Category: Contract Issues

THEY DON’T HAVE THE RIGHT!

By: Western Regional Coordinator “Omar Gonzalez” We often hear that ‘management has the right to mismanage.’ NO THEY DON’T!  Laws require that USPS be run efficiently, including managing the workforce. Postal regulations, statutes and our contract outline what management cannot do. When we fight management, we must use all three resources. Postal life would be less hectic if only all parties followed the union contract. Regulations related to your working conditions, hours and wages are subject to […]

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RI-399 Jurisdictional Disputes

Disputes over work assignments — and which craft should be assigned responsibility for performing specific duties — are known as “jurisdictional disputes.” Disagreements over whether duties in mail processing operations should be assigned to Clerk Craft employees or to Mail Handlers are often referred to as “RI 399” disputes, named for Regional Instruction #399, Mail Processing Work Assignment Guidelines. [PDF] RI 399, which was issued in February 1979 by the Postal Service and modified several times […]

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RI-399 Monetary Settlement Distribution | APWU

03/02/2019 – As previously reported, in 2018 the APWU, the National Postal Mail Handlers’ Union (NPMHU), and the USPS reached a tripartite agreement updating the RI-399 work jurisdiction process. As part of the agreement on the update to the RI-399 process, all pending RI-399 grievances filed prior to September 1, 2017, were administratively closed with some limited exceptions. The Postal Service agreed that they would pay $14.5 million to each union in consideration of the withdrawal of […]

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Fighting Back On-the-Clock

By Clerk Division Director Clint Burelson  Are you tired of management knowingly and willfully violating the contract, providing poor service to the public and otherwise doing whatever they want? There are many ways to fight back and one way is on-the-clock. By utilizing the grievance procedure, you can get paid for improving the Postal Service while you are at work. Grievances are On-the-Clock for a Reason One of the reasons behind paying employees to address […]

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Wounded Warrior Leave

APWU WEB NEWS ARTICLE #:246-2016 02/11/2019 – Consistent with the requirements of the Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act of 2015, the Postal Service allows veteran employees who meet the eligibility requirements to take Wounded Warrior Leave. This is a specific type of leave, which provides veteran employees with no loss in pay, for undergoing medical treatment for a service-related disability rated at 30% or more. DEFINITIONS Wounded Warrior Leave is an authorized absence from the Postal Service to undergo medical […]

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Is the Postal Service Sick?

By Western Regional Coordinator Omar Gonzalez 33,400+ employees are absent daily claims management, triggering their Attendance Control Employee Availability (AC/EA) crackdown while they impose so-called “Dynamic Scheduling.” Leave rules in CBA Article 10 and the Employee & Labor Relations Manual (ELM) Chapter 510 have existed for 40 years. ACEA can’t change those rules. ELM 665.11 requires you to be regular in attendance. However, ELM 511.1 requires management to administer leave on an equitable basis for […]

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Reduce Inequality with Conversions to Career

By Clerk Division Director Clint Burelson  The single most effective bang for the buck method to significantly reduce inequality at the Postal Service is to convert a Postal Support Employee (PSE) to career. The increase in pay and benefits is estimated at $26,000 a year or about $2,000 a month. With career status, the PSEs will earn retirement, see a boost in pay, be eligible for good health care, get set schedules with regular hours, […]

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Clerk Craft Settles 4 National Disputes with USPS

The Clerk Craft recently settled four (4) Step 4 National Disputes with the Postal Service that (1.) address the assignment of injured on duty employees in USPS “pilot” or experimental programs, (2.) Lead Clerk duties and leading other employees, same level and higher, (3.) 204B details to non-supervisory positions, and (4.) Lead Clerk and TACs training and duties. Lamont Brooks, Clerk Craft Assistant Director, was the assigned officer for the disputes and handled the negotiations that led to the favorable settlements. Injured on […]

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Employee Rights During Interrogations

Postal employees are subject to investigation by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) and/or Postal Inspection Service for off-duty as well as on-duty offenses. Generally, off-duty non-postal offenses that are subject to investigation include serious acts of criminal violence; use of firearms or dangerous weapons in the commission of a crime; grand larceny, burglary, embezzlement, or robbery, and sale or possession of narcotics or dangerous drugs. Other off-duty non-postal offenses may also result in investigations. […]

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Understanding Your Rights

Many employees accept unwarranted discipline, simply because they are unaware of their rights. Sometimes out of fear of losing their job, or being harassed by their supervisor, employees let things go and hope for the best. But things often get worse – and before they realize what’s happening, they’re in trouble. Therefore, it’s imperative that you know your rights. File a Grievance Grievances should be filed within 14 days of an incident – whether it […]

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Hundreds of SPSS Clerk Craft Jobs Preserved

Web News Article #: 250-2016 12/09/2016 – The APWU prevailed in an arbitration that keeps hundreds of Clerk Craft jobs in the union’s bargaining unit. The decision clarifies what ability the Postal Service has to change craft work assignments for new machinery. When the new Small Parcel Sorting System (SPSS) machines were installed, the Postal Service first assigned all of the work to the Mail Handler Craft. After a closer and better review, the USPS reassigned […]

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Two Settlements Address DBCS Staffing And Employee Orientation Disputes

Web News Article #: 196-2016 09/01/2016 – The APWU and USPS signed two important Step 4 settlements recently, Industrial Relations Director Tony D. McKinnon Sr. has announced. On Aug. 24, with the help of Assistant Clerk Craft Director Lynn Pallas-Barber, McKinnon reached agreement with the Postal Service on the issue of whether the “normal staffing” of two clerks per machine on Delivery Bar Code Sorters (DBCS) should be a minimum requirement. The settlement is designed to address […]

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