Post on 18-Apr-2018
CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
I t is with great pride and honor that I have been elected by those that voted for me, to hold the
position of General President of the Miami Area Local 172, for the next 3 years. I look forward to serving “every employee” with integrity, honesty, and determination. Feel free to call the Union Hall or my cell, 305-301-9975, to speak with me personally. If I’m not there or don’t answer, I will return your call. By the time this article is published I will be in my second month of office. NEW OFFICERS: Congratulations, to the new and former officers of the Miami Area Local, on their victory. We have taken an oath to serve “every” employee under the Miami Area Local, and will give you first-class representation; you have my word on that. We have a fight ahead of us, but together we can achieve our goal of making the Miami Area Local the best that it can be. “The struggle continues!” Our By-Laws allowed the past Administrations, (the three full-time officers) 16 hours of overtime pay every pay period, totaling $19,000.00, yearly. Under the new
By-Law change it was voted that the 3 full-time officers forfeit $10,000.00, and only receive top step plus $9.000.00 annual ly , total ing $30,000.00 in savings for the Local. I think that’s a start in the right direction. Every President needs a Vice-President that they can work easily with, I am so happy that I have Eddie Caldwell as my right hand man, he’s supportive and fights just has hard as I do. I appreciate him immensely. Thanks to all of you that voted him in office. CLOSING OF THE SOUTH FLORIDA FACILITY: First and foremost I would like to thank Wanda Harris for all the effort that she put forth during the excessing of South Florida P&DC, and for all the years she served as the Business Agent. The first month I came into office, I was faced with the emotions of the employees at the South Florida P&DC being excessed outside their facility. I know that getting excessed is probably one of the most unpleasant experiences postal workers endure. It means
American Postal
Workers Union Local 172
2500 N.W. 97 Avenue Suite 200
Doral, Florida 33172
SERVING: Miami, Miami Beach, Hialeah, Homestead, & Boca Raton.
REPRESENTING: Clerks, Maintenance and Motor Vehicle
EXECUTIVE BOARD
GENERAL PRESIDENT PAULA M. MULLEN-HADLEY
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT EDDIE L. CALDWELL
SECRETARY/TREASURER KEVIN BAKER
RECORDING SECRETARY SHARON FORBES
EDITOR / PHOTOGRAPHER DANA SLOCUM
CLERK CRAFT PRESIDENT RICKIE L. MOBLEY
MAINTENANCE CRAFT PRESIDENT OLIVER HARRISON
MOTOR VEHICLE CRAFT PRESIDENT MICHAEL REYNOLDS
BUSINESS AGENTS BOCA RATON - BRUNELLA OLIVIER
HIALEAH - ISMO GUZMAN HOMESTEAD - GWEN GIBSON S. FLA.. P&DC - WANDA HARRIS MIAMI BEACH - MARY GOINS
TRUSTEES LARRY BLACKSHEAR
CYNTHIA HANDY - LANA YIN
TRIAL BOARD DAMIKO GREEN - QUALYN GIBBS
The Miami Postal Labor News is the official publication of the Miami Area Local 172, American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO. We are proud to be a member of the POSTAL PRESS ASSOCIATION. Opinions expressed in the MPLN are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the Local or Editor. All material submitted to the Editor must include the writer’s name in order to be published. Articles that are libelous will NOT be published. Articles submitted should deal with issues rather than personalities. The Miami Postal Labor News (MPLN) reserves the right to publish part, all, or none of the material submitted. Articles submitted will not be returned unless accompanied with a returned postage affixed envelope.
The President’s Report
By PAULA M. MULLEN-HADLEY
I WOULD LIKE TO FIRST SAY
THANK YOU!
