Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
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
Thanks to all who attended our successful SWFAL-APWU party. It was so great tosee everyone who attended. Ihope that when we have futureparties, our members will consid-er coming out to those events.There were about 350 attendeesand most will agree that this wasa historic event for our local. As Iwrite this article, we have lessthan 20 employees yet to be com-pensated for our RI-399 settle-ment. There were over 500employees who received com-pensation from this settlement.
It has been important to us toattempt to find everyone whowas entitled to be included inthe settlement.
Our local filed an Article 7grievance on part two of ourRI-399 arbitration award.Management will be sendingthis back to Step 4 as anInterpretive Issue, meaningthe USPS is attempting tobury this grievance. It appearsthat we may be headed backto Federal Court for a secondtime in the attempt for moreback pay along with gettingour work back. This will not bean easy fight, but WE WILLFIGHT! The struggle contin-ues.
APWU NATIONALCONVENTION
The Southwest Florida AreaLocal - American PostalWorkers Union was well repre-sented at the APWU NationalConvention. Delegates DanGray, Jamie Robertson,Danny Carinci, Dave Grantand I proudly represented theSWFAL-APWU.
Our delegates wereapproached by many otherdelegates from around thecountry congratulating ourlocal on its fight against theUSPS in the Federal CourtSystem in our RI-399 battle.The SWFAL-APWU member-ship has become a beacon ofhope for other locals in theirattempts to stand up and fight
Sam WoodPresident
SWFAL APWU
Southwest Florida Area Local 11000 Metro Parkway, Unit 8 Fort Myers, FL 33966
Alva, Bokeelia, Bonita Springs, Captiva,Chokoloskee, Estero, Everglades City, Felda,
Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach, Goodland,Immokalee, Labelle, Lehigh Acres, Marco Island,
Naples, Palmdale, Pineland, Placida,Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, Rotunda,
St. James City and Sanibel
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
September 2016Volume 26 Number 9
back especially when we areforced to go it alone with littleor no help.
APWU National DelegatesTotals (Day 1):76 National Officers5 National Retiree Delegates2039 Delegates327 Locals50 StatesIncluding: Guam, Puerto Ricoand the Virgin Islands
During the APWU NationalConvention the delegatesheard speeches from:
Dave Ward - GeneralSecretary, CommunicationsWorkers Union, UnitedKingdom
Richard Trumka - President -AFL-CIO
Nina Turner - Former OhioState Senator
Mark Dimondstein - APWUNational President
Keith Ellison - Congressman
Elizabeth "Liz" Powell - APWUSecretary-Treasurer
STAPLES FIGHT
Staples stock has droppedover 50% since the time theAPWU began its fight againsttheir deal with the USPS. Weneed to continue to boycottStaples.
SWFAL-APWU Party And RI-399 Update
CELEBRATE
LABOR DAYSEPTEMBER 5
IN THIS EDITION OF
THE EAGLE’S EYESWFAL-APWU Party And RI-399 Update . . . . 1
Secretary-Treasurer’s Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Thank You SWFAL MembershipAnd Executive Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Choice Vacation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
A Trying Time In Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Highlights Of The New APWU Contract . . . . . 4
Union Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Victory Party A Great Success . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Things That Make You Go “Hummm . . .”. . . . 5
Trustees’ Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Retirement Seminar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
SWFAL Membership News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
An Evening Celebrating Victory . . . . . . . . . . . 8
PROUD MEMBER
2 THE EAGLE’S EYE SEPTEMBER 2016
Southwest Florida Area Local, APWU
11000 Metro Parkway, Unit 8Fort Myers, FL 33966239-275-1007Open 9am-3pm, Monday-Friday
WEBSITE ADDRESSwww.swfloridaapwu.org
PRESIDENTSam [email protected]
VICE-PRESIDENTDan [email protected]
SECRETARY-TREASURERJamie L. [email protected]
CLERK CRAFT DIRECTORPaul [email protected]
MAINTENANCE CRAFTDIRECTOR
Mickey [email protected]
MOTOR VEHICLE CRAFTDIRECTOR
EDITORKathy [email protected]
TRUSTEESDaniel CarinciGrace BaerDavid Grant
SAFETY & HEALTHCOMMITTEE
David GrantWendy Skaff
CONSTITUTION COMMITTEEDan Gray, ChairmanGrace BaerDaniel CarinciDavid GrantPaul McAvoyKathy Moyer
ELECTION COMMITTEEBarbara Carr, ChairwomanRobert Nowall
NATIONAL MAILING ADDRESSPer Capita SectionAPWU, AFL-CIO1300 L Street NWWashington, DC 20005
FLORIDA POSTAL WORKERThe Florida Postal WorkerP.O. Box 8363Fort Lauderdale, FL 33310www.apwuflorida.org
General MembershipMeeting Minutes
August 21, 2016
Note: Editor Kathy Moyer isstanding in this month for JamieRobertson who is attending theNational Convention.
