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APWU
APWU
St. Paul, MN Area Local
June 7, 2010__
www.stpaulapwu.org
651-778-1637__
VACANCY IN THE OFFICE OF
PRESIDENT
Tom Edwards has resigned as President
of the St. Paul, MN Area
Local APWU AFL-CIO.
The Constitution
of the St. Paul, MN Area
Local provides a mechanism for the filling of a vacancy on a permanent basis. Article
9, Section 5 of the Local Constitution states in part:
Section 5 “In the event of
a permanent vacancy in any General Office, the Secretary shall post on all bulletin boards fifteen (15) days in advance, a
Notice of said Election and the President shall call a meeting of the Executive Board for the purpose of filling the vacancy
as soon as practicable. A two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the Executive Board
present shall prevail in the selection. Where there are more than two (2) candidates
for the vacancy, the candidate receiving the lowest vote will not be eligible for the next ballot.
The above
procedure governs the filing of the office of President.
The election for President will take place at a Special Executive Board Meeting to be held on
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 at 9:00 a.m.
If you are interested in the office of President, your name must be submitted in writing to
the Secretary of the St. Paul, MN
Area Local by the close of business on Monday, June 21, 2010 and should be sent to:
Post Office Box 65065, St.
Paul, MN 55165.
Article 8,
Section 1 of the Local Constitution outlines the duties of President and states:
Section 1 The President shall be
the Administrative Officer of this Local; preside over all meetings; and enforce the Constitution and By-Laws. The President shall appoint all Committees and their Chairman, with the approval of the Executive Board,
and the President shall be a member ex officio of all Committees unless otherwise
decided by the membership of this Local. The President shall counter-sign all
checks and disbursement vouchers and sign all documents authorized by this Local. The
President shall appoint a Warden at each General Meeting from among those members present at that meeting. The President shall, by virtue of the office, be a delegate to all State and National Conventions.
Jesse Lopez
Secretary
St. Paul, MN Area Local
American Postal Workers Union

APWU
APWU
Tom Edwards, President
St.
Paul, MN Area Local
June
3, 2010____
www.stpaulapwu.org
651-778-1637__
ATTENTION – ATTENTION
SPECIAL GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING!!!
DATE: THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 2010
TIME:
6:00 P.M.
PLACE: LABOR & PROFESSIONAL CENTER
(Trades &
Labor Building/411 Main Street)
(One Block West of St. Joseph’s Hospital)
THE BUSINESS OF THIS
SPECIAL MEETING WILL BE TO DISCUSS THE PURCHASE OF THE NEW UNION OFFICE. THERE
IS AN URGENCY TO TAKE ACTION ON THE PURCHASE OF THE NEW UNION OFFICE.
PLEASE DISREGARD THE BULLETIN DATED MAY 27, 2010.
PLAN NOW TO ATTEND!!

APWU
APWU
Thomas
Edwards, President St. Paul, MN Area Local
May 27, 2010
www.stpaulapwu.org
651-778-1637
Attention Members
The
membership at the May 25, 2010 General Membership Meeting has approved the sale of the St Paul Area Local Union Office (located
at 654 East 6th Street, Saint Paul). As such, the Union needs to move forward on purchasing a new office for the local
and its members closer to the new P&DC in Eagan.
The topic of the purchasing of a new building will be discussed
and acted on at the June 22, 2010 General Membership Meeting (@ 6:45 pm). The
meeting will be held at the Saint Paul Regional Labor Federation building located @ 411 Main St., Saint Paul
MN 55102. Please attend this important meeting.
In solidarity,
Tom Edwards
President, St. Paul Area Local APWU
APWU
APWU
Thomas
Edwards, President St. Paul, MN Area Local
May 10, 2010
www.stpaulapwu.org
651-778-1637
MANAGEMENT BEGINS
NATIONAL REASSESSMENT PROGRAM MEETINGS WITH EMPLOYEES CONCERNING WORK STATUS LAST
WEEK WITH THE FIRST ST. PAUL AREA LOCAL MEMBER BEING
SENT HOME FOR “NO WORK AVAILABLE”!!!
The St. Paul Area Local has been notified that management
intends to start meeting with employees under the National Reassessment Process for employees with Limited Duty work restrictions. Management attempted to meet with employees the first week of May with objections
from the APWU on how they were informed of the meetings. Last week, management
did hold a meeting with a Limited Duty employee and the employee was told that there was no work available and was sent home. Management has informed us that these meetings will be conducted this week and into
the future.
Therefore, the St. Paul, MN APWU is asking that all limited duty employees, when contacted by management concerning their work status, to immediately
ask for a Union Steward to ensure that all your rights are being asserted from the beginning of this process.
There has been some confusion from the members concerning
the terms “Limited Duty” and “Light Duty”. Limited duty
applies to medical work restrictions resulting from a work related injury. Light
duty applies to medical restrictions resulting from a non-work related injury.
The National Reassessment Program deals only with those employees
who have medical work related restrictions.
For those employees with Light Duty restrictions, while not
being a part of the NRP process; the St. Paul Area Local believes that management will also be addressing light duty employees
and accommodations. So, for those employees in a light duty status, the APWU
asks that when management wants to meet with you concerning work within your restrictions that you also seek a union steward.
***************************************************
(Over)
Assigning the Unassigned
Regulars
On a daily basis, unassigned
regular employees would be scheduled in the rotation with the “bid” regulars (in areas that utilize a daily rotation)
or be assigned to a daily assignment by their seniority.
