Energizing CATs for a Good Contract

(This article first appeared in the September-October 2015 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.)

One of the responsibilities of APWU leaders is to motivate union members to join in and do their part in fighting for a good contract and the survival of the Postal Service.

That is where CATs (Contract Action Teams) come into play. They emphasize participation of union members on the work floor and activities in the community to win support from the public.

In many ways, the techniques of the CAT program are different from what we are used to. They are more structured and focused in a specific direction. They are based on the theory that we possess great power when we all are single-minded in our efforts.

No one likes doomsayers because they overlook the positive. Yet we have to paint the true picture by naming and identifying the good, the bad, and the ugly in order to impress upon and remind our membership of the many challenges we are facing on an everyday basis.

Both national and local leaders are doing all that we can to try to get a good contract this year. The CAT program emphasizes that each member’s help is needed right now. We will be displaying and teaching members the points and nuances of the CAT program and how to apply it.

The CATs’ tasks are to engage union members by soliciting their ideas and input and showing them how important it is for them to be a part of contract negotiations. Through dialogue and conversation, you will have the ideal scenario and setting to change the mindset of our members: We have to try to get each member to know and believe that he or she can make a difference and that we all have a dog in the fight for a good contract and a viable Postal Service.

The national APWU leaders along with the members will set our goals and figure out the best way to achieve them together. We know that in order to reach our goals, we must shed ourselves of all pessimistic and negative attitudes and turn them into positive ones.

Remember, nobody has ever won anything without feeling they can win. You must have confidence in our leaders and in yourselves, and you build confidence by working at it. Muhammad Ali, who won many prize fights, once said, “You can’t beat confidence.”

Get involved and stay involved in the CAT program. Let’s make it a part of our union curriculum henceforth.

Easy, Potent Grievances

We must continue to file grievances whenever management does our craft work and when other crafts, such as Letter Carriers, Rural Carriers and Mail Handlers – and sometimes other crafts within the APWU – who are performing your work in your craft.

By failing to file grievances, we may be losing jobs. We also may be losing overtime – and overtime pay.

Job losses are caused by management’s constant and unnecessary excessing, reversions, and abolishments. We all know that the Postal Service is short staffed and contract violations will proliferate because of it, especially in customer service.

Everywhere I travel, local leaders tell me they are frustrated because members will not report these violations or write statements for grievances. In some areas, even management is telling union members to file grievances because they need to add staff to their complement.

It is imperative that our members act on these violations with pride and without reservation. We are losing our leverage and our ability to enforce the contract in this area because of apathy.

Step up and protect your jobs by documenting and filing grievances on these violations. These grievances are very simple and easy to document. Adjudication of a documented grievance in this area almost guarantees money and respect, and possibly the creation of new positions.

To document these grievances, answer the following questions:

1. Who did the work?
2. On what date was the work performed?
3. What time was the work done? What was the beginning and ending time?
4. What type of work was performed?

My fellow regional coordinators, Sharyn Stone, Mike Gallagher, John Dirzius, and Omar Gonzalez, and I believe that if we work hard, act and stay focused on our goals with confidence and a clear understanding of what we are trying to achieve, we will succeed.