Postal Service, American Postal Workers Union Reach Impasse in Contract Negotiations

Friday, May 29, 2015

Press release from the issuing company

WASHINGTON - On May 27, negotiations on a new labor contract between the United States Postal Service and the American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO (APWU) came to an impasse. The parties will continue to follow the current agreement until a new contract is reached through the dispute resolution process.

The APWU represents more than 196,000 employees who work as clerks, mechanics, vehicle drivers, custodians and in some administrative positions.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

Discussion

By Joe Webb on May 31, 2015

This report of Patrick Henry is worth reading. It summarizes the Brookings Institution's calculations of the direct and indirect subsidies that the USPS receives.
http://whattheythink.com/blog/73143-does-us-postal-service-have-unfair-economic-edge/
When USPS says it "receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations" it is a verbal sleight of hand that is technically true but ignores other support they get for operations that other enterprises cannot get. The Brookings video of the discussion of the USPS' future is at http://www.brookings.edu/events/2015/03/25-postal-service-future-kamarck

Discussion

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