As many know, I have been on vacation overseas, on the sea. Last week we rounded Cape Horn, 55 degrees south latitude, the graveyard of hundreds of ships. Despite its reputation, the sea was calm and all was well.
The Postal Service "ship" is now sailing into a gale of financial turmoil. The short version is, absent a bailout, it could run out of money. Logically this would drive any business to cut back and the Union understands that. We also all understand that America is a great and resilient country and will bounce back along with the Postal Service!
Sadly, we have not been dealing with logical business strategies proposed by the Postal Service. Such strategies require a solid analysis of mail volumes and making reductions to match the new workload. Instead, local management engages in "magical thinking" such as the nonsense that you can add 60 SPBS clerks with no increase in the work force simply by decimating the remainder of the clerk craft.
Outrages such as the so-called Tour II compression, elimination of skilled and administrative jobs, and any adverse changes to working conditions are being grieved or will be at the appropriate time. Other administrative forums as well as legal and media action will be considered and utilized if necessary.
Do not allow any of these disruptions to your work life to drive you prematurely into retirement as that is the main objective of these management changes. Our Union and our membership will not be intimidated. We don't drink Kool-Aid or give up in the face of adversity. We will stand together united against any management action designed to disrupt our lives. Change is necessary but it has to be based on hard figures, not on trying to show how hard you can be as a Plant Manager.
This Union will be doing all it can to protect each and every member while simultaneously being open to responsible change for the good of all. It is passed time for our local management to try working with the Union instead of dictating to the Union. The Postal Service must recognize the APWU as an equal partner who shares the objective of righting the ship that is the Postal Service while preserving dignity and respect for the work force and the hard-fought gains of our Union.
John Riley
President Local 458February 09
BROTHERS AND SISTERS, THIS IS A TIME THAT WILL CHALLENGE US BUT WE WILL OVERCOME
My name is John Riley and I am your new President as of April 1st.This is the first of many reports I will be sending out to keep you informed as to what is going on.Much has happened since I became your President, including a new focus on sick leave “abuse”, mail revenue and volume drops driving cutbacks, programs to cut back on window operations as well as small office work hours, and a very serious threat posed by the Office of the Inspector General potentially on all of us.This is what I will be covering in this first of many mailings to keep you both informed and involved. I also welcome our new Maintenance Director, Brian McIntyre.
SICK LEAVE, ATTENDENCE DISCIPLINE, AND YOUR RIGHTS
Some of you may have seen or been read a recent letter by your District Manager, Bill Boughton, on how “precious” your job is.My impression of Bill is he is a very well intentioned and honest man but has a tendency to come on very strong.This letter leaves the clear impression that you are going to lose your job if you don’t come to work faithfully.He opens by letting us know that co-workers in Maine have recently been fired because “they abused their leave privileges”.He later defines a standard of less than “faithfully everyday” as something you should question and then indicates that you are risking your employment for attendance that does not meet what is clearly a high but undefined standard.
Not surprisingly I have a different view on what sick leave and attendance “abuse” is than our District Manager.I agree that sick leave should not be abused, which I define as using it when you are not sick or injured.It is not to be used to extend a weekend, watch ballgames, go to a party, etc.It is a negotiated benefit of employment that you may use for a variety of purposes.This includes up to eighty (80) hours a year for caring for your wife, child, or parent who is ill.It also includes medical appointments for yourself that are scheduled during working hours or the same when you have to transport a wife, child, or parent to an appointment. This includes any absence for yourself and a covered family member (eighty hour cap for SL) that is for a covered Family and Medical Leave Act condition.Last but not least it can and should be used for the type of routine illnesses or injuries we all experience, bad colds, flu, stomach upsets, etc.
Unfortunately the contract we work under offers no clear guidance on how much utilization of sick leave or unscheduled absences will get you in trouble.The Postal Service goes off the wall at times, and I would say this is one of those times, and maintains any failing of being regular in attendance is potential grounds for discipline.I advise all members to notify their stewards whenever they are counseled or disciplined for attendance issues and we will advise you on a case by case basis what you should do.Bottom line is sick leave is a benefit to be used appropriately.
IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT IF YOU OR A FAMILY MEMBER HAS A CONDITION COVERED BY THE FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT THAT YOU FILE THE NECESSARY PAPERWORK TO PROTECT YOURSELF!SEE A UNION STEWARD, OFFICER, OR GO TO WWW.APWU.ORG TO GET THE PAPERWORK AND INSTRUCTIONS YOU NEED TO BE COVERED UNDER THIS LAW IF YOU ARE DEALING WITH AN ABSENCE OF OVER THREE DAYS WITH A DOCTORS VISIT AND A PRESCIPTION, A CHRONIC MEDICAL CONDITION, OR ANY LONG TERM ILLNESS THAT CAUSES YOU TO MISS WORK. FAMILY MEDICAL LEAVE ACT
PLEASE TURN OVER
ABSENCES ARE NOT SUBJECT TO DISCIPLINE AND IF YOU ARE DISCIPLINED
FOR SUCH AN ABSENCE WE WILL ASSIST YOU WITH LEGAL AS WELL AS CONTRACTUAL REMEDIES.
ANY TIME A MEMBER CANNOT REACH A STEWARD OR A STEWARD NEEDS ASSISTANCE ON THIS OR ANY ISSUE PLEASE CALL THE UNION OFFICE AT 883-4003 OR THE UNION CELL PHONE AT 712-8439.WE ARE HERE TO HELP AND MY GOAL IS AN IMMEDIATE RESPONSE ON ANY EMERGENCY.IN ALL CASES WE WILL GET BACK TO YOU AS SOON AS WE CAN.
CONTACT WITH AN OIG AGENT (OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL)
I have enclosed a yellow card that explains your rights when either a Postal Inspector or OIG agent wants to talk with you.I cannot stress enough that this is always a serious matter.These people are not your friends, they have one desire and that is to put as many workers in the slammer as they can for whatever they can nail you for.NEVER TALK TO AN OIG AGENT OR A POSTAL INSPECTOR FOR ANY REASON WITHOUT A STEWARD!Also let me know at 883-4003 or 712-8439 so I may personally assist if necessary.This is an absolute right; make use of it if you want to keep your job.This is especially important for our Lewiston brothers and sisters who are being aggressively interviewed by OIG agents.Do not be intimidated, you have rights under the contract and the law; always utilize them to the max.
OUR CURRENT FINANCIAL SITUATION AND IMPACTS IT IS DRIVING
In case you haven’t heard, USPS is in something close to a financial meltdown.The organization is hemorrhaging money; revenue is down close to 600 MILLION dollars a month.Oil prices are way up and we have just gotten some nice pay raises with a COLA around $1400 a year coming up in September.You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to realize this will drive changes.You have been seeing less overtime, PTF hour cuts, supervisors doing bargaining unit work in violation of the contract, being told to do more with less, jobs being done away with, and this is just a partial list!
You need to protect your work first and foremost.Whenever a supervisor does any bargaining unit work at the Southern Maine Postal Installation (Scarborough Plant and the Portland Post Office) make note of how long and who is doing it to report to your steward.Observations sheets are available from your steward.In other Post Offices let your steward know and we will be mailing all stewards in associate offices observations sheets this week.Rules are different in smaller offices but it is always a violation whenever work we have normally done is shifted to supervisors or postmasters.Let your stewards know or call us at 883-4003 or 712-8439 if no steward is available as to any work done by Postmasters or supervisors and we will grieve it whenever there is a violation.Also call us when mail is transported by supervisors or any postal employee other than MVS employees from one office to another.
Finally there is a VERA or early retirement offer being made available to clerks at this time.The Union’s position is to ignore it unless a substantial incentive is offered or you are very well set financially.This is not a good time to be looking for another job!
