Management Forces PSEs to ‘Voluntarily’ Take a Pay Cut
APWU Web News Article 033-2013, March 20 , 2013
“The Postal Service is abusing Postal Support Employees in small offices and systematically violating contractual restrictions governing PSEs, Clerk Craft Director Rob Strunk has declared. “And we intend to do something about it.
“Locals and state organizations must take note of these violations and file grievances based on the specific circumstances in their area,” he said.
A PSE Compliance Report dated March 8, 2013 [PDF], demonstrates that management has assigned 1,373 Level 4 PSEs to 1,323 Level 18-and-above offices, even though the stipulates that PSEs may be assigned to Level 15 and 16 Post Offices only.”
“We have received reports that district managers have threatened to terminate Level 6 PSEs if they do not ‘voluntarily’ reduce to Level 4 PSEs, so they won’t show up in PSE Compliance Reports,” Strunk said. “This is shameful.
“These unscrupulous deceptions cheat the PSEs of $2.26 for every hour they work,” Strunk said.
“They also mean that the PSEs are not being counted against the number of PSEs that are allowed to work in a given district.”
The parties agree that only Level 6 PSE Window Clerks or Mail Processing Clerks may work in post offices where career clerks are employed. Nonetheless, the March 8 Complement Report [PDF] shows more than 100 post offices where Level 4 PSE Post Office Clerks are employed alongside career clerks, Strunk pointed out. (The PSEs in question have a Designated Activity Code of D/A 81-8.)
PSEs in Level 18-and-above offices who are being paid at the Level 4 rate should contact their steward or state representative to file a grievance if they haven’t already done so. Local and state officers who have questions about how to process these grievances should contact their Clerk Craft National Business Agent.
The 2010-2015 Collective Bargaining Agreement also prohibits the use of Postmaster Reliefs (PMRs) in Level 15, 16 and 18 post offices, but the Complement Report shows that as of March 8, 2013, the USPS admits that 3,478 PMRs are working in these offices [PDF]. “PMRs are prohibited from working in these offices,” Strunk reminds local and state officers. “Every hour that they work deprives clerks of work opportunities,” he said.
“Locals and state organization should file grievances if PMRs are working in Level 15, 16 and 18 offices, if they haven’t already done so,” he said.
I was one of the first groups to be hired PSE in August of 2011 in Rochester, NY P&DC. I see everything that you all have described. There is alot of favorites with management in the PSE world, and alot of Brown-nosed PSEs there. We just got through watching the video from the PMG that we will be finally hired, because they got their money back. Most likely the money will coat a few pockets outside of the PSE “craft”. In the way of management, we have like an average of 6 supervisors per shift per day, which depending on what shift could be one super per 10 people, that is a huge waste of money. My supervisor on Tour One was bragging he hauled in more than 140,000 last year, that is sick for someone who is an absolute idiot. Our “supers” were hired as supers because they could not cut it in “any” craft they came out of. My supervisor only was in a craft for about six months, became a 204B then a supervisor when they got rid of 204Bs. Been with postal job for more than 12 years, It was literally his first real job because his daddy worked for the Rochester P&DC, and he also was a lousy “craft” person too. Our MDO got his job because he was going to sue the plant for discrimination and he has two felonies too. Apparantly to get hired you need a felony to get a high-paying job, and he was lazy as all get out when he was a mail-handler, drank and did drugs while on the clock, like most clerks and mailhandlers did back in the day. Basically the post office is still a “Who you know and who you blow” just like most businesses, but I say most of those management personnel better sterilize before they expect me to do the latter (at least soaked in bleach a few hours), LOL.. I hoped to get hired then I can say hell no when it comes to OT. 6-days a week and 70 hours for more than a year now, we are so short-staffed, but they won’t say it out loud. They cannot hire more PSEs for help because it will violate contract. That person tha never gotten hired in small office be glad he still has his job, because we had 6 retire a year ago and that caused 12 PSEs to get laid off, so they would not violate that contract and have to hire regulars. And they keep hauling in outside regulars from other facilities and us PSEs have to traing those “Career” employees when we received no training ourselves. Why if we are so damn good to train a “career” why can’t we be “career”, when PMG when….
