The new USPS Small Parcel Sorter System (SPSS)
National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU: Postal Service Reneges on SPSS Craft Determination
Unprecedented Reversal to Be Met With Fierce Opposition From NPMHU
On August 7, 2015, the USPS notified the NPMHU of their decision to reverse the craft determination for operation of the Small Parcel Sorting System (SPSS).
Clerk craft employees assigned to the induction stations will do so before rotating to other duties. Clerk craft employees who rotate to another work assignment will perform sweeping duties on the SPSS. Personnel assigned to perform sweeping duties in addition to the minimum number required to implement the subject rotation system will be from the primary craft (mail handler.
USPS Issues Primary Craft Determination: Mail Handlers to Perform Duties Associated with SPSS Operation
On June 2, 2015, the Union recieved the Postal Service’s determination of craft jurisdiction for employees operating the Small Parcel Sorter System (SPSS), which is currently deployed in five pilot test locations, and will be deployed shortly in twenty-six other facilities around the country. As set forth in the captioned letter, the Postal Service has determined that “the primary craft for all duties associated with the operation of the SPSS is the Mail Handler Craft.”
President Hogrogian has notified all Local Union Presidents of this development. The text of the Union’s August 8, 2015 notification to the field is captioned below.
In a stunning move that defies the tripartite RI-399 Dispute Resolution Procedures, the requirements of RI-399, Article 1.5 of the National Agreement, and any concept of good faith bargaining, yesterday afternoon the Postal Service formally notified the NPMHU of its decision to reverse the June 1, 2015 jurisdictional craft determination that previously identified the mail handler craft as the primary craft for all duties associated with the operation of the Small Parcel Sorter System (SPSS). Instead, the Postal Service has announced “that the hands-on induction, including the singulating/separating and facing of individual packages, on the five induction stations of the SPSS is similar to the induction stations on both the Small Parcel Bundle Sorter (SPBS) and the Automated Package Processing System (APBS), which are staffed with mail processing clerk craft employees.” The Postal Service’s August 7, 2015 announcement further determines that clerks assigned to the induction system should be rotated to sweeping duties in the “minimum number required.”
The Postal Service issued its reversal of position by email to the NPMHU National Office at 3:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon. This is nothing less than a cowardly act of disrespect to the NPMHU and all mail handlers. A National-level jurisdictional determination for new equipment is made within the Dispute Resolution Process only after following a specific protocol: the unions are notified about the new equipment, including meetings with postal officials in charge of deploying and operating the equipment; the three parties participate in site visits to observe the new equipment and new jobs resulting from it; each union has the opportunity to submit its written position on the jurisdictional assignment; and then the management representatives appointed to the National Dispute Resolution Procedure apply the principles of RI-399 to issue the Postal Service’s jurisdictional determination, with either union having the right to appeal that determination to National arbitration. In this case, the contractually binding procedure was fully and properly implemented, resulting in the June 1, 2015 determination. The American Postal Workers Union did not file an appeal by the required deadline, meaning that the Postal Service’s June 1, 2015 determination has been final and binding and fully controlling for some time. Under RI-399, moreover, the June 1, 2015 determination may be changed only upon new work, new or consolidated facilities, or an operational change. In the absence of such circumstances, the June 1, 2015 determination is final and binding, and any attempt to reverse that determination is null and void.
But now that contractually binding process has been hijacked, apparently by a higher level of USPS management. The Postal Service’s unprecedented and untimely reversal of its prior written jurisdictional determination casts a heavy shadow of doubt on every signed management document and every signed labor-management agreement. Such contempt for our mutual obligation to bargain in good faith, and our mutual commitment to settle or resolve matters at the lowest possible level within the agreed procedures, will resonate throughout the Postal Service. With this action, USPS Labor Relations has sent a clear message to the NPMHU – that a written position is not worth the paper on which it is written.
In addition, based on the June 1, 2015 determination, many mail handler bids involving the SPSS have been posted and/or awarded in accordance with the National Agreement, and others are scheduled for the coming weeks. There is absolutely no basis for disrupting the work lives of these hundreds of mail handlers who are likely to be adversely impacted by this improper and unlawful reversal of position.
The NPMHU will do everything within its authority to find out why this craft determination was reversed, and to challenge this reversal in every permissible arena with every resource at our disposal.
Additional information will be distributed as it becomes available. The National Office appreciates, in advance, the assistance of the Local Unions when called upon for information, documentation, and testimony.
