Volume XXXI, No. 21, September 7, 2001

Agreement Reached On Step-Increase Waiting Time

 APWU Executive Vice President William Burrus announces that agreement has been reached on the grievance filed protesting the delay in crediting employees' waiting time for their step increases. This issue involved the time credited from date of hire toward employees' initial step increase.

Most employees begin their employment with the Postal Service on Day One of the service week (Saturday) and receive credit for their initial step increase from the first day of employment. On occasion, some employees are hired after the beginning of the work week, and, pursuant to postal regulations, only service for a full week is credited toward step increases.

In the process of crediting waiting time for employees who were employed only one full week of the first pay period, the Postal Service computer was programmed so that if an employee began employment on Day Two through Day Eight of their first week of employment, the employee would not receive credit toward the first step increase until the beginning of the second pay period, thus denying the employee credit for the second week of initial employment. This practice extended the first-step waiting period (from Step A to Step B) from 96 weeks to 97 weeks (Grade 5) and delayed all subsequent step increases.

This settlement reimburses employees who were required to work in excess of the contractual waiting period prior to receiving their initial step increase and for all subsequent step increases that were similarly delayed. The promotional system requires that when employees change from one pay grade to another, they properly begin a new waiting period, so some employees are properly denied a step increase within the contractual period.

Eligible employees will have their step-computation dates adjusted to reflect hiring on Day One of the pay period by adjusting retroactively the effective date for their initial and all subsequent step increases for a period of up to two weeks prior to the date received. Eligible employees will receive appropriate back pay.

Salary history of eligible employees will be reconstructed for employees hired from PP 01-1985 to present; however, salary adjustments will be made only for step increases received after Oct. 3, 1992 - the date the grievance was filed.

An example of the entitlement of an eligible employee would be as follows:

The employee's initial step increase would be adjusted retroactively to reflect movement from Step A to Step B (Grade 5). The salary difference from Step A to Step B varies with changes to the pay scale (COLAs or wage increases) but is approximately one hundred dollars per pay period (Grade 5). So if the employee was denied the initial step increase for a period of one pay period, he/she would be entitled to back pay of $100, plus additional back pay for each subsequent step that is delayed. (Step A to Step B = $100, Step B to Step C = $100, Step C to Step D = $90, and D through O = $30 per pay period for each step increase.) This approximate amount would be increased or decreased based upon overtime hours worked, Sunday premium, Holiday pay and LWOP.

The list of eligible employees, provided by the USPS, can be found on the APWU web site (www.apwu.org). In addition, each local is being mailed a copy of the entire list.

Employees who believe that they meet the eligibility criteria, but whose names do not appear on the list, should forward a copy of their Form 50 to Burrus' office for review. Employees whose names appear on the list are not required to take any action to receive the adjustment and back pay. The records of the employees will be reviewed at the national level, and adjustments, where appropriate, will be made automatically.

FY 2002 Treasury-Postal Appropriations Passes House

Report Critical of USPS Emergency Policies and Practices

 Prior to the August recess, the House of Representatives approved the FY 2002 Treasury-Postal Appropriations bill, H.R. 2590, by a vote of 334-94. Contained in the bill is committee report language highly critical of the Postal Service Emergency Policies & Practices. The report, as proposed by Rep. Carrie Meek (D-FL), states:

"In its report last year (H.Rpt. 106-756), the Committee expressed its concern that during Hurricanes Irene & Floyd, the U.S. Postal Service may have put the health & safety of South Florida postal employees at risk by continuing business as usual for an unreasonable period & failing to curtail postal operations in a timely manner. As a result of that concern, the Committee urged the U.S. Postal Service to report to the Committee, by October 1, 2000, on its weather emergency policies & practices and to adopt a policy & practice of following the recommendations & directives of federal, state & local emergency management & weather authorities in all locations served by the Postal Service when weather emergencies arise.

"Despite this request, the Postal Service did not report to the Committee, nor does it appear that it has adopted a policy & practice of following the recommendations & directives of federal, state & local emergency management & weather authorities in all locations served by the U.S. Postal Service when weather emergencies arise.

"The Committee continues to believe that the health & safety of postal employees must never be put at risk in order to deliver the mail.  Thus, the Committee directs the Postal Service to report to the Committee by Oct. 1, 2001, on its weather emergency policies & practices, and strongly urges the Postal Service to adopt a policy & practice of following the recommendations & directives of federal, state & local emergency management & weather authorities in all locations served by the U.S. Postal Service when weather emergencies arise.

"In its October 1, 2001 report, the U.S. Postal Service shall describe any variation between U.S. Postal Service weather emergency policies & practices & those used by federal, state & local emergency management & weather authorities, including the jurisdiction for each variation & shall indicate whether it will agree to follow the recommendations & directives of federal, state & local emergency management & weather authorities in all locations served by the U.S. Postal Service when weather emergencies arise."

APWU to USPS: Please listen to Congress. Follow their directives and adopt the policy enumerated above before U.S. Postal Service employees are killed, injured or maimed!

Reservations Deadline Sept.18Now is the time! 

