58:33,965 --> 01:58:35,500
going to be a manager.

1599
01:58:35,525 --> 01:58:40,060
When they leave and come back, if they
come back within two years,

1600
01:58:40,085 --> 01:58:45,620
they retain their seniority except
for the time they were away.

1601
01:58:45,645 --> 01:58:49,680
If they come back after two years, they
have to start a new period of seniority.

1602
01:58:50,960 --> 01:58:54,220
The change here is to change
it two years from one year.

1603
01:58:54,245 --> 01:59:00,040
So when someone takes a non-bargaining
position outside of our craft and they

1604
01:59:00,065 --> 01:59:04,240
return, if they return after one year,
they will have to start a

1605
01:59:04,265 --> 01:59:07,040
brand new period of seniority.

1606
01:59:08,720 --> 01:59:19,220
And then finally, Article 12, section
5C 8 is about accessing

1607
01:59:19,245 --> 01:59:22,060
part-time flexible employees.

1608
01:59:22,085 --> 01:59:27,420
We have language in our J-Cam that makes
clear that this language talks about a

1609
01:59:27,445 --> 01:59:33,420
quota of ETFs, which is something from
years ago, doesn't exist anymore.

1610
01:59:33,445 --> 01:59:37,060
Our J-Cam makes clear that complement is
covered by Article 7,

1611
01:59:37,085 --> 01:59:39,180
Section 3, not by this quota.

1612
01:59:39,205 --> 01:59:45,140
So we agreed to delete
this entire section about accessing

1613
01:59:45,165 --> 01:59:51,040
PTFs, because in reality, in the absence
of a quota, there's no reason, really, to

1614
01:59:51,065 --> 01:59:55,660
ever have to access
a part-time flexible letter care.

1615
01:59:55,685 --> 02:00:01,280
Article 14 to do with safety,
a pretty significant change here.

1616
02:00:01,305 --> 02:00:07,140
We have for a number of contracts,
we've tested

1617
02:00:07,165 --> 02:00:11,815
a concept called district Safety
Committees in a pilot form,

1618
02:00:11,840 --> 02:00:15,260
where around the country, we've had joint
committees at the district level that

1619
02:00:15,285 --> 02:00:18,540
addressed a lot of different
safety issues.

1620
02:00:18,565 --> 02:00:23,180
In recent years,
we struggled with them, to be honest,

1621
02:00:23,205 --> 02:00:26,220
through some restructure with the Postal
Service and the way they

1622
02:00:26,245 --> 02:00:28,500
change your district structure.

1623
02:00:28,525 --> 02:00:30,380
But that will no longer be a pilot.

1624
02:00:30,405 --> 02:00:33,140
They will be everywhere.
We will insert this.

1625
02:00:33,165 --> 02:00:36,260
It's going into Article 14, Section 3.

1626
02:00:36,285 --> 02:00:40,640
So we will have
district safety committees in every

1627
02:00:40,665 --> 02:00:44,860
district, which is
a really positive thing for us.

1628
02:00:44,885 --> 02:00:50,160
It's another avenue to address any
issues that are related to safety.

1629
02:00:52,080 --> 02:00:54,280
And MOU were also related to safety.

1630
02:00:54,305 --> 02:01:01,100
A new MOU on air-conditioned vehicles,
post services in the It's in the midst of

1631
02:01:01,125 --> 02:01:04,720
purchasing a lot of vehicles,
and this just says they are going to put

1632
02:01:04,745 --> 02:01:08,780
air conditioning or make every effort to
put air conditioning in all the vehicles.

1633
02:01:08,805 --> 02:01:11,940
If they intend to
purchase a vehicle without air

1634
02:01:11,965 --> 02:01:17,220
conditioning, they have to talk to us
about it first if At the national level.

1635
02:01:17,245 --> 02:01:18,840
Tirely unlikely that would happen.

1636
02:01:18,865 --> 02:01:20,660
This is just a protection.

1637
02:01:20,685 --> 02:01:25,340
It also makes clear
and obligates the post of service to

1638
02:01:25,365 --> 02:01:30,500
keep up with maintenance procedures
to maintain the air conditioning

1639
02:01:30,525 --> 02:01:34,120
and vehicles in good working order.

1640
02:01:35,280 --> 02:01:39,860
Okay, next in Article
15, Agreement procedure.

1641
02:01:39,885 --> 02:01:46,640
The changes here are
mostly related to step B and the things

1642
02:01:46,665 --> 02:01:49,980
that are administered through our National
Business Agents Offices and

1643
02:01:50,005 --> 02:01:51,740
from headquarters.

1644
02:01:51,765 --> 02:01:59,440
We've gotten rid of a couple of MOUs and
combined them into a single MOU

1645
02:01:59,560 --> 02:02:04,480
and also put a little more structure
around the task forces that we have

1646
02:02:04,505 --> 02:02:07,820
in place, the MOU, DRP testing.

1647
02:02:07,845 --> 02:02:12,000
We put a time frame where we would get
together and talk with

1648
02:02:12,025 --> 02:02:13,920
the Postal Service about.

1649
02:02:15,520 --> 02:02:20,260
A new MOU related to Article 15 that will
certainly be of interest to

1650
02:02:20,285 --> 02:02:28,920
our stewards is a commitment and some
guidelines for testing an electronic

1651
02:02:28,960 --> 02:02:29,900
grievance system.

1652
02:02:29,925 --> 02:02:36,260
So this is, I think, a
great opportunity for us.

1653
02:02:36,285 --> 02:02:40,680
It starts with
the way we request information and receive

1654
02:02:40,705 --> 02:02:45,760
information request to the way
we move grievances through a process and

1655
02:02:45,800 --> 02:02:51,220
could really improve the efficiency
of our process and

1656
02:02:51,245 --> 02:02:55,820
give more visibility in terms of time
frames and time stamps and

1657
02:02:55,845 --> 02:03:00,040
things like that.
So this, of course, will be new.

1658
02:03:00,065 --> 02:03:04,840
It It'll be something that we'll have to
do probably a significant amount of

1659
02:03:04,865 --> 02:03:09,420
testing, but I think it's very
promising, at least in concept.

1660
02:03:09,445 --> 02:03:10,880
One point to make.

1661
02:03:10,905 --> 02:03:17,360
This test would apply
to the portions of the grievance procedure

1662
02:03:17,385 --> 02:03:21,860
that we do with the postal service and
moving grievances through the procedure.

1663
02:03:21,885 --> 02:03:24,740
What it would not apply to
is what we do internally.

