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‘All for One and One for All!’

(This article first appeared in the July-August 2017 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine)
By President Mark Dimondstein

The Three Musketeers must have belonged to the “Musketeers Union” with their rallying cry “All for one and one for all!” That captures the essence of union solidarity.

So does the recent APWU-led informational picket in Barre, Vermont.

Barre is a rural Vermont town of some 9,000 people, with a deep union history rooted in the struggle of immigrant granite workers in the once-thriving granite industry of New England.

As with so many towns and neighborhoods, the Barre post office is an integral part of the community. The office consists of eight clerks and one maintenance employee, as well as city and rural letter carriers. As with postal employees around the country, they are skilled, well-trained and perform their jobs with dedication and pride. They are union-strong with 90 percent of the employees organized.

So why were 100 APWU activists (including yours truly), letter carriers, United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) members, the Vermont Workers Center, the state and local AFL-CIO and faith-based community allies out in force?

Because “Workers Deserve Respect!” – whether we are working in the largest or smallest postal facility. This slogan has multiple meanings: Workers deserve to make living wages for the wealth we create and the services we provide. Workers deserve to have decent health care coverage. Workers deserve quality time-off with family and friends. Workers deserve a dignified retirement.

And yes, workers deserve and demand safe and decent working conditions, free from management abuse and harassment. The postal workers of Barre have not been afforded these basic rights. Workers are berated by management in front of customers. Union rights are ignored and union representatives belittled. Management snubs their noses at grievance settlements. Poor staffing by management adds stress to the employees and undermines service to the customers.

Northeast Regional Coordinator John Dirzius and APWU National Business Agents have attempted to address this problem for over two years, with no positive results from higher-level management.

Enough is enough! Tyrannical management has got to go!

A large percentage of our clerk members work in small towns like Barre, from sea to shining sea, from the northern border to the southern border of our vast country. There are many post offices staffed by a handful of employees. Without the strength in numbers of larger facilities, it is harder for workers to resist and stand strong. Barre Local President Nancy Rowland and the other postal workers are doing just that. I commend their resolve and fighting spirit.

In my many years in the post office, I saw many good supervisors and managers who cared about our service to the people and treated workers with respect. I also witnessed far too many abusive managers. More frustrating is that we, as well as the other postal unions, have rarely found a way to force upper management to hold their managers accountable.

Unfortunately, the abusive atmosphere in Barre, Vermont, is not an isolated incident. However, the APWU just sent a powerful message – No postal worker represented by the APWU is alone. An injury to one is an injury to all. We demand that abusive managers be removed and postal workers be able to perform our work and mission free of intimidation, harassment and abuse.

The Barre action underscores that we will take to the streets when necessary. (Hats off to Brother Dirzius for leading the charge.) Solidarity is what won the Stop Staples fight. Solidarity is what produces strong union contracts. Solidarity – “All for one and one for all!” – is the path forward to hold management accountable. Solidarity forever!

Fighting Privatization

(This article originally is posted on the APWU National website under: Campaigns)

Many on Wall Street and in Congress are eager to dismantle the Postal Service so they can turn over the profitable pieces to their cronies in private industry. And they are willing to undermine universal service to the American people to make it happen.

Unfortunately, the top leadership of the USPS has aided and abetted the privatization efforts. Examples abound:

  • USPS management has proposed wholesale subcontracting of Motor Vehicle Services;
  • Postal managers continually seek to outsource Maintenance Crafts duties and Support Services functions.
  • The USPS closed 140 mail processing centers in 2012. Although there is a moratorium on consolidations, they end very soon, in April 2017.
  • Postal management lowered service standards in 2012 and 2015 – virtually eliminating overnight delivery of first-class mail and periodicals and slowing down mail delivery on all classes of mail throughout the country.
  • APWU activists and allies put an end to the deal between the Postal Service and Staples, but post offices are still constantly threatened by Approved Shipper Programs, which outsource postal work into private retailers.

