(10/17/12) The APWU filed suit in federal court in California on Oct. 16, [PDF] seeking an injunction to stop the USPS from contracting out all Postal Vehicle Service operations in the state. The USPS has notified the APWU that beginning Nov. 17 it intends to replace postal truck drivers with drivers employed by contractors.
“We will do everything possible to stop the Postal Service from moving forward with this full frontal assault on postal drivers,” said Motor Vehicle Services Craft Director Bob Pritchard. The USPS plan would eliminate approximately 840 jobs held by postal drivers; there are approximately 6,900 postal drivers nationwide.
The suit notes that the union has demanded expedited processing of a national-level grievance on the decision and that the case is scheduled for arbitration on Nov. 27 and 28.
The court must enjoin the USPS from proceeding with the subcontracting plan pending the outcome of the arbitration, the suit asserts. If the Postal Service is not enjoined, drivers will be forced into retirement or transferred to non-driving jobs, and the union will lose its contractual right to receive advance notice of subcontracting decisions and to offer alternatives to subcontracting before it is implemented, the APWU contends.
“The Postal Service’s actions not only violate our contract and harm PVS employees, they will damage the Postal Service,” said President Cliff Guffey. “We demand justice for APWU drivers in court and through arbitration.”
APWU Files Suit To Stop USPS Subcontracting MVS Jobs In California
Too little to late Cliff, you gave away the store with that horrible contract. What union would give up a $1000.00 cola and agree to part time employees with no security and few benefits?
We have just learned here in Pa. that the Postal Service will contract out PVS in Scranton,Reading ,Williamsport and other cities. I also am a driver with 19 years in the Post Office. Before we were hired we had to take a test and if we sucessful in getting the job we had to be bonded with a clean record. Now the contractor hires anyone as long as they have a licence. Since I been in the Scranton PO I have seen at least 200 if not more drivers come and go as they do not stay working for the contractor very long. They have no loyality to the PO like there regular employees do. I also got hired to be a driver and was proud that I worked for the PO. Now it seems I am just another needless expense and I have no respect for The Post Office and it’s management. I only hope that they nwill see that there is nothing like having your own people that care about the PO and there jobs.