The Officers of the Boston Metro Area Local APWU wish you and

Vol 38, No. 3
October-December, 2014
Scott Hoffman
General President
Bob Dempsey
Vice President/Treasurer
Bob Keough
Director, Industrial Relations
Raymond Bell
Matt Dodd
Bob Farrell
Assistant Treasurer
Barry Holland
Recording Secretary
Dale Denham
Vice President, North
Vice President, South
Vice President, Central
John Uccello
Steve Barrows
John Milso
Vice President, West
Vice President, 017
Bruce Pearson
Vice President, 020
John Tobin
Director, Organization, Legislation & Education
Sergeant-at-Arms
CLERK CRAFT
MAINTENANCE CRAFT
Linda Cheevers
Clerk Craft President
William Thomas
Trustee
Paul Holland
Trustee
Mary Flanagan
Trustee
Wayne Greenside
Maintenance Craft President
Joseph Joyce
Trustee
MOTOR VEHICLE CRAFT
William Weaver
MVS Craft President
Ned Hogan
Trustee
The Officers of the
Boston Metro
Area Local APWU
wish you and yours a Joyous and Peaceful Holiday Season
Page 2
The Bostonian
October-December, 2014
by Bob Dempsey, Vice President/Treasurer . . .
Wishing Everyone The
Best This Holiday Season!
We enter this holiday mailing season
in better shape than last year’s with all
that delayed mail in the primary unit
GENERAL OFFICERS
General President ..................Scott Hoffman
V.P./Treasurer......................... Bob Dempsey
Dir. Ind. Relations......................Bob Keough
Assist. Treasurer...........................Matt Dodd
Recording Secretary....................Bob Farrell
Vice President, North..............Raymond Bell
Vice President, South.............. Barry Holland
Vice President, Central............. Dale Denham
Vice President, West..................John Uccello
017 Vice President..................Steve Barrows
020 Vice President....................... John Milso
Dir. Org. Leg. & Educ.............. Bruce Pearson
Sgt.-at-Arms................................ John Tobin
CLERK CRAFT OFFICERS
Pres. Clerk Craft.................... Linda Cheevers
Trustee Clerk.............................Paul Holland
Trustee Clerk.......................William Thomas
Trustee Clerk......................... Mary Flanagan
MAINTENANCE CRAFT OFFICERS
President, Maintenance..... Wayne Greenside
Trustee, Maintenance................Joseph Joyce
MOTOR VEHICLE CRAFT
OFFICERS
President, MVS.....................William Weaver
Trustee, MVS...............................Ned Hogan
BOSTONIAN STAFF
SCOTT HOFFMAN
Editor
that took a lot of effort and overtime to
clean up. As of today, management is
making plans that the delivery standards
are going to be revised next year as they
plan more plant consolidations. Hopefully, our calls for a moratorium will
be heard before this self destruction is
enacted by the Postal Service.
Along the lines of self destruction,
I’d like to share with you some observations from the recent election. On November 5th, the Boston
GMF had a Health Fair
in the cafeteria which
was the day after the
elections. There were
people heckling President Obama as he spoke
to reporters on the news,
shouting things at the TV like: “we got
you now — we have control of the Senate”. I cannot help myself but feel that
I need to remind everybody that a Republican controlled Senate and House
is NOT good for the Postal Service and
the federal workforce!
I wish I could say that the new PMG
(Megan Brennan) will be the answer
to our problems. We are under attack
in retail with Staples, and our Staples
Committee (Billy Thomas, Matt Dodd,
Erik Bridgeman and Bob Falzone) have
done an excellent job organizing weekly
protests and recruiting some retirees
to join the fight. One retiree Bob Harrison (Harry) has been at every protest
while refusing the national stipend he
was offered. Our local thanked Harry
for his commitment to the fight at our
November meeting/seminar and hope
he keeps up the good fight on this self
destruction by the Postal Service.
I’d like to share with you one of
my concerns with Staples’ employees
staffing these counters and handling
the mail. As postal employees, we have
taken an oath to protect the sanctity of
the mail under the mail fraud statute.
If a postal employee steals from the
mail, it’s a FEDERAL offense, and if
a Staples employee steals from their
postal counter, it’s only a misdemeanor.
Now the situation in retail has gone
from bad to worse because there’s a new
deal with “Goin’ Postal”. This Contract
Postal Unit (CPU) franchise, Goin’
Postal, just entered into an agreement
to open Postal Kiosks in up to 2000
Wal Mart’s! I believe this alternative
access push for “so-called customer
convenience” is her (new PMG Megan
Brennan’s) doing, so I don’t expect any
help or reconsideration from her with
this issue.
I remember being at the
2008 National Convention in Las Vegas when
we had a protest at the
Goin’ Postal CPU in Las
Vegas. Everybody took
offense to the name and
now it looks like it plans on taking this
franchise nationwide. I hope you find
the name, “Goin’ Postal”, as offensive
as I do.
I’d like to ask everybody since we’re
coming into the New Year to make a
New Year’s resolution, that you’ll take
more of an interest in protecting your
careers. These protests would be so
much more effective if we had better
participation and we could use your
help. Please remember before you ask
what the union is doing about this Staples rollout, that You are the Union! A
union’s strength comes from its ability
to mobilize the membership for a cause
or concern.
It looks like we have another year
of battles for our survival in front of us
and we hope you’ll join the fight when
asked. Merry Christmas and Happy &
Healthy New Year!!!
“As postal employees, we have taken
an oath to protect the sanctity of the
mail under the mail fraud statute.”
