APWU              St. Paul , MN Area Local        APWU

Pat McCann, President                December 26, 2006

www.StPaulAPWU.org       651-778-1637

Attention!!!

          Personnel Services for the Northland District, which handles the bidding procedure for the St. Paul , MN Installation is permanently moving to Shared Services in North Carolina .  Along with the move, the bidding process will be further affected because the current way bids are tracked by personnel will be integrated into a new software program.  The end result of this action will be that the bid sheets for January 2007 and February 2007 will be at a different time then normal.  The revised dates are as follows:

CL 0307 (January bid sheet)

CL 0807 (February bid sheet)

          Lastly, with the integration to the new software, the system will not allow any “personnel action” to be effective February 3, 2007, therefore there will be grievances initiated for employee actions that should have been effective February 3, 2007.

APWU              St. Paul , MN Area Local        APWU

Pat McCann, President                December 21, 2006

www.StPaulAPWU.org       651-778-1637

TENTATIVE CONTRACT UPDATE

            The referendum mailing to APWU members will take place December 18-20.  Returned ballots must be received by 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 9, 2007.  If you have not received a ballot by December 26, 2006, contact the American Arbitration Administration at 1-800-529-5218 to request a duplicate (you also may make the request via email to apwu@adr.org).  Provide your name, the last four digits of your social security number, your craft and your mailing address.

            Many of you have asked officers and stewards if this is a good contract.  The Local’s Executive Board discussed the proposed contract at the December Executive Board meeting.  After reviewing the tentative agreement and listening to President Burrus and the other members of the negotiating team explain the tentative agreement via a teleconference, the Local Executive Board believes this to be a good contract.

            As always in this democratic union, you have the right to vote yes or no to this contract.  So please read information provided with your ballot and make an informed decision on the contract.

            Note – informational material about the contract is also posted on the bulletin boards, or you can go to the APWU website at apwu.org for information on the contract.

*****

CASUAL SETTLEMENT UPDATE

            On Friday, December 15, 2006 the Union provided management at the District level with a list of employees eligible for payment, with the amount to be distributed to each employee.  The entire amount of the award was distributed to those eligible.  The amount of money each employee is receiving before taxes are deducted will be available to view in the union office in the Post Office.

            The payment will be made on your payroll check.  My best estimate for payment is late January, 2007 or early February, 2007 if everything goes well.

            Thanks for your patience.

******

UPCOMING NATIONAL APWU  ORGANIZING CONFERENCE

            The APWU will be conducting a National Organizing Conference in Minneapolis at the

Holiday Inn Minneapolis Metrodome.  The Conference begins on 1/18/07 and concludes on 1/21/07.

This event is being sponsored by APWU Support Services Division and the Labor Education Service of the University of Minnesota .  The conference is hosted by the APWU St. Paul and Minneapolis and the Twin Cities PDC Local.

            Summary of topics to be covered:

·         Globalization – Privatization (“The Big Picture”)

·         Understanding the Mail/Package Sort and Delivery Industries

·         APWU Objectives and Goals- Targeting Companies and Strategic Organizing

·         APWU History – Lessons Learned

·         Anatomy of a Campaign – AFL-CIO Organizing Institute

·         Internal Organizing – Building an Organizing Model for Locals

·         Private Sector Organizing – Tactics, Strategies, Process

·         Workers’ Rights under the Law

·         Bust the Busters – Understanding and Winning against Anti-Union Campaigns

·         Community Campaigns  (legislative, coalition-building with central labor bodes, State AFL-CIO, religious/labor networks)

·         Media and Labor’s Voice

The Local’s membership at the November Membership Meeting authorized up to 30 members to attend this conference.  The local is also looking for volunteers to help host this event.  If you are interested in attending the workshops at the conference and utilizing what you learn from the workshops to further the good of the Local, please contact me at 651-778-1637 by Friday, December 29, 2006.

If you are just interested in volunteering to help in hosting the event, contact me at 651-778-1637 by Friday, December 29^th.

