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.

Address To Membership: Nationwide Reversions

As mentioned in this video, you are either watching, listening or have watched the President of NY Metro Area Postal Union. This message is to all members no matter what area local, district or region you belong to.

This fight is real brothers and sisters. Stewards, we have to stay the course and file any/all grievances timely. I know that our area has been having issues with RFIs. If your RFIs are not being fulfilled, that becomes an additional grievance (Article(s) 15, 17, 19, and 31).

It can not be stressed how important it is for members to report to their shop stewards, that management performs bargaining unit work (Article 1.6). These violations can not be left to slip through the cracks. Management is going to come down hard, and we (members and stewards) need to fight back just as hard. This will not be an easy summer, but we can win!!

In solidarity,

Tony Rodriguez
Director of Safety/Webmaster

Nationwide Issue: Reversions/Abolishments By The Postal Service

So it begins. This is being done Nationally so it will be a fight. Just to give you an idea of what is going on when you start getting questioned about abolishment letters.

Just sending this out as there is a National USPS movement to revert/abolish duty assignments so there is a slow down on PSE conversions.

There will be more to come on this issue as there was a telecom from the APWU HQ level with the NBAs and Regional Coordinators.

It is anticipated that another telecom will take place from the APWU HQ level with the local and state leaders.

The subject matter will most likely have the words Dashboard Compliment in it.

We will do our best to get this information out to the locals and state organizations.

The Postal Service is currently using two applications. The first is a Workforce Dashboard application that includes the following:

•           On-rolls complement for Mail Processing, City Letter Carriers, and Retail and Customer Service Craft employees
•           Actual vs. earned complement
•           Recent position activity, such as job postings, conversions, positions reverted, and positions abolished

•           Newly vacant craft positions

The second is a Job Bid Management application that includes the following:

•           Daily display of vacant craft positions for Mail Processing, City Letter Carriers, and Retail and Customer Service Craft employees
•           Earned complement data from the Workforce Dashboard for use when requesting bid postings

•           Reversion module to assist in tracking the contractual requirements when reverting a vacant position

Neither of these applications includes any new staffing models or tools.  They are simply a mechanism by which the field can access current data regarding staffing and/or complement. The Postal Service has not changed how staffing or earned complement is determined; therefore, usage of the applications has no impact on wages, hours, or working conditions of bargaining-unit employees.  These are merely internal management tools aimed at providing readily available data and ensuring compliance with postal regulations and the collective bargaining agreements.

The Postal Service is abolishing duty assignments all across the country under the instruction of higher level management and against the urging of local management.

Local Postmasters and installation heads do not support these unilateral actions.

We have received information where this action is being directed from the national level, down to the area level and ending up at the local level.

Anytime 30 or more jobs are abolished at one installation at one time, when just before the abolishment were announce the Postal Service were using actual work hours is an unfair labor practice. PSEs are working in those same sections with no reduction in hours. Clerks were not on standby time due to lack of work. The actual hours as scheduled by management under Article 3 reflected the duty assignments are needed.

Their is no liberal annual leave and in many cases leave is being denied.

A tool, scheduler, or etc. does not justify these actions. There are no agreed to work standards or work measurements according to the Postal Service.

It is the position of the Union that the Postal Service is unilaterally abolishing/reverting duty assignments in response to Goldberg’s national award where he ruled the Postal Service has an obligation to create new duty assignments when we can show they exist.

The Postal Service is reverting and abolishing duty assignments in an arbitrary and capricious manner.

The Postal Service is attempting to achieve what they were unable to achieve in the 2010 and the 2015 national negotiations.

The Postal Service proposed to have PSE usage for up to 20% of all hours and that proposal was rejected. The end result was that the Postal Service could have a 20% PSE workforce to supplement career employees.

To protect career employees, the parties agreed that ALL available hours could be used to create new duty assignments under Article 37.3.A.1.

This language did not exclude PSE hours.

This issue was the subject of a prior NLRB charge.

The Union reserved the right to renew the charge in the event the Postal Service did what they are now doing. We put that language in the settlement because surely we knew this would reoccur.

Continue the fight at the local level and defend the abolishments/reversions with grievances as suggested earlier in the week.

This is just an additional fight at our level.

This will not be an easy fight. This is a Post Office agenda at the highest level in an attempt to get us to grant them further relief from Article 37.3.A.1 and the conversion of PSEs to career.

They are experiencing buyers remorse.

There will be some instances where an individual reversion/abolishment is legitimate and contractually correct.

Attached to this post are downloadable documents to help support/fight back in your local grievances. We can win!

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