· Per the LMOU, as an unassigned, you become part of the section you are assigned to, with your seniority, for the purposes
of annual leave, overtime and holidays.
· For daily reassignments, out of section, as an unassigned, you are considered junior.
· If management puts you on a 1723, elsewhere, that is not your unassigned assignment.
Dawn Ecker
Vice President
***************************************************
Pool Clerks
It has come to our attention that there are security violations
regarding the transfer of accountability to the pool clerks when scheduled to work the window at the stations. Offices have been using the funds from the cash retained drawer, instead of cash retaining funds from the
previous day.
The funds must be able to be transferred (AIC647) from one
employee to another and entered into POS systems, using PS Form 3294-C. The funds
are NOT at any time to be taken from the cash retained drawer. If
there are insufficient funds to open a drawer, the pool clerk should be scheduled to perform other duties within the station
until said funds are available to be transferred. The pool drawer must be counted out daily, if the employees will not be
utilizing the drawer within one (1) week.
Cash drawers must be locked in the safe at all times when
not in use.
When a violation occurs, please request a steward to obtain
the form to report a security problem or poor financial practice and make a copy for your records. Make management accountable and see to it that they respond as to what corrective action was taken.
Karen Reynolds
Clerk Craft
Trustee
APWU
APWU
Thomas
Edwards, President St. Paul,
MN Area Local
April 27, 2010
www.stpaulapwu.org
651-778-1637
Give a gift that’s priceless!
Join us for our Annual Blood Drive
Tuesday May 11, 2010
1:00 – 6:00 p.m.
411 Main Street
To schedule an appointment that is convenient for you, please call Lynn
at 651-222-3787, extension 16.
|
Co-Sponsored by:
Saint Paul Regional Labor Federation
Saint Paul AFL-CIO Labor Community Action Committee
Greater Twin Cities United Way
American Red Cross/North Central Blood Services
|

APWU
APWU
Thomas
Edwards, President St. Paul,
MN Area Local
April 21, 2010
www.stpaulapwu.org
651-778-1637
Excessing: Know Your Rights
Burrus Update 06-2009, May 14, 2009
In response to significant reductions in mail volume and
revenue, postal management is aggressively adjusting employee complements. These modifications are generating thousands of
excessing notices to local unions and employees, indicating that junior full-time employees will be reassigned to other crafts
or more distant facilities.
Our Strength
Two of the strongest worker protections in the APWU Collective
Bargaining Agreement are:
The contractual guarantee of 40 hours of work per week,
which applies to full-time employees, and, [Article 8.1, page 24]
Protection from layoffs for employees who have achieved
six years of “continuous service” or who were in the APWU bargaining unit on Nov. 20, 2006. [Article 6.A, page 10; Layoff Protection Memo, page 286]
However, postal management has the legal and contractual
right to “hire, promote, transfer, assign and retain employees in positions,” subject to the limitations of the
contract. [Article 3.B, page 6] This includes the right to reassign employees in order to reduce the number of employees in a Section, Craft or Installation.
[Article 12.4 and 5, page 54 and following, JCIM Article 12.4 page 3 and following] These reductions of employees are initiated in the form of excessing notices to the union at the regional
[Article 12.4.B, pp 54-55 and 12.5.B.4. page 57; JCIM Article 12 page 3 and following] and local level [12.5.B.4. page 57; JCIM Article 12 page 6], which are subsequently issued to individual employees. [Article 12.5.B.5, page 57; JCIM Article 12 page 6]
Given the limits on the employer’s right to lay
off employees, for most workers the notice of excessing is the most traumatic job action they will face. When informed that
their place of employment will shift to a location hundreds of miles away, most employees consider the disruption to their
personal lives — schools, churches, and family ties, as well as their economic and emotional investment in a community.
Postal management is hoping that many employees will respond
to the pressures of excessing by quitting.
Our Ability to Fight
Following are the contractual provisions governing excessing
of employees to another craft within the installation. Management must:
Separate casual employees if their elimination will create
available hours that will constitute full time assignments; [Article 12.4.D, page 55 and 12.5.C.5.a.(2), page 65; JCIM Article 12 page 7]
Reduce PTF work hours (if applicable) to minimize the
impact on full-time positions; [Article 12.5.C.5.a.(3), page 65; JCIM Article 12 page 7]
Terminate work opportunities for light-duty employees
temporarily assigned from other crafts; return limited-duty employees to their respective crafts, and place limited/rehab
employees working within their craft in the proper seniority order for excessing, [JCIM Article 12 page 7] and
Permit senior employees in the same craft or occupational
group who have not been identified for excessing to volunteer to be reassigned in lieu of excessed employees. These volunteers
will replace on a one-to-one basis the most senior employee(s) identified as excess; [Article 12.5.C.5.b(3), page 67; JCIM Article 12, page 13]
Full-time employees who are notified that they will be
excessed to another installation have the right:
To remain within their present installation as Part-Time
Regular, [Article 12.5.C.5.b.(5), page 68; JCIM Article 12, page 13] or
To remain within their present installation as a Part-Time
Flexible employee; [Article 12.5.C.5.b.(5), page 68; JCIM Article 12, page 13]
If It Happens to You
The Postal Service must send potentially affected employees
a notice at least 60 days in advance when excessing outside the installation may occur. As the excessing proceeds, some employees
will receive follow-up letters, providing them with a choice of new duty assignments, or informing them when and where to
report for their new assignment in their new facility. [Sample USPS letters: Offer of Withheld Residual Vacancies to Impacted Employees | Employee Notification, Involuntary Reassignment, Within the Craft, Outside the Installation] Throughout this process, employees should inquire about their rights and options.
