From the early days of organizing the Postal Service, all clerks have been hired as part time employees and initially identified as Substitutes, later as part-time. This was necessitated because of the uneven deposit of mail into the processing system dependent totally on the schedule of the sender. Each hour and day the deposit of mail was uncertain making it necessary to have a flexible work force available to meet the uneven demand. The prime objective of the flexible employees was to be converted to full time schedules that there was predictability in hours of work and daily compensation.
Upon assuming national office in 1981, one of the union’s priorities was the conversion of part time employees to full time. The advantages included the guarantee of eight hours work or pay until the recently negotiated contract; the allocated vacation time advanced at the beginning of the leave year; schedules are fixed providing advanced notice of the hours of work; paid holidays; first selection for vacation periods; overtime priority; payment for jury duty and generally the employee will know in advance the work to be performed. The stability of full time employment was the objective of all clerical employees so full time conversion was always a prime union objective.
The Atlanta, GA Local under the leadership of Wallace Baldwin as president had negotiated an all regular program so members throughout the union were convinced that postal operations could be maintained with increases in the full time complement.
When assuming national office in 1981, the union was unable to monitor the contractual requirement that had been negotiated as 90% of all employees per installation were contractually required to be full time. This percentage included all employees in the represented crafts (clerks, maintenance, motor vehicle, special delivery, city letter carrier). The contractual limitation was per installation and applied only to offices that employed 200 or more man years of employment. Local union officials were unable to monitor the percentages as many of the employees were beyond their craft jurisdiction. For those offices that did not meet the 200 man year threshold, the only contractual requirement was “to maximize” the number of full time employees, which was a challenging requirement to document available hours and force local management to make conversions.
The system that was inherited was unenforceable and many employees in small offices routinely worked their entire careers as part time employees or the opportunity for conversion was dependent on the attrition of the assigned full time employee. It was not unusual for an employee to work 20 years or more as part time in some offices and it was routine in large offices for their service as a part-timer to be extended for four or five years.
Early in my career as Executive Vice President, I requested from postal management a computer printout recording the mix of employees in every office, nationwide. At the time, the Post Office had over 30,000 facilities so the report was voluminous and required extensive man-hours of review but it revealed that thousands of offices were stuffed below the 90% requirement. I initiated a national level grievance that was based on local facts stretching the interpretation of an interpretive grievance. The concept of enforcing local contractual requirements at the national level was a new undertaking and I was plowing new ground.
I reached out to the Letter Carriers Union’s Vice President, Larry Hutchins and we combined the separately filed grievances contesting USPS noncompliance with the contractual provisions. Discussions transpired over months with postal management raising repeated procedural issues. Appeal was made to arbitration and the unions finally had their day in court over management’s refusal to properly staff. The grievance was arbitrated and the unions prevailed on all counts. Thousands of PTFs were converted and a lump sum equaling over eight million dollars was agreed to as compensation to thousands of PTFs for delayed conversions to full time. In addition, the arbitrator ordered the future production of computer print outs on a quarterly basis in order that the union could monitor the percentage. Postal Districts were also integrated into a national computer system to prevent future violations. This effort benefited thousands of represented employees who were provided some stability in their employment.
RuRu, sounds like you are the irate one here. You simply state opinions and don’t have the mental capacity to holde a adult conversation, and resort to name childish name calling. You seem to get upset when facts are presented. If you are in fact retired, you should find a hobby instead of spending time on the net calling people names and forming opinions of people you have never met. I must say I’m puzzled by why you would call me “selfish” because I am still employed by the Postal Service. As far as scabs are concerned, most of the scabs in my office come to work and work eight hours on the job, unlike the stewards that set in their office eating cheerios and playing video games on the computer. There’s a name for that too, but you being the former union official here, I’ll let you come up with it. It starts with” L” and ends with ” Y”.
Well ru ru, after working for 30 years, I guess it’s the best you could acheive hey? You say you held union positions over the years of your employment. That just tells me you probably didn’t spend much time doing any real work. As far as feeling sorry for a junior employee having to drive 100 miles a day, I don’t. That’s how seniority works, unless of course you are a steward. Who are you to call someone selfish because they still work? Like I said, you sound like a manager. I’m glad I never had to work with you, and I’m also glad you are retired. They probably replaced you with a pse that actually does some work!
buzzzzz, the more irate you get, the more you sound like a “SCAB”. I’m finished with this exchange. Good-By
Oh there is the “Senority” word again!!!
Senority works if the status quo continues…ie they continue to hire new full time employees. But lets say you have been with the Post Office for 15 years and have moved the senority list but are still at the bottom!!!! To those of us who will forever be stuck at the bottom “senority” doesnt mean Sh*t!!!!
Yet thats how the union works……look out for the guys on the top screw the ones on the bottom.