I started to work for the post office in 2002 as an RCA 9 years later and still no job. I switched to PSE in 2011 with the PROMISE of a job when the career clerk retired.That was in January,2013 in April 2013 management hired a PTF from another office without converting me.THE UNION has done NOTHING! Yet they want to say the post office is abusing PSE’s over pay rate.I took a $5.00 per hour pay cut and lost ranking as a carrier. FOR WHAT????
The entire postal service is set up to abuse & bully the people who actually WORK in it.The post office should go broke paying 2 worthless bullies $70,000 and $80,000 per year for nothing but to play on their phones and show up to work for a few hours ocassionally.
postal management is nothing short of a big bully. They bully you if you use a sick day , and they crybaby if they don’t get their way when they want to do things wrong,such as working RCA’s as clerks. Then they want to label the ones filing grievances “troublemakers” and Then the butt kissers rally around the boss because they want their subs working but they don’t want to take off and let them work. If congress wanted to fix the post office they could start with management that do nothing all day but play on cell phones. LOOK at the money they could save if a postmaster was over 3 offices instead of one. One office salary (that’s all they are worth) but resposible for 3. let’s calculate the savings!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Soooooooooooooooo glad I took the latest Ver, and now my abused butt is out of there….
Postal management has been bullying PSEs all along. If you have an accident, don’t report to work (even with FMLA), don’t kowtow to the boss or squeal on regulars, you will not be retained at the end of the 360 day term. No need for paper discipline which would be grievable. They are constantly threatened with termination. It’s just like the good old days. Don’t take ‘going postal’ out of your Websters just yet!
Of course they do not quit and go to McDonalds as that is the only other place that will hire the uneducated without any skills.
Not many too many TRC’s (Temporary Rural Carrier) out there now. Once their 51 week’s were over, they aren’t rehired (as per latest contract) My office still has RCA’s sorting mail and doing other clerk functions. Clerks don’t care as long as they’re getting their hours.
TRC’S ARE RURAL CARRIERS AND YES THE UNION IS LETTING IT HAPPEN. THE PRESIDENT OF OUR LOCAL IS RESPONSIBLE.
What puzzles me is how this is supposed to be a Government job, but the Government not only sits by and allows these things to happen, some of the officials like Rep. Issa incourages it. It’s simply not hard to see that a cheaper, non-benefited, workforce is what they aspire for. It’s an absolute shame that you can go and serve your country, and in many cases pay the altimate sacrifice, only to come home and not find a good paying job, which I think should be guaranteed after you serve. The problem is that those rich elected officials are robbing us blind, of everything. If we were really a great nation of people we would throw all of those bums out. Do you realize that the U.S.P.S. is the largest employer of veterans. I guess no one cares what happens to you after your discharged from service, and most of them (officials) never even served. So with all this rhetoric about losing money is just part of the ploy for privatization. The greedy officials would love to get a piece of this pie, and with a cheaper work force how they go wrong? A fair days work for a fair days wages is what I always say,so let the Post office get what they want to pay for, no service.
is abusing huh? If you axed me I’s say da word should be ‘are abusing’. But hey an education is not a requirement to be a union member.
Barbara..what are TRC’s? Management will do what they want. The union can not prevent it, but the union can grieve it. Grievances take time.
So the union did not just let it happen. TRC????
Clerks were replaced with the TRC’s doing their job. Union said they are working on it. Guess what, they just let it happen.
Check the PSE’s hired in Delaware. The union has just let it happen.
@enufisenuf: Maybe you should go back and read the article again. Slowly.
There are some pretty serious discrimination issues going on, and it’s probably time to seek legal assistance outside the postal service. There are certain management personnel taking matters into their own hands, and they need to learn the proper procedures themselves.
Would be nice if they would have protected full time employees instead of giving in to this parttime workforce. How is a person supposx to raise a famil on a parttime job. And wait and see what happens when you have to work 2 jobs to get by. The post office will be firing your butt
if the APWU had bothered to show as much concern for ptrs and window clerks a lot of us would still have jobs. 22 years service & now I live on welfare. APWU SUCKS ASS!!!!
The Postal Service is abusing Postal Support Employees in small offices by ordering them to work and systematically requiring production out of them. This is unheard of…just who do they think they are? Director Rob Stunk has declared. “And we intend to do something about it.
They abuse both Regular and PSE, When you work for PO, you have the commitment to accept your mentally and physically been abused. Unless you know how to kiss ass.