Imagine the temptation these Staples
employees might have if someone buys
a Christmas present like an iPhone or
iPad and then is asked to help the customer mail it. The Christmas present
might never make it into the mail stream
and probably end up in the Staples employee’s backpack. I hope I’m wrong
but I believe the temptation is going to
be too much for these low wage Staples
employees to resist.
I foresee problems in the future for
our window clerks when a customer
comes in complaining that their package was never delivered. To add insult
to injury, how do you think the customer is going to react when they try
to submit an insurance claim and the
window clerk tries to explain that the
package never entered the mail stream
and there’s no record of it — so much
for the insurance!
Website: bostonmetroapwu.com
AFFILIATIONS:
Mass State Labor Council, AFL-CIO
Greater Boston Labor Council
AFL-CIO
American Postal Workers Union,
AFL-CIO
American Postal Workers Union of
Mass., AFL-CIO
Postal Press Association
Norfolk County
Central Labor Council
(Published Quarterly)
Welcome New Members
Donald L. Bogues
Peter J. Cook
Dean W. Wagner
Wilson Gomera
Qiana N. Johnson
Nalini S. Bonnie
Blakely M. Carlton
Richard Carrington
Deidre F. Cine
Andrea L. Fisher
Crystal N. Harris
Lorraine T. McAuliffe
Antoinette C. McFadden-Hill
Bianca M. Mendes
Shiree L. Perryman
Sanayra Pimentel
Marlo R. Pohl
Nipha Regens
Christine L. Thomas
La’Chija Jones
Mark E. Foulds
Daniel F. Reen
Jean E. Brutus
Zak Chai
Rochelle C. Codrington
Shirley Ann Copeland
Marcus D. Ervin
Telisha K. Gilliard
Marsha J. Joseph
Dennis Liu
Lizbell Matta
Eric S. Myers
Salvador Perez-Reyes
Lecora N’Shon Perkins
Monica B. Ramsey
Angel S. Rivera
Matthew L. Viola
Candice Berkeley
Leonard DiGregorio
John Nargi
Sujatha E. Joseph
Deborah A. Sensale
Charity Thompson
Lashonda Cook
Tiffany Williams
Steven P. Galvin
Babatunde A. Adeyemi
Benedicte Anyanwu
George G. Berberian
Rudra Nath Dhakal
Wayne M. Galvin
Linda Malmberg
Lisa N. Pritchard
Michael R. Ryan
Michael C. Stone
Marvin E. Watkins
Jillian N. Yebba
October-December, 2014
The Bostonian
Page 3
by Robert Keough, Director Industrial Relations . . .
Grievances Are Increasing
The number of grievances filed by
Boston Metro in 2014 has far exceeded the number of grievances filed in
2013. Grievance activity in all three
crafts, MVS, Maintenance, and the
Clerk Craft, has increased. Stewards
are working harder than ever enforcing the contract. Many of these grievances have resulted in large monetary
awards to members. Over the past
months, literally hundreds of thousands of dollars have been awarded
to members. These successes are not
limited to any one craft.
The increase in grievances is due
solely to the efforts of our stewards.
Contract enforcement is one of the
primary duties of a steward. Holding management accountable benefits
us all. More overtime, desirable jobs
posted, more positions to bid to, more
money in our checks, are a few of the
things that result when management
honors its contractual obligations.
They signed the contract and now
must honor it. We do ourselves a disservice when we allow management
to violate our rights. It’s important to
file a grievance when you see one.
An aggressive effort by the officers of
this local to apply pressure on management at all levels has been successful.
Our grievances are being heard in a
timelier manner; grievances are better
documented and well written, which
has led to success in the grievance
process. Cases waiting to be heard at
arbitration have decreased. Our success rate in arbitration has also risen.
No matter the challenges facing this
union, enforcement of the contract remains the primary focus of the office
of DIR and will continue to be so.
With the conversion of PSEs to
career, new employees are stepping
up, showing up to meetings and becoming stewards. I am happy to see
people who are just beginning their
career actively getting involved.
The “STOP STAPLES” Committee
has been organizing protests in and
around Boston. Stand up and fight for
your job. Attend a protest. Show your
support. The Postal Service has made
a deal with Staples to provide all mail
services at Staples stores. This deal
has the potential to devastate Postal
jobs — including your job. This isn’t
an issue to leave to the union to fight.
The Postal Service is working hard to
eliminate your job. That’s the truth.
Fight Back! Go to a protest. Let them
know we will fight to protect our
livelihood. This issue is unlike any
we have faced before. Times have
changed; we cannot sit by and hope
for the best. If we don’t fight back —
we are doomed.
In closing, I want to say thanks to
all our hard working stewards and
craft officers for the good work each
of you do. Thank you to our secretaries
who keep this office running smoothly
and help make Boston Metro the finest local in the county. Finally, being
a steward is not an easy task, quite often it’s thankless. Please take the time
to appreciate and thank yours. Happy
Holidays to you and your families.
Around The Local . . .
Sometimes Karma works out right.
Every year the local gives out the
Scott Miller Rescuers’ Award. This
Award comes with a certificate and a
$1,000 cash payment. The basic criteria is for lifesaving acts such as CPR,
Heimlich maneuvers, saving a drowning victim, rushing into a fire to alert
occupants, etc. This year there were
no submissions that fit the bill. However, the Award contains additional
provisions which allow the stipend to
go to organizations such as the Red
Cross whose mission is life saving
work.