Thank you for your vote of confidence in me to represent you for the next three years as your Executive Vice President of the Miami Area Local #172. I would like to give a special thanks to the ones that did not vote for me, because it will give me an opportunity to prove to you, that I am worthy of your support. Today! Is a new day and the Buck stops here with this administration. The line has been drawn by management to move fast forward on taking away our jobs. Through the manufacturing of an artificial debt in order to have an excuse, so they can accelerate on the closing of 70 more plants, which had been targeted for the year 2014. Management has ignored the contract when it came down to the Excessing of South Florida P & DC employees and did not adhere to the decreasing of Postal Support Employees (PSEs) in accordance with Article 12 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. This is another tactic by management to create division amongst the rank and file (Career employees versus PSEs). But they are sadly mistaken, because we are one union and it is our responsibility to enforce the contract and to protect the workers, including the PSEs. We cannot differentiate one from another; a member is a member no matter what, for in the spirit of unity and solidarity we are bound together. PSEs have rights too! Even though their rights might be limited once they are hired by the
Postal Service they are protected under Article 1 of the CBA. Postal Support Employees h a v e a r i g h t t o representation once they have completed their probation period. All of them were required to take an entrance examination and pass it before they could be hired, unlike the casuals who were allowed to come in straight off the streets. Some of them have
already joined the union and are dues paying members, which make them our brothers and sisters. Whether they are in or out under the life of this contract they will all receive a pay raise, if they continue to work 360 days without a break in service. They will be able to earn annual leave and qualify for Health Insurance after a full year of service. Afterwards management will send them a letter explaining to them, that they are now eligible and how to apply. They will have 60 days to enroll through PostalEase, Human Resources Shared Services or they can mail in their application. Coverage will began on the first day after it has been received, processed and approved. PSEs will become eligible for FMLA by accumulating 12 consecutive months and have worked 1250 hours upon reappointment will be protected. They can be disciplined or removed within their term of appointment after their 90 days probationary period for "Just Cause". Just Cause as defined in the JCIM under Article 16 and for most offenses management must issue discipline in a progressive manner.
The Executive Vice-President’s Report
By EDDIE L. CALDWELL
WE ARE ONE!
CONTINUED ON PAGE 7
PAGE 2 JUNE, 2013
Secretary-Treasurer's Report
By KEVIN J. BAKER
D o you have the
" F E G L I " l i f e
insurance through
the Post Office?
If you do, this article is very
important to you! At first glance
this insurance seems to be a
pretty good deal, especially at a
young age. This insurance is
available to every Postal
Employee without the need to
take a physical exam to qualify.
This article is specific to Option
"B" which allows you purchase
up to five (5) times your annual
salary. The problem with this
insurance is that the cost goes
up dramatically as you get older
and it has NO CASH VALUE!
Here is how the premiums
jump from age fifty up. Age 50-
54 years old will pay $37.80 per
pay period for 5 times your
salary of $54,000 annually. Then
age 55-59 years old the
premium is $75.60 per pay
period. At the 60-64 year old
age group, you pay $162.00 per
pay period. Fast forward to age
75 and the cost is a staggering
amount of $486.00 per pay
period or $12,636.00 annually.
When you retire are you going
to pay over $1,000.00 per
month from your retirement
check to keep your coverage?
Anyone who is in good health
should seriously consider
buying life insurance from a
private company and lock in a
reasonable rate before age 55
while policies are still affordable
and reduce or cancel your
FEGLI insurance only after
obtaining a new more
affordable policy. Women pay
the same for the FEGLI
insurance as men, but in the
private sector insurance for
women is cheaper because they
live longer on average than
man. I know if you are like me,
talking to an insurance
salesperson is one of my least
favorite things to do, but
necessary to protect your
loved ones (beneficiaries) in the
future.
Don't confuse accidental
death policies with full life
insurance!
All Miami Area Local
members are covered by the
APW — Accident Benefit
Associat ion low opt ion
insurance. It pays $12.00 dollars
a day, seven days a week when
you are injured and miss work.
It does not matter if you used
sick leave or LWOP to cover
your time out of work. It also
pays even if you are injured on
the job and collect lost wages
from OWCP. The Local pays
about $24,000.00 a year to
provide the membership this
coverage, so please take
advantage of this insurance
should you have an accident
and advise your co-workers
(union members only) about
this benefit provided by your
Local. The ABA also provides
an accidental death benefit of
$6,000.00. REMEMBER TO
APPLY WITHIN 45 DAYS
of returning to work! All our
members are also covered for
accidental death by American
Income Life for an additional
$4,000.00 dollars.
