Local Newsletter | South Jersey Area Local 0526 - APWU

Clerk Craft Director’s Report: June 2018

(This article was first reported in the June 2018, Local Newsletter)
Written by: Kathy Kustner, Clerk Craft Director of APWU, SJAL #0526

When you sign your 3971’s:

Make sure it is your name on it.
Make sure it is the date or dates that you called out for.
Make sure that if you called out using FMLA,
that the slip says FMLA.
Make sure it is Annual, Sick or LWOP that you requested
Then if everything is correct, sign it – but you MUST
put the date you are signing your slip next to your name.
Should future discipline be issued, this be very beneficial
to your case.

Abusive Supervisors
If you feel that your Supervisor is acting in an abusive manner towards you, either verbally or by their actions, or both, you must notify the Union. There is supposed to be equal dignity and respect between Management and the employees. The USPS has a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY that must be upheld by Management.

ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY
No one should have to work in an atmosphere of fear and intimidation. Threats or assaults made directly or indirectly toward any employee or Postal Service customer will not be tolerated.

Our policy is that there will be ZERO tolerance of violence in our workplace by anyone, craft and management alike. This is not a new policy. The Postal Service, with many of the employee organizations, initiated a joint statement on violence in the workplace —

“…there is no excuse for and will be no tolerance of violence by anyone at any level of the Postal Service; and there is no excuse for and will be no tolerance of harassment, intimidation, threats, or bulling by anyone.”

This means your supervisor is not allowed to be talking about you or your job performance to others employees in a negative or derogatory manner.

This means that a fellow employee cannot stand there and curse you out and call you names while you are working. You must report this to the Union, so that they can address this with Management immediately. And if Management does not make the harassment stop, you may then file an EEO, on the employee, should it be a Supervisor or a co-worker.

EEO
If you are a Postal Service employee or an applicant for Postal Service employment and feel that you have been discriminated against because of race, color, religion, genetic information, national origin, sex, age (40+), physical or mental disability, or in retaliation for engaging in an EEO-protected activity, you must consult an EEO counselor before filing a complaint of discrimination.

HOW – request counseling by calling one of these toll-free numbers:
888-EEO-USPS (888-336-8777)
TTY: 888-325-2914

WHEN ISSUED DISCIPLINE
You have the right to file a grievance under the Grievance/Arbitration procedures set forth in Article 15 of the National Agreement within 14 days of receipt of your letter. It is YOUR responsibility to bring the letter to a steward, to notify him/her that you would like a grievance to be filed on your behalf. You should he notifying the Union as soon as you have received the letter.

Requesting A Shop Steward

(This article was first reported in the April 2018, Local Newsletter)
Written by: Tony Rodriguez, Editor of APWU, SJAL #0526

I have touched on this subject in our last newsletter. I pose the question, “What are you paying Union dues for?” It is not to wait until there is a disciplinary action taken against you by management or when you feel aggrieved. YOU HAVE RIGHTS. The understanding of those rights is within the contract.

When management instructs you to perform a task that you are:

not sure of,
you have never done before while working in the facility,
seems not correct in nature,
or just because they said so,

by the contract and the ELM, it is your job to follow the last instruction given. If the task(s) fall within the above, REQUEST TO SEE A SHOP STEWARD. How do you know that something is wrong, if you’re not sure? REQUEST TO SEE A SHOP STEWARD.

Another example is, management does something wrong and you know it’s wrong. REQUEST TO SEE A SHOP STEWARD. Don’t wait until tomorrow. Don’t wait until the next time you see a steward walking in your area. REQUEST TO SEE A SHOP STEWARD at the moment you witness the event. Waiting allows you to forget all of the details.

“If an employee requests a steward, such requests shall not be unreasonably denied. Reasonable time cannot be measured by a predetermined factor.” (JCIM: Article 17.3, pg. 152) “…when an employee asks to see a steward, a union steward/employee will be released within two (2) hours of his/her request. Normally the steward/employee will be released before the end of the tour. However, if the steward/employee is not released within that time frame, the steward/employee must be released immediately upon the beginning of his/her next tour of duty. In the event a steward or employee is delayed until their next tour, the steward/employee should notify the supervisor of the prior request.” (JCAM: Q&A – Question 7, pgs. 157-158)

This requires due diligence on you (the employee) to stay on top of management when you request for a steward. Management does not or is not required to follow up for you. EVERY request by a member for a steward is important. You must know that if you have not been released to see your steward within two (2) hours, you must ask your immediate supervisor as to why your request hasn’t been fulfilled. If you have not seen your steward by the end of your shift, YOU must request to be released to see a steward as soon as you clock in the very next scheduled reporting day.

If you continue to not request to see a steward, not only do you risk possibly not having a grievance filed, but you allow management to continue to get away with violating your employee rights as clearly stated by the contract.

Get familiar & READ the contract. Download it from our local website at: http://southjerseyarealocal0.apps-1and1.com