US postal officials resume talks as strike threatens

Heads of two major postal unions said the Postal Service bowed to pressure from a federal mediator and resumed face-to-face bargaining to avert a potential mail strike next week.

American Postal Workers president Moe Biller and Letter Carriers president Vincent Sombrotto said Postal Service officials, who first refused direct bargaining, returned to the table and presented 14 counterproposals on secondary issues in the contract.

The union heads expect to be able to assess by Sunday night whether an agreement might be reached bef ore the Monday midnight expiration of the current agreement.