The new USPS/APWU Collective Bargaining Agreement allows for the creation of Non-Traditional Full-Time (NTFT) duty assignments in the Clerk Craft and MVS Craft. But major problems with implementing the agreement have started to surface nationwide. APWU has already filed 8 National grievances over issues relating to the NTFT assignements.
According to Don Cheney:
NTFT WORK SCHEDULES POSTED TODAY
The first non-traditional, full-time (NTFT) work schedules are posted today in Level 21 and higher post offices and Function 1 offices with clerk PTFs and PTRs. It is essential that full-time employees keep a copy of their work schedules posted on Wednesdays to resolve local disputes on out of schedule work and overtime. Some supervisors are not good about paying employees their premium pay such as out of schedule, overtime and higher level.
These eight national disputes have generated hundreds of local grievances:
APWU Initiates Step 4 Disputes on August 17, 2011
APWU Initiates Step 4 Disputes on July 12, 2011
I’ve noticed that some post offices are converting 50 hour/week PTFs to 30 hour/week NTFT employees. Why? The remaining work hours are being given to cheaper PSEs. The USPS goal: 100% of Function 4 clerks and 50% of Function 1 clerks be converted to NTFTs.
TCBA page 189: “In Function 4, Management may create as many clerk NTFT duty assignments of 30-48 hours in a facility as is operationally necessary. In Function 1, no more than 50% of all duty assignments in the facility may be NTFT duty assignments of 30-48 hours, unless otherwise agreed to by the parties at the local level.”
Locals and NBAs are going to have their hands full policing this gawd-awful MESS.
According to a poster on 21st Century Postal Worker:
Martha Ramirez
Corpus Christi Area Local
– Wednesday, August 24, 2011 at 15:11:24 (PDT)
I am (for today, at least) a 37 & 1/2 hour PTR with Sunday/Tuesday off. Today, my manager gave me my new NTFTR “nifty” assignment hours. I will be reduced to just 30 hours a week, and my start time will change from 7:00 AM to 12:30 PM. My ending time will change from 3:30 PM to be 6:30 PM, so I will only work 6 hours a day! This will be a horrible change for me!! My daughter just started college and I won’t be able to handle the reduction of my hours. Also, I am the only Passport Clerk at my office, and the posted hours that the USPS agreed with the Dept of State for me to operate passports is 10 AM-3 PM, which I am currently doing. How can I do morning passports if I come in at 12:30?? The USPS will lose their accreditation with the Dept of State, and my location is a very busy one and profitable for passports! What ARE they thinking????
The only ‘good’ thing is I now have weekends off, Saturday & Sunday. BUT, I also work passports on Saturday, starting this weekend, I will be off on Saturday. I am the ONLY person that does passports in South Texas on the weekend, and that’s the day we make mucho moolah for USPS (it’s very popular with families and people who work Mon-Fri) so again my question is “What ARE they thinking????
And according to Oakland APWU local #78:
Article 7.1.A.1 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) requires that full-time employees “shall be assigned to regular schedules consisting of five (5) eight (8) hour days in a service week.” Also, Article 8.1, CBA states that “[t]he work week for full-time regulars shall be forty (40) hours per week, eight (8) hours per day within ten (10) consecutive hours… [or] within nine (9) consecutive hours…” in offices with more than 100 full-time employees and Article 8.2.C provides that a full-time regular’s “normal work week is five (5) service days, each consisting of eight (8) hours…” The Oakland P&DC has more than 100 full-time employees. Moreover, the Non-Traditional Full-Time (NTFT) Duty Assignments MOU embodied in the 2010 CBA does not provide for unencumbered / unassigned NTFT schedules. Ergo, the APWU requests that the instant schedule be rescinded and replaced with a forty (40) hours per week and two consecutive scheduled days off (Article 8.2.D, CBA) schedule.
I don’t think it’s fair when you have been making 40 hours or more as a ptf and then you’re made a NTFT and you’re reduced to 30 hours and you have pse’s who can come from other offices to your office and work 40 or more hours, something is wrong with this picture and something is wrong with the postal service.
So, can NTFT work over 30 hours?
I just became NTFT. AND I HATE it so much. I have to work 6 days for 5 hours each. In my office most regulars get overtime EVERYDAY because we( 2 NTFT) have to leave at 10:AM (No matter how much box mail still sitting there) The management told us that we are ONLY allowed to work strict 30 hours, not even 1 minute over. I don’t know how this new contract is gonna save money for post office cause they have to spend more money on overtime for the Traditional Regular FT. It doesn’t make any sense at all and IT”S NOT FAIR. I really don’t get it why they signed this stupid contract????? TELL ME WHY
I was a PTF working 6days a week 40 plus hours for more than 5 years…Now they have given me the NTFT position…which cut my hours to 5 hours daily 1230-530pm daily 6 days a week. except every week the schedule changes to fit the office..as in fridays 5am to 10am and sat. 5am-10am…then this week it has 7am to 1200pm on sat….still only 5 hours daily….I have not received any paper work on this position from the union or the postal service…I have not a clue on this job…no commuciations from anyone….how do we make a living on the cut hours and now they call me a regular. hell, we are getting screwed badly….we need help in the office. we had one window clerk work by themself for 3hours last week just to only give me 5 hours and this week it will be that same person working 1 hour by themselves just so they can give me five hours of work six days a week no days off and a 30hour work week……..what is up….please help…..