The only submission the local received this year was one from the
Norwell Post Office. It was submitted
by Lissa Kitchens and steward Donna
Greenwood. It detailed how Boston
Metro member Bonnie Meaney has
done life-saving, charitable work in
Third World countries, such as fighting starvation, providing medicine,
education, disaster relief, etc. The
Executive Board agreed that this submission did fit and was certainly worthy of the additional provision of the
Award, allowing for the charitable donation.
Unfortunately, the language in the
criteria did not allow for the donation to go directly to Bonnie’s church,
which had sponsored the charity missions. The language directed us to give
the $1,000 donation to the Red Cross
in Bonnie Meaney and Scott Miller’s
names. Bonnie was disappointed, yet
understanding. When we recognized
Bonnie at the November membership
meeting/seminar, we also learned that
Bonnie and her church are also doing
the same type of work here at home,
namely the destitute areas in Appalachia. After all, charity truly starts at
home.
Those present also learned that this
was a team effort from our brothers
and sisters at the Norwell Post Office. Since Bonnie is the junior clerk,
it took self-sacrifice from the senior
members in that they deferred annual
leave submissions sometimes during
coveted time frames to allow Bonnie to go off and perform her work.
I cannot say how proud this local is
of Bonnie and her missions. This local is thankful to Lissa and Donna for
bringing this to our attention, and the
Norwell Post Office as a whole needs
to be commended and recognized as
an APWU family whose actions demonstrate what a union is all about.
Now I’ll get to the Karma. At this
same meeting, we had the COPA
(Committee on Political Action)
drawing for the raffle tickets sold.
First prize is an entire book of $10.00
Massachusetts State Lottery tickets,
or the $1,000 cash equivalent. Bonnie had since left when her name was
drawn. I never saw an audience more
content to hear they did not win. We
all knew this was what should be. I
think Bonnie’s church may be a little
better funded now. Congratulations to
all, as this ending could not have been
scripted better in Hollywood.
NO INCREASE IN BOSTON
METRO ALTUS DENTAL PLAN
I’m happy to announce that there will be NO INCREASE again for 2015 in
our Altus Dental premiums. Thanks to our broker, we were able to convince
Altus not to increase the premiums by the small amount they intended to do
since we already had entered the “Open Season” period.
We have been lucky enough to hold our rates again at the 2013 level for
our members, which is something rare these days when it comes to healthcare
costs — every little bit helps!
2015 ALTUS DENTAL RATES
Member ............................................... $20.11 Bi-weekly
Member & 1 ........................................ $42.56 Bi-weekly
Member & Child(ren) ......................... $42.56 Bi-weekly
Family ................................................. $64.93 Bi-weekly
INCREASE IN PREMIUMS FOR THE
UNIVERSAL DENTAL PLAN FOR 2015
In addition to the Altus Dental Plan, Boston Metro Local members may
participate in an Alternative / Discounted Dental Plan through our broker.
The Universal Dental Plan is a membership-based discounted dental program
offered to all members at reduced rates.
When you become a member of UDP, you’ll first select a dentist from the
Universal Dental Directory and will be charged according to the Universal
Dental Plan Fee Schedule every time you visit the dentist. There is a slight
increase in the rates for 2015.
PLAN OPTIONS
2014 Monthly Rates 2015 Monthly Rates
Family (Unlimited members).................$11.68........................... $13.13
Couple (Liberal definition).....................$ 9.00........................... $10.13
Individual...............................................$ 6.36........................... $ 7.16
Log on to: www.universaldentalplan.com — and go to “Sign Up” and
use Coupon Code: APWUBOSTON — to get these UNION RATES, or call
the union office (617-423-2798) for an enrollment form.
Page 4
The Bostonian
October-December, 2014
by Bill Weaver, MVS Craft President . . .
Cambridge Health Alliance
In my last two Bostonian articles, I
reported on the USPS contract medical
facility, “Cambridge Health Alliance”.
Our members have been experiencing
a plethora of issues associated with
D.O.T. medical certificates, specifically Obstructive Sleep Apnea (or OSA).
In the last report, I stated that Dr.
Nick Tsiongas, the Northeast Area
Medical Doctor for the United States
Postal Service, was setting up a meeting with Cambridge Health Alliance
and the APWU. The meeting was held
on August 7, 2014. In attendance were
Dr. Tsiongas, Steve Kennedy, Manager
of Transportation & Networks, Scott
Hoffman, our Local General President,
Dennis O’Connor, Tour-3 VMF Steward, and myself.
Cambridge Health had the Medical
Director, Dr. Kales, the office manager,
and other medical and administrative
staff. Dr. Tsiongas started the meeting
by explaining the union’s concerns.
One concern we had was the Sleep Sur-
vey some of our members were asked
to participate in. If you took the Sleep
Survey, you were offered a fifty-dollar
($50.00) gift card for Lowes, Home
Depot, or a gas card.
Of those who participated, most did
it on the clock, after their D.O.T. exam
(without the knowledge or permission
of the Postal Service). Our members
did not know this. They were sent
there by the Postal Service for their
D.O.T. exam and they thought it was all
sanctioned by the Postal Service. The
person who asked the employee to participate in the Sleep Survey identified
herself as a person working for Harvard
Medical School. Some employees were
HIPAA. We responded by stating just
because your own ethics people say
it is not a violation does not mean it
is not! They have a vested interest in
the Sleep Study. I asked if they had a
grant to study sleeping disorders. At
first, they hesitated to answer. Then
they fumbled and said they did, but the
only seed money they receive was for
the gift cards. (I don’t believe them.)
