The issue in this grievance is whether management violated the National Agreement when it refused to allow stewards to visit residences of postal customers while on-the-clock. After reviewing this matter, we mutually agreed that no national interpretive issue is fairly presented in this case. This is an issue suitable for regional determination based on the following:
In accordance with Article 17 of the National Agreement, a steward's request to leave his/her work area to investigate a grievance shall not be unreasonably denied. Subsequent to determining that a non-postal witness possesses relevant information and/or knowledge directly related to the instant dispute under investigation, a steward may be allowed a reasonable amount of time on-the-clock to interview such witness, even if the interview is conducted away from the postal facility. However; each request to interview witnesses off postal premises must be reasonable and viewed on a case-by-case basis. For example, it is not unreasonable for a supervisor and/or steward to telephone the prospective witness to ascertain availability and willingness to be interviewed and, if willing, to establish a convenient time and locale.
Document Type: National Pre-Arbitration Settlement
APWU National Grievance Number: H8N3WC21294