vindicator · 2016. 9. 3. · page 2 the vindicator march, 2016 editorial policy the vindicator is...

The President’s Message . . .

by Jennifer Sigmon, President

— Straight Talk —

Fellow members, First of all, I would like to thank all that voted for me in the election. Thank you for your support and confidence. I would also like to thank all that took the time to vote. I would like to thank Bob Springsteen for running a clean campaign. Bob is

going to stay on as Industrial Relations Officer. With his experience, union back-ground and training, he is an invaluable asset to the Union. Thanks to President Steve Charles for making it an easy transition to my new office. It’s basically a matter of hitting the ground running. We are in the midst of a lot of changes for the Union and the Post Office. I am getting ready to schedule Labor-Management Meetings. Once a month, a meeting is scheduled to address issues on the workroom floor. This meeting is held with the Plant Manager and vari-ous management representatives. If you have an issue you would like to have addressed, give them to your steward. Before he left office, President Steve Charles certified three new stewards. We are in the midst of getting them

continued on page 2

March, 2016

AREA OFFICESAmlinAlexandriaBaltimoreBloomingburgBremen

BriceCanal WinchesterCanesvilleCarbon HillCarroll

CirclevilleCoshoctonDelawareDublinEtna

FrazeysburgFredericktownFresnoGambierGroveport

Grove CityHarrisburgHaydenvilleHilliardJeffersonville

JohnstownKilbourneLancasterLoganLondon

Magnetic SpringsMarysvilleMilledgevilleMt. VernonMurray City

VindicatorVolume #44, Issue #3

New AlbanyNewarkPataskalaPickeringtonPlain City

PleasantvillePowellProspectRadnorRaymond

ReynoldsburgRockbridgeRushvilleSedaliaSouth Solon

StoutsvilleSugar GroveSummitt StationThornvilleThurston

COLUMBUS OHIO AREA LOCALSERVING COLUMBUS AND CENTRAL OHIO

the

Union FurnaceUnionville Ctr.Wash. Ct. Hse.WestervilleWest JeffersonWest Lafayette

trained and up to speed. If anyone has an interest in becoming a Union Steward, give the Union Hall a call. We are in need of more stewards. We have a union meeting once a month. This is when we vote as membership on issues such as our yearly budget. This tells us how and what to spend our dues on. Another thing we decide is where to hold the yearly picnic. We vote on conferences and conventions. This includes how many officers and stewards to send. This is where the majority of training goes on. Union meetings start at 7:00 PM. We have to have fifteen people for a quorum. The meetings last from thirty minutes to an hour. We have free pizza, beer, soda and water after the meetings. As I said, these meetings are ONCE a month. Take time and come to one. Tour

Vice President’s Corner . . .

Dear Brothers and Sisters, I am once again very humbled by the support you gave me in this election. I value your trust in me and I promise to perform my duties as your Vice Presi-dent and delegate to the best of my abil-ities. I will be ever mindful of the mem-bership in my decisions while serving on the executive board, during all con-versations with management, and while

participating in the negotiation of our Local Memorandum of Understanding. My goals, as stated in the election Vindicator will be to get all of our stew-ards on the same page when it comes to representing the membership. To achieve this goal, we will need to hold regularly scheduled training with all of our stewards in attendance. I also look forward to working with the newly elected officers in order to strengthen this local, making it the best it can be. We will be tasked with increasing our membership, improving attendance at the monthly meetings, communicating with you on the work-room floor, and also the negotiation of our LMOU once the new contract is re-solved. There are only seven of us on the ex-ecutive board and we alone cannot run

by Dave Patterson,Vice President

this local. With the help of the member-ship, be it attending the monthly meet-ings, volunteers to help out with the many endeavors this local undertakes, or standing in solidarity for our cause,

this local will be even stronger in the future. I once again thank you for your trust, support, and confidence in me. In Solidarity.

Humbled By Your Support

Absent Congressional or court ac-tion to extend or make permanent an existing exigent surcharge for mailing products and services — including the Forever Stamp — the USPS will be required to reduce certain prices on Sunday, April 10, 2016. This man-datory action will worsen the Postal Service’s financial condition by re-ducing revenue and increasing its net losses by approximately $2 billion per year.

“The exigent surcharge granted to the Postal Service last year only par-tially alleviated our extreme multi-year revenue declines resulting from the Great Recession, which exceeded $7 billion in 2009 alone,” said Post-master General and CEO Megan J. Brennan. “Removing the surcharge and reducing our prices is an irratio-nal outcome considering the Postal Service’s precarious financial condi-

Forced Price Reductions

1, stop on your way to work. Find out what’s going on in your union. PSE’s, if you have questions, bring them; we will get you an answer. Our April’s meeting agenda will include voting on where to go for the yearly picnic. This is going to be a busy year for our Local. We are hosting the OPWU Convention at the end of April. There will be a National Convention in August to attend. To close . . . I have an Open Door Policy. Just call before you come to make sure I am in the office. I will be visiting Citygate, City Stations and the A.O.’s. If you have a problem getting representa-tion, filing a grievance or getting answers to your questions, give me a call. I will get you an answer. Hang in there; we are trying to make a change. In Solidarity.

