The Local Line
“A
PPA Award Winning Publication”
The Official Voice Of The
American Postal
Workers
Phone: 630-833-0088 Fax: 630-833-0248
Jackie Engelhart – President Alan Czerwinski - News Director
October 15, 2009
198 Employees Taking Incentive at Carol Stream and Palatine
The $15,000 Incentive worked and the floodgates have opened with 108 craft employees at Palatine and 89 at Carol Stream indicating they are taking the $15,000 and leaving. For those who were planning on going soon anyway, the money is a bonus. For those who are tired of the management tactics to get rid of them, the decision was made, and the Northern Illinois District has done an outstanding job of pushing employees out the door. Even as the retirements were coming in the NID was sending 60 day notice letters to AO Clerks and abolishment letters to 33 tour 2 Clerks and also Mail Handlers at Palatine. Will they be satisfied with the reduction of 198 craft employees in the plants and the 360 leaving district wide? Congratulations to all retiring APWU members and contact us before you leave for your retirement watch.
No News on AMP
We had Palatine Labor-Management on 10-9-09 and tried to get answers on the AMP. We were told no Palatine mail is being sent to Carol Stream, and when and if the AMP is approved it will take several months to implement the plan. This is per Senior Plant Manager Johnson who said he is not going to Carol Stream and that Palatine is not closing. On 10-14-09 we found out some Palatine sort plans are being, changed to Carol Stream. Whatever Mr. Johnson knows he cannot tell us or those who came to the public meeting on 9-22-09. The public is in the dark about the AMP so Vice President Baskin thought we should take an ad out in one of the major daily papers to let the public know. After calling the three major papers we decided the Daily Herald was affordable. The ad worked and we have been getting plenty of calls from the public, and some from elected officials against the change.
Daily Herald AMP Ad to Run Again on 10-18-09
The public response to our ad in the Daily Herald is 100% against the transfer of mail out of Palatine and the waste of millions of dollars on the Palatine expansion. The callers say they knew nothing about this and are totally against moving their mail out of Palatine. If postal management really wanted public comment they could have posted notices in the 600 post offices but the USPS AMP process depends on the public not knowing. That's why local management can only say what they're told to say. I was speaking to one of our national officers this week about the AMP and he said there are now 400 Processing and & Distribution Centers that the Postal Service would like to get down to 200. They will continue to use the AMP as a method of mail and plant consolidation. On 10-12-09 VP Baskin attended Congresswoman Melissa Bean’s Town Hall meeting and was able to talk to her about the AMP. Melissa Bean’s district includes most of Palatine.
Associate Office Excessing
The Northern IL District is once again excessing out of the AO's based on mail volume and revenue decline. We attended a second impact meeting as we have ten (10) offices targeted for excessing. At the meeting Area Complement Coordinator Nicole Collins-Early announced there was an impact of one part-time flexible clerk from the Geneva Post Office. Geneva is not one of our offices but I was stunned when she said that because management has been involuntarily detailing a Wheaton PTF Clerk to Geneva for the last six months. The detail recently ended when the Wheaton Clerk was abruptly sent to Gilberts with one day’s notice. This PTF is being worked as a district PTF. How can they say they are overstaffed in Geneva when they have been forcing a Wheaton PTF to work in Geneva since 3-30-09?
NWIAL impacted offices are -
1. Wheaton impact of 4 reduced to 2 as 2 retired
2. Melrose Park impact of 2 eliminated as 3 retired
3. Franklin Park impact of 1
4. Wilmette impact of 1 eliminated as 3 retired
5. Prospect Heights impact of 1
6. Highland Park impact of 1 eliminated as 1 retired
7. Mount Prospect impact of 2 reduced to 1 as l retired
8. Northbrook impact of 4 eliminated as 5 retired
9. Lake Forest impact of 1 eliminated as 1 retired
10. Park Ridge impact of 1 eliminated as 1 retired
The impact of one PTF Clerk at Prospect Heights cannot be based on the Postmaster increasing the amount of bargaining-unit work he is performing in that office.
Endless Excessing and Beat
the Next District to the Residuals
I asked HR Manager Lingenfelser why the district issued 60-day letters in the Associate Offices when they know employees would be retiring in these offices at the end of October, thereby reducing and in some cases eliminating the need to excess from that office. She said “we are still bleeding and we can't wait”. She also said if we wait the other districts will take whatever clerk jobs are available and our clerks will be forced into the carrier craft. That was her reasoning on why they could not wait until the end of October when the retirements take effect.
NRP Limited Duty Meetings
We received notice from the district of NRP Limited Duty meetings to be held in both plants in October. Palatine meetings are scheduled to begin on 10-22-09 and Carol Stream is scheduled to begin on 10-27-09. Ask for a Steward before you start your status meeting. These meetings are also being scheduled in the Associate Offices. With the large number of clerks leaving I would think that would increase the amount of work available for those remaining including injured clerks. Quite a few injured clerks saw the writing on the wall and decided this was the time to go.
Central Dispatch Consolidation Palatine Mail to Carol
Stream
Per the Senior Plant Manager the Central Dispatch two day and three day states mail will be sent to CS to be worked on the Low Cost Tray Sorter and state of the art equipment at CS. This consolidation will mean more full trays of mail on transportation but will also mean a loss of jobs in Palatine in the Central Dispatch unit.
Changes to District Medical Unit in Carol Stream
I read about it in the Carol Stream Mail Handler floor letter and was unaware of any plan to close the Medical Unit. HR Manager Lingenfelser called me to say employees will no longer be able to go to the medical unit for aspirin, and that one postal nurse will be excessed out of Carol Stream. The change in the Medical Unit is per the contract Award issued on 4-28-09 for the National Postal Nurses Union now part of APWU. The Award states USPS Medical Units will be replaced with Occupational Health Offices and Nurses will perform non-clinical work, including case-management for injured postal employees. The USPS will no longer provide walk-in patient care to employees who become ill at work but if the Postal Service does provide direct patient care the work must be done by bargaining unit nurses.
IPWU Hosts Human Relations Seminar in Arlington
Heights
The Illinois Postal Workers Union is hosting a Human Relations Seminar on 11-5 thru 7 at the Sheraton in Arlington Heights. The main attraction will be on Thursday when National Human Relations Director Carney will be doing OWCP from 9 to 4. Per State Human Relations Director Clare Brook the registration fee for one day will be $15, and a $25 registration fee includes all three days and a dinner on Thursday night. For any member interested in OWCP this seminar is a great deal and close to home. Other invited national officers include Secretary-Treasurer Terry Stapleton who will soon be taking a job with the AFL-CIO, and our National Business Agents.