t o n f a m o the s f a l a p w u apwu agreement with usps … · 2014. 8. 4. · fort myers, fl...
TRANSCRIPT
Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage
PAIDFort Myers, FLPermit No. 139
APWU Agreement With USPS OutlinesProcedure For Filling Residual Vacancies
THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER FOR ALL MEMBERS OF THE SOUTHWEST FLORIDA AREA LOCAL AMERICAN POSTAL WORKERS UNION
PSE SENIORITY ROSTERS
We are aware of PSE seniority issues inmany of our offices. Some of the seniori-ty lists may be incorrect. I have request-ed information that will insure that thelists (if incorrect) will be corrected assoon as possible. If this results inchanges to PSE seniority lists, theSouthwest Florida Area Local - AmericanPostal Workers Union will provide thereasons along with the proof of whychanges were made. It is important thatwe have correct seniority information soas to insure fairness to everyone.
We understand that this may befavorable to some and unfavorableto others (if changes are made),however, any changes made willbe based on factual circumstancesrather than who the person is.
RESIDUAL VACANCIES TO BEFILLED NATIONWIDE
On March 20, 2014, the APWUand USPS signed an agreementoutlining a procedure for fillingresidual vacancies in the Clerk,Maintenance and Motor VehicleCrafts.
This agreement will result in theconversion of Postal SupportEmployees to career status andthe conversion of Part-TimeFlexible Clerks to full-time.
The APWU does not know howmany conversions will take placeas a result of the agreementbecause it depends on the numberof residual vacancies and otherfactors that are included in thisagreement.
The agreement reads as follows:
As it relates to the Clerk Craft, theagreement will remain in effectuntil Oct. 31, 2014, and may beextended by mutual agreement. Itestablishes the “pecking order”below for filling residual assign-ments in the Clerk Craft.Procedures for implementationalso are enumerated.
1. Unencumbered clerks in thesame installation;
2. Employees with Clerk Craftretreat rights;
3. Full-Time Regular Clerksfrom an installation impactedby excessing who requesttransfers within the district ora 100-mile radius througheReassign 21-Day Posting;
4. Conversion of Part-TimeFlexible Clerks in theinstallation;
5. Full-Time Regular Clerksimpacted by excessing whorequest voluntary transfersbeyond the district or a100-mile radius throughregular eReassign;
6. One-time posting of remain-ing residual assignmentsto PTF Clerks in otherinstallations in the districtwho are on the rolls asof March 20;
7. Priority consideration trans-fers through eReassign fromother APWU crafts andregular transfers througheReassign from all crafts,and;
8. Conversion of Clerk CraftPSEs to career status withinthe installation.
In the Maintenance Craft, dutyassignments will be filled in accor-dance with Article 38.3, 38.4, 38.5and the Order for Filling VacantMaintenance Positions in the JointContract Interpretation Manual(p. 280).
After applying Item 7.a(Maintenance transfers), custodialduty assignments will be filled byoffering conversion to PSE custo-dians. The APWU and USPS willaddress procedures concerningPSE conversion in theMaintenance Craft in a separatememorandum.
In the Motor Vehicle Craft, residualduty assignments will be filledby applying Articles 39.1.B.6,39.1.B.7 and 39.2.A.11. Residualvacancies will be filled in accor-dance with these articles by con-verting PSEs working in the sameposition as the residual vacancies(i.e., Mechanic, Technician,Tractor-Trailer Operator or MotorVehicle Operator) in the sameinstallation.
