APWU Web News Article 097-2013, Aug. 14, 2013
The American Postal Workers Union achieved a significant victory on Aug. 13, with the signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that strengthens and clarifies the seniority rights of Postal Support Employees (PSEs), Industrial Relations Director Mike Morris has announced.The Memorandum of Understanding on PSE Reappointment [PDF] stipulates that after their break in service, PSE reappointments must be based solely on the PSEs’ relative standing — their seniority — on the installation’s PSE rolls.
In some parts of the country, the USPS had claimed that PSEs who have completed a 360-day appointment had no contractual right to be reappointed based on their seniority. The Postal Service asserted that management was free to retain more junior PSEs — or even hire new PSEs — rather than reappointing more senior PSEs who had completed a term of appointment.
“This Memorandum of Understanding makes clear that PSEs enjoy protection against favoritism and arbitrary decisions by management,’” Morris said.
“PSEs may not be bypassed for reappointment as a substitute for discipline,” he added. “They must be reappointed upon completion of their 360-day term based on their seniority.” (The 2010-2015 Collective Bargaining Agreement [PDF] says that PSEs enjoy “just cause” protection and a Feb. 27 Memorandum of Understanding on PSE Discipline [PDF] elaborates on that protection.)
The MOU clarifies several points that had been in dispute as follows:
- PSE separations due to lack of work must be implemented installation-wide by juniority.
- PSEs who are separated due to lack of work must be reappointed ahead of more junior PSEs.
- PSEs who are separated due to lack of work must be reappointed before management hires new PSEs if the need for hiring arises within one year of the separation.
- When a PSE’s five-day break occurs and the USPS determines there is a need to reduce the number of PSEs, the PSE with the most seniority must be reappointed and the most junior PSE in the installation must be separated instead.
“This agreement clarifies and cements the fact there is indeed a path for PSEs who wish to become career employees,” Morris said. “Clearly, for PSEs as well as career employees, it pays to belong to APWU!”
Hoping any PSE reading this file a claim
If they were not rehired after 360 days.
Being as if Aug 13 2013.. they changed that
In the contract.. please file on them to make it
A Class Action!!! U paid union dues and u were
Hired when that wasnt added in the contract.
strengthens and clarifies the seniority rights of Postal Support Employees…however, junior union stewards are allowed to bump senior employees during excessing…a perk only enjoyed by union stewards. Hows about strengthening everyone’s seniority and not just the chosen few? I thought unions were built on seniority? Oh…that’s right…somebody gotta stay behind to file grievances. So…lets get rid of state and national officers so the local junior stewards can file those grievances on behalf of senior excessed employees. WHAT? There is no grievance if a senior employee is bumped by a junior union steward???!!! Its in the contract??? My union that I paid dues to negotiated a clause allowing for junior union stewards to bump senior employees only because of their union steward status?? And its called SUPERSENIORITY?? Are you serious???!! Gimme that PS 1188!!
How about strengthening and clarifying the OT issues regarding ODL’s and NON-ODL PSEs!!!!!! Across the country there are problems interpreting the “language” . My question is how can a workforce that is supposed to be “supplemental” , work more hours in a day/and or week than a full time regular CAREER employee on the ODL ???? It pays to be a PSE , you know , the future of the Postal Service since they are taking $$$ out of my pocket now . Thought we were over the PTF , TE and casual crap getting more OT for 25 years , only to have a new generation of takers and a new round of battles between employees created by our Union . And the National is already pushing for all of them to be full time regulars . I don’t think that was the negotiated agreement . After all , the Postal Service would lose all of that “flexibility” it needs so badly .But then again ,the newly created career employees would be the ones to be excessed when the consolidations and closures kick in because they would be the most junior or is there some hidden language somewhere that would protect them from that too ? I’m just sayin’.