To Larry and Jeff, respectively, Larry we’re all in this together. In the many history books I’ve read, mainly military, a common tactic is to divide people and to demonize the other side. Business follow many of the same rules. I believe it isn’t helpful for our
cause to pit clerks against mail handlers, neither of which made this decision. It was a management/union decision. Jeff your comment about they are all dumb animals, I was first offered a job as a LSM clerk, in 1983, but saw it was a doomed position.
MH UNIONS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO STAY STRONG, AND KEEP THE WAY THE OLD UNIONS, STUCK TO GATHER ANDTOOK CARE BUSINESS
This tells you a few things:
1/ The initial craft assignment was base on the cost of labor, MH is cheaper, no penalty OT.
2/ Management is so f*@k up, they did not look at past practice of craft assignments, all they see is the $$ signs. Now they piss the NPMHU off big time.
3/PMG’s lame attempt to appease Dimondstein in the middle of contract negotiation.
It is not rocket science. Clerk work vs. Mailhandler work. SPSS = Clerk Work
I started in 89 also, back then clerks didn’t want jobs like that, now that the P.O. has basically eliminated all the clerk jobs , now they want M.H. JOBS, which has always been considered dirty work to the clerks
Hear all this strife Moe ? Where are you when we need you – – Oh yes , and right , saying , I told you so ! i.e. JOIN HANDS folks !
Senior MDO to be exact
That’s my title !
Since they said…. “that the hands-on induction, including the singulating/separating and facing of individual packages, on the five induction stations of the SPSS is similar to the induction stations on both the Small Parcel Bundle Sorter (SPBS) and the Automated Package Processing System (APBS), which are staffed with mail processing clerk craft employees.” How about the semi-induction on the APPS? I don’t know about the other facilities but here in West Sacramento, a mailhandler does that. Aren’t they doing the same thing??? Shouldn’t a clerk get that position also?? The “real” reason they changed the jobs back to the clerks is because someone in higher management at the central office have relatives that are clerks and their jobs are in jeopardy!!!! Just like a MDO here that promoted his PSE son and daughter to supervisor in less than 10 months.
Same here in Columbus, Ohio. Mailhandlers on the semi-induction on the APPS, also the same with MDO’s promoting their children.
At Royal Palm LDC our APPS is manned by mailhandlers. We were #1 in performance here as a SPSS test site. I am a clerk and for those of you who have not seen this machine it is EXACTLY the same job as the APBS except your standing not sitting, and all of the mail is first class..it has keying capabilities that are not used here at Royal Palm. Contractually we have clerk jobs mailhandlers jobs but this facility doesn’t respect either union..The APPS AND the SPSS is ran and swept by mailhandlers. We know this changes now with the SPSS but on certain tours the APBS is ALSO swept by mailhandlers..What’s the purpose of having separate crafts if the jobs aren’t being done by the craft? Why not just MAKE US UNIVERSAL EMPLOYEES?
Because the Union leaders DO NOT WANT IT! A single Union would better serve both members of the present Unions but I am sure someone has been promised a higher office in both. Sadly looking out members is NOT their priority.
I agree but here at the DP&DC we don’t have enough mailhandlers we are short of people all over.
MH work induction on the APPS because it is only one person operation and it was easy to include it as part of the MH rotation of dumping & sweeping. Same reason clerks are allowed to sweep on the APBS and SPBS. The work is identified MH as primary craft, but exception says clerks do it as part of the rotation.
If you seriously believe HQ changed this jurisdiction because of nepotism you need to stop drinking the Koolaide. You’ve had enough. This was a business decision based on similarity of jobs (APBS, SPBS) nothing more.
REALLY, YOU MUST BE IN MANAGEMENT
Senior MDO to be exact.
I got my job from a custodian in less than that!.
Clerks use to refer us as bag draggers, now they are willing drag bags to save their jobs, that is why I retired, management sucked
Clerks are fighting for dear life to get whatever jobs they can get. DBSC machines being dismantled because letter volume dropped. Clerks being excessed and forced to go to the carrier craft. The postal service is hiring PSE’s off the streets and its killing the regular clerks.
And mail handlers are working 10-12 hours day making easy money, LOL.
I love it when clerks are forced to cross craft and do mail handler work, we file grievances and mail handlers get paid for it, LOL.
Dismantling DBCS machines? Where are you working. We just added four more DBCS machine in our office.
Needing clerks to do you job is nothing to be proud of. I bet they do it in half the time, too.
Merge all the crafts into one union, to keep fighting for positions from happening. Use your in house seniority to bid on whatever position would come up. One workforce, one union, it would be a win win for the workers, a losing proposition for management.
I agree
After what the APWU members foolishly agreed to in their just expired but still in effect agreement the chances of one merged union are nil.The Mail Handlers and Carriers won’t give away what was hard fought for 40 years.