THE VINDICATOR March, 2016

EDITORIAL POLICY The Vindicator is published monthly and is the official publication of the Columbus Ohio Area Local/APWU, 1820 Northwest Blvd., Columbus, OH 43212, 486-4837.Editor............................... Zanetta Davis Opinions expressed in the Vindicator are those of the individual writers and not necessarily those of the C.O.A.L. The editor reserves the right to approve material submitted for publication. The deadline for all articles is the 16th or at our regular union meeting, whichever is first. If for any reason the editor is not present at monthly meeting, the article is to be given to the president. Articles are to be typed, double-spaced and in duplicate. Articles should not exceed approximately 1½ pages typed.

OFFICERS AND STAFFat your Service:

EXECUTIVE BOARDJennifer Sigmon ........................................... PresidentDave Patterson ..................................... Vice PresidentHolly Endurchat ...........................Secretary/TreasurerKim Harrington ...........................Recording SecretarySherry Pickens ............................Clerk Craft DirectorTim Lott .......................... Maintenance Craft DirectorDave Collins ..................Motor Vehicle Craft Director

CLERK CRAFT STEWARDS

Phone: 614-472-0595 Fax: 614-473-0690TOUR ONE

Zanetta Davis ............................ Chief Steward/EditorNorma Mulhollen Kenneth Hamrick

Melissa Rubadue

TOUR TWOBob Springsteen Sherry PickensDavid PattersonGreg Vincent ...................................... Business Agent

TOUR THREEStephanie Keaton National Safety Rep.Larry Canady Chief Steward/Asst. ClerkRick Farrell ..................................................... TrusteeJoel Waits Gary Moore

MAINTENANCE CRAFT STEWARDSPhone: 614-472-0596 Fax: 614-473-0690

TOUR ILarry Butts

TOUR IIDan Woerner

TOUR III Renie Nelson

TWIN RIVERSPhone: 614-469-4290 Fax: 614-469-4293

Walt JonesShannon Barr .............. Assistant Clerk Craft Director

Stations and Branches use Tour II Stewards

MVS CRAFT STEWARDSDave Collins ................................MVS Craft DirectorDave Roberts ...................................................Tour III

STATIONS AND BRANCHES STEWARDSStephanie Keaton Dave Collins

Shawntell Walker

AREA OFFICESGreg Vincent ........................................614-472-0595Baltimore, Brice, Canal Winchester, Carroll, Groveport, Hilliard, Johnstown, New Albany, Pataskala, Pickering-ton, Reynoldsburg, Washington Courthouse

Greg Vincent ........................................614-472-0595Delaware, Dublin, Kolbourne, Powell, Prospect, Westerville

Greg Vincent ........................................614-472-0595Bremen, Circleville, Grove City, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Logan, London, Marysville, Plain City, Rock Bridge, Sugar Grove, W. Jefferson

Jennifer Woodward .............................740-622-4821Coshocton, Frazeyburg, Fredericktown, Gambier, Thornville, Newark, W. Lafayette

Steve Waitzman ..................................... ..Mt. Vernon Use designated steward first, then the designated alternate. Supervisors must call the designated steward’s supervisor to ensure their release.Sherry Pickens Craft Director ................614-472-0595Terry Moeller ....................... Workers Comp. Officer

614-989-COMP (2667)

Union Hall – 614-486-4837 or 48387:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. MON.-FRI.

Union Cubical Fax - 614-473-0690

OFFICE STAFFPati Shambaugh - Secretary

EDITOR/PHOTOGRAPHERZanetta Davis - Editor

Ken Hamrick, Associate Editor

e-mail: [email protected]

Vindicatorthe

PSE National Disputeby Lynn Pallas-Barber Assistant Clerk Craft Director The issue involved in this dispute is that once a PSE has been converted to career during a 360 day term and they have already served a second 360 day term where they had FEHB benefits, the USPS has taken the position that they are now new employees and are not eligible for the APWU Consumer Driven Health Plan (CDHP) preferred rate. The MOU Re: Article 21.1 on page 360 of the CBA does not differentiate between current career employees and those converted from PSE to career status. This dispute was initiated based on an interpretative referral for NBA Moe Merow. If this has happened to any of you, file a grievance.

continued from page 1

Clerk Craft News . . .

I would like to take this time to thank

everyone that voted for taking the time to voice your opinion. I would also like to congratulate the winners. The mem-bership had a lot of good choices and there were a lot of good candidates run-ning for positions. I would also like to thank everyone for their support in the past. I have enjoyed representing you for the last 20 years. I am thankful that you elected me as a delegate so I can con-tinue to represent you to increase our

by Bob Springsteen,Former Vice President

Voicing Your Opinionbenefits in our next contract. Please support your new team. We will be facing some hard times ahead. I am sure they will work their hardest to get the job done. We will soon have a new contract both on the national and local levels. There are going to be changes, some favorable and some non-favorable and some non-favorable, but we must all pull through. Once again, thank you for your sup-port in the past and the present.