In particular, if you learn that your new installation
is outside your commuting area and/or at least 50 miles farther than the distance between your present duty station and your
current residence, you should request the following documentation from management, in writing: [When Excessing Occurs, page 14; OPM Publication 164, Question 43, page 25]
An official notice of excessing, including the new office
and duty assignment;
Five days of administrative leave to visit the community
of the new installation; [When Excessing Occurs, page 15] An itemized list of allowances permitted for relocated employees, including moving expenses, mileage, per diem payments
etc;
An indication of whether the reassignment is 50 miles
outside the commuting area of their present facility, and, if so, whether the employee is entitled to Discontinued Service
Retirement. [When Excessing Occurs, page 7; Publication 164, Question 5, page 4 and following]
A determination of whether the employee qualifies for
severance pay and if not, why not; [When Excessing Occurs, page 11; Publication 164 Question 5, page 5 and following]
A copy of the package explaining the relocation benefits
that are available and how to apply for them;
A copy of the residual duty assignment to which the excessed
employee will be reassigned, including the hours, days, and duties of the assignment; (Employees must meet the minimum qualifications
of the new duty assignment at the time of excessing.) [Article 12.5.B.8, page 58; JCIM Article 12, pages 5, 9, 12], and
Identification of the last day on which the employee may
elect to transfer to PTR or PTF and remain within the installation, and what the hours and days of the PTR assignment would
be. (In the Motor Vehicle Craft, the option to remain within the facility is to remain as a PTF.) [JCIM Article 12 page 14]
Employees are advised to call management’s bluff
and demand all their contractual rights, as well as the information outlined above. [Sample letter (editable MS Word document)] You should modify the letter provided above to address your unique circumstances, and your need for specific information
.
Clerk Craft employees who elect to remain in their facility
as Part-Time-Regulars enjoy all bidding rights to return to full time. However, they do not have a contractual right to eight
hours of work or pay, and cannot return to full time until all excessed employees with retreat rights have had an opportunity
to exercise those rights. PTFs have a guarantee of 2 or 4 hours of work or pay, depending on office size.
Excessing in the Maintenance Craft [Article 38.3.K, page 211; JCIM Article 12, page 8] and the Motor Vehicle Craft [Article 12.5.C.7, pages 71-72; Article 12.5.C.5.b.1.a, page 66; Article 39.1.B.8, page 234; Article 39.1.D, page 236], is governed by rules that are specific to each craft; [Article 12.5.B.9, page 58; JCIM Article 12, page 8] however, the rules governing Severance Pay, Discontinued Service, and Relocation expenses apply to all APWU bargaining unit
employees. For craft-specific rules regarding excessing from the craft or installation, consult a steward or local union representative.
Limited Duty Employees
The excessing of employees who have been injured in the
performance of their jobs and have an accepted claim (limited duty/rehab) involves special contractual and legal considerations:
Limited-duty employees who have been assigned within their
craft will be excessed pursuant to their pay level and their seniority. “Reasonable accommodation” provisions
apply.
Management must identify the specific residual duty assignment
to which the employee will be excessed, including the hours, days of work, and duties of the assignment; the employee must
be able to perform the core duties of the assignment.
If the duty assignment is outside the installation and
medically suitable work is not available in the craft of the excessed limited-duty employee, management is required to apply
the provisions of Section 540 of the Employee & Labor Relations Manual (ELM), the EL-305 Handbook, Injury Compensation, and/or the EL-307 Handbook, Reasonable Accommodation.
If it is determined that such work is not available for
a limited-duty employee in the office where the excessed employee is reassigned, the employee should apply for OWCP (Office
of Workers’ Compensation).
William Burrus
President

APWU
St. Paul, MN Area Local APWU
Tom Edwards, President
3/23/10
www.StPaulAPWU.org
651-778-1637
Maintenance Flash Bulletin
As we continue to wait
and see what exactly management is talking about with their letters of excessing and staffing packages, some of our junior
members, and even some senior members, should consider what we all know as certain.
We are an impacted plant.
Did you know that as
an employee of an impacted plant, your name goes to the top of the list for assignments as a transferee? Your sick leave usage, safety, or disciplinary record are not taken into consideration. You don’t have to be a member of one of the occupational groups that has been identified for excessing;
you qualify because you are from this impacted plant.
If you ever thought about
transferring to a warmer climate or maybe going back to an area you came from, now might be your chance. You won’t be able to take your seniority with you, but if something has been stopping you from going
and living where you would rather be, you should check out “e-reassign” today.
Some of you who are junior
BEM’s, ET’s, or MPE’s might want to grab the bull by the horns and consider assignments elsewhere as a transferee. No one is going to lose their job with excessing, but some people are going to be
displaced.
Your union is working
hard on getting the number of people impacted down to a minimum, and it is your decision if you want to wait and see what
management offers you, but if you ever thought about going to a sunnier locale, the next 30 to 90 days might be your golden
window of opportunity.
Dave Geissinger
Maintenance Craft Director

APWU
St. Paul, MN Area Local APWU
Tom Edwards, President
3/19/10
www.StPaulAPWU.org
651-778-1637
Pool Clerks and Station
Relief Clerks
In a labor management meeting we had with customer service,
several issues as they relate to pool and station scheduling were discussed. The
following are some of the highlights.
