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Ask President Burrus

Question:

I understand that stopping network realignment is important, and that the majority of national-level contract disputes are going to occur at plants and large post offices. This, in addition to contract negotiations, will take up a great deal of the time and resources of the union. With that said, it sure does seem that the small associate offices are left out in the cold.

There are not enough man-years in these offices to force maximization, so PTFs work 40-plus hours a week for years before they have the opportunity to become regulars. I say “opportunity,” because it is dependent on withholdings that result from consolidation. I pay the same dues to the national as those in the plants, and I willingly gave the $5 assessment. (Hell, I think it should have been $20 — the issue is that important.) But I don’t want to be left in the dark and not converted while someone who doesn’t want to be there is excessed into the office.

What are the union’s plan to assist with conversion of PTFs in Associate Offices?

Ray, Mendota (IL) Local

President Burrus:

Thank you for your inquiry. The problems regarding the conversion of part-time flexible employees in small offices are faced by many PTFs, and they are likely to continue as postal management withholds full-time vacancies to accommodate the reassignment of full-time employees who have been displaced due to “network consolidation.”

The APWU is organizing a campaign to thwart USPS plans to realign the mail processing network — plans that will have a negative impact on service to individuals and small businesses, as well as on postal workers. The campaign will alert the public to management’s plans and seek their support. We will also seek support from elected officials, especially in this election year.

This will be an extremely difficult fight and there is no guarantee of victory. Our success will depend on the active involvement of APWU members.

In addition to the campaign against consolidations, we begin contract negotiations in August, when we will submit proposals to address the conversion of PTFs in small offices. One possible solution is contract language requiring that bargaining unit work in small offices be assigned exclusively to bargaining unit employees. This would make the hours presently worked by postmasters and supervisors available to PTFs and create additional full-time positions.

In addition, we are pursuing through arbitration several national grievances that seek to count Postmaster Reliefs (PMRs) and contract employees as casuals. If we are successful, management will be forced to reduce the use of these employees because of the contractual limit on the percentage of casuals USPS may employ in APWU-represented crafts.

Success in these endeavors will be difficult, but I want to assure you that the plight of the PTFs in Associate Offices is of major importance to the union. While a positive resolution of this issue will be extremely difficult to attain, we will not give up the fight.

April 24, 2006

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