June, 2017 - APWU - South Jersey Area Local 0526

As you all should know, USPS has declared an attack on our jobs. This was first posted on May 21, 2017. It started with reversions. USPS has escalated things with a new notification, as of June 13, 2017 (this past Tuesday), of excessing.

Here’s what our Eastern Region Coordinator, Mike Gallagher had to say:

Sisters and Brothers, as you are already aware the USPS has embarked on a nationwide initiative to reduce duty assignments in an installation to correspond with their earned hours not with their actual hours that they are using.

This is an edict from on high (HQ management) that has required managers at the Area, District and installation level to revert most residual vacancies, give letters of abolishment to employees (whose jobs are not actually abolished), discuss sectional excessing at the local level and begin to bombard the Eastern Region with excessing notices.

These notifications very recently dated have an Area Move Date of September 16, 2017. However as you know our contract requires six month notification whenever possible and it requires that the Regional/Area meetings on these impacts take place 90 day days prior to the area move date. While I have given management every available date to meet with them prior to the 90 day limit, they insist that I make more time available. That is not possible based on the number of hours in a day and the availability of myself or our Article 12 NBAs.

I can assure you that in this latest round of attacks on our bargaining unit, we will insist that management follow every structure of our collective bargaining agreement in discussing and implementing these events, unfortunately, it is clearly apparent that you will be tasked with filing grievances related to their failure to comply with certain elements of our CBA. We will insist on Regional/Area meetings on each event and discuss each contractual requirement in its entirety in these meetings. Anything that is not complied with should be challenged at the local level and if there is a District or Area policy that violates the agreement, I will ensure that the appropriate grievance is filed by my office at that level. I appreciate your understanding and support in this difficult time of Postal insanity.

Solidarity,

Mike

APWU Leadership Northeast Region;

Please see attached documents below the post. This is a very favorable NLRB decision.

On May 19, 2017, Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) Andrew S. Gollin of the National Labor Relations Board found multiple Postal Service policies that restrict the ability of its employees to record, photograph; use copyrighted or trademark materials, or speak to the media to be in violation of employees’ legal right to work together for better wages, hours, and working conditions.

The ALJ determined that the following regulations were overly broad and violated the National Labor Relations Act:

1. Employee and Labor Relations Manual Section 667.2, which restricts the use of recording devices on postal property without the permission of management;

2. Administrative Support Handbook 805 Section 5-5(s), which prohibits the use of cameras, cell phones with cameras, and other personal imaging devices in all Postal Service areas without management permission;

3. Administrative Support Manual Section 663.4, which requires that any employee who wishes to use Postal Service trademarks or copyrighted materials must seek permission

The ALJ determined that the first two provisions overly restricted an employee’s right to use photography and recording devices to document unsafe conditions and demonstrate unfair treatment by management.

The third regulation was viewed as potentially restricting postal unions from using USPS trademarks and copyrighted materials as part of picketing or other collective activities. .

The ALJ ordered the Postal Service to rescind all of the provisions at issue.

The APWU, NALC, and NPMHU put on a united front and participated in the hearing in support of the Board’s contentions that these provisions violated the law. APWU Director of Industrial Relations Vance Zimmerman participated as a witness at the hearings. He delivered testimony as to why Postal Workers may need to use photography or recording devices to protect themselves, their coworkers, and why the Postal Service’s restrictions were unjustified.

The ALJ’s decision now must be approved by the National Labor Relations Board. The Postal Service may appeal the ALJ’s decision and ask the Board to overturn it in part or completely. Until the Board has issued a final decision, the handbook and manual provisions at issue should be treated as still in effect.

John H. Dirzius

Coordinator, Northeast Region
American Postal Workers Union