PTFs in Large Offices Eliminated as of Dec. 1

“Dec. 1, 2007, will be a historic day for postal labor,” APWU President William Burrus declared this week. “It marks the elimination of part-time flexible employment for the Clerk Craft in large offices.

“As the result of contract negotiations, Clerk Craft PTFs will disappear as a job category in every postal installation of 200 work-years or more,” Burrus noted. “This has been a long-standing objective of postal employees, and it has finally been achieved.”

When the 2006-2010 Collective Bargaining Agreement was ratified in January 2007, there were approximately 10,000 Clerk Craft PTFs in installations meeting the criteria for conversion.

Garden Grove, CA, one of the smallest 200 work-year offices, had 34 career clerks at the beginning of the year, with 30 full-time regulars and four PTFs. The four part-time flexibles have been converted. By contrast, the Atlanta, GA, office is one of the largest, with more than 1,600 full-time clerks and approximately 250 PTF clerks at the beginning of the year. All of the PTFs had been converted to full-time regular by the end of October.

According to the information provided by the USPS, 440 facilities qualify as 200 work-year offices. The measure is based on the 12 months preceding the beginning of a new National Agreement, and remains in effect for the life of the contract. A complete list of qualifying installations can be found on the Industrial Relations Department's “USPS Reports” page of www.apwu.org. 

“In the not-too-distant future we may forget that generations of postal employees who began their careers in the Clerk Craft did so as PTFs,” Burrus said. “And they suffered all of the inconveniences and indignities of part-time employment.”

“The APWU will continue the fight to convert the PTFs in smaller offices to full time,” Burrus said, “but the elimination of PTF Clerk Craft employment in larger offices is a major achievement and we should commemorate it. We should mark the calendar and remember that we achieved this important milestone through contract negotiations.”

Casuals Compliance 

The date for PTF conversions is also the date that USPS offices must adhere to limitations on the number of casuals that may be employed. The grace period proscribed in the 2006 Collective Bargaining Agreement for the allowable number of casuals expires Nov. 30, 2007.

Beginning Dec. 1, with the exception of Accounting Periods 3 and 4, a maximum of 6 percent of APWU-represented employees may be employed as casuals nationwide; a maximum of 6 percent of APWU-represented employees may be employed as casuals within any district; a maximum of 11 percent of the Clerk Craft complement may be employed as casuals in any installation of 200 work-years or more.

A violation of these limits within an Accounting Period may be offset by a corresponding reduction in the number of casuals within the next two Accounting Periods. Any additional violations within the year must be remedied by a monetary settlement compensating career employees at the Grade 5, Step A, rate. 

Health Plan Open Season Ends Dec. 10 

With the Health Plan Open Season quickly drawing to a close, union members are encouraged to give careful consideration to the two great healthcare options offered by the APWU. For highlights of the plans, check out the new video. For additional information, visit the Health Plan Web site, at www.apwuhp.com, or call the Health Plan “Open Season Hotline” at 800-PIC-APWU (800-742-2798), 800-622-2511 (TDD-Hearing Impaired). The hotline is available weekdays through Dec. 10 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time).