IT PAYS TO BE UNION!
JUNE, 2013 PAGE 3
Miami Area Local Installation Dinner
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I would like to introduce myself as your new
Maintenance Craft President, Oliver Harrison.
Hope all is well. Allow me to take a moment to
thank our former craft director David Colon for his
past service and contribution to the Union over the
past 6 years. Your service was appreciated.
As we move forward we are faced with much of
the same reoccurring problems as we have had in the
past. At the front is leave both regular and sick, if you
request time off and you are denied make sure that
the supervisor states a reason why you are being
denied. Fight all leave marked as “Unscheduled.” ELM
section 513.332 states “an exception to the advance
approval requirement is made for unexpected illness/
injuries.” As soon as possible, notify the proper postal
authorities. Nothing in the ELM requires employees to
provide a time frame in order to secure a schedule
leave and the above section of the ELM provides a
mechanism whereby notice may be given as soon as
possible and the leave may be approved at a later date.
There is nothing in either section 513.331 or 332 to
suggest that an unexpected illness or injury cannot be
approved in advance. The decision to designate sick
leave as scheduled or unscheduled cannot be an
arbitrary one. They should be able to explain why the
request to make it schedule cannot be accommodated.
Explaining that the sick leave was not scheduled in
advance is not a proper reason because the onset of
illness or injury is obviously not predictable.
Article 32 continues to be one of the biggest
problems in Maintenance. Though the Union
acknowledges that the Postal Service has the right to
subcontract work, the right to subcontract is limited
by Article 32 of the National Agreement, handbooks
and manuals specifically Section 535.112 of the ASM
(Administrative Support Manual) and the MS 45
(Maintenance Series). The Service must do a valid
“good faith” attempt to evaluate the need for
contracting out in terms of the contractual factors
listed in Article 32. Please do not turn down work. Let
management decide that. Custodians, your routes
need to be done before you do other work; such
as express mail or change arrow locks. Please make a
move on the Clock. Make sure you are getting paid
higher level. Do not scan express mail or deliver after
its time. Do not use your own car and if you are being
told to by your supervisor, make sure you request it in
writing, and notify your insurance to upgrade your
policy so you are covered for using your car for work.
Remember if something happen to you while using
your POV for work and you are not covered your
insurance will not cover you and don’t look for the
post office to protect you. Call the Union Office to
answer your questions.
VIGILANCE WINS THE FIGHT!
Maintenance Craft President's Report
By OLIVER HARRISON
PAGE 4 JUNE, 2013
Miami Area Local Installation Dinner
things that are important to you as a union member. The first thing is to try and attend all the union meetings. That’s where you are going to learn about your job, your rights and your union. There you will be able to meet and talk to all your local officers. If you have questions they can be answered in person and I’m quite sure you’ll learn some things that might help you at work. I always wanted to hear things for myself instead of hearing it second hand from someone who went to the meeting. There is so much going on now with the future of the Postal Service. It’s important to your postal career that you know what’s going on and how you can help. I also want to let every member know that you need to
T his is my first article as the Clerk Craft President for the Miami area Local.
Some members are under the impression that as the clerk craft president that I was a full-time officer. Since approximately 2004 that position has not been a full-time position. I am presently working at the Buena Vista station in Miami as a SSDA. I’ve been there for the past 19 years. My hours are from 05:00 until 13:50. My days off are Saturday and Sunday. My cell phone numbers are 305-721-9391 or 305-586-2331. I would prefer that you call me anytime after 6:00 am or before 8:00 pm. My e- m a i l a d d r e s s i s mobesr@hotmail.com. You can e-mail me anytime. For the quickest response send an e-mail. I want to talk about some
keep a copy of your bid. I’ve been trying myself to keep a copy of the bids for the last five years. You would be surprised how many times the union request a copy of your bids from management and they are totally different from what you bided on. If you don’t have a copy we can only go by what they have. A copy of that bid should be put in a vault or safe or something. It’s that important. If they ever change your bid (hours or duties), treat that just like your bid because when they change it that is your bid. You have to protect yourself. If you haven’t noticed, most of the bids that are being posted are generic bids. They don’t want too many bids that require training (i.e. schemes, red cage, etc). Our bids distinguish what work we do.
