Reprinted from the Wisconsin Postal Workers

Volume 51    No. 4                                                             PPA Award Winner      
                                          November-December, 2018

THE PRESIDENT’S REPORT  BY PAUL MCKENNA

What Is The Global Settlement And How Does It Affect You?

Over the past several months, the union has been receiving more and more calls where management is having our members working excessive amounts of overtime, including going over the 12 hour and 60 hour cap. Also, we are having issues where management is performing more clerk work than what is contractually allowed, plus carriers doing our work. If this is happening in your office, the union needs to be notified of it. Your job depends on it.

Several years ago, the APWU won a National Level Arbitration over a dispute concerning how much work a Postmaster can do in smaller offices. This arbitration award is now referred to as “The Global Settlement” and dictates how much work a Postmaster of Supervisor can do in different level offices. In level 18 offices, the Global Settlement only allows the Postmaster to do APWU Bargaining Unit work for no more than 15 hours per week. The arbitration award also states that when management does our work, it needs to be correctly recorded on a PS Form 1260, including “all time working on the window”. This means that anytime a PM is logged onto the POS, they are considered “working the window”.  It doesn’t mean that they can count just the time they are “waiting on customers”. It also requires management in the smaller offices, to record all clerk work that they perform, including distribution, unloading trucks, Box and Clerk Administration work.

How do we know if the Postmaster is being truthful when recording the time spent doing our work? There is only one way. If the clerks in the office keep track of it. The union needs every clerk to be diligent in making sure that the PM is accurately recording their time. If the clerks in the office are allowing the PN to exceed their 15 hours per week, they are allowing their PM to reach into their pockets and take money from it. It’s our work, and we need to protect it.

If a Postmaster goes over their allowable 15 hours per week, the Global Settlement states that a clerk will be paid for those hours. The Global Settlement was agreed to for one reason. To protect our work. If clerks continue to allow management to do our work, they can continue to cut jobs, and the next job they can could be yours! Protect our work!!!

The same argument needs to be said for City Carriers, Rural Carriers and CCA’s doing our work. However, they shouldn’t ever do our work. If Carriers in your office are doing our work, they also are taking money out of your pocket and causing the clerks to lose jobs. If another craft is doing our work, you need to contact the union to file a grievance on this violation, so we can get it stopped and make the clerks whole.  I believe that its managements philosophy, that if the mail keeps getting our of your office on time, they will continue to cut clerk craft jobs.

Management doesn’t care who does the work, as long as it gets done. If they have to pay a clerk for a grievance settlement for a Postmaster or Carrier doing our work, they are still saving money, because only a small fraction of these violations gets reported, and they don’t need to increase the staffing in that office. Remember, it’s not the unions contract that’s being violated, its your contract that is.

Enforce it!

(A note from the editor: The Long Island Area Local has been very effective in enforcing this provision, but much more could be gained if the members watched and tracked management working in the craft.  The remedy is to pay the clerks at the overtime rate of pay, so it adds up. For more information, contact your Area Representative)