Floor Edition

November 26, 2010

Update by Jackie Engelhart

Extend Contract Talks

APWU and USPS have agreed to extend contract talks a second time, this time until 12-1-10. Our contract expired on 11-20-10 and the terms of the expired agreement will remain in force until a new agreement is reached either by negotiation, mediation, or binding arbitration. The National Rural Letter Carriers have reached an impasse in their contract negotiations over USPS proposals for a wage freeze, benefit cuts, and a lower wage scale for new hires. Their last contract was arbitrated. APWU negotiators are being offered the same cuts but are still talking for now. APWU wants craft work performed by management and subcontractors to be returned to the APWU bargaining unit. President Guffey states "Throughout this process the APWU has worked diligently to negotiate a contract that will safeguard our members jobs and strengthen the Postal Service."

Return Work and Stop the Long Distance

Reassignments APWU President Guffey said "Restoring work that has been outsourced or turned over to managerial personnel would bring stability to APWU members who have endured severe hardships due to excessing. We are determined to lessen the pain and uncertainty caused by these long-distance reassignments" 13 Palatine Clerks who failed the Carrier test were to report to new duty stations in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin on 11-20. At the last minute most of them opted to become Part Time Regulars to avoid moving out of state. They hoped something would change and they would not be forced to move or become PTR. We asked management to detail them to Chicago Metro Surface Hub but management failed to respond to this request. One of the 13 Clerks told me "We are doomed." Management promptly assigned the new PTR's to 4 hours per week!

Details to CMSH?!

We asked management to allow the Palatine Clerks to be detailed to CMSH because we know CMSH has requested 24 newly created Clerk jobs from the Area which would create 24 residual vacancies. We asked for details for 60 days so the impacted Clerks could be re-tested for local Carrier jobs. There is precedent for detailing employees until the bidding process identities the residual vacancies. This was done in August when 29, O'Hare Clerks were detailed into CMSH. These details were offered to Palatine Clerks but the O'Hare Clerks had more seniority. Some of the O'Hare Clerks are still in details at CMSH as the bidding process has not provided 29 residuals yet. I called an Area Manager who spoke with In-Plant Support Manager Woodall Ron said CMSH was not getting the 24 new Clerks jobs requested but would get 11 new Clerks jobs and some Casuals. He said the new Clerk jobs would not be created by 11-20-10 so he could not help us. No surprise there.

Mail Volume and Revenue Up

"The USPS ended the first month of fiscal 2011 with a profit according to a financial statement filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission. The statement shows a net profit of $283 billion on revenue of just over $6 billion. Overall mail volume was up 5% compared with October 2009, but all of the growth came from standard mail, which brings in half as much revenue per piece as first class. The shift from first class to standard appears to be accelerating -the USPS handled over 9 billion pieces of standard mail in October 2010 compared with 6.5 billion pieces of first class mail. That reflects a 15.6% increase in standard and a 6.2% decrease in first class mail. The overall volume was down just 0.4% because of the growth in standard mail. The USPS continued to cut costs with expenses for salaries and benefits dropping by 6.8%." Volume is up and delayed standard mail is sitting on the work room floor at Carol Stream and Palatine. There are containers of standard mail at least a day or two past the delivery date sitting at both plants. Carol Stream is still calling double-digit overtime but still has delayed mail. APWU mail counts show delayed first class mail at CS as well. With the return of the fall mailing season and delayed mail the Clerk impacts at both plants should be cancelled. If CS can't get the mail out with double-digit overtime how can get it out with 66 fewer Clerks? Palatine calls daily overtime for Clerks but gave the PTR's only 4 hours per week. Excessing won't stop until they can't get the mail out, as they pressure Clerks to work faster.

Excessing - A National Problem

Because USPS has issued so many impacts for so many offices, the entire country is now affected. This means impacted employees are being forced to move to jobs hundreds of miles away. Since most employees have families to consider and homes that would have to be sold (at a loss) this in not an easy decision. The USPS is making these decisions at the Headquarters and Area levels and to them it is just a numbers game. To the overwhelmed employee it seems management doesn't care, and the sad reality is they don't. Employees should be proactive in protecting their work, and not think twice about filing grievances for another craft or management performing clerk craft work. As more and more employees are eliminated, all units seem to be constantly running short staffed. This leads to more bargaining unit work being done by supervisors. Don't let this happen. Grieve it every time you see it as the job you save just might be your own.

O'Hare Employees Relocated...

The AMC O'Hare facility closed in 2010 so the building could be used to house the International Service Center. All O'Hare employees were impacted due to the closure, and many had to relocate, to keep their jobs. 36 Maintenance employees got local jobs but 22 went to Missouri and 5 to Capital Metro on the east coast. 29 Clerks went to CMSH, 30 to Missouri, 3 to Pennsylvania, and 2 to Galesburg, IL. 46 Mail Handlers went to Iowa, 32 to Missouri, 16 to Oklahoma, 10 to Pennsylvania, and 6 to Gary, IN. 43 employees retired and 3 resigned. The 3 most impacted plants in the GLA are O'Hare, Detroit, and Palatine.

NALC Files Dispute on Clerk Excessing into Carrier Craft

The NALC recently filed a Step 4 Dispute, asserting that no Clerk Craft employee should be excessed into a Letter Carrier job unless all APWU positions have been filled in every installation in the country. APWU disagrees. There will be excessing of Letter Carriers due to the FSS but the number of Transitional Employees in the Carrier Craft means most Carriers should secure jobs in the Carrier Craft within the District. I have been told no more Clerks will be excessed into the Carrier Craft, but then told it depends on how many Carriers decide to retire when FSS DPS mail requires them to be on the street longer.

End of Year Information

The penalty four week overtime exclusion period is from 12-4 to 12-31-10, with no penalty V pay. The maximum Annual Leave hours permitted to be carried over in the new leave year is 440 for craft employees. Anything in excess of this amount will be lost if not used during this leave year. Annual Leave "sell-back" requirements apply toward next year's projected leave balance. The 2011 Leave Year begins on Saturday, 1-1-11 (pay period 02-2011) and ends Friday, 1-13-12. Newly adjusted Annual Leave balances should be on paychecks dated 1-21-11 and there will be 27 pay periods in the 2010 Leave Year.

The Federal Employee Health Benefits

Open Season is from 11-8 thru 12-13-10 and the CS Health Fair will be on Wednesday, 12-10-10. Come visit APWU Health Plan Representative Arlene Thomas-Benford who will be available to answer questions about the APWU Health Plan.