Employees may at their own option request two (2) selections during the choice periods in units of either 5 or 10 working days. The sum total not to exceed ten (10) or fifteen (15) days total. Anyone requesting part of a week (one (1) to four (4) days) as one of their two choices, may do so but this choice will take up the entire week.
- Requests to cancel annual leave after it has been approved.
A). Must be submitted ten (10) days prior to the start of the leave time if whole leave time is cancelled.
B). This time will be posted for seven (7) days. Senior bidder will be awarded this time frame if two choices haven’t been used as seen in Item 7.1 Of this agreement.
C). Part-time cancellations must be approved by the APWU and Management.
D). Emergency cancellations will be taken under consideration by the APWU and USPS management. This will require the approval of both parties.
3) Application for annual leave during the choice vacation period submitted after the 10th day of April will be accepted on a first-come-first-served needs of the service basis, five (5) days after the official posting in Item 11 of this agreement.
ITEM 9
DETERMINATION OF THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES WHO SHALL RECEIVE LEAVE EACH WEEK DURING THE CHOICE VACATION PERIOD.
- Fifteen (15) percent of the clerks will be allowed off during prime time as stated below. This will be either one (1) window clerk, and one (1) distribution clerk, or two (2) distribution clerks. One window clerk will be allowed off at one time. One (1) PTF clerk will be allowed off at one time.
- During the months of April and May the percentage will round down (.4 and below will go down and .5 and above will go up.) Exception to this will be the last week of May if it overlaps into June, then the percentage will round up on any fraction.
- The months of June, July and August will round up on any fraction. The exception to this will be the last week of August. If it overlaps into September, then the percentage will round down. (.4 and below will round down and .5 and above will go up.)
- September and October percentage will be fifteen (15%) percent (.4 and below will round down, .5 and above will round up).
ITEM 10
REQUESTS FOR ANNUL LEAVE FOR CHOICE VACATION PERIOD.
Applications for both annual leave and sick leave will be submitted in duplicate.
ITEM 11
NOTIFICATION OF THE NEW LEAVE YEAR.
An official notice of the vacation schedule shall be posted on the official leave calendar, and the duplicate application slips for annual leave shall be returned to each employee within ten (10) days after April 10th.
ITEM 12
THE PROCEDURES FOR SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS FOR ANNUAL LEAVE DURING OTHER THAN CHOICE VACATION PERIOD.
Annual leave applications for periods other than the choice vacation period shall be granted on a first come first served, needs of the service basis.
ITEM 13
THE METHOD OF SELECTING EMPLOYEES TO WORK ON A HOLIDAY.
- PTF’s and Casuals.
- Volunteer regulars with day off as holiday by seniority
- Regulars with designated holiday off by inverse seniority.
- Regulars with day off by seniority (OTDL).
- Regulars with day off by inverse seniority.
ITEMS 15, 16 & 17
LIGHT DUTY ASSIGNMENTS
Light duty assignments will be considered only after compliance with article 13 of the 2000-2003 National Agreement. In no case shall regular employees in the gaining craft be displaced or denied preferred duty because employees of another craft have been assigned light duty in that craft.
- Light duty assignments for the clerk craft shall consist mainly of:
- Letter and flat mail distribution
- Working box section
- Clerical work which the employee may be able to perform subject to the findings of a medical examination.
- Light duty assignments for the maintenance craft shall consist of:
- Light cleaning of floors and fixtures.
- Other tasks the employees may be able to perform subject to the findings of a medical examination.
ITEM 20
THE DETERMINATION AS TO WHETHER ANNUAL LEAVE TO ATTEND UNION ACTIVITIES REQUESTED PRIOR TO DETERMINATION OF THE CHOICE VACATION SCHEDULE IS TO BE PART OF THE TOTAL CHOICE VACATION PLAN.
- Annual leave to attend union activities requested prior to determination of the choice vacation schedule shall not be part of the total choice vacation plan.
- When an employee is called for jury duty or is in attendance at a national, regional or state union convention, the time shall not be charged to the choice vacation period.
ITEM 21
POSTINGS
- Within the clerk craft, assignments shall be reposted when the starting time is changed more than one hour.
- Within the clerk craft, an assignment shall be reposted for bidding if the time spent on the principal duties of the assignment are changed fifty (50%) percent or more as determined by the job description in the original posting.
- The successful bidder shall be placed in the assignment with fourteen (14) days except in the month of December.
ITEM 22
LOCAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THIS AGREEMENT RELATING TO SENIORITY, REASSIGNMENTS AND POSTING.
- The union shall be notified at the same time as the employee in case of detail or reassignment to another installation.
- The union shall be notified when a senior employee volunteers to be reassigned in place of an excess employee.
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
LOCAL ARTICLE 17: REPRESENTATION
Management shall meet jointly at least once each quarter with representatives of the APWU, Des Moines Iowa Area Local. Such meetings are to be held the third week of the first month of the quarter unless mutually agreed changes are made.
The agenda of items for discussion at these meetings is to be submitted at least two (2) working days in advance of the meeting. Items not placed on such agenda shall be discussed only by mutual consent of the parties.
The time and location of these meetings is to be determined by mutual agreement.
At such meetings there may be three (3) representing each: The union and management. There will be no more than one representative of the union on official time at such meetings. Earliest possible information will be provided and consultations will be held with the union to the greatest possible extent on any changes in the basic work schedule or duty assignments, in an attempt to maintain the cooperative effort of this Local Memorandum of Understanding.
LOCAL ARTICLE 19: EMPLOYEE PRIVILEGES
- Employees may use a radio with headphones while working in a stationary work assignment. Employees outside the post office shall be allowed to carry small pocket radios for their personal use.
- Smoking will be allowed in designated areas only.
- The union shall continue using lockers assigned to them in the locker room. The union officers shall be responsible for the security of union property, which may be kept in the lockers. Lockers will be subject to inspection for cleanliness or neatness the same as employee lockers.
- Employees shall be allowed to leave personal effects in assigned vehicles within reason and subject to inspection. As other employees may be using the same vehicle. Loss or damage to items left shall be at the leaving employees’ own risk.
- All employees shall, upon request, have the right to review their own official personnel folder, on their own time.
LOCAL ARTICLE 10: SICK LEAVE
- Approved sick leave may be changed at the employees option to annual leave or leave without pay.
- No minimum sick leave balance shall be established below which an employees’ sick leave record would be considered unsatisfactory.
LOCAL ARTICLE 8: HOURS OF WORK AND DUTY ASSIGNEMTNS:
- Employees may arrange mutual trades submitted in writing for weekend and holiday work with the permission of management.
- The maximum time an employee shall be required to work without a lunch period shall be six (6) hours.
- Advance notice shall be given to employees when overtime is required, where possible.
_________________________ _________________________
Postmaster Lance A Coles, President
Newton, Iowa DMI Area Local – 44
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