On June 30, President Young signed an interim agreement with the Postal Service which continues an effort to minimize grievance activity in the field with regard to multiple days of inspection during six-day route counts and inspections.

The MOU comes as a dispute is discussed at the national level regarding multiple days of inspection of less than six days during a six-day route count and inspection pursuant to Chapter 2 Handbook M-39.

The MOU, effective through May 26, 2006 unless mutually extended by the parties, states in part:

“Local management will, if it determines it necessary when scheduling an inspection to inspect more than one day, inspect no more than three days during the week of count and inspection. If local management elects to inspect on two or three days during the week of count and inspection, local management will be responsible for completion of the 1838-C one of the days. The letter carrier will count the mail and complete the 1838-C on the other days of inspection. When local management elects to inspect on two or three days, the PS Form 3999 closest to the selected street time on the PS Form 1840 will be used to transfer territory.”

NALC and USPS also stated in the MOU that the agreement is entered into without precedent or prejudice to either party’s position on the dispute regarding the number of days a route may be inspected outside the terms of the memorandum.

Questions about the Memorandum of Understanding signed by Young and USPS Vice President/Labor Relations Doug A. Tulino should be directed to Director of City Delivery Fred Rolando at NALC Headquarters. For a copy of the MOU, click here.

NALC President William H. Young will lead the union’s nine-member delegation to the 50th anniversary AFL-CIO Convention July 25-28 in Chicago in what is expected to be a pivotal event in shaping the future of the American labor movement.

Included on the agenda are the nomination and election of all AFL-CIO officers, as well as anticipated intense debate on the future direction of the 13 million-member federation in order to increase union membership in America and better influence governmental decisions and legislation. Some 900 delegates are expected to participate.

Young, an AFL-CIO vice president and member of the federation’s Executive Council, and Secretary-Treasurer Jane E. Broendel are automatically members of the NALC delegation under terms of the NALC Constitution.

The other seven delegates who will represent the union in Chicago are:

President Emeritus Vincent Sombrotto, Branch 36, New York, NY

Denise Brooks, Branch 1433, Medford, OR

Anita Guzik, Branch 24, Los Angeles

Ingrid Armada, Branch 15, Providence, RI

Prissy Grace, Branch 283, Houston, TX

Phillip Wilkes, Branch 11, Chicago, IL

Linda Temple, Branch 47, Denver, CO

Tuesday, July 26 is the deadline for NALC Branch officials to make reservations at the Westin Diplomat Hotel in Hollywood, Florida and receive the special NALC rate for attendees at the 2005 National Conference and Rap Session.

The Conference, which will include four workshops, a National Rap Session, and opening reception, is scheduled for August 26-28.

To get the special $149 single/double rate and make room reservations, call the Westin Diplomat at 1-888-627-9057 by no later than July 26 and identify yourself as an NALC member attending the NALC Conference and Rap Session.

NALC President William H. Young and all officers will be on hand throughout the Conference to meet with branch and state officials and oversee workshops involving the Contract Administration Unit (CAU), City Delivery (including DOIS and COR), Secretary-Treasurer’s duties, and Safety and Health.

The 2½ hour workshop programs will be on Saturday, August 27 from 9 a.m.-11:30 a.m., and repeated from 1 p.m.-3:30 p.m. This will allow each Conference participant to attend two workshops.

The conference will begin with a welcoming reception on Friday evening, August 26. A National Rap Session will be conducted by President Young and other officers on Sunday morning, August 28, to field questions and discuss union policies with participants. The conference is expected to end by 1 p.m.

The projected accumulation for the sixth of eight regular cost-of-living adjustments under the 2001-2006 National Agreement stood at $588 following release July 14 of the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for June.

The sixth COLA will be based on inflation between January 2005 and July 2005 and will be payable in the second full pay period following release of the July 2005 index. The $588 annual accumulation equals 28 1/4 cents per hour or $22.60 per pay period.

The projected accumulation toward the 2006 retiree COLA stood at 2.7 percent following release of the June CPI-W. The 2006 retiree COLA will be based on the increase in the CPI-W between the third quarter of 2004 and the third quarter of 2005.

The 2006 COLA for Federal Employees Compensation Act (FECA) participants stood at 2.2 percent based on the latest figures. The 2006 FECA COLA will be based on the increase in the CPI-W between December 2004 and December 2005.