Ask the President

Question:

It seems the Clerk Craft is losing a lot of newly created jobs to the Mail Handler Craft. In our facility a lot of Mail Handlers are working 40 or more hours a week in overtime. Do you think the new jobs are going to the Mail Handler craft because we have provisions for penalty overtime pay and they do not?

David, Indianapolis Area Local

President Burrus:

Thank you for your inquiry about an issue of major concern to APWU members. The assignment of craft jurisdiction does not turn on the cost of penalty pay or the number of overtime hours used by a specific craft.

The determining factors are the work performed and the specific craft with jurisdiction over the activity. The automation of mail processing has converted many duties previously performed by clerks to activities that are exclusively manual in nature, which often fall under the jurisdiction of the Mail Handler craft.

When APWU can prove that the manual activity is integral to clerical duties, we have been able to prevail in the assignment of work. It is regrettable that another union would take solace in reducing the salary level of the work in question in order to maintain a membership base.

April 22, 2008