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

The first-round payments for the POStPlan PMR/PSE Usage Remedy have been scheduled to be paid on Pay Period 12-2020 (paycheck dated June 12, 2020). The remedy amounts as identified by the APWU will be included on current employee paychecks. Those individuals who are no longer working for the Postal Service will have a check mailed to the last office of record. The remedy will be identified on the paystub as adjustment/reason code 40/36.

To determine if you are eligible for payment, click here.

The eligible employees were either PSEs or PTF clerks (over 9000) in the level 4 and 6 RMPO offices and/or all career clerks in level-18 offices (over 100) from PP 02- FY2015 - PP 15-FY2017.

The Clerk Craft reached a $49.9 million dollar settlement with the USPS on POStPlan staffing violations. The monetary settlement follows a ruling by Arbitrator Stephen Goldberg that the Postal Service violated Arbitrator Goldberg’s previous Sept. 4, 2014 award and a subsequent Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) dated Sept. 22, 2014.

The dispute was initiated after the Postal Service admittedly failed to honor their agreement that after December 22, 2014, the ‘POStPlan’ Remotely-Managed Post Offices (RMPOs) open 4 or 6 hours a day would be staffed with bargaining unit clerks, and Level 18 offices would be staffed with career employees. Long after the agreement, Postmaster Reliefs (PMRs) were still working in 4-hour or 6-hour RMPOs across the country and Level 18 offices reported still using PSEs instead of career employees.

New Contract – New Q&As – MOU Filling Clerk Craft Residuals

APWU & USPS Questions and Answers Explaining The Mutual Understanding Of The 2018-2021 Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) Re: Filling Clerk Craft Residual Vacancies

With the continuation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Filling Clerk Craft Residuals in the 2018 - 2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), the Clerk Craft released a joint Q&A, to provide a more detailed clarification of the steps and procedures for PSE conversions and career transfers into Clerk Craft residual vacancies.

This joint document provides clarification on several issues that have remained concerns for APWU Clerk Craft employees – career and noncareer. Some of the issues addressed are:

• Employee eligibility
• The number of times needed to apply for a specific post office
• How the ratios are applied in blocks of four or six, depending on office size
• No make-up transfer opportunities within the block of four or six ratios
• PTF retreat rights
• Filling PTF vacancies
• Dual deferment periods for SSDAs
• Controlling language: Filling Residual Vacancies – Clerk Craft MOU vs Article 37.5.D
• PSE conversions with the 2.5 years in 125 or more work year offices per the Goldberg award, with conversions effective 5/9/20
• 1:4 and 1:6 ratios being reset with June 1, 2020 posting in regular eReassign
• First action review with the 1:6 ratio offices
• Seniority date based on a PTF/PSE canvass for PTF vacancies
• A limitation on the number of canvasses an employee can accept

I want to commend and personally thank Assistant Director Lynn Pallas-Barber for all her efforts in the implementation of this MOU and to our newly elected Assistant Director Sam Lisenbe for his valuable assistance and input. I would be remiss if I did not thank our NBAs for their input and guidance over the years on issues related to this MOU. I want to thank former Clerk Craft Director Clint Burelson, who relentlessly pushed for clear ratio language. Last, but not least, I want to thank APWU President Mark Dimondstein and Director of Industrial Relations Vance Zimmerman.