tion.” An order from the Postal Regula-tory Commission (PRC) requires the 4.3 percent exigent surcharge to be reversed after the Postal Service has collected surcharges totaling $4.6 bil-lion. As outlined in a notice filed with the PRC today, that amount is expect-ed to be reached by April 10th. The PRC didn’t accept the views of the Postal Service concerning the extent of the harm resulting from the Great Recession, and the PRC strict-ly limited the period of time that the Postal Service could continue to col-lect the exigent surcharge. While the Postal Service has experienced rapid growth in package volume over the past few years, it is not nearly enough to offset the decline in revenues from Market-Dominant products,especially First-Class Mail. According to Brennan, “our cur-rent pricing regime is unworkable and should be replaced with a system that provides greater pricing flexibility

and better reflects the economics chal-lenges facing the Postal Service.”The surcharge removal means these First-Class Mail prices will be adjusted to the following: According to Brennan, “our cur-rent pricing regime is unworkable and should be replaced with a system that provides greater pricing flexibility and better reflects the economic chal-lenges facing the Postal Service.”The surcharge removal means these First-

Class Mail prices will be adjusted to the following: Current Mandated ReductionLetters 49¢ 47¢ Letters additional ounces 22¢ 21¢Letters to all international destinations $1.20 $1.15Postcards 35¢ 34¢ The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and re-lies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

Forced Price Reductions

Hello fellow union members, let me begin by taking this opportunity to thank everyone that voted in the recent election. Let me also express my appreciation to all of those who ran for office in the APWU Local 232 Election of Officers. My sincere congratulations to all for their participation and interest in our future as proud APWU Postal Service employees. There were no

losers as we are all in this together. Together and united we stand separate we fail. I look forward to all of the challeng-es that lie ahead as your new clerk craft director. With your continued support, we will address all issues and alleged management violations of union rules (according to our contract with the USPS) to the best of our abilities. In Union Solidarity.by Sherry Pickens, Clerk Craft Dir.

Looking Forward To New Challenges

— Thank You For Voting —by Larry Canady, Trustee I would like to thank everyone who had the opportunity and took the time to vote. I am especially grateful to those of you who voted me into the position of trustee and delegate. I will continue, to the best of my ability, to earn your trust

and faith to fulfill the duties and responsibilities of these positions and to act in the best interest of this local and our membership. Again, thank you for your vote and show of confidence in me.

March, 2016 THE VINDICATOR

In 2009, Dr. Joshua Colin, then Dis-trict Manager of the Columbus District, issued the memorandum, “Policy State-ment: Acts and Threats of Violence.” It reiterated the Postal Service’s “Zero Tolerance” policy that has been in effect since the adoption of the “Joint State-ment on Violence and Behavior in the Workplace,” in 1992, on which the pol-icy is based. However, the “Zero Toler-ance” policy is flawed, since it neglects the main intent of the Joint Statement,

and fails to bear up under the weightier aspect of the commitment made when the Joint Statement was signed. The event that precipitated the com-posing and signing of the Joint State-ment was the Royal Oak tragedy. “On November 8, 1991, a discharged letter carrier, armed with a loaded semiauto-matic rifle, entered the Main Post Office in Royal Oak, Michigan, from an unse-cured rear loading dock. Seeking out su-pervisors who had been responsible for his discipline, the discharged letter car-rier fired more than 100 rounds, hitting eight people before taking his own life. Four of his victims, including the prin-cipal witness at his arbitration hearing, died.” Because of this violent event in which five people died, and the similar tragedies that preceded it, the Postal Ser-vice along with various signatories, such as the NALC and the NPMHU, adopted the Joint Statement as an expression of their commitment to “do everything within our power to prevent further inci-dents of work-related violence.” To be sure, such a commitment did include an intolerance of violence that

CongratulationsRetirees

Jacob H. CoxJerry V. Hotler

John D. ThompsonBrett C. Zeszotek

has been the focus of the policy that Postal managers such as Dr. Colin have sought to uphold. The Joint Statement affirms, “…there is no excuse for and will be no tolerance of violence or any threats of violence by anyone at any level of the Postal Service.” But an even greater part of the Joint Statement’s commitment was to preventing the kind of violence that cannot be punished — one who commits a murder-suicide cannot be disciplined, removed or put on “emergency placement.” In the Joint Statement, the clause about “no tolerance of violence” is sandwiched between two clauses that cannot be ig-nored by any policy claiming to imple-ment the Joint Statement: “We openly acknowledge that in some places or units there is an unac-ceptable level of stress in the work-place; that there is no excuse for and will be no tolerance of violence or any threats of violence by anyone at any level of the Postal Service; and that there is no excuse for, and will be no tolerance of harassment, intimidation, threats or bullying by anyone.”

In Sympathy The membership of Local 232 wish to express our condolences for your loss.

