The head of the National Association of Letter Carriers urged the President’s Commission on the U.S. Postal Service to “tread lightly” in making changes to the collective bargaining structure governing postal employees and rejected suggestions that such employees be placed under the Railway Labor Act.
Union president William H. Young, whose labor group represents about 305,000 letter carriers, said that collective bargaining has worked well under the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 with “an extraordinary record of labor peace” and no significant work disruptions.
“The Commission should recognize the success of postal collective bargaining over the past 30 years and acknowledge the progress that is being made in the area of postal labor relations by treading lightly in these areas,” Young said.
Young said the current system has also worked economically, furthering the Postal Service’s goal of controlling costs. He noted that it has permitted all the key players in the postal community to share in the efficiency gains resulting from postal automation and other investments: postage rates, adjusted for inflation have declined; taxpayers have saved tens of billions through the elimination of subsidies; and postal employees enjoyed stable real wages.
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