We asserted that some employees’
height and weight were off. In some
cases, the height was off by two inches
(2”) or more, and the weight by 10, 20
lbs or more. These discrepancies in
some cases have made the person fit
into the criteria for a sleep study. Some
“If you take shortcuts and something goes wrong, it could cost you
your job. It’s not just your job.”
even called at home or on their private
cell phone.
I asserted that this was a violation
of the HIPAA Law (“Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act”).
Cambridge Health responded that they
checked with their ethics department,
and they said it is not a violation of
RETIREMENT TIDBITS
Flexible Spending After Retirement
Q. What becomes of an active FSA option once an employee retires? Does
the amount collected prior to retirement apply towards medical expenses or is
the bi-weekly option continued to be collected from retirement annuity?
A. Your deduction for FSA stops once you retire from service. Any expenses incurred prior to the date of retirement will be paid, even if your expenses
are more than the deductions that were paid up until the date of retirement If
you were paid for expenses that were more than the amount of deductions paid
from your paycheck, you would have to claim that money on the following
year’ taxes in some manner. You would need to contact your tax man regarding this money. Here are a couple of questions that come from the OPM website regarding summary of FSA benefits. The web address for the summary of
benefits is pretty informative.
Q. If I separate or retire from service, can I receive the remaining balance
in my HCFSA or LEX HCFSA?
A. No. You can only be reimbursed for the expenses incurred prior to the
date of separation/retirement even if you have accelerated your allotments.
You are not eligible for reimbursement even if there is still money in your
HCFSA or LEX HCFSA to pay these expenses.
Q. Can annuitants participate in this program?
A. No. By law, annuitants (other than re-employed annuitants whose employment status is full-time) cannot participants in FSAs. FSAs are a way of
setting aside pre-tax salary for payment of eligible expenses. Annuitants receive annuities, which are not salary. Re-employed annuitants must be eligible
for active FEHB coverage. Reference: https://www.fsafeds.com/fsafeds.com/fsafed.SummaryOfBenefits, http://www.opm.gov/insu
Thanks to the California Newscaster for this retirement information.
employees asked to have their height
and weight taken again only to be told
No, it is what it is.
Cambridge Health responded that if
a person requests to have it rechecked,
that it should be, and in the future it
will be if requested. President Scott
Hoffman lambasted them on these
issues and talked about the financial
hardship to our members associated
with being sent for a sleep study as
some co-pays have been as high as five
and six hundred dollars. I believe most
of the answers we got from Cambridge
Health are b.s.
The practice of calling people at
home or on their private cell phone,
or being asked to take a sleep survey
has been stopped, but our members
are still having issues with Cambridge
Health Alliance. I have been in contact
with Dr. Tsiongas about issues with
Cambridge Health as they arise. Dr.
Tsiongas has been attentive to our
concerns, but the fight continues.
I was told by Dr. Tsiongas that
Cambridge Health Alliance had lost
their contract, that Concentra medical
facilities was given a national contract.
So that being the case, I thought that
“great, we would now be going to
Concentra in Wilmington, MA, for our
D.O.T. physicals”. But the Postal Service was still sending us to Cambridge
Health Alliance in Somerville, MA. So
I questioned Mr. Kennedy about this,
and he said that his office was to schedule the D.O.T. physical appointments,
but Boston has a new Occupational
Health Nurse and she now makes the
D.O.T. physical appointments.
I called Betty Pobieglo, the Northeast Occupational Health Nurse, to ask
her about this, and she explained that,
Yes, Concentra had indeed been given
a national contract but if there is not a
Concentra medical facility in the area,
and the Postal Service had been doing
business with another medical facility
closer, and the Postal Service had done
a certain dollar value in business (I
don’t know the amount) with the closer
medical facility, then the Service could
enter into a one year contract with that
medical facility.
Apparently Cambridge Health Alliance met that criteria so it looks like we
will be going there for the next year.
CLASS ACTION GRIEVANCE
I have filed a class action grievance
on behalf of all Motor Vehicle craft
employees under the jurisdiction of
Boston Metro Area Local 100, who are
required to have a Commercial Drivers
License (CDL) and are required to have
a D.O.T. medical card by the Postal
Service. The grievance is to have the
Postal Service pay for all additional
medical testing required by the Postal
Service to determine an employee’s
medical suitability in connection with
a D.O.T. physical.
This grievance is based on a letter
dated March 21, 2003, to then APWU
National Director, Motor Vehicle Division, Robert Pritchard, from Doug Tulino, Manager, Labor Relations Policies
and Programs, which states in part the
above language. It is my position (the
union) that when the Postal Service’s
contract medical facility (i.e. Cambridge
Health Alliance) requires a postal employee to have a sleep study as a result
of a D.O.T. medical exam, the Postal
Service is responsible for all costs.
I am asking all employees who were
required to take any additional medical test by any Postal Service contract
medical facility in connection with the
required D.O.T. physical to give the
union a copy of all bills paid in connection with the required medical test for
the case file. This will be an ongoing
grievance.
DOCK S.O.P.
I am asking all drivers to adhere to
the dock S.O.P. If you take shortcuts
and something goes wrong, it could
cost you your job. It’s not just your
job. By not waiting for an expeditor to
come to your bay to open the bay door
and start the process of unloading and
loading, you are putting our brother
and sister clerk Expeditor’s job at risk
also. Management is under-staffing
the docks with Expeditors and if we
continue to take shortcuts just to get
the job done, we all lose. Please protect
our APWU jobs.
I would like to wish everyone a
Happy and Safe Holiday Season!
