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! 

Surfing the Web? Visit us at www.minneapolisapwu.org

Visit the Minneapolis Area Local’s web site!  It is crammed full of information that may be useful to you!  Links to other sites of interest, flash bulletins, flash bulletin archives, and current information are just a few!

Do you remember reading something in a past flash bulletin and now want to refer to it?  You can find past flash bulletins in our flash bulletin archives!  An example of current events we may have on the home page is our recently added “H5N1 (Bird) Flu Awareness & Preparedness” link!  Click on this and you are provided with a multitude of web sites that give all sorts of useful advice on all aspects of the issue!

Got suggestions for our web site…we’ll always listen as we are constantly trying to improve the site.  Contact our web master Rick Grata or call us at 612-623-0677.

Legislative/Organization Committee Meeting

Our first Legislative/Organization Committee (L/OC) meeting will be at 9:00 AM on Thursday January, 19 2006 at our NE Minneapolis Office on 1234 4^th Street.  In this meeting we will discuss organization and COPA goals.  We will continue to meet and announcements will come out in our flash bulletins. Any member in good standing is invited to attend if you might be interested in joining our L/OC or just want to see what goes on at a L/OC meeting!  Got questions? Talk with Bill Usher, John Goodman, or call 612-623-0677 and ask for Jerry!

Seating Filled!
APWU Retirement Seminar – Wednesday, February 1, 2006

Due to an overwhelming response, our upcoming APWU retirement seminar is filled!  In the event you have reserved a seat and your plans change…please call and let us know so we can open it to someone who is on our waiting list.

For those who called in just a little too late….we will be entertaining having more sessions in the future!  With the USPS continuing to “outsource” it has created a void in the personalized retirement counseling once available to Postal Workers!  Your Union recognizes this and it gives us an opportunity to provide yet another benefit to our APWU Union Family!  Once again…it pays to belong…this is yet another example of how membership is a benefit to us all that just keeps on giving!

When:

• Wednesday, February 1, 2006

Time:

• 5:00 to 5:30 PM Pizza and Beverages
• 5:30 to 7:30 PM Retirement Seminar ***

Where:

• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 160 Union Hall
  2522 Marshall St. NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418 (Next Door to Jaros’ Bar) 

*** Due to the number of people who will be attending and the anticipated questions and answers the seminar may last past 7:30 PM!

“Workplace Incident Report Forms”

On Thursday, January 12^th we had a Labor/Management meeting with managers representing the Minneapolis Installation.  The “installation” is comprised of the Minneapolis P&DC, all 554 Stations and VMF’s and the Twin Cities Metro Hub.   While the union had several items on the agenda, due to what is perceived as inconsistency in management’s administration of an “Incident Report” form we want to report on the status of that agenda item which stated:

“The APWU requests discussion of “Incident Reports.”  What is the purpose, who can fill them out, what happens to them after they are filled out, intent, who administers, what is the Standard Operating Procedure at this time?”

The reports we are referring to are ones that were developed by In-Plant Support Management at the Minneapolis P&DC several years ago.  In our discussion we learned that while these reports do get routed to a specific individual in the In-Plant Support office, management does not consider them as a reporting mechanism for ALL employees.  According to managers attending this meeting, these reports are a local form that was developed for use by employees with assignments in the Minneapolis P&DC only!

Because employees throughout the installation have used this form as an instrument to report a wide variety of workplace incidents, some very serious and some not, the union feels their existence and lack of consistency in administration may pose a security risk to employees.  Many may rely on it as a means to report valid incidents of unacceptable workplace actions that are legitimate violations of the USPS policy on Zero Tolerance.  They may wait for a response that may not come, or worse yet….the information they have supplied on the form may be prematurely disclosed to individuals who may be the subject of the report!

Because it is extremely important for all members to have a workplace free from unacceptable behavior and it is it is management’s obligation to provide it, we will continue to meet with management in an effort to develop a clearly defined and confidential procedure for all employees who may be the subject of zero tolerance violations.

We will advise you upon further developments in this regard.  In the interim, if you are the subject of unacceptable acts related to your postal employment…Report it to your supervisor!  It is and has always been management’s responsibility to provide a safe workplace environment for all employees.  In the event your supervisor does not appropriately react to your concern(s) or your supervisor is the subject of your concern, request a union steward!  Management is obligated and responsible to provide you with work environment free of unacceptable conduct….If they fail to do this or if they are part of the problem….a grievance and/or other corrective action(s) may be in order! 

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