******

APWU                                                                                      APWU        

Pat McCann, President                                                 December 8, 2006

www.StPaulAPWU.org                                                        651-778-1637

Rank-and-File Bargaining Committee
Approves Tentative Contract Agreement
Union Members to Vote on Ratification

APWU Web News Article #82-06, Dec. 7, 2006

(12/07/06) The APWU Rank-and-File Bargaining Advisory Committee voted unanimously to approve the union’s tentative 2006 Collective Bargaining Agreement on Dec. 7 at a meeting in Washington DC . The agreement will be sent to union members for a ratification vote, which the committee will supervise.

The four-year tentative agreement provides for two wage increases and an upgrade for all APWU-represented employees, in addition to Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLAs) twice per year.

It also provides for the elimination of part-time flexibles as a workforce category in large offices, no later than Dec. 1, 2007. All PTFs in offices of 200 man-years or more will be converted to full-time regular by that date. (See below for an explanation of “200 man-year offices.”)

The Postal Service will pay 95 percent of healthcare premiums for employees enrolled in the APWU Consumer Driven Health Plan; for workers enrolled in other health plans, the employees’ share of premiums will increase 1 percent per year for four years, beginning in 2008.

Agreements specific to each craft (Clerk, Maintenance, Motor Vehicle Services, and Support Services) were negotiated as well.

“This agreement will make fundamental changes to postal employment because the American Postal Workers Union dared to challenge the past,” Burrus said. “We refused to accept the premise that ‘the way it has always been’ is good enough.

“The result is that if the contract is ratified, all present and future APWU-represented employees will experience vastly improved wages, benefits, and conditions of employment. This is an excellent agreement that protects the rights and interests of postal workers as well as the American people,” he said.

Burrus and other officers briefed the Rank-and-File Committee on Dec. 7; deliberations began immediately after.

“I am most pleased by the elimination of part-time flexibles from the workforce in 200 man-year offices,” Burrus said. “That has been our objective for generations – and finally we have made significant progress. In 1993 all PTFs on the rolls were converted to regular, but, of course, when new hiring was done, PTFs were back in business. This time, PTFs will be converted and new hiring will be as full-time regulars.

“This is truly a major achievement,” he said. “Of course, winning across-the-board upgrades is no small matter either.”

Princella Vogel, chairperson of the Rank-and-File Committee, said, “We are making history with some of the innovations in this agreement – the elimination of part-time flexies in 200 man-year offices is a major, major accomplishment.

“We understood that we would have to make some sacrifices in health benefits, but we feel the overall package is a good one. We kept the ‘No Layoff’ clause, and we retained the COLAs. These were both very important.”

A Long Road

“The collective bargaining process is expected to be controversial and difficult,” Burrus said, “so APWU negotiators were not surprised that postal management was not immediately receptive to our bargaining demands. We have been able to work through our disagreements because we approached bargaining without consideration of what other postal unions may or may not achieve, and because we began to explore significant changes long before the opening of formal bargaining.

“Six months prior to the opening of negotiations, we requested that management consider changes on important issues.  These advance discussions permitted postal officials to consider the affects certain changes would have on their ability to manage the Postal Service,” the union president noted. “In the final analysis, they have agreed with the union that modifications are appropriate for the employees and the public we serve.”

The Terms of the Agreement
The Four-Year Tentative Agreement Provides for the Following:

Wages, Upgrades, COLAs:

·    There will be a 1.3 percent raise, effective Nov. 25, 2006;

·    All APWU-represented employees will receive an upgrade of one level, effective Feb. 16, 2008, implemented by the adoption of a new pay scale;

·    Transitional Employees (TEs) will be upgraded as well;

·    There will be a 1.2 percent raise, effective Nov. 21, 2009;

·    Cost-of-Living-Adjustments will be made in March and September each year, with a base index of July 2006;

Healthcare Premiums:

·    The Postal Service will pay 95 percent of premiums for employees enrolled in the APWU Consumer Driven Health Plan, effective in 2008;

·    To be eligible, employees must have been members of a Federal Employee Health Benefit Plan (FEHBP) for a minimum of one year;

·    Employees’ share of healthcare premium costs will increase 1 percent each year for employees enrolled in other plans, in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011;

Workforce Issues:

