If There Is No Work For Me, Why Are You Doing It?
by Stephen Lysaght, President, APWU East Bay Area Local
As has been the case every year, the Local has been very busy processing grievances in 2009. We see management violating the same contractual provisions over and over, but certain disputes have escalated. Grievances concerning supervisors performing bargaining unit work and Carriers assigned Clerk craft duties have increased dramatically.
Perhaps it has to do with the current financial plight of the Postal Service. Because mail volume and revenue have decreased, Clerks are not replaced when they retire or separate for other reasons. Their duty assignments are reverted and PTF’s hours are reduced. Clerks are being excessed outside their installations to other offices or crafts. FTR’s have been detailed to other Post Offices. Employees on limited duty are being told there is less than 8 hours of work within their medical limitations, or in some cases no work at all is available.
At the same time, supervisors and Carriers are waiting on customers at will-call windows or the screenline. They are unloading mail from arriving trucks down for distribution and spreading it to Carrier routes. Managers and Carriers are setting-up the equipment and moving it to the dock, and preparing mail for dispatch. Supervisors and Carriers are assigning accountables to other Carriers, and then clearing them in the afternoon.
What is wrong with this picture? Clearly there are not enough Clerks in these offices to perform our work and/or management does not want to pay them the overtime needed to accomplish it. While Clerks are being told that they will be involuntarily reassigned up to 200 miles away because CSV (Customer Service Variance) data shows they are “excess” to the needs of the office, supervisors are performing their work. While Clerks are told that there is no work for them because of their medical restrictions, Carriers are assigned work they are fully capable of doing.
I contend that management’s actions constitute theft. They are stealing work hours from the bargaining unit and the Clerk craft. Even if you are not a PTF, on limited duty, or on the Overtime Desired List, management’s conduct threatens your duty assignment and possibly future employment at your Post Office. If we allow the employer to get away with taking our work from us collectively, we may each be harmed individually.
Every time you see a supervisor perform bargaining unit work (i.e., work that a bargaining unit employee should perform), you should write a statement for the Union. Each time you witness an employee of another craft being assigned work in the Clerk craft, you should similarly record your observations. Such statements should include the name of the supervisor or Carrier, the date and time during which the work is performed, and the specific duties he or she does. With your help, the Union will combat these egregious violations of our Contract and seek compensation for the affected Clerks.
This will continue to be a problem as long as we have weak Local Presidents and weak shop stewards. We are currently trying to get paid for grievances filed in January. We also can’t get out stewards to provide us with copies of settlements. Also, most clerks are either scared of retaliation or are lazy and figure “as long as I don’t have to do it”.
In our southern ca office, we clerks assisted in filing a grievance in 2008 for management doing our duties and still nothing has changed!!!!!!!! in regards to the previous post, there is absolutely a lack of integrity in the postal service!!
When will it stop? Never..We work in an enviroment that lacks integrity. We work in an enviroment were most employees have the me syndrome. We work in an enviroment where it lacks a spirit of appreciation. We have been blessed with a job that due to the sacrifices of others provides us with a wonderful wage and benefits. Those who stand idly by and watch others or themselves seek deals and violate the Collective Bargaining Agreement should be ashamed of themselves and do us a favor and quit, you are not deserving of the wages and benefits you selfishly enjoy when so many others are suffering because they do not receive the same and should. How dare anybody beat up on the union, they have fought long and hard. Those who have chosen to step up and continue the fight make many sacrifices for all employees, the members and the scabs. Why? Because a Union Officer or a Union Stewards job is to enforce and protect the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Ask yourself what have you done to protect the rights you have been given due to the sacrifices of others.
I have just filed a grievence with the union about the postmaster in my office(SMALL) doing all the work-For instance, I will be boxing mail and a customer comes into the lobby, I wait on the customer and when I turn around the postmaster has taken my place in putting up the mail. He ALWAYS scans the box section as being up when the first class letters and packages are not yet done. He has even taken over pulling in the mail and breaking it down in the morning. I am so sick and tired of being pushed out of the way so he can look good to his supervisors. In my office there is one fulltime clerk and until recently 2 PTF’s. The fulltime clerk has been told by the postmaster that they are thinking about reassignment for her, but he admitted that he has been doing more than he should and that he will fight to keep her there. Well, what is left for me? I am looking forward to this meeting with the union president, the full time clerk, postmaster and myself. I will finally feel like(hopefully) that I have someone in my court.
Well this has been going on for a long time, Every time filed a greivance on this matter Mgt has paid off and continues to do the work , this is no punishment for the infraction towards Mgt. Maybe there should be a double punishment they should pay the Greivant and Suspend the Supervisor with no pay. Should penalize the MDO also
PTF’S IN MY OFFICE ARE ON THEIR OWN. WE GET THE SHAFT FROM MANAGEMENT, OUR REGULARS AND FROM THE UNION. WE HAVE FILED GRIEIVANCES AND WHAT HAPPENS NOTHING. UNION WANTS US TO CONSTANTLY MONITOR BUT WHATS NEXT? WE HAVE BEEN PATIENT BUT AFTER A WHILE THE SAME THING HAPPENS AND HERE WE ARE HOLDING THE BAG AND STILL GETTING OURS HOURS REDUCED. RAISING A FAMILY ON PTF’S HOURS ARE IMPOSSIBLE AND WERE PAYING UNION DUES WHILE OUR REGULAR CLERKS WHO LOOK THE OTHER WAY AND ARE NOT IN THE UNION MAKES ME MAD. WHERE IS THE FAIRNESS IN THIS???????