CALL TO ORDER:9:30 a.m. There were 11 mem-bers in attendance.
THE PLEDGEOF ALLEGIANCE:The pledge of allegiance was ledby Joyce Brancato.
ROLL CALL OF OFFICERS: Paul McAvoy, Clerk CraftDirector, performed the roll callof officers. Present were PaulMcAvoy, Micky Szymonik, JoeFracek and Kathy Moyer. Micky Szymonik made a motionto excuse Sam Wood, Dan Grayand Jamie Robertson who areattending the NationalConvention. Paul McAvoy sec-onded the motion and themotion passed unanimously.
MAP: Barb Carr told a few jokes inhonor of Charles Glennon. BarbCarr also informed everyonethat Rose Glennon is doing bet-ter and will be going to a painmanagement doctor.
NEW MEMBERS:Welcome Joyce Brancato,Jerome Fountain, ConstanceKozlowski, Roberto Melendez,George Mitar, Crystal Nettles,Dustin Nowalk, JepermarysRuiz, Brenda Rybicki, VictoriaStella and Leo Sullivan. Great job to all those who signedup our new members!
EXECUTIVE BOARDMINUTES:Motor vehicle issues concerningright-hand drive vehicles andnon-postal personnel drivingvehicles were discussed.Also discussed was the endors-ing of the Maintenance StrongTeam which includes:National Maintenance DirectorSteve Raymer Assistant Directors TerryMartinez and Idowu BalogunWe also discussed the partyfrom last week, what a great jobthe attorneys did for our Localand how much fun our membershad.Discussed conversion of mainte-nance PSE’s and maintenancestewards.
SECRETARY/TREASURER REPORT:Micky Szymonik made a motionto accept the minutes as printedin last month’s Eagle’s Eye.Dave Grant seconded it and themotion passed.
REPORT/ SELECTION OF COMMITTEES:Barbara Carr volunteered tochair the Election Committeeand Robert Nowell will serve onthe Election Committee.
REPORT OF CONVENTIONCOMMITTEES:None
REPORT OFTRUSTEES:A second special interim auditwas performed by Grace Baer,Danny Carinci and Dave Grantas our incoming Secretary-Treasurer Jamie Robertson didnot have the opportunity formuch training on the Secretary-Treasurer’s position followingFelicia’s leaving. It was deter-mined in the audit that Jamiesaved our Local $400 on an IRSfine.
COMMUNICATIONS:Letter received from JohnMarcotte, Director of the APWUHealth Plan thanking Sam Woodfor the kind invitation to our pic-nic (party) which he unfortunate-ly he was unable to attend. Hehoped we would have a wonder-ful event! Jess Pirron has requested to bean alternate steward in the main-tenance department.Cassie Hogrefe is the shopsteward for Ft. Myers DowntownStation and Michael Gattuso hasbeen appointed shop stewardfor the North Fort Myers Station.We received a thank you notefrom Sandy Ferguson thankingSam for all of his hard work onthe arbitration and the great jobon setting up the party. She hada great time!Maintenance managementinformed us to convert allMaintenance PSE’s to Careereffective September 3, 2016 -this is nationwide. To qualify theyhave to have been in mainte-nance for at least two yearswithout a break in service. Paulsaid that we have nine in ourarea!
UPDATE OF GRIEVANCES:None
OLD BUSINESS:None
NEWBUSINESS:M i c k yS z y m o n i ksaid that shewould like tomake a rec-o m m e n d a -tion for us to endorse NationalMaintenance Director SteveRaymer, Assistant DirectorsTerry Martinez and IdowuBalogun of the MaintenanceStrong Team in the NationalElection. Micky said that she hasbeen dealing with them for along time, they are a great teamand she trusts them!Dave Grant Seconded the rec-ommendation. All are in agree-ment! So ordered!
LABOR/ MANAGEMENT:We are supposed to have a localdispute resolution committee inSeptember with the MailHandlers. The LMOU negotia-tions will be coming up at theend of September and we arecurrently working on that now.
GOOD AND WELFARE:The winner of the COPA 50/50drawing of $24.00 was RobertNowall. $24.00 dollars will bedonated to COPA as Robertdonated his winnings back toCOPA. The name drawn for themember’s incentive award wasAngela Morris. Angela wouldhave won $60.00. The pot willroll over to $70.00 at the nextUnion meeting.