1664
02:03:24,765 --> 02:03:29,760
For example, if in your branch, a shop
steward files a grievance, an informal

1665
02:03:29,785 --> 02:03:34,380
step A, gets documentation, they initiate
a grievance, talk to the supervisor,

1666
02:03:34,405 --> 02:03:40,180
and then the process is to send it to the
branch hall or to the Formal A rep,

1667
02:03:40,205 --> 02:03:45,320
that internal union movement of the
grievance, more than likely, is

1668
02:03:45,345 --> 02:03:47,260
not going to be a part of this.

1669
02:03:47,285 --> 02:03:52,020
This is just about
once we get it Formal A, for example,

1670
02:03:52,045 --> 02:03:55,660
exchanging documents or appeals to
Formal A, it could be a part of it.

1671
02:03:55,685 --> 02:04:00,340
Moving a case to Step B, it could be a
part of it that we do jointly,

1672
02:04:00,365 --> 02:04:04,460
but it would not apply to our internal.

1673
02:04:04,485 --> 02:04:08,020
We would develop stuff like that
unilaterally, which is

1674
02:04:08,045 --> 02:04:09,240
definitely on our radar.

1675
02:04:10,920 --> 02:04:16,500
Okay, Article 16, Section 7,
the emergency procedure, emergency

1676
02:04:16,525 --> 02:04:19,000
placements or suspensions.

1677
02:04:19,640 --> 02:04:26,340
The only change here is that individuals
that are placed on emergency suspensions

1678
02:04:26,365 --> 02:04:31,655
during that time that they are out in a
non-pay status, they can Use annual

1679
02:04:31,680 --> 02:04:32,680
leave if they wish to have some income.

1680
02:04:32,705 --> 02:04:35,500
It's totally at their discretion.

1681
02:04:35,525 --> 02:04:42,560
This will not impact in any way
grievances or make-whole remedies.

1682
02:04:43,240 --> 02:04:47,660
It just is intended to allow them
to have some immediate income.

1683
02:04:47,685 --> 02:04:52,020
Obviously, if someone used their annual
leave here, a grievance was filed, we were

1684
02:04:52,045 --> 02:04:55,900
successful in a make-whole remedy, having
their lead balance restored would

1685
02:04:55,925 --> 02:04:58,580
be perfectly appropriate to request.

1686
02:04:58,605 --> 02:05:02,060
So it's only intended to
give them the ability to have

1687
02:05:02,085 --> 02:05:03,800
some income in the interim.

1688
02:05:04,160 --> 02:05:08,220
In Article 17, a couple of changes.

1689
02:05:08,245 --> 02:05:12,240
One, places a requirement to have labor
management meetings at

1690
02:05:12,265 --> 02:05:15,640
least twice per year.

1691
02:05:16,280 --> 02:05:20,900
Previously, labor management meetings
existed, but there was no

1692
02:05:20,925 --> 02:05:22,280
frequency that was required.

1693
02:05:22,305 --> 02:05:26,540
So at minimum, they have
to happen twice per year.

1694
02:05:26,565 --> 02:05:32,740
And then a
17th 7 has been modified significantly

1695
02:05:32,765 --> 02:05:38,560
to change the way that we handle dues
with the Postal Service, Union dues.

1696
02:05:39,280 --> 02:05:43,520
Currently, what happens is when someone
joins the Union, there's a process.

1697
02:05:43,545 --> 02:05:49,020
It goes through Postal Service human
resources, shared services, that

1698
02:05:49,045 --> 02:05:51,400
a piece of it we don't have control over.

1699
02:05:51,425 --> 02:05:55,880
And those of you that are
out there that are involved in the

1700
02:05:55,905 --> 02:06:00,120
administrative side of your branch or
deal with membership rosters and dues and

1701
02:06:00,145 --> 02:06:03,660
stuff like that, you know that
sometimes delays happen.

1702
02:06:03,685 --> 02:06:07,280
But basically, the union, we will take
over the responsibility for dues

1703
02:06:07,305 --> 02:06:12,300
processing and just simply tell the Postal
Service through an electronic file

1704
02:06:12,325 --> 02:06:17,980
how much money to hold out from each
member of our union,

1705
02:06:18,005 --> 02:06:23,180
they would then submit the money to us,
and then we would do just as we do now

1706
02:06:23,205 --> 02:06:27,420
and distribute that money to the branches
and state associations.

1707
02:06:27,445 --> 02:06:35,100
In addition to that, they are going to
to process allotments that we provide.

1708
02:06:35,125 --> 02:06:39,500
Rather than us having to use up one of
your current payroll allotments to

1709
02:06:39,525 --> 02:06:41,860
contribute to anything.

1710
02:06:41,885 --> 02:06:45,800
For example, we have our Disaster Relief
Foundation, our Letter

1711
02:06:45,825 --> 02:06:47,880
Care Political Fund.

1712
02:06:48,760 --> 02:06:52,020
You would authorize that through the
union, and then we

1713
02:06:52,045 --> 02:06:57,960
would tell the post of service, once
again, through a secure electronic file.

1714
02:06:59,080 --> 02:07:01,300
All right.
Article 23.

1715
02:07:01,325 --> 02:07:06,320
This is about our rights as union
officials to enter postal installations

1716
02:07:06,345 --> 02:07:08,700
to conduct official business.

1717
02:07:08,725 --> 02:07:12,260
It just makes clear those that are retired
or

1718
02:07:12,285 --> 02:07:18,400
full-time union officials that are serving
in a role, they will be granted a postal

1719
02:07:18,425 --> 02:07:24,940
ID just to make it a little easier
when it comes to their access.

1720
02:07:24,965 --> 02:07:29,820
We've talked about a lot of MOUs already,
but there are others in our contract.

1721
02:07:29,845 --> 02:07:35,640
Most of them will continue
without substantive change.

1722
02:07:35,665 --> 02:07:41,580
Some of them have minor changes, such as
date changes that don't affect

1723
02:07:41,605 --> 02:07:44,660
the actual meaning or application of them.

1724
02:07:44,685 --> 02:07:48,140
But there are five that will not continue.

1725
02:07:48,165 --> 02:07:53,740
And I want to, just so we're
discussing every single modification

1726
02:07:53,765 --> 02:07:56,540
here, cover what those are.

1727
02:07:56,565 --> 02:07:59,260
Fss implementation, FSS work methods.

1728
02:07:59,285 --> 02:08:03,420
Those two MOUs would be
deleted from our agreement.

1729
02:08:03,445 --> 02:08:06,860
They would be deleted because FSS is gone.

1730
02:08:06,885 --> 02:08:11,500
Pos Services discontinued it, and there
is no intention of bringing it back.

1731
02:08:11,525 --> 02:08:15,700
So there's no need to have
those MOUs in our agreement more.

1732
02:08:15,725 --> 02:08:20,480
The district Safety Committee's pilot
program, that MOU is being deleted

1733
02:08:20,505 --> 02:08:25,320
because, as I mentioned earlier,
we have now incorporated district Safety

1734
02:08:25,345 --> 02:08:28,820
Committees into Article 14, the agreement.

