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Be Thankful For Protections

(This article first appeared in the September/October 2008 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.)

Unfortunately the “hot topic” for the Southern Region once again is excessing. Mail volume across the 11 states is down and, as you are aware, the price of gas is out of control. This will result in the reassignment of even more employees.

Thank God for Article 12. I recently read that in Dade County, FL, the school board was going to lay off 6,000 teachers. That means certain classes (such as physical education) would have as many as 80 in each class. During a vacation not so long ago, I baby-sat four perfect grandchildren for a few hours. While the word “perfect” may be debatable, I cannot in my wildest dreams fathom being a teacher and trying to get through a few hours in a classroom with 80 lovely children regardless of their age.

Article 12: Protection

That’s why I say, “Thank God for Article 12.” While these teachers have college degrees, they do not have protection against layoffs. Because of Article 12, each member of the APWU bargaining unit is guaranteed a job: Guaranteed eight hours pay each day, hospital benefits, retirement, vacation days, sick days, etc. And you do not need a college degree to have all this.

My heart goes out to each of these teachers because, having a few degrees myself, I realize the work and sacrifices they went through. Unfortunately, their labor contract does not provide the protection afforded by the APWU-USPS Collective Bargaining Agreement. Our lives may not be easy, but we are guaranteed a job.

In order for our contract to work, however, we, the membership, must work the National Agreement. Or, rather, we must not work against it. How many times does your supervisor violate Article 1.6 by performing “bargaining unit work” and you turn your back? How many times do limited-duty employees from other crafts come into our crafts and we fail to challenge it? How many times does a job disappear because of retirement, removal, abolishment, and nobody gets involved?

I have heard the responses a thousand times: “I told my steward about it.” Well, that’s not enough. You have to get involved. Each employee should step up to the plate and file a grievance. Write a statement describing what transpired, where the work is now, who is doing it, etc. Demand to be made whole.

Do the Math

Approximately 15 years ago, while I was president of the Broward County (FL) Local, we filed a series of grievances protesting the outsourcing of our work. In 1990, 1991, and 1992, two individuals from the Maintenance Department grieved the outsourcing of painting and repairs of mailboxes for the years. For the year 1993, numerous maintenance employees stepped up to the plate. A few years later, as the Arbitration Advocate for the grievance, I settled the case — four years of grievances — for a lump sum of $40,000.

Perhaps summoning something I learned in college, I came up with a plan for disbursement of the $40,000 — for four years of grievances, that’s $10,000 per year. In sum, the two individuals who grieved the cases from 1990 to 1992 should share $30,000, and the employees who took part in grieving only the fourth year should share the remaining $10,000.

After the distribution was made, I found myself in an intimate meeting with approximately 120 of my best Maintenance friends, after which we all agreed on one thing: “If you don’t step up to the plate, you will not share in the pie.”

The point I am trying to get across is that you could have the wittiest, most intelligent, greatest union official in the history of the APWU, but if that official doesn’t get the support of the members — acting as his/her eyes, ears, etc. — it is impossible to be effective.

Excessing impacts everyone in the installation. It reduces the number of jobs available to bid, changes hours and days off, eliminates tours, downgrades working conditions — the list goes on and on.

As a final note, I want to remind each of you of the importance of the upcoming election this November. Each of us should be identifying those members who have not registered to vote. This information is available through your state AFL-CIO.

My fellow coordinators — Liz Powell, Sharyn Stone, Omar Gonzales, and Mike Gallagher — are equally involved in the preservation of your careers. Remember, the job you save may be your own.

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