Alva, Bokeelia, Bonita Springs, Captiva, Chokoloskee ... · 16, 2015. The SWFAL APWU will be...

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDFort Myers, FLPermit No. 139

THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER FOR ALL MEMBERS OF THE SOUTHWEST FLORIDA AREA LOCAL AMERICAN POSTAL WORKERS UNION

Last month, management in theSuncoast District (Florida)placed mandates on PlantManagers to have ProcessingPlants install web cams in specif-ic locations within each facility.

Fort Myers, Manasota(Sarasota/Bradenton), Tampaand Orlando are four locationswhere management has placedweb cams.

These web cams can be viewedby any postal employee, manage-ment or Craft, who have access(even management or craftemployees in other facilities).These cameras even have theability to snap photographs andrecord images of employees thatcould be utilized in inappropriateways (even outside of the USPS).Photographs have already beenplaced on the workroom floor atthe Fort Myers P&DC.

I have been informed that this isonly the beginning as, manage-ment intends on setting up aPostal "Big Brother" type systemto monitor employees around theclock.

We have been informed that inOrlando management is currentlyplacing metal signs for each DBCSthat place magnetic name tags ofthe employees assigned to themachine along with the mainte-nance employee assigned to mon-itor, diagnose, and repair thatmachine. In addition, they alsoinclude the sort plan being run onthe machine. The plan is to installweb cams so that those employ-ees can be monitored as well.

Is management attempting to cre-ate their own entertainment byinstalling web cams for their view-ing pleasure? Is this another wayto micro manage everything thatPostal Employees do? Could thisbe utilized in a manner that couldinvade employee’s personal priva-cy or used in inappropriate ways?I believe all of these could be true.

The intent of these web cams arevery different from the PostalInspection Service's videotaping ofthe workroom floor as theInspectors play an integral role ofensuring the sanctity and securityof the mail.

The placement of web cams onthe workroom floor is a violation ofthe Administrative Support Manual(ASM) and should be fought inevery facility where managementattempts to place them in. Thereare arbitration awards that sus-tained grievances on this issue.Everyone should be aware of thepossibility and probability of misuseof these web cams and shouldtake immediate action as soon asthey are installed in their facility.

Sam WoodPresident

SWFAL APWU

Southwest Florida Area Local 11000 Metro Parkway, Unit 8 Fort Myers, FL 33966

Alva, Bokeelia, Bonita Springs, Captiva,Chokoloskee, Estero, Fort Myers,

Fort Myers Beach, Immokalee, Labelle,Lehigh Acres, Marco Island, Naples, Placida,

Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, Rotunda,St. James City and Sanibel

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

March 2015Volume 25 Number 3

USPS Installing CamerasAt The Fort Myers P&DC

The SWFAL APWU does not sup-port The Postal Pulse, which isreplacing the VOE (Voice of theEmployee). At this time the changeis scheduled to take effect March16, 2015.

The SWFAL APWU will be boy-cotting The Postal Pulse program,as we previously boycotted theVOE. All we know at this time,given the short notice we weresupplied, is that the nationalAPWU is not aware of it.

The new survey will be madeavailable to career and non careeremployees if their hire date is priorto Pay Period 4 FY 2015.

The VOE has been used by postalmanagement at contract negotia-tions to undermine the Union’sstated positions.

We will continue to donate $5.00to COPA for Postal Pulse Surveysturned in to the Union (as we havedone for VOE surveys in the past).

The SWFAL APWUDoes Not SupportThe Postal Pulse

IN THIS EDITION OF

THE EAGLE’S EYEUSPS Installing Cameras

At The Fort Myers P&DC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

The SWFAL APWU Does Not SupportThe Postal Pulse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Secretary-Treasurer’s Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Now You See ThemNow You Don’t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

The Nightmare Of The OWC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Management Again ExhibitingIncompetence At Fort Myers P&DC . . . . . 4

Union Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Let’s Keep It Positive At Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Stress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

You Can’t Make This Stuff Up!. . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

So They Want To Know The Postal Pulse? . . 7

SWFAL Membership News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

PROUD MEMBER

2 THE EAGLE’S EYE MARCH 2015

Southwest Florida

Area Local, APWU11000 Metro Parkway, Unit 8

Fort Myers, FL 33966

239-275-1007

Open 9am-3pm, Monday-Friday

WEBSITE ADDRESS

www.swfloridaapwu.org

PRESIDENT

Sam Wood

[email protected]

239-823-APWU

VICE-PRESIDENT

Dan Gray

[email protected]

239-834-2736

SECRETARY-TREASURER

Felicia Gluhareff

[email protected]

CLERK CRAFT DIRECTOR

Paul McAvoy

[email protected]

MAINTENANCE CRAFT

DIRECTOR

Mickey Szymonik

[email protected]

239-834-2900

MOTOR VEHICLE CRAFT

DIRECTOR

Joe Fracek

[email protected]

EDITOR

Kathy Moyer

[email protected]

