Floor Edition

October 3, 2011

Update by Jackie Engelhart

Carol Stream Tour 1 Automation Abolished with 1 Days Notice to the Union...

On 9-27-11 at 2 pm CS Plant Manager Johnson called to tell me he was handing out abolishment letters that night to all tour 1 Automation Clerks. They told 601 CCD Taylor of their intent while he was on end-tour overtime and Calvin had left me a message that morning. I told Greg he was not giving us proper notice and we had no idea why he was abolishing bids. He agreed to meet with us on 9-28-11, and said he would hand out the letters that night. Calvin and I met with Greg and In-Plant Manager Colao and they explained what they had been told to do. They said they would be posting NTFT jobs with six day schedules and were told they had to abolish an equal number of 40 hour jobs. They said this was being pushed by the Area and Headquarters and the NTFT jobs had to be posted in October.

NTFT Jobs in 200 Man Year Offices Must Have 2 Consecutive Days Off

Carol Stream plans to post tour 1 Automation and FSS jobs with six (6) day schedules but as a 200 man year office, CS is prohibited from posting jobs with split days off. No Clerk who had a 40 hour schedule at the signing of the new contract can be forced into an NTFT duty assignment of less than 40 hours per week, but can be assigned to NTFT jobs of 40-44 hours, so long as those assignments have at least two scheduled off days. Since CS is a 200 man-year office the days off must be consecutive. CS management knows that most Clerks will not bid on these jobs so they will end up with over 100 residual CS NTFT jobs. Mr. Johnson said he will issue an impact to avoid taking Clerks displaced by the proposed mass plant closings in 2012. He will have to place all of the unassigned but he cannot force them into his six day NTFT jobs, so what happens next?

What's the Rush?!

When I asked what the big rush was Greg said he had to move on this because he has deadlines to meet. He said other plants will be doing the same, but so far only CS is in a rush. On 9-29-11 I spoke to Palatine Plant Manager Sciruba who said Palatine is also being told to post NTFT jobs and I said we expect more notice than we got from CS. Palatine gave us a staffing matrix of proposed NTFT schedules at the end of August but Chuck said at that time he had no plans to post NTFT jobs aside from those for the newly converted PTRs. As we predicted when we advised our members to vote against this contract, the orders will be given from USPS Headquarters. We knew they would take full advantage of the new PSE and NTFT categories, and did not agree with our national officers who sold this contract to 75% of the 50% who actually voted. We agreed with the N.E. Mass. Area Local who campaigned against it. NWIAL voted 57 to 43% against the new contract.

Industrial Relations Director Morris Says the Parties are in Discussions on NTFT Issues...

I spoke with IRD Mike Morris on 9-30-11 and he said APWU is in discussions with USPS regarding the dispute on establishment of NTFT assignments with fewer than two consecutive off days in 200 man year facilities. I asked him if he thought this dispute would be resolved soon and he said he hoped so. This is one of eight (8) Step 4 grievances filed so far by APWU because USPS is doing what the want to regardless of what they signed and agreed to. Regardless of what the contract says, they will just do it anyway. This is not surprising in light of the fact that PMG Donahoe signed the new contract extending no layoff protection to 2015 and then submitted a ''white paper" asking congress for legislation that would allow USPS to lay us off anyway.

Do Not Bid on an NTFT Job...

The contract states NTFT jobs cannot be posted with split days off in a 200 man year office, and that an employee who was full time at the time the contract was signed cannot be forced into an assignment of less than 40 hours. Management is abolishing bids hoping to scare these unassigned Clerks into bidding on six day NTFT jobs that are illegal. The Plan seems to be to trick or scare employees into bidding on these NTFT job because they know they cannot force you into these jobs. The contract allows them to post 50% NTFT jobs in a plant so they will continue to post NTFT jobs and not post regular jobs until they max out at 50%. They can't force you into an NTFT job of less than 40 hours so don't fall into their trap by bidding into one.

Keep it Positive...

Just before walking into the CS cafeteria to tell tour 1 Automation they were being abolished Greg told me he did not want to take a lot of questions and he wanted me to "keep it positive". (He did not want me to get up and slam him.) When he spoke to the employees he talked about USPS plans to close plants and change service standards to eliminate first class overnight service in April of 2012. None of that information had anything to do with the abolishment of CS tour 1 Automation Clerks. The rush to hand out letters was directed by the Area/Headquarters to panic Clerks into bidding on the NTFT jobs scheduled to be posted in October. What is the rush?! If these abolishments were based on the 2012 service changes then CS would be posting NTFT bids on tour 2 with an 8am start and not keeping tour 1 Automation Clerks in their exact same tour 1 schedules after they are abolished. These bids are being abolished because they were told to do it, and orders must be followed even if they violate the contract and make no sense. It makes no sense because they have already stated that the mail processing window will be 20 hours starting at 8am. That means they will need tour 2 and tour 3 but no tour 1 bids in Automation. With a 20 hour Processing window they could staff Automation with 10/4 NTFT schedules for tours 2 and 3, which the Union suggested instead of the six day 6.5 hour bids they want. Plant Manager Johnson said they will look at the 10/4 but normally 10/4 schedules require more bids. Instead of posting desirable 10/4 bids when the changes do occur, they plan to post illegal bids now!

CS also Abolishing FSS Bids ...

CS is abolishing Clerk FSS bids so they can post six day schedules The Union will be filing any and all appropriate grievances on this illegal attack on Clerks at CS. The Palatine proposed NTFT schedules we were given in late August are for tour 1 Automation. There were no proposed NTFT schedules for the FSS at Palatine where bids have already been changed due to FSS down time delaying mail to the post offices. Management has finally resolved the out-of-schedule pay grievance filed for tour 3 FSS Clerks placed on management details to l0am. The proposed settlement and the clock-rings were sent to the union for review. If the clock-rings verify the amounts to be paid to each employee the settlement will be signed by the Union and sent to management for implementation. Tour 1 filed a separate grievance for the FSS out-of-schedule pay.

Palatine Maintenance ...

Palatine is changing Maintenance starting times on all three tours effective 10-15-11. Each tour will move up the start time by 1 hour with tour 2 starting at 6am, tour 3 at 2pm, and tour 1 at 10pm. A few employees with off starting times of 5 am, 1pm, and 9 pm will stay. the same. Management's reason for the change is to conform to the 2012 mail processing schedule of 8am to 430am and a maintenance window of 4 to 8am. This plan was not discussed with the Union in advance per Maintenance Craft Director Joe Golden who said he was blindsided by these actions. Management has also issued letters to all Maintenance Support Clerks at Palatine because they want to change NS days for some of the jobs and that is improper.