Currently there is a major undertaking by management to realign the bargaining unit work force. This undertaking is a national initiative and will affect many installations. In the Trenton P&DC there is currently 8 events underway where management has or will be abolishing duty assignments. These abolishments will clearly lead to excessing in each of the sections. This action is referred to as, “excessing to the needs of the sections” and is covered under article 12 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Management’s plan calls for abolishments, excessing, begin tour time changes of 1 hour or more, reposting and the posting of new positions. This is a very complicated undertaking, which involves excessing of employees from sections, in section bidding and retreat rights back to the sections.

The following are the sections involved in the master plan:

Registry sections - Tour 2 and 3

Nixie section - Tour 2

AFSM sections (1000) - Tour 1 & 3

Lips Section – Tour 2

Automation sections (Letters) - Tour 2 and 3

Manual Sections (Letters) – Tour 1 & 3

Management has identified 78 APWU positions as being eliminated during this initiative. Currently on Tour 2 there are 21 mail processors, 2 lips clerks 1 registry clerk and 1 nixie clerk being abolished and excessed to the needs of the section.

Tour 3 automation has 9 mail processors that don’t match up to the new positions so these positions will be abolished and the clerks will be excessed to the needs of the section. Tour 3 manual has 11 clerks that don’t match up to the new positions so these positions will be abolished and the clerks will be excessed to the needs of the section.

Employees on tour 3 will be moved one hour if their duty assignment matches the new position rest days. More then one hour and up to two hours will accept and decline the position. Tour 3 Flatsorter (1000) has 3 keyers being abolished and excessed to the needs of the section.

Tour 1 manual has 4 manual clerks that don’t match up to the new positions so these positions will be abolished and the clerks will be excessed to the needs of the section.

Employees remaining in the manual section will be moved to 22:50 begin tour.

Tour 1 Flatsorter (1000) has 1 keyer being abolished and excessed to the needs of the section.

As you can see we have 10 sections involved in possible excessing. In these excessing events seniority is the only determining factor since they are the same level and not best qualified. I believe the following from the Joint Contract Interpretation Manual fully explains the process of excessing.

LOCAL NOTIFICATION

When it is proposed to reassign within an installation employees excess to the needs of a section, union notification shall be at the local level (as much as six months in advance when possible), pursuant to Article 12.5.B.4. The identification of assignments comprising a section is determined through the local implementation procedure (See Article 30.B.18). If no sections are established by local negotiations, the entire installation shall comprise the section.

REASSIGNMENTS WITHIN THE INSTALLATION/SECTIONS

Before involuntarily reassigning full-time employees from a section, the following must be completed:

• Identify the full-time duty assignments to be abolished; and

• Identify the junior full-time employees to be reassigned; and

• Identify the number of duty assignments occupied by the junior full-time employees that will remain following their reassignment. These duty assignments are to be posted for sectional bidding.

• In the clerk craft, identify the number of duty assignments remaining within the section occupied by clerks junior to the senior clerk whose duty assignment was abolished or reposted and post for bid to currently qualified clerks within the section.

• Return any limited or light duty employees from other crafts who are temporarily assigned to the affected section to their respective crafts.

• Before excessing from a section, all full-time employees not holding a duty assignment must be assigned outside the section.

When making involuntary reassignments from a section, start with the junior full-time employee in the same craft or occupational group and in the same salary level regardless of whether the junior employees’ duty assignment was abolished. Junior full-time employees excessed from a section retain their seniority and are reassigned as unassigned full-time employees in the same craft or occupational group and in the same salary level. Duty assignments vacated by the reassigned junior employees are posted for bid to employees remaining in the section. If no bids are received, the unassigned employees remaining in the section is assigned to the vacancies.

Junior full-time employees who are reassigned outside the section as unassigned/unencumbered full-time employees must be assigned to a full-time schedule with either fixed or rotating non-scheduled days off, as determined by the Local Memorandum of Understanding.

Unassigned/unencumbered full-time employees may bid on vacancies for which they are otherwise eligible to bid. Unassigned/unencumbered full-time employees who are unsuccessful in bidding may be assigned to residual vacancies. Unassigned/unencumbered full-time employees temporarily assigned to a work area cannot use their seniority to the detriment of employees holding regular bid assignments in the work area.

Initial vacancies occurring within a section, in the same salary level from which excessed employees have active retreat rights are posted for bid within the section for employees of the same salary level as the excessed employees. The resulting residual vacancies, if any, are then offered to employees in the same salary level who have retreat rights to the section.