Clerk Craft President’s Report
by RICKIE L. MOBLEY
M y goals for the motor vehicle craft is to
get work back and to make the
department stronger, but in order to do
that I will need your support. As you all know
that SOUTH FLORIDA P&DC moved to the
MIAMI P&DC which was a contract facility, when
the facility move the work should have been for
MVS. The new MOU reads that if the work in
question can be performed cheaper or at the
same cost than the work must be done in-house.
My brothers, we all must do our part on a daily
basis in order for the craft to move forward. If
you have any problems get with STEWARD.
TOUR 1 MICHAEL REYNOLDS, TOUR 2 VMF
*ROBERT MIRANDA **MARIO MUNIZ, TOUR
3 *WILFRED McCLOUD **JIMMY BARNES
**MARIO MUNIZ. We all must stick together in
order to make MVS stronger.
Motor Vehicle Service Craft Report
By MICHAEL REYNOLDS
JUNE, 2013 PAGE 5
From the Desk of the Editor...
By DANA SLOCUM
w i n n e r s n e v e r q u i t
M ost APWU members u n d e r s t a n d t h e
importance of belonging
to the Union, in order to protect their rights as postal
workers. Recently, I have been
approached by several of the
membership, that are not quite sure that the union is looking
out for their best interest, in
regards to PSEs, who are working more desirable bid
assignments than they are. First
of all, PSEs belong to the union; they are our brothers and
sisters and deserve the same
respect that a member would
give a career employee. Secondly, there is currently a
class action grievance on the
national level for violation of Article 37.A.3.1 which states:
“Every effort will be made
[by management] to create
desirable duty assignments
from all available work
hours for career employees to bid”
I wish the APWU could be like Harry Potter and wave a magic
wand to force management to
immediately advertise new bids
from the hours currently being
worked. But it doesn’t work
like that. A track record must
be established over time, of the hours that are being worked by
non career employees, before this type of grievance can be
won. The goal of the APWU is
to create as many desirable full time duty assignments for
career employees, which could
actually benefit any PSE who
would eventually makes a transition into a full time career
position. In the mean time, the
perception of a few members in
the local is that the union is not
doing enough for them.
Have you ever seen the car
sticker that says, “Do not complain about the farmer with
your mouth full?” Will the same
logic can be applied to the
APWU. Think of all the
benefits that we as union
members currently enjoy: paid
vacation, sick leave, low cost health insurance, overtime, paid
holidays, retirement savings and a decent salary to name a few.
These benefits did not come
easy. In fact many workers gave their lives for you and me. The
quality of life, that postal
workers currently enjoy, has a
foundation of human struggle and sacrifice.
Remember the John F. Kennedy quote, “do not ask what your
country can do for you, but
asked what you can do for your country?” Replace the word
country in the above statement
with the word union and the
statement is just as significant. I am aware that some members
who may read this article are
probably saying to themselves, “I pay union dues, isn’t that
enough?” No, it is not. Just
recently, a member expressed
to me, their dissatisfaction with
the union. This person was
quite passionate. I proceeded to
tell the clerk in question, that the union is always looking for
members, like him, to protect
worker’s rights by becoming a steward and furthermore would
he consider becoming one?
W i t h o u t t h i n k i n g , h e
immediately responded with a
no and rhetorically asked me,
“Why would I want all that
aggravation and stress in my life?” Imagine that.