1735
02:08:28,845 --> 02:08:34,200
And the other two are Article 15, Dispute
Resolution Process, Article 15, Dispute

1736
02:08:34,225 --> 02:08:36,660
Resolution Procedure Task Force.

1737
02:08:36,685 --> 02:08:40,900
Those two MOUs are being deleted because
they have been combined

1738
02:08:40,925 --> 02:08:45,180
into the dispute resolution process, MOU.

1739
02:08:45,205 --> 02:08:49,740
The language is substantively the same.

1740
02:08:49,765 --> 02:08:54,340
It's just all been combined into one long
document, re-arranged in an order

1741
02:08:54,365 --> 02:08:56,340
that we think makes more sense.

1742
02:08:56,365 --> 02:09:01,260
Every other MOU, we've either talked about
the modifications, if it was substantive

1743
02:09:01,285 --> 02:09:06,660
or they're being continued or being
continued with something as minor

1744
02:09:06,685 --> 02:09:08,980
as date changes.

1745
02:09:09,005 --> 02:09:11,120
Next, we have the questions and answers.

1746
02:09:11,145 --> 02:09:15,660
A lot of you send in questions, and we
very much appreciate you doing that.

1747
02:09:15,685 --> 02:09:21,360
Some of the questions are on
similar topics.

1748
02:09:21,385 --> 02:09:25,660
A lot of the questions are things that
probably were sent in early on that

1749
02:09:25,685 --> 02:09:27,100
I've already covered.

1750
02:09:27,125 --> 02:09:31,940
But we'll go through and try to answer
each them and just be sure that

1751
02:09:31,965 --> 02:09:35,980
at least the topics of all the
questions have been covered.

1752
02:09:36,005 --> 02:09:42,040
So question number one,
why was the fixed office time reduced

1753
02:09:42,065 --> 02:09:44,980
from 33 minutes to 20 minutes?

1754
02:09:45,005 --> 02:09:48,960
And does this change the M39?

1755
02:09:51,040 --> 02:09:53,780
Let me answer the second
part of the question first.

1756
02:09:53,805 --> 02:09:56,620
No, this does not change the M39.

1757
02:09:56,645 --> 02:10:01,080
The new MOU on fixed office time,
it's right there in the It's fixed office

1758
02:10:01,105 --> 02:10:03,700
time in a joint route
adjustment environment.

1759
02:10:03,725 --> 02:10:08,540
It's not a reduction
in the amount of fixed office time.

1760
02:10:08,565 --> 02:10:14,720
What does MOU is a commitment to
develop a new way to evaluate it.

1761
02:10:15,320 --> 02:10:20,280
It describes what that new way will
include, which is

1762
02:10:20,640 --> 02:10:26,920
figuring out a way to evaluate it for each
assignment, and then sets bare

1763
02:10:26,945 --> 02:10:29,060
minimums for each line item.

1764
02:10:29,085 --> 02:10:32,340
Now, if you compare those line items, as I
described earlier,

1765
02:10:32,365 --> 02:10:36,800
to the minimums that are in Chapter 2, the
minimums that have been used for those

1766
02:10:36,825 --> 02:10:40,800
line items in previous joint processes,
the most significant difference

1767
02:10:40,825 --> 02:10:45,500
in one of them is in line 14.

1768
02:10:45,525 --> 02:10:51,540
But what is this agreement
sets these baselines?

1769
02:10:51,565 --> 02:10:54,820
It does not set the total
minimum fixed office time.

1770
02:10:54,845 --> 02:10:59,240
It only covers what each of those
line items would entail in a

1771
02:10:59,265 --> 02:11:00,840
joint environment going forward.

1772
02:11:00,865 --> 02:11:06,540
Of course, in any negotiation for a future
joint route adjustment process,

1773
02:11:06,565 --> 02:11:11,440
what that office time methodology would
look like would be part of the

1774
02:11:11,465 --> 02:11:18,380
negotiations and done consistently with
that MOU.

1775
02:11:18,405 --> 02:11:21,700
Okay, next.
Other unions got massive pay raises.

1776
02:11:21,725 --> 02:11:25,560
Why did we only get 1.3%?

1777
02:11:28,240 --> 02:11:34,600
So first, in this tent of agreement, we do
not only get 1.3%. 1.3% each of the three

1778
02:11:34,625 --> 02:11:38,200
years is the baseline
general wage increase.

1779
02:11:38,225 --> 02:11:43,420
But as we talked about in detail in the
beginning, that's only one piece

1780
02:11:43,445 --> 02:11:45,700
of the puzzle here.

1781
02:11:45,725 --> 02:11:51,020
You've got the colas, you've got
the changes to the wage structure.

1782
02:11:51,045 --> 02:11:56,280
We went, I think, in great detail of all
the things that are considered

1783
02:11:56,305 --> 02:11:58,540
and negotiated in Article 9.

1784
02:11:58,565 --> 02:12:02,095
As far as the comparisons to other
unions, it's a very natural thing to do.

1785
02:12:02,120 --> 02:12:05,400
Certainly, it's something that we are
interested in and pay attention to,

1786
02:12:05,425 --> 02:12:08,480
standing in solidarity with
our brothers and sisters.

1787
02:12:08,505 --> 02:12:12,480
We've done that for a long time, not
just over the last couple of years.

1788
02:12:12,505 --> 02:12:16,940
Thankfully, over the last couple of years,
we've seen A lot of our sister unions

1789
02:12:16,965 --> 02:12:22,760
in other industries and industries more
similar to ours have a lot of success

1790
02:12:22,785 --> 02:12:25,860
in the private sector in bargaining.

1791
02:12:25,885 --> 02:12:31,895
I would say that there are pieces that are
certainly comparable, and we absolutely

1792
02:12:31,920 --> 02:12:33,680
utilize that in our bargaining process.

1793
02:12:33,705 --> 02:12:39,340
We utilize that should we have ended up in
interest arbitration, particularly

1794
02:12:39,365 --> 02:12:44,580
comparability in the standard that's in
the law, as you've heard about early on.

1795
02:12:44,605 --> 02:12:50,020
But I will say, structurally,
our collective bargaining agreement,

1796
02:12:50,045 --> 02:12:54,680
this tune of agreement as well as previous
agreements, are different than what

1797
02:12:54,705 --> 02:12:57,060
we see in a lot of the private sector.

1798
02:12:57,085 --> 02:13:00,620
You also have to, for context,
I think, look historically.

1799
02:13:00,645 --> 02:13:06,300
We have zero concessions
economically in this agreement.

1800
02:13:06,325 --> 02:13:07,300
Nothing.

1801
02:13:07,325 --> 02:13:10,220
There's not one thing.
Everything is an increase.

