(This article appeared in the September/October 2026 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine)
In conjunction with the 28th Biennial National Convention,
held Aug. 17-20 in Los Angeles, California, the
Motor Vehicle Service (MVS) Craft convened for its 48th
Annual Directors’ Conference, held Aug. 15-16. Over
290 MVS directors and members came from across the
country for training, to discuss and debate convention
resolutions, and plan the craft’s direction for the 2027-
2030 contract negotiations. Delegates unanimously
concurred to honor this year’s Directors’ Conference in
memory of brother Gonzalo Burciaga, a Motor Vehicle
Operator from the Chicago Local assigned to the
Chicago International Service Center (ISC), who was
discovered deceased in his vehicle on June 2.
On Saturday, the MVS National Business Agents
(NBAs) provided training on Article 32 subcontracting
initiatives in the Postal Vehicle Service (PVS) and in
Vehicle Maintenance Facilities (VMFs), annual bidding
procedures, maximizations, and Article 16 Discipline
Procedures. On Sunday, 17 Article 39 contractual resolutions
were submitted from across the country after being
adopted and passed at the local or state union levels.
The entire convention acted on these resolutions, along
with three others submitted after the conference, on
Thursday, Aug. 20.
Director Foster reported that in 2012, the Postal Service notified the APWU of its intention to eliminate all PVS operations in California because of changes to the emissions rules set by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the cost to retrofit the trucks. This had a significant impact on the craft because California had the largest number of PVS employees at the time, approximately 900. The APWU also protested the significant work-rule changes and concessions in the 2010-2015 contract. The national attorneys, officers, and staff went to U.S. Federal Court after filing injunctions to challenge these actions. The court ruled that national level arbitration should be scheduled expeditiously. In case Q10V-4Q-C-12324573, Arbitrator Goldberg ruled on March 4, 2013, that:
- Article 32.1.B applies to the proposed California mode conversion. Accordingly, the Postal Service must comply with Article 32.1.B before making a final decision on whether or not California PVS work will be contracted out.
- Article 32.2 does not apply to the California mode conversion.
After the California CARB award, the USPS notified the APWU that it was considering contracting out PVS work in all 162 sites.
The parties again appeared before Arbitrator Goldberg,
who ruled in case Q10V-4Q-C 14125953:
- The Postal Service may not contract out PVS work that would have a significant impact on the bargaining unit without first complying with the MVC Jobs MOU.
- The Postal Service may not engage in the Article 32.1.B consideration of contracting out PVS work that would have a significant impact on the bargaining unit without first complying with the MVC Jobs MOU.
- The Postal Service violated Article 32.1.B and the MOU on Consideration of National Outsourcing Initiatives by failing to comply with the procedural requirements of those provisions in considering the contracting out of the PVS function.
Director Foster also reported that, despite these initiatives
to contract out PVS, the craft had experienced
some growth and was cautiously anticipating the future.
A resolution was submitted at the convention to add a
Western Region MVS NBA. Delegates debated and overwhelmingly
adopted the resolution. This will provide
much-needed relief to MVS members in the region and
the craft as a whole. We will provide more information
on the process of establishing the new position soon.
THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES ■
The post The 48th Motor Vehicle Service Directors’ Conference Honors Gonzalo Burciaga first appeared on APWU.