PostalReporter.com Blog

 At a meeting at USPS Headquarters on June 23, the Postal Service briefed APWU Clerk Craft officers about plans to consolidate operations in large stations and branches. Managers also provided the union with an updated list of 3,243 stations and branches in Level-24-and-above installations that are being reviewed. At the briefing, postal officials said that 740 already had been identified as candidates for consolidation and/or closing.

http://apwu.org/dept/clerks/index.htm

The US Postal Service has reduced its career complement from in the last twelve months (June 2008 to June 2009) from 669,372 to 633,046–a difference of 36,326. The clerk craft suffered the biggest reduction — 197,966 to 182,592 (15,374 lost jobs).

The other career employees categories also suffered a reduction of jobs from this same time last year:

(Total number of employees are in brackets)

City carriers - 11,435 (202,971)
Mail Handlers - 2,938   (53,651)
Motor Vehicle Operators - 385 (8,241)
Vehicle Maintenance - 127 (5,299)
Maintenance Service - 303  (39,807)
Rural carriers -753       (67,950)
Managers/Supervisors -1,902  (29,997)
PM/Installation Head - 1816 (23,285)
Headquarters -153 (2,727)
Area offices- 173  (1,130)

Source: USPS On Rolls and Paid Employee Statistics report (ORPES) June, 2009 (Pay Period 13, FY 2009) filed with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC)

According to Greg Bell, APWU Director Industrial Relations

Locally Filed Osha Complaints and a National Unfair Labor Practice Charge are among the actions taken by the APWU in our ongoing battle with the Postal Service over ergonomic hazards on the Delivery Bar Code Sorter (DBCS). In a March 25, 2009, letter to local presidents [PDF], the national union urged locals to file individual complaints with the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) for each facility that has a DBCS within the installation

In addition, we filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board on Dec. 22, 2008, and an amended charge on March 9, 2009, protesting the Postal Service’s refusal to meet and bargain in good faith about ergonomic issues revealed in an OSHA report.We also protested the Postal Service’s failure to provide information that we repeatedly have requested.

In late October 2007, OSHA conducted an assessment of the DBCS operations at the Denver P&DC. OSHA’s review documented that ergonomic risks associated with the DBCS operations are still present, and that some of the findings are similar to the findings of two prior National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Health Hazard Evaluations.

Despite the OSHA reports, the Postal Service has refused every attempt by the APWU to discuss the hazards, and continues to willfully expose postal employees to risks associated with the operation of the DBCS.

In addition to ignoring OSHA and NIOSH reports, the Postal Service ignores its own handbooks, manuals, and training programs, as well as the DBCS manufacturer’s manuals for the safe and healthful operation of the equipment. The Postal Service insists that it is making progress in reducing injuries, and that the DBCS is not a cause of Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD).

OSHA and NIOSH, on the other hand, have documented that employees are exposed to hazards and are at risk for injuries due to improper equipment installation, including foot-print allocation; support equipment placement and organization; improper allocation of heavy volumes of mail to higher-risk sorting bins; ergonomically unsound loading- and sweeping-procedures; and are subject to various administrative deficiencies such as inadequate work-rest cycles/rotation; insufficient training (both initial and refresher), and questionable equipment-maintenance practices.

On May 1, 2009, the NLRB issued a formal Complaint and Notice of Hearing for the Postal Service’s continued failure and refusal to provide the union with requested documents pertaining to the DBCS-7, the latest version of the machine, as well as information regarding internal reviews of OSHA’s assessment of the DBCS.

In addition to asking the Board to force the Postal Service to provide the requested documentation, the union sought injunctive relief that would require the USPS to meet to discuss these ergonomic issues. The NLRB Regional Director agreed and was prepared to go to court to force the Postal Service to meet. Faced with the threat of an injunction, the Postal Service backed down.

Since then, the Postal Service has met once, but the NRLB Regional Director issued a complaint, nonetheless, because of the “unreasonable delay” in giving the union relevant information. The Regional Director has scheduled a hearing on July 20, 2009, on the allegations in the complaint.

In the meantime, any local with a DBCS that has not yet filed an OSHA complaint should do so as soon as possible. The form necessary for filing a complaint, as well as a packet of information that must be submitted with it, is available on the Industrial Relations pages at http://www.apwu.org/.

