ROOTS OF STRUGGLE: LABOR HISTORY


LETTERS TO THE EDITOR


Contract article questioned


As a PEF member and manager/ supervisor, I was disturbed by the story in the June Communicator titled “The right way to deal with a counseling memo.” I fear it perpetuates the incorrect perception that union employees are only concerned about their rights, rather than their reputation as committed professionals. The entire content of the article is geared toward encouraging people who receive counseling memos to make sure the correct procedures have been followed, so the employee can get out of trouble.


If I received a memo, my


response to my supervisor would be, “What did I do wrong and what can I


By DEBORAH A. MILES “By standing together, we had become a real union.” Those are the words of William Burrus, former president of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU). He was referring to the 200,000 postal workers who went on strike in March 1970. It was a strike that made front-page news across the country and brought


attention to the plight of postal workers. Most of the postal workers at that time belonged to one of seven craft unions recognized by the federal government. They all were denied a key right of private-sector unions, and that was to bargain collectively over compensation.


Their issues included substandard pay, meager benefits, long hours and deplorable working conditions. They were barred from striking and could only seek wage and benefit increases by petitioning Congress, so the raises were sporadic and insignificant.


In 1970, the hiring rate for full-time employees was $6,200 and workers with 21 or more years averaged $8,440. Many qualified for food stamps.


Then, on March 12, Congress gave itself a 41 percent pay hike and offered postal works a 5.4 percent raise. Outrage spread like wildfire and the strike was on. Workers in 499 postal offices in 13 states including New York shut down mail service in 30 major cities and many small towns. Letters, business mail,


Page 2 — The Communicator July/August 2015


do to fix the problem?” Is PEF advocating that people should immediately jump into an adversarial role, try to find a way to skirt the issue, find the loopholes and get out of trouble? Whether a union member or otherwise, our primary concern should always be to take responsibility for our own actions and the way we are perceived within the organization. I must say this article caused me to feel embarrassed about being a PEF member. JODI FELD New York City


Editors Note: The story was intended to inform readers about the types of issues addressed in the PS&T Agreement, and how contract articles benefit the membership.


Both PEF and the state agreed to Articles 20 and 23 which address this


issue. The story was written to help members distinguish the difference between a counseling memo and a letter of reprimand. Its intent was not to encourage people “to jump into an adversarial role, or find a way to skirt the issue.”


PEF does not condone, encourage or ignore bad behavior from a member. It’s aware of several cases, many include bullying by management, that target some members. It is the responsibility of the union to provide protection. Not every member’s situation falls under the same umbrella. It is regrettable the story was interpreted as protecting someone at fault. That was not the intent.


Email your letters, comments to thecommunicator@pef.org


Postal workers prove the value of collective bargaining


financial transactions and government documents began piling up by the ton.


The leaders of the seven unions feared a backlash from the public and arranged to meet with Postmaster General Winton Blount. He offered them a deal, saying if a substantial number of postal workers would return to their jobs, negotiations over pay would begin. Thousands of strikers refused Blount’s offer. President Richard Nixon stepped in and vowed to break the postal workers. He sent military troops to do the work and they proved to be inadequate at the task.


Within hours, and while courts were serving injunctions and imposing fines on union leaders, Blount wanted to diffuse the situation. He announced that enough workers returned, so negotiations could begin.


A final agreement was announced a month later, but fell short of the postmaster general’s promise to have Congress fund the pay increases and change the law on bargaining. Soon after, Congress approved a 6 percent wage increase and Nixon signed into law the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970, which gave the workers an additional 8 percent raise and shortened the time it took to reach top pay. It gave them the right to bargain collectively and also instituted a binding arbitration process for resolving contract disputes. The act abolished the Post Office Department and established the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) as an independent


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agency funded only by postage sales and services.


The following January, USPS participated in the first collective bargaining session with seven postal unions, including five that would merge into the APWU in July, 1971. Now, decades later, the postal workers are still making history at the bargaining table.


In May 2015, postal workers united and launched events to enlist public support while they are negotiating a new contract. May 14 was APWU’s National Day of Action, which included more than 120 events in 45 states, including a rally in midtown Manhattan and another in the Bronx.


The union’s five-year pact expired May 20 and APWU President Mark Dimondstein has touted his “unprecedented” move to bargain over service standards and other issues affecting customers during contract talks. Among his demands are extended hours at post offices, the restoration of faster mail delivery, and the introduction of postal banking which would allow customers to open basic savings accounts through the USPS. As with other labor unions across the nation who face and fight against all facets of privatization, the APWU is demanding an end to the closing of all mail- processing centers in its new pact. The ability to address these issues is mainly due to the vison, determination and unity of the APWU forefathers. They realized the most important achievement of their 1970 strike was winning the right to bargain collectively.


PEF Information Line: 1-800-553-2445


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