ELECTION OF OFFICERSAND DELEGATES:None
LEFTOVERS:Paul McAvoy reported on theParty which was very profes-sionally done. Sam Wood andthe attorneys spoke to thoseattending. Lots of pictures weretaken! “Beef Wellington”,“Coconut Shrimp” and morewere enjoyed by those dining atthe party!
ROLL CALL OF OFFICERS:Results were recorded.
NEXT MEETING:Robert Nowall moved to havethe next meeting on SundaySeptember 18, 2016 at 9:30a.m. at the Union Hall. GraceBaer seconded the motion andthe motion passed. The nextUnion meeting will be SundaySeptember 18th, 2016.
ADJOURNMENT:Robert Nowall moved to adjournat 10:34 a.m. The motionpassed.
Secretary-Treasurer’s ReportJamie L. Robertson
Jamie RobertsonDistrict 8
Business AgentSWFAL APWU
SEPTEMBER 2016 THE EAGLE’S EYE 3
the Plant and the stations are thebackbone of this amazingly stronglocal union. I thank them for alltheir hard work and hope they con-tinue to fight the good fight in polic-ing our CBA.
I had often said that I would contin-ue as an Executive Board memberand steward for as long as I could.The only exceptions would be if itstarted to affect my health or myhome life. In the last year, andespecially in recent months, it hasdone both. I will be stepping awayfrom all union duties as of January1, 2017. I would like to once againthank all of you for this opportunity.
The Plant and some stations are inserious need of stewards andalternate stewards. It is time forsome of you to step it up andbecome part of the greatest groupof union representatives in thecountry. Remember yourExecutive Board is getting closerto retirement and in order to keepthis strong union together we willneed some of you youngeremployees who are just startingyour career to learn the contractand become a union representa-tive.
It is with agreat feelingof accom-p l i s h m e n tand a veryheavy heart Iwould like totell everyone,I will not berunning forSWFAL ClerkDirector orany otherposition in theupcoming December local elec-tions.
I would first like to thank the mem-bers for allowing me to be thereClerk Craft Director for the past 6years. Without your help we wouldnot have accomplished the greatthings we have achieved duringthis time. I would also like to thankthe greatest Executive Board anylocal could probably have. I amsure who ever steps up to take myplace will do an outstanding joband fit right in.
I am going to miss the comraderyand teamwork we have all had formy entire tenure as Clerk CraftDirector. The stewards we have at
Thank You SWFALMembership
And Executive Board
Paul McAvoyClerk Craft Director
SWFAL APWU
Postal man-agement atthe head-quarters levelhas initiatedan unrelent-ing attack onthe mainte-nance craftand mainte-n a n c ee m p l o y e e sneed to standup, bandtogether, and fight back againstthe continuing effort to dismantlethe craft by reducing or eliminatinghigher level positions and out-sourcing the work of theMaintenance Department.
Management is improperly detail-ing lower level employees to high-er level work despite grievancesettlements and arbitration awardsthat enforce the distinctions withinthe maintenance occupationalgroups. When managementdetails an employee to perform atask that is higher level, thatemployee is entitled to higher levelpay per the provisions of Article 25of the Collective BargainingAgreement. The higher lever crafthas also been harmed and is enti-tled to compensation.
Examples of higher level assign-
ments include MM-07s determin-ing if a part is bad, defective, orneeds adjustment; MPE-09s ana-lyzing reports, working on net-works, computers, software orstarting up or shutting down com-puters; BME-09s working on mailprocessing equipment, etc. Keepin mind that management may notdetail a maintenance craft employ-ee to a higher level in a differentoccupational group to avoid thepayment of overtime to an employ-ee within that same occupationalgroup. All questions about jobassignments within occupationalgroups should be addressed time-ly with a steward.
Maintenance craft employeeshave recently expressed concernsover management’s instruction toavoid bypassing routes at allcosts. Document all partially com-pleted routes on the daily assign-ment worksheet, and includethose tasks that are not a regularpart of the daily route (e.g., pro-longed repairs on mail processingor building equipment, dumping ofUBBM, flag setup/take-down, andhazardous materials response).The allotted time listed on theroutes is merely an estimate, anda well-documented worksheetleaves management no justifica-tion for issuing discipline.Furthermore, management may
not change the record to reflectthat incomplete routes were some-how magically completed. Work tothe best of your ability and do notsign off on tasks that you have notcompleted.
Rumors abound about PostalService attempts to gut custodialstaffing and eliminate buildingmaintenance positions.Custodians need to understandthe importance of the Line H set-tlement which mandates manage-ment to staff properly in accor-dance with the provisions of theMS-47 Handbook or pay violatedemployees at the overtime rate fornot meeting the work hours.Furthermore, TL-5 permits man-agement to make some changesto methods and equipment, butLine H prevents management fromdisciplining any employee for not
meeting the time standards.Recognize that our fight over LineH continues because manage-ment has chosen to incur no liabil-ity by misrepresenting the workhours rather than staffing ade-quately. Consequently, the numberof grievances over staffing andscheduling has not declined.