1802
02:13:10,245 --> 02:13:12,520
There's no change in
anything that cost us money.

1803
02:13:12,545 --> 02:13:15,520
Our health insurance
remains exactly the same in terms

1804
02:13:15,545 --> 02:13:17,340
of the percentage that we pay.

1805
02:13:17,365 --> 02:13:23,700
All the pay increases or pay increases are
completely rolled in to our agreements.

1806
02:13:23,725 --> 02:13:28,320
If you look over, let's say, the last 10,
15 years, a lot of the unions that we see

1807
02:13:28,345 --> 02:13:32,800
the private sector having success Now,
they're having success because through

1808
02:13:32,825 --> 02:13:38,460
difficult bargaining periods for them,
frankly, their struggles and difficulty

1809
02:13:38,485 --> 02:13:39,620
were greater than ours.

1810
02:13:39,645 --> 02:13:46,735
We see a lot of unions achieve
significant increases in terms of what

1811
02:13:46,760 --> 02:13:49,040
they call their general increases, but
they don't have cost

1812
02:13:49,065 --> 02:13:49,960
of living protections.

1813
02:13:49,985 --> 02:13:52,520
Therefore, through this period of
inflation, they've not got near

1814
02:13:52,545 --> 02:13:55,560
the pay increases that we've had.

1815
02:13:55,760 --> 02:14:00,960
There are, generally speaking in the
private sector, much more concessionary

1816
02:14:00,985 --> 02:14:05,500
things that happen in terms of the nature
of a bargain between employer

1817
02:14:05,525 --> 02:14:07,460
and the union.

1818
02:14:07,485 --> 02:14:13,920
Then the dynamic of work rules
and the protections that we have are so

1819
02:14:13,945 --> 02:14:18,735
extensive that we've bargain over time is
also very different to what

1820
02:14:18,760 --> 02:14:19,940
you see in the private sector.

1821
02:14:19,965 --> 02:14:21,840
In some ways, it's comparable.

1822
02:14:21,865 --> 02:14:29,080
It certainly is better than a circumstance
that we've experienced in the past where

1823
02:14:29,105 --> 02:14:32,020
unions We're not having much success.

1824
02:14:32,045 --> 02:14:37,000
But at the same time, I think that it
really comes down to the structure of our

1825
02:14:37,025 --> 02:14:41,660
agreement, the way the coal formula
has served us maintaining that.

1826
02:14:41,685 --> 02:14:46,220
I think if you compare
really to any union over the last

1827
02:14:46,245 --> 02:14:51,860
decade plus in this era
of bargaining since the recession, which

1828
02:14:51,885 --> 02:14:57,700
had obviously affected us, but affected
a lot of other industries as well.

1829
02:14:57,725 --> 02:15:00,700
Our union has done really, really well.

1830
02:15:00,725 --> 02:15:05,020
As we talked about earlier, this agreement
represents even more economic

1831
02:15:05,045 --> 02:15:07,900
benefit than the previous two.

1832
02:15:07,925 --> 02:15:12,160
Another piece that's just worth mentioning
here is

1833
02:15:12,480 --> 02:15:16,920
we've talked about the financial condition
of the employer and how that

1834
02:15:16,945 --> 02:15:19,080
plays into interest arbitration.

1835
02:15:19,105 --> 02:15:24,280
Well, that's 100% a factor in the private
sector, too, with our sister unions.

1836
02:15:24,305 --> 02:15:31,120
When their employers are doing
well financially, they They have success.

1837
02:15:31,145 --> 02:15:38,100
The fact is that we see these
large private sector employers currently

1838
02:15:38,125 --> 02:15:42,580
are, in many cases, making
billions of dollars in profits.

1839
02:15:42,605 --> 02:15:46,960
That creates a very different scenario
than what we currently have

1840
02:15:46,985 --> 02:15:48,580
with the Postal Service.

1841
02:15:48,605 --> 02:15:51,980
In the years past, it
has been very different.

1842
02:15:52,005 --> 02:15:56,800
We all would probably remember the
auto-restructure, just for one example,

1843
02:15:56,825 --> 02:16:02,280
but that was true of
a lot of industries that really have had

1844
02:16:02,305 --> 02:16:05,020
different periods of struggle over time.

1845
02:16:05,045 --> 02:16:11,140
It's very important, I think, to look
at it with the appropriate context.

1846
02:16:11,165 --> 02:16:15,400
We would put our union's
history in collective bargaining up

1847
02:16:15,425 --> 02:16:18,100
against any union's history
in collective bargaining.

1848
02:16:18,125 --> 02:16:22,440
I certainly believe that this agreement
continues under fairly

1849
02:16:22,465 --> 02:16:24,460
challenging circumstances.

1850
02:16:24,485 --> 02:16:27,860
The structure and
the way we have bargaining in the past, it

1851
02:16:27,885 --> 02:16:33,580
has served us really, really and will
continue to serve us in the future.

1852
02:16:33,605 --> 02:16:37,740
Okay, next is a question
about 12-hour limitations.

1853
02:16:37,765 --> 02:16:42,740
Is someone who volunteers to work beyond
12 hours guaranteed to work those hours

1854
02:16:42,765 --> 02:16:47,780
prior to a non-ODL being forced to work.

1855
02:16:47,805 --> 02:16:53,180
So essentially this question is
just to rephrase it a different way.

1856
02:16:53,205 --> 02:16:58,180
Does the post services obligation
under Article 8, Section 5G, change?

1857
02:16:58,205 --> 02:17:02,100
So the fact that a non-ODL can volunteer,
if they volunteer to work beyond 12 or

1858
02:17:02,125 --> 02:17:07,260
6:00, is the Postal Service obligated to
work them whenever they volunteer

1859
02:17:07,285 --> 02:17:09,020
prior to working a non-ODL?

1860
02:17:09,045 --> 02:17:11,860
And the answer to that
question is no, they are not.

1861
02:17:11,885 --> 02:17:14,100
There is no change to their obligation.

1862
02:17:14,125 --> 02:17:18,640
Their obligation remains to work them
up to 12:00 and 6:00 under 8:00 5:00.

1863
02:17:18,665 --> 02:17:25,000
The fact that they now will have the
ability to volunteer and go home when they

1864
02:17:25,025 --> 02:17:29,700
reach those maximum work
hours and have protection does not change

1865
02:17:29,725 --> 02:17:31,140
their obligation.

1866
02:17:31,165 --> 02:17:34,580
So their obligation
is the same there as well as

1867
02:17:34,605 --> 02:17:38,640
in the provisions of the
letter care paragraph as well.

1868
02:17:40,320 --> 02:17:42,800
Next one.

1869
02:17:43,120 --> 02:17:46,420
What happens if the
contract is not ratified?