TRUSTEES

Daniel Carinci

Grace Baer

David Grant

SAFETY & HEALTH

COMMITTEE

David Grant

Wendy Skaff

CONSTITUTION COMMITTEE

Dan Gray, Chairman

Felicia Gluhareff

Paul McAvoy

Kathy Moyer

NATIONAL MAILING ADDRESS

Per Capita Section

APWU, AFL-CIO

1300 L Street NW

Washington, DC 20005

FLORIDA POSTAL WORKER

The Florida Postal Worker

P.O. Box 8363

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33310

www.apwuflorida.org

General Membership MeetingMinutes

February 22, 2015

CALL TO ORDER:Time: 9:30 a.m. There were 18members in attendance.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE:Tim Sandt led the pledge ofallegiance.

ROLL CALL OF OFFICERS:The roll call of officers was per-formed by Felicia Gluhareff.Present were Sam Wood, DanGray, Paul McAvoy, MickeySzymonik, Kathy Moyer andFelicia Gluhareff. Paul McAvoymade a motion to excuse JoeFracek who is on annual. Themotion passed.

MAP:Barbara Carr told a couplejokes in honor of CharlesGlennon.

NEW MEMBERS:Welcome Carmen Rivero, JanePicard and Christina Malkin.

EXECUTIVE BOARDMINUTES:6 web cams have beeninstalled at the plant, one inBMEU and 5 at induction lanesfor the UTS. These tiny cam-eras have a surprisingly widerange of view. Cameras areonly to be installed for securityreasons or where valuables orcash are handled. What alsomakes these cameras differentis that they are online and canbe viewed by anyone acrossthe country with the USPSpassword; Clerk or supervisor.We will most definitely be fight-ing the use of these cameras.

We talked about cross craftgrievances. Waste mail is clerkwork and any other craft work-ing it is grievable.

The mailhandlers are grievingfor the right to induct for statesand 5 digit mail generated atthe PARS machines. Clerkshave always inducted the sort-ed mail at the induction stationsin the mail building.

Management is retiring theVoice of the Employee (VOE)program and implementing thePostal Pulse program. Make nomistake….the SWFAL will stillbe boycotting this program andwhat we can tell given the shortnotice is that national APWU is

not aware of it. Our local willcontinue to make a $5 COPAdonation in the name of thosethat turn their survey into theunion.

We also wish to make it knownthat our local is in no wayendorsing the “200 Club” that isthreatening to be implementedat the plant. We are entirelyagainst it.

Custodian issues were also dis-cussed.

SECRETARY -TREASURER’S REPORT:Paul McAvoy made a motion toaccept the minutes as reportedin last month’s Eagle’s Eye. Themotion passed. A financialreport was available for thosewishing to look at it.

REPORT / SELECTION OFCOMMITTEES:None

REPORT OF CONVENTIONCOMMITTEES:Sam Wood and Dan Grayinformed the membership thatthey will not be attending theevents they were approved toattend last meeting.

REPORT OF TRUSTEES:Danny Carinci reported thateverything is good.

COMMUNICATIONS:Sam sent a letter to nationalupdating our executive boardinformation.

Sam thanked Danny Carinciand Grace Baer for laborcharge questions.

The auxiliary is endorsing theFeeding America Backpackprogram and national is endors-ing the Wounded Warrior pro-gram. Both are great programsso please look into them.

Sam sent a letter to MarkDimondstein informing him ofthe big brother type web camsinstalled on the workroom floorat the plant.

David Moyer is now the stewardat the St. James City PostOffice.

We received a letter fromAmerican Income Life. All mem-bers have an automatic $5,000life insurance policy. No paper-work is required to enroll in thisbenefit. If you would like more

c o v e r a g eplease con-tact them tofill out theappropriate paperwork.

UPDATE OF GRIEVANCES:We are still waiting for the judgeto rule on our RI-399 lawsuit.

OLDBUSINESS:None

NEWBUSINESS:Cameras at the station cannotbe used for discipline. ASMstates that they are for securityreasons only. Station problemswere discussed. Please ask tosee your steward if manage-ment tries to discipline you formystery shopper results. Youare not required to hold yourbreaks beyond LMOU guide-lines. The LMOUs for the differ-ent stations are posted on ourlocal’s website. Your supervisorcan not deny you a lunch break.

LABOR / MANAGEMENT:None

GOOD AND WELFARE:The winner of the COPA 50/50drawing was Paul McAvoy whowon $51. The total netted forthe drawing was $102. We alsoraffled off gift cards to theCOPA donators. LindaRobertson won an Applebeesgift card, Julio Mayo won anOffice Max gift card and GraceBaer won a Steak-n-Shake giftcard. Dorthy Kantaris’ namewas drawn for the membershipincentive drawing. If she wouldhave been present she wouldhave won $50. The pot willincrease to $60 for next month’sgeneral membership meeting.

ELECTION OF OFFICERSAND DELEGATES:None

LEFTOVERS:We are still boycotting Staples.