·    PTFs will be eliminated as a workforce category in offices of 200 man-years or more, effective Dec. 1, 2007;

·    All Clerk Craft part-time flexible employees in offices of 200 man-years or more in the regular workforce will be converted to regular, no later than Dec. 1, 2007;

·    Except for reporting periods 3 and 4 (December), the limit on the number of casual employees the Postal Service may hire within a district will be decreased from 15 percent to 6 percent of the total number of career employees in the district;

·    The number of casuals that may be hired nationwide within the APWU bargaining unit will be increased from 5.9 percent to 6 percent;

·    Except for reporting period 3 and 4, the number of casuals that may be employed within an installation in any reporting period shall not exceed 11 percent of the total number of Clerk Craft employees within that installation. (Previous contracts did not limit the number of casuals within an installation);

·    Full-time regular Clerk Craft employees on the Overtime Desired List (ODL) will be given priority scheduling for overtime work over casuals doing overtime work;

·    The total number of part-time regular employees shall not exceed 2.5 percent of the total number of employees in the Clerk, Maintenance, and Motor Vehicle Crafts;

·    In offices of 200 man years or more in the regular work force, career Clerk Craft employees will have consecutive scheduled days off, unless otherwise agreed to by the local parties;

·    In offices of 200 man years or more, casuals will not be assigned to Tour 2 unless there are no career Clerk Craft employees assigned to Tour 1 or Tour 3;

·    Casuals in offices of 200 man-years or more will be limited to assignments that do not require training or testing;

·    Casual employees will have a 360-day period of employment;

·    Casual employment will not be considered “in lieu of full or part-time employees” in installations of 200 man-year or greater;

·    Existing PTF maximization/conversion rules will remain unchanged for other crafts;

·    The full-time to part-time ratio in the Motor Vehicle Craft will continue at the same percentage as exists on Nov. 20, 2006;

Retail Sales Task Force

·    A task force will be convened to establish a Retail Sales Associate program in commercial establishments;

·    The program will include the union providing lists of prospective workers to the Postal Service to perform retail sales in commercial establishments;

·    The task force will begin meeting no later than Feb. 7, 2007, and conclude by May 1, 2007;

Uniform Allowances

·    There will be a 2.5 percent increase in uniform and work clothes allowances in each year of the contract;

 Leave, Holiday Provisions

·    At the option of the local parties, the union may assume responsibility for the administration of scheduling overtime, choice vacation periods, and/or holiday work;

·    APWU-represented employees will be automatically granted up to three days of leave (from annual leave, sick leave, or leave without pay) due to the death of a family member, with additional leave subject to normal leave provisions;

·    Up to seven days of administrative leave per year may be granted for donations of bone marrow, stem cells, and blood platelets, with up to 30 days for organ donations:

Light/Limited Duty Assignments

·    Management will give advance written notification to the local union president when it plans to reassign an ill or injured light- or limited-duty employee from a non-APWU-represented craft into an APWU-represented craft;

·    The reassignment or re-employment of light- or limited-duty employees from other crafts to perform APWU bargaining unit work must be made in accordance with the provisions of Article 13 of the National Agreement;

Safety and Health

·    A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) affirms that safe and healthful working conditions must be provided for postal employees who perform duties at non-postal facilities through engineering and administrative controls, personal protective equipment, enforcement of safe work practices, withdrawal of employees from the private-sector facility, and, if necessary, curtailment of mail;

·    An implementation process will be created to ensure employees in offsite locations are protected by the Postal Service’s safety and health program;

Local Implementation

·    The parties agree to jointly develop a model “Local Memorandum of Understanding” within 90 days from effective date of agreement, which will be applied in those offices not covered by any LMOU because of the absence of a local union structure.

Miscellaneous Topics

·    Social Security numbers will be removed from postal forms where the number is not necessary for processing;

·    The parties agree to develop a means to provide for the electronic inspection and review of documents, files, and records necessary for processing grievances;

·    When a decision has been made at the field level to subcontract bargaining unit work, the union at the local level will be given notification;

·    Memoranda of Understanding were renewed or modified governing Deaf/Hard of Hearing; No Layoff Protection; Enhancing Career Opportunities for TEs; Crossing Craft Assignments; Annual Leave Exchange; Sick Leave for Dependent Care; Leave Sharing; PTF Reassignment Opportunities; Timeliness Regarding Step 2 Appeals; and Local Implementation

Details of the craft items will be posted soon, along with plans for the ratification process.