1870
02:17:46,445 --> 02:17:49,040
What happens next?
What's the timeline?

1871
02:17:49,065 --> 02:17:50,660
Do we start over?

1872
02:17:50,685 --> 02:17:54,420
Or is the TA the bare minimum
that we can get?

1873
02:17:54,445 --> 02:17:55,580
Good question.

1874
02:17:55,605 --> 02:18:00,600
I mentioned that we should have the
ratification results of the

1875
02:18:00,625 --> 02:18:02,740
balloting sometime in mid-January.

1876
02:18:02,765 --> 02:18:08,760
If the agreement is not ratified, pursuant
Article 16 of our Constitution, I would go

1877
02:18:08,785 --> 02:18:15,960
back to the Postal Service, obviously
attempt to negotiate more within 15 days.

1878
02:18:15,985 --> 02:18:20,500
It's a time frame that Article 16
of our Constitution includes.

1879
02:18:20,525 --> 02:18:26,320
If we are unable to
reach agreement at that point, then we

1880
02:18:26,345 --> 02:18:30,860
would proceed to interest arbitration,
which we are prepared We're

1881
02:18:30,885 --> 02:18:32,420
prepared to do.

1882
02:18:32,445 --> 02:18:36,540
As far as the timeline for interest
arbitration, that would depend

1883
02:18:36,565 --> 02:18:42,120
on availability of a lot of people,
starting with the arbitrator that we had

1884
02:18:42,145 --> 02:18:49,840
chosen, arbitrator Dennis Snowland,
In the event the agreement's not ratified,

1885
02:18:50,360 --> 02:18:54,500
the reality is the likelihood of us coming
to agreement with the post of service

1886
02:18:54,525 --> 02:18:58,880
on something else within 15 days
is probably not great.

1887
02:18:58,905 --> 02:19:01,980
We would likely We'll probably immediately
reach out and

1888
02:19:02,005 --> 02:19:04,880
begin that scheduling process.

1889
02:19:05,520 --> 02:19:10,520
Honestly, we would probably be looking at
spring or summer in the event

1890
02:19:10,545 --> 02:19:12,220
that happens for hearings.

1891
02:19:12,245 --> 02:19:18,540
We would need Probably
weeks of hearings, and then

1892
02:19:18,565 --> 02:19:23,200
it's almost impossible to predict
exactly when an award would be issued.

1893
02:19:23,225 --> 02:19:27,340
But it's probably fair to say that we
would be talking about

1894
02:19:27,365 --> 02:19:29,620
sometime late in 2025.

1895
02:19:29,645 --> 02:19:31,860
We have at the earliest.

1896
02:19:31,885 --> 02:19:36,420
As far as the question about, do we start
with the TA,

1897
02:19:36,445 --> 02:19:39,420
is that a minimum that we could achieve?

1898
02:19:39,445 --> 02:19:40,140
No.

1899
02:19:40,165 --> 02:19:46,140
When we go to interest arbitration,
what's in his TA is not relevant at all.

1900
02:19:46,165 --> 02:19:51,220
What we would do is probably sit down with
the Postal Service, as we've

1901
02:19:51,245 --> 02:19:55,200
done in previous rounds of interest
arbitration, and by certain things, I'm

1902
02:19:55,225 --> 02:19:59,400
sure we could agree on that we would
include in the agreement, but the

1903
02:19:59,425 --> 02:20:02,100
economic Each use would be in dispute.

1904
02:20:02,125 --> 02:20:07,420
Each side would present their proposals,
and then the process would play out.

1905
02:20:07,445 --> 02:20:12,500
So you certainly do not start
with the tentative agreement.

1906
02:20:12,525 --> 02:20:15,380
You start at zero.

1907
02:20:15,405 --> 02:20:18,720
Each side is
free to propose what they want to propose

1908
02:20:18,745 --> 02:20:23,800
and put on their case, and then the
arbitrator would issue an award.

1909
02:20:25,520 --> 02:20:27,100
Next question.

1910
02:20:27,125 --> 02:20:35,840
Are CCAs and ETFs guaranteed days off
and the weekly schedule subject to change.

1911
02:20:35,865 --> 02:20:42,820
I think what you're asking here is,
are the days that they're scheduled off

1912
02:20:42,845 --> 02:20:43,940
subject to change?

1913
02:20:43,965 --> 02:20:51,460
So the language in Article 8 requires that
they be scheduled a day off, and that's

1914
02:20:51,485 --> 02:20:54,620
the Wednesday of the week before.

1915
02:20:54,645 --> 02:20:57,740
Is it subject to change?
Yes, of course.

1916
02:20:57,765 --> 02:21:02,940
Scheduling for CCAs and PTFs is always
subject to change,

1917
02:21:02,965 --> 02:21:06,520
but the guarantee for the day off remains.

1918
02:21:06,680 --> 02:21:12,420
If, of course, someone is on a hold down,
then the ability of the post service to

1919
02:21:12,445 --> 02:21:15,180
change that day off is
exceptionally limited.

1920
02:21:15,205 --> 02:21:16,420
In that case.

1921
02:21:16,445 --> 02:21:20,600
In fact, they almost
have no ability to do it.

1922
02:21:21,440 --> 02:21:26,520
If they're working on Sunday, which
obviously comes into play depending on

1923
02:21:26,840 --> 02:21:28,580
partial delivery that happens that day.

1924
02:21:28,605 --> 02:21:32,660
So of a short answer, the question
is yes, it is subject to change.

1925
02:21:32,685 --> 02:21:36,520
But what's not subject to change is the
guarantee that they're

1926
02:21:36,545 --> 02:21:38,320
still guaranteed that day.

1927
02:21:45,360 --> 02:21:50,060
It looks like L'Hierry is at the beginning
of the pay scale and at the top

1928
02:21:50,085 --> 02:21:52,580
step got all the raises.

1929
02:21:52,605 --> 02:21:55,940
What about L'Hierry is
in step C through O?

1930
02:21:55,965 --> 02:22:00,760
We talked about this
in detail earlier earlier on when I was

1931
02:22:00,785 --> 02:22:04,460
talking about the economic provisions.

1932
02:22:04,485 --> 02:22:12,260
I think that really the chart I covered
that shows the pay increases demonstrates

1933
02:22:12,285 --> 02:22:18,000
that it's done in as fair way as we could
do it, starting with step P and then

1934
02:22:18,025 --> 02:22:21,080
gradually increasing all the
way back to the beginning steps.

1935
02:22:21,105 --> 02:22:25,240
And in fact, the people
at step C through O,

1936
02:22:25,280 --> 02:22:31,400
those in the middle of table 2,
the amount of The increase they get when

1937
02:22:31,425 --> 02:22:36,040
you factor in everything in Article 9 that
we bargain from a dollar standpoint is

1938
02:22:36,065 --> 02:22:40,440
more than those at the beginning
or the end of the pay table.