Sam WoodPresident
SWFAL APWU
Southwest Florida Area Local 11000 Metro Parkway, Unit 8 Fort Myers, FL 33966
Alva, Bokeelia, Bonita Springs, Captiva,Chokoloskee, Estero, Fort Myers,
Fort Myers Beach, Immokalee, Labelle,Lehigh Acres, Marco Island, Naples, Placida,
Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, Rotunda,St. James City and Sanibel
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
See: Procedure For FillingResidual VacanciesContinued on Page 6
May 2014Volume 24 Number 5
IN THIS EDITION OF
THE EAGLE’S EYEAPWU Agreement With USPS
Outlines Procedure For FillingResidual Vacancies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Secretary-Treasurer’s Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
The F-1 Scheduler UpdateAnd PSE Conversions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Union Benefits Far GreaterThan The Cost Of Dues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Union Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Some Details Of USPS Secret DealWith Staples Revealed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Boycott The VOE Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Push Back . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
So Many Problems AtThe Fort Myers P&DC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
SWFAL Membership News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
PROUD MEMBER
2 THE EAGLE’S EYE MAY 2014
Southwest Florida
Area Local, APWU11000 Metro Parkway, Unit 8
Fort Myers, FL 33966
239-275-1007
Open 9am-3pm, Monday-Friday
WEBSITE ADDRESS
www.swfloridaapwu.org
PRESIDENT
Sam Wood
239-823-APWU
VICE-PRESIDENT
Dan Gray
239-834-2736
SECRETARY-TREASURER
Felicia Gluhareff
CLERK CRAFT DIRECTOR
Paul McAvoy
MAINTENANCE CRAFT
DIRECTOR
Mickey Szymonik
239-834-2900
EDITOR
Kathy Moyer
MOTOR VEHICLE CRAFT
DIRECTOR
Vacant
TRUSTEES
Daniel Carinci
Grace Baer
David Grant
SAFETY & HEALTH
COMMITTEE
David Grant
Wendy Skaff
CONSTITUTION COMMITTEE
Dan Gray, Chairman
Felicia Gluhareff
Paul McAvoy
Kathy Moyer
NATIONAL MAILING ADDRESS
Per Capita Section
APWU, AFL-CIO
1300 L Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
FLORIDA POSTAL WORKER
The Florida Postal Worker
P.O. Box 8363
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33310
www.apwuflorida.org
SECRETARY-TREASURER’S REPORT
Felicia Gluhareff
April 13, 2014
CALL TO ORDER:Time: 9:30 a.m. There were14 members in attendance.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE:The pledge of allegiance wasled by Korina Rider.
ROLL CALL OF OFFICERS:Felicia Gluhareff performedthe roll call of officers.Present were Sam Wood,Dan Gray, Paul McAvoy,Mickey Szymonik , KathyMoyer and Felicia Gluhareff.
MAP:Barbara Carr told a “Truestory” in honor of CharlesGlennon.
NEW MEMBERS: WelcomeNicholas Bailey.
EXECUTIVE BOARDMINUTES:Keith McGee donated a wire-less router for the plantAPWU members.Sam Wood requested allform 50s for the PSEs pro-tected by the SWFAL to com-pile an accurate seniority list.PSEs earn annual “one hourfor each unit of 20 hours inpay status in each pay peri-od” as per article 10.April 24th we will be holding aStaples rally. All are invited toparticipate. We will be rally-ing at the Staples on the cor-ner of Cypress Lake driveand U.S. 41. From 8:00 a.m.until 9:30 a.m. Times aresubject to change. T-Shirtswill be issued to those thatwish to participate.
SECRETARYTREASURER’S REPORT:Paul McAvoy made a motionat accept the minutes asprinted in last month’sEagle’s Eye. The motionpassed. The LM-3 report hasbeen received and filed byour accountants in a timelymanner.
REPORT/ SELECTION OFCOMMITTEES:Sam Wood, Dan Gray andDanny Carinci will be attend-ing the State Convention andwill report on it at nextmonth’s meeting.
REPORT OF TRUSTEES:None
COMMUNICATIONS:Joe Paul sent a note thank-ing us for endorsing him forState Clerk Craft Director.Jim DeMauro sent a notethanking us for endorsinghim for State EducationDirector.Rusty Maines resigned assteward in Naples.Letter sent from KarenWalker informing us that ourplant will be participating inthe “load leveling” program.Information sent from man-agement about the“Ambassador Program”. TheSWFAL is not onboard withmanagement concerning thisprogram.
UPDATE OF GRIEVANCES:May 1st bids will be postedon eReassign. An article willbe published in this month’sEagles Eye explaining howthis may possibly affect thePSEs. Punta Gorda / PortCharlotte issues were dis-cussed. Problems in Marcowere also discussed. Stepone grievances belong to thegrievant therefore they canfile on any issue where theyfeel aggrieved. The griev-ance belongs to the union atstep two and beyond so it willbe decided at that pointwhether it is a contractualissue or not.