On the building maintenance side,the ill-conceived “run to failure”policy and the unilateral changesto the MS-1 Handbook are an all-out campaign to abolish the build-ing maintenance section altogeth-er. Our maintenance stewards andofficers are committed to protect-ing these jobs and anticipate tak-ing this challenge to arbitration.Rally around your stewards andofficers; support our efforts and donot allow management to divideus.
A Trying Time In Maintenance
Grace BaerT2 & T3 StewardFt. Myers P&DCSWFAL APWU
That time ofyear isaround thecorner whenwe will bemaking ourAnnual Leaveselections forChoice vaca-tion.
When makingselections forthe Clerks atthe Plant, Iwill go around to each section byseniority order. I will start with thesenior clerk and work my way allthe way through to the junior clerkfor the first round and repeat thesame order for the second round.
Please be thoughtful of your co-workers and have your selectionsready as we only have a minimalamount of time to fully complete1st and 2nd round selections. Ifyou plan on being out on any typeof leave please leave your selec-tions with the Union and a phonenumber you can be reached at.This will allow the calendar forChoice Vacation to move along
and keep you from gettingskipped.
We generally start at the end ofOctober or no later than November1st. I am writing this article so youcan start thinking about what youmay want and so you will be readyto go once selections start. Pleasehave a few selections readydepending on where you are inseniority as your first selectionmay not be available.
If you have any questions abouthow Choice Vacation or IncidentalLeave works, please don't hesitateto ask. Also, if you need help fillingout your slips please don't hesitateto ask. I will be more than willing tohelp you whether it is ChoiceVacation or Incidental Leave.
There is no excuse for an employ-ee to blame stewards or anyoneelse for that matter if "YOU" fill outyour slip wrong and don't get theleave you want. Again I am here tohelp in any way possible includingto help you fill out your slips forleave.
Yours in solidarity
Jamie RobertsonDistrict 8
Business AgentSecretary Treasurer
SWFAL APWU
Choice Vacation
4 THE EAGLE’S EYE SEPTEMBER 2016
When you orthe Unionfiles a con-tractual griev-ance, theUnion and notmanagementholds the bur-den of proof.
Your state-ment and thes t e w a r d ’ sstatement are important parts ofthe grievance. I am seeing a lot ofstatements that are hurriedly doneand which lack enough informationto explain to someone what viola-tion occurred.
Remember - where you may haveknown what occurred you shouldwrite your statement to explain thesituation to someone who has noidea of what occurred. If the griev-ance goes to Arbitration a clearand concise statement can help anArbitrator determine if a violationoccurred.
You should include the who, what,where, when and why concerningthe issue being addressed. Youshould also write down what reme-dy you are seeking at Step One.The Union may and can modify theremedy requested at Step Twosince it is now the Unions griev-ance and the determination toappeal, withdraw or settle thegrievance is now in the hands ofthe Union.
So please - next time you file agrievance or give a statement forone, take your time and write aclear and concise statement. Helpyourself and the Union to win thegrievance.
The following are highlights andchanges included in our new con-tract. All members will be mailed apaper copy by the National APWUwhen the agreement is finalizedand printed. The length of the newAgreement: May 21, 2015 –September 20, 2018 (40 months).
There will be across-the-board payincreases of 3.8% for careeremployees over the life of the
Agreement:
1.2% effective November 14, 2015(Retroactive pay for the periodfrom Nov. 14, 2015, through Aug.5, 2016, are expected in PayPeriod 22, with an expected paydate of Nov. 4, 2016.)
1.3% effective November 26, 2016
1.3% effective November 25, 2017
The COLA for career employees ismaintained under the current for-mula. Cost of living adjustmentswill be made in March andSeptember of each year of theContract.
PSEs (none of whom receiveCOLA) will receive wage increas-es as follows:
2.2% + $.09/hour effectiveNovember 14, 2015 (Retroactive)
2.3% effective November 26, 2016$.20/hour effective May 13, 2017
2.3% effective November 25, 2017$.21/hour effective May 26, 2018
The no lay-off protections of Article6, for employees with more thansix years of service, remain in fullforce. In addition, for the life of thecontract, lay-off protection isextended to all career employeeswho are on the rolls as of July 8,2016. This protection covers the32,000 postal workers recentlyconverted to career who have notyet achieved the six-year thresh-old of no lay-off protection.