Frank Wolz - lost his Sister

New Members

Lucy A. MahamaAlexandria L. Moore

Susan E. MullettFalicia R. Townsend

Aniqua Zanders

by Ken Hamrick,Tour 1 Steward

The Ineptitude Of ‘Zero Tolerance This acknowledges that excessive stress may be a contributory factor in resulting violence, and is therefore unac-ceptable. It also broadens the focus to include managers and supervisors, and commits just as strongly to a zero toler-ance of treating subordinate employees with intimidation, threats, harassment or bullying behavior. This is as much a commitment to punish acts that create an environment conducive to violence as it is to punish violent acts themselves. The Joint Statement continues: “We also affirm that every employ-ee at every level of the Postal Service should be treated at all times with dig-nity, respect and fairness. The need for the USPS to serve the public efficiently and productively, and the need for all employees to be committed to giving a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay does not justify actions that are abu-sive or intolerant. ‘Making the num-bers’ is not an excuse for the abuse of anyone. Those whose unacceptable be-havior continues will be removed from their positions.”

(Continued in the next Vindicator)

PRESIDENT Jennifer L. Sigmon 216 Bob Springsteen 211

VICE PRESIDENTDavid J. Patterson 221 Philip Ballou 94 Kelly Gilmer 108

CLERK CRAFT DIRECTOR Zanetta Davis 81 Frank Payne 75 Sherry D. Pickens 153

MAINTENANCE CRAFT DIRECTOR Tim Lott 62 Dan Woerner 45

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Gregory Vincent 276 Rick Farrell 313 Larry Canady 296 Norma Mulhollen 180

DELEGATE TO ALL CONVENTIONS *Bob Springsteen* 226 Gregory Vincent 98 Steve Charles 101 *Philip Ballou* 121

Tim Lott 55 Sherry D. Pickens 192 David J. Patterson 161 Steven H. Waitzman 15 Norma Mulhollen 79 David L. Roberts 20 Joel Gordon 55 Larry Butts 54 Angela Lyshe 52 *Rick Farrell* 169 Stephanie M. Keaton 53 Kelly Gilmer 108 *Larry Canady* 132 Joel B. Waits 104 Renie M. Nelson 27 Dan Woerner 57 *Zanetta Davis* 138

UNOPPOSED CANDIDATES Secretary/Treasurer Holly Endruschat Recording Secretary Kim Harrington Motor Vehicle Craft Director David Collins

Columbus Ohio Area Local 322016 ELECTION RESULTS

Date of Election: February 29, 2016 The undersigned acted as election officials at the tally of the ballots. We certify that the ballot tally was fairly and accurately conducted, the secrecy of the ballots was maintained, and that the election results are as indicated below.

OFFICECandidate Name Number of Votes

OFFICECandidate Name Number of Votes

Aim for the Future, get involved with your union! Stay informed!

GET WELL SOONPatti Pasqualone


by Dale Thaler, Forest Grove AO In May 1964, the Post Office De-partment took the opposite tack of Mr. Donahoe by maintaining letter delivery but cutting Saturday delivery of parcel post in 6,091 cities on routes where carriers made delivery on foot. Full Saturday delivery resumed in January 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson promised to gain additional funding from Congress. President Johnson considered “a good, stable, dependable postal sys-tem . . . vital to the well-being of the nation’s economy.” Earlier in 1957, Postmaster General Arthur Summer-field decided to deal with his budget crisis by ending Saturday delivery en-tirely. On just one Saturday — April 13, 1957 — there was no mail deliv-ery. Public outcry was so extensive that President Dwight Eisenhower signed a bill three days later increas-ing funding for the Post Office De-partment. Service resumed the next Saturday. From the beginning, letter carriers were expected to make deliveries “as frequently as the public convenience . . . . shall require” Monday through Saturday. Postmasters determined levels of service for their city; there was no nationwide delivery schedule for the number of trips a carrier made. Business districts with heavy volume and time sensitive mail received more frequent delivery than residential ar-eas. Larger cities generally had more deliveries than smaller ones. For the first half of the twentieth century, generally residential service was twice daily and business delivery for small cites had three deliveries for the norm. Larger cities had four to five business deliveries with the largest ones up to seven deliveries per day in business districts. In 1905, let-ter carriers at New York’s main post office made nine deliveries daily. In 1923, cost cutting measures re-duced the frequency of daily deliver-

ies on many routes by one. Another round of reductions occurred in 1930. Some residential areas were reduced to one delivery per day for a few months in 1934 and again due to man-power shortages during World War II. Letter carriers were successful in gaining some wage increases after the austerity years of World War II, getting them close to private sector comparability and many were opti-mistic when President Harry Truman appointed Jesse Donaldson as Post-master General in 1947. Donaldson was a career man and had even car-ried mail at one time. Surely he would be knowledgeable and sympathetic to letter carriers’ issues. Postmaster Gen-eral Donaldson would deeply disap-point letter carriers on April 18,1950 and forever change the workday of America’s letter carrier. He reduced residential mail delivery to once per day and reduced business deliveries by at least one leaving most business-es nationwide at twice a day. Service

THE HISTORY CORNER:

Here Comes – No, There Goes The Mailcurtailment also occurred in street collections, window service and par-cel post delivery. Before the change, a carrier would return to the post of-fice after his morning delivery, take an hour to hour and a half break to eat and rest, and then sort mail again and make his second delivery trip. The single delivery order forced carriers to remain on the street from the time they left in the morning through the end of the work day. Their lunch, re-duced to 30 minutes, now occurred on street curbs, next to ( or sitting inside) relay boxes or wherever in all types of weather. There was no vehicle to sit inside or take to a lunch location. These conditions only aggravated the more serious consequences of longer routes and heavier work loads to car-ry. Public outcry and protests from the union, other postal employees and the press were to no avail and any chance to rescind the order went away when the Korean War broke out two months later.

by Zanetta Davis, Chief Steward, Editor

The Nerve . . .