ROLL CALL OF OFFICERS:Felicia Gluhareff performed theroll call of officers. The resultswere recorded.

NEXT MEETING:Robert Nowall moved to havethe next meeting on March 15,2015 at 9:30 a.m. at the unionhall. The motion passed.

ADJOURNMENT:Robert Nowall moved toadjourn at 11:01 a.m. Themotion passed.

Secretary-Treasurer’s ReportFelicia Gluhareff

MARCH 2015 THE EAGLE’S EYE 3

new hours of 3:00pm or 5:00pm.

I was not informed or contacted byanyone in management about thechanges.

The postal management magi-cians made a total of 39 bids (2from customer service) disappear;poof, gone. Only 6 bids remainedfrom a posting of 45 that was justput up for bid 2 days earlier.

What happened? I have no clue.

Management apparently doesn'teither. This so called OWC seemsto change daily. One day theyneed people at one time of theday, and the next, it is another. Theonly thing that has been consistentabout the OWC is delayed mail.Mail is parked and left all over the

building with an attitude of we willjust do it tomorrow.

The bids that were pulled are sup-posedly being posted on nextposting on March 11, 2015. Theone thing to keep in the back ofyour mind while bidding these newbids is that this OWC couldchange or go away at any time.

Don't bid with the attitude of, if Idon't like it I can always bid back.Your old bid will more than likelynot be there after you vacate it.

So beware of dangling carrots,smoke in mirrors, illusions andother postal magic. Weigh careful-ly what you have and what you aregoing into before bidding. Do whatis best for your family, your healthand yourself.

needed for the OperationalWindow Change. Managementbean counters decided that thiswas the time frame the most DPSmail could be worked in order tomeet the OWC standards(whatever they are).

Everything was good to go.Employees were excited. I hadmany clerks coming up to me andasking about these bids. One clerksaid these were the perfect hoursfor him and waited over 25 yearsto finally get an opportunity to getthese hours. 45 bids in all wereposted on February 11, 2015.

On February 13, after I arrived atwork, I was informed by clerks onthe workroom floor that all of the12 o'clock bids were being pulledand probably reposted with the

Managementhas nowtaken tomagic tricks.

During earlyFebruary, Iwas contact-ed by In PlantSupport tor e v i e wapproximate-ly 45 bids.With a few tweaks these bids wereall posted on February 11, withonly one error which was going tobe reposted on the next bid cycle.

Most of the bids that were postedwere Tour 3 bids starting at 12:00in the afternoon and ending at2030 (8:30 PM). Managementdecided that these were the hours

Now You See ThemNow You Don’t

Paul McAvoyClerk Craft Director

SWFAL APWU

Plant man-agement hasinitiated theOperat ionalW i n d o wChange, themanagementc o i n e deuphemismfor eliminatingdelivery stan-dards andintentionallydelaying themail.

Uncertainty remains the only con-stant in the OWC with bids, dutyhours, and transportation shiftingto accommodate the simultaneousprocessing of DPS, PARS, andOutgoing mail. A first class lettercanceled in Fort Myers is now tak-ing as many as eight days to reachits intended recipient.

Consequently, management hasdevised an incentive scheme that

places the blame for abysmal cus-tomer service directly on theemployees assigned to DBCSmachines.

Throughput and productivity goalshave been established for theexclusive “200 Club” whereemployees are invited to run200,000 pieces of mail on a DBCSmachine every night for a fortnight.

The prize for risking great bodilyinjury is a pizza party or someother unwanted incentive. Pleasenote that the APWU does notendorse this program and arbitra-tion awards on this kind of incen-tivizing support the Union’s posi-tion.

Unsurprisingly, management doesnot respect this position and hasopted to utilize a more deviousmethod for ensuring productivitygoal compliance. Employee opera-tions are currently being monitoredthrough six (6) webcams installed

in different locations on the work-room floor.

Personal dignity and individualautonomy have been sacrificedwith the expectation that employ-ees will work more diligently.Never mind that employees werenot notified and the Union was notpermitted to bargain on behalf ofthe membership in the placementof these surveillance cameras.

To add insult to injury, manage-ment has designed an elaborateruse to encourage employee par-ticipation in the VOE. EffectiveMarch 16, 2015, managementlaunches the Postal Pulse surveyand employees have been toldthat the APWU fully supports it.

Nothing could be further from thetruth. The APWU does notendorse this survey or any otherthat dupes its members intobelieving the USPS values itsemployees. Don’t be taken in by

the new moniker! Management willcontinue to manipulate this data tojustify eliminating jobs, slowingmail delivery, and closing postalfacilities.

In closing, I offer cautionary wordsabout peer conflict. Managementloves to use discord amongemployees on the workroom floorto divide and conquer. Forgivewhatever grievances you mayhave against each other. Let yourgrievances be against manage-ment not each other!

Finally, I thank our exceptionalexecutive board for their continu-ing support of the stewards andtheir selfless dedication to themembership. Please thank them inperson when you see them on theworkroom floor as they spendcountless hours of their own timeproviding a better work environ-ment for all of us.