Some of the station schedules that are sent to the pool reflect
incorrect information as it relates to the current bids. Management is going
to create one type of spreadsheet that is used by all stations and ask that the correct information be on them.
Stations are requesting pool clerks for different hours than
the vacancy they need to fill. This should not occur.
Stations are requesting pool clerks where there are no vacancies. This creates overstaffing at one station and probably short staffing another. This should not occur.
Scheduling unassigned pool clerks prior to pool clerks who
properly hold a pool duty assignments should not occur. All unassigned who have
been detailed to the pool will have their detail end on 3/26.
Once pool clerks are assigned at a station, management at
that station has called to say they don’t want or need them. Once assigned
they should stay assigned to that station. Also, clerks should not be calling
the pool asking to be reassigned.
Pool Scheduling – Pool supervisors will be scheduling
pool clerks based on where the vacancy is, the starting time of the vacancy and the starting time of the pool clerk by seniority. There is a memorandum by management and the union that addresses this.
There will also be a new form sent to every pool clerk to
rate their preference to which stations they prefer to work.
All pool and relief clerks, be aware that once you receive
Wednesday notification you are entitled to out-of-schedule compensation for any hours worked outside of your bid hours. If you are filling a vacancy of five days or longer, in such case you should be assuming
the hours and days off of that vacancy, and you would not be entitled to out-of-schedule compensation. If management changes your schedule after the Wednesday posting, you are then entitled to overtime and
guarantee pay.
You are not required to use your own vehicle to travel from
station to station once on the clock. Management must either provide you a vehicle
or any other means of transportation at their expense. If you do use your vehicle
you are entitled to mileage. Also, unless you have a rider on your auto insurance
police for business use, you will not be covered if you have an accident while on the clock driving your vehicle and the Postal
Service will not cover you either.
Some additional items of concern are; management’s
ability to get in touch with the pool supervision when there is a need for a pool clerk because of leave. We have been told
that management has been sent several phone numbers for them to call in order to obtain a pool clerk. The availability of vehicles when a pool clerk is asked to go somewhere else after reporting to a station,
management doesn’t believe this should be a problem because pool clerks should be staying at the station they were scheduled. If you are filling a vacancy for a part time regular position you will be scheduled
for eight hours. You should not be sent somewhere else either before or after
working the part time hours.
If you have any questions, please contact a steward.
Judy Fricke
Industrial
Relations Director
APWU
APWU
Thomas
Edwards, President St. Paul,
MN Area Local
March 18, 2010
www.stpaulapwu.org
651-778-1637
The Children Need Our Help
“To be moved by the suffering of a child is a function of our compassion and humanity. Those who take action to alleviate such suffering represent the great and good among us.” Author Unknown
Brothers and Sisters,
the Local once again is seeking your help and kindness.
At every national convention, locals from across the country team up with the APWU National Auxiliary to support a
local charity. This year the charity will be the Children’s Hospital of Michigan.
A child’s imagination often runs wild when stressing about an upcoming procedure.
To help ease the child’s fear, a Child Life Specialist may utilize a teddy bear. So this year, the St. Paul Area
Local is asking its members to bring a teddy bear (new please) to the General Membership Meetings between now and June or
to the 5th floor stewards office, the local’s goal is 200 teddy bears, more would be great. All donations must be collected by August 13, 2010.
We are well aware of the economic situation across the country, but hope that you, the members, will consider donating
to this worthy cause. Let’s show the children we care!
Respectfully and in solidarity,
Tom Edwards
President
APWU
APWU
Thomas
Edwards, President St. Paul,
MN Area Local
March 15, 2010
www.stpaulapwu.org
651-778-1637
How to Schedule an in Service Exam
With so many changes going on it is important to know that
you can test without it being a requirement of a bid duty assignment. This is
an advantage especially for typing. You may find it easier to take a typing test
when you don’t have the added stress of it being required as part of a bid duty assignment. The following steps will allow you to sign up to take a typing test.
1. Log on
to “liteblue.usps.gov”
2. Home page,
right hand side, scroll down to “Northland Performance Cluster”
3. On the
left hand side, click on “Job Opportunities”
4. On the
right hand side, scroll down to “Internal Testing Opportunities”
Here
you will find a listing of exams and a phone number for Patty Alver. You can call her to notify her of your interest to take
an exam. Please note that on this page there is a note that if you fail this
exam you must wait 120 days to re-take. This provision is for those who are taking
the test as part of a requirement of a bid. If you take the typing test as an
in service exam, which is not part of the bidding process, you do not serve the 120 day restriction.
Currently
typing tests are administered through contracting. You will be given choices of where you want to take the test. Normally, the choices will be close to your current home address.
If when you take the test, you have any problems while taking the test, and ultimately fail, contact the union immediately. We will investigate any problems you encountered and if necessary, file any appropriate
grievances for you to retake the test.
Judy
Fricke
Industrial
Relations Director
APWU
APWU
Thomas
Edwards, President St. Paul,
MN Area Local
March 16, 2010
www.stpaulapwu.org
651-778-1637
MVS Members
Election Results
The results are
in. On Saturday, March 13, 2010, the Local held a special craft election per
Article IX, Section 5 of the Local Constitution for the Motor Vehicle Services Craft Trustee.
At the close of business on March 12, 2010 there were no written nominations from members of the Motor Vehicle Craft
filed with Local Secretary Jesse Lopez.
Steve Henjum was nominated by Cook, and as there were
no other candidates present at the nomination meeting, it was moved and seconded that Mr. Henjum be duly elected by white
ballot. Motion carried.