To all the Officers,Trustees, and Del-egates, Congratulations for winning

Congratulations!your positions in our local. Thank you to all the members who took the time and voted for me as one of your Del-egates to all conferences and conven-tions! I look forward to representing you the membership and I plan to continue to serve you to the best of my ability, including my continuation as your edi-

tor of The Vindicator. The 2016 Inaugural Adult Party held at The Boat House at Confluence Park Downtown Columbus, Ohio on March 19, 2016 seemed to be a huge success ( I believe) as the photos will show with all the smiling faces. The installation of new officers took place prior to the party. Dinner choices of chicken, fish or

prime rib with salad, rolls, vegetables and potatoes was great. A nice selection of drinks and The DJ was awesome. Congratulations to the winners of the COPA Drawing and the Raffle. Thank you to the Union Hall Secretary Pati Shambaugh ( ticket table) and all other volunteers that helped make the party enjoyable.

Perhaps the most difficult conse-quence of the change was that it was the letter carrier who bore the brunt of the public’s ire and dissatisfaction ( much like today) over the decline in service. Letter carriers are a proud lot in providing first class mail service. When the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) was founded, carriers expressed two reasons for organizing their union. The first was mutual benefit; the second was “the good of the public service”. Those reasons hold true to this day. No one works harder to preserve the highest standards of service and respect of the postal service than the NALC. Time will tell if Postmaster General Dona-hoe will be as successful as Donald-son with his plan or will his plan be thwarted like Sumerfield’s by public outcry and respect for the incompa-rable and irreplaceable universal ser-vice we provide. Time will tell.

— (Sources: Carriers in a Common Cause, about.usps.com)

USPS seeks more operations industrial engineers. The P.O. is looking for a few good engineers. USPS wants to hire more operations industrial engineers(OIE’s), highly skilled professionals who help keep postal equipment operating efficiently. “We generally make things eas-ier for employees on the workroom floor. Rochester, NY, P&DC OIE Bianca Kirkland says in a new video about the program. More information about OIE jobs is available on the Postal Service’ Ca-reersite by entering “engineer” in the searchbar.

Engineering Search

Thank You Membershipby Rick Farrell I would first to thank the membership for electing me to the Board of Trustees and also as a delegate to all conventions. It is an honor and a privilege to represent you and I am humbled and appreciative of the outpouring of support shown to be by our membership. As a Trustee I will be diligent in my fiduciary responsibili-ties. As a Delegate to all conventions I will attend all conventions and train-ing seminars and bring back the latest knowledge to use in order to better rep-resent our members and our local. As a follow-up to my last article, I am currently in the process of getting members paid for resolves that are past 90 days old. I have put 3 MDO’s and labor on notice that these will not con-tinue to go unpaid. As of this writing

several resolves have been put into the GATS system to be paid. You will not see all of these paid in one pay period. Management is choosing to pay these over multiple pay periods to obviously make themselves look better. If all are

not paid in a timely manner a labor vio-lation will follow. Again I would like to thank the membership for your support and con-fidence in me. And remember, you are my boss, I work for you.


Collective Bargaining Agreement Between APWU, AFL-CIO And U.S. Postal Service Continuation Of Article 37

D. Identification of Newly Established Duty Assignments When the number of full-time regular Clerk Craft duty assignments in an instal-lation is less than the number of full-time Clerks, a full-time employee remaining unencumbered for a period of 120 cal-endar days shall demonstrate the need to post the newly established full-time regu-lar duty assignment in accordance with Article 37.3.A.1.a. This process shall continue until all unencumbered Clerks eligible to be as-signed have successfully bid or been as-signed to duty assignments. Exceptions: Any full work or paid leave weeks (40 hours) during which unencumbered Clerks are: 1) detailed to non-bargaining positions; 2) identified as impacted under the provisions of Article 12.5.C (excluding 12.5.C.4); or 3) medi-cally unsuitable for assignment, shall not be included when establishing this 120 day period. Section 5. Conversion/Part-Time Flexible PreferenceA. General Principles 1. The Employer will maintain a single merged part-time flexible roll. 2. Part-time flexible employees shall be converted to full-time in the manner set forth in this section. 3. When an opportunity exists for conversion to a vacant full-time Clerk Craft duty assignment, employees shall, in accordance with this section, exercise a preference(s) as to the duty assignment(s) they desire to be con-verted into based on their standing on the part-time flexible roll. 4. Part-time flexible employees who have exercised a preference and fail to qualify shall not be discharged or dis-ciplined as a result of such failure. 5. Part-time flexible preferencing under Section 5 will occur within 28 days after the application of

