Pay Period 21-2018 Payroll Fiasco Update 2
Dear Members:
I have been informed that almost 90,000 employees from all crafts under the auspices of the APWU were affected by the USPS pay period 21-2018 pay check fiasco. The affected employees may request salary advances. Some policy restrictions on overtime pay advances are being waived for pay period 21 only, to accommodate affected employees. Alternatively, adjustments are being made so that missing overtime will be included on the November 2nd pay, and other minor adjustments will be on the November 16th pay. Each District will be responsible for processing the adjustments. [To see the announcements found in the PDF document, click here.]
Fredric Jacobs
President
Missing Overtime Pay
I have received the following information from USPS Management regarding many Oakland APWU employees missing overtime pay in their payroll checks for pay period 21:
The root cause is a programming change that was implemented last pay period for APWU non-career employees (PSE’s) to start being paid postal overtime versus FLSA overtime. (Postal overtime is triggered in excess of 8 hours per day; FLSA overtime is triggered in excess of 40 hours per week). The programming change fixed the non-career employees as designed but had an unintended consequence with the adverse impact on the career employees with overtime hours in their record. The Payroll Calculation Verification group noticed a drop in the number of payroll records processed, however, this was improperly attributed to hurricane-impacted facilities being asked to hold their timekeeping until day.
In order to preserve the integrity of the hundreds of thousands of employees whose payroll has already successfully processed, the best solution jointly determined by Accounting and IT is to have the 90,000 employees paid via salary advance at their local office. This solution has been in use for about 6 months now, though never used on a scale this size.
The Eagan Accounting Service Center is preparing detailed instructions and communications for the field and will ramp up on staffing the help desk in anticipation of the increase in call volume. Jack Meyer is informing the Area Controllers and Area Accounting Managers as well.
We are exploring all options to get these employees paid timely and have hourly calls tonight to determine the best solution and execute on it right away. We never want to be in a position where we are not paying our employees, but we especially do not want to be in this position during a contract negotiation. We do not yet have an assessment on how many employees are impacted.
Will send you an update as soon as I have one.
Fredric Jacobs
President
For a PDF version of this announcement, click here.
Issue #4, October 2018, San Francisco Clerk NBAs Newsletter. Sentinal
WHY IN THE HELL DO WE VOTE AGAINST OURSELVES?
FROM THE DESK OF: SHIRLEY TAYLOR
We are Union!
We do not lay down!
We stand up and organize!
Our government was founded on check and balances and in today’s society, it seems as if Labor has to be who supplies the will to perform this task.
We must build a multifarious coalition to save the social conscience of democracy.
What we seem to forget is that we all have passed this way before. For instance, all people considered “white” today, were not that long ago included in that category. A review of our history, finds the following nauseous information: “Irish need not apply”, “Italians need not apply”, “Polish need not apply”, “Jews need not apply”.
What I have never understood, is anyone who has ever been discriminated against because of their race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age or marital status would not jump in and fight to keep others from suffering the indignities they suffered. Why are we so happy and eager to have someone to look down on? Why do we determine our worth based upon someone else’s flawed opinion of us? I suppose that everyone wants to be loved, but if receiving said “love” requires that we forego our humanity, is it really worth anything.
We have to join the fight, because if we don’t, we are going down for the count. We have to call these people out when they cage our children, when they separate juveniles from their families, when they move children with no intent to reunite them with their families, and when they do these despicable actions against the least of us.
How do we navigate the daily drama? How do we swim through the emotional bullshit? We cannot be blind and unconcerned to what happens around us…. We are not an island unto ourselves. What we do in our daily lives has an effect on others.
WE HAVE TO VOTE!
…
[For the entire newsletter, click here]
PSEs NEW BENEFIT UPDATE
Sisters and Brothers,
The Postal Service recently notified us that the provisions of the Workforce Benefits Fund Settlement Agreement (Q10C-4Q-C15215794) pertaining to PSE overtime pay provisions were released and implemented in TACS on Wednesday, October 3, 2018. These provisions will be retroactive to Saturday, September 29, 2018 (PP 21 week 1 2018). PSE’s will now be eligible for FLSA Overtime (over 40 hours) Postal Overtime (after 8 hours), Penalty Overtime (after 10 hours in a day or 56 in a week) and PSE’s in 200 Work-Year Offices will be entitled to Guarantee Time of 4 hours.
Vance Zimmerman
Industrial Relations Director
American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO
1300 L Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005-4128
For a digital copy of this announcement, click here.
Prize For Final Website Contest is $400.00
FINAL “WORD IN THE WEBSITE CONTEST”
OCTOBER 2018
$400 PRIZE
October 2018 will be the final month of our website’s, “Word in the Website Contest”, due to low participation. The prize money has accumulated to $400.Contest rules are found on the website’s home page. Finalists who figure out the right word will be entered into a random drawing to determine the prize winner. We encourage APWU members to participate in this contest. Chances of winning the $400 prize money will be determined by the number of correct entries. One entry per APWU member. Good Luck!!!