OLD BUSINESS:Once again we feel that weneed to stress how importantgrievance statements are. Itis not the stewards soleresponsibility to provide astatement. The person feel-ing aggrieved must also pro-vide a statement. Membersneed to help their steward ifthey see the contract beingviolated. The union has the
burden ofproof in agr ievanceso all state-ment that can be offered areuseful. Statements shouldinclude “who, what, why,where and when”. Help UShelp YOU.
NEW BUSINESS:Paul McAvoy made a motionto give our office secretary,Karen D’Angelo, a $100 giftcard for administrative assis-tant day. The motion passed.The executive board andstewards are very grateful tohave her, she is irreplaceableto us.
LABOR / MANAGEMENT:Dorinda Kohlun will bereturning as Plant Manageron April 12th.
GOOD AND WELFARE:The winner of the COPA50/50 drawing was Dan Graywho won $34. The total forCOPA was $68. Dan donated$10 of his winnings back toCOPA. The name drawn forthe member’s incentiveawards was Paul McAvoywho won $60. Paul donated$30 of his winnings to COPA.The pot will be $50 at nextmonth’s meeting.
ELECTION OF OFFICERSAND DELEGATES:None
LEFTOVERS:None
ROLL CALL OF OFFICERSAND DELEGATES:Felicia Gluhareff performedthe roll call of officers anddelegates. The results wererecorded.
NEXT MEETING:Robert Nowall moved tohave the next meeting onMay 18, 2014 at 9:30 a.m. atthe union hall. The motionpassed.
ADJOURNMENT:Robert Nowall moved toadjourn at 11:18 a.m. Themotion passed.
Secretary-Treasurer’s ReportFelicia Gluhareff
MAY 2014 THE EAGLE’S EYE 3
Last month Iwrote aboutmanagementreverting amanual bidbecause theF-1 schedulertold them to.
When I wrotethat article Ihad notreceived theF-1 scheduler that I had requestedfrom them.
Lo and behold, Management hasnow provided me information onthe F-1 Scheduler.
While looking for something, any-thing that showed a reason forreverting the bid in question, I didnot find anything even remotelyresembling a reason for reversion.
However, what I did find was thatmanagement has been shortstaffing the dock according to theirown F-1 scheduler.
There was a page in the docu-ments provided that showed expe-ditor staffing "required" (exact wayphrased) to be two expeditors onTour 1 and 2 and three expeditors
and has no plans to repost until wemake a determination on the needfor bids. For this reason manage-ment is notifying the union by thisnotice that the following vacantposition is reverted effectiveFebruary 7, 2014. If managementis using this to blanket revert bidsthen they should meet thererequirements according to theirF-1 scheduler to post four (4)expeditor bids.
Management denied this griev-ance stating the F-1 scheduler isjust a tool used and not for dictat-ing the posting of bids.
How is that for talking out of bothsides of your mouth?
So, if I have it right, this schedulercan be used for eliminating jobsbut not for creating them. Makesperfect management sense, but inreality, is just a crock of you knowwhat.
So, management can randomlyuse it as an excuse to eliminatejobs.
I am sure Dan and Sam wroteabout the plan for the possibleconversion of PSEs, since theyattended the webinar on this sub-
ject given by the union.
Below is a question and answer Ireceived from Florida Clerk CraftDirector Joe Paul concerning PSEconversions:
Joe;I have a question that I need yourhelp with . . .
1. If they begin to convert thePSEs to regular, are theygoing to follow the Senioritylist based on District Seniorityor is it going to be byseniority by Stations?
‘If’ and when the PSEs start to getconverted they will be byInstallation. Conversion of PSEs tocareer will be by relative standing(in seniority order) within theInstallation.
There are a couple of differenttwists when it will come to convert-ing the Postal Support Employeesin Function 4 (Customer Service)that have Window qualifications,but if and when that scenario aris-es we will address that to makecertain that it is in fact being donecorrectly.
on Tour 3. Well, if F-1 scheduler isused to eliminate bids, it makessense that it should be used to cre-ate them also.
