The issue in this grievance is whether a steward should be provided time on-the-clock to review copies of documents which were provided to him as an alternative to granting him time on-the-clock to review the original documents. After reviewing this matter, we mutually agreed that no national interpretive issue is fairly presented in this case. Article 17, Section 3, provides in pertinent part, "(t)he steward... may request and shall obtain access through the appropriate supervisor to review the documents, files and other records necessary for processing a grievance or determining if a grievance exists... during working hours. Such requests shall not be unreasonably denied." Further, Article 17, Section 4, provides for Employer authorized payment to "... one Union steward... for time actually spent in grievance handling, including investigation..." The parties at this level agree that this includes time for review of documents such as in question. The issue of what is, under given fact circumstances, a reasonable amount of time is not an interpretive issue and should be determined locally or, in the event of a dispute, at the regional level.
Document Type: USPS Position Letter
APWU National Grievance Number: H4N3WC27743