Postal Talks

Members of the national postal workers union are expected to approve the tentative contract arrived at by binding arbitration, a negotiator for the union said yesterday.

"It's not a great contract, but it's liveable," Ralph Merigliano, a negotiator for the National Association of Letter Carriers said, adding that a lower salary hike with increased job security was preferable to a bigger salary increase with less security.

The contract proposal calls for a $500 salary increase during the first year, a three per cent hike in the second year and another $500 increase during the third year.

Merigliano said Postmaster General William Bolger engaged in unfair labor practices because he came back to the bargaining table with a lower offer than he had originally proposed.

Despite the lower salary offer, the postal workers are expected to approve the agreement "overwhelmingly," Merigliano said.