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Postmaster Keith Coleman has been in Aurora for a few months and has met with your union representatives once on May 7th.   At this meeting I was assured that the Postmaster would be meeting with me regarding staffing and the possibility of excessing. This has not happened.  We also agreed that until we meet on this issue and develop facts, not rumors, nothing  was going to be open to discussion on the workroom floor.  Well, we all know this agreement has not been fulfilled because many of you have been in attendance at stand-ups and discussions held by station Managers and Supervisors advising you that we are 14 clerks over in Aurora, and clerks are going to lose their jobs.  I did take this issue to the Postmaster only to be brushed off when the buck was passed  to Andy Weaver to respond to my concerns.  Mr. Weaver’s response to these issues was that I was to direct future correspondence directly to him and not the Postmaster, per the Postmaster. As I informed Mr. Weaver, and am assuring you, as your local President, my focus is on your best interest, and I will direct all labor issues directly to the Postmaster, or others if necessary, but not Andy Weaver.


Excessing


At this time I have not been officially notified about any excessing to positions outside Aurora or excessing into the carrier craft.  Management has an obligation under the provisions of Art. 12, sec. 4 & 5 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement ( CBA ). These provisions are dependant on the type of excessing that will occur.  If it is excessing outside of Aurora, or outside of craft they must notify your Regional Coordinator Omar Gonzales up to 6 months in advance and provide Mr. Gonzales with information to document their plan.  They must also meet with Mr. Gonzales at least 90 days before this plan is implemented.  As of yet I have no knowledge that this has happened.  If management is going to excess outside of a section within the installation, the Postal Service is required to notify me. This has not happened.  It does not mean it will not happen.  Excessing has been occurring in different areas surrounding Aurora and throughout the United States.




Job Secuity

It is everbody’s responsibility. Not just your local officers or your local stewards. Yours. Every day APWU represented employees are watching while carriers and Postal management are doing APWU bargaining unit work and saying nothing.  Postal Management is coming to employees  playing “Lets Make a Deal” with the CBA, and employees are making those deals at the expense of their fellow employees and disrespecting the provisions that have been fought for on your behalf.  It is up to you where we go from here.  You can’t just  say something when you have been by-passed on overtime or management improperly mandated you to work a Holiday and you were planning a camping trip.  Or God forbid, the Postal Service attempts to lay you off and then you want to quote the no lay off protection located on Page 286 of the CBA.  It is in your best interest to stop playing “Let’s Make a Deal” with the contract and start assuring that Postal managements abides by the provisions or you are requesting a steward. You could be dealing yourself right out of a job. Every day there are Supervisors performing lobby sweeps, distributing mail, changing employees schedules, scanning the box up time when box mail is not up, etc. Be familiar with your contract and if you are in question if something is a violation, ask for a steward.


Consolidation of  Stations in Aurora

Our national union has been notified that all Aurora Stations are being evaluated for the possibility of consolidating.  There again management has chosen to ignore an agreement they entered into that states all existing retail operations within an installation will remain within that installation.  National President Burrus has sent a letter to the Postal Service to remind them of this agreement and appointed Clerk Craft director Jim McCarthy the responsibility of assuring the Postal Service does not violate this provision.



Where Oh Where Has

Customer Service Gone?

You do an excellent job providing customer service with the tools you are given.  If management chooses to schedule one clerk on the window and customers walk out the door, they are to blame.  If management chooses to schedule fewer and fewer window clerks to process passports and send a $25.00 passport out the door, they are to blame. If customers cannot receive their mail at a decent time due to a shortage of clerks or carriers, Postal management needs to accept the responsibility.  It is amazing that it appears that the Postal Service is sabotaging the service we provide to our customers when the customer is the lifeline to the survival of the Postal Service. Are they not aware that if the Postal Service does not survive, they do not have a job either?


If you watch or read the news you are well aware of the state of the economy.  Every day men and women are being laid off, businesses are closing their doors.  Parents are worrying about how to put a roof over their families heads, food in their mouths and God forbid someone in the family becomes ill, because they have no health insurance.  We have a lot to be thankful for we do not have these worries. Always remember: we have a great job, we make a great wage and receive great benefits that our union has negotiated and fought for. Don’t take it for granted.  Neither I nor you have the right to add to or take away any provision in our CBAn nor should you allow Postal Management  to violate those provisions.  If the Postal Service wants to negotiate changes to those provisions they need to take that up with our National President, Bill Burrus.


In closing it of utmost importance that you keep informed by watching your union bulletin boards, visit apwu.org, visit our local unions web site at auroralocalapwu.org or talk to your officers or stewards.  This is the time to be vocal and reach out to the politicians you elected to represent you and make them aware the possibility of Post Offices being closed in their city, county ,state. Make them aware of the state of Postal Service and the sabotage of service to their communities. If you go to apwu.org or our local website there is information on contacting Senators Udall and Bennett to ask for them to support and co-sponsor the Employee Free Choice Act so more employees can collectively bargain for their wages, hours and working conditions as we do.  We cannot continue to sit back. This is the time to fight the fight like never before.

July 2009

Reality Today, Tomorrow

by Shelly Alvarado

President’s Report ARCHIVES

April 2008

August 2007

February 2007

October 2006

July 2006

May 2006