MH really had to fight hard to get what they got, out of respect for the chief union stewards, union stewards, etc from the past that would be another insult
Not real complicated. Not enough mail handlers in the big plants too many useless clerks. Just delegating the workforce
could this mean that the ‘mediation’ process between the apwu and the usps will
result in a contract? maybe management promised the spss reversal if the apwu went along
with some ‘hot-button’ issues management wanted in the contract. wouldn’t surprise me a bit
as i don’t trust either side. usually when the work is awarded things stay that way even when the other union grieves it. i believe there are still outstanding grievances going back about 10 years regarding management awarding facing / canceler jobs to the mailhandlers. if a grievance is not solved in a decade it really makes the grievance procedure worthless in my opinion.
Cool .. sit back a few Years as a Mail Handler as Paul and Company file the Class Action Grievance and then a HUGE $ettlement and once again us Mail Handlers get BIG FREE BUCK$ for doing NOTHING 🙂
REALLY I KNOW YOU ARE NOT A MAILHANDLER
Seems 2 me that clerks under this”determination” will operate the SPSS’ s, but, they will lose the”pouching” bids which r currently filled by clerks. At least,that is so, in the Queens, NY P&D.C. Image how clerks and mailhandlers will get along ,at now parcels only Queens P&D.C. It sure won’t be kumbaya. Even, as a clerk, I’m still glad I retired, as of Aug.1st. This was the exact date QUEENS lost the last DPS operation.
CLERKS WILL JUST HAVE TO GET USE TO NOT WEARING HEELS EVERY DAY,AND START BREAKING THEIR NAILS AND GETTING DIRTY
Spss jobs are a reminder of spbs jobs in 1995 , when the usps let the mail handlers win this jobs and created a bad blood between the clerks and mail handlers. These. Jobs are clerks jobs because mail handlers, know nothing about city units or 190 units or mixed states. Thank you for. Sum justice after all this years .
THEIR HAS BEEN BAD BLOOD LONG BEFORE 1995, CLERKS DIDNT WANT TO DO ANY MAUAL LABOR, AND STILL DONT , JUST WQNT A JOB
Management works very hard to minimize the MH craft involvement in all aspects of postal operations. Other than being a 204B, what options of other jobs are open to MHs? NONE. Yes, you can submit a 991 resume for details, but you will not get pass filling out the paperwork as most details involve slots usually filled by clerk craft personnel. This redirection is nothing more than another effort to increase the clerk craft numbers and further minimize the MH workforce. The fact that our union was not notified just personifies the irrelevant status that USPS has relegated our union.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!
Guess the postal service finally figured out that it makes no sense to pay mailhandler for 12 hours (4 OT) to do the work that a clerk does in 8 hours.
Looks like the “Go Slow = More Dough” craft has finally had one come back to bite them in the buttocks.
Not surprising as management has been paying back and playing favorites with the APWU with craft jurisdictions since you dumb asses and your Donahoe suck up former president,Cliff Goofy sold yourselves down the river by ratifying your management dictated,crap CBA. Just shows the Mail Handlers are smarter than you idiots by not electing and supporting a Donahoe ass kisser and refusing to sell out to management.The 2010-2015 APWU National Agreement..the gift that keeps on giving…to management.
Last time I checked the APWU got PSEs and the NHPMU got MHAs andcasuals! You sure one-upped us on that one! By the way, thanks for the APBS jobs and the AFCS jobs!
You stick with “Go slow = more dough” and see how far that will get ya!
Mailhandlers got stuck with MHA’s and casuals through arbitration, Clerks on the other hand voted and accepted that crap agreement. You will be the ruin of us all.
I happen to be a mail handler and have worked over thirty plus years in many positions. These include the docks at the MPO, AMC and the Priority Annex. I find it laughable when some people doubt the people who have the last hands on responsibility before the MVS transports the mail to the carriers who deliver to our customers. What I’m saying is we don’t need division, don’t doubt anyone just because they are another craft. I think that what’s really going on is that you are some how privileged with some superior skill set because your a clerk, maybe your also qualified to do neurosurgery, build the next Hadron Collider, or maybe your just a common republican who thinks he knows everything while only knowing his anger.
Do you have a point, single digit?
You may be a genius, but you are the exception rather than the rule in your craft. I say it all the time, mailhandlers are dumb animals. Our mailhandlers cannot even load an ergo cart correctly.
COULDNT HAVE SAID IT BETTER
WHAT CLERKS ARE THESE, WHERE ARE THEY LOCATED, THEY DONT WANT TO DO NO MANUAL LABOR , NEVER HAVE NEVER WILL