Printer-Friendly Page
Sharyn
M. Stone |
Are You M.A.D. Yet?
Sharyn M. Stone
Central Region Coordinator
(This article was first published in the January/February 2012 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.)
Are you M. A.D. — making a difference? Anyone paying attention to the news is aware of the current state of affairs for working people across the country. We have written, called, e-mailed, picketed, petitioned, campaigned, voted and rallied to bring awareness of the plight of working-class Americans.
Are you part of the solution or part of the problem? Are you in, or are you waiting for someone else to do the heavy lifting? Don’t be left saying, “woulda, shoulda, coulda” when it’s too late. We need you now!
Thousands of union members are involved, and my sincere thanks go out to everyone who has volunteered to fight legislation aimed at destroying the rights and benefits of public workers. This struggle hits close to home. The onslaught of bills that would dismantle the Postal Service and devastate collective bargaining threatens our livelihood and our standard of living.
Although activists have achieved success on behalf of public workers in Ohio and several other states, the fight is just beginning. The big battle is ahead of us: the 2012 general election. We must maintain the support we have and elect a majority in Congress that will fight for middle-class workers and the survival of the Postal Service.
I’m in, whatever I can do. Are you in?
Article 12 and Excessing
With the looming impact of massive Area Mail Processing consolidations and delivery unit optimizations (DUO) it is helpful for members to understand the procedures outlined in Article 12 of the contract, which governs excessing.
The 2010-2015 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) changed the process. Even those who are familiar with the procedures find that they can be complicated to implement. And some offices are being impacted for the first time, so it’s worth our time to review the changes in the contract.
Here’s how it works: USPS area management issues a notification to the APWU Regional Coordinator implementing the “withholding” provisions of Article 12.5.B.2 for a sufficient number of positions for employees who may be involuntarily reassigned. The notice also states the type of Article 12 excessing it is and the number of employees who may be impacted/reassigned. The provisions of Article 12.5.C.5 are normally used, but there are other provisions that apply to different impacts.
Impacted
Upon receipt of the notice, the office is considered “impacted.” A meeting at the area/ regional level must occur at least 90 days prior to anyone being reassigned.
At this meeting, management provides a list of residual vacancies, which are vacancies that remain after the completion of a voluntary bidding cycle.
Changes to the impact often occur during this meeting. Excessing is by juniority, within crafts, by levels, occupational groups, or designations within an installation, and cannot exceed 50 miles. After the meeting, management issues “60-day letters” to potentially impacted employees, notifying them that they may be excessed no sooner than 60 days from receipt of the letter.
All employees who will be involuntarily reassigned must receive notice at least 30 days prior to the reporting date. Notice must include the awarded duty assignment.
In the Clerk Craft only, in impacted installations, full-time clerk residual vacancies are made available for all full-time clerks for transfer requests, using the 21-day eReassign process. Residual vacancies within the district or 100 miles of the installation will be offered from the first day of each month through the 21st day of each month. Jobs are awarded by seniority.
Clerks that are awarded transfers take their seniority, but they do not receive relocation expenses or have “retreat” rights.
When senior non-impacted employees are awarded transfers, it reduces the impact on the losing installation. Impacted part-time flexibles clerks can use regular eReassign (not the 21-day eReassign Memo) to select part-time flexible vacancies. They get priority consideration.
In addition, management must offer all residual vacancies in the impacted craft within a 50-mile radius to all employees. Junior impacted employees or more senior non-impacted employees may state a preference. When a nonimpacted (senior in lieu) employee is granted a preference, it reduces the number of the employees to be involuntarily excessed/reassigned.
Be aware! Selections made through the 21-day eReassign process take precedence over the “preference” process. Employees are entitled to see both before making a final decision.
Employees can withdraw a transfer request from the 21-day process by midnight of the 21st day of that month.
If you are excessed outside the installation, be sure to fill out the form to request retreat rights. Your request serves as a bid on all vacancies in your former craft and level in your former installation and to all residual vacancies in higher or lower levels. Check all options.
Note: There are other provisions of Article 12 that apply to Maintenance and MVS crafts as well as most of these.
There are several factors management must consider to minimize the impact of excessing, including posting Non-Traditional Full-Time (NTFT) duty assignment and using hours worked by Postal Support Employees (PSEs).
As Central Region Coordinator, I join with my sister and brother coordinators, Princella Vogel, Omar Gonzalez, John Dirzius and Mike Gallagher to ensure compliance and provide guidance to our locals and our membership through these difficult times.
