MVS Step-4 Settlement re: Pay Anomaly from Salary Exception

USPS/APWU Case Q15V-4Q-C 19224673/HQTV20190130 addressed the pay anomalies that can occur when a Postal Support Employee (PSE) is hired with a salary exception for a higher salary rate than is authorized on the Article 9 Postal pay scale.

Although the parties had previously addressed many issues with PSE salary exceptions and the problems that impact not only the PSE’s but also that could potentially affect career employees who were not hired with salary exceptions and were making less than junior PSEs with salary exceptions.

The pay anomaly in this dispute occurs when a PSE with a salary exception is converted to a level-8 career position, bids down to a level-7 position and subsequently bids back up to the higher level. Often the former PSE’s salary would exceed the salary of senior level-8 employees who hadn’t had a change of level. This settlement establishes that this MOU, and the previous PSE Salary Exception MOUs take precedence over the promotion language in ELM Chapter 422.125. It also includes the make-whole provision for any employees who were senior and being paid less than the PSEs with salary exceptions who were subsequently converted to career.