July 10, 2014 – The APWU and USPS signed a major settlement July 9 that resolves a long-standing dispute over custodial staffing and results in the conversion to career of all current Maintenance Craft Postal Support Employees, Maintenance Craft Director Steve Raymer has announced.
The agreement stipulates that the MS-47 Handbook – Transmittal Letter 5, which governs custodial work and staffing, will be implemented as written. It includes the following provisions:
- Management must maintain custodial staffing levels determined by the procedures outlined in the MS-47 Handbook;
- The USPS is prohibited from disciplining custodians who exceed estimated times outlined in the handbook;
- Managers must include all duties custodians perform in staffing packages they prepare locally;
- Performance standards will be revised based on the work-and-time standards outlined in ISSA 50;
- There will be an automatic penalty if management fails to ensure all required custodial work is performed;
- There will be no excessing of employees based on the change to the MS-47 Transmittal Letter 5 (except for cross-section excessing within the Maintenance Craft and within the installation).
The settlement will also result in the conversion of approximately 3,157 Postal Support Employees (PSEs). Conversion to career status must take place “as soon as reasonably possible, but no later than within 30 days after the signing of this agreement.” The settlement stipulates that:
- The USPS will convert “in-place” all current Maintenance Craft PSEs to career status, either as full-time regulars or part-time regulars. “In-place” means the PSEs will be assigned to the duty assignments they are currently covering.
- PSEs will not serve a probationary period if they have completed two terms as a PSE or if they are employed at one of 10 identified sites currently operating under Transmittal Letter 5 (TL-5) or going under TL-5.
- Going forward, the provisions of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and Memorandums of Understanding covering PSEs will be applied.
“The MS-47 Handbook is probably the most litigated handbook in the history of the APWU,” Raymer said, noting that management has tried on numerous occasions to modify it, only to have the changes successfully challenged by the APWU in arbitration.
““This MS-47-TL 5 will result in a reduction in staffing at many locations,” Raymer said. “The impact will vary, with larger reductions at the largest facilities and smaller reduction or none at all at smaller facilities. But the settlement includes important protections for current custodians and will help protect Maintenance Craft work for the future. In addition, the lengthy period of implementation will certainly help soften the effects of any cuts. There are targets for implementation for this fiscal year, next fiscal year and beyond. Furthermore, no excessing can occur to any custodians based upon the service implementing the TL-5 at any location,” he said.
“It also will immediately improve the lives of more than 3,150 PSEs, who will now be able to enjoy the stability of career jobs,” Raymer added.
– See more at: http://www.apwu.org/news/web-news-article/maintenance-craft-settles-dispute-custodial-staffing-will-convert-more-3150#sthash.59sQGP4O.dpuf
Congrats to our two newly hired PCS’s to make regular. See Aunt Millie was right you would make regular in no time.
There are still PTFS in smaller offices.
yes, Steve Raymer screwed PTF’s as well (although there are no PTF’s in Maintenance) they should have been converted and the pse’s become ptf’s. There used to be a hierarchy, but the maintenance craft is above the that, they will get non career promoted to full time regular and meanwhile some ptfs are getting less than 40 hours. It is a sad day for the APWU under Mark Dimondstein, I thought this regime was different, alas they sell out the career workforce as well. One term Dimondstein, and hopefully Raymer will resign in disgrace at that National Convention in Illinois.
All of the PTF’s under this contract should have been converted to FTR’s,but thanks to Goofy Guffey and the former executives,who created the NTFT bid,PTF’s are not full-time until they can get a full-time bid,which are being abolished as they are vacated and replaced with NTFT bids.Those PTF’s who voted yes to the contract and supported Guffey have only themselves to blame.
There are no more PTF’s, you have been a NTFT since the signing of the last contract.
I thought the national contract stipulates only clerks and mvs positions can use pse.
Thanks Steve
Are all the posters Clerks? There are no PTF custodians in the maintenance craft. This is an excellent agreement that cements the gains made by custodians since the Gamser award. Elbert before this agreement any custodian who refused to follow instructions was subject to discipline. You cannot contractually refuse to do work by claiming it is not custodian work. You should not be doing work off the clock any way. If the MS-47 is a joke to management in all rural and small Post Offices you need to join the Union and become a shop Steward and start holding them accountable. Quit complaining and step up to the plate.
What a load of bs! This union sucks and as usual people who bid these jobs are screwed. With the closing of plants these positions should be held for clerks that are being excessed
This will be a laughing stock for every supervisor,postmaster that reads this.As we all know , if a custodian will refuse to deliver late Express mail,take mail out to the carriers,carry heavy parcels and deliver them and answer the phone and lie about where the Postmaster or the supervisor really is,as most go home early or take 2 hour lunch breaks or they go shopping during work hours…etc. while the actual work is not done , and never paid for the extra work done off the clock..well we are asked to retire and go as the management will harass and make life a shit hole for until you give in.Ms-47 is a joke in all rural and smaller post offices to the management..
Not to mention working fulltime hours for 3 1/2 -4 years, when a FT clerk retired and the position was froze…..still not considered FT, BUT expected to be there every day working the FT schedule.
What about PTF’s? I’m tired of getting forgotten. I have been a PTF for 15 years waiting to be converted to full time. And now the PSE’s are getting converted!