There will be no new subcontract-ing of PVS driving work during thelife of the contract. For a minimumof the first year of the contract, thePostal Service will not expandcontract stations, village postoffices and approved shipper pro-grams. (The fight over Staples isnot affected by this moratorium.)There will be no further plant clos-ings and consolidations until atleast April 2017.
The Health Plans and benefits forcareer employees remain in fullforce and effect. Over the next
Daniel M. GrayVice PresidentSWFAL APWU
in the Maintenance and MotorVehicle crafts where Veterans willnow be hired directly into careerpositions.
PSEs will receive six paid holidays(currently zero). The holidays arethe six major holidays of NewYears Day, Memorial Day,Independence Day, Labor Day,Thanksgiving Day, and ChristmasDay. The number of hours paid willvary by size of office: 200 Manyear offices – 8 hours. POStPlanoffices – 4 hours. All other offices –6 Hours. PSEs who work on a hol-iday will have the same option ascareer employees to have theirannual leave balance credited inlieu of holiday leave pay.
During the life of the CBA, employ-ees cannot be forced to beexcessed beyond a 50-mileradius.
Eligible Career Employees:Allowances for uniform and workclothing programs will beincreased.
Effective May 21, 2016, increaseof 5%
Effective May 21, 2017, increaseof 2.5%
Effective May 21, 2018, increaseof 2.5%
Eligible PSE Employees: For thefirst time PSEs employed in retailwill receive an annual uniformallowance for three shirts, subjectto the normal eligibility require-ments.
Other Features: Incorporates suc-cessful MOU “Re: Filling ofResidual Vacancies” into theContract. It solidifies PSEConversion to Career opportuni-ties. New pecking order for full-time vacancies allows for a possi-ble PTF transfer and conversion ofPSEs within a 50-mile radius. Newpecking order for PTF vacanciesprovides for conversion of PSEswithin the installation, the transferof PTFs within 50 miles and con-version of PSEs within a 50-mileradius. PTFs can express a prefer-ence to work outside their installa-tion. eReassign Task Force estab-lished to explore improvements tothe posting and placementprocess. Employees can nowexercise retreat rights withoutregard to level.
One-time conversions of all ClerkCraft PSEs in 200 work year instal-lations with over 2.5 years of serv-ice as of July 8, 2016. The conver-sions will be completed as soon aspractical but no later than 60 daysfrom July 8, 2016. One year fromthe award the parties are orderedto discuss the possibility of
three years, the employees’ por-tion of the health premium willincrease 1% each year. The spe-cial formula for the USPS portionof the premium for the APWUConsumer Driven Health remainsunchanged at 95%.
The 75% contribution of the USPSto the premiums of the APWUConsumer Driven Health Plan,available after one year of service,remains in effect.
In addition, PSEs will now haveaccess to a USPS sponsoredhealth plan upon employment withthe USPS contributing$125.00/pay period.
The Maintenance Division willbecome an all career workforce.All Maintenance Craft PSEemployees will be converted “inplace” to career within 60 days ofthe Award (Now scheduled forSeptember 3). Thereafter, the PSEcategory of employee will be elim-inated in the Maintenance Craft.
MVS will become an all careerworkforce of all current employ-ees. All current Motor VehicleService Craft PSE employees willbe converted to career - either full-time or PTF within 60 days of theAward (Scheduled for September3). Thereafter the PSE category ofemployee will be eliminated in theMVS Craft. However, in the futurePSEs could be mutually agreed toas part of a package to bring backcurrently subcontracted MVSwork. NTFT Employee category iseliminated in the MVS Craft. PTFemployees are reintroduced intothe MVS craft, not to exceed 20%of the workforce.
Non-Traditional Full-Time (NTFT)duty assignments are eliminated inFunction 1 (mail processing) andwill be reposted as traditional full-time duty assignments.
The local parties may agree tocontinue current four day, ten-houra day duty assignments and thelocal parties may mutually agreeupon more such assignmentsunder the Modified Work WeekMemo.
Non-Traditional Full-Time employ-ees in Function 4 (Retail) arecapped at 8% (approximately thecurrent national complement ofPSEs) excluding NTFT assign-ments in POStPlan offices. Therules concerning construction ofschedules and postings in theNTFT memo remain. The restric-tion on assigning mandatory over-time to non-OTDL employees isnarrowed. It was installation-wideregardless of where a NTFTassignment existed. Now it is nar-rowed to the normal scheduling ofovertime within the office/facility.
Preference Eligible Veteran hiringwill be greatly enhanced with thecreation of the all-career workforce
Highlights Of The New APWU Contract
See: Highlights Of New APWUContractContinued on Page 6
SEPTEMBER 2016 THE EAGLE’S EYE 5
As we neart h eN o v e m b e relection forour nation'sn e x tPresident aswell asSenators andCongressionalRep resen t -atives, I wouldlike to drawattention tothe 2016 Democratic andRepublican Party platformsregarding the United States PostalService. The following positionsare taken verbatim exclusivelyfrom their representative websites.