PAGE 6 JUNE, 2013
When the opportunity arises for overtime for qualified and available full-time employees, doing similar work in the work location where the employees regularly work, prior to utilizing a PSE in excess of eight (8) hours in a service day, such qualified and available full-time employees on the Overtime Desired List (OTDL) will be selected to perform such work in the order of seniority on a rotating basis. A career employee shall take preference over PSEs for higher level assignments. PSEs can only be assigned to higher level in Function 4 when there are not any career employees available. PSEs should not be utilized in the Registry Section, only career employees can be held responsible for Registered Mail. All work performed by PSEs are considered bargaining unit work. We at the local level must continue our effort to enforce the contract by monitoring the PSE hiring limit. I'm asking that all shop stewards on a weekly b a s i s s u b m i t a "Documentation Request Form," to ensure that there is an accurate account of all the PSEs hired. Where there is a clear case of abuse and the Postal Service has continuously violated Article 7 of the Collective Bargaining Agree-ment by going over the hiring cap. Then a grievance must be filed to have the appropriate number of jobs converted into Non-Traditional Full-T i m e ( N T F T ) D u t y
Assignments. It is imperative that w e h o l d m a n a g e m e n t accountable for exceeding the amount of PSEs work hours within the District. We need to vigilantly monitor the hours on a weekly basis and request a report for the maximum number of hours worked by the PSEs from management every 30 days. If and when it does occur, this will allow us to protect our brothers and sisters, by either providing them with representation or have some bids posted for "Newly E s t a b l i s h e d D u t y Assignments." As previously stated PSEs are a part of the Bargaining Unit workforce and we will continue to fight to improve their working condition, while at the same time we must protect the career employees. In closing, I would like to say to all the members with the day to day of uncertainty caused by the reforming of the Postal Service, it is important that we be mindful and respectful towards our brothers and sisters, especially those who
have been impacted. Yeah, I know that we all should be grateful that we have a job, but it doesn't change the fact that we are all human. So I would like to thank you for your patience and cooperation during these difficult times of transitioning. For we still have a long ways to go, before we can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I ask that you all be extra careful this summer as you travel for the holiday and family reunions, to watch out for the kids riding their bikes and playing in the streets. Enjoy the South Florida Tropical Paradise I'm quite sure it's going to be a hot one, so try to make it to the beach and don't forget to prepare for this year's hurricane season also. Last but not least a special shout-out to all the dads, uncles, brothers, coaches, teachers, c lergymen, doctors, policemen and some single women, who have stood in the gap for a child, have a "WONDERFUL AND BLESSED FATHER'S DAY !!!"
JUNE, 2013 PAGE 7
The Executive Vice-President’s Report (Con't. from Page 2)
Miami Area Local Installation Dinner
Center Spread
left
See separate
PAGE 8 JUNE, 2013
Center Spread
right
See separate
JUNE, 2013 PAGE 9
PAGE 10 JUNE, 2013
Hialeah Business Agent’s Report
By ISMO GUZMAN
Bring 'Em Back In Hialeah the old adage of
what goes around comes around
is hitting a dimension. We have
been having a shortage of clerks
in numerous places causing many
grievances of crossing crafts,
bargaining unit work, improper
changes of schedules, etc. When
several employees at vital
positions retired, it caused
management to post these bids
instead of reverting them as they
would have liked. Some of these
bids while vital are not desirable.
These bids tend to go residual.
Normally these bids would be
withheld for employees being
excessed from other cities.
Problem is that we have had
excessing of our own. Article
12.5.C.5.a states employees with
retreat rights must be brought
back at the first available
vacancy. These employees have
no option if they were
reassignment to a different craft
w i t h i n t he i n s t a l l a t i o n .
Management will attempt to
sidestep this to avoid bringing
back someone and increase their
complement again. They hope
that someone would bid on the
vital bids and in turn revert that
position that turns vacate. It
doesn’t always work that way.
They must bring 'em back.
But it is up to us to be aware
of positions that remain vacant
and of individuals that have
retreat rights. I know that they
will abolish jobs to lower the
complement again but then we
wait again for our next move.
Frustrating maybe, but we must
fight on!
Boca Raton Business Agent’s Report
By BRUNELLA OLIVIER
L et me start with some great news, our co-
worker, Janice Shelton is back! She won her
arbitration with full back pay and the arbitrator
cited several irregularities in management’s case.
Hooray for the APWU!! I would like to thank Jim
DiMauro for all his work as Union advocate. He put on
a fine case and because of his hard work WE WON!!!!