I filed the grievance below on this:
Background: On 3/25/14 theAPWU received through an infor-mation request the F-1 schedulermanagement used to revert manu-al bids. In researching these docu-ments provided by managementthe union discovered the staffingof expeditor on all three tours wasinsufficient and did not meet man-agement’s requirement. The expe-ditor staffing model for Facility, 339Ft Myers, FL P&DC shows thedaily staffing and the averagestaffing by tour. On all three tourswe presently have 1 expeditor pertour. Management’s own docu-ment states the average staffing“REQUIRED” by tour is two forTour 1, two for Tour 2 and three forTour 3. Management’s own docu-ment uses the word “required” andthere is no wiggle room inrequired. Management must putup expeditor bids to meet theirown requirements. On a memo(see attached) from Acting PlantManager Karen Walker she writes:management is currently review-ing bids under the F-1 scheduler
The F-1 Scheduler UpdateAnd PSE Conversions
Paul McAvoyClerk Craft Director
SWFAL APWU
4 THE EAGLE’S EYE MAY 2014
R e m e m b e rthe Voice ofthe Employee(VOE) is notyour friend.The Unionboycotts theVOE surveyswhich aregiven eachquarter bymanagement.
No good has ever come out ofthese surveys. Management hasnow decided to expand the VOE toPSEs. Remember you cannot berequired to fill out the VOE survey.This is your mail to do with whatyou would like.
If your manager or supervisor ismaking you fill out the survey andrefusing to allow you to take theVOE survey with you, please con-tact the Union Office and let usknow which office and manager isdoing this.
A new MOU for the filling of resid-ual bids has been agreed to by theAPWU and the USPS.
The plan is to place all of the resid-ual vacancies on eReassign 21day posting with a pecking orderfor assigning the residual vacan-cies.
Whatever residual vacancies areleft over after these steps the con-version of Postal SupportEmployees (PSEs) to careerbased on their seniority within theinstallation will occur to fill the leftover residual vacancies.
This is good news for our PSEsand the chance for some of themto become career employeessoon. This is also good news forTour One Automation which hasroughly 17 residual vacancies andshould help with the staffingissues.
It amuses me every time I hear thebull#@*t excuses of non-Unionmembers and why they will not jointhe Union. The realty is they arenothing but selfish and cheap indi-viduals.
The same non-members do notblink an eye when they have aproblem with management andthey come running to the Union forhelp.
If the Union sucks why not solveyour problems on your own?
These same non-members havetheir greedy little hands out foreach settlement won by the Unionon all members’ behalf. They haveno problem attempting to suck outevery benefit which they fail tocontribute to in any fashion.
Do any of these selfish individual
realize what their own work envi-ronment would be like if they didnot have a Union?
Here is a list of things that Unionshave made possible:
(1) All breaks at work,including your lunch break
(2) Paid Vacation
(3) Family & Medical LeaveAct (FMLA)
(4) Sick leave
(5) Minimum wage
(6) Civil Rights Act/Title VIII(Prohibits employerdiscrimination)
(7) Overtime Pay
(8) Child Labor Laws
(9) Occupational Safety andHealth Act (OSHA)
(10) 40-hour work week
(11) Workers’ compensation
(12) Unemployment insurance
(13) Pensions
(14) Workplace Safety stan-dards and regulations
(15) Employer health careinsurance
(16) Collective bargaining rightsfor employees
(17) Wrongful termination laws
(18) Age Discrimination inemployment Act of 1967(ADEA)
(19) Whistleblower protectionlaws
(20) Veteran’s Employment andTraining Services
(21) Raises
(22) Sexual Harassment Laws
(27) Americans with DisabilitiesAct (ADA)
(28) Holiday Pay
(29) Privacy rights
(30) Equal Pay Acts of 1963and 2011 which requireemployers pay men andwomen equally for thesame amount of work
(31) Laws ending sweat shopsin the United States
The above list names just a few ofthe benefits brought to the
Daniel M. GrayVice PresidentSWFAL APWU
Become part of the solution towhat you believe the Union shouldbe. You want to reap the benefits,but refuse to help pay the cost.
A good example of what a non-member is like - imagine if youwent out to dinner and everyoneate the same meal yet you (themember) were forced to pay thewhole bill and they (non-member)got their meal for free. That is whatthe non-members are expecting ofthe members every day.
The cost is minimal as to the ben-efits gained. Union employeesmake an average of 30 percentmore than non-union workers. 92percent of Union workers havejob-related health coverage versus68 percent of non-union workers.Union workers are more likely tohave guaranteed pensions thannon-union workers.