October-December, 2014
The Bostonian
Page 5
by Wayne Greenside, Maintenance Craft President . . .
Shifting Gears Again
Here we are once again with the
Christmas and New Year’s holidays
fast approaching and we’ve received
our first Christmas gift in the form
of Postmaster General Donohoe announcing his retirement at the beginning of February 2015. Unfortunately
it was not soon enough. Prior to his
departure, Donohoe also announced
that he is going forward with reducing the mail delivery standards on
Jan 5, 2015 so as to pave the way for
more plant consolidations and closures. I’m not that confident that his
replacement, Megan Brennan, will
be, or do, anything different. It was
hoped that Congress would step in
and issue a moratorium, but after the
election results in November for the
House & Senate the future now looks
a little bleak on getting them to help
us Postal Workers.
For our local the changes in the
delivery standard will cause management to make major changes in the
mail processing operations in the two
plants. More mail will end up being
processed on tour-2 and less on tour1. Preventive maintenance windows
for the processing equipment will
then be shifted to when the machines
are not being used. Worst of all will be
that a lesser number of machines will
be used over all; but then again, those
that they do use will be used for longer periods in the day. The probability exists that some Mail Processing
Equipment maintenance section duty
assignments may well end up getting
reverted from tour-2 and reposted on
tour-3 or possibly tour-1. From our
initial discussions with management
it is not expected at this time that,
beyond the MPE sections, any of the
other maintenance craft sections duty
assignments will be affected by these
changes but management is still in
the midst of developing their operating plans so it’s possible that other
impacts could possibly be on the horizon. As soon as management gives
us some hard numbers we will get the
word out to the impacted sections as
to what to expect regarding any reversions and repostings.
In the Northwest corner of our local the Waltham plant is still “officially” slated for closure in mid 2015.
Management is busy making plans to
move the 2 FSS machines out which
ultimately signal the ensuing closure
of the facility. The timeline for this
is still a paper schedule at this point
and subject to change. Once the date
of closure becomes an actual reality
then we must make sure that they follow the contract in whatever it is they
end up doing.
We’ve all been aware of the plans
that the Postmaster General wants
to implement concerning the delivery standards. We’ve seen the bulletins, heard the stand-up talks, and
some have watched the PMG’s videos. Locally, management has been
told to continue implementing their
ment. If more plants consolidate it
might mean more people in the building to process mail for longer periods.
This could cause interference for the
people sorting the mail when BEMs
and MMs have to repair building
equipment and the Laborer-Custodians needing to have areas cleared so
they can properly clean. In the Boston
P&DC, the Laborer-Custodians have
already been getting a taste of what
is to come. With the added letter mail
volume that has come in from Middlesex-Essex there is mail equipment
everywhere. Post-Cons, BMC’s, pal-
plant consolidation plans throughout
the country as if the reduction in the
delivery standards will take place in
January 2015. As everyone has seen
over the last couple of years, postal
management had been, throughout
the country, consolidating processing plants and closing Post Offices
that they think they can get away with
without changes to the delivery standards. But now they expect to move
to the next phase of their plans for
more consolidations and closures.
The next phase requires the overnight and two day delivery standards
to be relaxed so that the remaining
processing plants will have the “additional time” to move the mail. However, from my perspective this could
only help in the beginning. Because
of the pace that mail will enter the
remaining processing plants on a daily basis that extra day will have get
eaten up and then the mail will again
be back up against a daily deadline.
This will force them to run the machines for longer periods each day to
keep up. In some cases we may end
up seeing the machines running upwards of 18-20 hours per day. That
doesn’t leave much of a maintenance
window for MPE section members
to get in there and service the equip-
lets, trays and tubs, you name it. It is
hugely difficult now just for the custodians to properly clean the floor let
alone dust off the horizontal services
or even to get to the periodic work
like high dusting and floor resurfacing.
This brings us to the next bit news.
In the last quarter Bostonian I reported to the craft that management
had created a new MS-47 cleaning
service manual, version TL-5. It was
surmised at that time that the new
manual would not be implemented
at the Boston P&DC for upwards of
12-24 months. However, this timeline
has since been accelerated by management and as of Dec 1st they have
brought in a USPS headquarters team
in to begin the “workloading” assessment process by measuring the spaces
in the facility and formulating new
custodial routes.
Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) the APWU is allowed to participate in the process
in an effort to try and make sure that
everything is done correctly. So far,
the tour-2 stewards at the GMF have
each participated as a team member
in measuring the various spaces in
the building. Following that will be
the training of all custodial employ-
ees in new methods and usage of new
equipment and chemicals. This whole
implementation process can take up to
12 weeks to complete.
The new MS-47 manual changes
incorporate new cleaning methods
that the Postal Service learned from a
consulting firm called “ManageMen”.
The new methods are derived from
the ISSA 504 standards which are being used in various industrial environments as well as hospitals and the
like. With the USPS, the new methods
were implemented at a few pilot sites;
Salt Lake City UT, Providence RI
and two sites in Ohio. Management
was satisfied with the results and then
later gave official Article 19 notification to the APWU national officers of
the changes to the manual. As an example, one of these new methods is
the incorporation of a “team” cleaning concept involving the utilization
of backpack style vacuums to remove
dirt from the floors of the facilities
rather than just sweeping and using
dustpans. That “team” concept attempts to coordinate a custodian who
moves ahead of the person with the
vacuum and picks up large debris that
the vacuum cannot pickup.
