USPS workers push for higher pay, uniform allowances after rejecting contract
Uniform allowances, letter carrier safety and wages are among the key issues for some union members in the ongoing contract negotiations between the U.S. Postal Service and the National Association of Letter Carriers union.
Discussions over a new contract were reopened until mid-February between the postal service and the NALC after union members voted to reject a proposed collective bargaining agreement by a margin of 63,680 to 26,304, the NALC said Jan. 31.
The proposed contract included protections against discrimination for pregnant workers, an annual general pay increase of 1.3%, and semiannual cost-of-living adjustments.
But some union members who spoke with USA TODAY said the proposal fell short on issues like uniform allowances, letter carrier safety and the amount of time it takes for employees to reach top pay. The postal service did not respond to a request for comment on employee concerns.
NALC push for more transparency during negotiations
Elizabeth Burns, a letter carrier based in Austin, Texas who has worked for the postal service for nearly 25 years, was among those pushing for more transparency on the bargaining process as talks resume in early February. She added that union president Brian Renfroe wasn’t forthcoming with members about what he asked the postal service during negotiations.
“(The NALC president) gave no hard information on what was going on with negotiations,” said David Noble, a retired mail carrier who first joined the postal service in 1975, previously ran for president of the NALC and retired in 2012. He has an active lawsuit against the union because of how past elections were carried out.
When asked about members' transparency concerns, Renfroe said he provides updates to employees at annual training sessions in each of their 15 geographic regions.
"I am a little more cautious about what I put out on the website," he said. "That communication is for the whole world to see."
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