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Strange and Profound Truths By Carolyn Pierce, President Pilot Arbitration Program… On Feb. 23 the Regional Coordinator for the APWU, Frankie Sanders, and the Southeast Area Manager of Labor Relations for the USPS, Eloise Lance, met with me, and local labor representatives, to renegotiate an arbitration program for our local. The process was initially put into place by Allen Mohl in 2001 but had not been utilized in a while and it is a process that if not used will be taken away. We were successful in renegotiating this pilot program and if successful it will be installed across the country, another first for the Broward County Area Local. It is a joint agreement between the APWU and the USPS to ensure the best possible arrangements, financial or otherwise, in our arbitration process. If it is utilized properly it will reduce costs and reach decisions quickly for our members. CFS… The new and improved automation, PARS, that the postal
service states will revolutionize the forwarding of mail is presently at hand.
As I write this article we are attending meetings with the District Office on
when the machine will be deployed and to what extent it will impact our CFS
unit. Jeff Riddell and I will meet with our members as soon as the information
is set and discuss our best options using the set regulations used in our
national agreement. If both parties follow this agreement and it’s handbooks
we would not have very many problems. Don’t forget your rights… You have a bid job with a principle assignment area…right? That’s your job and I personally do not believe that “allied duties” means driving 20 miles to help another office. I realize this has happened for years and maybe it’s listed on your job but a steward should be checking on this. If you have someone who comes to your office to help with your mail in the mornings, please, contact a steward or this office so that we can make sure that the overtime desired list has been properly paid. Please, do not take your own car when you are sent to another office. Management orders you to go they must provide transportation to and from the office. Remember that is you have an accident it’s on you not them. Changes in the way we handle things… The postal service has filed a case with the Postal Rate Commission on changing the way we process and transport our mail. This could cause a consolidation of facilities and change the type of facilities we have. Their plan is to replace the nine facilities we currently use with five. The purposed new facility-types will be:
This will take a few years to complete and the postal
service and your national APWU have already met to discuss the issues that will
come into play when these changes happen. State of our affairs… Financially we are doing well and are processing grievances
at all steps in all cities, weekly. With the new arbitration process in place
soon we will be catching up on our arbitrations. We are planning a retirement
seminar this summer and a golf tournament for the fall. We will be listing on
all bulletin boards and our” Coastal Breeze” furniture and building supplies
to sell. These are items that we have accumulated over the years and no longer
need. We presently pay a storage
unit to house some of these items and will be able to save that money over the
year. We are using our own members to help with the clean up around our hall
instead of hiring outside contractors. The repairs from hurricane Wilma should
be completed soon. Peace, CJP |
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