So please don’t ask for an FMLAform from the Union so you cangive it to a non-member. Do notgive the password to the wirelessinternet to the non-member.
Instead, ask the non-members tojoin and pay their fair share.
Remember if any members haveany questions or concerns askyour steward.
Any non-members go ask yoursupervisor.
American worker by unions. Doany of these non-members believethat management would pay themthe wages and benefits theyreceive if not for the Union?
A great example of what workingfor an employer who does nothave or want a Union would belike, just look to Wal-Mart.
Wal-Mart has continually fought tokeep out any Union from formingin their stores. This is so they cancontinue to pay low wages with lit-tle or no benefits and no job secu-rity.
The owners of Wal-Mart are someof the wealthiest people inAmerica. Yet, many of their ownemployees have to live on foodstamps and other governmentassistance to make ends meet.
Now what disturbs me even moreis a non-member asking the Unionfor FMLA forms, documents orhelp outside the scope of what isrequired by law and acting liketheir feelings are hurt when theyare told no.
While the Union has a legal duty torepresent all employees in the bar-gaining unit (member or non-mem-ber), the Union does not have tosupply nonmembers with any itemor information that is not part ofthis legal representation.
If you disagree with how the Unionis operated, then join and becomeactive in the Union. Don’t justwhine and complain - be proactive.
Union Benefits Far GreaterThan The Cost Of Dues
MAY 2014 THE EAGLE’S EYE 5
Lately, thePos tmas te rGeneral isreally ramp-ing up hispropagandam a c h i n e ,a s s u r i n gp o s t a le m p l o y e e sand the gen-eral publicthat theUSPS is notintent on dismantling and privatiz-ing the mail service.
According to Mr. Donahoe, theVillage Post Offices, the ContractStations and, the recent partneringwith Staples is not moving towardsprivatization, but is merely “grow-ing the mail.” Surely he jests.
To me, growing the mail meanscontinuing to strive to provide themost economical, efficient, andsecure delivery system that hasmade the USPS one of the mosttrusted government agencies formany years running.
Instead, the Service is hell-bent onout-sourcing Union jobs tountrained, underpaid and constitu-
tionally unauthorized personnel toperform mail service functions.
Reports of unacceptable serviceby these alternative mailing outletshave already been filtering in.
Here is my own:
My sister Anne, at age 51 suffereda stroke this past July and wasbeing treated at a renowned rehabfacility in Arizona.
When she returned to our familyhome in Western New York, at theend of February, I went there toassist in signing her up for furthertherapy. While in Arizona, Annehad been fitted with an arm braceto help keep her left hand fromfreezing into a non-functioningclaw.
Both Anne’s physical and occupa-tional therapists in NY inquiredabout an arm brace, and when toldit was inadvertently left in Arizonarecommended that she have itsent to our family home and usedon a nightly basis.
I called my sister Patty in Arizonawith whom Anne had been stayingand told her we needed the arm
brace sent back home. Patty, effi-cient and organized, immediatelysent it — unfortunately, she mailedit through a non-postal facility.
After sixteen days, it was returnedto Arizona as the contract stationwhere she had mailed it had usedthe originating destination zip coderather than the delivery destinationzip code on the package.
I berated my sister for using a non-postal facility. Patty responded thatshe, of course, found this situationunacceptable and was going towrite to her congressman, whichshe did, indeed do.
She sent me both her letterto Representative Paul Gosar,as well as his response.Congressman Gosar’s responsereferenced Congressman DarrelIssa’s Chairman of the HouseOversight and GovernmentReform Committee, of which he isa member.
The most telling statement in Mr.Gosar’s letter to my sister inregards to Representative Issa’sPostal Reform Act, also known asH.R. 2748 is this: “This legislationwill restore the United States
Mickey SzymonikMaintenance Craft
DirectorSWFAL APWU
Postal Service to long-term finan-cial solvency and protect the qual-ity of service that Americans counton.
The reforms in this bill will give thePostal Service new tools to cutcosts and restructure finances sothat taxpayers will not be left onthe hook for another billion-dollarbailout.
Excuse me? Taxpayer’s dollars?
The point of this story is that evenour family and friends are unawareof the difference between sendingany mail pieces through USPSchannels or using contract facili-ties.
Furthermore, the general public isstill being fed the lie by elected offi-cials, that the USPS is funded bytaxpayer dollars.