1939
02:22:40,465 --> 02:22:44,480
So
we were able to maintain that in a very

1940
02:22:44,505 --> 02:22:48,220
fair way while also
meeting our goals of increasing

1941
02:22:48,245 --> 02:22:51,520
the starting pay
and then increasing the top pay, which

1942
02:22:51,545 --> 02:22:54,660
benefits everyone once they get there.

1943
02:22:54,685 --> 02:23:00,440
Next is, why did it take so
long to get this contract?

1944
02:23:00,465 --> 02:23:02,980
Why couldn't we get this
agreement a year ago?

1945
02:23:03,005 --> 02:23:05,620
Because we in the post service,
we're not in agreement.

1946
02:23:05,645 --> 02:23:08,820
That's really what it comes down to.

1947
02:23:08,845 --> 02:23:14,560
If we could have reached this agreement a
year ago, there's a strong possibility

1948
02:23:14,585 --> 02:23:17,600
that we would have had this agreement at
that point in time, but

1949
02:23:17,625 --> 02:23:20,460
we just simply did not.

1950
02:23:20,485 --> 02:23:26,740
You go through a lot of different
possibilities in bargaining

1951
02:23:26,765 --> 02:23:32,160
from both sides of the table,
and Thankfully, that over this extended

1952
02:23:32,185 --> 02:23:36,300
period of time, for the reasons we talked
about earlier, this process of postal

1953
02:23:36,325 --> 02:23:43,000
service became more willing as we
moved through to spend the amount of money

1954
02:23:43,025 --> 02:23:47,340
it would take
for us to achieve the economic benefits

1955
02:23:47,365 --> 02:23:51,940
that we achieve, which is, again,
significantly more

1956
02:23:51,965 --> 02:23:55,880
than we have in the last couple of rounds
of bargaining, which translates to

1957
02:23:55,905 --> 02:24:01,015
significantly more cost for the postal
service, which is their concern.

1958
02:24:01,040 --> 02:24:04,040
The idea of understanding what the other
side of the table is thinking is

1959
02:24:04,065 --> 02:24:07,920
always important in any negotiation.

1960
02:24:08,520 --> 02:24:10,160
Okay, next.

1961
02:24:11,520 --> 02:24:15,340
Why did we agree to the two
additional ODL list?

1962
02:24:15,365 --> 02:24:19,700
Because that's an official
bargaining position of the NALC.

1963
02:24:19,725 --> 02:24:26,140
Resolutions to create the exact list that
we created had been submitted and adopted

1964
02:24:26,165 --> 02:24:29,720
by the delegates of our convention.

1965
02:24:30,280 --> 02:24:31,880
Another overtime.

1966
02:24:31,905 --> 02:24:38,820
Can people on the work assignment list
also sign the non-scheduled day

1967
02:24:38,845 --> 02:24:40,860
overtime desired list?

1968
02:24:40,885 --> 02:24:48,220
No, there is no change to the
work assignment list at all?

1969
02:24:48,245 --> 02:24:51,800
If you start again on
that, I don't know if that's a much idea.

1970
02:24:51,960 --> 02:24:57,160
Can people on the work assignment list
also sign the non-scheduled

1971
02:24:57,185 --> 02:24:59,780
day overtime desired list?

1972
02:24:59,805 --> 02:25:00,440
No.

1973
02:25:00,465 --> 02:25:04,860
No, there is no change, as I mentioned
earlier, to the work assignment list.

1974
02:25:04,885 --> 02:25:07,540
If you're on the work assignment list,
you're on the work

1975
02:25:07,565 --> 02:25:08,960
assignment list, you can't.

1976
02:25:08,985 --> 02:25:12,720
There's no change in that regard.

1977
02:25:13,720 --> 02:25:17,760
What kept us at the bargaining table so
long instead of going to

1978
02:25:17,785 --> 02:25:22,360
interest arbitration last year?

1979
02:25:22,760 --> 02:25:26,600
Because we've talked about a lot of this
already, but

1980
02:25:28,040 --> 02:25:32,160
we continued
to believe we could achieve through

1981
02:25:32,185 --> 02:25:38,740
negotiation a better result than we could
achieve through interest arbitration.

1982
02:25:38,765 --> 02:25:43,720
When you consider all the circumstances
without taking on the inherent risk, no

1983
02:25:43,745 --> 02:25:48,340
matter how big or small it may be,
that comes with interest arbitration.

1984
02:25:48,365 --> 02:25:54,440
I think it's important to point out that
oftentimes in conversations,

1985
02:25:54,465 --> 02:25:56,260
I get questions.

1986
02:25:56,285 --> 02:26:00,620
I think there's sometimes a very
romanticized view of what

1987
02:26:00,645 --> 02:26:03,280
interest arbitration is.

1988
02:26:04,560 --> 02:26:09,320
Many of our members have been in
arbitration hearings at the regional

1989
02:26:09,345 --> 02:26:18,120
level, which are conducted professionally
but are often very adversarial in nature.

1990
02:26:19,040 --> 02:26:23,120
Interest arbitration is a very
different process than that.

1991
02:26:23,145 --> 02:26:31,760
It is conducted in a lot of ways
like a very boring legal procedure.

1992
02:26:33,200 --> 02:26:39,180
There's a lot of legal argument involved,
and it's just, by its nature,

1993
02:26:39,205 --> 02:26:41,760
a very conservative process.

1994
02:26:41,785 --> 02:26:45,180
Ultimately, that neutral
arbitrator makes a decision

1995
02:26:45,205 --> 02:26:54,460
What history told us, as you heard from
Jim Sauber earlier, is the results are…

1996
02:26:54,485 --> 02:27:00,100
Usually, neither side gets everything
that they want in interest arbitration.

1997
02:27:00,125 --> 02:27:04,140
There's also, of course,
risks that come along with it.

1998
02:27:04,165 --> 02:27:07,860
Our history tells us that the
circumstances

1999
02:27:07,885 --> 02:27:11,900
around bargaining, many of which
post-service

2000
02:27:11,925 --> 02:27:19,240
often presents in their case to counter
what we present, there's been some

2001
02:27:19,265 --> 02:27:21,940
consistency in terms of the result.

2002
02:27:21,965 --> 02:27:27,040
Ultimately, continuing
to make progress and get closer to an

2003
02:27:27,065 --> 02:27:32,060
agreement was the decision that was made,
and that decision was made

2004
02:27:32,085 --> 02:27:36,860
because we thought it would result in the
best outcome we could achieve without

2005
02:27:36,885 --> 02:27:39,660
taking on the risks that come
with interest arbitration.

2006
02:27:39,685 --> 02:27:45,860
That's exactly what I believe
that this TA represents.