so let me try to understand. all you people want to leave he union and by taking the money away you are going to make it weaker. then you will expect a weaker union to negotiate better wages and benefits or you…ummmmmmmm
Why did other P&&DC’s across the country convert their PTF’s to regulars before this contract was voted on? Why do other P&DC’s pay level 8 for all drivers TTO or MVO and others pay level 7? Shouldn’t all plants pay the same scale? Why do we have to wait until 2013 for our cost of living raise and carriers get a fat $1000.00 check now. Don’t we all work for the same company?
Sounds like what is happening here in Sacramento. Our PTF’s are really bummed about it. I hope it gets better. Saw a news article in the APWU website stating that regulars are suppose to be able to bid on those NTFT runs. Not happening here. They were in the bid book and when the final bid book came out they disappeared.
The PTF’s were better off being PTF’s. In the long run we loose $500.00 per pay period. Our checks will be about $800.00 for 2 weeks of work. While the PSE’s will be the fat cats. But management will still get their $65,000.00 to $100,000.00 a year checks. We can’t even look for part time jobs because our hours and days off will change every week. Our union told us to vote YES. What a joke!!!! Once again they still get their regular checks and our union dues.
HOLD ON!!! You morons are bashing your union because the USPS is VIOLATING the contract. Please tell me how you are holding the union responsible for the actions of the USPS??? The USPS isn’t doing anything different than always. Go see your stewards, file the grievances and FIGHT!!! I heard the same things when the casuals came in..the the multi-million dollar settlements started coming in and everyone was happy. The union needs everyone to keep track of details and file, file, file!!! Don’t believe anything the USPS tells you, file grievances. Put all your bitchin and moanin into fighting the USPS. Your bitchin and moanin will get you nowhere.
OK, thanks for the good info. 🙂
I had discussions with the MVS director and VP of the local in Sacramento before ratification. I was greatly opposed of this contract and discussed with them my concerns. They were very adament with their approval of the contract and incouraged me to vote yes and to incourage the employees I represent to do the same. I respected their opinion and we agreed to disagree. I was hopeful they were right and I was wrong. So far….not so good.
Sacremento MVS.. I don’t know if anyone answered you question concerning your anniversary date issue. Please don’t confuse this date with your employment anniversary date. It is your DUES anniversary date. Call Shared Services [same number for unscheduled leave], they will talk you through the process. Believe me, since the disaster Guppy calls a contract, HR has plenty practice.You can download PS Form 1188. Make sure you adhere to the STUPID 10 day window or you will be paying dues to these CROOKS for another year. Am glad to help and feel your frustration.
Everyone needs to stop the whining!!! Just wait and see we are gonna have some of them NIFTY jobs showing up as 4 12 hour days. “Howdya like to have a nice job working 12 hours on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. You’d have 3 days off in a row. Yeehah! You can go fishin and you’d can buy the boat too. Heck, I almost wanna go back to the workroom floor for one of those jobs. Yeehah!!!
Me and Cliff did you guys real good!
For all you people who voted for this terrible contract without reading it, maybe you will have learned something from this experience. After reading it myself, I realized there were alot of “gray” areas therein. My Union Rep commented that he thought it was “GREAT” because of all the new jobs we were getting!! Or should we say because of all the new Union Members(i.e. PSE’s) that would be paying more dues!! All the people that voted for this saw was the pay raise and the cola’s! They didn’t think about the fact that taking a new NTFT position could possible cut one’s pay by as much as 25%!!! DUH!! Mr. Burris tried to tell everyone not to vote for this contract but, you guys listened to Guffey instead!! My next question is this….What’s gonna happen with all the people that are getting excessed because of their facility being closed down?? Is there going to be enough 40 hour positions close to their present facility (within 50 miles)or will they be excessed ??? miles to get 40 hours? And don’t give me that bull about the 50 mile rule cause it don’t fly!!
dale edwards, I don’t agree with you. Not everyone is at fault. It is the liars who are crooked and corrupt that are at fault, who put on two faces, have one and then another, stab everyone else in the back to get ahead, compromise what they can get to help other people to get what they want for themselves instead.(example union throwing career people under bus to replace them with pse’s who they will try to syphon money off of) . Lying b s ‘rs are not in same catagory as non-liars, who are and try to being honest, straightforward.
Article 7 1 b 2 states ptf will get straight time before pse. your local should be able to hammer management
Not really whining to much. I am a regular so I still get my 40 hrs. But just don’t like it that when a run is vacated due to retirement or transfer then they turn that run into a 30 hr run. Just feel bad for the PTF’s.
sacremento mvs still crying he voted YES….a coward sissy. burrass got 1% contracts and you talk about him like he is god. boy you clowns are down so low everthing looks like up.
