AMERICAN LABOUR:

HELP SAVE POSTAL WORKERS' BARGAINING RIGHTS:

The following appeal for solidarity is for our American readers. From the AFL-CIO Blog.

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Take Action Today to Save Bargaining Rights for Postal Workers:
by Mike Hall, Aug 3, 2009
An amendment to a short-term financial assistance bill for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) would destroy collective bargaining between the USPS and its unions. The Postal Workers (APWU) and the Letter Carriers (NALC) are mobilizing to defeat the amended bill (S. 1507) when it comes to a vote before the full Senate later this week.

APWU President William Burrus warns that if the bill passes as written,
"it will destroy collective bargaining for postal workers."

Click here to visit APWU’s website and to send a message to your senators.





The amendment to the financial relief bill was approved late last week by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. NALC President Fredric Rolando says it is “disappointing” that Congress
"would interfere with postal collective bargaining and seek to put a thumb on the scale in favor of postal management in the next round of bargaining. "





The amendment would require arbitrators ruling on postal contracts to take into account the financial health of the USPS. Under current law, arbitrators must consider the “comparability” of postal wages to employees in the private sector who perform similar work. Says Burrus:
"In fact, arbitrators routinely consider the Postal Service’s financial status as part of the context of negotiations. However, to attach this specific requirement to the law leaves workers at a severe disadvantage.





By singling out this one factor, the amended bill would give the Postal Service’s short-term financial conditions supremacy over all other relevant considerations. It will make the bargaining process subject to all-out manipulation. "





Both unions support a House version of a financial relief bill for the USPS, H.R. 22, that does not interfere with the bargaining process. For more information on both bills, click here.
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THE LETTER:
If you are a US resident please go to THIS LINK to send the following message to your Senator.
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Required text:
(This text will be included in your message)
I urge you to oppose the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Funding Reform Act of 2009 (S. 1507). An amendment to the bill, offered by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) and adopted by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, would require arbitrators to take the financial health of the Postal Service into account when ruling on postal workers’ contracts. Under current law, arbitrators must consider the “comparability” of postal wages to employees in the private sector who perform similar work.




The provision renders the bill unacceptable to postal workers, because it interferes with our collective bargaining process. Arbitrators routinely consider the Postal Service’s financial status as part of the context in which negotiations are conducted. However, attaching this specific requirement to the law leaves workers at a severe disadvantage, and makes the bargaining process subject to manipulation.




S. 1507 was intended to provide short-term financial relief to the cash-strapped Postal Service, a goal I support. However, the Coburn amendment makes the bill unacceptable.