______________

* Offices of 200 man years or more are determined by adding all paid hours for USPS career employees in crafts represented by the APWU, the National Association of Letter Carriers, and the National Postal Mail Handlers Union, and dividing by 2,080. If the result is 200 or more, the office qualifies as a 200 man-year office. The measure is based on the 12-months preceding the beginning of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The determination remains in effect throughout the life of the agreement. Paid hours include work hours, overtime, and leave. A list of 200 man-year offices for the 2006 agreement will be posted at www.apwu.org once it is received from the USPS.

APWU              St. Paul , MN Area Local        APWU

Pat McCann, President                December 7, 2006

www.StPaulAPWU.org       651-778-1637

APWU, USPS Reach Tentative Agreement
Rank-and-File Bargaining Committee to Review Contract Proposal

APWU Web News Article #81-06, Dec. 6, 2006

Negotiators for the APWU and U.S. Postal Service have reached a tentative four-year contract agreement, APWU President William Burrus has announced.

“This is an outstanding agreement that protects the rights and interests of postal workers and the American people,” he said.

“The new contract will be presented to the Rank-and-File Bargaining Committee on Thursday, Dec. 7. Upon their approval, specific terms of the agreement will be announced,” the union president said.  Under the terms of the APWU Constitution, a majority of the committee must approve any tentative agreement before it can be sent to union members for a ratification vote.

“I want to publicly thank the members of the APWU bargaining committee, including Craft Directors McCarthy, Raymer, and Pritchard; the Industrial Relations Department, under the direction of Director Greg Bell, and Executive Vice President Cliff Guffey, for their involvement in the bargaining process and for their professional guidance,” Burrus said. “The bargaining results are a testament to their dedication. Secretary-Treasurer Terry Stapleton and his department also provided important assistance.”

“I thank the members of the APWU for their continued support and commitment to the APWU.”      

APWU              St. Paul , MN Area Local        APWU

Pat McCann, President                December 5, 2006

www.StPaulAPWU.org       651-778-1637

Negotiations Hotline
‘Substantial Progress’ Made in Contract Talks

APWU Web News Article #80-06, Dec. 4, 2006

APWU President William Burrus has told union members that “substantial progress” was made in contract talks held over the weekend, but specific details are still being negotiated.

The full text of President Burrus’ message is below:

Hello, this is Bill Burrus, president of the American Postal Workers Union , speaking to you on Monday, Dec. 4.

Although I instructed union attorneys to make initial preparations for arbitration last week, contract negotiations between the APWU and the Postal Service continued throughout the weekend, and substantial progress was made. We are cautiously optimistic about the possibility of reaching a negotiated settlement, although some specific details of an agreement remain to be finalized.

Members of the Rank-and-File Bargaining Advisory Committee are scheduled to return to Washington on Wednesday, Dec. 6, to review the progress of negotiations. If an agreement has been reached, they will review its specific terms. Under the provisions of the APWU Constitution, a majority of the committee must approve any tentative agreement before it can be sent to union members for a ratification vote.

The National Executive Board also will meet in Washington DC on Wednesday, Dec. 6.

Thank you for your continued support and for your commitment to the APWU.       The toll-free number for the APWU Contract Negotiations Hotline is 800-992-APWU (or 800-992-2798).

APWU              St. Paul , MN Area Local        APWU

Pat McCann, President                November 28, 2006

www.StPaulAPWU.org       651-778-1637

CORRECTION TO BULLETIN DATED 11/16/06

(CASUAL UPDATE)

        The time frame for eligibility is PP 20, 2004 through PP 20, 2006.

       The casual in lieu of settlement stated August 2003, but our first grievance filed on this issue in St. Paul was in PP 20 of 2004.  The grievance settlement was signed on 9/29/06.  Therefore, the eligibility period is PP 20, 2004 through PP 16, 2006.

