The Postal Service is given the ability to behave like a corporation through recent legislation, and that is what they did – and it wasn’t for the betterment of the corporation (USPS)

The USPS corporation is telling their employees that mail volume is down, revenue is down, and overtime will have to be cut as well as jobs, but in the same breath the give 8 of the top postal officials pay raises around 39%.

Sounds just like corporate American. The company is in trouble, so lets reward those that put it there, with mega pay raises and perks.

Just because the new legislation allows the USPS to be more "competitive" and act like a private corporation, doesn’t mean they actually are one. The USPS still belongs to the public, and are part of the federal government.

Now congress, through the Postal Accountability act, has given the USPS board of governors the authority raise the pay of up to 12 USPS workers up to an amount "not to exceed 120 percent of the vice president’s total annual compensation". So they did!

So here is how this works. The districts are told to cut hours, so less mail can be worked, or there are less people at the window to help customers. The top 8 postal managers get massive pay increases – so they can have their pay somewhat competitive with private industry.

See the logic. Cut workers hours. Cut service to the public, and increase pay to a handful of good-ole’boys, so they can hang out with other overpaid CEO’s , and not feel inferior because they are paid less. That’s good business logic.

If these postal managers feel they are underpaid for their work, then they should do what our supervisors and managers tell us, when we bitch about the USPS – they say McDonalds is hiring.

If times are not good for the USPS, the managers responsible for putting it there should not be rewarded for their failures.

If these managers have any morals and dedication to the USPS they would refuse these pay increases, or leave and go work somewhere else where they can be overpaid, like most CEO’s.

This is really a sad day for the American public. They see another rate increase in postage on the horizon, yet the USPS is paying a hand full of managers double digit pay increases, all so these managers can fit in with other overpaid CEO’s.

Some in Washington isn’t listening to the American Public about all this change we want. It’s this kind of blatant division between the haves and have-nots.

At negotiation time, the USPS likes to compare Clerks in the USPS to a sales clerk at a clothing store, and not to the UPS worker. Quit speaking out of both sides of your mouth. If you want to be compared to competitive pay in the private sector, so do we.

I just hope the national officers for the APWU don’t jump on this bandwagon, and think they need a 39% pay raise. They have always argued that they need to be on a level playing field with the PMG – so I can only imagine that this will be on the convention floor this year,

Employee have thrown a piece of mail at another employee and they were disciplined. Others have done similar and faced the same dilemma – the threat of being fired or facing the inspectors for assault.

Just recently a supervisor threw a Kleenex box at a union steward, and nothing was done.

When asked why he threw the box at the steward the supervisor was reported to have said "Because I wanted to!"

Just another example of the double standards that apply to management.

If a craft employee had thrown this same box of tissues at the same supervisor, the employee would have been removed from the building, placed on emergency placement, issued a removal and face the interrogation of the postal inspectors or inspector generals office.

"Because I wanted to" There are many things that I have wanted to do over the 29 plus years here, but I did not do, for the fact that some insecure, power hungry manager wannabe will propose removal.

It never has been do as I do (supervisors) it has always been do as I say, no matter how stupid it is, or how wrong it is.

This whole – sky is falling mantra – has even taken another step where all it apparently takes to convict someone of a fireable action, it to say so. There is not need for witnesses, not need for evidence, just a statement by one employee, that something inappropriate happened, and the other person is fired.

I think they are trying to incorporate the Patriot Act into the Employee and Labor Relation Manual. So much for civil rights!

Of course if the USPS is able to continue these practices, they won’t have to worry about any early out programs – they will have most of the employees fired!

Queen of Denial –

If you are in the Hawkeye District and have had any thing to do with Family Medical Leave, you have dealt with the Queen of Denial.

Actually there could be two of them, but clearly there is the queen of queens when it comes to denial of FMLA.

The Unions – (NALC, Mailhandlers and APWU) are still fighting all the problems we are having in the district. If you have a problem with FMLA or with one of the coordinators.

The legislative page will offer you a lot info on legislative issues and stories of national and state interest.

Working Families Tool Kit offers you a lot of really good things. You can make professional flyers on many issues that have your state or local name on it. You have to sign up for this option, but it is easy.

The took kit also offers many other things that are more political, which we can run in our publications and not violate the Hatch Act.

You can also subscribe to Working Families daily Emails. This is a really good source of daily labor information.

The issue is – we have to get active! We can not sit back and blame an outdated law for our inactivity. The law has been changed, and we can now be much more active than in the past. Look for articles from other unions and the AFL-CIO, run them. Once the candidate of choice is selected, then use these other union’s articles to garner support within our own union.

Get out there and be a reporter. Cover an event and write about what went on and what was said – report!