Verizon went on strike and power sub-station sub panels started blowing up, workers were in mismangements face on the picket lines, and customers were running to other providers. Verizon mismanagement caved and called back the brass balled Verizon workers to come up with a deal and will bargain 24/7-no givebacks.
so you losers voted YES with Goofy and now you cry….well the hicks in the small towns are going to get it good-payback for screwing the workers in the city for voting down locality pay….I hope all you bums who voted YES get layed off or put on a 30 full time work week.
“accept the challenges, so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory” Gen George Patton……unfortunately you trailer trash scarey mary types only know how to grovel on your hands & knees and kiss po mismanagements ass. you got what you deserve…..a world of hurt.
Well well well! You idiots ratified the contract and now you’re bitching about it? This was the biggest giveback in APWU history since Moe Biller started the APWU in 1970. You gave away the store and here you are now, bitching, crying and moaning. You deserve everything that happens to all of you. And as the old agage goes, BE GLAD YOU HAVE A JOB!! Personally I took the 2009 retirement buyout of $15,000 boy am I glad I did that (and yes the money’s still in my savings account). Oh well no more buyouts…gone. And all of you who sat there on your thumbs who could’ve gone but are waiting for $25,000……you tell me when it’s gonna happen….NEVER…that’s when.
Seems America is destined for a lower standard of living. This is true in almost all areas of business. The Post Office will not be spared (why should we?). Were all at fault for not being involved trying to change the shady politics of our state and federal governments. As well as, corruption in big business. We all kicked back – fat, dumb, and happy with a full belly. Now we must pay the consequences. If you want to see who is to blame just look in the mirror.
Week one of my new schedule(6- 5hr days) I will have to work 65 hours. We have no PSE yet. This doesn’t amount to a money saver for the post office. I am the Bmeu back up clerk..back up everything! I am the only clerk at our office who can cover anything and everything. My biggest heartbreak is not having two days off in a week.I was really hoping to have time with my family.
Tony, If Mr. Burris had to do it all over again, I am betting he would have waited until this last contract went thru on “better terms” to leave office and quit. Who knew how things would turn out. Everything was done behind closed doors and when Union came out of it, they told everyone to vote for what they agreed to, “pretty much a done deal”. Union glorified truths about contract being better than what it really was and also sent out their own flyers with bias info with ballets attached to them. Mr. Burris had even gone as far to make a statement in writing to not vote for this new contract ahead of time before it passed and not enough people listened to him well enough. He words fell on deaf ears. Mr. Burris made it known, if you would have listened to what he said before contract went through and got vote yes by majority of only paying union members who voted on it., not to vote yes on new contract and that we should have fought harder. .
It was very shocking to see Mr.Burris retire just before the APWU’s contract would expire.. I mean, this is probably the most important contract of all time.. That’s not real good LEADERSHIP!!! He did exactly what Potter did.. They both jumped ship before it sank.. And with a membership of over 200,000 members, why did only 95,000 members vote on this last contract???? 105,000 or so members didn’t vote and return their ballots.. You guys fucked yourselves!!!!! There’s no union solidarity anymore!!!
I am getting out soon. My anniversary date is 30 Sep I believe. Is there a place we can look to see what our date is? I have the same shitty runs to bid on as last year. No chance what so ever to get a better bid.
Mr. Burris was his name. Now they have the other guy in his place, guffrey? and he just looks like, seems like to me, a schiester. I don’t know why I feel that way, he just doesn’t seem honest to me.
Schmooly, Everything given away is gone a way. There is no going back now. All I can say, is get out of the Union as soon as you can. This new contract is a good example of it, why it is good to jump ship. Whatever your 10 day window of time to get out on your anniversary date is, make sure you get out a.s.a.p. or you cannot get out until the next year even for hardships. It is too bad that the union has gone down hill. When we had our last Union President, the was much better.
Get with it—We were told this is “A WIN- WIN”situation.Funny how over the years our union advised us never to trust management but our new union President did just the opposite.I guess we won too by giving up the 984.00 cola.
Like I said , get with it, when you understand how the Loss of jobs and Loss of Cola means Win- Win you’ll be a good union soldier.Our new union emblem features a dying yellow bellied sap sucker and a person throwing in the towel.
If all of you who voted “yes” on the contract would have looked more into the contract before voting, we wouldn’t be in this mess. Listening to your union was a mistake too because all they care about is what they can get out of it also, more membership dues for PSE clerks and signing them up the first day to become members for pretty much nothing in return. Union reps are out for themselves, to take fun trips, pretend they are helping more than they already are. What a joke. The PSE in return gets to “vote”, voice an opinion. Whether you are a union member or not, all employees should have a right to vote and have their opinions heard.
This contract should have been voted down. Too late now for that. Not surprising that the PO would treat people this way. They just do it because they can. Unfortunately things will only get worse.
I am a regular at Sacramento P&DC MVS. They just posted the new Flex NTFT schedule for our current PTF’s. What a mess. They get 30 hrs while the PSE’s are working 6 days. We should throw this contract out the door. We also just had 4 runs that were turned into 6 hours a day. We started bidding last week and all of a sudden those 4 runs are missing. Any reason why???