The Republican Party position onthe future of the USPS is thus:
"Restructuring the U.S. PostalService for the Twenty-FirstCentury. The dire financial circum-stances of the Postal Servicerequire dramatic restructuring. Ina world of rapidly advancingtelecommunications, mail delivery
Mickey SzymonikMaintenance Craft
DirectorSWFAL APWU
Religious freedom, right-to-life,gun control, immigration, states'rights, Federal Government over-reach: the issues are myriad, com-plicated, and often messy.
It is up to each individual to deter-mine what issues are most impor-tant to him/her. I only want to pro-vide you with the informationneeded to determine which Party'splatform and which Party's candi-dates will act for you, and act inyour best interests regarding yourjob, your livelihood, and you andyour family's future. Be informed,do your homework, and for God’ssake vote!
Special thanks to my friend, JohnScinaldi, who brought theseDemocratic and Republican Partyplatforms regarding the USPS tomy attention. Although he is in theenviable position of being able toretire at any time, he continues tocare about the lives and liveli-hoods of all Postal Employees.
Solidarity, Prosperity, Peace
from the era of the Pony Expresscannot long survive. We call onCongress to restructure theService to ensure the continuanceof its essential function of deliver-ing mail while preparing for thedownsizing made inevitable by theadvance of internet communica-tion. In light of the Postal Service'sseriously underfunded pensionsystem, Congress should explorea greater role for private enterprisein appropriate aspects of the mail-processing system."
The Democratic Party platform onthe future of the USPS states:
"The United States Postal Serviceis a national treasure. This is whyDemocrats embrace a vibrant,public Postal Service that offersuniversal service, and reject anyeffort to privatize or marginalize it.We are committed to eliminatingthe unsustainable mandate to"pre-fund" retiree health costs.And we will work to restore serviceto appropriate levels includingovernight delivery of first-classmail and periodicals within the
same metropolitan area, maintain-ing six-day and door-to-door deliv-ery, and appointing members tothe Board of Governors and thePostal Regulatory Commissionwho champion a strong publicPostal Service. Democrats alsoadvocate for the expanding ofpostal services. This includesoffering basic financial servicessuch as paycheck cashing. It alsoincludes vote-by-mail to increasevoter participation and to helpaddress the scourge of voter sup-pression."
The difference in opinion betweenthe two Parties concerning theUSPS provides a stark contrast forthe future of all Postal workers.While the Democratic Party plat-form calls the USPS a "nationaltreasure", the Republican plan isto "explore a greater role for pri-vate enterprise." The Democratschampion a "strong public PostalService." The Republicans stress"downsizing."
We all want to vote our consciencein matters both public and private.
Union Matters
have caught up by about 40 serv-ices. So we are only about 100behind now. Management hasdecided to contract out services inan attempt to catch up faster (andmake himself look better I guess).But by doing this, he is denyingthis work to his employees.
I have been working with our NBA(National Business Agent) on filinggrievances for this. Our agent toldme he has had good success onthese grievances and is confidentwe will have a large pay out forthem. I have filed grievances to
have the employees eligible to bepaid dollar for dollar for every dol-lar spent on the contractors.
Also, if anyone knows any of thecarriers please tell them because,of the pressure to have a quickturn around on these, some shortcuts may have been taken bythese contractors. If they havequestions or any concerns abouttheir vehicles please don't hesitatein asking or writing them up.
Football season is upon us - goodluck to your teams. Go Steelers!
First and formost it wasreally good tosee so manyof you at theParty. It hadto have beenone of thebest reunionsI ever attend-ed.
To see somany old(and nowreally old) co-
workers and retirees again reallyfelt good. I think it did a lot tostrengthen some of those memo-ries and bonds that we haveshared. My job periodically takesme from station to station, withoutexception everyone that I havetalked with had a good time and allhave said that we should try to dosomething like this more often.Hopefully we will be able to figureout how to do that in the future.
Meanwhile in the VMF: The newmanager has been in charge foralmost a year now, and claims to
Joe FracekMotor VehicleCraft Director
Ft. MyersLead Steward
Page FieldSWFAL APWU
Victory Party A Great Success
Don't youalways find itamazing as tohow utterlystupid man-agement canbe when itcomes toworking themail andserving ourcustomers. Imean really,wouldn't it justmake sense if you were in need ofmaking a change or adjusting anoperation to maybe consult withsomeone who actually does thework first?
