On January 31, 2021, Arbitrator Sharnoff issued a lengthy award on the APWU-NPMHU jurisdictional disputes over the AFCS and AFCS 200. The APWU successfully prevailed in protecting Clerk Work when Arbitrator Sharnoff affirmed that Clerks should be assigned to work the Operator position on the AFCS 200.   
 
As part of the historic 2018 APWU-USPS-NPMHU RI-399 update agreement, the unions and the Postal Service agreed to arbitrate the unions’ cross-disputes on the AFCS and the AFCS 200.  The APWU defended the Postal Service’s assignment of the AFCS 200 Operator position to clerks, an assignment the APWU felt was properly assigned to the APWU.  The Arbitrator agreed with the APWU keeping the Operator position on the AFCS 200 assigned to Clerks. 
 
Arbitrator Sharnoff confirmed that there is a high bar for overturning the Postal Service’s jurisdictional determinations – based on the information available to the Postal Service at the time it makes its decision, the Postal Service’s decision cannot be arbitrary, capricious, unreasonable, based on improper considerations, or otherwise constitute “an abuse of the USPS’s discretion to make such determinations under the RI-399 Guidelines.”  The NPMHU failed to get over this bar with its claims that the Operator position on the significantly redesigned AFCS 200 should be assigned to Mail Handlers.  Given the changes to the Operator position and the distribution functions of the AFCS 200, Arbitrator Sharnoff confirmed that the Postal Service’s jurisdictional grant to Clerks was proper.   
 
Arbitrator Sharnoff’s Award means that Clerks must be assigned to the Operator position on the AFCS 200.  Any pending RI-399 disputes at the local level should be settled in accordance with this Award. Contact Lynn Pallas-Barber with any questions that may arise in implementing Arbitrator Sharnoff’s Award at the local level.  
 
This was the second of four jurisdictional arbitrations presented to Arbitrator Sharnoff under the updated RI-399 process for protecting Clerk Craft work.  In the first two cases, the APWU has successfully in defended Clerks continuing to work on the SPSS and the AFCS 200. Many thanks to the efforts of the APWU’s RI-399 national representatives Lynn Pallas-Barber, Assistant Clerk Craft Director, and National RI-399 Representative Ron Suslak, (President Queens Area Local); their guidance along with the expertise and involvement of APWU locals and employees, supported the APWU in once again keeping mail distribution work with Clerks.  

Clerk Division Director Lamont Brooks said, “This is another victory in fight to ensure that Clerk Craft employees are performing all the work that rightfully belongs to them. The battle is not over as we still await two other awards, but rest assured the Clerk Division officers will continue doing all we can to keep our work and add new or additional work to the Clerk Craft—the struggle continues.”
 

All ballot(s) received during this time period will be counted. 

Hopefully this gives everyone the opportunity to receive, complete and return their ballot(s).

The Postal Reform bill will place the United States Postal Service on the path toward financial stability by repealing the onerous and financially debilitating pre-funding mandate, ensuring six-day delivery, adding much-needed transparency to postal operations, and maximizing participation in Medicare — a program which the Postal Service and its employees have contributed over $34 billion toward — by enacting prospective Medicare integration. Postal Reform is fair to active and retired postal workers and is a crucial development in the fight to preserve and strengthen our Postal Service. Click here for APWU’s Q&A on Postal Reform to learn more.

“The American Postal Workers Union extends our appreciation to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Committee on Oversight and Reform Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, and Ranking Member James Comer—all of whom made forward movement on this bill a reality,” said APWU Legislative and Political Director Judy Beard.

APWU’s Legislative and Political Department is proud of the work carried out by APWU members, the other postal unions, community organizations, and our allies for the efforts leading up to House passage of this bill. “Thanks to our collective efforts, we are closer than ever to securing the most pivotal piece of postal legislation in generations,” said APWU President Mark Dimondstein.

The bill now moves to the Senate where the “Postal Reform Act (PRSA)” has already received bi-partisan support. It’s taken years of effort to get this far. Now we need to raise our collective voices to make sure the Senate moves quickly to pass the PSRA and send it to President Biden’s desk. The APWU is urging all postal workers and our allies to call our senators and urge them to vote ‘yes’ on Postal Reform to strengthen the public Postal Service.

CALL YOUR SENATOR’S OFFICE AT 844-402-1001 AND URGE THEM TO PASS THE POSTAL SERVICE REFORM ACT.

The 2021-2024 Tentative Agreement that was included in the ratification packet can now be viewed and downloaded here: 2021-2024 Tentative Agreement--Ratification Packet Version | American Postal Workers Union (apwu.org).

Upon ratification, a final print version will be jointly agreed to, reviewed, and proofread with the Postal Service. Once this process is completed official copies will be printed and an electronic version will be made available for download on the website. 

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