You can to the APWU Legislative web page and find out what you can and can not do under the Hatch Act.

Be careful what you say!

By Lance Coles, Editor

I hate to make any one more paranoid that we all ready are - big brother is watching - but as a postal employee - on or off the clock - you are really restricted on what you can say in public.

Many of you probably have never had a reason to read section in the Employee and Labor Relations Manual (ELM) on conduct. (660)

Recently an employee in another state attended a public meeting where there was a discussion about the consolidation or moving of a postal facility out of the area. This employee addressed these issues at the meeting, and a few days later they were served notice of removal from the USPS for an obscure section in the ELM.Section 668.22 of the ELM states " Employees in active status will not engage in campaigns for or against changes in mail service. This regulation will not be construed to infringe on the rights to participate in labor organizations."

Basically what this is saying is that if you attend a meeting - regardless of how large, how public or how well reported, and you stand up - for or against - the USPS proposed changes you are placing your self in a position to be fired.

Here we are back to being second class citizens - but the fact remains that all it takes is one power hungry, over-zealous supervisor to get you fired for exercising what you thought were your constitutional rights.

If your area or office is facing USPS proposed changes, and you want to make your community and leaders aware, do so on behalf of the union or let your union officials make the media and public comments. It is not a guaranteed - get out of jail free card - but if you truly feel compelled to speak up, let them know you are here as a proud union member of your union and speaking on this issue with permission of the union. ( oh yeah let your local or state union know what you intend to say and to whom.)

This also goes for letters to the editor. If you write one, do so as a union member, with the union permission, or let the union do so.

It is really unfortunate that many of us do not have the right to speak up on injustice and wrongdoing. It may be that we will have to go through the "whistle blower" protection practice in order to get our voice heard - it's better than being fired!

Use the law and get ACTIVE!

By Lance Coles, Advisor

A few years ago Congress changed the Hatch Act law giving federal employees the ability to be more active in partisan politics.

We have been given more privileges than we had in the past and we need to take advantage of them.

I know you hear this every election year, but this is a very important year for politics. Unions and the working people of America have great opportunity to elect people who are labor friendly and people who will help change laws that will make it easier for union to grow and to bring back the middle class.

Just because the Hatch Act prohibits you from certain activities, it does allow you to do a lot.

One of the easiest ways to get political information into your publications is to cover a story. Go to a rally, a caucus, or primary. Write what the candidate said, or what went on. You are not bound by equal time, so you are not obligated to cover one party equal to another.

You can get articles from your State Federation of Labor or Central Body.

Another great source of information is through the AFL-CIO. Go to www.aflcio.org. Once you are on their web page you have several options, but the two most useful for politics is the Legislative Alerts Center and Working Families Tool Kits.

By Lance Coles, Editor, IPWU

Good Bye Mr. Shipman!

This is something you will probably not see too often – that is a union official praising someone in management.

There are adversaries out there that deserve praise – and have earned respect.

D. James Shipman is one of these people. He was the Manager of Human Resources for the Hawkeye District for many years.

I called him Mr. Shipman out of respect. He never asked for or demanded respect – he just earned it.

I asked him several times if he was ever going to retire – he would always tell me no – because he loved what he was doing. Lung cancer put an end to his desire and his life. Mr. Shipman died May, ??, 2008.

It was probably no surprise to those of us that knew him, that his smoking would play a part in his demise.

Mr. Shipman would walk in to a meeting room, with long lanky strides. No hurry, just confidence in himself, and respect to all in the room.

As a new steward, I thought I knew it all. I took on the best of them – with many ending in a yelling match, often within ear shot of others – i.e. Mr. Shipman.

Mr. Shipman would ask me into his office. He would quietly close the door. Patiently walk back to his flawlessly clean desk and sit down, all while I continued to rant and rave.

He sat back in his chair, and patiently waited for me to finish. He would then tell me his position, where I could find it, and how I was wrong – not just in my argument, but in my presentation.

This happened several time early in my career, and it was probably due to Mr. Shipman that I have lasted here this long.

I only saw him get angry once, and that was when he was trying to convince a postmaster, that he was not obligated to do what I and a grievant were asking for. He lost that argument – but he never lost his temper.

He came a long way from a clerk in Nebraska, through law school, to a manager in the USPS. He was well respected by the Postal Service in that he was often asked to be a part of their contract negotiation team. His decisions and memos, we along reaching and have played a major roll in shaping the union/management climate in the state of Iowa.

He was well respected by union officials from the newest steward to national officers. His opinion was respected, even if you disagreed with it.

There is no doubt that Mr. Shipman played an important part in shaping my life, I have been blessed to know him and even more blessed that I never had to be an arbitration advocate, across the table, from him.

He was dependable, reliable, and a classic – much like his old red Ford truck.