RUM,
I really hate to see that you perceive yourself REPUBLICAN and actually working at the PO to earn a living and support your family, as republicans are not a part of the working middle class. Now I do hope that you can excuse buuuuuuuz for his comment about not caring for his junior co-workers, for as I pointed out, the more he posts, the more he replicate the status of being a SCAB.
RURU
I have been a Conservative Republican since The 1980s when the greatest President our nation has seen was in office. I laughed when he told the Air traffic controllers to go back to work or lose their jobs!
Are you saying that only the rich can be Republican (conservative)? If you are, you are in correct. Im Just a middle class man with a family who has strong Conservative social/economical/political values and the “Democratic Party” (Liberals) do not share my views at all!!!
When I was hired at the USPS the APWU steward basicly held a gun to my head and told me to join!!!
R.U.M.
Sorry if my comment was draconian. I guess what I was attempting to relate was that the two party system is antiquated as there are conseratives and liberals in both parties. Until we get a viable third or fourth party, where are our choices? Conservative/Liberal rhetoric aside, Romney in my humble opinion would be devastating for any future outcome of the entire country/world. Have a Great Day!!!
ru ru, If it’s any of your business, I still work because I ‘m not ready to forfit twenty percent of my pay. You sound like a manager. “Well, if you don’t like your current posotion, just quit”. Management has done nothing but run the organization into the ground the thirty six years I have been there. Then people like you think you have all the answers. It’s no pain for me as you seem to think. You need to re-read my post. You will notice, (maybe), my main concern was being replaced by a pse. You sound like the stewards in my facility. Instead of righting a wrong, you just say, “you can retire, so why don’t you”? Bottom line is, you would rather have someone retire, then you don’t have to deal with them or their legitimate concerns. Another reason I won’t retire is, someone like you would replace me and hurt service that much more.
Buz, after reading your post for the fourth time, I still recognize your selfish motives for not leaving. This job you have with the USPS must be the best you could posssibly acheive considering your longevity. For your information I retired eighteen months ago with only 30 years, after holding several Union positions and without “super seniority” . My point to you, and deduction from your post still remain the same, “If you had to bid to another shift with 36 years of seniority” , then what do you think happened to at least one of your co-workers with lets say 15 years seniority who ended having to drive that 100 miles or worst? It’s always my business when someone who appear to have voted for this sham of a CBA, demand that the Union fight their battle solo (without getting involved themself) critize a Union official for super seniority so that they will remain there until the end to fight for the junior members who are nowhere near eligible to retire even with a 20% difference in take-home pay. Also what I meant about preparation for retirement was if you had started planning 36 years ago for the BIG RETIREMENT DATE, you would have possibly covered any/all diffenences in pay.
In Solidarity,
RuRu
Ok, well this contract is far better than taking a chance on what an arbitrator would give us. Although, I believe that we were duped when it came to PSE’s, PMR’s and PTR’s being converted over to full time positions (30 plus hours now). The fact is they are making PMR’s -OIC’s to subvert the requirement of having to pay full time employees at small stations. They are way overboard on PSE’s and since the threat looms of plant consolidations no one is being converted to carrier because we are in withholding. PSE’s are the same management *family members and friends plan because thats who gets hired after interviews. Very small percentage of actual newly hired and acquired PSE’s are expected to work, mostly because there is a built in poor pitiful me clause that management and many members feed into a system of equal workload… for half the cost? POOR things they get paid only 13 or 14 dollars per hour. Well from what I’ve seen they are being equally compensated for the actual amount of work they perform. A generation of workers is about to retire who built our network and our ideals of working for a paycheck, they paid their dues and I thank them. Including Mr. Burris who helped create this union and its strengths. Unfortunately, everything depends on a future with less committed individuals who seem to have been all about I want to bail on the union members and get compensated heavily for doing so. I work in a plant that may or may not close and I have been hearing for a year and a half that I’ll have a soft landing… I don’t know how to land on my arse… softly. I just want to be represented for myself and future generations of postal workers. I want my mail to get there overnight or the next day, not six days from now. CAN WE FOCUS on the problem of having a job before we worry about whom is getting what… or doing what…. PLEASE. We need to stop infighting about issues that really don’t matter and SAVE OUR MAIL SERVICE AND JOBS period.
I disagree completely.
To change a binding agreement after the membership has voted to ratify it would be criminal. That’s why the union has attorneys on retainer. The primary concern of union officers where I work have made it clear that they have super seniority and will keep their jobs regardless of seniority. After 36 years, I had to take a bid on another shift just to keep from driving 100 miles a day. The job on my former shift is being done by a pse. I hope the post office misses it’s next payment for retiree health care. When they claim bankruptcy, they will toss your contract out the window. According to the union, they don’t abide by it anyway. Might even be a change for the better.
