William Burrus  APWU President

Ask the President

Question:

I am grateful for many of the things the union does for me. However, I am a PTF, and as you know, being a PTF is sometimes difficult. We face challenges today that we have never faced before. We are losing clerk hours every year, and now we are facing the worst, LAYOFFS. Even though I was covered in the last contract, my job still may not be safe. If a reduction-in-force (RIF) comes into play, I could be bumped by another employee, who has more time than me.

When is all of this supposed to take place? To a lot of the full-time work force, PTFs are nothing. They forget what it’s like to be a part-time flexible clerk: working in two or more offices just to earn extra hours, putting your family life on hold because you work flexible hours to meet service needs. I work in a Level 18 office, and there is no hope of ever becoming full time. Is this the end for PTFs?

Name Withheld, Mississippi Postal Workers Union

President Burrus:

Thank you for communicating with me through this forum. Having served as a PTF (“Substitute”) employee many years ago, I still remember the indignities and uncertainty associated with the category. Because of those memories, I was so proud of our success in eliminating the category in 200 work-year offices. I know that this did not solve the problem for PTFs in smaller offices, but prior to 2006, all Clerk Craft employees began their careers as part-time employees.

While we have not been successful in converting PTFs in small offices to full time, an agreement has been reached that PTFs in small offices who wish to be converted to full time must be considered in priority order for transfer to any vacancies in 200 work-year offices.

In these tough economic times, mail volume has suffered dramatically, so management has reduced hours aggressively. I realize that human beings are affected by these decisions and the union will be reviewing every possible avenue to protect the employees.

I suggest that you contract your state APWU president, Sundrenia Thigpen, at (662) 378-2750. I suspect that many of the hours lost by PTFs have been transferred to supervisors or postmasters, and this possibility should be investigated, with grievances filed as appropriate.

Thank you for your membership and your faith in the union.

Nov. 4, 2008