APWU 480-481 Area Local

A Revolutionary Contract Brings A New Era

Well, we have a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) – Now what? The first step in the process will be to educate the Local Union Reps and more importantly the local Managers in the application of the new language. It is my position that at least some of this activity be done jointly. It is my belief that the best way to avoid repeated future disputes at the office level is to educate the postmasters and supervisors on the most dramatic changes.

The most intriguing change is the creation of the new Non-Traditional Full-time or “Nifty” assignments. These positions will all be considered full-time yet the weekly schedules may include as little as 30 hours or as many as 48. It is my understanding that there is a management tool that will generate an initial staffing alignment matrix with a list of the bids. Some of the bids will still be traditional 5 day 40 hour bids, while others may be anywhere from 3 to 5 days a week and 30 to 48 hours. Current full-time regulars cannot be forced into any job consisting of less than 40 or more than 44 hours in a week.

Once the initial matrix is created, the local parties will be allowed an opportunity to make necessary adjustments, presumably based on local needs and nuances. Hopefully, this process will result in reasonably desirable duty assignments for everyone. Remember, regardless of the assignment it will be a fixed schedule for those former PTFs in offices Level 21 and above. This alone could cause a great deal of angst for retail supervisors.

The holes in the schedule will apparently be filled in by the second most intriguing innovation of the new CBA – the Postal Support Employee (PSE). It would seem to me that the Postal Service should be busy testing and hiring as we speak. It would make the most sense to convert current casuals to these positions provided they can pass the test. Once an individual is transformed into a PSE training can commence. Obviously, if the PSE is to help retail operations they will have to be window qualified. Thus, it seems that it will take some time before these changes will be fully implemented.

The most beneficial new CBA provisions deal with the return of work to the APWU bargaining unit. This will come from a number of new arrangements that will reduce contracting out our work as well as putting further restrictions on working postmasters. These new accords should benefit all three APWU Crafts. I'm convinced that the implementation of the return of work changes will be the most challenging for Union Reps to enforce, especially if there is a shortage of joint Union/Management training.

Finally, it would be shortsighted not to mention the additional fact that Local negotiations will, or should I say can, commence on August 1st. It would be very help for Local members to contact the Local office regarding suggestions on LMOU changes. Remember two things before you suggest, 1) A majority of the installation must agree that the change is a good idea, and 2) Management will have to agree to any changes. Your suggestions should be in writing and sent to the Local office.

Joe Gordon

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The 480-481 Area Local maintains offices at 810 Livernois in Ferndale, Michigan 48220 and represents all APWU members in the following USPS installations: Almont, Allen Park, Anchorville, Belleville, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Brighton, Carleton, Chelsea, Clarkston, Clawson, Davisburg, Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Fair Haven, Flat Rock, Garden City, Grosse Ile, Hartland, Hazel Park, Highland, Keego Harbor, Lake Orion, Marine City, Marysville, Michigan Metroplex, Milan, Milford, Mt. Clemens, New Baltimore, New Boston, New Haven, New Hudson, Novi, Oxford, Pickney, Plymouth, Port Huron, Richmond, Rochester, Rockwood, Romeo, Romulus, Royal Oak, South Lyon, South Rockwood, St. Clair, Sterling Heights, Trenton, Union Lake, Utica, Walled Lake, Warren, Washington, Waterford, Wayne, Westland, Willis, Wixom, Wyandotte and Yale.

The Union office is normally open from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM Monday through Friday and the telephone numbers are (248) 543-3262/3263/3264. The 24 hour number is (248) 543-3262. FAX: (248) 543-2750.