2007
02:27:45,885 --> 02:27:48,280
Our competition can get good raises.

2008
02:27:48,305 --> 02:27:50,300
Why can't we?

2009
02:27:50,325 --> 02:27:55,060
Well, I would, number one, disagree with
the fact that the idea that we

2010
02:27:55,085 --> 02:27:56,120
can't get good raises.

2011
02:27:56,145 --> 02:28:02,200
I think our union's bargaining
history is really second to none.

2012
02:28:03,200 --> 02:28:06,440
We talked a lot about the structure of our
agreements and how that served us well,

2013
02:28:06,465 --> 02:28:10,360
and it's really served us
well over the last few years.

2014
02:28:10,385 --> 02:28:15,760
I mean, letter care pay has
gone up significantly, probably

2015
02:28:15,785 --> 02:28:18,020
as much or more than any industry.

2016
02:28:18,045 --> 02:28:23,580
As we talked about a minute ago, I would
just caution

2017
02:28:23,605 --> 02:28:27,800
the differences
in structures, the differences in

2018
02:28:27,825 --> 02:28:32,640
bargaining environments, the differences
in the way things are reported,

2019
02:28:32,680 --> 02:28:40,180
often you have other unions that
may achieve a percentage increase that

2020
02:28:40,205 --> 02:28:44,500
has a big number on it, but that could be
a union that's had no cold protection, and

2021
02:28:44,525 --> 02:28:50,440
their Therefore, while we've gotten
25% in increases over the last few years,

2022
02:28:50,465 --> 02:28:53,780
they may have gotten almost nothing.

2023
02:28:53,805 --> 02:28:57,120
Every circumstance is very much different.

2024
02:28:57,200 --> 02:29:00,215
But since the word competition was
mentioned here, I I think we

2025
02:29:00,240 --> 02:29:01,600
should cover this a little bit.

2026
02:29:01,625 --> 02:29:05,300
Jim talked about this some, I believe.

2027
02:29:05,325 --> 02:29:12,720
But the comparability standard
that's in the 1970 law, where our wages

2028
02:29:13,080 --> 02:29:17,360
in the career service should be comparable
to those that do similar

2029
02:29:17,385 --> 02:29:18,900
work in a private sector.

2030
02:29:18,925 --> 02:29:24,260
To us, the argument we've always made, and
made successfully for the most part, is

2031
02:29:24,285 --> 02:29:29,760
that that point of comparison
should be the private shippers that

2032
02:29:29,785 --> 02:29:33,560
are unionized, which is one large one.

2033
02:29:34,760 --> 02:29:39,240
But there's always an argument there
that there's a lot of other delivery

2034
02:29:39,265 --> 02:29:41,640
folks that are out there these days.

2035
02:29:42,560 --> 02:29:47,480
It's not always a given
If you look at this comparability

2036
02:29:47,505 --> 02:29:53,040
standard, historically, the relationship
between the compensation that we have and

2037
02:29:53,065 --> 02:29:57,860
the compensation
that our brothers and sisters with

2038
02:29:57,885 --> 02:30:02,780
the Teamsters have achieved is
stayed very much consistent in ebbs and

2039
02:30:02,805 --> 02:30:08,480
flows based on the timing of agreements
and with the agreement that they bargain

2040
02:30:08,505 --> 02:30:10,940
last year, which was certainly a victory.

2041
02:30:10,965 --> 02:30:14,200
If you look at that
top pay in particular, which has mainly

2042
02:30:14,225 --> 02:30:16,900
been the point
that in interest arbitration, we

2043
02:30:16,925 --> 02:30:19,700
discuss what we project our top A to be.

2044
02:30:19,725 --> 02:30:23,680
It maintains the same historical
relationship, and it's very much right

2045
02:30:23,705 --> 02:30:28,300
in line with that comparability standard.

2046
02:30:28,325 --> 02:30:29,180
Okay, next.

2047
02:30:29,205 --> 02:30:32,620
Could we end We could end up with
less if we go to arbitration.

2048
02:30:32,645 --> 02:30:34,840
Yes, we could end up with less.

2049
02:30:34,865 --> 02:30:38,460
We could end up with less overall.

2050
02:30:38,485 --> 02:30:44,680
We could end up with
a similar economic package overall

2051
02:30:44,705 --> 02:30:46,660
that is divided up differently.

2052
02:30:46,685 --> 02:30:54,180
Maybe not as, at least in what we believe
is fair, as I've described in detail.

2053
02:30:54,205 --> 02:31:00,240
Of course, we could end up with
short-term,

2054
02:31:01,840 --> 02:31:05,820
attractive short-term things that don't
have good long-term benefit, which is

2055
02:31:05,845 --> 02:31:09,180
very much the opposite approach
of what our union's taken.

2056
02:31:09,205 --> 02:31:13,700
That's one of the reasons that our cola
has always been so important in

2057
02:31:13,725 --> 02:31:19,580
bargaining, maintaining that and
the way it served us over the years.

2058
02:31:19,605 --> 02:31:26,580
Just to throw out one possibility,
lump sum payments as opposed to

2059
02:31:26,605 --> 02:31:33,820
including things in the cola formula or in
a really a bad scenario.

2060
02:31:33,845 --> 02:31:38,200
There's always a possibility of
modifying the cold formula and giving a

2061
02:31:38,225 --> 02:31:41,560
larger increase
over here that long term is going to

2062
02:31:41,585 --> 02:31:44,020
result in our people
making a lot less money.

2063
02:31:44,045 --> 02:31:47,455
All those possibilities are on the table.

2064
02:31:47,480 --> 02:31:49,700
Short answer to the question,
could we end up with less?

2065
02:31:49,725 --> 02:31:52,420
Yeah, we absolutely could.

2066
02:31:52,445 --> 02:31:58,920
Obviously, as we've explained in detail,
I don't have any expectation

2067
02:31:58,945 --> 02:32:00,580
that we would end up more.

2068
02:32:00,605 --> 02:32:04,580
We could definitely end up with less.

2069
02:32:04,605 --> 02:32:08,820
Monetization of annual leave.

2070
02:32:08,845 --> 02:32:11,780
A question on that, MOU.

2071
02:32:11,805 --> 02:32:15,980
Why is the less than 75 hours
of sick leave language in there?

2072
02:32:16,005 --> 02:32:19,180
That's a product of negotiation.

2073
02:32:19,205 --> 02:32:23,040
There are other postal employees, some
represented by unions, some that are

2074
02:32:23,065 --> 02:32:28,260
managers that have the option to
monetize annual leave currently.

2075
02:32:28,285 --> 02:32:30,660
That's the requirement they have.

2076
02:32:30,685 --> 02:32:37,460
Postservice, of course, was not interested
in creating different requirements for us.