Section 4.C, Assignment of Unen-cumberedArticle 37.5.A.10 Employees, unless such vacancies are being withheld pursuant to Article 12. 6. Normally, the senior part-time flexible stating a preference will be placed into training within 10 calendar days. 7. When a part-time flexible employ-ee is identified as currently qualified or successfully completes the training for a stated preference, the employee should be converted to full-time and placed in the duty assignment within 28 days except in the month of De-cember. Management should release a part-time flexible Mark-up Clerk, Au-tomated as soon as possible, but for re-placement training purposes may delay the employee’s release to that duty as-

signment for up to 180 days after being identified as senior for conversion or training. This delay in placement does not alter the employee’s normal con-version at the appropriate time. 8. If an opportunity for conversion is to a best qualified full-time Clerk Craft duty assignment, the successful applicant shall be converted. Applica-tions from part-time flexible employ-ees shall not be considered if sufficient (equal or greater in number than avail-able duty assignments) full-time em-ployees meeting the minimum qualifi-cations apply. 9. Part-time flexible employees who express a preference may not withdraw from the assignment or from training except as specifically provided for in 10. below. 10. A part-time flexible employee in training for a stated preference who is converted to full-time, either pursuant to Article 7, Section 3.A or due to be-ing currently qualified on another as-signment, shall have the option of ei-ther remaining in training for the stated preference or withdrawing from train-ing. B. Preference Requirements/Eli-gibilities 1. Employees are required to state a preference for duty assignments for which they are currently qualified at the same or higher level, even if they are in training for another stated pref-erence. A Mark-up Clerk, Automated is not required to state a preference for non-Markup Clerk, Automated duty assignments. 2. Employees are not required to state a preference for duty assignments for which they are not currently quali-fied or are at a lower level. 3. When stating preferences, em-ployees must list all duty assignments for which they received training and are currently qualified ahead of any duty assignment for which there is no qualifying training. 4. While in training for a stated preference, employees may not state a preference for any other duty assign-ment for which they are not currently qualified. C. Procedures. When there are one or more full-time duty assignment(s) to be filled by conversion, the conver-sions shall be made by the following procedures, in the following order: 1. Match the number of duty assign-ments to be filled with the identical number of senior part-time flexibles on the roll who are eligible to state a pref-erence on the duty assignment(s). 2. Convert and place any currently qualified part-time flexibles on the above list. Any part-time flexibles who are currently qualified on two or more of the available duty assignments shall

be given a choice, in order of their standing on the part-time flexible roll, provided their choice would not re-duce the number of currently qualified employees who could be matched and converted to full time. 3. If any duty assignments remain unfilled, take preferences from all part-time flexibles who passed the required entrance examination, in order of their standing on the part-time flexible roll. 4. For each duty assignment, place the senior part-time flexible who stated a preference for that assignment into the assignment if currently qualified. If not currently qualified, place that employee into training for that assign-ment. Upon successful completion of the training, convert and place the em-ployee into the assignment. 5. If the senior part-time flexible fails to qualify or withdraws pursuant to A.10 above, convert and place the next currently qualified part-time flex-ible. 6. If there are no remaining cur-rently qualified part-time flexibles for a duty assignment, the senior part-time flexible hired from the appropriate reg-ister and who is not in training for an-other opportunity will be assigned and placed into training. 7. PTF’s may not be involuntarily assigned to a lower level or to a duty assignment requiring a skill (such as typing, shorthand, etc.) for which they are not currently qualified. Section 6. Anti-Fatigue Measures A. The subject of fatigue as it relates to the safety and health of an employee

is a proper subject for the consider-ation of the Joint Labor-Management Safety Committee as provided in Ar-ticle 14 of the National Agreement. The Employer will continue to furnish adjustable platform stools for periods of sustained distribution as heretofore. B. The feasibility of a study of seat-ing devices, including seats with back supports, for the purpose of improv-ing upon and eventually replacing the equipment termed “adjustable plat-form stools” heretofore supplied, as “sit-stand” devices is a proper subject for determination by the National La-bor-Management Committee. Section 7. Scheme Committee A. The Employer agrees to having as part of the National Labor-Manage-ment Committee, a labor-management subcommittee on schemes for the con-sideration of appropriate matters relat-ing to schemes. B. Subject to any criteria estab-lished in the future by the National Labor-Management Committee, local level scheme committees will continue operation as presently constituted.C. There shall be no annual or periodic scheme examinations. Section 8. Computerized For-warding System The application of a rotation sys-tem for the Computerized Forwarding System and the subject of fatigue as it pertains to the Computerized Forward-ing System will be consistent with the requirements of the applicable provi-sions of this Agreement.

