During the recently concluded negotiations effort, we agreed to allow employees eligible for work clothes and contract uniforms the opportunity to purchase and be reimbursed for footwear under the Uniform Allowance Program. This agreement has left employees eligible for the window clerk allowance as the only uniformed group of employees in the APWU bargaining unit not eligible to purchase footwear. This matter was addressed by the Joint Labor-Management Uniform Control Committee and they have recommended that current regulations be modified to provide that window clerks who have been in the µniform program as a window clerk for at least two years shall be eligible to purchase footwear through the program. This recommendation recognizes the need for newly eligible employees to direct all of their allowance to those items which are highly visible and most important to supporting a professional image to the customer. It also recognizes that after a number of years in the program, an employee begins to build up a supply of clothing and can afford to divert some of the allowance to other less visible items such as footwear. This does not, however, diminish the employee's individual responsibility to maintain a professional appearance at all times while on duty.
Combined with UID 2141 Page 2
Document Type: USPS Position Letter
APWU National Grievance Number: None