Background
The U.S. Postal Service paid out more than $866 million in resolution of almost 3.5 million grievance payments from fiscal years (FY) 2022-2024. Grievances are typically complaints lodged by individual employees or unions about the implementation or interpretation of collective bargaining and local agreements concerning wages, hours, and conditions of employment.
What We Did
Our objective was to evaluate the Postal Service’s management of grievances. We analyzed data from various Postal Service systems to identify trends, risk areas, and anomalies. We reviewed 25 facilities and labor relations offices in eight districts and conducted interviews with management and employees at those locations to gain an understanding of their grievance payments.
What We Found
Although total grievance payments nationwide trended slightly downward from FYs 2022-2024, some districts and facilities incurred high payment amounts or experienced significant increases in payments. Grievance issues related to overtime and improper work assignments accounted for some of the most significant and recurring grievance payments nationwide. In addition, field management entered into binding local agreements with unions that contained escalating remedies, did not always align with current operational needs, and did not have defined end or revision dates. Lastly, management did not always maintain a standardized, centralized repository that contained local agreements and did not consistently complete all required elements of decision letters in the Grievance and Arbitration Tracking System for payments.
Recommendations and Management’s Comments
We made eight recommendations for the Postal Service to improve its management of grievances, reduce recurring grievances, clarify policy, and improve tracking. Postal Service management agreed with seven and disagreed with one. We consider management’s comments responsive to recommendations 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8, and will pursue recommendation 6 through the audit resolution process. Management’s comments and our evaluation are at the end of each finding and recommendation.