If vacancies remain after offering retreat rights to eligible employees, the vacancies are then posted for bid installation wide.

In an attempt to minimize the excessing, I request that management and the union explore the option of a 10/ 4-work week. After a heated debate, management dismissed the idea. I offered the possible scenario of matching the current days off to match the new start times. Management rejected this proposal; I don’t see the difference between a wed/thur vs. a tue/wed. I will continue to try to find solutions to minimize the impact.

Tour Compression/Two Tour Initiative

On November 10 & 12 meetings were held regarding Tour Compression/Two Tour Initiative. Management has made some changes from the last meeting.

Tour 1 Automation - Letters, No changes planned at this time.

Tour 2 Automation – Letters, Management plans on keeping five (5) Mail Processing clerk positions on tour 2 automations/letters. Two of the five positions will be reposted for bid within the section, due to a change in drop days. Twenty-one (21) mail processor positions will be abolished and the employees will be excessed to the needs of the section.

Tour 3 Automation – Letters, Management plans on making a 1-hour or less change and move employees to a 14:50 or 16:00 begin tour. Any one who is over a one hour change but no more then 2 hours will be afforded an accept and/or decline. Any one whose drop days do not match management’s new bid structure will be abolished and excessed to the needs of the section.

Management plans on posting fifteen new automation bids with 14:50 and 16:00 start times. Nine (9) mail processors on tour 3 will have their position abolished and will be excessed to the needs of the section.

Managements original plan for manual letters was to compress tour 3 and tour 1 into one section with two start times; now they have changed this plan to have a tour 3 with a 19:50 begin tour and tour 1 with a 22:50 begin tour.

Tour 1 manual letters 044/150 will have twelve (12) mail processing clerk positions.

Of the seventeen (17) current positions only ten (10) clerks will match the new start times and drop days. Four (4) clerks will be abolished and excessed to the needs of the section; two (2) new positions will be posted for bid.

Tour 3 manual letters 030/040 will have eleven (11) mail processing clerk positions. Of the 17 current positions only six (6) clerks will match the new start times and drop days, ten (10) clerks will be abolished and excessed to the needs of the section., five (5) new positions will be posted for bid.

Management plans on excessing employees with total disregard to any time frame referenced in the Parties Collective Bargaining Agreement. The union will grieve any violation of the CBA.

I have been in contact with our Congressional Representative, Chris Smith, to update him on this initiative of moving employees to more expensive hours of work and processing the least profitable product at costlier hours of processing due to night differential and Sunday premium.

Tour Compression/Two Tour Initiative

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086 Parcel Post Grievance

APWU wins the arbitrability issue hearing.

The case will be heard on the merits.

Great Job by NBA Jeff Kehlert !!!

There are several reasons why this grievance shall proceed on its merits and that the arbitrability issue is denied.

First, the USPS and the NPMHU offered little evidence to convince this arbitrator why their position should be sustained. I cannot conclude from the record that the RI-399 procedures were adhered to by the parties in handling this dispute. The evidence is unconvincing and for this arbitrator to accept one explanation over the other would be speculative.

I must conclude that the procedural arbitrability issue raised by the USPS and the NPMHU is denied. The grievance is arbitrable and shall be heard on the merits.

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Clerk Posting CL12371 Results (10-31-08)

Clerk Bidding Page

Information on remaining a live bidder, bidding phone number.

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Belt tightening reaches USPS

USPS FACES ECONOMIC DIFFICULTIES

Representatives of the NPMHU have met with officials at postal headquarters on these issues, and they assure us that there are no blanket orders to eliminate tours, or to take any drastic action if it does not make business sense. Layoffs, moreover, would be absolutely a last resort.

USPS Financial Difficulties And the Possibility of Layoffs
(10/03/08) In an Update for union members, APWU President William Burrus says that although the threat of postal layoffs is real, the USPS’ first-ever layoffs would affect very few APWU-represented employees. [full story]

USPS’ Bleak Financial Picture and the Elections
(09/30/08) The Postal Service’s looming financial crisis — including a significant reduction in mail volume and a $2.3 billion deficit — makes the 2008 election critical for postal employees, APWU President William Burrus said in an update for union members. [full story]

At the Postal Service, Talk of Layoffs

Here's another sad sign of our economic times: Never before has the U.S. Postal Service laid off workers. Now, it's a real possibility.

"For the first time in history, that is being considered," said Gerald McKiernan, a USPS spokesman.

