The Postal Service initiated this dispute at Step 4 of the grievance procedure. The basis of the interpretive issue was set forth in the notice letter in two different ways:
(1) Whether management must use overtime to cover a temporary vacancy in the maintenance craft instead of detailing an employee to a higher level assignment under the provisions of Article 25.
(2) Whether there is a violation of the National Agreement when an employee from a different occupational group is assigned higher level work on straight time, rather than assigning overtime to an employee within the same occupational group.
Award Summary: Arbitrator Das concluded that the issues or questions raised by the Postal Service in initiating this dispute must be answered in the affirmative. Consistent with Article 7.2 of the National Agreement, as interpreted and applied in prior National Arbitration decisions, the Postal Service may not detail a maintenance craft employee to perform higher level work in a different occupation group to avoid paying overtime to an employee within that same occupational group.
Document Type: National Arbitration
APWU National Grievance Number: Q00T4QC06082523
Craft: Maintenance
Arbitrator Name: Shyam Das