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

PDF

PAGE 8 JUNE, 2013

Center Spread

right

See separate

PDF

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