Buz, since it has always been a requirement that you be 18 years of age to gain employment with the USPS, and you profess to being around for 36 years. My question to you is WHY are you still there enduring all the pains and shift changes when you are retirement eligible? Could it be that you lived outside of your means and never prepared for the BIR RETIREMENT DATE?
I would like to know that answer as well RURU!!!! 36yrs! Move on out to the pasture!
I look at folks in my plant that have to many “toys”, are high on the senority list and thus do not care about everyone else so they wont retire!!!
Queen bee,
We PSE’s are just trying to do a job the same as everyone else. I’m so sick and tired of overly indulged employees (and i’m not implying this of everyone) blaming everything on TE’s and PSE employees. Here’s an idea…..do your job and we won’t have to.
Queen Bee (at least use your name)- Read my comment to JJJJJJ….etc on 9/11/12. As a PSE you should have never been hired. I do my job everyday, and I do it well. That’s more than I can say for the PSEs in our Harrisburg, PA building. I’m not malicious QB but honestly half of the PSEs can’t understand plain and simple directions. I am not a bigot, my first wife was Afro American and my present wife is Japanese, but most of our PSEs are from African nations or from the Middle East. When I was a PTF, and I was forced to work nights for 4 years; always 12 hour days and 1 day off; I did my job. Ask someone at your office what a “City Scheme” was for the 881 Flat Sorter machines? I was forced to learn one and if I didn’t I lost my job. Mine consisted off memorizing over 700 street names and what number mail carrier was to get that mail. In our office, the casuals (which are mail handler PSE equavalents) can’t even follow the simple picture/drawing on the back of an ERGO that clearly shows how the mail is faced and loaded. The PSEs on our 100 FSMs get called over to fill in a spot when a regular is missing and all but 1 knows what he or she is doing. If you have to follow them in the sweeping/feeding rotation you work very hard to clean up the mess. Read the contract Queen Bee and know why you are being accussed of basically “scabbing” regular jobs. Also Queen Bee, answer me this: Are you a member of the union?
me again,
Our PSE’s work very hard and I have no problem with them, n0r you. I have a problem with the USPS not using them the way we were told they would. I don’t like that they are not paying PSE’s correctly and many of them are to scared to tell us. I don’t like that we agreed to cut your future earnings significantly in order to cover our own asses. Thanks for what you do.
Buzz as most of the people that voted yes for the contract, what they had in mind wasn’t what they actually got. To remand something back to the parties after negotiations is over is ridiculous. How do you deal with the devil after the fact.
Our national negotiators should of had the foresight to realize that management had no intention of carrying out what was agreed upon.
Its not sour grapes… its being duped and by our own people I’m afraid.
Buz
The pont is to familiarize the employees of the history of contract enforcement of the contractual complement. The mere existence in the contract that 90% of the employees will be full time does not guarantee management compliance. It required enforcement and I wanted the members to know how we began.
Bill
So what’s your point? Should we be impressed? Why bring up something that took place over twenty years ago? I’m not sure why so many members like Queenbee are concerned about pse’s running all over the place. After all, it the contract the MEMBERSHIP ratified. You mean to say you didn’t read it before voting “yes”? You all ratified it, so now you have to live with it. Kinda sour hey?
I voted on THAT contract. The contract though has continued to be negotiated since we voted on it. What “we” voted on is no longer valid. Changes are STILL being made to what we were made to believe it was.
Can you say “USED CAR SALESMEN?”
It doesn’t matter how much they, whoever “they” are, the contract from the beginning was BAD!!!!!!!!!!!! I knew I was going to vote NO as soon as I read that PSEs could get union benefits. The current union is corrupt and just wants money. For instance, how does this work: a PSE comes up with a problem that involves a Regular; both represented by the union. Who do they side for? In my office (Harrisburg, PA 17107) a union steward managed to get his fiance a job as a PSE. Her 90 day evaluation was done by a 204B mailhandler who had never worked in our section. Sound fishy? Also when an issue came up involving this PSE, she called her fiance on her cellphone to him and he came out straight away to fix the problem. ??? Last time I asked for a union steward I never got one; and when the same steward passed by, on another of many smoke breaks, I asked him how long is it supposed to take to get a steward? He didn’t even stop to ask if I had a problem, he just said, “Immediately or within two hours.” and kept walking. I guess my years of dues paying wasn’t enough. So, take a look at the old contract as it was, and see if you would still vote on it? Also, ask yourself who is bargaining on a signed contract? Answer: Our union.
Mr. Burrus,
Thank God you broke it down and reminded some of these Leaders of their right to receive information for these groups of employees.With the PSE running all over the PO, THE Local PRESIDENTS ARE ALLOWING HUNDREDS IN THE FACILITIES without even asking for reports!!!! Thank you for the information.Maybe they will read and have the courage to ask!