Local Memorandum of Understanding Negotiations
For those of you that don’t understand the process, the articles of your Local Memorandum of Understanding ( LMOU ) are open for negotiations for a 30 day period after the expiration of a Collective Bargaining Agreement ( CBA ) and after a new CBA has either been negotiated and ratified or has gone through the arbitration process. At that point local management and your local representatives review the current LMOU and submit any proposals for change. At the end of the 30 days either party has the right to appeal any proposal still in dispute to Impasse Arbitration. The appeal process consists of both parties:
1) meeting,
2) agreeing on the proposals, and
3) signing off on an appeal form that lists the items that are in dispute.
It also allows the party not initiating the appeal the opportunity to submit any documents or arguments they may have with the appeal form. It is then met on at the regional level by an APWU National Business Agent ( NBA ) and a representative of the USPS to come to an agreement or they can decide to arbitrate the proposed changes to your LMOU.
Your negotiating team consisted of me as the chairperson, Dan Van Minnen, Robert Burton and Clinton Whitfield as the alternate. Management’s negotiating team consisted of Andy Weaver as the Chairperson, Joe Gutierrez and Ken Walzyck. We entered into negotiations on April 16th and they concluded on May 16, 2007. The two main issues that were proposed by management were:
1) Management wanted to put more restrictions on your representatives attending conventions or assemblies on your behalf. Including that attending conventions or assemblies would be determined by management and operational needs. As we explained to management delegates are elected by the membership to attend these assemblies and conferences for training purposes which supports the theory of better representation. This proposal is in dispute.
2) All stations, for the purposes of leave bidding, would do so separately. We could not support this because fewer APWU clerks will be off at any given time. Therefore this is in dispute as well.
You have to understand that we have held true to Bargaining in Good Faith we considered the proposals management submitted however, a member of the management team made it very clear that it was their way or the Impasse/Arbitration way prior to the first meeting. Information we requested we never got; some information we got in the source of a 6”stack of 953 papers on the last day of negotiations. An attempt was made to hand deliver some information on the last day to appeal June 15th via certified mail, addressed to me; when the server was informed by brothers Bob & Dan to leave notice in our union P.O. Box and I would sign for it accordingly, the manager then proceeded to scan it refused and never attempted delivery to our box. The Postmaster did not participate in Local negotiations because he was misinformed by the same manager that we were not willing to Bargain in Good Faith. The list goes on; management initiated the two Articles described above to Impasse Arbitration and this was even after I informed them about the proper procedure to initiate impasse.
I was not even given the opportunity to include my input period. The proposals were then sent off without my signature on an appeals form. Do not lose faith because I did send my contentions to the proper individuals. My personal opinion is the lack of bargaining in good faith on management’s part caused the failure of LMOU negotiations. We will await notification of the outcome and inform you when we receive an answer.
NIXIE Mail / Paper Dolls
USPS management approached me and asked if I would meet with them after the decentralization
of the NIXIE mail from the AMPO to each individual station. My position has always
been that management needed to either return the mail to the AMPO and repost the
Review Clerk job management reverted or upgrade a position to a Level 6 at each of
the other five stations. When I was asked to participate in these meetings it was
made clear to me that management was soliciting my input in upgrading a position
at each station with the least effect of on the operation and employees. So I willingly
participated. We met 3-
Lobby Sweeps
Management continues to perform bargaining unit work in our lobbies, at our windows and on our APCs. We need to protect our work. We cannot continue to give it away. In accordance with the Postal Operations Manual: a lobby director is a courteous knowledgeable clerk whom performs all duties that a sale service associate performs, except money transaction. It is our position at the local level and national level that this is clerk work and should be performed by a clerk, including distribution clerks. In addition, management only had the right to act as host of the APCs during their first 90 days of implementation. That time is well past and it is time that the Postal Service provide APC training to our employees.
Exercise Your Right as a Member and Vote
As members of the largest Postal Union the American Postal Workers Union you have
the right to vote for the leadership team that represents you at the local and national
levels. National Ballots are being sent September 12-
Picnic at the Denver Zoo / New Website in progress
The day at the Denver Zoo was a great success, we estimated around 170 people participated.
Craig Hill organized the purchase of some great new Local Shirts so those were
unveiled. Bottled water was sold for COPA. To say it was warm is a understatement.
If the membership decides to do it again we’ll talk about holding it later in the
year or in a room with air-
Your local has a web site thanks to Ted Seidler. All of you that know Ted is a perfectionist so he declares he is perfecting it. It looks good to me as he has done a great job and we’re looking forward to being able to get information to the membership in a more of an expedited and timely fashion. A lot has changed in our local and a lot has happened over the last year and half. Your little Local is on the map and we’ve been at the top of the list when it comes to COPA contributions in Colorado for three years running and going for four. Your local also just received a prestigious award for being one of the best organized locals in the country, 92% organized! Watch for more upcoming information about the website and watch for some photos. Please continue to get involved. Remember that management is not your friend and it takes all of us to be successful in the enforcement of the National Agreement.
In Union Solidarity
Your Union Sister,
Shelly
August 2007
It’s Not Personal, It’s Business
by Shelly Alvarado
President’s Report ARCHIVES |
President's Report |
Vice President's Report |
Dan's Tool Box |
Legislative Alley |
Auxiliary |
Other Voices |
Attack on Public Sector Union Workers |
Mo Merow |
Don Foley |
Omar Gonzalez |
David Steinbach |
Weingarten Rights |
Representation Rights |
FMLA |
Workplace Harassment |
All About Weingarten Rights |
Retail Rights |
Additional Workers' Rights |
Labor History |
Documents |
Gallery |
It Pays To Belong |
No VOE |
Contact Us |