Another new method is the usage
of special equipment (micro-fiber
cloths, etc.) for the cleaning of bathrooms with a set for break rooms and
another for offices. One of the less
intrusive changes was the standardization by management of buying the
same custodial supplies and equipment from the same vendors nationwide and limiting the number of different types used. Currently this is
not the case and many sites are using
different cleaning chemicals and various different pieces of equipment. It
remains to be seen whether the new
system will be better or not. This will
be one of those things where experience will be our teacher.
In closing, I’m sure every has their
minds on the holidays right now so
I’d like to wish everyone a happy and
healthy holiday season. Spend time
with your families and friends and
enjoy yourselves. Time is a precious
commodity which we are all given
only a certain amount and no more.
Many of you may have lost a spouse,
parent, sibling or even a child. This
time of year can be especially difficult
because that person is no longer here
and is sorely missed.
Just remember that the New Year
is coming and to look toward the future and let’s try and make it better.
So once again I say Merry Christmas
& Happy Holidays to all and extend a
wish of a Happy New Year for everyone.
Page 6
The Bostonian
October-December, 2014
by Linda Cheevers, Clerk Craft President . . .
Filling Residual Vacancies
So much has happened since I became the Clerk
Craft President almost six months ago. There have
been three PSE conversions to career, converting
over 100 PSEs to career status. The MOU for “Filling
Residual Vacancies”, effective March 20, 2014, has
been extended indefinitely. Some of these residual
jobs have been vacant for years, leaving many offices
understaffed; though as we all know, there are still
staffing issues.
There have been a few Function 4 audits in the last
six months, and others that were slated to take place
were cancelled. This is not to say they won’t take
place at some point.
We are still finding PSEs with incorrect seniority
dates. To all PSEs, please verify your seniority date
to make sure it is correct. This is extremely important
when the time comes for another career conversion.
It’s a good idea to keep all of your documentation
you receive from the Postal Service in a safe place for
your records. Unfortunately, when some PSEs were
on their 5-day break, they returned to work with a
new seniority date. If this happens to you, please be
aware that this is an error and you need to notify your
steward or call the union hall as soon as possible.
When the Postal Service does convert PSEs to career status, they do so by seniority. Management will
send out a “Dream Sheet” to the senior PSEs that will
be converted to career. When you receive a “Dream
Sheet”, it is important to make as many choices as possible because if you don’t receive one of your choices,
management will make the choice for you and will slot
you into a vacant duty assignment that you must accept.
Please remember that when you are awarded a bid and
you are not qualified, you must call PEDC within ten
days to set up training, or you will forfeit your bid. The
phone number for PEDC is (617)-654-5650.
PSEs that are converted to career status, start a new
seniority date and are not eligible to use any leave for
the first ninety (90) days. This applies to those who
may have to serve a probationary period and those
who do not. PSEs who are converted to career will
have to serve a ninety (90) day probationary period
unless they have successfully completed at least two
(2) successive 360-day terms; then they will not have
to serve a probationary period when hired for a career appointment, provided such career appointment
directly follows a PSE appointment.
When a PSE gets converted to career status, please
be aware that you will not be able to transfer out of
the Installation for one year. PSEs who have not been
converted to career status are not eligible to transfer.
You may contact the office you are interested in working and inquire if there is a position available and
apply for that position.
To all clerks, please remember that a bid must be
received by midnight of the closing date. If you experience issues when placing bids with the computer and
phone bidding system, you can FAX your bid sheets
to Local Services at (617)-654-5956.
Another issue that keeps coming up is the misuse
of NTFT duty assignments. NTFT employees will
normally work the number of hours (daily and/or
weekly) identified in their bid assignment, except in
an emergency, and are entitled to “out of schedule”
premium for hours worked outside of their bid schedule. An emergency is an unforeseen circumstance or
a combination of circumstances which calls for immediate action in a situation which is not expected to
be of a recurring nature. “Out of schedule” premium
has to be inputted in TACS manually, so don’t trust
that you will receive the “out of schedule’’ pay. If you
feel you were not paid correctly, ask for your steward.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of
the Stewards and Area Vice Presidents who fight the
fight every day. My sincere thanks to Chief Steward
Bob Waterhouse who has taken on even more in Cambridge since I have taken this position. I would also
like to thank all the Area Vice Presidents: Ray Bell,
Barry Holland, Dale Denham, John Uccello, Steve
Barrows and John Milso.
I want to thank all of the Stewards in the clerk
craft for all of their hard work and dedication: Billy
Thomas, Matt Dodd, Erik Bridgeman, Bill Cormier,
Paul Holland, Corrine DiBlasi, Debbie Abel, Wanda
Jackson, Steve LaMonica, Peg McCaffrey, Scott
Huffman, Herbie Moy, Brian Tirrell, Bob O’Brien,
Bob Vaverka, Tom Burns, Tony Cerasuolo, Bob
Cintolo, Phil Cooper, Jim Delaney, Bob Dunn, Mary
Flanagan, Mike Grealish, Tina Keefe, Tom Long, Marybeth Mayo, Joe McCaffrey, Cathy O’Toole, Bruce
Pearson, Dorothy Sorocco, Joe Steeves, Rich “Pops”
Sullivan, Ara Yessayan, JJ Gonzalez, Dave Collins,
Janice DeMello, Tom Fitzgerald, Donna Greenwood,
Wayne Magnuson, Dave Oakland, Doreen Small, Judy
Tigges, John Wiik, Pam Williams, and Denise Travis
for all of her work during the time she was a steward
in the GMF.
I am very grateful for all the help and support I
have received from the officers, Scott Hoffman, Bob
Keough and Bob Dempsey. Thank you all!