Thanks and appreciation to the Election Committee Chair,
Mr. Pat Hawkins for a job well done!
Congratulations Steve!
APWU
APWU
Thomas
Edwards, President St. Paul, MN Area Local
February 16, 2010
www.stpaulapwu.org
651-778-1637
Attention:
Motor Vehicle Service Craft Members
Craig
Carroll has resigned as Motor Vehicle Craft Trustee, effective 2/9/10. The Local’s
Constitution (Article IX, Section 5) provides that in the event of a craft vacancy, a special craft meeting shall be held
and those members present will elect a Motor Vehicle Services Craft Trustee.
Nominations will be accepted from the floor at the meeting. Candidates wishing to be nominated in writing must file a signed written notice with
Local Secretary Jesse Lopez.
The meeting will be held at the 6th St Union Office, 654 E. 6th
St, St. Paul on Saturday, March 13, 2010, at 10:00 a.m.
Article VII, Section 7 of the Constitution of the St. Paul, MN Area Local APWU states:
Section 6. The Craft Trustee shall have general supervisor
of the property of this local and shall take a yearly inventory of same. All
records of the secretary and the treasurer shall be subject to examination by the trustees upon their request. Unless otherwise
notified by this Local, they shall audit the books and records of the officers as of the close of business of each calendar
quarter and submit a written report at the next general membership meeting.
The trustees shall prepare a list of eligible voters of this
Local and list of those members legible as candidates for the regular election of officers and delegates to conventions. A
copy of said lists shall be furnished to the chairman of the election committee for the purpose of mailing ballots to the
voters in all referendum elections.
Jesse Lopez,
Secretary
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APWU
APWU
Tom Edwards, President St. Paul, MN Area Local February
12, 2010
www.stpaulapwu.org
651-778-1637
ATTENTION:
DUES PAYING MEMBERS ONLY
There are special meetings scheduled for questions and answers
you may have about excessing attributed with the move to Eagan. These meetings will be attended by your Local Officers and National Business Agents;
Lyle Krueth and Willie Mellen for the Clerk Craft; and Troy Rorman for the Maintenance Craft.
These meetings will require PRE-REGISTRATION.
To register you must call the Union Office at 651-778-1637 or 651-778-1642 and speak to Sheila or Jane. You
must provide your name, employee identification number and craft. A list of dates
and times by craft and address are listed below. These meetings are at no cost
to you.
Wednesday 3/10/10 9:00 a.m.
Clerk Craft
Monday 3/15/10 4:00
p.m. Clerk Craft
Friday 3/19/10
9:00 a.m. Maintenance
Tuesday 3/23/10 3:00
p.m. Maintenance
Location:
Labor and Professional Center
411 Main St
St. Paul, MN 55102
(Across from the Excel
Energy Center)
*Attention Hearing Impaired Members – if you require an interpreter,
you must let us know as soon as possible so that we may schedule one for you.
APWU
APWU
Tom Edwards, President St. Paul, MN Area Local February
11, 2010
Attention: Maintenance Members
The St. Paul Area Local has received the maintenance staffing package for the new Eagan facility. The following is management’s
projected impact to the rank and file of the maintenance craft. These numbers
are FLUID, as management changes their plans, i.e. machinery, equipment, etc,
the numbers too may changes.
5 level
10 Electronic Technicians
3 level 9 Maintenance
Mechanics (MPE)
7 level 9 Building
Equipment Mechanics
3 level 4 Elevator
Operators
Management has notified the local that as of 2/4/10,
management anticipates excessing 18 maintenance employees from the installation. The
National Collective Bargaining Agreement, Article 38.3.k.5 #1 states: Installation seniority governs in identifying excess
employees within an occupational group and level.
The Local Memorandum of Understanding, Article
38 further defines excessing by tour and section.
As of now, management has not informed the local
of how and when they intend to start excessing. We will continue to meet regularly
with management. We will keep you informed as details become available.
APWU
APWU
Tom Edwards, President St. Paul, MN Area Local February 11, 2010
Transfers
Due to the notification of the excessing of full time regulars
outside of the St. Paul installation and/or craft, the APWU
would like to provide the MOU on Transfer Opportunities to minimize excessing, dated 9/12/05. A copy of this MOU is included
herein. The following are some excerpts on what this MOU provides:
1. All APWU
employees in the clerk and maintenance craft may voluntarily submit a request for transfer through eReassign and will be placed
on a preferred listing by date order.
2. Minimum
qualifications must be met for the position being considered.
3. Employees
work, attendance and safety records will not be considered.
4. Employees
will not be required to have 18 or 12 months of service in their present installation.
5. Employees may transfer across
APWU craft lines and will be processed in accordance with applicable provisions of the collective bargaining agreement and
postal regulations. The first section will come from same craft to same craft
prior to cross craft selections.
Reminder that transfers are considered
voluntary reassignments and your seniority in the gaining installation is affected.
This MOU basically gives employees in an installation that will be excessing outside of it, priority over other transfer
requests. If you have any questions, please contact a steward or officer.
Dawn
Ecker
Vice
President
******************************************************
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE AND THE AMERICAN POSTAL WORKERS UNION, AFL-CIO
RE: Transfer Opportunities to Minimize Excessing
Pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Transfer
Opportunities to Minimize Excessing dated September 12, 2005, the parties held a series of meetings to discuss the methods by which this understanding
would be implemented. As a result
of these meetings the parties agree to the following:
1. All APWU employees in the installation and affected craft experiencing excessing from the craft or
installation may voluntarily submit a request for transfer through eReassign. These employees will be placed
on a preferred listing within eReassign by date order.