I would also like to address some issues we are
having here in Boca. First and foremost if you are not
on the Overtime list THERE IS NO
MANDATORY OVERTIME. We have a NTFT
position in Boca and therefore the Contract clearly
states the management cannot mandate any employee
not on the OTD list to work overtime. Please, if this
is happening in your station LET ME KNOW.
Management is cracking down on attendance,
gone are the days that we could get away with
coming in late or taking 3 days off. If you have a
condition that requires follow-up visits or you go to
the doctor and they prescribe medication, these
qualify for FMLA. Protect yourself, get FMLA
coverage for any condition you have, that’s the only
way you will be exempt from discipline. I’m not just
speaking of absences; management is also going
after tardiness, so if you are constantly late to work
WATCH OUT! As we all know there are not 20-30
employees left to do the work we do, so when we
are late or absent it hurts not only management but
our co-workers. If you are sick, stay home, but if
you go to the doctor and get meds go for FMLA.
Also PSE’s, there is a ratio for them on the
window; please let me know how many PSE
employees there are in your station. Thank you.
I would like to congratulate all our officers on
their election victories and look forward to
working with all of them.
JUNE, 2013 PAGE 11
South Florida P&DC Report
By WANDA HARRIS
us from coming in everyday to
do our job to the best of our
ability so that our Customers
were able to get the best of
serv ice wi th guaranteed
satisfaction!
Now 22 years later we are
faced with a life changing event.
We all will go our separate ways,
some of us will remain as Clerks
and others will start a new
venture as Mailhandlers and
C a r r i e r s . A L L o f o u r
Maintenance employees will
remain in the Maintenance craft,
some doing different jobs. Any
time you change, it’s perceived
to be unnecessary. We all know
CHANGE is not easy, but once
you understand it, once you
accept it, you will be thankful to
this wonderful organization we
work for that we all were still
placed with a “good paying job”
and not laid off because of the
“awesome UNION “ that we
are a member of, the APWU.
As you know, this will be my
final news article as your
Business Agent. I know I have
always done the best I can for
each one of you with great pride.
I ask of you to reflect on the past
and prepare for your future in
your new work places. I will no
longer be able to represent you
but you know if I can help in any
way I will. So please wherever
you land, make me proud!
In closing, remember “it may be
near when it seems so far, stick
to the fight when you are
hardest hit, it’s when things seem
worst, and that’s when you must
not quit!” I FOUGHT A GOOD
FIGHT AND I FINISHED THE
RACE. NOW I BOW OUT
GRACEFULLY!
G reetings, South Florida
Members. THE END OF
AN ERA!!!!
Finally, “faced with a massive
nationwide infrastructure that is
no longer financially sustainable,
United States Postal Service
proposed sweeping changes
designed to save the organization
up to $3 billion dollars a year by
cutting its network of Processing
Facilities by over half and
adjusting service standards”. By
doing so, comes closures and/or
consolidations.
OUR SOUTH FLORIDA
PROCESSING AND
DISTRIBUTION CENTER
HAS CLOSED!
We have had the best of times
working together since March of
1991. We may have also shared
some not so good times as well,
but none of that stopped any of
PAGE 12 JUNE, 2013
Miami Area Local Installation Dinner
Homestead Business Agent’s Report
By GWEN GIBSON
G reetings, my name is Gwen Gibson, your new
Business Agent for Homestead. I am
currently a Full Time Shop Steward assigned
at the Quail Heights Branch. Therefore, it is
imperative that if you need representation for any
reason, please contact the union hall at (305) 591-
0134 or fax a Form 13 requesting a Shop Steward at
(305)591-5975. Moreover, please indicate what it is
pertaining to so that I can properly represent you.
I have encountered numerous bargaining unit
work, crossing craft and O.T. Bypass Violations
within a matter of a few weeks; also, at Quail
Heights. Consequently, it is vital that we continue
to track and document every violation that is
committed: literally, we must protect our jobs in
the clerk craft because we are being substituted by
"The Pass Machine".