I wish everyone a Happy and Healthy Holiday
Season and Best Wishes for the New Year.
An Unexpected Finding: Young
People Love The Postal Service Best
Few postal workers were surprised
by a recent Gallup Poll that found that
Americans rate the Postal Service highest among 13 government agencies –
after all, the USPS routinely ranks at the
top of such surveys.
But many people were surprised to
learn that young people gave the Postal
Service the highest rating: 81 percent of
18-29 year olds gave the USPS “excellent or good” marks. “The most curious
finding in the poll is who likes USPS
most,” the National Journal observed in
an article about the survey.
“Pundits have convinced many people that the future of the Postal Service
is bleak because young people consider
it irrelevant,” APWU President Mark
Dimondstein said, “but this poll shows
the opposite is true.”
“All age groups gave solid approval
ratings to the Postal Service,” Gallup
noted, but young people gave the agency the best scores.
Sixty-five percent of respondents
over 50 gave the Postal Service “excel-
lent or good” marks, which exceeded
the ratings they gave to all other federal government agencies ranked in
the survey. Seventy-three percent of
women and 70 percent of men rated the
USPS as “excellent or good.” The poll,
conducted Nov. 11-12, surveyed 1,020
adults in all 50 states by telephone.
“The results of the Gallup Poll demonstrate that the Postal Service is, in-
deed, a national treasure,” Dimondstein
said. “The USPS won high marks, despite efforts by the Postmaster General
and Board of Governors to dismantle it,
degrade service standards, close mail
processing plants, and despite ongoing
threats to end Saturday mail delivery,”
he said.
“It makes you wonder how much
better the results would be if postal
management truly embraced its mission
and worked to improve rather than cut
service.”
The survey results “could be good
news for an organization that has been
battered by bad publicity for quite some
time,” Gallup wrote. Despite its difficulties, “the overall image of the agency has remained remarkably positive,”
the polling company said. “This reservoir of goodwill may serve the Postal
Service well as it strives to adapt to
the changing world in which electronic
communication and commerce are rapidly replacing the traditional mailed letter.”
“As the volume of letters has declined, the USPS has evolved to become as much a courier of packages as
it is a way to send and receive first-class
mail,” Time magazine wrote.
“In this day of rapidly advancing
ecommerce, the survey shows that the
future of the Postal Service could be
very bright,” Dimondstein said.
— reprint apwu.org
October-December, 2014
The Bostonian
Page 7
From the Boston Stop Staples Committee . . .
Your Union Needs You, You Need Your Union!
by Matt Dodd, Bill Thomas, Erik Bridgeman, Boston “Stop Staples” Committee
For those of you who don’t know, the Postal Service
has entered into a deal with Staples to place full service Postal counters inside Staples stores. This
plan was originally rolled out to 80 stores with
plans to set them up in all 1,536 Staples locations nationwide. Already in California where this plan was established, the
Postal Service has been reducing hours
at Post Offices and posting signs sending customers to nearby Staples locations. This deal is bad for postal workers
and bad for the public.
This deal made by Postmaster General Donahoe is a clear first step by the
Postal Service to privatize your jobs.
Contained in an internal document released at an NLRB hearing on this Staples deal, the Post Office admitted that
“The pilot will be used to determine
if lower costs can be realized with retail
partner labor instead of the labor traditionally associated with retail windows at Post Offices . . .” These Staples counters will be staffed
with low wage, high turnover employees who will receive only 4 hours training to perform window duties.
This deal made by Postmaster Donahoe is an attempt to give away the trusted public mail service to
a private company. The public needs to know the mail
that is dropped off at Staples locations is not considered “mail” until the Postal Service picks it up. Additionally, according to information received by the
APWU, the public will be paying full price for Postal
products that Staples receives at discounted prices.
In September 2014, the National APWU established a “Stop Staples” Committee in the Boston area.
This committee was established to put pressure on
Staples on multiple fronts. The National has initiated
a boycott of Staples that is backed by the AFL-CIO
and multiple teachers unions. The committee has also
hired retired Postal workers to continuously leaflet the
public to inform them of this boycott and the Postal
Service’s attempt to transfer the public mail responsibilities to a private company. Additionally, the committee has been setting up Protests at local Staples stores to put pressure
on their bottom line.
Brothers and Sisters, this is the first
shot across the bow on the war of privatization and the time to stand up and
fight is NOW!!! Your union has always
been there for you, whether working for
better pay, benefits or fighting against
management on the workroom floor.
Now your union needs your help in protecting your jobs and the public Postal
Service. We need our members to attend
upcoming Staples protests and inform
their family and friends about this deal.
Our actions will put continued pressure
on Staples to end this deal. This pressure is
working. At recent protests, Staples management has been visibly upset about our actions
and has even been calling the Police. These actions
by Staples only embolden us and make us stronger.
Remember, “we are the union”, our strength is in
our numbers and resolve. Would you rather go down
fighting with your head held high, or go out with a
whimper and your tails between your legs?
WE ARE THE UNION!!!
For more information on Staples Campaign, visit: www.stopstaples.com — and join our Facebook
group at Local 100 Staples Boycott.
911 Call Delayed Up to 50 Minutes, Employee Dies
APWU Demands Info on Emergency Procedures
Oakland California - Samuel Macasieb, operating a letter sorting machine
Director of Industrial Relations
Tony D. McKinnon Sr. has asked the
Postal Service to explain its protocols for providing emergency medical
assistance after learning that a Bay
Area postal employee lay dying for as
much as 50 minutes before 911 was
called. The incident, which occurred
in August, came to light in November,
when the local NBC television affiliate aired a detailed expose of situation.