APWU Activists Work to ‘Defend Our BMCs’
(10/09/08) The APWU “Defend Our BMCs Committee,” which was established to combat USPS attempts to privatize work at the nation’s 21 Bulk Mail Centers, has made its first inroads into the legislative arena, meeting with aides to both of New Jersey’s U.S. senators in early October. [full story]

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Dispute Over Notification to Locals of Subcontracting Appealed to Arbitration

(10/01/08) The APWU has appealed to national-level arbitration a dispute over the Postal Service's obligation pursuant to Article 32, Section 1.C., of the National Agreement, to furnish the Union at the local level notification of subcontracting of bargaining unit work within their respective installations. It is the APWU's position that Article 32, Section 1.C., requires notification to the local union of subcontracting of bargaining unit work at local installations.

Click here for the Appeal to Arbitration and the parties' 15-Day Statements of the Issues and Facts

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Dispute Over Time Spent Undergoing Medical Evaluation Appealed to Arbitration

(10/01/08) The APWU has appealed to national-level arbitration a dispute over compensation to employees for all time spent undergoing medical evaluation or examinations at the employer's request, including travel expenses. The APWU's position is that all time spent by an employee to undergo medical evaluations or examinations requested by the Employer "constitutes hours worked," regardless of whether the time spent is during normal work hours, outside normal work hours, or on non-scheduled work-days.

Click here for the Appeal to Arbitration and the parties' 15-Day Statements of the Issues and Facts

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VER Steps At-a-Glance

Early-Retirement Info Wrong, Burrus Tells USPS

(09/10/08) APWU President William Burrus has notified the Postal Service of significant errors in information the USPS provided to employees eligible for Voluntary Early Retirement (VER) and has requested management’s “immediate attention to these matters” so that employees do not suffer irrevocable harm as a result. [full story]

Buyouts not an option

Even though the agency needs to cut staff, Vegliante said paying employees to retire early isn’t an option. The agency anticipates a $2 billion deficit for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30.

“There’s absolutely not going to be an incentive,” he said. “Economically it doesn’t make any sense at this point. It would cost us too much money, and right now we’re not in the position.”

VER Offering for:
February 28, 2009 Effective Retirement Date

Motor Vehicle; Maintenance (excluding Electronic Technicians); Rural Carriers; City Carriers

VER Offering for:

December 31, 2008 Effective Retirement Date

Clerk; Mail Handler; Supervisor, Distribution Operations; Supervisor, Customer Services

Burrus to Maintenance, Motor Vehicle Employees: Don't Go!

“My reasoning is simple,” he said. “Every APWU-represented employee who leaves early will save the USPS hundreds of thousands of dollars, yet the Postal Service is refusing to offer cash incentives.”

“Each employee who opts for the early-out will suffer a life-long reduced annuity,” Burrus said. “And with the economy spiraling downward, the opportunity to find another job after retirement has diminished. Eligible employees should be offered a cash incentive to cushion the shock.”

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AFSM 100 Update - Read the full story

On July 20, 2008, a Federal Court issued an order that the AFSM 100 was to be staffed with 5 clerks. Up to this point the USPS has attempted to read/modify the previous order in many different ways. Since the July 20th order was issued, the local APWU has attempted to work out the transfer of duties from mailhandler to clerk on the machines. Needless to say, we have met great resistance from all involved and at all levels.

The Honorable Joel Pisano, USDJ stated, "The essence of implementing the terms of the settlement agreement is that the positions available on the AFSM-100 are to be assigned to clerks up to a threshold of five positions per machine." "These are the terms that the USPS must implement." Read the 7/22/08 Opinion

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VERA UPDATE

USPS releases details of voluntary early retirement offer

The Postal Service has released details of the voluntary early retirement (VER) offer recently authorized by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for USPS employees in clerk, mail handler, supervisor of distribution operations and supervisor of customer services positions. This offer is open to employees in those positions who meet the OPM conditions, and who are at least 50 years of age with 20 years of creditable federal service or any age with 25 years of creditable federal service — see the FAQ for more details.

On Aug. 18, an annuity estimate will be mailed to all VER-eligible employees from Eagan, MN. In addition, on Aug. 22 a VER offer packet will be sent to all eligible employees containing a cover letter, an application and a list of questions and answers. Interested employees will have from Aug. 25 to Sept. 30 to submit their application. It’s important to note that Sept. 30 is the date when an employee's voluntary choice to retire becomes irrevocable.