       We are still on schedule to provide management with the spreadsheet by the end of November 2006.  More information will be provided as the process moves along.

APWU              St. Paul , MN Area Local        APWU

Pat McCann, President                November 21, 2006

www.StPaulAPWU.org       651-778-1637

Negotiations Hotline
As Deadline Passes, Parties Agree to Continue Talks

 (11/21/06 - 1 a.m.) APWU President William Burrus has told union members that progress toward an agreement had been made, but that “important issues remain that have not been finalized.” The parties will continue discussions on Nov. 21. “The terms of the new contract are too important to rush agreement because of an artificial deadline,” he said.

President Burrus’ message is below:

The hour is 12 midnight, Nov. 20, and we do not have a new contract. We have agreed to continue application of the expiring agreement and to continue the discussions tomorrow, Nov. 21. We have made progress, but important issues remain that have not been finalized. The terms of the new contract are too important to rush agreement because of an artificial deadline. I am committed to leaving no stone unturned to seek an agreement that is fair to APWU members.

The Rank-and-File Committee has been requested to return to their homes to enjoy Thanksgiving and to return to Washington upon my call that agreement has been reached or we determine that it is not possible to reach agreement.

Important issues are at stake, affecting the lives of 270,000 APWU-represented employees. The national officers are committed to giving their best effort to achieve a contract that is worthy of your service.

I will be meeting with management representatives tomorrow morning to revisit the issues that separate us, and will report the results of those discussions via the hotline

Be strong, and keep the faith.

The toll-free number for the APWU Contract Negotiations Hotline is 800-992-APWU (or 800-992-2798).

APWU              St. Paul , MN Area Local        APWU

Pat McCann, President                November 16, 2006

www.StPaulAPWU.org       651-778-1637

Penalty Rate Overtime

          Article 8.4.C of the National Agreement states: “Penalty overtime pay will not be paid for any hours worked in the month of December.” Each leave year, a four week period is designated as the “month of December”.  This year’s period for the penalty rate exclusion begins on December 2, 2006 and ends on December 29, 2006.”

          The exclusion of the penalty rate of pay during this four week period does not impact other aspects related to the use of the overtime desired list.  The overtime desired list still exists in December.  It is only the penalty rate of pay that is affected.

2006 Leave Year

          The new leave year will begin on January 6, 2007. For those of you that are out of leave, January 6, 2007 is the date that you can start using annual leave that you will earn in 2007.

Annual Leave Carryover

          The new leave year begins on January 6, 2007.  You may carry over 440 hours of annual leave into the new leave year.  If you have more than the 440 hours as of January 6, 2007, you will lose that leave.  So if you currently have more than 440 hours allowed for carryover use that annual leave before the new leave year begins.

Annual Leave Exchange Option

Reprinted from the National Agreement:

“The parties agree that APWU career employees will be allowed to sell back a maximum of 40 hours of annual leave prior to the beginning of the leave year, provided the following two (2) criteria are met:

1. The employee must be at the maximum leave carry over ceiling at the start of the leave year, and

2. The employee must have used fewer than 75 sick leave hours in the leave year immediately preceding the year for which the leave is being exchanged.”

          Note: The leave you are selling back is leave that you will earn in leave year 2007.

Christmas Holiday Worked Pay

          Employees required to work on his/her Christmas holiday (Christmas day, or the employee’s designated Christmas holiday) will be paid one and a half times the base hourly straight time rate for each hour worked.  It is not paid for work performed on December 25, unless it is the employee’s holiday.  This is in addition to the holiday leave pay the employee is entitled to receive.  Those requesting annual leave in lieu of holiday leave pay will still be paid 1 ½ times the base hourly straight time rate for all hours worked on the holiday or their designated holiday.

Casual Settlement Update

          The union received the list of names of those employees on the rolls from PP 17, 2003 through PP 16, 2006 from management.

          The union is reconciling the list with seniority rosters and office memos to make sure those entitled to payment receive payment.