We have all seen it time and timeagain; management will come upwith some crazy sort plan or oper-ational change that does more
harm than good. You try and givesome input to help but it won’t mat-ter because your supervisors aregetting their orders from districtand they get theirs from higher up.Why won’t they just utilize theirmost valuable asset? You!
It’s questions like this that havealways bothered me over theyears since I first began my careerwith the Postal Service. It makesyou wonder. They can't actually betrying to make us fail! Could they?
Here's a little food for thought thatI came across in an article I recent-ly read. Managers are fond of themaxim: “Employees are our mostimportant asset.” Yet beneath therhetoric, too many executives stillregard - and manage - employeesas costs. That’s dangerousbecause, for many companies,
people are the only source of long-term competitive advantage.Companies that fail to invest inemployees jeopardize their ownsuccess and even survival.(Harvard Business Review)
Kind of hits home, doesn't it? Imean, over the years haven't weseen them push for a larger parttime work force? They barely trainthe new employees and given anychance will outsource our work topeople who aren't trained at all!
They aren't stupid! They knowexactly what they’re doing! Runthe Postal service as we know itinto the dirt and have the privatiza-tion they have always wanted! Astime goes by they get closer andcloser to their ultimate goal; anoth-er nail in the coffin of the middleclass worker.
But the bucks got to stop here! It’stime to get mad! "Real Mad"! Thisis your job; the one that feeds youand your family. This is your PostOffice; the same one that we alltook an oath to protect. We willalways fight to protect the mail andour jobs.
It's time to wake up and get busy.The only reason we are still here isbecause we fight. So when yousee a violation or if you're not surebut something just don't seemright, SEE YOUR STEWARD! Ifyou are a new employee, GETINVOLVED. And, if you're not amember, JOIN! The job you savewill be your own!
In Solidarity
P.S. DON'T SHOP AT STAPLES!
Things That Make You Go “Hummm . . .”
Danny CarinciT2 & T3 StewardFt. Myers P&DCSWFAL APWU
6 THE EAGLE’S EYE SEPTEMBER 2016
another one-time conversion.
All Maintenance Craft PSEs con-verted to career and the PSE cat-egory eliminated.
Significant improvements toexcessing provisions in Article38.3.K: Retained the 50-mile ruleon excessing. Maintenance JobsMOU eliminated except for provi-sions related to pending disputes
over “Unit Clarification”. There arenew provisions for ET-11 issuesincluding a nationwide PAR for ET-11s and negotiations for LMOUswith MTSC. It retained theSubcontracting Cleaning ServicesMOU with entire installation in the18K sq. ft. formula. It provides anew pecking order putting APWUbargaining unit employees aheadof non-APWU bargaining unitemployees for in-service registerselections.
No new subcontracting of PVS drivingwork during the life of the contract.
All MVS Craft PSEs converted to
scheduling. Numbered paragraphs1, 3, and 4 of the 2010 MotorVehicle Craft Jobs MOU terminate.Paragraph 2 remains and includesthe evaluation of 8,000 HCRroutes for possible return to PVS.
All the provisions of the existingunion contract which remainunchanged carry forward into thenew Union Contract. This includes:Grievance Procedure, Protectionagainst unjust discipline and termi-nation, Seniority and Bidding,Annual Leave, Holiday Pay, SickLeave, Strong Safety Provisionsand the Right to union representa-tion.
career and the PSE category elim-inated. Exceptions can be made infuture as part of package to returnsub-contracted work. Award pro-vides for the return of PTFs with a20% cap and a pay period guaran-tee of at least 24 hours pay. Bidsfor Examination Specialist (SP-2-188) and Vehicle Operations –Maintenance Assistant (SP-2-195)are open to all full-time regularMVS employees. It clarifies policyregarding Vehicle MaintenanceAgreements (VMAs) in offices withvehicle maintenances. All Full-Time Regular Motor Vehicle Craftemployees – not just operators –will use their seniority for vacation
Highlights Of NewAPWU ContractContinued from Page 4
TRUSTEE REPORT
July 22, 2016
This Special Audit by the Trustees of the Southwest Florida Area Local 1279 of the American Postal Workers Union was conducted July 22nd, 2016.This Audit was for the purpose of ensuring a smooth transition for the newly appointed Secretary Treasurer.
Present were Trustees Dave Grant, Grace Baer, and Daniel Carinci. Also present were our Secretary-Treasurer Jamie Robertson, who provided thefinancial records, documents and files necessary for the audit and office secretary Karen D’Angelo assisted us as needed.
The purpose of the audit is to verify that:
1.The financial statements are substantially and materially correct and verifiable.
2.The local received and deposited all dues check off (DCO) monies received from the APWU Headquarters.
3.All disbursements have been properly authorized as required by the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of1958, as amended (LMRDA).