By mid-November, the Human Resources Shared Services Center (HRSSC) will notify employees as to the status of their VER application. At that time, retirement counseling will become available. Employees receiving approval will have an effective retirement date of Dec. 31.

As a reminder, a voluntary early retirement is just that — voluntary. This timeline only applies to employees in clerk, mail handler, supervisor of distribution operations and supervisor of customer services positions who meet the eligibility requirements.

Click here for the list of frequently asked questions if you have access to Blue. Click here for the same information on LiteBlue.

Voluntary Early Retirement Authority

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Effective July 1, 2008, Handbook F-15, Travel and Relocation, is revised to reflect new reimbursement rates for travel and relocation.

The New Rate is 58.5 cents per mile for privately own vehicles

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Flat Sequence System

Deployment / Installation Begins October 2009

Watch Videos of Flats Sequencing System FSS

Source Postal Reporter

Additional FSS Information

Flats Presentations & Communications Resources

Early Info on the FSS

Source APWU

The most recent addition to the Automation stable is a workhorse called the Flat Sorter Sequencer (FSS). This new, large piece of equipment will be deployed for the first time later this year. The schedule calls for 100 FSS machines to be in operation by the end of 2010. There may be even more after that.

Anyone who remembers working on an LSM (Letter Sorting Machine) will recognize similarities with the FSS. The mail is inserted into a slot in a cart; at the bottom of the cart, a slot-door opens that drops the piece into the appropriate bin. The preventative-maintenance route is certain to include checking for open cart doors. For many there will be some deja vu.

The 360-bin FSS is divided into four logical units of 90 bins each. The automatic feed will process as many as 17,000 flats per hour through the FSS. The Postal Service intends for the FSS to walk-sequence flat mail, and to have it run the same as a two-pass DBCS (Delivery Bar Code Sorter).

The FSS machines will be deployed in multiples of two, three, four, or even five machines to an office. Most facilities already have made or are in the process of making floor space available. The latest schedule shows Bulk Mail Centers in Los Angeles, Atlanta, and New Jersey to be first in line for FSS deployment.

Increased Number of ETs

As far as the Maintenance Division is concerned, the additional FSS capability will increase the number of ETs in each office. While it will vary from office to office, you can expect up to 15 additional ETs for the first FSS. Additional machines will require more ETs, just not as many.

The effect on the number of MPE employees is not known at this time, but both MPEs and ETs will require six weeks of training at the National Center for Employee Development in Norman, OK. ETs will then spend an additional five weeks of training in Norman.

We will keep you posted on our negotiations with the Postal Service over the fine points of training for the FSS deployment.

A few tidbits you need to know once you have been injured on duty:

Recommendations for Family Medical Leave Documentation:

Deems Desirable

Sandy Schleher, Clerk Craft Director

Family Leave Coordinator

Trenton Metro Area Local

Due to several recent incidents and inquiries, it’s necessary to remind everyone about the three day waiting period you must endure when suffering a work related injury.

Injuries that result from work activity occurring over more than one day, occupational injuries, have a three-day waiting period before OWCP wage loss compensation will be paid. The employee must be in a non-pay status for the first three days. No leave may be used, but if the inability to work exceeds fourteen calendar days, compensation will be paid for any wage loss during the three-day waiting period. These rules are unchanged.

Thanks to President Bush signing the “Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act” into law, as of December 20, 2006, there is now a three day waiting period before continuation of pay (COP) is paid for traumatic injuries. Traumatic injuries occur in a single day or shift. This new rule applies to USPS employees only.

During the first three-day period of a traumatic injury, you may choose to use annual leave, sick leave or leave without pay. If the disability exceeds fourteen days, or is followed by permanent disability, any leave that was used will be restored, if LWOP was used, the employee will be paid.

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ATTENTION ALL TRENTON CLERK CRAFT EMPLOYEES

Excessing Information (5/13/08)

Think before you bid to a station and branch job

I have requested the Postal Service to rescind the excessing notices. USPS management has refused, claiming we are still overstaffed in the stations and branches.

The Postal Service has notified the union that due to a function 4 review there is a need to excess full time regular clerks from the stations and branches.

Circle Branch plans to excess 5 clerks

Downtown plans to excess 4 clerks

Fort Dix plans to excess 4 clerks

Main Office Window plans to excess 2 clerks

Mercerville plans to excess 1 clerk

Annex plans to excess 6 clerks (this is pending)

Chambersburg plans to excess 1 clerk

Yardville plans to excess 1 clerk

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