Of General Interest

National Reassessment Process – reprinted from the February 2008 Postmark

In May of 2005 the USPS notified the National APWU that they were going to being a new process of reassigning rehabilitation jobs and limited duty assignments. Prior to this their reassessment process was called outplacement. The purpose of the process is to identify those employees who have reached maximum medical improvement or who have been on restrictions over a long period of time (say, more than a year) and cannot perform the core functions of their duty assignment. Management wants to “outplace” these employees. Outplacing basically means the Post Office is claiming they no longer have a job for you. They figure by outplacing these employees, they will save millions of dollars every year.

The first step in the National Reassessment Process (NRP) is phase one. A process to identify all limited duty, light duty (non-work related) and rehabilitated assignments. This includes both those that are currently working in a modified duty assignment and those that are not returned to work. Each case will be reviewed on a case by case basis. If updated medical documentation is required the employee will be notified. The first groups of employees to be reviewed are those on light duty and who have permanent medical restrictions or have reached maximum medical improvement. The Postal Service has stated that limited duty and rehabilitated jobs will take priority over light duty jobs. Management must complete phase one of the process before they can proceed to phase two. Headquarters will determine who proceeds to phase two and when. Phase two of the process includes evaluating the “necessity” of specific job judies, interviewing the partial recovered employee and then either renewing their existing job offer, providing a new job offer, or outplacing or referring the employee to OWCP.

If the USPS does not provide medically suitable work to an injured employee, OWCP may offer vocational rehabilitation services to such employees in an effort to find them work in another federal agency or in the private sector. OWCP will assign a rehabilitation counselor (RC) who is under contract to OWCP. The RC will assist the employee by providing services such as counseling and guidance, vocational testing, training programs and placement help. These placement services may be provided for up to ninety days. If the RC determines that there are at least two jobs in the private sector within commuting distance which the employee can perform, the employee will be notified and will be expected to acquire that job. Whether the employee gets the job or not, OWCP compensation will be reduced by the earnings or potential earnings of that position. Chances are the RC will first look to the private section to place employees. Obviously there is a lot more to the process. This is just a very brief overview of what the NRP is. At this point we are unable to determine when phase two of the process will begin in St. Paul. We have been told that we will get advance notice when it does.

In the meantime, I suggest that you keep your restrictions up to date.

Jerry Jacobson

ATTENTION: All Management Personnel – You have now become the bargaining unit.

It amazes me how you have somehow distinguished yourselves as being so different than the bargaining unit. How you have fallen into the trap that somehow you will never be affected by those who are making policy that currently is directed at the bargaining unit.

1. Management decides to contract out as much work as possible. Who do you think will be left to supervise? Do you believe that you are untouchable; that there will be enough bargaining unit employees left for every supervisor to have a job? Fewer supervisors, less managers, right up the chain of command.

2. How about the staffing shortage? We already know that because of short staffing you are staying very proficient in the performance of doing bargaining unit work. Is this because once they contract out all the bargaining unit work, you will be able to jump right in and perform the work that is left? Imagine this – you will now become the bargaining unit because there is no one left from the once recognized bargaining unit for you to supervise.

3. Those who make policy have now contracted out as much work as possible and short staffed the workforce for what work is left. Because there really is no bargaining unit, the few employees left, have no union and, therefore, no contract. So, now you, who once were supervisors, are working at a lower wage, with no leave, no benefits, in an unsafe environment, working long hours with no overtime pay. If you don’t like it, too bad. You have no recourse because have no contract. Because you once supervised employees, you already know the position those supervising you have taken. They simply are too busy to care or do anything about your problems.

4. Because there is no contract, there are no grievances. Therefore, everyone in Labor can be added to the workforce that once comprised of bargaining unit employees. See how this works? Does Domino’s ring a bell?! Okay, no more bidding, testing, training because duty assignments are given on favoritism. Great, now we can add employees from Local

Services, In-Plant Support, Training. Remember, we have already added management personnel from processing and retail to what once was the bargaining unit workforce.