Furthermore, in some branches management is
not only threatening clerks to revise their schedule
in order to circumvent paying Overtime, but are
bluntly abolishing their bids. Clerks are being
downsized, and to complete the work they are
exhausting them to execute a large amount of
work. Work which requires more manpower.
Unfortunately, I’m constantly asked about the
PSE's in every facility that I enter. If PSE’s can work
more hours than a Full-Time Regular or a PTF
employee? The answer is No. According to Article
8.4.G, it states, "that when an opportunity exists for
overtime qualified and Full-time employees, doing
similar work in the work location where the
employee’s regularly work, prior to utilizing a PSE in
excess of eight (8) hours in a service day, such
qualified and available Full-Time employees on the
OTDL will be selected to perform such work in
order of their seniority on a rotating basis."
As your Business Agent, I will continue to fight
and make sure that management will adhere to the
collective Bargaining Agreement. And we will not
tolerate managements Bad Business ethics. We will
stand together for Justice within the work place.
Miami Beach Business Agent’s Report
By MARY GOINS
I would like to thank all the
members that voted in the
recent Miami Area Local
elections. First of all I would like
for all of you to know how I
appreciate the opportunity to
represent the APWU members
in the Miami Beach Installations
and look forward to doing so in
a professional manner.
Congratulations to all elected
union officials and the Miami
Beach Installation appointed
Shop Stewards: Angela Major
(Normandy), Sharon Sam (Carl
Fisher) and Jackie Burney
(OceanView).
In closing, I would like to send my
best wishes to Former South
Florida Business Agent Wanda
Harris; Thank You again for your
dedication in defending the rights of
workers throughout your union
career. Wanda, you will be greatly
and deeply missed from the entire
executive board and members.
THANK YOU ALL FOR VOTING!
JUNE, 2013 PAGE 13
CONTINUED ON PAGE 15
losing your bid and probably being reassigned to a new position, tour, craft, or installation. It can force you to rearrange your home life as well as your work life. Excessing is rarely easy. Through the language in the contract negotiated with the Postal Service, the APWU has provided for its members in Article 6 the strongest protection against layoffs/termination. Being excessed is certainly more preferable. I am praying that the grievance that is pending Arbitration, on PSE hours, will be won. Then management would have to figure out how to correct all the stress and pain that they caused employees at the South Florida P&DC. Let’s all hope for the best. I did not get to know the South Florida employees, on a personal level, but for those of you that are still in the APWU, especially the Miami Area Local, 172, I will be checking up on you to see how things are going. Those of you that are now in another craft, if you have any problems, please feel free to call, I wish you the best, and no doubt you all will be missed, take care. RETREAT RIGHTS: So u t h F l o r i d a P& DC employees was told in there Reassignment Letter that they must prior to the effective date of the reassignment accept their retreat rights through ebidding on l i teblue. I addressed the issue of the employees not being able to accept their retreat rights, as the Letter advised them to do, don’t worry the issue have
been addressed to the proper Management Officials and National Officers. RETIREES: I'd like to congratulate all of our recent retirees. We had approximately 180 members from our local to accept the retirement incentive and left on January 31, 2013. Most were not only faithful and supporting union members, but co-workers and friends of mine for many years. I want to personally wish all of them an enjoyable and healthy retirement. The doors of the Miami Area Local are always open to them. I would l ike to say Congratulations to Sardeborah Wright for re-starting, our new Retiree Chapter that’s up and running; you are doing a great job! REVERSIONS: Management has reverted several of the retirees bids, which has caused understaffing, that leads to inefficiencies, loss of potential revenues, and major safety concerns, i.e. fatigue. Posting of those reverted jobs would have worked in the best interest of the USPS and would have better served our patrons, who have come to expect and deserve quality service. It would have also eliminated what we s e e h a p p e n i n g t o d a y ; management having to change employees’ days off, which results in them paying the employees, Out of Schedule Premium, Overtime and in some cases Penalty Overtime. Thus,