In Solidarity

The Nightmare Of The OWC

Grace BaerT2 & T3 StewardFt. Myers P&DCSWFAL APWU


P l a n tM a n a g e rD o r i n d aKohlun took itupon herselfto “deemsd e s i r a b l e ”e m p l o y e e sfor SuperBowl Sundayand the sur-r o u n d i n gdays of thatweekend.

The alleged justification for heraction was that the same employ-ees had called in the prior yearand established a pattern. PMKohlun even went as far as to per-sonally contact some of theemployees by phone and in per-son to let them know they werebeing “deems desirable”.

For starters PM Kohlun failed toactually take into account why anyof the employees had called in theprior year, and seemed to careless, which is usual.

One employee who she contactedwas absent due to a death in herfamily the prior year. So much forthe PM Kohlun theory; that all ofthese absences were due to want-ing to watch the Super Bowl.

Another issue that PM Kohlunfailed to comprehend is the defini-tion of “a pattern”. A pattern isdefined as a “consistent and recur-ring characteristic or trait thathelps in the identification of a phe-nomenon or problem, and servesas an indicator or model for pre-dicting its future behavior.”

One time calling out is in no way apattern as PM Kohlun incorrectlyassumed. The employees wouldhave had to call in at least two (2)prior years and this third (3rd) timewould establish a true pattern.

So, if you are “deems desirable” byyour supervisor or manager forabsences of three days or less forno legitimate reason, please ask tosee your Union steward.

It appears that management’sexcuses are that it is December oraround a holiday, which is not validreasons to force an employee toget medical documentation.

Management does not practice“restricted sick leave” locally, sothey must then abide by the ELM513.361 for absences of threedays or less; “medical documenta-tion or other acceptable evidenceof incapacity for work or need tocare for a family member is onlyrequired when an employee is onrestricted sick leave (see ELM513.39) or when the supervisordeems documentation desirablefor the protection of the interests ofthe Postal Service.”

Instead management is utilizingERMS’s “deems desirable” func-tion as a blanket call-in list which isprohibited. ERMS allows a super-visor or manager to simply check abox and then enter a beginningand end date which will then con-tinue to automatically advise anemployee of the requirement toproduce documentation for eachabsence during the flagged timeperiod.

Remember a supervisor’s determi-nation that medical documentationor other acceptable evidence ofincapacitation is desirable for theprotection of the interest of thePostal Service must be made on acase by case basis, and may notbe arbitrary, capricious or unrea-sonable.

Now if an employee had requestedannual leave on a specific dateand was denied, but then called insick, yes management would legit-imately have a reason to requestdocumentation from the employee.

If you are “deems desirable” whenyou call in sick for an absence ofthree days or less, please ask tosee your steward so we can deter-mine if you were properly deemedor not.

If you are instructed to return withmedical documentation and youbelieve you have been incorrectly

Daniel M. GrayVice PresidentSWFAL APWU

the Union said we could do it, besure to check with the Union. Donot blindly believe your supervisoror manager.

Another issue is supervisors andmanagers stating that you mustachieve a specific productivity goal(as in the case recently on theDBCSs).

This is false, Article 34 Workand/or Time Standards of theCollective Bargaining Agreementstates “The principle of a fair day’swork for a fair day’s pay is recog-nized by all parties to thisAgreement.”

Article 34 of the Joint ContractInterpretation Manual (JCIM)states that, “management maypost the productivity goals forinformational purposes only. Nodiscipline shall be administered toan individual or group for notattaining the goal.”

A Step 4 grievance settlementdated October 24, 1983 regardingArticle 34 states “Supervisorsmust not refer to the productivityreport when discussing productivi-ty with craft employees, or maysupervisors use the report to intim-idate or threaten employees.”

Recently supervisors at the Planthave been threatening employeesby stating if they do not achieve aspecific goal they would notreceive any help regardless of thereasons for not achieving this goal.If you have been approached byyour supervisor in a similar fashionask to see your Union Stewardand file a grievance.

Remember, when you are broughtin for your non-scheduled day off,holiday, or you are on overtime;you do not hold a right to your bid.You are brought in for your sectionas defined in your LMOU. You can-not displace an employee on theirregular scheduled day of workfrom their “Principal AssignmentArea”.

There is now a clearly definedremedy from a recent arbitration inregards to being improperly dis-placed from your “PAA”. The arbi-trator ruled that an additional fifty(50) percent of an employee’sstraight time rate for all timeimproperly displaced in violation ofthe Mail Processing Clerk MOU asthe appropriate remedy.

So, if management is constantlydisplacing you from your “PAA” bya junior clerk, someone from out-side your “PAA”, or someone onovertime, holiday or non-sched-uled day off, ask to see your stew-ard and file a grievance.

