by Mike Puterio

So you thought you had a job, eh? A good job. Good days off, good hours.  Seniority has its privileges, eh?  You’re a senior lead clerk, level 7, do the tasks you want to do.  But do TACS? No, I do not want to do that. Station inputs? No, let them find some junior clerk to do that.  In fact, let management do that work.  I just want to take it easy, do the little bit of watching others breaks, jot down some numbers. That is what seniority and job security is, isn’t it?

Well, brothers and sisters, if you think that way, and a lot of our members do, then think again. Your job is under attack. You let others, particularly management, do some of those ‘pesky’ duties, let some tasks go for days until it is so backed up it is a mess, and then what. You find out management wants to abolish your job. Get rid of a couple of clerks. Excess your office.

Why would the union do that, you ask?  It is not the union. It is management. It is the attitude that there is clerk work not worth doing. Pass the buck. Let the union fight. Blame everyone but the real culprit, you.

The Postal Service nationwide is looking at getting rid of some 10000 jobs, and our members have caused some of this. Simply by not being willing to do certain work, by not being willing to call management out for doing clerk work, for not caring about what is going on around them.

Brothers and sisters, it is not too late. Demand that the work that is rightfully ours is done by clerks. Be willing to learn TACS, to perform the work. Do that work that is not considered good work. Call management out for not doing the right thing.

Be unionists, not just in a label, not just by paying dues. A unionist, supporting union causes, union representatives, union issues. Demand what is right. Demand respect. The fight is not the unions; the fight is ours.

For all PSEs and non career employees!!

A special enrollment period for the USPS Health Plan is now open. We encourage any PSE who desires to enroll to review the information and process as soon as possible. The enrollment period ends June 30, 2016.

To see this information, click here.

In a typical example of corporate disdain and disregard for unions, their employees, and the compesation they deserve, Cablevision has gone to new lengths to get rid of a union, and pay their employees less than they deserve.

Brooklyn technical workers voted to unionize through the CWA three years ago. In that time, Cablevision has refused to negotiate a fair contract with the CWA, arguing that by paying those workers compensation comparable to technicians in other locales, it would be unfair to non-union workers. They have also allegedly threatened to withhold raises unless the group votes to decertify the CWA, without ever negotiating a fair contract. A typical representation of the attitude of big business in today's climate.

For the whole article, click here.

The American Postal Workers Union continually fights for safe jobs. The Postal Service, as we all know, is not the safest place to work. Learn what we can do to keep ourselves safe, and what the Union is doing to help keep us safe. For more information, click here.