This is the twenty-fifth FYI to be released to the membership. As always, I hope this FYI will provide you with relevant information on the Local’s activities. If you have any questions, feel free to convey them to the Local at 455-6400.

First I would like to start by saying that we hope you had a Merry Christmas and wish you a Happy New Year. As always we the Local will strive to ensure that the New Year is better for its members than the last.

Last year we provided substantial training to various stewards around the state. These training programs included Initial level, advanced steward, casual usage, FMLA, Discipline and Discharge, jurisdictional (RI-399), arbitration training and Local Negotiation training. This year we hope to bring new stewards up to date on the various training we have available. We also will have a couple of representatives who will be attending a nationally sponsored OSHA training program in February in DC. It is hoped that from this training program we will be able to develop a training program for use here locally. Additionally we will be looking at revising our discipline-training program once we have fully reviewed the new discipline recourse manuals distributed by our National office.

The climate of the Postal Service continues to change daily and it assumed this year will follow suit. These changes, as frequent as they are, seem to make no real improvement in the work place. There are a couple of climate changes, which we all must all be aware of as they impact us directly.

First discipline continues to be issued at a rapid rate of speed, normally targeting those who miss work or make inappropriate comments, which are later construed to be threats. This aggressive mentality was limited to the larger buildings initially but is now trickling into the smaller offices as well.

Second management is beginning to hound employees for taking extended or unauthorized breaks. We realize many employees work through their scheduled breaks to see to it that the mail gets moved. Unfortunately these same employees are then harassed for taking unauthorized breaks after the normal break times. Remember your job is to move the mail but don’t let your dedication get you in trouble, make sure your supervisor knows before you work through a scheduled break or you may have to do without.

Cross crafting is another area, which seems to be changing (probably mostly due to not replacing Mail Handlers when they transfer or retire). Management tends to pay less attention to craft lines than ever before. If you, as members, do not help us track these violations of our craft line, management will continue with their practices. On a positive note, we have been successful in wining back considerable hours of violations through arbitration last year. It is important to note that these wins are attributed to the craft helping the Union track these violations.

Our National Convention - which is held once every four years - is scheduled for later this year. The primary agenda for the convention will be changes and revisions to our Local and National Constitutions. These constitutions govern the Union and it methodology and means of doing business. Our Local Union Council voted last year to send a total of 6 delegates to the convention. Five of the six delegates who will represent your Local will be elected in the early part this year. This election process is already under way and the Judges, Richard Paylor, Tom Rothe & Chris Gallegos, are in the process of developing the notices designating the date and time for nominations for the delegates. The sixth delegate will be the Local President as determined during the last Local election process.

These delegates will each have approximately 7 votes each which they will be able to cast in favor of or against various changes. Additionally at the convention our delegates will have the right to vote on who will appear on the ballot for the next National Election (basically a primary voting process).

We have agreed once again to fund the scholarship program for this year. This money will be distributed in five - $500.00 (total of $2,500.00) certificates to those applicants who are selected in a random drawing. Applications and rules can be obtained through your Union steward or directly from the Local Union Hall.

Last year we had the parking lot at the Union Hall resurfaced and re-lined. This year we hope to replace the carpet within the hall, which has become worn out.

The branch-meeting schedule for this year has been disseminated and should be posted within your facility. The schedule is very similar to last years schedule with the meetings being held on a quarterly basis. Last year, at the request of some of our members on Tour 3 at the GMF we added a morning meeting to each of the meeting dates for the GMF/BMC. This was for members who could not normally attend a 16:00 meeting. Unfortunately we only had members show up to the first of these meetings and for the remainder no one showed for. Thus we will return to the standard 16:00 meeting time for the GMF/BMC. Anyone who has suggestions on how to improve attendance at these meeting feels free to pass your items along to the Union for consideration. Members are reminded that it is important that you attend these meetings as a host of information is disseminated and a lot of ideas are exchanged. This is your opportunity to have your concerns heard.

As some of you who have been around within our Local for more than 6 years know, our Local used to have two full-time officers. At that time our Local had less than 875 members and there were serious concerns about the necessity for the position. Since that time I have served as our only full-time office and our Local has grow to over 1150 members.

With the elimination of our back tax liability this year, strong consideration is being given to recreate a second full-time position. During March and April of last year each of the members of the Executive Board worked at the hall for a 2-week period (each) for a total of 8 weeks. During that time an evaluation of the necessity for the position was made.

Along with a substantial increase in membership our Local has taken on considerably more work including acquiring the right to meet on our own step 3’s, handling of arbitration without hiring a lawyer, and developing and giving Local training programs, to mention a few.

My time has become clogged with work, which keeps me at the hall and not on the floor as much as I feel is needed (I am always told I need to spend more time on the workroom floors). The evaluation process was very productive and did show many benefits, which could be had with an additional full-time officer. It was originally intended to make an appointment to this position immediately following our Local elections.

Unfortunately with a review of our finances at that time it was obviously not a good business decision and the appointment was delay. Currently it appears that we will make such appointment in February of this year and will continue as long as it is beneficial and financially feasible to our Local.

Even though it seems like we just finished up with National Negotiations regarding the contract, our National is once again preparing for negotiations. National negotiations should begin initially in August so there is a lot to be done between now and then. It is presumed that National will begin to solicit proposals from the membership shortly. Following those submission National will assemble the National Field Negotiating Committee in April to review proposals.

However fortunate it may or may not be to me, National has once again asked me to set as part of the Field Negotiating Committee to which I have agreed. Once the Field Negotiation Committee sorts through all of the proposals (2500 last contract) their recommendations are moved on to the actual National Negotiation Committee (National Executive Board and legal council). From that point they review the Field Committees recommendations and refines them into some presentable packet. This packet is then presented to the Postal Service when they present their proposals to us. This is where the fight begins and only time will tell the outcome of that fight.

 

David E Ross

President Local 321

NPMHU