Remember if you have any ques-tions or concerns ask to see yoursteward.

required to do so the Union willneed the following for your griev-ance; time spent retrieving docu-mentation, mileage to and fromdoctor’s office and your home, andany out of pocket expenses(receipts) that you incurred.

Another issue that seems to con-sistently raise its ugly head is asupervisor or manager claimingthat the Union agreed with theiractions. Let’s just say 99% of thetime this is an outright lie.

Recently at a pre tour meeting withPlant Manager Kohlun, the topic ofthe 200,000 DBCS club wasraised. (Management wants toimproperly implement at the FortMyers P&DC which if implementedwill be grieved by the Union).When PM Kohlun was questionedas to Union involvement she stat-ed that Sam Wood already dis-cussed it with MMO SteveKrankowski.

PM Kohlun was attempting tomake the suggestion that theUnion agreed with this bogus pro-gram and that Sam was in agree-ment with it. This was nowherenear the truth.

Sam had already stated the pro-gram was wrong and should notbe implemented. When you aretold by a supervisor or managerthat the Union agreed to it, or that

Management Again ExhibitingIncompetence At Fort Myers P&DC

When you are told by asupervisor or managerthat the Union agreed toit, or that the Union saidwe could do it, be sure tocheck with the Union.

Do not blindly believeyour supervisor ormanager.


Though I'mnot really oneprone tosho r t - sh r i f ts o m e o n ebefore theyhave beengiven achance toprove them-selves, I amreluctant togive our newPos tmas te rGeneral Megan Brennan the ben-efit of the doubt. After all, she washandpicked by former PostmasterGeneral Patrick Donahoe.

We all have been mandated to seeher first video message. Her man-nerisms, speech patterns, folksi-ness, and signature sign-off(“Thank you for all you do andkeep up the good work!”) are notjust reminiscent of Donahoe, it's asif she is a female clone. Maybeshe'll come into her own and cometo her senses, but I have mydoubts.

Let’s parse out her February 15,

Mickey SzymonikMaintenance Craft

DirectorSWFAL APWU

financial challenges we continueto take prudent steps to bring ourcosts and revenues into betteralignment."

Better alignment for what?Privatization?

She ends her inaugural letter thisway: "Your commitment to ourpublic service mission and to deliv-ering for our customers defineswho we are as an organization andis the bedrock of all our success."

Unfortunately, the new PostmasterGeneral seems intent on jackhammering that “bedrock of suc-cess” in much the same way as didour old Postmaster General.

Past Postmaster Donahoe left theUSPS and its employees in worseshape than when he came into thejob. Hopefully, new PostmasterBrennan has more to offer thanmore of the same.

Solidarity, Prosperity, Peace

2015, introductory letter. Shebegins with her humble start as aletter carrier in Lancaster, PA.(Funny how they all have humblebeginnings.) To her "PostalColleagues", Postmaster Brennanwrites, ". . . The Postal Servicecontinues to play an indispensableroll in every American community-connecting people to each other,to businesses and their govern-ment, one doorstep and mailbox ata time."

Of course, that sentiment ringssomewhat false as current USPSplans include increasing centralcluster mailbox locations ratherthan "one doorstep and mailbox ata time."

She continues with ". . . our longterm success depends on strate-gies that continually strengthenour core offerings . . ."

But of course, shortening thehours in many smaller, rural postoffices, utilizing untrained andunderpaid employees at VPO's(Village Post Offices) and Staplesstores, along with downgrading

our service standards, hardlyseems to qualify as strengtheningour core values.

Don't even get me started on whathappened to the "sanctity of themail" and “every letter, every day”all USPS employees are (or were)sworn to uphold.

The new Postmaster goes on withvague generalities of engagingand empowering employees, allthe while nationwide excessingevents are forcing ET's, MPE'sand MM's into custodial positions.

Not to denigrate custodians, butthis action is hardly engaging andempowering employees schooledand skilled for more technical posi-tions.

The kicker here is that all theseexcessed employees would, ofcourse, retain the same grade paystatus, so this action serves nofinancial savings.

Finally, Brennan goes on to saythat "we have a lot of momentumas an organization - despite our

Union Matters

We hearmany com-plaints fromour fellowworkers atthe PostOffice. Thesec o m p l a i n t sare often,“managementdoesn't knowwhat they’redoing”, or that“the Union isnot doingsomething itshould bedoing about it”.

But what does any of this com-plaining solve? No matter howmany complaints of employeesabout management, no matter

how negative these complaints areabout management, managementstill doesn't know what they’redoing and things are likely to stillget screwed up. Right?

Instead of getting into a never end-ing cycle of negativity, why notlook for a more positive way toresolve issues. Maybe we shouldtry something different.

Here's a suggestion, instead ofbeing anti-management, be ProLabor. By being Pro-Labor this willhelp break that cycle of alwaysbeing negative by helping youfocus on the positive.