These volunteers will be allowed to transfer out of their impacted installation in accordance with the MOU on Transfer Opportunities to Minimize Excessing and the procedures described herein.
A. Affected employees requesting transfer must meet the minimum qualifications for the position being considered.
B. In accordance with applicable provisions of the EL-312 Handbook, nepotism rules are still in
effect.
C. The following sections of the Transfer Memorandum of Understanding (page 305, of the 2000-2006 National Agreement) are modified in order to accommodate transfer opportunities to minimize excessing. Specifically:
1. Section B & C (page 305-306) – Ratios contained
in the Transfer MOU are not applicable
to affected employees applying for transfer as a result of impending excessing.
2. Section D (page 306) - Affected employees work, attendance and safety records will not be considered when applying for transfer as a result of impending excessing.
3. Section D.1 (page 306-307) – Affected employees will not be required to have 18 or 12 months of service (as applicable) in their present installation prior to requesting a transfer to another installation. Additionally, any craft lock in period will also not apply to affected employees that qualify for priority consideration.
4. Section E (page 307) - A minimum of 30 days notice to the losing installation will be afforded if possible. Neither the gaining nor losing installation can place a hold on the employee. The affected employee will be allowed to transfer prior to the excessing if they desire and choose their effective date of transfer will coincide with the start of a pay period at the gaining installation. The losing installation will coordinate between the employee and the gaining installation.
D. The Postal Service will not provide affected employees copies of vacancies at postal facilities in advance of transfer requests. Installations with hard-to-fill vacancies post them in eReassign as Reassignment Opportunities. Employees can request reassignment to these specific positions. It is the responsibility of the affected employee to check on a regular basis in eReassign for Reassignment Opportunities. Employees may also request transfers to offices that do not have reassignment opportunities
listed on eReassign.
2. Selections by installations accepting transfer requests will be on a seniority basis using craft installation seniority from the losing installation.
A. In the event of a seniority tie, the tie breaker method will be as follows: a). total career postal time, and b). entered on duty date.
B. An employee’s seniority in the gaining installation is established by the respective gaining craft
article in the collective bargaining agreement based on the employee being a voluntary transfer (not excessed) employee.
3. An employee accepting a transfer under the priority consideration will have their name removed from the priority eReassign pending request list at all locations. Affected employees requesting transfer can
change their mind and decline
a transfer opportunity. By doing
so, the affected employee’s name will be removed from the priority eReassign pending request list at the declined location and the affected employee becomes immediately available for involuntary
Article 12 reassignment.
4. Employees may transfer across APWU craft lines. Transfers outside craft lines will be processed in accordance with applicable provisions of the collective bargaining agreements and postal regulations. Affected employees requesting transfer must meet the minimum qualifications for
the position being considered.
The first selection will come from same craft to same craft prior to making cross craft selections. There is no priority consideration to non- APWU craft positions.
5. Simultaneous (duplicate) requests for transfer by the same
employee to the same craft and installation in eReassign are not permitted.
6. Employee may receive a printed confirmation of their request through eReassign.
7. Impacted crafts or occupational groups in installations under Article 12 withholding are not available for transfer requests.
8. As a result of the MOU, there are no changes to the Article 12 time frames for notification to the union.
9. Disputes arising from the application of Transfer Opportunities to Minimize Excessing MOU will be processed at the Area level. If unable to resolve at Area level the dispute will be forwarded
to the Headquarters level.
APWU
APWU
Tom Edwards, President St. Paul, MN Area Local
February 10, 2010
--REMINDER—
CHOICE VACATION FORM 1547 DUE
Note: If you have not yet received your
Form 1547 for selecting choice vacation, please request to see a steward.
It’s that time of
year again. You all should have received your vacation period selection forms. The following is information taken from the Local Memorandum of Understanding and
a few reminders on completing your Form 1547:
“Periods for requesting choice vacation will commence no later
than March 1 of each year. Employees must submit their Form
1547 to management no later than March 21st. Normally, management
will complete and return Form 1547 to the employee no later than March 31st of each year.”
Section 3.B. “During the months of January, February, March, April, the first 21 days of May, September, October
and those dates in November not covered in Section C. 10% of the complement will be scheduled on annual leave in each section
or unit.”
Section 3.C. “From May 22nd and including June, July and August, and the 1st Saturday in
November and continuing for a total of 21 calendar days, 14% of the complement will be scheduled on annual leave in each section
or unit.”
“Choice vacation
period shall begin with the new leave year and end on the last Friday in November.”
“It is agreed that
all employees shall be granted 2 (two) selections as their first choice during the choice vacation periods. If an eligible employee requests 15 (fifteen) continuous days of annual leave, such request will be counted
as 2 (two) selections.”
“Employees changing
their assignments shall have their vacation periods honored in the new assignment, and such annual shall not be part of the
quota of the gaining section or losing unit for choice vacation.”
“No exchange shall
be permitted of vacation choices.”
When filling out your 1547,
make sure you enter under “First Choice” all weeks that you want annual leave.
“Second” and “Third” choice areas are for designating an alternate choice if you are not able
to receive the leave requested under “first” choice. These forms also ask for “inclusive dates”. This means to include all days that you want, including days off and holidays.