“No one saw how Macasieb, 59,
was injured but coworkers later said
they found him lying on his back,
barely conscious, with blood coming
from his mouth and ears,” the station
reported. “Apparent head trauma left
him incapacitated. According to an
internal postal service report, employees didn’t call 911 right away. They
proceeded to contact several supervisors and managers who then alerted
the onsite postal police department,
who finally contacted 911. Details in
the report show that up to 53 minutes
elapsed from the time Macasieb was
found to when emergency medical
personnel were contacted.
“According to the USPS, this chain
of events wasn’t a mistake. It was a
policy,” the television report noted.
“Employees are routinely instructed
not to call 911, but to alert a supervisor first.”
The Postal Service’s written policy
says, “Only the Postal Police are to
initiate the 911 procedure.”
Samuel Macasieb later died, but the
APWU was not notified of the death.
— www.apwu.org
Oakland, CA. - Macasieb at a United Postal Service processing and distributiong center.
Page 8
The Bostonian
October-December, 2014
The President’s Report . . .
The Most Troubling Times
by Scott Hoffman,
General President
In case you haven’t noticed, these are
the most troubling of times. As I write
this, the Service is pushing full bore
on changing the service standards, as
well as plant closures. They are setting
up shop in Staples and Walmart – with
non-career, low wage, no benefit workers. In other words, not us! All of those
actions will have negative consequences on all postal workers, regardless of
craft. All of this has been forecasted by
union leadership for years.
Union leadership has been imploring the membership to get involved.
No one can say they didn’t know, all of
this snuck up on them. The rank and file
for the most part has adopted the strategy of the ancient emperor, Nero. We
are fiddling while Rome burns. Wake
up! That sound you hear is the smoke
detectors. Some of those actions are irreversible. We have to get involved politically. We have to contact our elected
officials to let them know these moves
are unacceptable.
We have to warn our family, friends,
and anyone else who will listen, that
the degradation of the service and infrastructure will unequivocally lead to
higher prices, decreased customer service, decreased consumer protection,
the loss of living wage jobs, and for
those out there who can only see be-
yond the end of their own nose, worse
working conditions for you.
It is not extremist, alarmist rhetoric.
It is real! We have to become active both
within and outside of the four walls of
your work location. Active at work is
necessary to sustain a reasonable work
environment while on duty. Active outside of work is necessary to maintain a
place to work — period. Stop fiddling,
the Service slowing down on their own
volition. They must be made to stop.
Now that I have your attention, there
is good news to report locally.
Grievance activity and settlements
are leveling the playing field, maintaining jobs, putting money in members’
pockets, and getting respect back for
the process and, in turn, respect for the
union and its members. We have been
meetings. It is the only time and way
we can all congregate, share information, develop esprit de corps and speak
freely.
Too many people think the officers
need to come and see them at their work
location. That is a luxury. We represent
over 130 stations and branches and two
plants. If the officers did this, nothing
else could get done. This is why we
“We have to become active both within and outside of the four walls of
your work location. Active at work is necessary to sustain a reasonable work
environment while on duty. Active outside of work is necessary to maintain a
place to work — period. Stop fiddling, Nero, and help put out the fire.”
Nero, and help put out the fire.
The service standard changes will
affect how the Service does business,
starting with plant distribution. It will
affect jobs, start times, etc. Although
locally we will not experience clerical
job loss due to these changes, we will
be disrupted. The most obvious will be
some abolishments and sectional excessing on tour-1. Tours 2 and 3 in the
GMF will see gains in the total number
of jobs.
Maintenance and M.V.S. will also
have disruptions, as naturally the distribution time changes will spark maintenance and M.V.S. changes to correspond.
The net result will be a few more total clerical positions. That slight gain
comes with a heavy price tag for other
locals and postal workers and the public
as a whole. We cannot afford to think
selfishly. Remember, an injury to one is
an injury to all. Besides, I do not see
doing a better job within the four walls
of our facilities. Keep the momentum
going. Create the juggernaut.
The stewardship as a whole has
upped their game and involvement,
which has spurred greater worker involvement. Those of you who have attended our Staples rallies, or participated in the “Day of Action” on November
14th, have our wholehearted thanks. It
shows the concept of the union is alive
and well. We are making a difference.
Encourage others to step forward as
well. There are still too few of us doing
the heavy lifting.
Remember, paying dues allows us
to administer the union and to pay for
litigation on our behalf. This is only one
facet of being a union member. The other is involvement. Paying dues is only
half of the game. Attend membership
have meetings; so we can get the word
out all at once to everyone. Then we
can dedicate more time to actually representing the membership via negotiations, grievance processing, and anything else necessary to prevail.
I love circulating with the membership on the floor. I love seeing old
friends and coworkers, but hob-knobbing is a luxury right now. When things
level off, more frequent station and
plant visitations will be possible and
done.
I hope everyone’s New Year’s resolutions include stepping up and getting involved. Don’t be brought down
by the naysayers who want you to do
nothing as well so they don’t stick out.
Enjoy this season with your family and
friends. You deserve it. Happy Holidays! We can win.
DEADLINE
for the next issue of The Bostonian is
February 1, 2015
Address Service Requested
BOSTON LOCAL – APWU
137 South St., 4th Floor
Boston, MA 02111
Any member or officer wishing to submit an article is advised to send it, typewritten and double
spaced, to the Union Office by the deadline date. (Articles subject to editing and available space.)