POStPlan Award Implementation

(This article first appeared in the March/April 2020 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine)

On February 10, the Maintenance Craft Division Director Balogun and the Postal Service signed off on the implementation of Arbitrator Goldberg’s Award on POStPlan Custodial Staffing in (APO/RMPO) Installations. The outstanding issue in implementing the Award was the process of returning custodial cleaning in POSt- Plan Installations to the Maintenance Division.

In the settlement, the parties agreed to the following:

• Determining whether a contract cleaning service can be utilized in an Administrative Post Office (APO) and its associated Remotely Managed Post Offices (RMPOs) within a POStPlan Installation will be based on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Re: Subcontracting Cleaning Services.

• Custodial duties that are currently performed by contractors and other non-Maintenance Craft employees will be assigned to custodial employees within 180 days.

• Cleaning contracts that include a penalty for cancelling the contract will be reviewed at the national level regarding cancellation.

• Current custodial employees who are within a POSt- Plan Installation will not be involuntarily reassigned to a different office within the POStPlan Installation or have their duty assignment reposted to change their principal assignment area from one office to another.

• The Postal Service may require that future custodial duty assignments require the use of a privately-owned vehicle (POV) to travel between offices in a POStPlan Installation. The Postal Service reserves the right to provide postal vehicles and/or transportation at its option. This exception is limited only to POStPlan Installation and Maintenance Craft.

• Any initial Notice of Intent will be posted no later than 90 days after the signing of this Agreement.

• Employees on the clock will be compensated at the appropriate higher-level while operating a postal vehicle or a POV between offices in a POStPlan Installation. When using a POV, daily compensation and mileage reimbursement will stop at the employee’s last assigned facility where he/she ends tour.

• Reposted or newly established duty assignments will be posted in accordance with Article 8 (Work Week and Work Schedules).

• The employee will be reimbursed at the current approved mileage rate when required to use a POV in accordance with this Agreement.

• Each facility within the POStPlan Installation will have the necessary cleaning supplies and equipment.

• When custodians are traveling between offices in a POStPlan Installation in a POV, they may be required to transport custodial supplies (e.g. paper towels, toilet paper, handheld detergent spray bottle, etc.); however, they will not be required to transport soiled custodial equipment or open chemicals.

The parties also agreed that in POStPlan Installations for which the subcontracting computation is less than one and a custodial employee is currently assigned, that custodial employee will remain until he/she vacates that assignment.

This Agreement applies only to custodial duty assignments in POStPlan Installations and cannot be cited as precedent or having applicability in any other facilities. If you have any questions, please contact your stewards, local officers, then your Maintenance National Business Agents.

USPS Announces Potential Breach in Maintenance Exam 955 Materials

On Jan. 31, the Postal Service informed APWU of a potential breach in testing materials related to Maintenance Selection System Exam 955, stating the following:

As a precautionary measure, a temporary hold on Exam 955 test scheduling has been issued until a full investigation has been completed. Individuals currently in process to complete testing will be rescheduled for a later date. The hold is expected to last until March 1, 2020.

This is important for members who were recently tested, are scheduled to be tested, or are in the process of updating their test results about this new development.

Each local must decide based on individual fact circumstances whether to enter into the grievance process.

The Maintenance Craft is currently scheduled to meet with the Postal Service, and will keep the membership updated accordingly.