We all have a job to do. To wallowin bad vibes your whole shift willwear you out over time. Yourcoworkers will notice the differ-

Joe FracekMotor VehicleCraft Director

Ft. MyersLead Steward

Page FieldSWFAL APWU

ence and appreciate the change inattitude. Maybe (I know, probablynot) the supervisor(s) who'salways been such a pain, may findsomeone else to antagonize.

I am very pro labor, and I focus onthe positive. I have averagedabout 3 letters of warnings a yearplus a few suspensions for manyyears. In the past 20 years not onehas stuck. All have been reducedto discussions or tossed out alto-gether. The positive in all of this ismanagement rarely gets awaywith their shenanigans in the end.

Another positive is thinking aboutall that the Unions have done forus. It allows you to stand up tomanagement when you knowyou’re not breaking the rules.That's not hiding behind the Union,

but knowing the Union has yourback. Remember, it’s the Unionwho enforces the contract.Management are the ones who willbend the rules in order to maketheir numbers.

If you are unjustly harassedbecause you had to use sick leave(an earned benefit) file that griev-ance on harassment. This issometimes the only way to get asupervisor off of your back. FilingGrievances is not being anti-man-agement (negative); it’s being Pro-Union (positive).

This action will get things done. Itwill catch on because others willsee your results. Positive vibes arestronger than the negative ones.By focusing on the positive, thingswill change for the better.

Let’s Keep ItPositive At Work


So where do Ibegin”?

Alright, let’sjust start withthe end of2014.

A custodian isinstructed todeliver mail toone of thestations (nothis job). Onhis return he is involved in an acci-dent with a parked tractor trailerunloading a bull dozer, is injuredand totals the postal vehicle.

Does management conduct any-thing that resembles an investiga-tion into the matter?“OooohNooooo”! They decide todiscipline the employee and writeoff the whole thing as his fault. It’seasier that way.

If they would have taken the timeto show more concern and con-ducted a thorough investigation atthe scene of the accident, theywould have found that NO safetyprecautions were in place andthere was a very good chance thatthe employee was not at fault.

So now the Postal Service eats thecost of the medical bills and vehi-cle. Now I have a question. Whenthe employee goes to court andproves he was not at fault, will thePostal Service then try and re-coop their losses from the compa-ny at fault?

Since we are on the topic of safe-ty, let’s move on to the “CreolineIncident”.

A trailer pulls up to the P&DC dockdoors. On board is Priority Mail.The trailer is opened and immedi-ately the dock is filled with over-powering fumes. Long story short,proper procedure was not followedconcerning hazardous material.

The BMC containing the packagecausing the fumes was broughtinto the building and the employ-ees exposed to the vapors. Theleaking package was located, theinspection service brought in andmaintenance finally determinedwhat the noxious chemical was:“Creoline”.

Creoline is a chemical used tosanitize kennels and stables onlyin concentrated form. It is a chem-ical which is toxic and hazardouswith warnings of prolonged inhala-tion or exposure and far too manyother warnings to list in this article.

Unfortunately, the employees atthe plant were exposed to Creolinefor several hours from the time thetrailer was opened on tour 1 untilwell into tour 2. Now you wouldimagine that the first thing man-agement did once they determinedwhat it was would be to investigate

Danny CarinciT2 & T3 StewardFt. Myers P&DCSWFAL APWU

Don’t even get me started on theWeb Cam issue or I’ll blow a fuse! Well, I got news for them “We arestill here” and “We have had it withlong lines at the window, the delay-ing of the mail and dismantling ofour Postal Service. We don’t justwork here “WE OWN IT”!

“So wake up and smell the coffee”!Open your eyes to what’s going onand get mad, real mad!

Call or write your Congressmanand Senators (They work for youand if they want to keep their jobsthey better listen). File grievances!Ask to speak with your Stewardwhen there is a violation. We didn’tfight to get the contract for nothing.“Come to union meetings andvoice your opinion and ideas.

If they want to start this year on arough note, I’m ready! Are you?

In Solidarity

who was exposed, notify them ofwhat they came into contact with,and ask if they were affected?How did it get into the Mailstream? What can we do to pre-vent this from happening again?OooohNooooo!

It wasn’t until OSHA came knock-ing did they show the least con-cern. Now the Postal Service iscited with three violations, fined$4,500.00 and required to retrainpersonnel. That’s along with the$8,000.00 to hire a company todestroy the package along with thenumerous other packages it con-taminated by leaking on them.

But we are not done yet. This stillleaves the question “Who shippedthe package and why was it notproperly labeled”? Now this is theinteresting part. The package wasshipped by AMAZON.

Apparently you can order Creolineonline and seeing that we nowhave a huge contract with Amazonmy question is “What else is com-ing into the Mail Stream throughAmazon that should not be”?

I don’t know about you, but withthat much money involved, I’d betaking extra care handling anypackages.

Now let’s get into the Christmasrush since we are on the topic ofpackages.

The pressure was on by manage-ment to get those priority pack-ages out. I was issued overtime towork the priority belt. When Iarrived I could not believe myeyes.