Please educate your family andfriends about the importance thatUSPS employees place on theefficiency and sanctity of the mail.
WE DELIVER (at no cost to thetaxpayer).
Solidarity, Prosperity, Peace
Union Matters
The APWU is ramping up its campaign
demanding that Staples and the USPS
agree to place postal workers at
postal units in Staples stores. Join the
campaign at StopStaples.com or text
POSTAL to 91990.
At a hearing before the NationalLabor Relations Board (NLRB),the APWU has learned a fewdetails of the secret agreementbetween the USPS and Staples.The hearing before the NLRB wasthe result of the APWU filing anUnfair Labor Practice chargeagainst the USPS regarding thesecret deal.
“Staples and postal managementare perpetrating a fraud on theAmerican people,” said ClintBurelson, APWU Clerk CraftDirector. “They are promoting thedeal as though taking your mail toStaples is the same as taking it tothe Post Office”.
“It’s not”, he said.
Postmaster Donahoe has rejectedthe Union’s claim that the Staplesprogram is a move toward privati-zation.
However, an internal USPS docu-ment presented at the hearingstated the following:
“Transferring USPS product andservice transactions to retail part-ner locations should allow USPSto cut costs associated with win-dow labor time and credit cardtransaction fees.”
“That’s the smoking gun,” saidBurelson. “Clear away the man-agement-speak and the messageis clear: The Staples deal isintended to sidestep USPS laborcosts by transferring windowduties to private business.Management’s internal documentadmits it.”
President Dimondstein said, “Ihope every postal worker under-stands exactly how serious thethreat is to our jobs and to theUnited States Postal Service as apublic institution.”
He added, “We have to make surethe American people understandas well.”
Postmaster Donahoe was quotedin an Associated Press article fromJanuary 19, as saying he wouldlike to see post office counters inevery Staples store “as soon aspossible.”
The Staples deal with the USPS isnot a pilot program. The USPS isusing the term “pilot program” as acover to obtain what they reallywant: privatization of all of theUSPS.
Kathy MoyerEditor
Some Details Of USPSSecret Deal WithStaples Revealed
6 THE EAGLE’S EYE MAY 2014
Why am Ibeing askedto fill out anopinion sur-vey?
It’s all aboute m p l o y e eengagement.
Managementwants you tobuy into theidea that you,the employee, are valued and thatyou play a critical part in the orga-nization’s success. As a result, youwill work harder.
So what’s the problem with thisflawed logic?
Historically, management hasused the survey results againstemployees at the bargaining table.
Refuse to participate in the survey.Don’t allow management to mis-represent and manipulate theresults to reduce wages, hours,and benefits.
Don’t help management circum-vent the collective bargaining
process. If the USPS really caredabout its employees, it would bar-gain in good faith with the APWU.
PSEs BEWARE!
The USPS’s latest ploy uses youto sabotage 2015 contract negoti-ations.
In a letter dated, March 19, 2014,postal management informed theUnion that non-career employeeswill be included in the 2014 Voiceof the Employee Survey.
The letter states the results will beused to establish a new baselinefor all employees for 2015.
Remember, these surveys are vol-untary. You cannot be forced to fillone out. You can take it home,throw it out, or turn it in to yoursteward.
If you give it to a steward, $5 willbe donated by the local to COPA inyour name. Whatever you chooseto do, don’t help managementdestroy your job!
Yours in solidarity,Grace
Boycott The VOE Survey
Grace BaerT2 & T3 StewardFt. Myers P&DCSWFAL APWU
In a conver-sation I hadwith a co-w o r k e rrecently, hestated to methat a super-visor had toldhim that themore griev-ances thatare filed theharder thatmanagementwill push back. I asked him if hegot that in writing.
Of course not. No supervisor isgoing to own up to retaliation andthen be held accountable. Westewards just don’t get that lucky.
I do remember hearing thesesame threats back in 2012, whenthis plant was under a secondAMP study in 6 years. At the time,it was hinted to us stewards thatall the grievances being filedwere going to get this plantclosed. Well, tell that to thoseemployees at the ManasotaP&DC.
The filing of a grievance is yourright, as an APWU representedemployee, and is described inArticle 15 of the contract. It is anoption that is available to youwhen there is a contract violation.