Fredric Jacobs
President
Derrick Lee
Records Secretary
For the announcement flyer, click here.
APWU and USPS Agree to Extend Negotiations Deadline until October 20, 2018
National Negotiations Update
APWU and Postal Management Agree to Extend Negotiations Deadline until October 20, 2018
WEB NEWS ARTICLE #: 92-2018
09/21/2018 – APWU President Mark Dimondstein has announced that the union and the Postal Service have agreed to extend negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement for 30 days.
Our current union contract between American Postal Workers Union and the United States Postal Service covers the wages, hours and working conditions of 200,000 postal workers. The current Collective Bargaining Agreement expired Thursday, September 20, 2018.
For more, please click here to view the entire article.
Oakland Local Host Regional Attendance Control Training Seminar
Challenging the New USPS Attendance Control Program Training Seminar
The Oakland Local APWU #78 is hosting the Western Region full day of training on the new USPS Attendance Control Employee Availability Program and resulting discipline, Attendance Control Supervisors and Management Cadence.
The Region’s Presentation Includes:
- Mock investigative interview strategy
- Attendance discipline development
- Electronic attendance report reviews
- Attendance arbitration analysis
- Last Chance Agreement pitfalls, and much more
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2018
9:00 AM — 5:00 PM
OAKLAND LOCAL APWU OFFICE
7901 OAKPORT STREET, SUITE 2300
OAKLAND,CA 94621
APWU Representatives that plan to attend must RSVP by calling (510) 635-8497 no later than October 5, 2018.
Omar Gonzalez, Instructor, Western Regional Coordinator
Click here for the full document
Tell a Friend: Join the Union
Tell a Friend: Join the Union
Susan Robison, Assistant Managing Editor, Oakland Postal Worker News Media
Most new clerk hires and PSEs have signed up with the APWU, yet there are still hold-outs among long-term Oakland employees. Here is why those people should reconsider.
While the Union must represent all craft employees in grievances and contract negotiations, only members may attend membership meetings and vote in Union elections for the candidates who are going to represent them. Members run the Union! Local 78 has an excellent record of communicating with members through the Local’s website, the news Briefs, and workshops on topics like retirement planning, injured employees’ rights, and current legislation that affects postal workers. Our website, www.oakapwu78.org, has recently been redesigned for greater ease of use.
There are monetary benefits to Union membership. The APWU health plan immediately comes to mind. Members are also eligible for the Union+ credit card, several forms of supplemental insurance such as pet insurance and dental coverage, and a mortgage lending program through Wells Fargo. A complete description of available discounts can be found on the national APWU website under “get benefits”. And let’s not forget the Word Find contest the Local just introduced, with a cash prize for members only.
On the subject of money, keep in mind that representation comes with expenses at both the local and national levels. Renting or buying office space and maintaining office space and maintaining office staff and representatives, contract negotiation, and taking cases to arbitration all cost money. Dues income pays for all that; if we fail to increase membership, our ability to cover those costs is restricted.
These days we are going up against not only management, but political forces who want to privatize the agency. Everyone’s job is on the line. Everyone should join the Union.
For an electronic copy, go to the Articles page, under Resources, or click here.
Possible Exposure to Asbestos Alert
DANGER – OFFICES CONTAINING ASBESTOS MAY CREATE DUST CANCER AND LUNG DISEASE HAZARDS WHEN DISTURBED AND OR CONTROL METHODS ARE IMPROPER
To: All Western Region Locals
Re: Regional Alert to Drilling & Possible Exposure to Asbestos
Information from the Employer indicates that work may be done at Postal Facilities that have Asbestos. Asbestos fibers are very toxic and are known to cause cancer and other diseases.
Work activities can involve removal, drilling into or otherwise disturbing roofing, insulations, elbows, tiles, wall board, etc. that contains Asbestos.
I AM ISSUING THIS ALERT SO THAT YOUR LOCAL CAN BE ON THE LOOK OUT FOR ANY SUCH WORK ACTIVITY.
…
Enclosed is a summary of OSHA Asbestos Standards. It is not exhaustive! Please reference OSHA Standards and Guidelines in particular OSHA 1926.1101. Please review the summary and be prepared to ensure local management complies with notice, exposure monitoring, regulating areas and all other protective measures.
Also please reference AS 556 USPS Asbestos Management Guide. If you have issues with local management over these matters or have any concerns please contact the Regional Safety Representatives or my office directly at 659-685-7402 or email me at ogonzalez@apwu.org. Also please submit PS 1767s as appropriate.
Yours in solidarity,
Mark [Dimondstein]
[President, American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO]
For a full electronic copy of this letter & document, go to the To Your Health page, or click here.
Hatch Act and LWOP Arbitration Award
For more information, please see the Legislation & Politics page.