2077
02:32:37,485 --> 02:32:40,700
But the short answer is, I mean,
obviously, our preference would be to

2078
02:32:40,725 --> 02:32:45,335
not have to have the maximum carry-over
and not have a minimum

2079
02:32:45,360 --> 02:32:46,040
sick leave requirement.

2080
02:32:46,065 --> 02:32:49,540
You could sell back whatever you wanted,
but that's the nature of negotiation.

2081
02:32:49,565 --> 02:32:53,880
You don't always get everything you want.

2082
02:32:53,920 --> 02:32:59,980
But it is consistent with the requirements
that other postal employees have.

2083
02:33:00,005 --> 02:33:10,020
Last one, I think, is why do we care

2084
02:33:10,045 --> 02:33:13,880
about the Postal Services' finances?

2085
02:33:14,600 --> 02:33:15,780
Let me answer that in two parts.

2086
02:33:15,805 --> 02:33:20,320
Number one, we care about it
in bargaining, certainly, but well, beyond

2087
02:33:20,345 --> 02:33:22,940
bargaining, because that's where we work.

2088
02:33:22,965 --> 02:33:30,420
Our job security long term
is very much dependent on a successful

2089
02:33:30,445 --> 02:33:34,180
financially stable postal service.

2090
02:33:34,205 --> 02:33:40,260
We've been heavily involved in that fight
for a long time now through policy

2091
02:33:40,285 --> 02:33:45,180
changes that need to happen legislatively,
policy changes that still need to happen.

2092
02:33:45,205 --> 02:33:48,180
Working with them.

2093
02:33:48,205 --> 02:33:52,080
Because
job security is one thing, and then

2094
02:33:52,105 --> 02:33:54,020
the collective bargaining environment.

2095
02:33:54,045 --> 02:33:59,480
A healthy postal service,
financially, as history tells us, over the

2096
02:33:59,505 --> 02:34:03,655
last 50 four years,
it's much better for us in bargaining.

2097
02:34:03,680 --> 02:34:04,980
I will make this point, though.

2098
02:34:05,005 --> 02:34:09,920
The Postal Services
Financial State, in any particular point

2099
02:34:09,945 --> 02:34:13,340
in time, does not impact
our priorities in bargaining.

2100
02:34:13,365 --> 02:34:17,440
It does not impact the things that
we try to achieve in bargaining.

2101
02:34:17,480 --> 02:34:23,100
But it is a consideration in making
decisions of, do you finish an agreement

2102
02:34:23,125 --> 02:34:25,340
or do you go to interest arbitration?

2103
02:34:25,365 --> 02:34:29,760
Because as Jim explained earlier,
that's an issue that comes

2104
02:34:29,785 --> 02:34:31,640
up in interest arbitration.

2105
02:34:31,665 --> 02:34:35,580
It has an impact, but it has an
impact because that's reality.

2106
02:34:35,605 --> 02:34:40,260
It doesn't have an impact
because it's the NALC's priority.

2107
02:34:40,285 --> 02:34:46,420
Again, it doesn't impact what we attempt
to achieve, but it is just a fact of life.

2108
02:34:46,445 --> 02:34:50,560
Just like I've talked a little bit about
our brothers and sisters in the private

2109
02:34:50,585 --> 02:34:54,680
sector that have had some success in
bargaining, the financial conditions of

2110
02:34:54,705 --> 02:34:58,520
their employers impact their bargaining in
a positive way sometimes and

2111
02:34:58,545 --> 02:35:00,100
in a negative way sometimes.

2112
02:35:00,125 --> 02:35:06,300
Really reemphasizes the need
and hopefully provides an understanding

2113
02:35:06,325 --> 02:35:12,940
for those that may not be as familiar as
to why we are so engaged on Capitol Hill.

2114
02:35:12,965 --> 02:35:14,860
We're so engaged in elections.

2115
02:35:14,885 --> 02:35:19,180
We're so engaged with
the White House to try to ensure

2116
02:35:19,205 --> 02:35:23,940
that we get changes made that puts the
Postal Service in a positive

2117
02:35:23,965 --> 02:35:27,920
financial position going forward,
because that's where we work and we want

2118
02:35:27,945 --> 02:35:31,200
them to succeed,
because that's what's best for us, but

2119
02:35:31,225 --> 02:35:37,200
also because of the impact that it has
on our collective bargaining environment.

2120
02:35:38,120 --> 02:35:43,040
Thank you for joining and
watching or listening, whatever you may

2121
02:35:43,065 --> 02:35:45,580
be doing to this virtual rap session.

2122
02:35:45,605 --> 02:35:52,500
The intent of this is to educate you
and give you information

2123
02:35:52,525 --> 02:35:57,580
so that during this ratification
process, you can make your own decision.

2124
02:35:57,605 --> 02:36:02,780
But I think it's very important that you
as an NALC member,

2125
02:36:02,805 --> 02:36:08,160
understand the totality of the agreement,
the context, and that's really what I

2126
02:36:08,185 --> 02:36:13,280
tried to do here is give you that
information and answer the

2127
02:36:13,305 --> 02:36:15,980
questions that were sent in.

2128
02:36:16,005 --> 02:36:21,660
Ballets for this ratification
process are in the mail.

2129
02:36:21,685 --> 02:36:25,460
If you haven't received yours,
you will receive it very shortly.

2130
02:36:25,485 --> 02:36:30,200
If you're an eligible voter,
and I encourage you to take advantage of

2131
02:36:30,225 --> 02:36:34,540
your right and participate in one thing
that our union is very proud of is

2132
02:36:34,565 --> 02:36:39,580
that we are the most democratic, Little
D, democratic union in this country.

2133
02:36:39,605 --> 02:36:43,180
All of our active members
have an opportunity to vote.

2134
02:36:43,205 --> 02:36:48,020
I want to take this It's been an
opportunity to also thank the officers and

2135
02:36:48,045 --> 02:36:53,900
staff at NALC headquarters that
did a lot of hard work for a long time

2136
02:36:53,925 --> 02:36:58,700
over this round of bargaining, both in
preparation

2137
02:36:58,725 --> 02:37:04,160
as well as the bargaining process itself,
and even since, it's an agenda of

2138
02:37:04,185 --> 02:37:07,600
agreement to get the
information out there.

2139
02:37:07,625 --> 02:37:11,820
It takes a lot of people
to make this happen,

2140
02:37:11,845 --> 02:37:17,280
and they've done an excellent job, and now
it's up to you, the members, to decide.

2141
02:37:17,305 --> 02:37:19,320
So thanks once again for joining.

2142
02:37:19,345 --> 02:37:23,320
We appreciate everything that you do for
our union and what you do to

2143
02:37:23,345 --> 02:37:25,335
serve the people of this country.

2144
02:37:25,360 --> 02:37:25,440
Thanks.