4.The Local is in compliance with the reporting and disclosure obligations under the LMRDA and the Internal Revenue Code(IRC).
5.All expenditures are supported by adequate documentation and that said expenditures are for the benefit of the UnionMembers as a group and do not result in any personal gain or private benefit or recognition that would be detrimental orharmful to our Union.
We reviewed bank drafts and statements for the period of May 2016 through June 2016. We verified the copies of the quarterly and annual tax returns,payments for the Dues Check Off (DCO’s) from the National APWU, the Local’s fiduciary bond status, leases, mortgage records, source documents,bills, receipts, and COPA contribution logs.
We reviewed documents such as the Constitution and By-Laws, minutes of the General Membership meetings, Executive Board minutes, LaborOrganization Annual Reports, and LWOP Authorized Union Leave records, and previous Trustee reports for notations of any recommendations made.
In reviewing the Local Constitution, the most current is dated 2008 and is still valid. We recommend that the Constitution Committee meet to reviewany necessary changes to our constitution and by-laws.
The quarterly and annual tax reports and Labor Reports are current as well as the annual 990 report and the LM-3 Reports. Due to the complexity ofthe tax forms, a local CPA firm is preparing some of the reports.
All LWOP that is being reimbursed to members has been documented and logged on all reimbursement forms.
The trustees ask for the membership's consideration in making upgrades and needed improvements to the Union hall.
We wish to thank Jamie Robertson and Karen D’Angelo for their cooperation and assistance in locating records and providing us with the necessarymaterials to do our audit. We also wish to thank the membership and the Executive Board for their trust in allowing us to serve as your Trustees.
Respectfully,
SEPTEMBER 2016 THE EAGLE’S EYE 7
FREE RETIREMENT SEMINARUNDERSTANDING AND MAXIMIZING
YOUR POSTAL BENEFITSPRESENTER: BRAD PATE
TWO SEMINARS, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9, 11:00-2:00PM and 4:00-7:00PMHOSTED BY THE SOUTHWEST FLORIDA AREA LOCAL #1279
PRESENTER’S BIO: Brad Pate has given over 150+ seminars, hosted a Financial Planning Radio Show for 3 Yearsand worked with Postal employees for over 20 years.
ONLY CURRENT UNION MEMBERS and SPOUSES ARE INVITED TO ATTEND
THIS SEMINAR IS FOR ALL APWU MEMBERS, REGARDLESS OF CRAFT, NEW AND RETIRING MEMBERSCOME LEARN WHAT YOU COULD AND SHOULD BE DOING NOW TO PLAN FOR RETIREMENT
1. THRIFT SAVINGS PLAN (TSP):• How your TSP/TSP Roth works• Why people don’t make money in the stock market• Rule of 72 (how fast your money doubles)• 59½ non-hardship TSP rollover (IRA)
2. SPECIAL FERS SUPPLEMENTAL BENEFIT:• A monthly benefit for FERS employees, will show
how to calculate this monthly amount
3. POST RETIREMENT:• Your three TSP Payout Options:
1) Stay in the TSP2) Take Retirement Annuity (Met Life)3) Rollover to an IRA
4. SURVIVORS ANNUITY:• CSRS & FERS pension benefit, how to keep your
spouse covered on health insurance• How to grow this benefit
5. FEDERAL EMPLOYEES GROUPLIFE INSURANCE (FEGLI):• FEGLI is Term Life Insurance• Does not build any cash value or equity• How it works, Met Life is the Insurance owner, NOT
the Government; coverage can be dropped at any time• Premiums increase 2,000% or 20 times
as you get older• Coverage Decreases at Retirement• Spouses coverage drops to zero at retirement
IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND, BRING A COPY OF YOUR LAST PAYSTUB
LOCATION: HILTON GARDEN INN, 16410 CORPORATE COMMERCE WAY, FT. MYERS
(239) 210-7200 - HOTEL PHONE
(REFRESHMENTS WILL BE SERVED) - RSVP 813-968-1207
SEATS ARE FIRST COME FIRST SERVED
PLEASE RSVP FOR SEMINAR TIME AND NUMBER OF ATTENDEES
WHEN: 2 SEMINARS - SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9
TIMES: 11:00am – 2:00pm and 4:00pm – 7:00pm
8 THE EAGLE’S EYE SEPTEMBER 2016
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
Fax: 202-228-2183Capital Address:
716 Hart Senate OfficeBuilding
Washington, DC 20510-0905District Office:
Tallahassee, FLDistrict Phone: 850-942-8415
Senator Marco RubioPhone: 202-224-3041
Fax: 202-228-5171Capital Address:
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.
An Evening Celebrating Victory
