National Award Goldberg: Combining Radius PSE Hours When Excessing (2013)

Arbitrator Goldberg determined that the Union’s position was not supported by the language of Article 12.5.B.2 or the weight of evidence of bargaining history.The Arbitrator concluded that the sole obligation imposed on the Postal Service by Article 12.5.B.2 is that of identifying and separating those PSEs within the appropriate radius who holding posted duty assignments, whether they have opted into those duty assignments or have been assigned to them by Postal Service management. NOTE: There is, however, excellent language here on page 16 of the award that demonstrates the USPS obligation to combine PSE hours to yield duty assignments within the installation for career employees to bid: “This language demonstrates that the negotiators of the 2010 Agreement knew how to impose on the Postal Service the obligation to combine PSE hours when doing so would yield duty assignments for career employees. They did so for bidding purposes in Article 37.3.A.1….” p16