Related link:  PMG Potter Responds To Inquiry Sent By Lawmaker Regarding DBCS Machines

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards recent criminal enforcement data:

On June 8, 2009, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, Brian Brownlee, former Vice-President of American Postal Workers Union (APWU) 2nd District (located in Hot Springs, Ark.), pled guilty to embezzling union funds in the amount of $16,221.30.  An OLMS investigation concluded that Brownlee falsified vouchers for travel, per diem, lodging and lost time.  The plea follows an investigation by the OLMS Dallas District Office.

On June 3, 2009, in the 79th District Court of Mason County, Michigan, Kimberly Drake, former Treasurer of American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Local 3466 (located in Ludington, Mich.), pled guilty to one count of embezzlement of $200 or more but less than $1,000.  Drake was immediately sentenced to two years probation, ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,050 and fined $160.  Drake previously made restitution in the amount of $450.  The plea and sentencing follow an investigation by the OLMS Detroit District Office.

On June 1, 2009, in Circuit Court for the City of Richmond, Va., Sylvia Grooms, Director of Industrial Relations for American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Local 199 (located in Richmond, Va.), was indicted on four counts of grand larceny associated with feloniously and unlawfully stealing the union’s property.  The indictment follows an investigation by the OLMS Washington District Office, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General.

On May 13, 2009, in the 79th District Court of Mason County, Michigan, Kimberly Drake, former Treasurer of American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Local 3466 (located in Ludington, Mich.), was charged with one count of forgery and one count of embezzlement of $1,000 or more but less than $20,000.  The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Detroit District Office.

On May 6, 2009, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Mozelle E. Means-Swanson, former President of American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Local 7139 (located in Aurora, Ill.),  was indicted on one count of embezzling union funds in the amount of $4,900. The indictment follows an investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office.

On April 3, 2009, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, Richard M. Clark, former Secretary Treasurer of Letter Carriers Branch 468 (located in Bowling Green, Ky.), was charged with embezzling $18,680 in union funds and concealing and destroying union records. The charges follow an investigation by the OLMS Cincinnati District Office

On March 30, 2009, in the United States District Court, Southern District of Ohio, Tina Curtis, former Secretary Treasurer for the APWU Local 232 (located in Columbus, Ohio), was sentenced to three years probation, 100 hours of community service and ordered to make restitution. On November 17, 2008, Curtis pled guilty to embezzling $18,283 in union funds. The sentencing follows an investigation by the OLMS Cleveland District Office

The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a bill to allow government employees within the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) to credit unused sick leave toward time-in-service pension calculations.

The sick-leave language was added to the Disabled Military Retiree Relief Act of 2009, which the House approved June 25 by a unanimous, 404-0 vote.

The measure calls for bringing some FERS benefits in line with those already enjoyed by workers covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), and it contains a number of other components geared toward boosting benefits for both FERS and CSRS employees.

The Act also fixes the Postal Service’s T-COLA levels in effect December 31 as the minimum T-COLA level for Alaska, Hawaii and U.S. territories as well. If the bill passes, those levels could rise if the federal locality rates rise in specific locations, but they could not be reduced.

Unfortunately, the outlook for including the FERS sick leave and T-COLA provisions in the Senate version remains cloudy. Earlier this month, South Carolina’s Jim DeMint forcedthe removal of the provision from another bill, and there are no signs that his position has changed.

source: NALC

From APWU Tri County First Area Local (Media, Pennsylvania)

Sharon Young, a Sales and Service Associate at the Norristown Post Office, has been issued a Letter of Suspension following an incident with a customer who complained that Ms. Young did not assist her with filling out more than 100 customs forms for parcels the customer was mailing to Japan. 

All Sales and Service Associates have received training instructions from postal management not to fill out forms for customers, and to provide the forms to the customers and ask them to step back to the front of the line when the forms are completed.  The training instructions concerning international customs forms stem from regulations posted in the International Mail Manual.  However, the Norristown Post Office management decided to skip over several levels of discipline and contradict Postal Handbooks and Manuals in an effort to “keep the customer happy.”  The Tri County First Area Local Chief Steward for Norristown is assisting Ms. Young with grievances regarding the suspension and accompanying harassment.