Every year we have processed thepackages with multiple setups butnot this year. Management had allthe employees piled onto one beltwith the plant manager and super-visors watching over them likeprison guards.

Take the chaos of all the employ-ees running into one another, longhours, add heavy equipment suchas forklifts and you have it:“Accident.”

A forklift dropped an empty cageand injured an employee. So, onewould suppose that the plant man-ager and supervisors would jumpinto action to offer assistance tothe injured employee.OoooohNoooooo! They ignore thesituation.

I was instructed to keep scanningand the forklift operator continuedto load and unload equipment.Proper protocol calls for the forkliftdriver to immediately cease oper-ating heavy equipment until com-pletion of refresher training andaccident prevention.

This did not occur for quite sometime and all parts of training were

not completed. “Andwhat was the out-come of this”? Thesame driver wasinvolved inanother acci-dent, this timeinjuring a super-visor with a fork-lift. I still can’tfigure out whym a n a g e m e n twas so sur-p r i s e dw h e nO S H Ac a m ek n o c k i n gagain.

Now we areinto thenew year,and with it, hopes of better thingsin our future. But Nooooo! Somerocket scientist in upper manage-ment decides, “Let’s lower thedelivery standards”.

Yeah, that’s the ticket! “We cangive slower service and chargemore money”. The first thing tocome from this bright idea was themajor companies that send outbills by First Class Mail telling theircustomers to go paperless sincethey will be late on payments usingthe U.S. Mail.

To add insult to injury manage-ment has the audacity to start pro-grams such as the 200 club (if youmaintain processing 200,000pieces of mail you “might” get a“pizza”).

Yeah! I’m all over that! Also, the“Postal Pulse” which is now takingthe place of the V.O.E. (Voice ofthe Employee). I guess since theyare so set on burying us, theyneed to check if we’re still kicking!

Stress

“STRESS” The confusion created whenone’s mind overrides the body’s basicdesire to choke the living daylights outof somebody who desperately needs it!


It is painfully clear that the Ft.Myers P&DC lacks that which theBoy Scouts of America have; AdultSupervision!

Once upon a time, the plant kepttransportation schedules, workedevery piece every day, the plantwas clean and morale was up. Iwasn't the only one to post photosof family or friends. There wasovertime, but it wasn’t used as anorm. And you knew that your joband scheduled the hours would bethat which you worked into thefuture. No more.

It is now rumored that in the'Situation Room,' there is a Bingopolar number selector and a buck-et of cockamamie ideas. Every sooften they (they being, THEM)gather; throw the 'cockamamieinto the hopper, and use it to deter-mine what the next wonder planthat we will work under or through.

Things get curiouser and curi-ouser. Today, Sunday 22 February,when work was finished on theAFSM 190, I went into automation;first to spread mail, a job that hasto be done ASAP. I arrived there tofind it long done, so I was asked torun FCM SCF. I went to the

machine, looked, and looked, andlooked for FCM; could not find any.

Soon, here comes a supervisor; towhom I say . . . “I can find noFCM”. No, No, says the supervi-sor, we are running ORANGE STDas first class because it has beendelayed. Big, okay, Sunday,ORANGE delayed; did someonechange the color code and I didn'tget the memo?

What is going on? Back to myonce upon a time. There is, orwas, a publication that rated theplants in the USPS in a number ofcategories. There were 54 plantsof our size in the system; we werealways in the top '5'. I wonderwhere we stand now.

Little things add up to big things,red tagged equipment left where itwas tagged, equipment droppedwhere there was space, no stan-dards as to what is and is not over-sized, and a general feeling of notgiving a damn.

We have 27 tables designed tohelp in operations of the DBCSmachines, actually very nicelymade tables. They were in viola-tion of the wood workers creed of

University of Tennessee with adegree in Business Management.

To me, and many others, all ele-ments of leadership, managementand supervising of others is exem-plified by the statue at Ft. Benning,Georgia. At the InfantryLeadership School, a single figure,in World War II battle gear, movingforward, arm raised above hishead, hand in a fist, at the basetwo words, 'Follow Me!'

It says it all, I'm there for you, I'll dofor you; we are together. Here,what?

As to the way they do things in theoffices, seldom getting things done. . . let’s get them big flow charts,with YES's and NO's and maybethey could find their way

The Milinda Twotrees Award goesto Tampa, to that person who is thedirect senior to our Plant Manager.Why do you hate us so? Comeand correct this absolute foolish-ness, give us a chance to be whatwe were and can be again. GIVEUS A LEADER!

Isaac Yost

measure twice; cut once, whichresulted in all 27 being exactly toosmall FOR THE OPERATIONTHEY WERE DESIGNED to help,that being to reduce strain. It isnow under discussion for correc-tion; the problem being that theycannot decide if they should lowerthe machine, or raise the floor.

