Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 84 Part 1.djvu/843

 84 STAT. ]

PUBLIC LAW 91-375-AUG. 12, 1970

General to a labor organization. Any agreement made pursuant to this section shall continue in force after the commencement of operations of the United States Postal Service in the same manner and to the same extent as if entered into between the Postal Service and recognized collective-bargaining representatives under chapter 12 of title 39, United States Code. (b) Any agreement negotiated under this section shall establish a new wage schedule whereunder postal employees will reach the maximum pay step for their respective labor grades after not more than 8 years of satisfactory service in such grades. The agreements shall provide that where an employee had sufficient satisfactory service in the pay step he occupied on the effective date of this section to have qualified for advancement to the next highest pay step under the new wage schedule, had such schedule been in effect throughout the period of such service, the employee shall be advanced to such next highest pay step in the new schedule on the effective date of the new schedule. (c) An agreement made under this section shall become effective at any time after the commencement of bargaining, in accordance with the terms thereof. The Postmaster General shall establish wages, hours, and working conditions in accordance with the terms of any agreement or agreements made under this section notwithstanding the provisions of any law other than title 39. (d) If the parties fail to reach agreement within 90 days of the commencement of collective bargaining, a fact-finding panel will be established in accordance with the terms of section 1207(b) of title 39, United States Code, unless the parties have previously agreed to another procedure for a binding resolution of their differences. If the parties fail to reach agreement within 180 days of the commencement of collective bargaining, and if they have not agreed to another procedure for binding resolution, an arbitration board shall be established to provide conclusive and binding arbitration in accordance with the terms of section 1207(c) of such title. (e) Agreements made pursuant to this section and expenditures made under such agreements shall not be subject to the provisions of section 3679 of the Revised Statutes, as amended (31 U.S.C. 665). (f) For the purposes of this section, references to title 39 and sections of title 39 are references to title 39, United States Code, as enacted by section 2 of this Act. SEPARABILITY A N D LEGISLATIVE

CONSTRUCTION

SEC. 11. (a) If a part of title 39, United States Code, as enacted by section 2 of this Act, is held invalid, the remainder of such title shall not be affected thereby; and if any other part of this Act is held to be invalid, the remainder of the Act shall not be affected thereby. (b) An inference of a legislative construction is not to be drawn by reason of a chapter in title 39, United States Code, as enacted by section 2 of this Act, in which a section is placed nor by reason of the caption or catchline. TRANSITIONAL EXPENSES

SEC. 12. Expenses of the United States Postal Service and the Postal Rate Commission, established under section 2 of this Act, from the date of enactment of this Act until the date of commencement of operations of the Postal Service and the Commission, shall be deemed to be necessary expenses of the administration of the Post Office Department as now constituted.

785

An^e, p. 733.

Ante, p. 73s,

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