He will be missed, but not forgotten.

Thank you Mr. Shipman for all you have done for all of us.

Hey You Small Office clerks – you may be entitled to level 6

By Lance Coles, Editor

If you accept Bulk Mailings in your office, you may be entitled to level 6 pay and a level 6 job should be posted.

According to APWU National Officers, the upgrade of Bulk Mail Clerks to level 6 is applicable to all Sale and Service Associate, Services and Distribution Associates and all Lead Sales and Services Associates.

Effective March 16, 2006, any employee who performs these duties – "accepts, classifies, and computes the chargeable postage on second or third class mail matter or both." - will be performing Level 6 work

According to APWU President Burrus the USPS and APWU have also agreed that the ELM section dealing with "mixed duty assignments" is also applicable. ELM section 233.3 requires that a duty assignment be posted at the higher level when:

"when a full-time employee is regularly scheduled every workday " to perform the higher level bulk mail duties, or:
"When a full-time employee…performs the work of two separate positions in different grades...on intermittent days…the employee is placed in the position in which more than 50% of the time is spent. If the time is equally divided, the employee is placed in the higher grade position."

If the Clerk is accepting bulk mailings on a daily basis, regardless of the amount of time spent daily, the duty assignment should be posted as a newly established Level 6 LSSA.

If the SSA is accepting bulk mailings intermittently but at least 20 hours per week, the duty assignment should also be posted as a newly established Level 6 LSSA.

If the SSA is accepting bulk mailings intermittently but less than 20 hours per week, they should be paid higher level pay for time actually spent on the bulk mailings.

The clerks that qualify for this Level 6 position, or act as relief for this position are also entitled to the official two-week training program in Norman Oklahoma. Employees not working or relieving in a Bulk Mail Acceptance Unit, but are performing those duties 20 hours or more per week must also attend the official training program.

Those that work bulk mail less than 20 hours per week will receive the 8 full hours of training in the Business Mail Acceptance Training for Associate Offices Course 23201-09

If you believe the work you are doing in your office meets the criteria for these upgrades, you need to contact the union right away.

Legislative Director

May 01, 2017

COPA

All COPA solicitations, in publications or personal appeals, should be accompanied by a "disclaimer" that gives assurances that all contributions are voluntary and that no favor will be bestowed or withheld as a result of a contribution or the failure to make a contribution. The following language, which is on the APWU COPA contribution form, should be reprinted in any publication or correspondence urging COPA contributions:

Contributions or gifts to COPA are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. COPA will use the contributions it receives for political purposes, including making contributions to candidates for federal, state, and local offices, and addressing political issues of public importance. Contributions to COPA are voluntary. More or less than the suggested amount may be given, and the amount given or the refusal to give will not benefit or disadvantage the person being solicited. Federal law requires political action committees to report the name, mailing address, occupation, and employer for each individual whose contributions aggregate in excess of $200 in a calendar year.

To Contribute to COPA through PostalEase

1. Dial 1-877-477-3272

2. Press #1 for PostalEase

3. When prompted, enter your employee Identification Number (EIN)

4. When prompted again, enter your USPS PIN number. If you do not know your PIN number, call PostalEasr, 1-877-477-3272, press #1 for PostalEase, when prompted enter your social security number, when prompted for your PIN, pause, thenpress #2, your PIN will be mailed to you.)

5. When prompted choose option #2 (to select payrool allotments)

6. When prompted, choose option #1 (to select the type of allotment)

7. When prompted press #2 to continue.

8. When prompted, press #3 to "add" the allotment.

9. When prompted, add routing number 054001220

10. When prompted, enter the COPA account number 29320001 followed by your social security number (no hyphens; 17 digits total) press #1 if correct.

11. When prompted, press #1 for checking

12. When prompted for the dollar amount enter your choice for a bi-weekly allotment; press #1 if correct.

13. When prompted, press #1 to process; at this point you will be provided with a confirmation number and the start date of the allotment. Record the confirmation number and the start date.

14. Press #1 to repeat or

#9 to end the call

Motor Vehicle

Jan 04, 2009

Vehicles

Subcontracting Practices
Contribute to USPS Woes

(This article first appeared in the January/February 2009 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.)

We are struck by the sorry condition of the country in general, and the condition of the Postal Service in particular, and we wonder how we ended up in this position.

It is apparent to us that the country got in this predicament because of deregulation of the financial markets, which led to a breakdown of the lines between investment banks and commercial banks, and the issuance of too many loans, which many people are unable to repay due to a decrease in property values or unemployment.

