Update: The $4.8 million settlement was part of nearly $20 million arbitration award handed down in 2007.
An arbitrator ruled in a National APWU case in 2003 that under Article 7.1.B of the National Agreement does not prohibit the Postal Service from using temporary agency employees as a supplemental work force, provided they are counted as casuals and are subject to the limits on employment of casuals set forth in Article 7.1.B
The Phoenix Metro Area Local in 2007 won an arbitration award regarding staffing temporary workers at the Call Center.
Arbitrator Henderson ruled the Employer violated the Collective Bargaining Agreement when it hired over 200 “temporary” employees to work at the Phoenix Telephone Center in April 1996. The Center remained open for just over 3 years. The APWU argued the Telephone Center should have been staffed by Level 6 Phoenix Clerks. The arbitrator agreed with the Union. The arbitrator agreed with the Union and awarded $19,717,431.00 plus $128,142.74 in lost union dues. Payout was not to exceed $9,694 made individually to 2,034 Clerks.
Here is what happened next:
From PostalReporter.com reader: The original arbitration paid out $19 million dollars. The parties were to decide how that money was to be paid out. What happened though was that the service unilaterally paid some employees without paying others – leaving out those who changed crafts, retired, died, etc., and only paid clerk craft employees who were still current clerk craft employees at the time of the award – completely ignoring the local union’s voice in who and how much should be paid, and thus theses grievance were filed, and languished up at the National Level for nearly a dozen years. Over a thousand current and former employees are now finally getting some recompense for the original violation which took place between 1995 and 1998
“[APWU] National Business Agent Steve Zamanakos submitted those employees identified by the Union to be included in this monetary settlement to the USPS area representative. The USPS. omitted approximately 50% of the names submitted reducing the award to $11,892,000.00 from the $19,717,431.00 original award.
Fast forward to November 12, 2014
The Phoenix Metro Area Local has just received the arbitration settlement regarding the “Call Center” case. This case has dragged on for over ten years.
On November 12, 2014, APWU National settled the Call Center grievance for $4,800,000.00. The Phoenix Metro Area Local will be verifying the names of employees that have not been paid but should have been paid those who were on the rolls in the Phoenix Installation Clerk Craft from June of 1995 to August of 1998.
Information the Local needs to provide the USPS follows:
Current employees:
1. Employee Identification Number
2. Pay Location
3. Job Title
4. Designation Activity Code
Retired employees:
1. Social Security Number
2. Current Mailing Address
3. Telephone Number
More Heatwave Update Call Center Settled
Thanks to APWU Phoenix Metro Area Local Member Troy Huskey for portions of this news. See: Phoenix (Arizona) Metro Area Local #93 website
Of course, those in mgmt. responsible for this avoidable waste of $ will not be held accountable
Completely agree with Stellar Steve! Our plants are closing and excessing is happening. We have all these contract stations within miles of our plant. We all could have jobs without re-locating and experiencing this long term stress of not knowing where we are going to be working. I don’t understand the presort plants manned by non-postal workers and the contract stations…..how are they being allowed? Crazy. We can get fired for not passing window training and they are letting people off the street do our jobs.
Since this has been settled where is the settlement for clerks in offices that the postmaster worked 36 hours or more in a level 18 office . I have been grieving this for three years at poughquag post office new york. Any word on this?
Does anyone know if Tampa, FL APWU has the same arbitration pending? MANY Tampa folks were affected by the identical situation. Myself included, however, I no longer live there. Trying to find out but if anyone out there knows, please advise.
Just one more example of the APWU working for its members. Great job, APWU.
Postal workers should thank their union every day for their wages and benefits.
Without our union, postal workers would be making Wal Mart wages.
It just boggles the mind how many postal workers aren’t in the union. The height of selfishness. Get a clue non-members and join. Unions built the middle class.
Have you noticed the rise in income inequality directly corresponds with declining union membership nationally?
This is great, but let me take this one step further. After the initial Kelly Girl arbitration, I filed a grievance stating that all Contract Station and Presort house employees fall under the same agreement. After all, they, too are indirectly paid by the Post Office, as were those involved in the Kelly Girl case.