Privatization of postal service doesn’t just hurt postal families; it thwarts a constitutional right that is guaranteed for all Americans: A public Postal Service.

The Postal Service justifies many of its service-cutting policies by claiming it is suffering multi-billion-dollar losses.

But the USPS, which doesn’t use a dime of taxpayer money, is profitable. In fiscal years 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016; the USPS earned profits from its operations. The red ink stems from Congress, which requires the Postal Service to pre-fund future retiree health benefits – something no other public agency or private firm is required to do. That costs the Postal Service $5.6 billion a year – and that’s the red ink.

The American Postal Workers Union isn’t taking the assault lying down. The union is constantly fighting for a vibrant, public Postal Service for generations to come.

Clerk Issues

(This information originated from our South Jersey Area Local Director of Associate Offices, Mike Wright)

I highlighted two items that are very important. It seems every office has the same issue, staffing. The previous District Manager, Webster, allegedly instructed the pre-arb people not to settle any  reversion or abolishment grievances. With the new DM who starts this week also from the Harrisburg area, I don’t expect much to change. Their strategy is to tie these grievances up for years to help them reach the 16,000 jobs in the clerk craft they want to eliminate.

  • Abolishment, elimination of a held position.
  • Reversion, elimination of a vacant position.
  • Make sure management uses the correct term, Abolish v Reversion, when trying to eliminate a position (37.1.E) , grieve if incorrect terminology is used.
  • Management has 21 days to slot an unencumbered employee into a residual vacancy (37.4.C.1)
  • Contact your Local if there are any changes to a position, management could be setting up for a reversion or abolishment.
  • Grieve all abolishments, were people working productively? , make sure there was no “stand-by” time used.
  • Check employees base code when a job is identified to be abolished.
  • Goldberg Award, cite in every abolishment/reversion grievance.
  • Remedy for abolished/reverted positions, two grievances, the actual abolish/reversion, out of schedule
  • Changing of drop days or times is a repost, not an abolishment
  • File grievances if PSEs are working 30+ hours a week continuously (4-6 month period) under 37.3.A.1 to create desirable duty assignment
  • During interview, lead management into admitting the decision was based on “earned hours” which goes against the contract which cites “actual hours”
  • Meaningful input as cited in 37.3.A.2, meeting, information such as mail volume.
  • “Normal” Remedy at Step 1 for an improper reversion, post job as it was, ask for out of schedule every time.
  • If management sends the notice of reversion late in the proper cycle (28 days) , ask for as much information close the end of the said 28 days to make it difficult for management to properly make a timely decision. Cite Arbitrator King/ H94C-4H-C98002133
  • Use injured employees working in clerk craft as part of all available hours
  • If a Step 2 settlement is made for 1.6 or 7 issues, the “boiler plate” language should be not included or crossed off settlement page.
  • Do not indefinitely hold any abolishment or reversion grievances at Step 2
  • EL-312, 211.3 Evaluating vacancies, installation head must make the decision for reversion.
  • PSE discipline does not carry over when promoted to career, it has to be argued, make the carry over argument since they start a new probation period, cannot carry over leave.
  • USPS goal is to reduce 16,000 jobs in Function 4 and Function 1
  • Cite Article 34 in reversion/abolishment arguments where management relies on “earned” work hours
  • Non-revenue transactions should be given to window clerk at least once every 30 minutes, a good example of these are nixie accountables. Have the window clerks scan with the RSS under “Numbered Mail Pick Up” , then as “Undeliverable”
  • Data and charts from MDAT should be presented at Step 2
  • Emit employees that use a lot of leave from MDAT reports
  • MDAT, green hours are unearned hours
  • Never run FTR by themselves
  • Always have supporting documentation for manually inputted MDAT hours
  • Postmasters in Level 18s should have multiple close outs daily, if there is only one close out hours should be charged from time Postmaster logs in until they close out.