turning the USPS into a CASH COW. Management is truly living up to Article 3, their right to mismanage. If by any chance you are a victim of having your scheduled days off changed, which the Union is totally against, we need to know, because you bided for those days off and changing your scheduled days off should not be continuous. Make sure to let your shop steward know if your days off or hours have been changed and you have not received Out of Schedule Premium, Overtime or Penalty Overtime. PSE’s: Since many of the USPS supervisors/managers have refused to recognize that PSE's are entitled to "many" of the same contractual rights as career employees, treating them as casuals. They must now reimburse several thousand dollars in back pay to a PSE, that did not work at all for those thousands. What a way to reduce expenses. And of course, as usual, the supervisor responsible for the violation that cost the USPS this unnecessary expense, was never disciplined or issued a L.O.D. (Letter of Demand) for reimbursement to the USPS. “For Failure to Adhere to the National Agreement”. I will see to it that if the Contract is not adhered to under what rights that the PSE’s have, a grievance will be filed and if money is involved they will get paid. Let us not forget
The President's Report - Continued from Page 1
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that PSE’s are a part of the APWU National Agreement, signed by both parties. RECENT GRIEVANCE SETTLEMENTS: Boca 12-31 Sustained Removal Miami U11-0473CC $5,000 Article 1.6 Miami U11-0474CC $6,500 Article 7 Miami U12-0032CC $4,550 Article 1.6 Miami U11-0523CC $200 Past Practice Miami U12-0292DT Sustained Removal There are many more settlements but this article is long enough. SIGN THE PETITION: Go online to APWU.ORG and click on "Sign the petition to save the Postal Service!" And contact Congress Today! You can also call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 to reach
your representative and senators. Or you can write to your member of Congress: [Name] U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515. Send letters to your senators: [Name], U.S. Senate, Washington, DC 20510. Always remember, there IS strength in numbers, even though we are losing craft employees to excessing and attrition, (retirement, resignation, or death), we still outnumber those in management, so let’s stick together in our endeavor to protect our contractual rights and our union. TO ALL OF THE MIAMI AREA LOCAL STEWARDS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THAT YOU DO!!! There are too many Stewards to name each one of you. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK APWU
MIAMI AREA LOCAL SECRETARY TINA DORET. SHE IS THE GLUE THAT HOLDS US TOGETHER, AND WE APPRECIATE HER SO MUCH. Here's a picture to go with the voice you hear. In closing, REMEMBER! It is imperative that everyone join our efforts to protect our Union. Members, please, make it a point to speak to a non-member and explain why they should become a member of the very organization that continuously fights for every aspect of their livelihood. If you have any questions, concerns, or even if you have suggestions on how to make our Union stronger, feel free to contact me at 305-301-9975 o r e m a i l m e a t pm1am1em1@aol.com.
JUNE, 2013 PAGE 15
The President's Report - Continued from Page 14
Miami Area Local Installation Dinner
AMERICAN POSTAL WORKER’S UNION
LOCAL 172
2500 N.W. 97th AVENUE - SUITE 200 DORAL, FL 33172
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
P A I D
MIAMI, FLORIDA
PERMIT NO. 172
By SARDEBRA WRIGHT
T he Retiree Chapter of
Miami Area Local was
reactivated and held its first
meeting on January 29, 2013.
There was a nomination and an
election. As a result of that the
officers are as follows:
Sardebra Wright - President
Thelma Jones - Vice- President
Kevin Baker - Treasurer
The goal of the retiree chapter
is to keep members informed
of any and all legislative action
that may affect their retirement
benefits and to provide
members with information
about other issues that may
affect their day to day lives. A
major objective of the chapter
is to ensure that all retirees
maintain a sufficient quality of
life and to direct them to
resources available whenever
needed. The chapter has a
Facebook page at Miami Local
Retiree Chapter APWU and is
currently creating a website that
should be in place within a few
weeks. Anyone having questions
or concerns can contact the
chapter by emailing us at
miamiapwuretiree@gmail.com
or like us on the Facebook
page. Members and potential
members can also contact the
President at 786-488-2004. The
next meeting will be held in
July.
PAGE 16 JUNE, 2013