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Locals Urged to Grieve Violations
Associated with e-CBM Program
(11/16/09) Maintenance Division officers are encouraging local unions to file grievances protesting contract violations that occur as management implements the electronic Condition Based Maintenance (e-CBM) program in their facilities. The local grievances will support a national-level dispute over the program, which was filed Feb. 23, 2009.
The union contends that the e-CBM program violates Article 7 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement by improperly directing non-Maintenance Operations Support (MOS) personnel to perform MOS duties. A July 29, 2009, Statement of Issues and Facts elaborates on the union’s contentions. [read more]
Electrical Safety
(10/28/09) Safety standards published by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) require employers to provide appropriate electrical protective equipment to employees working in areas where there are potential electrical hazards, and dictate that the equipment must be used.
These regulations also require employers (including the Postal Service) to develop Electrical Work Plans for facilities where employees may be exposed to energized electrical circuits while performing maintenance work during the installation, operation, maintenance, modification, repair, and servicing of new or existing electrical equipment. [read more]
Agreement on RMSS Q&As
(This article first appeared in the November/December 2009 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.)
On Aug. 10, the APWU and the USPS reached agreement on 26 Questions and Answers pertaining to the Revamped Maintenance Selection System (RMSS). Space considerations prevent us from printing the complete series, but some of the highlights are shown below. Click here for a complete set of the Questions and Answers [PDF].
How are selections for Maintenance positions now made?
Effective June 1, 2009, the RMSS is to be used to create and/or update Incraft, InService, and Entrance registers. Previous Incraft registers are maintained intact with those qualifying under RMSS ranked below those on the current PER. Inservice and Entrance registers established prior to June 1, 2009, are closed and replaced by the RMSS.
Did the “pecking order” for filling vacant Maintenance positions change?
No. Article 38 and the Joint Contract Interpretation Manual contain the order in which Maintenance vacancies are filled.
Does the RMSS apply to Non-MSS Maintenance positions?
The process for filling Non-MSS Maintenance positions is unchanged (reference Step 4 Q98C-4Q-C 01234701).
Why were changes made to the KSAs [Knowledge, Skills, Abilities]?
Modification of the Maintenance Craft KSAs were agreed to in order to facilitate the improvements to the Maintenance Selection System process. KSAs are now addressed as part of a rating for a job group or job family. Individual KSAs are no longer separated out for rating in the Revamped Maintenance Selection System, but are evaluated in the testing and/or review panel when rating the job group or job family.
Did the modifications of the KSAs permit any changes in assignment of work, staffing, contracting, etc. to any particular occupational group? No. The KSAs were modified only to facilitate the testing process.
Were any changes made to the Standard Position Descriptions?
No.
If I am ineligible based on the [“old process”] MSS, do I have to wait for the next Open Season to apply for PERs [Promotion Eligibility Registers]?
No. Anyone with an ineligible Incraft rating from any MSS process uses the RMSS update process.
What form do I use to request an Update?
The employee must submit a request in writing to the Maintenance MSS Coordinator. There is no specific form for this written request. The request may also be submitted by e-mail. The name, title, location, and contact information for the Maintenance MSS Coordinator is required to be maintained as a permanent posting on the employee bulletin board.
I know the proctored portion of Exam 955 will be taken at a test center. Will a computer station be available at my work location to take the unproctored portion of Exam 955?
Human Resources will ensure that a computer is made available.
If I apply for only one position, will I receive an exam rating for all jobs within the job group?
Yes. Exam ratings are obtained for all positions within a job group. An employee may update for any of the positions in that job group for which their installation is authorized.
How does the RMSS affect the senior qualified positions in Article 38.5.B.2?
Under Article 38.5.B.2, certain occupational groups are designated for placement on top of the Incraft PER for a promotion to a specific Maintenance Craft position. Once an employee is identified as qualified (eligible), if they are in one of the specified occupational groups, they will be ranked for promotion with all other PER-eligible employees in that occupational group by their seniority. It does not matter under which selection process the employee established their eligibility. All other eligible employees are ranked in their proper order beneath those occupational groups identified in Article 38.5.B.2.
In my office, I am currently a Laborer-Custodian on the Carpenter PER. I transfer to another installation, which has both Carpenter and Plumber PERs. I do not have an eligible rating for the Plumber position, but apply for it upon my arrival at my new installation, where I also request to be placed on the Carpenter PER. Will my rating/ranking on the Carpenter PER at my new installation be affected by updating my Plumber standing under the RMSS?
No. The Carpenter position rating under the previous MSS transfers with you to the new installation. You will be placed on the Carpenter PER in accordance with the Revamped MSS MOU above those with RMSS scores. Your request for placement on the Plumber PER will require you to go through the RMSS and be ranked on the Plumber PER using your RMSS score for the Plumber position. There is no change to PER eligibility or ranking obtained under the prior MSS by your taking the RMSS for a different position.
An employee, prior to RMSS, was selected for promotion contingent on training. The employee was not successful in passing the required training. Under the Joint Contract Interpretation Manual (pages 240 and 243), the employee would be declared as inactive on the PER and required to update. How will this situation be handled since updating can now occur only under the RMSS process?
An employee ranked on the PER with an eligible rating prior to RMSS who is selected for promotion contingent on training and fails that training may have an asterisk placed by their name on the applicable PER to indicate that the employee has been deactivated from that PER. Such an employee, on a one-time-only basis, may update to remove the asterisk using the RMSS update process. Removal of the asterisk is the only effect from successfully passing the RMSS update, and the employee will remain in their place and ranking on the PER.
In the same scenario as in the previous question, what happens if the employee is on the PER using the RMSS process?
If an employee already under RMSS receives an asterisk, that employee cannot update to remove the asterisk for 120 days from when the training was failed. The JCIM will be updated.
How are Part Time Regulars (PTRs) ranked on the PERs under RMSS?
As before, PTRs will be placed on the applicable PER below all Full Time Regular (FTR) employees, including those FTR employees under RMSS. Within the category of PTR, these employees will be ranked consistent with the manner in which FTR employees are ranked. If an existing PTR becomes a FTR, their existing PER eligibility will be ranked the same as any other FTR employee.
