Another Travel Policy Settlement

Maintenance Craft officers have settled a grievance over a USPS policy involving employees who are delayed while en route to training at the NCED, Maintenance Division Director Steve Raymer has announced. That policy required delayed employees to call the Marriott housing facility to seek guidance on whether to continue to the training site or return to the employees’ home installation.

The dispute in Case # Q06C-4Q-C 09148174 arose due to a disagreement over who employees must call and the authority of the Marriott staff to make decisions and provide instructions to delayed employees. Unexpected delays frequently cause employees to miss a scheduled day (or days) of classroom study.

Under the terms of the Sept. 25 settlement, no decisions will be made by the staff of the Marriott housing facility. Instead, instructions will be included in the “pre-arrival brochure” and the class “confirmation letter” given by employees prior to their departure.

Employees must contact their home installation and report delays to obtain instructions related to housing. They also must call the Marriott to let the housing facility staff know they will be arriving late (or not at all).

Grievances held pending the outcome of this dispute are released for resolution or arbitration as necessary.

The agreement follows another recent travel-related settlement: On Sept. 18 Maintenance Craft officers settled a grievance on the pay for employees who are delayed while traveling. Click here to read more about the travel pay settlement.

In a related matter, Maintenance Craft officers are reminding union members that a March 1, 2005, agreement with the USPS addressed employees’ right to leave personal belongings in their rooms during interim trips. The union has learned that the NCED unilaterally modified that Lodging Interim Trip Policy for Off-Site Training.

Personal Belongings on Interim Trips

Officers are advising APWU members to file grievances if their personal goods are removed from their lodging in violation of the negotiated agreement.

Grievances should request remedies including the following, Raymer said.

1. Compensation for travel, as the unilateral removal of your belongings from your room is the equivalent of checking you out of training. As such, the travel is no longer an interim trip; rather it is compensable travel in accordance with the F-15 Handbook.
2. Reimbursement for all damage or loss of any personal belongings removed from your room without your permission.
3. Reimbursement for any storage charge that may be imposed as a result of not removing your personal belongings.
4. Any other incurred expense related to your belongings being removed, e.g. having to find a place of lodging because you are not permitted to go directly to your room without checking in at the front desk.