“The vacation period
shall start on the first day of the employee’s basic work week”, unless otherwise agreed upon and in 40 hour increments. After this basic requirement is met and management has reviewed all 1547’s they
can go back and review 1547’s for dates that are in conjunction with the choice week but beyond the service week and
less than 40 hours (e.g. 40 hours plus 8 hours). This leave can be approved as
long as it does not prevent anyone from receiving their 40 hour choice vacation period.
Note – The above
choice vacation process doesn’t apply to the associate office. Each associate
office has their own local memo which addresses choice vacation.
APWU
APWU
Thomas Edwards, President
St. Paul, MN Area Local January 29, 2010
www.stpaulapwu.org
651-778-1637
The St. Paul Area Local
has received the new Eagan facility staffing package. The following are the numbers as we know them today.
Keep in mind that these numbers are FLUID, as management changes their plans i.e.: machinery, sections etc., the numbers
too will change.
|
Pay Location |
Staffing Impact |
|
110 |
No change |
|
120 |
Reduction of one level
6 position |
|
125 |
Addition of two level
6 positions |
|
129 |
No change to level 7,
reduction of four level 6 positions |
|
131 |
Posting two level 6
positions per grievance |
|
145 |
Reduction of 14 level
6 positions |
|
FSS T-1 |
New section, addition
of 6 level 6 positions |
|
210 (REG) |
Reduction of one level
7 position |
|
210 (BOX) |
Reduction of three level
6 positions |
|
225 |
No change |
|
229 |
No change to level 7, reduction of two level 6 positions |
|
231 |
Reduction of 18 level
6 positions |
|
245 |
Reduction of 9 level
6 positions |
|
310 (BOX) |
Reduction of 1 level
6 and 1 level 7 position |
|
310 (REG) |
Reduction of 1 level
6 position |
|
325 |
Reduction of 9 level
6 positions |
|
329 |
Reduction of 4 level
6 positions and an addition of 1 level 7 position |
|
331 |
Reduction of 6 level
6 positions |
|
345 |
Reduction of 9 level
6 positions |
|
FSS T-3 |
New section, addition
of 6 level 6 positions |
|
AMC T-1 |
Reduction of 6 level
7 positions and an addition of two level 6 positions |
|
AMC T-2 |
Reduction of 5 level
6 positions and a reduction of four level 7 positions |
|
AMC T-3 |
Reduction of 6 level
6 positions and a reduction of 8 level 7 positions |
Management has notified
the local that as of 12/24/09, 106 level 6 and 22 level 7 Clerk employees will be excessed from the installation. Junior employees
to be excessed will be excessed by craft, salary level and status. Best Qualified, and part time regulars are a separate status. When excessing occurs the sole criteria for selecting employees to be excessed is
craft seniority. Whether you are recovering from either on or off the job injury
would have no bearing on being excessed. Employees in a light or limited duty
status will be excessed in the same way that employees in a full duty status are excessed, based on the pay level of the duty
assignment that they hold and their seniority.
So far, it has not been determined how the move from the
old (St. Paul) installation to the new (Eagan)
installation will be completed. Management has notified the union that their
plan is to move operations to the new facility in stages, over a 1 to 3 month period beginning possibly in June or July of
this year.
As far as bidding in the new facility, it will depend on
how and when management abolishes, reverts, excesses and posts bid duty assignments.
As of now, it is impossible to determine what jobs will be posted installation wide or posted for in-section bidding.
The
Local still has not received the maintenance staffing package.
We
will continue to meet regularly with management. We will keep you informed as
details become available.
APWU
APWU
Tom Edwards, President St. Paul, MN Area Local
January 26, 2010
www.stpaulapwu.org
651-778-1637
ATTENTION MEMBERS –
SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS
The St. Paul Area
Local has the following scholarship opportunities available to its members. Applications
are available in the Union Office on 6th Street,
the steward’s office in the Main Post Office; or contact us at 651-778-1637 and we will mail them to you.
Also search over 100 union sponsored scholarships at the following website: www.unionplus.org/scholarships. (Not part of the APWU Scholarship Program).
ST. PAUL, MN AREA LOCAL APWU
HARRY WILLIAMS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
Three $1000.00 scholarships to be awarded to
son or daughter of an active, retired or deceased member of the St. Paul,
MN Area Local American Postal Workers Union. Rules and applications are available
in the stewards office, on bulletin boards and will be printed in the February issue of the ‘Postmark’ or call
the Union Office (651) 778-1637. Application must be postmarked by February 28,
2010.
MN AFL-CIO SCHOLARSHIPS
Information and forms for these scholarships
can be obtained at the Union Office (651)778-1637, the fifth floor office, or at the MN AFL-CIO web site (www.mnaflcio.org). The Minnesota AFL-CIO Scholarship
is awarded to five (5) recipients in 2010 to graduating high school seniors who are union members or the dependents of union
members. Applicants must have a straight “B” average or better and
attend a post-secondary institution within the State of Minnesota.
Deadline is April 30, 2010. For
more information contact 651-227-7647 or 1-800-652-9004 or www.mnaflcio.org.
(Two $1000.00 scholarships
awarded for a post-secondary institution (within the State of Minnesota).
- Hubert H. Humphrey Memorial Award
(Two $1000.00 scholarships
awarded for post-secondary institution (within the State of Minnesota).
- Donald Pilla Memorial Award
(One $1000.00 scholarship
awarded for vocational/technical school (within the State of Minnesota).
MARTIN DUFFY ADULT LEARNER SCHOLARSHIP
Two $500.00 scholarships. Winners to be selected by lot. Scholarships awarded to union members affiliated with the MN AFL-CIO not high school graduating dependents.) Deadline April 30, 2010. For more
information contact 651-227-7647 or toll free at 1-800-652-9004 or www.mnafl-cio.org.
