Shining a light

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chaired by Representative Darrell Issa (R. CA) is conducting hearings on the adequacy of the tentative agreement between the Postal Service and the American Postal Workers Union (APWU). This is apparently the first time congress has ever conducted a hearing about a collective bargaining agreement. The rub is concern that the agreement does not do enough to curb labor costs at USPS which currently constitute 80% of the operating costs. By comparison United Parcel Services labor costs are 60% of operating expenses and at FedEx Corp its 43 percent.