Up until the 1990s, the two largest unions, APWU and NALC, bargained together. We even shared almost identical contract books with jointly negotiated language. I remember attending a joint contract rally in Washington, D.C. from that period.
But the alliance ended, through some combination of personality clashes at the top and different bargaining goals. Since then, management has often benefited from bargaining separately with the individual postal unions—gaining a concession from one, and then using that as leverage to impose the same concession on the other unions.
The latest example is the dramatic expansion of the “non-career” workforce, patterned by the APWU’s acceptance of the Postal Support Employee (PSE) category, partly in exchange for the promise of new jobs. The other three craft unions now have similar second-tier, lower-paid categories: City Carrier Assistant, Mail Handler Assistant, and Rural Carrier Associate, but without the promise of new work.
There had even been a debate in the APWU over how far to go to support keeping six-day delivery. Some saw six-day delivery as just a letter carriers’ issue. But if the Postal Service succeeded in cutting delivery to five days, that would cut APWU clerk jobs in the post offices and APWU sorting jobs in mail processing plants as well. Besides, any cuts in service reduce postal revenue and thus affect all postal workers at least indirectly.
Not to mention the principle that “an injury to one is an injury to all.”
The new alliance is intended to unite all four unions to protect all postal jobs and all postal services, whether a proposed cut affects one craft or many. It arose after the insurgent Members First slate headed by President Mark Dimondstein took the helm of APWU in fall 2013.
via Four Postal Unions Bury the Hatchet to Save Services, Standards | Labor Notes.
Good luck!!!! ISSA can’t wait to privitize us and Dem. Tom Carper is believing everything Donuthole tells him. We’re totally screwed!!!! Christ, Obama even allows us to go to 5 day delivery in is 2015 Federal Budget… No one cares about saving jobs in America and the middle class!!! Congress and the President are all talk and no results!!!!! With all the computer hacking and email watching from crooks, handwritten letters and sending bills should be increasing, not decreasing… Actually Ist class mail isn’t declining because all our mail goes to Pre-sort companies first. That’s not counted in management’s postal math.. Weren’t we broke the last 4 or 5 years??? But now we may profit like 1.5 billion dollars this year??? Donuthole is a liar and Obama obviously thinks Donuthole is doing a fine job.. I hope Hilliary Clinton or Elizabeth Warren runs for President.. Another Republican in the White House and it’s definitely lights out!!!! Rand Paul, Chris Christie hates unions and working people.. Wake up people, get involved!!!!!