If you’re not sure that a violation
exists then you can ask to seeyour Steward to find out. Do nottake the word of someone inManagement for granted. Oftentimes Management’s interpreta-tions of the contract are incorrect.
Filing a grievance is kind of a per-sonal experience. Some mem-bers are intimidated and hesitateto file. Other members will file assoon as a violation occurs.
We also have non-members whowill shamelessly file knowing thatwe are required by law to repre-sent them. And we will defendtheir right to not pay dues,shamelessly and without malice.God Bless America and theSupreme Court whom gave usthe Right to Work Laws of thisgreat country.
But I digress. The grievanceprocess can be slow and tediousat times but only because ofmanagement’s resistance ofadmitting the inevitable.
We have a lot of success withwinning grievances that are filedbecause our Stewards documentevery detail and it all starts withthe grievant statement. That isthe key and is why this local is sosuccessful.
This kind of diligence and atten-tion to detail in documentation ishow our local recently won an
arbitration that took 13 yearsbefore it was finally heard.
Management delayed as long asthey could but in the end ourLocal prevailed. Managementcouldn’t believe the decision wentagainst them and so they reactby questioning the Arbitrator’sauthority.
Management decided that theydid not agree with the Arbitrator’sdecision and that USPS NationalLabor Relations Department hadto look into it.
Excuse me Manager People. Youhad 13 years to prepare argu-ments, prepare documentationand organize your witnesses. Youhad been given the chance tosettle with no monetary awardbut you turned it down.
And guess what: Article 15.5.C.f.states, “The arbitrator’s decisionshall be final and binding.”
In this case Management didpush back. But our local pushedback also.
The members approved the hir-ing of outside lawyers and nowthe issue goes to District court.
It’s a sad commentary about ourleaders, whose inability to pres-ent principled disagreement, endup resorting to reactive desperation.
Push Back
Scott J. WiserTour 1 Maintenance
StewardFort Myers P&DC
SWFAL APWU
The agreement was negotiatedby APWU President MarkDimondstein and the USPS VicePresident of Labor Relations.
VACANT AND RESIDUAL DUTYASSIGNMENTS
We are reviewing all currentlyvacant and residual duty assign-ments to ensure that local man-agement adheres to the agree-ment on filling residual vacancies.
If you know of any duty assign-ments in your installation that havenot been filled after bids go upthrough eReassign, please contactus at the Union Office.
HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!
May 11, 2014 is a day for us to cel-ebrate and honor mothers. It isgreat to see how great our countryworks with mothers in our work-force.
The only problem, as I see it, isthat women should not be earningless than men for performing thesame work. It is great to see thatUnion negotiated contracts do notplace gender barriers on wages orworking conditions.
I would like to wish everyone aHappy Mother’s Day.
Procedure For FillingResidual VacanciesContinued from Page 1
MAY 2014 THE EAGLE’S EYE 7
Two months ago, Scott Wiserwrote a wonderful article aboutwho is in charge.
There are so many problems, somany things wrong, at the plantand the other postal facilities fromthe lowly AO the whole way up tothe national headquarters.
The Postmaster General contin-ues to tell us that we are doing asuperb job and that with just a littlebit more time, and the post officecutting our services to five days aweek, we can become more prof-itable.
I am confused, because I thoughtthe post office was a service andnot a company that needs to makea profit.
Granted, if we continue to placemore and more money in the cof-fers of the United States govern-ment and bring more higher levelmanagers to Washington, D.C.,we may ruin one of the best insti-tutions the United States everestablished - the United States
Postal Service.
But enough of my complaining. Iam writing this article to explainhow Scott only hit on the tip of theiceberg.
Each and every facility has an EET(Emergency Evacuation Team).This roster is made up of individu-als that have volunteered (hah,hah) to help ensure their specificbuilding is evacuated of all person-nel if a situation would arise, i.e.,fire, roof collapse, etc.
Well, the roster at the plant has alot of holes in it. For instance thereare personnel that are not on thetour that they are assigned to rep-resent. A few individuals haveeven retired.
Or better yet, you have personnelthat should be in one area, but arein a totally different one.
The IIC (idiots in charge) do notunderstand that just like manyother documents, the EET is a livedocument, meaning that it has to
be kept up to date constantly. Notjust whenever PEG (Safety andHealth Program Evaluation Guide)comes around, which happens tobe almost every year.