          To be eligible to receive payment, you must have been a career employee (full time regular, part time regular, part time flexible) on the rolls and in the bargaining unit (clerk craft) during the period from August 2003 to August 2006 at the following facilities: St. Paul P&DC, AMC, MRC, and City Stations/Branches.  Employees who have transferred, retired, quit, terminated or have passed away and who were on the rolls and in the bargaining unit (clerk craft) during the time frame listed above are eligible for payment.

          The amount paid each eligible employee will be based on the number of pay periods spent on the rolls and in the bargaining unit (clerk craft) from PP 17 of 2003 through PP 16 of 2006 in the above listed facilities.

          If all goes well; the union will have the list compiled and provided to management by the end of November.  Once management is provided the list of eligible employees and the amount to be paid to each employee, they will review the list and then forward the list to the accounting service center for processing. 

          More information will be provided as the process moves along.

DRIVING YOUR OWN VEHICLE ON THE CLOCK?

          Station Relief Clerks and PTF’s, along with other craft employees, have customarily been asked to report from one postal facility to another.  Management has expected employees to accomplish this by using their own vehicles while on the clock.  What you need to be aware of when using your own vehicle while on the clock is that unless your insurance covers you under your policy for business use, you may not be covered in the event of an accident.  To use your own vehicle is your decision.  However, if you choose not to, management must then provide you transportation.  This can be done by providing you a postal vehicle, management driving you to a facility and picking you up to return to the facility where you started your day, or by providing you a cab voucher.

          Management has made a decision to downsize stations and branches to the point of bare-bone staffing, and now they expect employees to drive from station to station in their own vehicles to cover the staffing problems that management created.  If management is intent on staffing in this manner, then they can provide cars, cab fares, or have station managers and supervisors drive Clerks from station to station.

          If a supervisor/manager gives you a direct order to use your vehicle to report to another postal facility, simply state that you will not use your personal vehicle and that you would like to comply with the direct order to report to the other location, but that they will need to provide transportation for you to do so.

          If management becomes upset with you (which they will), and tries to coerce you with threats of discipline, remain calm and simply state that you would like union representation on this matter.  If management instructs you to punch off the clock and leave the building, do so, and then call the Union Office (651-778-1637).

Pat McCann, President

UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE AND THE

                        The parties agree that the following represents the policy of the

                        U.S. Postal  Service and the  American  Postal Workers  Union

                        concerning the furnishing of privately owned vehicles (POV) by

                        employees of the crafts represented by the APWU:

                        No  craft  employee represented by the APWU may be coerced

                        into   furnishing   a  vehicle  of carrying  passengers without the

                        employee’s  consent.    The use  of a  personal vehicle  is   the

                        decision of the employee and it is not the intent of the parties to

                        discourage such  use of  personal vehicles when transportation

                        is needed from one postal facility to another or in the completion

                        of the employee’s assignment.  When an employee begins  his/

her work day at one postal unit and is provided transportation to

                        another  unit to complete his/her tour of duty, that employee will

                        be  provided transportation back  to the  unit where his/her  tour

                        began  if transportation is needed.   If the employee ends tour at     

                        the new location the return trip will not be on the clock  but trans-

portation will be provided promptly by management upon request.  

Veteran’s Day Holiday Scheduling

            There seems to be a lot of confusion for the Veteran’s Day Holiday.  Article 11.5.A of the contract states: “When a holiday falls on Sunday, the following Monday will be observed as the holiday.  When a holiday falls on a Saturday, the preceding Friday shall be observed as the holiday.”

            Veteran’s Day, November 11, 2006, Saturday

            Holiday Schedule is as follows:

            Thursday (Nov 9^th)                Friday (Nov 10^th)       Saturday (Nov 11^th)

            (T-1 Wed)                               (T-1 Thurs)                (T-1 Fri)

            SDO                                        SDO                            HOLIDAY

            HOLIDAY                                 SDO                            SDO   

            REG SCHED                          HOLIDAY                     SDO               

            These are some examples of how the holiday would fall. If Saturday would be a regularly scheduled day this would then be your holiday.  If you have Saturday as your SDO then Friday becomes your holiday.  If you have Friday and Saturday as your SDO’s then Thursday becomes your holiday.