(See Memo, page 391)


The Boat House

Working on photosjust received today


At Confluence Park



Saturday, March 19, 2016



Downtown Columbus, Ohio



Your Aging Parents; Having Difficult Conversations Provided by eap4you website

Aging Well As an adult child, you may begin to notice your aging parents require more assistance and that they are increas-ingly in need of information and ad-vice. You may find yourself becoming concerned that they are not handling things as well as they used to or that their safety is in jeopardy. It may be challenging however, to discuss such issues with your parents. Effectively communicating your feelings and con-cerns without putting them on the defensive may be a difficult task. When talking with your aging parents, it’s im-portant to use an approach that lets them know that you want to understand and hat you are not trying to take over their lives. Your approach should show a willingness to work with your parents. You may find that they express a hesitancy to accept assis-tance from you or form community resources. They may not want to spend their money on services or other types of assistance. If you find your parents not being cooperative, listen to what they are really saying. Their reluctance to change is not uncom-

mon. It’s important to remember that older adults need time to prepare for changes and to adjust to them. It’s also important to emphasize their strengths and what they can do rather than dwell on what they can’t do. Effective communication requires listening and ac-knowledgment of feelings and opinions. It’s impor-tant to talk with and not at your parents. The goal is open, honest communication.

Communication Tips Provide information to your parents regarding

— Your Aging Parents —options and decisions that will affect them. Whenever possible and appropri-ate include your parents in the decision-making process. Don’t assume that you always know what your parents need or want. Pick your battles carefully. You may want to focus on safety concerns first. Find an appropriate time t talk that is good for both you and your parents. Discuss problems and make an ef-fort to find solutions by balancing the pros and cons. It may be helpful to listen to their

feelings and find meanings behind the words being said. Limit your discussion to one topic at a time. Re-solve and move on to the next topic. Avoid using phrases such as “You never” or “You always”. This can get in the way of open communica-tion. Better to use phrases like “I have some concerns about” or “I worry that”. Don’t always be the bad guy. You can enlist the help of a family doctor or trusted friend to back you up. If communication is difficult, it may be necessary to seek help from a professional. 1-800-eap-4-you

You Can’t Do It Alone While statistics vary, it is estimated that more than 50 million people in the

U.S. care for loved ones 18 years or older. If you are one of them, you may feel alone but, rest assured, you are not. Almost 60% of an caregivers either work or have worked while providing care. That means that when you finish your day at work, you have another “job” to report to. Caregiving can be exhausting, isolating, frustrating, and stressful. It can go on for a brief time or for many years. It can also be hard work, physically demanding, confusing, emotionally draining, and painful. For those who are caregiving and working, juggling both work and caregiving responsibilities can feel overwhelming.

Taking Care of Yourself Your feelings may run the gamut from feeling good about yourself in doing the right thing for your loved

EAP MONTHLY UPDATE

— Caregiving —one, to feeling resentful, angry, overwhelmed, exhausted, stressed, or lost. It’s always okay to have whatever feelings you have, even if you don’t like them. It’s important to acknowledge those feelings to yourself. If you need to cry, give yourself permission to do so. You may want to think about keeping a journal to express your thoughts and feelings while going through your caregiving journey. One of the most difficult things to do when you are a caregiver is to take time out for yourself. It is not only preferable, but it is required for you to do so. Caregivers tend to compromise their own health because the needs of the other person are so overwhelming. Don’t allow yourself to become run down and ill. Be sure to exercise, have a healthy diet, get plenty of rest, and find time for yourself. You will be a better caregiver because of it.

Ask for Help Caregiving can be very isolating. Others may be aware of your situation but don’t know the day in, day out responsibilities that you carry. You can’t do it all by yourself! Make a list of things people can do to help; be specific. If someone makes a vague “call me if you need some help,” tell them right then and there what you need help with. It’s also okay to call up family and/or

friends and ask them for specific help. Know Your Resources Thanks to the internet, resources are available that were not available even a few years ago. There are chat rooms and blogs for those who are in your situation. You can contact your local Area Agency on Aging. There are many websites available for information and support groups in many areas. There is also your USPS EAP as a support to you. Counselors are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at 800-327-4968 (TTY: 877-492-7341). There is also a wealth of information on their website at www.EAP4YOU.com.

The Employee Assistance Program is a valuable resource for employees and their family members. It is a confidential, free assessment and counseling service designed to provide you and your family with assistance managing everyday concerns. Coaching services are also available. All services are available in person or by telephone to ensure ease of access. Information and resources are also available by visiting www.EAP4YOU.com.


by John P. Smeekens, Veterans Director, Michigan Messenger

Camp LeJeune Eligibility The VA has announced that it will classify eight medical afflictions as pre-sumptive disabilities for purposes of ad-judicating compensation benefits for vet-erans who were exposed to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987. Additionally, National Guard and Reserve service members who did not serve on active duty but conducted training at the base will be considered as part of this expanded policy. This means that the VA will now presume that a Vet-eran’s exposure entitles that Veteran to VA disability compensation benefits for any of the eight covered conditions. This is a major change because no conditions were considered under presumptive sta-tus for disability benefits. Currently, the VA only provides no-cost health care for 15 covered conditions. Moving forward, those who receive VA compensation ben-efits will also be eligible for VA health care if they were not otherwise eligible. As a result, veterans who served 30 or more days at Camp Lejeune between 1953 and 1987 and have been diagnosed with esophageal cancer, breast cancer, renal toxicity, female infertility, lung cancer, bladder cancer, hepatic steatosis, miscarriage, and neurobehavioral effects are eligible for no-cost VA health care, but are not presumed to be eligible for VA disability compensation benefits. Several Veterans Organizations are working to ensure veterans who suffer from medical conditions that are as-sociated with exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune receive the health care and benefits they deserve and plan to hold the VA accountable, making sure it’s presumptive list is accurate. Those who have filed in the past and were denied, can file again. Those who are awaiting a decision, which could be denied, will not receive any decision until a final ruling is approved, on the proposed expansion. Any veteran who needs help completing a VA claim for their service relating to this expansion should contact one of their Counties Veterans Service Officers, or contact a Service Officer associated with the numerous Veterans Organizations in their Counties of residence. To read the VA’s announcement on this issue, go to; http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=2743.

