Sorting and Distribution of Priority Mail
Clerk Craft Members:
Based on the Step 3 settlement of a crossing craft violation grievance filed in 1999, which involved a twenty (20) year odyssey, the APWU has requested that all sorting and distribution of priority mail work being performed by mail handlers cease and desist immediately and that the work be assigned to clerks. The request was submitted to the Oakland P&DC Senior Plant Manager.
Fredric Jacobs
President
For a PDF copy of this announcement, click here
Deployment of the USS in the Oakland P&DC
Clerk Craft Members:
I have been advised by Sr. Operations Support Specialist, In-Plant-Support Shu “Kelvin” Zhang that the deployment of the Universal Sorting System (USS) in the Oakland P&DC will be sometime in August 2019. APBS #1 will be removed from the Oakland P&DC starting July 12, 2019.
According to Zhang, the deployment of the USS will not have an adverse impact on the clerk craft. Zhang also stated that the Priority Sacks Operation will not be phased out.
If you have any questions regarding this announcement, please contact your shop steward.
Fredric Jacobs
President
For a PDF copy of this announcement, click here
Special Edition of May Postal WORKER West
They’re Back !!
Washington DC — Management has begun the process of planning and executing involuntary reassignments.
Postal officials issued notice to Union HQ of their intent to abolish, revert or excess from BMEU and Mailing Requirement operations, including the Pacific and Western Areas. After almost a year of supposed evaluation and interviews management is gearing up for actual excessing (i.e., involuntary reassignments). The Union has been alerting locals of this eventual impact for some time and issued a Do’s and Dont’s listing for clerks to follow.
For the rest of the featured article and other important notices, please download the Special Contract Edition of Postal Worker West May 2019. Just click on the link. Or, click here to go to the Postal Worker West page.
PSE Conversions May 25, 2019
PSE Members:
Effective May 25, 2019, the six senior PSEs will be converted to career status. Preference letters are being sent to the PSEs.
Fredric Jacobs
President
For a copy of this announcement, click here
PSE Conversions Scheduled For May 25, 2019
PSE Members:
I have been informed by management that the next round of PSE conversions to career status will be effective on May 25, 2019. Preference letters will be sent out this week. So far, I have not been told how many PSEs will be converted.
Fredric Jacobs
President
For a copy of this announcement, click here
The San Francisco Region Sentinel April 2019 Issue # 5
FRIENDS, FAMILIES, COMMUNITIES…..LEND ME YOUR EARS
FROM THE DESK OF: JAMES SCOGGINS
In January of this year Sonia and I had the pleasure and honor to participate in the Los Angeles Teacher’s strike, which resulted from the Los Angeles Unified School District’s failure to negotiated a much-deserved collective bargaining agreement. Within a week or so after the teachers went on strike a negotiated collective bargaining agreement was reached. However, as important as this event was, that is not the subject of this article.
To get to this event we took the gold-line light rail from Pasadena to the Union Train Station in downtown Los Angeles where we had to transfer
and take the red-line light rail to our destination. While we were waiting on the platform proudly wearing our APWU gear, we were approached by a
young man who appeared to be in his mid-thirties and he told us that his father retired from the USPS and was a member of the San Diego Area Local. The gentleman went to tell us that while his dad was still employed and when he was a senior in high school that he applied for one of the APWU Scholarship Funds and he got it. He went on to say how that made such a positive impression on his life, which is why he was out supporting the striking teachers in their efforts. Oh yeah and let me back up a little bit, this young man is now a psychologist with the Los Angeles Unified School District and on this particular day it was raining cats and dogs, yet he took the time to come out and support the teacher’s union and their efforts.
For the complete article and other important news & opinions, click here.