            Since someone’s “holiday” could be Thursday, November 9^th, or Friday, November 10^th, the requirement to post the holiday schedule the Tuesday prior to the holiday would be Tuesday, October 31, 2006.

Judy Fricke

Industrial Relations Director

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APWU             St. Paul , MN Area Local               APWU

Pat McCann, President                                             October 6,  2006

www.StPaulAPWU.org                                                  651-778-1637

HEADS UP TO ALL STATIONS

          It has come to our attention that employees who had their bids reposted, abolished and/or excessed have not been given any written assignment to where they should be reporting.  This creates several problems.  If you are unassigned and have not been given any written orders you would be considered to still be part of the section from which you last held a bid.  This is where your annual leave would come from and count against the quota.  You would be considered part of this section for holidays and overtime also.  Management has been assigning these employees to other sections without written notification.  If these employees are now working in your section, be aware that they do not count against your annual leave, overtime and holidays.  If this is happening to you as an unassigned or there are unassigned employees working in your section and you believe scheduling for annual, overtime and holidays may be in question, request a steward.

Judy Fricke

TO ALL EMPLOYEES WORKING OVER THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND

          It has been brought to our attention that there are several APC’s of delayed waste mail on the dock.  If you have been scheduled in to work over the holiday weekend and are sent down to the dock to work this mail, it is a violation of the Holiday Scheduling pecking order.  Request a steward.  As a reminder, when management is scheduling for the holiday, they are required to have a plan to utilize employees in section.  If you are ever forced in to work the holiday and are sent to another section, there is a good possibility there is a violation.  Request a steward.

Judy Fricke

          “Our labor unions are not narrow, self-seeking groups.  They have raised wages, shortened hours, and provided supplemental benefits.  Through collective bargaining and grievance procedures, they have brought justice and democracy to the shop floor … but their work goes beyond their own jobs and even beyond our borders.  They have spoken, not for narrow, self-interests, but for the public interest and for the people.”

WINDOW CLERK TRAINING

          We continue to encounter problems with employees not receiving the required/uninterrupted 40 hours on-the-job window training.  While it is no longer pass/fail training, it is still a requirement that the employer provide the proper training.  Furthermore, if you don’t receive the proper (40 hours) training, you may decline the bid.  Ask for a steward if management is refusing to properly schedule your on-the-job window training.

APWU                            St. Paul , MN Area Local                  APWU

Pat McCann, President                                                                         August 22, 2006

www.StPaulAPWU.org                                                                               651-778-1637

AGREEMENT REACHED ON POSTING OF RESIDUAL BIDS

            After several meetings the union and management agreed to post the 21 current residual Clerk  bids on the August, 2006 Clerk vacancy notice

            The parties agreed to post the bids as newly established bids on the August, 2006 Clerk vacancy for all Clerks to bid on.  The reason we agreed to this is that management indicated to the union that the residual duty assignments as they currently exist (i.e. days off, hours, scheme, skills, etc) do not fit within the current staffing needs.  Therefore, rather than go through the residual process and then have employees abolished out of the residual assignments or the residual assignments reposted, the parties agreed to make the changes to the residual assignments.

            This agreement gives employees, both unencumbered and encumbered, the best opportunity to utilize their seniority to obtain the newly established positions.

            Remember, the result of this agreement is that there will be no special residual bid process for unencumbered employees.  The former 21 residual bids are on the current bid sheet as newly established and reflect the changes made to the residual bids.

***********

POLO SHIRTS FOR WINDOW CLERK

            Management and the union at the Headquarters Level have finally reached agreement that will allow Window Clerks the opportunity to wear a polo shirt while working the window.

            The agreement was reported at the Clerk Craft Conference by Assistant Clerk Craft Director Rob Strunk who was the lead negotiator on this project.  As many of you know, the issue of polo shirts has been going on for quite some time.  The stumbling block was finding a manufacturer that was in the United States and employed a unionized workforce, along with agreeing on the material to be used and the color.

            We are happy to report that the shirts are union made and are made by a manufacturer in the United States .

            The polo shirts will be available for purchase through the Uniform Program and will be available from the vendors in October, 2006.