With less than three weeks to go before the start of bargaining over the terms of the 2011 National Agreement, the Postal Service publicly announced that management is seeking wholesale changes in its collective bargaining agreements. USPS management also decided to try to bypass the NPMHU and other postal unions, by asking Congress to enact legislation that would impose many of its outrageous proposals. Instead of coming to the bargaining table in good faith, management is looking for two bites of the apple. The mentality seems to be: let’s see what we can get through bargaining, and then if we don’t like it, we’ll go to Congress. This might lead one to ask: Has Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker been named the new PMG?

On August 11, 2011, the Postal Service announced that it was seeking to abrogate the no-layoff clause, eliminate the application of the CSRS and FERS retirement systems to postal employees, and end the Postal Service’s coverage under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. And to make matters worse, the Postal Service did not propose these changes at the bargaining table, but instead went straight to Congress to seek these changes by legislation. USPS management has circulated two “white papers” on Capitol Hill and in the press that attempt to justify their actions. Those “white papers” are now posted on the NPMHU web site (www.npmhu.org), and also have been circulated to the Union’s Leadership during a recent National-level meeting (which ironically was held in Wisconsin).

Apparently, the Postal Service understands that such draconian proposals have little chance of being supported by the NPMHU during the current round of national negotiations, so instead the agency decided to ignore its obligation to bargain directly and in good faith with the NPMHU. Such tactics do not suggest that postal management will be adopting an enlightened and cooperative atmosphere during this year’s collective bargaining, but only time will tell.

In the meantime, the NPMHU and all of its Local Unions and members are urged to oppose these changes with their elected representatives on Capitol Hill. This end-around by USPS management only reinforces the need for all rank-and-file mail handlers to put pen to paper, and to write to their elected representatives to oppose this foolhardy scheme.