'Conference Call': NPC set for Atlantic City

The meeting of the National Presidents' Conference (NPC) will be held in the Eastern Region on Sunday, Oct. 21 and Monday, Oct. 22, 2001, at the Sheraton Convention Center Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ.  The host local president is Susan M. "Sue" Carney. She can be reached at (856) 261-4047 or via e-mail at suec_98@hotmail.com.

Registration will be held from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 20 at the hotel. The conference will run from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday and from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Monday.  A fee of $50 will be collected at registration.  Make checks payable to "APWU Presidents' Conference."

Conference Agenda

Agenda items will be accepted up to Oct. 13 by fax (910) 485-7909 or mailing them to Tony D. McKinnon, Sr., 2606 Raeford Rd., Suite 11, Fayetteville, NC 28303. You can also submit items online until the day of the conference at www.nccouncilapwu.org/npc/

Please be as thorough as possible. We will accept agenda items at the conference, but those sent in advance will have priority. If an agenda item needs further explanation, we will contact you. 

Hotel/Travel Information

The hotel is the host hotel of the Miss America Pageant and is just a short walking distance from many casinos, area restaurants, the boardwalk and ocean. A shuttle service is available to these destinations, plus all casinos.

For travel information, call Amtrak at 1-800-USA-RAIL. Amtrak goes directly to Atlantic City. There is also the Atlantic City Bus Station. The closest international airport is Philadelphia, which is approximately one hour away. There is also an airport in Atlantic City about 10-15 minutes from the hotel. The hotel provides complimentary shuttle service from the Amtrak station and Atlantic City's bus terminal and airport.

For more specific travel information, you can speak with someone in reservations at the number provided below or call the hotel directly at (609) 272-0200 and ask to speak with someone at the front desk.

To make reservations at the Sheraton Convention Center Hotel, call (888) 627-7212 or (800) 325-3535. The rooms have been blocked from Oct. 19 through Oct. 23. Room rate for single/double is $127 plus 12 percent sales tax and a $1 tourism fee per night per room applies. Additional person charge of $20 plus 12 percent sales tax applies where applicable. Please identify yourself with the APWU Presidents' Conference! The final cut off date is Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2001. 

Check in is 3 p.m. and check out is 12 noon. Limited valet parking is available to all guests of the hotel at a cost of $8 per day. Limited day use self-parking is available at the rate of $5 per day. Guests who cancel must do so 48 hours prior to arrival and must receive a cancellation number in order to receive a refund.

REC Site Conference

The REC Site Conference Registration will take place at the Sheraton Convention Center Hotel on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2001, beginning at 9 a.m. and is open to all presidents, officers and stewards with REC concerns. The registration fee is $15 per delegate. Please submit advance agenda items to Morline Moore, Chairman, P.O. Box 469, Beaumont, TX 77704, no later than October 10, 2001. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Morline Moore at (409) 838-0189.

Nov.29-Dec.1 in Miami Beach

Secretary-Treasurer Seminar

Secretary-Treasurer Robert L. Tunstall has announced that a Secretary-Treasurer Seminar has been scheduled Nov. 29-Dec. 1 in Miami Beach.

To register for a seminar, complete the registration form and mail it to the national secretary-treasurer's office at the address given.  The registration fee is $25 for the Basic and Advanced courses and $75 for the Computerized course.  The registration fee should accompany the completed registration form or be received in the APWU national secretary-treasurer's office no later  than 15 days prior to the opening date of the selected seminar.

Registration fees are refundable for cancellations received up to 15 days prior to opening date of the selected seminars.  Registration fees are non-refundable for cancellations received 15 days or less (or no-shows at the seminar).

Sessions begin at 9 a.m. on Thursday and end at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.

To make hotel reservations, contact the hotel directly and identify yourself as a participant in the American Postal Workers Union Secretary-Treasurer Seminar.  Reservations should be made prior to the cut-off date shown for the selected seminar location.

Nov. 29-Dec. 1, 2001 - Basic, Advanced, Computerized

Hotel:

Fontainebleau Hilton Resort441 Collins AvenueMiami Beach, FL 33140

Rates:

$119 single/double plus tax (currently 12.5%)

Telephone:

(305) 538-2000 or 1-800-HILTONS

Cut-off date:  Oct. 29, 2001

If you have any questions, please contact the secretary-treasurer's office at (202) 842-4215. To register, completed forms, accompanied by the registration fee, should be mailed to: Robert L. Tunstall, Secretary-Treasurer, American Postal Workers Union, 1300 L St., N.W., Washington, DC 20005.

Registration form available at www.apwu.org

2002 Secretary-Treasurer Seminars

Please notify, in writing, Secretary-Treasurer Robert L. Tunstall if your local/state would like to host a Secretary-Treasurer Seminar in the year 2002.  Include the month, or specific dates, you would prefer for a seminar to be held.  All letters must be signed by the president of the local/state affiliate.  Requests should be addressed to Robert L. Tunstall, secretary-treasurer, APWU, 1300 L St. NW, Washington, DC 20005, and are to be received in the secretary-treasurer's office no later than Sept. 24, 2001.