When that occurs, the IIC's arerunning around like chickens withtheir heads cut off because ourPEG is the last two days of Apriland the first day of May.
Here are a few other examples ofhow incompetent our managersare:
1. They have MaintenanceMechanics going around the build-ing painting all of the railing yellow,so that they can save $7000 to nothave to get lead certified. I thinkwith all of the painting at bothstraight time and overtime wehave surpassed the $7000 byleaps and bounds.
2. The idiots running PEG feel thata multimeter needs to be calibrat-ed annually so that if and whenone of the pieces of equipmentshould start to fly, nothing serious
will happen to the said piece ofequipment. Instead of explainingto the idiots that the equipmentdoes not need to be calibrated,and to save money, our IIC's planto buy new ones. Now, I heard cor-rectly, each new multimeter willcost approximately $30. We planto purchase 80 of them probably aeach year.
3. We have individuals that havebeen beaten mentally for so longthat they refuse to train individualson PIT (powered industrial trucks)equipment. The individual that wascoerced into becoming the trainernow is getting fed up and is aboutready to quit because the IIC givesthe gentleman fifteen hours ofroutes, to perform in a 7.5 hourday, and states, oh by the way,whenever you get a spare minute Ineed for you to train some people.
Now we know a little bit moreabout the iceberg floating in themiddle of the United States calledthe United States Postal Service.
Keith McGee
So Many Problems AtThe Fort Myers P&DC
8 THE EAGLE’S EYE MAY 2014
Your ElectedOfficials
President Barack ObamaWeb Site:
www.whitehouse.govE-mail:
[email protected]: 202-456-1414
Fax: 202-456-2461Capital Address:
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NWWashington, DC 20500
Senator Bill NelsonWeb Site:
www.billnelson.senate.govE-mail:
[email protected]: 202-224-5274
Fax: 202-228-2183Capital Address:
716 Hart Senate OfficeBuilding
Washington, DC 20510-0905District Office:
Tallahassee, FLDistrict Phone: 850-942-8415
Senator Marco RubioPhone: 202-224-3041
Fax: 202-228-5171Capital Address:
524 Hart Senate OfficeBuilding
Washington, DC 20510-0903District Office:
Tallahassee, FLDistrict Phone: 813-207-0509
Our members live in several dif-ferent districts. For your repre-sentative’s information, go towww.congress.org. Enter yourzip code and the web site doesthe rest. You can e-mail most ofyour representatives at oncewith a click of your mouse atthis web site. Their votingrecords are also available here.Check it out! Let them knowhow you feel, it’s your DUTY!
THE EAGLE’S EYE
EDITORIAL POLICY
The Eagle’s Eye is the official pub-lication of the Southwest FloridaArea Local, APWU, AFL-CIO. Theeditor has the right to determinewhether the material submittedshall be printed, and has the rightto edit as needed. It is the policy ofthis newsletter to disallow anyattacks on individuals. Opinionsexpressed are those of the writers,and not necessarily those of theExecutive Board. The deadline forsubmission of all articles is the dayof the monthly membership meet-ing. You must be an APWU mem-ber to submit an article. Name maybe withheld upon request. All arti-cles may be reprinted with propercredit given. Captions/cartoonsmay only be reprinted upon writtenpermission of the editor.
Southwest Florida Area LocalMembership News
We wish to extend our welcome toall new employees coming onboard at the United States PostalService by inviting you to our nextSWFAL APWU meeting onMay 18, 2014, at the Union Halllocated at 11000 Metro Parkway,
Unit 8, in Fort Myers.
Meetings are held once a monthon Sunday at 9:30am. Be united,protect your job and discover themany benefits of becoming amember of the SWFAL APWU.
Join us at ournext local meeting- united we canmake a positivedifference in ourworkplaces. Welook forward toseeing you there!
For those of youthat haverecently retiredand wish tocontinue receiv-
ing The Eagle’s Eye newspaper,please email the Editor [email protected] or call Karenat our SWFAL APWU office at239-275-1007.
We want to encourage our mem-bers to email information to theeditor regarding marriages,graduations, special events orachievements of our employees,or their families, [email protected]. We will bepleased to include as manymember announcements aspossible.