5. Great, those who make policy have added so many former management personnel to work the mail that they have determined they need to look at a reduction. How will they eliminate personnel? By favoritism because we have no contract in place that will determine a fair and equitable way to do this. Remember just because there are handbooks and manuals that dictate how excessing/RIF is to be done does not mean they will follow it.

I would suggest that all of you in management take a step back and look at the big picture. Your wages and benefits fall on the backs of the bargaining unit. Whatever the bargaining unit can negotiate will dictate what you will get. Do you really believe that if you had to negotiate without the backing of what the bargaining unit received you would receive anything?

You can protect your own job through the bargaining unit. If you look for way to insure the existence of the bargaining unit, you are also insuring the existence of your own job.

Those making policy know that once they have succeeded at getting rid of the bargaining unit, you will just be next in line for execution. You know: “The Domino effect”.

Q: I filled out a 1767 (Safety Hazard Form) and nothing has been done yet, is the Safety and Health Committee still working on it?

A: Everything that the Joint Labor/Management Safety and Health Committee (JLMSHC) is working on is listed in the JLMSHC minutes. They are displayed on every floor in the Plant on the bulletin board listed as “safety”. If your issue is not on the minutes, there is a good chance that nothing is being done about the issue.

Being on the JLMSHC for several years now, I have noticed there are several different tactics management will try to avoid fixing safety issues.

1. They will agree with the employee and say ‘yes’ it is a hazard, and then write on the 1767 that they “filled out a work order” or “forward it to Maintenance” but when you go to Maintenance to see the status, they say they never got it.

2. They will write they are forwarding it to their MDO. The MDO will either write it’s been fixed (even though it has not), or they will write ‘not a safety hazard’, but either way, it never gets relayed back to the employee. The employee thinks someone is working on it when, in fact, the 1767 has been closed.

If you have turned in a Form 1767 and nothing has been done and the issue is still present, I suggest you do two things:

1. Fill out the 1767 again and turn it in anonymously (the directions are on the back of the 1767.

2. Notify me or a union steward of the issue and it will get brought up at the next JLMSHC.

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Conference 2007 - from the September 2007 Postmark This year was the 11^th APWU Biennial National Deaf and Hard of Hearing Conference in Washington DC from 7/18-21/07. The theme was “Together Yesterday, Today and into Tomorrow.”

There were 4 main updates that stood out that the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community may be interested in. They are:

1. UbiDuo – This face to face communicator, the Ubi for short, is a link between the hearing and deaf worlds. The Ubi is a compact system that unfolds from one communicator into two. It comes in a carrying case, is light weight, and can stimulate chat 2 ways (up to 4 ways). It’s wireless, can save any conversation and is adaptable with 40 commands to customize your chat experience. It’s portable for all hearing/deaf interactions; at hotels, to get directors, when dining and drinking, etc. if interested in purchasing one of these units, contact Emma Curry at TTY 816-350-70001 FAX 816-350-7009

2. VP – At the conference, they urged everyone to use the Video Phone system as often/much as needed or that service could be discontinued, FCC can check up on the usage of VP and decide if it’s being used. There is currently one in the 5^th floor cafeteria.

3. MOU – Reasonable Accommodation for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing – Most of the context and language is the same with the exception of a few things. If/when you see the phrase the “Act” this will refer to Deaf and Hard of Hearing employees with a disability under the Rehabilitation Act. It reiterates the right employees have to union representation when being, or possibly being disciplined. It mentions the types of communication systems that USPS is responsible for providing to Deaf and Hard of Hearing: i.e., DVRs, VRI, VRSs, etc. It does also mention management should provide written communications for day to day instructions. Although an interpreter is always the most desired method when communicating about Postal business, day to day instructions can be written to the employee’s ability to comprehend these written instructions.

4. eRMS- If any Deaf and Hard of Heard employee has problems getting through or getting your message across when they call in an absence, you can ask the union for the new eRMS forms. Be sure to watch how long it takes you to complete the call-in. Once you have the form, fill it out and send it to the address on the form. This will go directly to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Task Force and they will keep track of all these incidences.