RI-399 Update On Monetary Payments
To All National, Local, and State Officers
From: Mark Dimondstein, President
Clint Burelson, Clerk Craft Director
Subject: RI-399 Update Monetary Payments
Sisters and Brothers,
The tripartite Memorandum of Understanding between the USPS, APWU and NMPHU regarding the processes and procedures of future RI 399 disputes as well as the withdrawal of most national level jurisdictional disputes was signed on June 26, 2018. The Postal Service agreed to a monetary settlement of $14.5 million to each union in consideration of the withdrawal of the national level grievances. Each union has the authority to determine how the monies will be distributed.
In consultation and agreement with the Clerk Craft Director, it was determined to distribute the money on an equal basis to the following categories of clerk craft employees.
1) All career clerk craft employees who were on the rolls as of September 1, 2017 in postal installations that employ both clerk craft employees and mail handlers.
2) All non-career PSE clerk craft employees who were on the rolls as of September 1, 2017 in installations that employ both clerk craft employees and mail handlers and who are still on the roles and in the clerk craft on March 1, 2019
The exact monetary amount has yet to be determined as we are still in the process of gathering the accurate numbers. We expect somewhere in the neighborhood of 85,000 clerk craft employees will receive a payment of approximately $160.00. Furthermore, we do not yet know when the payments will be made.
Updates will be provided once the details are finalized.
Please note that the APWU and NPMHU have decided on different methods of payment and of course the numbers will differ in light of the fact that the APWU has chosen to distribute the money to twice as many employees.
Please share this information as you deem appropriate.
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For a full copy of this memorandum, click here.
Notes On Oakland Teachers Strike
Notes on Oakland Teachers Strike
By Peter Shapiro
1. The Oakland Education Association (OEA) demands: 12% pay hike over 3 years, more support staff (nurses, counselors, speech pathologists & resource specialists), smaller classes & no more school closures.
2. The Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) teachers are so badly paid that many can’t afford to live here. Class size is also an issue. As a result, teacher turnover is extremely high — 500 out of 3000 left the district last year. This is a sore spot with students, who have several organized one-day sympathy strikes in recent weeks. They’re sick of seeing good teachers leave.
3. District has a lot of high needs kids — special ed, kids in foster care, immigrant kids who are still learning English (“newcomers”). Proliferation of charter schools (which enroll a far smaller proportion of these kids) has increased the burden on regular schools. More support staff badly needed, for the kids and their teachers.
For the remaining Notes (#4 through #10), click here for the complete document.
FYI – PSE Conversions to Career Status
PSE Members:
The APWU has been advised that the seven (7) senior PSEs will be converted to career status. Six (6) PSEs will be converted effective January 19, 2019, via Plant duty assignments and one (1) PSE will be converted after qualifying, if necessary, on the window requirements, via Laurel Station SSDA duty assignment.
Fredric Jacobs
President
For a copy of this announcement, click here.
FYI PSE Separation For Lack of Work and Reappointment
PSE Members:
When separating PSEs for lack of work and reappointing PSEs, Management must adhere to Appendix A, 3. Other Provisions, B, Article 15.3, page 256 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). (See below)
PSEs may be separated at any time during their term of appointment for lack of work. Separations for lack of work shall be by inverse relative standing on the appropriate PSE roll. Such separations are not grievable except where the separations are pretextual. PSEs separated for lack of work will be given reappointment ahead of other PSEs with less relative standing on the PSE roll (or hiring a new PSE) within the installation if the need for hiring arises within one (1) year of their separation. PSEs are separated for 5 days between appointments.
When operational circumstances indicate that reappointment for a PSE(s) is not needed and the installation employs a PSE(s) with lower relative standing, the PSE(s) with higher standing will be reappointed and the PSE(s) with the lower standing in the installation will be separated instead. Such separation of a PSE(s) with the lowest standing is not grievable except where the separation is pretextual. These PSE(s) separated for lack of work during or upon completion of their term of appointment will be given reappointment ahead of other PSE(s) with less relative standing on the PSE roll (or hiring a new PSE) in the installation if the need for hiring arises within one (1) year of separation.
Fredric Jacobs
President
For a PDF copy of this information, click here.