APWU SCHOLARSHIPS
- E.C. Hallbeck Memorial Scholarship
- Vocational Scholarship
Awarded to high
school seniors of APWU members. Applications must be received by March 15, 2010.
Applications and further information may also be obtained at the National
APWU website at www.apwu.org.
NELLIE STONE JOHNSON SCHOLARSHIP
Scholarships available for racial minority union
member or child, grandchild or spouse of a union member for post secondary education at one of Minnesota’s
State Universities or at one of the two year community and technical colleges that are part of the Minnesota State Colleges
and Universities (MnSCU). (Those attending the University of Minnesota or a private school
are not eligible for this scholarship. For further information contact 651-738-1404
or 1-866-738-5238. Deadline is May 1, 2010.
APWU ACCIDENT BENEFIT ASSOCIATION SCHOLARSHIP
One
$1,000.00 scholarship. Entrants must be a graduating high school senior of an
APWU member. Winner is selected by luck of the draw. Deadline is May 15, 2010.
FEEA 2010-2011 SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
(Federal Employee Education Assistance Program)
Current civilian federal employees and their
dependent family members (spouse/child). Applicants must be current high school
seniors or college students working toward an accredited degree and enrolled in a two or four year undergraduate, graduate
or postgraduate program. All applicants must have at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average (CGPA) unweighted on a 4.0 scale.
Application package must be postmarked no later than March 26, 2010. Applications and additional information is also
available on the web at www.feea.org.
REMEMBER – ALL THESE SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS CAN BE OBTAINED AT THE UNION OFFICE (654 EAST 6TH STREET);THE STEWARD’S OFFICE IN THE MAIN POST OFFICE; OR
CALL 651-778-1637 AND WE WILL MAIL AN APPLICATION
APWU
APWU
Thomas Edwards, President
St. Paul, MN Area Local January 13, 2010
www.stpaulapwu.org
651-778-1637
MVS Members
It has recently been brought to my attention that PVS management
has been discouraging employees from using annual leave. Furthermore, I have
been made aware that members think this practice has been condoned by the union. I
would like to make it very clear your officers and stewards have not made any such agreements with PVS management.
As you all know, our operation is running 5 TTO’s short
due to retirements. I have taken measures to try to force management to fill
these positions soon. This understaffing has forced management to take creative
measures to staff those vacant runs. This understaffing is not the bargaining
unit employees’ problem. All MVS employees can earn leave and may use it
within the limits of the Local Memorandum of Understanding. The shortage of TTO’s
has not changed the quota and management can’t deny you leave if the quota is open.
I would also like to remind you that sick leave does not count towards the annual leave quota.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding leave, please
see one of the MVS stewards or me immediately.
***********************************
Members!
It has recently been brought to my attention that Postmaster
Mike Larson has implemented a Letter of Instruction (some time in November) at St. Paul Stations and Branches. These instructions have resulted in city carriers being assigned to perform job duties of the St. Paul
MVS bargaining unit employees. This is a clear violation of Article 7 of the NCBA. Station
and Branch Supervisors have been instructed to use carriers to transport mail (from their station) that has missed the evening
dispatch to the St. Paul P&DC. Carriers are even getting paid overtime, penalty overtime and working over 12 hours in
a day to get this mail to the plant. This is an attempt by management to address
the many grievances that have been filed for supervisors performing those same bargaining unit job duties.
Fellow members, your brothers and sisters in the MVS craft
need your help. Management is taking several measures to try and hide this mail
as it is brought into the building. This mail is being brought into the plant at the K-dock and the B-dock (postal and personal
vehicles) between the hours of 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. MVS Tractor Trailer Operators should be performing this work. Please keep a look out for postal employees (EAS, carriers, other bargaining unit
employees) who are bringing any mail into and out of the building. If you witness
any of this, please ask for a steward immediately. If you do not want to ask
for a steward, please jot down a brief statement (what type of vehicle, date and time, who the person is, what station the
mail is coming from, etc.) and bring it to the Union office. Any help would be
greatly appreciated and would help preserve the work performed by MVS.
In solidarity,
Dave Cook, MVS Director
APWU
APWU
Thomas Edwards, President
St. Paul, MN Area Local January 6, 2010
www.stpaulapwu.org
651-778-1637
On January 3, 2010, the St. Paul Area Local APWU received
the most recent withholding notice. This notice is NOT the actual staffing package
for the new Eagan facility, however it does give the local
a strong sense of what is to come. The new withholding notice does indicate that
there will be excessing outside of the installation: “It is anticipated
that it will be necessary to excess 22 level PS-7 and 106 level PS-6 clerks from the St. Paul installation by May 2010.”
The Service has authorized the withholding of up to 128 FTR
positions in PS level 7 and below in the clerk craft, carrier, mailhandler, and custodial crafts within 100 miles. Due to the number of clerks impacted and the number of impacts at other offices, the Service anticipates
the need to withhold positions out to a 500 mile radius.
Additionally, the St Paul,
MN P&DC will move its operations to the new Eagan
facility possibly beginning in August 2010. Mnagement anticipates that it will
need 497 clerks for the new facility.
The local APWU will continue to work to reduce the number
of anticipated impacted positions.
Any member having questions concerning bidding, relocation
or general impact questions, please contact a steward.
Respectfully
and in solidarity,
Tom Edwards
President
|