USPS to add 9,000 union jobs in 90 days

Unions

USPS to add 9,000 union jobs in 90 days

In accordance with an agreement with the American Postal Workers Union, the U.S. Postal Service will convert 9,000 jobs previously held by non-union employees into...

Shefali Kapadia

September 24, 2014 10:08 am

1 min read

In what the American Postal Workers Union calls a “major victory,” the U.S. Postal Service will create 9,000 union jobs within 90 days.

USPS will convert jobs previously held by non-union employees into bargaining unit positions.

APWU and the agency signed a memorandum of understanding Monday to implement the ruling from an independent arbitrator earlier this month.

“Although significant progress was made in our informal negotiations with the Postal Service, in the end we returned to Arbitrator [Stephen] Goldberg to rule on several outstanding issues,” APWU President Mark Dimondstein said.

Goldberg ruled that USPS must staff its four-hour and six-hour post offices with union employees. He also required that at least 3,000 of the new jobs be filled by full-time employees.

As part of the agency’s POSTPlan, USPS reduced weekday operating hours at a number of post offices from eight hours to six, four or two hours.

USPS is not required to employ union workers at its two-hour offices.

APWU and the Postal Service have “a lengthy history of disputes,” according to Goldberg. The conflict stems from USPS’ interest in having postmasters fully and effectively employed and the union’s interest in protecting the work of bargaining unit clerks.

Postal service had $1.9 billion quarterly loss