Navy Lady Seals The U. S. Naval Academy is preparing to open its Navy SEAL screening process to Women sometime in 2016. The school is presently awaiting specific guidance from the Navy before definitely open-ing the next spring screening for female midshipwomen, possibly making them, the Class of 2017, as the first to graduate from the academy, to go on to become

members of the elite Naval Commando Force.

COLA Relief ??? As a result of a negative change to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), VA and Social Security benefits were scheduled for no annual increase for 2016. The CPI fell slightly, due to a significant decrease in gasoline prices. Health care, housing, and food prices all rose this year, creating a hardship for many disabled veterans and senior citizens. In an attempt to solve this problem, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Tammy

Duckworth (D-Ill.) have introduced S. 2251 and H.R. 4144, the Seniors and Veterans Emergency (SAVE) Benefits Act, which would provide a one-time payment of $581 to VA/Social Secu-rity beneficiaries. Disabled Veterans, receiving VA compensation, and Social Security recipients, are all encouraged to contact their Senators and Represen-tatives to request their support of these important bills.

Survey of Women Veterans The VFW is trying to make sure that health care and benefits are equitable for

Veterans Cornerboth Men and Women Veterans. There is a survey, for our Female Veterans that has been commissioned by the VFW. The VFW will analyze survey results and direct feedback from Women veterans to make recommendations to the VA and Congress on how to meet their needs. If you are a Female Veteran, please take the VFW’s Survey of Women Veterans to help the VFW hold VA accountable for delivering the high quality benefits and services women veterans have earned and deserve. To take the survey, go to; https://www.research.net/r/VFWSur-veyofWomenVeterans.

“Grievance” is the most understood word in the workplace. Some work-ers think that anything they don’t like about work is a grievance. Others en-dure flagrant violations of their legal rights by management, but shy away from the word. Broadly defined, a grievance is a violation of a worker’s rights, a circumstance regarded as just cause for protest and a complaint based on such a circumstance. Therefore, it is imperative that you know what those rights are and discover if they have indeed been violated. The following five areas define a worker’s rights: 1. Violation of the Contract. Such matters as wages, hours, working conditions, leave, holidays and benefits. The contract spells out disciplinary ac-tions and procedures. 2. Violation of Past Practice. No contract spells out every practice on the job. If the practice has been in place for an extended period of time and is accepted by both the union and manage-ment explicitly or im-plicitly is considered past practice. 3. Violation of Fair Treatment. Discrimina-tion based on race, sex, nationality, religion or union activity. Disparity in treatment is also basis for a grievance. It is im-portant to document these cases with dates, witness-es, place and what was said and done. 4. Violation of Federal and/or State Laws. Such laws include, but are not limited to, the Fair Labor

Standard Act (FLSA) and Occupa-tional Safety and Health Act (OSHA). 5. Violation of Management’s Rules and Responsibilities. Management has certain responsibilities it must adhere to. There are additional policies in ac-cordance with the contract. If manage-ment fails to fulfill its responsibilities or breaks its own policies, it may be

What Exactly Does A Grievance Mean?the basis for a grievance. Knowledge is the key to preserv-ing your rights. Management uses both simple and sophisticated means for vio-lating your rights. If an incident occurs that just doesn’t seem fair, ask to see your union representative. Do not be in-timidated. In Union there is strength.

— The Black Swamp Outrider


APWU WORKING FOR YOUServices Available For APWU Members At No Charge Or At Substantial DiscountsSERVICESLimited Fax — Free at Union Hall. For emergency use only. Not to take the place of the postal service.Limited Copying — Free at Union HallNotary — Free at Union Hall

ITEMS OF INTERESTUnion Jackets —Sm., Med., Lg., $33.50 • 2X $36.50 • 3X $37.50 • 4X $38.00Aprons — $11.00 - Male; $12.00 - FemaleT-Shirts — Any size $10.00 — Red, Blue, Black or Gray

Available at Union Hall, 1820 Northwest Blvd., Columbus, OH 43212 • (614) 486-4837

Call 486-4837 for Additional Information.

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TICKETS — These discounts are better than AAA’s and are exclusively for MEMBERS ONLY – It Pays To Belong

AMC Movie Tickets — $8.00 each, member (Reg. $10.25 each)

Columbus Zoo — Adult ....................................... $12.00 (our price) .............$14.99 (gate price) Jr./Sr. (2-9 & 60+) ...................... $ 7.00 (our price) ..............$ 9.99 (gate price)

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— Scab List —by Z. Davis

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vindicator · 2016. 9. 3. · page 2 the vindicator march, 2016 editorial policy the vindicator is...

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