Some of our country’s Fortune 500 companies are implementing massive layoffs, and the collapse of financial markets leaves us unsure whether the $700-billion government bailout will bring us back. Hopefully, it will free up the movement of capital and ease the pressures on stock prices, which have affected everyone. Even if you do not invest in the market, virtually all pension plans are tied to the stock market. This has a severely adverse effect on our economy.

Close to Home

When we look at the USPS and its treatment of Postal Vehicle Service, we see the same sort of phenomena that led to the economic collapse: unregulated practices. In the case of the Motor Vehicle Craft, the unregulated practices involve subcontracting.

The Postal Service is eager to contract out our work whether it will be cost effective or not. As a recent study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found, USPS managers cannot demonstrate that they save money through subcontracting.

PS Forms 5505, which are used to make cost-comparisons between PVS and private contractors, do not give an accurate account; they consistently elevate MVS costs. The Postal Service has put the burden of costs that should be placed on the Highway Contract Route ledger on us, which drives up our costs per mile and the cost of MVS Craft work in general. The result is a PVS operation that appears to be very inefficient.

It is amazing that while the USPS has employees who are fairly young and who will be on the rolls for quite some time, management gives away work that these drivers need to remain gainfully employed. Anyone who has had a trucking company or has worked for one realizes that an enterprise can make money only while the trucks “roll.” To park trucks while subcontracting work ultimately renders the operation inefficient and unprofitable. We see it from coast to coast: MVS employees sitting in the swing room and performing no useful function while our trucks are sitting idle in the yard. It’s a waste of money and time.

Needless Ventures

The amount of work that typically is subcontracted out of a Vehicle Maintenance Facility is outrageous. If it did not have such serious implications, it would be laughable. For instance, the Postal Service will pay $300 to $500 to have a contractor tow a large truck, when they have a tow truck on hand and employees on duty to perform this work. (This is true even when relatively short distances are involved.)

But when you are paying that kind of money, it doesn’t matter whether the trucks are far away or nearby, it would still be more cost-effective to have the work done by postal employees. When work is contracted out for $80 to $100 an hour and even higher, it just does not make sense. There are competent MVS employees on site, with trucks available that do not need to be transported.

The problem is not limited to MVS, of course. Mail volume is down, yet the Postal Service continues to push more mail out of the postal system and into private mailing houses. As a result, virtually none of the mail processing facilities are operating anywhere close to full processing capacity. You would think the Postal Service would be trying to make use of its own space, equipment, and personnel instead of shifting the work elsewhere.

You have to wonder what the Postal Service is planning in terms of a long-term strategy: It’s almost like it has a program to make the system so inefficient that Congress will step in, break up the USPS, sell off key parts, and shut down some portions.

Despite the odds, we are actually hopeful about the future, in part because we now have more friends in Congress and, of course, in the White House.

Winds of Disaster

We have passed through another hurricane season and are very fortunate that we only had one major hurricane hit the continental United States in 2008.

The reason we bring this up is that once again we went through the season without the Postal Service officially stating at what point during a high-wind storm it is too dangerous to operate a commercial vehicle.

How hard must the wind be blowing? How high must wind speeds be before it is too dangerous for our drivers to pull an empty 11-ton truck or an empty trailer? Empty trucks and trailers can be flipped over by high winds. It is not a common occurrence, but it is also not a rare occurrence. It is a dangerous situation not just for the driver, but for the public in general.

The Postal Service always claims that safety is its first concern, yet it has not been willing to discuss this issue with the APWU. We plan to press them on this, however, and maybe by next year’s hurricane season we will have some results. Since it is a danger for everybody, we are asking that local MVS employees ask their managers for a standard operating- procedure document on the policies covering postal-vehicle operation in wind storms.

Scanning

It is imperative that we receive credit for all the mail and equipment that we transport, so “scanning” remains a critical issue for the MVS Division. Most of the audits are done electronically, off-site, so it really can be a problem for us when there is no verification on site of our actual loads.

Quite simply, we need to make sure that what we move gets entered into the system. The Postal Service has not responded to our inquiries regarding whether everything is actually being scanned.

This is a serious issue that impacts the fight to keep our work. So we ask again that you please keep pressing your local management on this issue: Make consistent contact with whoever is doing the scanning, and make sure they are doing it with actual site verification, and not from a book, where bar codes represent each truck. Scanning from a book could mean that individual loads would never be verified.

When loads are documented only by the bar codes, it is a type of falsification of postal forms and is a very serious offense as far as the union is concerned. Please be vigilant and assure that everything we pull is scanned into the system so we can receive proper credit.

Support Services (MCA)

Dec 23, 2008

Lee Gray - leeapwulocal44ssc@gmail.com

Bill Manley -

Bill Manley
Director
Support Services Division
8009-34th Avenue, South
Suite 1250
Bloomington, MN 55425
(952) 854-0093
(952) 854-0268 (FAX)