(Georgia) The Postal Service demoted Linda Parker from the position of Supervisor, Customer Services, EAS-17, to the position of PTF Clerk, PS-05, effective October 25, 2008.  The Supervisor was charged with unsatisfactory performance and failure to follow instructions with respect to two specifications. The first concerned instructions from Parker’s supervisor to “perform a full office proficiency and street count on one route weekly starting March 24, 2008.” The other concerned the Supervisor’s alleged continuing failure to “clear” clock ring errors on a daily basis. The deciding official sustained the charges, including both specifications, and found that demotion was warranted to promote the efficiency of the Postal Service, taking into account the Supervisor’s oral response and past disciplinary record. The Supervisor filed an appeal with MSPB.

An administrative judge initially sustained the Postal Service’s charges against the Supervisor but mitigated the demotion penalty to a 30-day suspension. But the Postal Service petitioned for a review of that decision. MSPB reversed the inital decision of the administrative judge and sustained the demotion.

see Parker vs USPS

 House Approves Bill That Includes FERS Sick Leave Credit

 H.R. 2990 (Disabled Military Retiree Relief Act of 2009) would ‘provide that federal employees receive credit for unused sick leave when determining annuity if they have not been paid for those days.  The bill also enables federal employees to deposit refunds of retirement deductions with interest under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS).  Additionally, certain District of Columbia employees who transfer to federal employment would be eligible for federal retirement credit.”

Other portions of the bill includes:

This legislation seeks to expand the number of military “Chapter 61″ retirees-a reference to the section of the U.S. Code covering the military disability retirement plan-that would be allowed to receive their full military retired pay plus veterans’ disability compensation. This is a change from current law in which retirement pay is typically reduced dollar-for-dollar by any amount received in disability compensation

Retired Pay Benefits:  H.R. 2990 would adjust retired military pay and grade for reserve members who are recalled to active status and who complete at least two years of service in active status.  These adjustments would be retroactive to January 1, 2008.

The bill would also expand for nine months (January through September 2010) the eligibility for concurrent receipt of both military retired pay and veterans’ disability compensation for all Chapter 61 disability retirees, regardless of their disability rating or years of service.

Compensation and Benefits for Service Members:  H.R. 2990 would extend for one year certain bonus and special pay authorities for reserve forces, health care professionals serving in the Selected Reserve, as well as nuclear officers.  Additionally, the bill would extend for one year certain authorities for special pay, incentive pay and bonuses for military personnel.  This includes hazardous duty pay, reenlistment bonuses, referral bonuses, skill incentive pay, and retention incentives for service members assigned to high priority units.

NALC pressing USPS on Saturday delivery: NALC is pushing the Postal Service for a full briefing on USPS’ internal study on the feasibility of eliminating Saturday delivery. That briefing is expected to take place shortly. Regardless, NALC remains adamantly opposed to ending six-day delivery, said NALC President Bill Young.

In response to the financial crisis facing the Postal Service due to the severe national recession and the impact of electronic substitution, postal management has launched an internal study on the feasibility of eliminating Saturday delivery across the United States

NALC received a letter dated June 11 from the Postal Service requesting the union’s input on this study, with a request that such input be provided by June 19, 2009. In view of the profound impact such a change would have on the Postal Service and on letter carriers across the country, NALC rejected the timeline suggested by the USPS and requested a full briefing on the subject before responding to the June 11 letter. That briefing has not yet been provided, though we expect it to take place shortly.

“The NALC’s position on this issue should be crystal clear: We oppose the elimination of six-day delivery,” said NALC President Bill Young. “Downsizing the Postal Service to meet the needs of a severely depressed economy is short-sighted and self-defeating—it will cost us tens of thousands of jobs and open the way to competitors to provide service on the sixth day,” he added.

NALC is committed to working with Congress and the administration to find better ways to help the Postal Service remain viable. “Rather than contemplate a radical change like the elimination of Saturday delivery, we should pursue more sensible solutions,” said Executive Vice President Fred Rolando.

“First and foremost, Congress should re-examine all the retirement financing decisions made by the Bush administration that have so burdened the Postal Service in this time of economic crisis. Eliminating the FERS military benefit cost to postal ratepayers, granting the Postal Service eligibility for Medicare Part D subsidies, as intended by law, and fundamentally reforming the scheme for pre-funding retiree health benefits are essential first steps,” he added.

“Expanding services and making full use of the Postal Service’s invaluable last-mile network is the key to the future,” Rolando said.

source: NALC