This situation with crossing craft is been going on for years, as a former shop steward is amazing how employees are still not speaking out. Don’t they realize that our jobs are being taken and that no matter how much of a friendship you have w management they are taking their jobs.. And all they blame it on the function four desicion how when the supervisors are working the Inquiry windows moving mail boxing mail pushing mail.. If one employee speaks out the rest are so scared that they even write statements for management that they did not witness the supv. Or managers doing our jobs. The bottom line is that the union can not work if the union paying members don’t speak out… We must stick together in order to stop this from happening… The power lays in our hands we must UNITE as ONE…
at sheffielf station wayne , new jersey .07470. supervisor are constandly do ing clerk work , righ infront of the clerk shop steward , and he never question it because supervisor giving special treatment to him , longer break , longer lucnh as payoff for him not to write grivence. at the spense of his fellow union clerk overtime. this does not happen in the carrier side , because our shop steward are enforceing art.1 contract rule.
STEP 1, STEP 2, STEP 3, STEP 4 AND SO FORTH. THE UNION ARE LOOSING THE BATTLE, STILL THE MANAGEMENT HAVE CONTROL OF EVERYTHING NO MATTER HOW MANY GRIEVANCES THEY HAVE. THIS THINGS HAS BEEN HAPPENINGS FOR LONG TIME. LOOK WHAT HAPPENS TO NUMMI/TOYOTA IN FREMONT,CA.. THEY CLOSING THEIR PLANT BY THE END OF MARCH. I GOT FAMILY WHO WORKS THERE FOR THE LONG TIME. LAST AUGUST THE MANAGEMENT WANTS TO RENEGOTIATES THEIR CONTRACT BUT THE UNION DOES NOT WANT THEM. SO WHO WINS NOW….AT OUR OFFICE THE SUPERVISOR WERE DOING THE PRESORT MAIL AND DOING THE DISPATCH FOR MANY YEARS. WERE REALLY SHORT HANDED .THE MANAGEMENT MUST MOVE THE MAIL. SO WHOSE PAYING YOUR SALARY.
Recently retired rural carrier here; I worked in a small office and hated it that our PTF’s were being deprived of hours. But, when the mail got there late we just wanted to help. Please, PTF’s, you need to complain. Don’t expect us (other crafts) to appear to be jerks by not offering to help. We know, and understand, your plight but you need to put your feet down and demand your rights!
I had, and have, the upmost respect for our clerks, ptf’s, and yes, even our postmaster! I’ve had no repect for upper management in years!!!!!
How can anyone call anything ‘clerk “work”? Nothing clerks do can be called “work”. There is no such thing as “craft” in the PO. “Craft” indictates a skill or required training. That definition does not describe tasks that can be completed by mentally challenged monkeys with no more than 5 minutes instruction.
We do tell our union and nothing has been done…or they go to Step 3 and it takes forever. I have many years of experience with the PO and have never seen it in such a mess. One sales associate for some of the busiest Post Offices in the city. Please what happened to the Voice Of the Employee and Voice of the Customer? Then they wonder why we lose the business? People want “people” to help them…they want the best deal, they want to be told what is out there. Times are tough so everyone wants to learn how and the best deal and to compare. One supervisor said “They would have to get use to using the APC”..some elderly don’t use Debit or Credit cards and the supervisor said “Well they are going to have to”. What kind of attitude is this? I think there are many wonderful employees at the Post Office, it is too bad that we put more emphasis on jobs half done or not done at all or done by management. It is very clear they
would like to bust the union. We need to keep that from happening and do our duty as craft employees and report these instances.
The clerks in my office also allow the mailhandlers to do their work. I agree one hundred percent with A Anders. Unless the clerks are willing to step up and be counted they will lose ALL of their work.
same problem in my area. And also the same reason mgmt continues to abuse and violate the contract: The clerks are either too scared to say anything, because it means they won’t get their unscheduled leave request or whatever, or they are too lazy to do much more than show up and do their 4 clock rings.
Unfortunately, the clerks are their own worst enemy. They even ask their steward to file grievances if mgmt asks them to do something that they think the mail handlers could do. When the stewards try to reason with the idiots, they badmouth the union or get out altogether. Their laziness will be their undoing, because the mail handlers and carriers are perfectly happy to whatever the mgr tells them to do.
the clerks in our office would let the carriers work rather than do the work themselves no wanting to do the work themselves. Our union(NALC) has always said do any work they ask you to. eventually we will do the maintenance work as well ,We often repair old broken equipment and the maintenance ,cleaners will be sitting intheir broom closets watching movies on their dvd players. Fact why contrat force them in the carrier craft. clerk do not want to work as carriers they want to stay in the office.It take a special person to do the daily job as a carrier in all kinds of weather and conditions. I started out as a clerk and didnt like being inside with the management . they get carriwers to do clerk work when they return from the street. ive got 5 months left and had a good career and see the P.O. is not going to be as I know it just 5 years from now. this ship is thinking and the Rats wont know when to jump ship,. Hymn 43
Are you grieving these violations? For years in my office we asked the local APWU why theres always supervisors in the registry cage checking in carriers, why are there 204B’s in the back unloading and sorting mail and they did nothing. So now there clearing out the clerk craft and you ask why are they doing our work. YOU LET THEM, so you can get out in eight, so you didn’t have to do anything, so you could make that apiontment you needed to be at. This is why. You gave up your work by not wanting to do it.
It the clerks fault. Every clerk in my office see the supervisor collecting money, selling stamps, and now selling parcel postage to customer with cash money.. Have they reported this? Instead they report a craft employee assisting them. If the clerk jobs are disappearing the clerks are the only people that can stop this action. Do not bitch and groan unless you are doing something about it and reporting it to the union. Talking among themselves does not help the situation.