Now we have web cams (seeSam's article) about what manage-ment is trying to put on us, and tellus that it is to help us and not tospy on us (just like you call a busi-ness and they tell you, you arebeing monitored for quality controlpurposes). Bull Hockem, that's tojustify having a tape that says,“Your company sucks and I'mgoing to tell all my friends not todeal with you.” The lawyers figuredout a way to nail you. But ofcourse, I believe them and sowhen I go to the No Read Line, Isalute the camera with the PostalBird!

As to management’s ability tolead, manage or supervise, super-vise, I have grave doubts. I,myself, have been to schools ofmanagement, leadership, NCOacademies, oh and yes along theway I graduated from the

You Can’t Make This Stuff Up!

U S P SManagementalways triesto makethings soundso nice –when theywant some-thing to lateruse againstemployees.

A p p a r e n t l yenough peo-ple finally caught on to the gim-mick that was the Voice of theEmployee (VOE) survey. The gim-mick of course was management’smisuse of the survey results, tomisconstrue, misrepresent andotherwise distort workplaceissues, all under the guise of“management cares”. The misusewas all supposed to be below thesurface and hidden; we employ-ees were supposed to to buy intothe notion that management reallywanted to hear from us.

Now if management really cares,there is already an organization inplace to provide the input fromemployees that it says it is seek-ing. It is called the American PostalWorkers Union.

However, management has aproblem when it involves workingwith the Union. They don’t get afree license to misconstrue, mis-

represent and otherwise distort,workplace issues in the mannerthat they could with the VOE. TheUnion gives a real voice toemployees instead of the fabrica-tions woven from surveys like theVOE. Everybody knows the VOEwas an attempt to do an end runaround the Union.

If management were truly interest-ed in their employees, they wouldbe seeking out the Union, workingwith the Union, solving workplaceproblems with the Union, honoringagreements with the Union, con-sulting proactively with the Union,etc. How much of all of that haveyou seen lately?

Management loses its ability tomanufacture results once it entersinto a working relationship with theUnion. That is the reason manage-ment works so hard at avoidingcooperation with the Union. TheVOE was a necessary tool formanagement; they could constructfalse narratives about workplaceissues while ignoring Union input.

The Postal Pulse will surely beadministered to produce similar“results” as the VOE. The samemanagement suits, or manage-ment suits from the same cancer-ous culture that is the USPS man-agement system, will see to that.

Avoid it like the plague!

So They Want To KnowThe Postal Pulse?

Kathy MoyerEditor

The Eagle’s EyeSWFAL APWU

The U.S. MailIs NOT for Sale


Your ElectedOfficials

President Barack ObamaWeb Site:

www.whitehouse.govE-mail:

[email protected]: 202-456-1414

Fax: 202-456-2461Capital Address:

1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NWWashington, DC 20500

Senator Bill NelsonWeb Site:

www.billnelson.senate.govE-mail:

[email protected]: 202-224-5274


716 Hart Senate OfficeBuilding

Washington, DC 20510-0905District Office:

Tallahassee, FLDistrict Phone: 850-942-8415

Senator Marco RubioPhone: 202-224-3041


524 Hart Senate OfficeBuilding

Washington, DC 20510-0903District Office:

Tallahassee, FLDistrict Phone: 813-207-0509

Our members live in severaldifferent districts. For yourrepresentative’s information, goto www.congress.org. Enteryour zip code and the web sitedoes the rest. You can e-mailmost of your representatives atonce with a click of your mouseat this web site. Their votingrecords are also available here.Check it out! Let them knowhow you feel, it’s your DUTY!

THE EAGLE’S EYE

EDITORIAL POLICY

The Eagle’s Eye is the official pub-lication of the Southwest FloridaArea Local, APWU, AFL-CIO. Theeditor has the right to determinewhether the material submittedshall be printed, and has the rightto edit as needed. It is the policy ofthis newsletter to disallow anyattacks on individuals. Opinionsexpressed are those of the writers,and not necessarily those of theExecutive Board. The deadline forsubmission of all articles is the dayof the monthly membership meet-ing. You must be an APWU mem-ber to submit an article. Name maybe withheld upon request. All arti-cles may be reprinted with propercredit given. Captions/cartoonsmay only be reprinted upon writtenpermission of the editor.

Southwest Florida Area LocalMembership News

We wish to extend our welcome toall new employees coming onboard at the United States PostalService by inviting you to our nextSWFAL APWU meeting at theUnion Hall located at 11000 MetroParkway, Unit 8, in Fort Myers.

Meetings are held once a monthon Sunday at 9:30am. Standstrong and be united, protect yourjob and discover the many benefitsof becoming a member of theSWFAL APWU.

Join us at our next local meeting -united we can make a positive dif-ference in our workplaces. Welook forward to seeing you there!

For those of you that haverecently retired who wish tocontinue receiving The Eagle’sEye newspaper, please email theEditor at [email protected] or callKaren at our SWFAL APWU officeat 239-275-1007.

We encourage members to email

information to the editor regardingmarriages, graduations, specialevents or achievements of ouremployees, or their families.Please email information to TheEagle’s Eye at [email protected] will be pleased to include asmany member announcements aspossible.

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