Floor Edition

June 12, 2011

Update by Jackie Engelhart

Correction on PSE Hiring Dates In the last Local Line, we gave information on the effective dates for several new contractual provisions and the dates were taken from charts downloaded from the APWU website. The effective date for hiring the new Postal Support Employee category was 5-23-2013 in the chart, but I was informed by two National Business Agents that PSE hiring can begin as of 5-23-11 and the 5-23-2013 date in the chart was wrong. Effective 5-23-11 management can hire up to 20 percent PSEs in the Clerk craft, and 10 percent in the MVS and Maintenance crafts. There will be no more Casuals as of 8-23-11. Hiring information on the new PSE jobs is available on http:www.usps.com! employment and for those who have asked applications were taken on that website from 6-6 to 6-10-11. PSE information is also available on eCareer.

Excessing Update

No information is being shared by management on the excessing except that it is on hold due to the new districts wanting to review all the impacts. Those who bid senior-in-lieu-of in March have asked when they will be allowed to go, as the only Clerks moved were those who went to Busse and waived the moratorium. We have raised the issue at both the local and regional level as some of these Clerks are senior to some who went to Busse. I recently found of that one of our AO Clerks who bid senior-in-lieu-of had been allowed to go. I spoke with the former Complement Coordinator for the Northern Illinois District to ask her about this and she said a second round of bidding was done in April but Palatine was excluded because they said they would not be excessing out of the installation. I called our Regional Coordinator and Article 12 NBA who met at the Area and were told the senior-in-lieu-of would be allowed to go.

Should Cancel Impacts

The impacts for Palatine and Carol Stream should be cancelled because it is obvious they need all of the Clerks they have now. Palatine also has twenty Mail Handler residuals to fill with more to come due to the four FSS but no Palatine Clerk should be excessed into the MH craft while the Clerk craft is so short-handed. The Clerks who bid senior-in-lieu-of should be allowed to go but no Clerks should be involuntarily excessed. Carol Stream should also cancel their impact as they too need all their Clerks, as attrition continues to reduce the complement. The new contract requires management to convert Part-Time Regulars in the plants to Non-Traditional Full-Time by 8-23-11 so they will have to post those NTFT jobs for all, and any excessed Clerk senior to the PTRs has retreat rights which serve as a bid on the NTFT jobs. We have to wait and see how the new contract will affect excessing because of the required PTR/PTF conversions and the new 20 percent PSE category.

Palatine Tour 2 FSS Bids

We were told by In-Plant Support that the new tour 2, l0am FSS bids will be posted on 6-21-11. The bids should have similar off days to those previously posted on tours I and 3. Tour 3 FSS Clerks will get Option Letters to remain in their bids with the new 1650 starting time. Tour 1 will only have retreat rights to tour I FSS.

Tour 1 Manual Bidding

Closed-section bidding for tour 1 Manual is being conducted from 6-10-11 thru 6-20-11 at l0am. All Clerks in the Manual Section can bid whether or not your bid was abolished. Any Clerk in the section who previously submitted bids for this Closed Section does not have to submit bids again. Tour 1 Manual is about the last place management can pull bodies from to staff tour I Automation, as there is no place left to cut, but the latest reduction in Manual has resulted in Manual Letters Clerks being moved from one Manual unit to another on a daily basis. Normally, Clerks should work their bid duty assignment unless they run out of mail. They should not be moved to Multi-Line or the Low Cost every day because management chooses to use move the Manual Letters Clerks from unit to unit rather than post more bids. These Clerks have a right to work in their bid duty assignments.

Palatine CFS Unit Still Open

The Palatine CFS Unit was to close on 3-5-11 and the mail was supposed to go to South Suburban but mail is still being worked at Palatine by the IS remaining CFS Clerks. There is no official date for Palatine CFS to close but CFS in Chicago will close on 6-26-11. An impact was issued for 22 Clerks based on CFS closing.

Legislative Action Needed, Tell Congress to Support HR 1351

APWU members and all postal employees should be contacting their congressman and asking them to support HR 1351 which would relieve the Postal Service of the financial burden of paying 5 billion each year to pre-fund pension accounts that are already funded and allow that money to be used to pay for future retiree health benefits. The current law requires the Postal Service to pay that 5 billion which is driving us towards insolvency. USPS CFO Joe Corbett stated the USPS is facing a July 2012 shut-down unless Congress passes legislation providing financial relief from the overpayment to the pension funds.

A Dangerous Bill S1143 ...

Republican Senator Jim DeMint introduced SI143 which would not allow any federal agency to "deduct any amount from the pay of an employee for the dues of a labor organization". This bill is for all federal workers including postal workers. This is an attack on unions to weaken them by making it harder to collect dues money to fund union activities.

Presidential Candidate Wants to Eliminate Postal Service...

On 6-7-11 Republican Presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty gave a speech with his economic plan if he is elected as president in 2012. He said USPS along with many other government agencies should be passed through his litmus test he labeled "The Google Test", "If you can search for a specific service and find it online the government should not provide it to the public." These are samples of threats we cannot afford to ignore. We must contact our legislators on every bill affecting USPS and us.

Deficit Reduction Proposal Could Increase Amount FERS Employees Contribute...

Lawmakers have been meeting with Vice President Joe Biden to come an agreement that would raise the debt ceiling in exchange for budget cuts. The only thing they seem to agree on requiring Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) workers to pay more into their pension program. Currently FERS employees pay $1 for every $14 the government puts in and the negotiators want the employee and employer to split the contributions evenly, which means FERS employees would pay an additional 5% of their pay and take home 5% less. This is another reason to contact your Congressman and Senators.

NWIAL Scholarship Time ...

Chief Trustee Ray Wience wants to make sure the word gets out about the 2011 NWIAL Scholarships. Applications should be available in all union offices, and if not one can be sent to that office from the Union Hall. Applications must be received by 8-14-11 when a random drawing will be held to pick four winners at the union meeting. Information is included on the application form.

Stewards Not Retained ...

The NWIAL constitution states that within 30 days after election the President or Craft Director can determine to not retain a Steward. This is the only time during the three-year term of office when a Steward can be removed without charges filed. A decision to not retain is usually made by the Craft Director, and the President does not have the authority to overrule the decision of a Craft Director to not retain a Steward within 30 days after an NWIAL election.