Flash Bulletins are paid for by members of the APWU. Information contained in these bulletins is intended for APWU members. Member questions and/or comments regarding any flash bulletin content are always encouraged. Reading of publications prepared for and financed by dues paying members by those who do not is yet one more example of non-members accepting benefits that have been paid for by others!

Decentralization Staffing Projection Update(s)

The Union and management have continued meeting regarding ongoing and evolving plans to shift the processing of Incoming Manual letters and flats from the Minneapolis P&DC to the Stations. Key issues to date are transportation of volunteers and/or detailed employees and more definition from management as to when all phases of this massive change will take place. We believe that all employees who would like to bid on another assignment but still want to have retreat rights if they do will have this option and it will be extended to everyone who bids as of November 1, 2005, and after. Members can check with your Steward for December bidding confirmation.

Transportation – We are aware that once you are at a particular duty station and on the clock management may ask you to drive your Privately Owned Vehicle (POV) when you are required to go to a different facility. However, management should not be ordering you to use your POV and if you do use your POV it would be in your best interest to check with your Insurance Agent and let them know exactly what it is you are doing. If your job requires you to travel between facilities while on the clock, your bid would have stated so and management is required to provide a USPS vehicle for you to use.

We are also aware that after a previous flash bulletin, where we informed our members of possible liability when using their POV, at least one manager attempted to have someone use their POV and dismissed the liability concerns as “nothing to worry about.” Bottom line is that there aren’t many people who have the ability to predict when an accident will happen . . .not even Postal Managers!

Official Notification – We have been given official notification that it is management’s intent to excess employees out of the Incoming Mails Section on Tour 1 at the Minneapolis P&DC. Our notification states that affected employees will receive notification of this action within 30 days of November 18th. We do not anticipate anyone will be excessed before sometime early next year; however, all employees will receive more clarification when their letters go out.

Our last meeting occurred with management on Friday, November 18, 2005, and we have another meeting scheduled for Friday, December 2, 2005. It has been tentatively agreed to offer enhanced retreat rights to all employees with bids in the affected section. This would allow anyone who bids out of the section from November 1, 2005, up to the actual date of excessing to have retreat rights to the section should a job within what remains of the section become available. Management will also conduct crew meetings with all impacted employees and they will probably occur the week of December 5th. The Union will be on hand for these meetings. . . Stay tuned!

Annual Leave Accumulation and Sell Back!
Members Take Note!

As the 2005 leave year ends January 6, 2006 and the new leave year begins on January 7, 2006 we want to take this opportunity to explain “Leave Buy Back.” We hope the following will help clear up any confusion.

Contract language found on page 296 of 2000-2003 Collective Bargaining Agreement:

“Re: Annual Leave Exchange Option
The parties agree that APWU career employees will be
allowed to sell back a maximum of forty (40) hours of
annual leave prior to the beginning of the leave year
provided the following two (2) criteria are met:

1) The employee must be at the maximum leave carryover
ceiling at the start of the leave year, and

2) The employee must have used fewer than 75 sick
leave hours in the leave year immediately preceding
the year for which the leave is being exchanged.

This Memorandum of Understanding expires on the
expiration date of the 2000 National Agreement.”
(carried over by terms of the contract extension)

Our attempt to further clarify:

· The term “sell back” is poorly selected language as people are actually “exchanging up to 40 hours of leave they will earn in the upcoming leave year provided they meet the eligibility factors that are reiterated from the language above.

· Maximum carry over of annual is: 440 hours (Bargaining Unit)

· In order to sell back annual you must have at least 440 hours from the preceding leave year. Not 439.99 but 440. You may have more than 440 but will lose all over 440 if it is not used by January 6th.

· You must have used less than 75 hours of sick leave in the year preceding.

· New leave years always begin with the first full pay period in January of each year. The leave year in 2006 will begin on January 7, 2006.

· An example of a common misconception is: If I have accumulated 480 hours of annual leave as of January 6, 2006. I can “sell back” 40 of those hours. Well, kind of, but it would be a costly over accumulation of leave. In that scenario here is what would happen: On January 7, 2006, you would lose the 40 hours you were over 440 maximum leave carry over, you could then chose to exchange 40 hours of your leave, however, it gets deducted from 440, not 480. ouch . . .