108TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 2249

AN ACT

To amend chapter 10 of title 39, United States

Code, to include postmasters and postmasters’organizations in the process for the developmentand planning of certain personnel policies, schedules, and programs of the United States PostalService, and for other purposes.

108TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 2249

AN ACT

To amend chapter 10 of title 39, United States Code, to

include postmasters and postmasters’ organizations in

the process for the development and planning of certain

personnel policies, schedules, and programs of the United

States Postal Service, and for other purposes.
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1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Postmasters Equity

5 Act of 2003’’.

6 SEC. 2. POSTMASTERS AND POSTMASTERS’ ORGANIZA7 TIONS.

8 (a) PERCENTAGE REPRESENTATION REQUIRE9 MENT.—The second sentence of section 1004(b) of title

10 39, United States Code, is amended—

11 (1) by inserting ‘‘that an organization (other

12 than an organization representing supervisors) rep13 resents at least 20 percent of postmasters,’’ after

14 ‘‘majority of supervisors,’’; and

15 (2) by striking ‘‘supervisors)’’ and inserting

16 ‘‘supervisors or postmasters)’’.

17 (b) CONSULTATION AND OTHER RIGHTS.—Section

18 1004 of title 39, United States Code, is amended—

19 (1) by redesignating subsection (h) as sub20 section (i); and

21 (2) by inserting after subsection (g) the fol22 lowing:

23 ‘‘(h)(1) In order to ensure that postmasters and post24 masters’ organizations are afforded the same rights under

25 this section as are afforded to supervisors and the super-
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1 visors’ organization, subsections (c) through (g) shall be

2 applied with respect to postmasters and postmasters’

3 organizations—

4 ‘‘(A) by substituting ‘postmasters’ organization’

5 for ‘supervisors’ organization’ each place it appears;

6 and

7 ‘‘(B) if 2 or more postmasters’ organizations

8 exist, by treating such organizations as if they con9 stituted a single organization, in accordance with

10 such arrangements as such organizations shall mu11 tually agree to.

12 ‘‘(2) If 2 or more postmasters’ organizations exist,

13 such organizations shall, in the case of any factfinding

14 panel convened at the request of such organizations (in

15 accordance with paragraph (1)(B)), be jointly and sever16 ally liable for the cost of such panel, apart from the por17 tion to be borne by the Postal Service (as determined

18 under subsection (f)(4)).’’.

19 (c) DEFINITIONS.—Subsection (i) of section 1004 of

20 title 39, United States Code (as so redesignated by sub21 section (b)(1)) is amended—

22 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and’’ after

23 the semicolon;

24 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking the period and

25 inserting a semicolon; and
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1 (3) by adding after paragraph (2) the following:

2 ‘‘(3) ‘postmaster’ means an individual who is

3 the manager in charge of the operations of a post

4 office, with or without the assistance of subordinate

5 managers or supervisors;

6 ‘‘(4) ‘postmasters’ organization’ means an orga7 nization recognized by the Postal Service under sub8 section (b) as representing at least 20 percent of

9 postmasters; and

10 ‘‘(5) ‘members of the postmasters’ organization’

11 shall be considered to mean employees of the Postal

12 Service who are recognized under an agreement—

13 ‘‘(A) between the Postal Service and the

14 postmasters’ organization as represented by the

15 organization; or

16 ‘‘(B) in the circumstance described in sub17 section (h)(1)(B), between the Postal Service

18 and the postmasters’ organizations (acting in

19 concert) as represented by either or any of the

20 postmasters’ organizations involved.’’.

21 (d) THRIFT ADVISORY COUNCIL NOT TO BE AF22 FECTED.—For purposes of section 8473(b)(4) of title 5,

23 United States Code—

24 (1) each of the 2 or more organizations referred

25 to in section 1004(h)(1)(B) of title 39, United
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1 States Code (as amended by subsection (b)) shall be

2 treated as a separate organization; and

3 (2) any determination of the number of individ4 uals represented by each of those respective organi5 zations shall be made in a manner consistent with

6 the purposes of this subsection.

7 SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

8 The amendments made by this section shall take ef9 fect 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.

Passed the House of Representatives July 21, 2003.

Attest:

Clerk.