Trenton Metro Area Local

American Postal Workers Union

AFL-CIO

President Bill Lewis

 

 

 

Bill's Resource Page

Phone Numbers, Forms & Links

 

Breaking News

Local News & Bids

Postal News

 APWU National News

 

Employees Assistance 

Program  

1-800-EAP-4-YOU
(1-800-327-4968)
TTY 1-877-492-7341
www.eap4you.com

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President's Page  

Vice President's Page 

Executive Secretary

Human Relations 

Clerk Craft

Clerk's Bidding Phone #

Local's Information Page

Address Change

Postal Mag

Postal Reporter

Lewis Letters

Postal Employee Network

Legislative 

Mileage  

Solidarity 

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Local's Attorney

Mark Belland, Esq.

OBBLAW.com

 

Local's Accountant

Mark Lavinsky, CPA

rlhpcpa.com

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From The Past

Lab Rat Corner 

Trenton P&DC  

New Building   POAC  

Updates from the past

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Conventions

2008 NJ State APWU

March 31- April 2, 2008

Bally's Resorts

Atlantic City, NJ 

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APWU 

National Convention

August 18-22, 2008

Las Vegas, NV

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Tri State Educational Seminar

Hosted by Eastern Regional Coordinator Mike Gallagher & PPWU

April 17-18, 2008

For hotel and additional information

 

Maintenance Issues

Clerk Issues

Motor Vehicle Issues

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Annual Leave

Sick Leave Issues

FMLA Issues

Deems Desirable

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 CSRS and FERS Handbook for Personnel and Payroll Offices

 


   TOP       

 Local News

 

 

Important Dates to Remember

 

Local Union Meeting, September 13, 2008 @ 7 PM

V. F. W. POST 491

Oak Lane 

YARDVILLE, NJ

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Upcoming APWU Holidays

July 4, 2008

July 4 Holiday Period is July 2 - 4, 2008

Labor Day holiday is September 1, 2008

The holiday period is Aug 30, 31 and Sept 1, 2008

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2008 Pay Days

July 11 and 25, 2008

August 8 and 22, 2008

September 5 and 19, 2008

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Effective July 1, 2008, Handbook F-15, Travel and Relocation, is revised to reflect new reimbursement rates for travel and relocation.

 

The New Rate is 58.5 cents per mile for privately own vehicles

 

POSTAL ACCOUNTABILITY AND 

ENHANCEMENT ACT § 302

NETWORK PLAN

June 2008

 

Trio strikes back against post office

Postal clerks are in their fifth week of unemployment after complaining abut their boss

Photo by Claude Lewis

 

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   Tom's River DBCS Machine Update

A meeting was held on July 1st, 2008 regarding the reassignment of the Toms River mail to the Trenton P&DC.  The move of the CIOSS machine to the Monmouth P&DC has been put on hold for several weeks due to logistical and communication problems.  Once these problems are worked out the machine will be reassigned to the Monmouth P&DC.

 Pending completion of the electrical work will determine when the LIPS machine will be removed.  The time frame is approximately two weeks before dismantling the machine. 

In approximately 2 weeks, a team of Trenton maintenance personnel will begin removing the DBCS’s from Toms River.  During the interim period the Toms River mail will be sorted in the South Jersey P&DC.  Within sixty days all three machines will be processing Toms River mail at the Trenton P&DC.

January 1st, the Postal Service plans on removing the AFSM 1000 and bringing several DBCS’s from Lakewood, NJ. 

I insist any movement of personnel must be consistent with Article 12 of our collective bargaining agreement.  I will not hold mandatory excessing meetings with other labor organizations in attendance 

I will keep you updated as the events unfold.  As usual with the Postal Service we can expect changes to today's plan. 

 

The postal service has notified me of up coming changes.  They plan to move 3 DBCS machines from Toms River to the Trenton P&DC.  In order to accommodate this move the postal service plans on relocating the CIOSS (PARS) machine to the Monmouth P&DC.   This movement of the CIOSS is scheduled to happen over the July 4th weekend.  The LIPS machine will be removed from our current inventory of machinery, unknown destination.

 

The removal of these two machines will cause excessing of clerk craft employees from these sections.  All excessing will be per the Collective Bargaining Agreement.  We have not yet met to discuss excessing of clerks.

 

The master plan is to bring an additional 3 more DBCS machines to Trenton, thus causing the FSM 1000 to be removed and deleted from our machine inventory, designation scrap yard.

 

The total new DBCS planned for Trenton P&DC is 6.

 

Discussion is under way to use Trenton’s maintenance department to remove and install these machines.

 

I realized this information will generate many concerns and rumors on the floor.   I will keep you informed about the impact to these areas. (6-23-08)

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MAINTENANCE IN-SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT 

 Building Equipment Mechanic, Level 9

Electronic Technician, Level 10

Mail Processing Equipment Mechanic, Level 9

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS OPEN FROM JULY 1 THRU JULY 31, 2008

 

 

Clerk Posting for General Clerk in the Maintenance Office (Posted 6/23/08)

PS form 1717

 

  Clerk Posting  CL -9520 (revised 6/17/08)

Clerk Bidding Page

Information on remaining a live bidder, bidding phone number.

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Federal Court Order Awarding the AFSM100 

Work To The Clerk Craft

 

Effective May 28, 2008, US District Court Judge Joel A. Pisano issued his decision regarding enforcement of the American Postal Workers Union/United States Postal Service pre-arbitration Settlement Agreement, dated October 28, 2005, for AFSM staffing at the Trenton P&DC. 

Judge Pisano stated, “The Settlement Agreement provides for the clerk craft to have primary jurisdiction over the positions on the AFSM-100 machines and that, in the event work requires less than six employees to staff the machines, the remaining positions on the machines will be staffed by clerk craft only.  Thereby, if there is a ‘reduction in work [,]’ then clerks only operate the machines.  Although the Settlement Agreement does not define ‘reduction in work [.]’ the terms of the Agreement do not limit the method by which the reduction in work may occur.  That is, the Agreement sets forth a staffing procedure invoked by a ‘reduction in work’ irrespective of how that reduction in work takes place. 

In this instance, the modifications to the AFSM-100 resulted in a ‘reduction in work.’  The addition of the AI and ATHS automated features caused ‘a reduction of the AFSM[-]100 operating crew, [a] decrease[] in operation run times, and efficiencies in the preparation activities.’  (Lewis Aff. II Ex. B).  As a result, the ‘reduction in work’ caused by enhancements to the AFSM-100 machine trigger the Settlement Agreement’s staffing reduction procedure. 

Thus, pursuant to the Settlement Agreement, the clerks maintain jurisdiction over the stations in the AFSM-100 machines in the Trenton facility, irrespective of the

enhancements.  Accordingly, the Court holds that there is no dispute of material fact that the Settlement Agreement covers the dispute of which Trenton Metro now complains-whether clerks or mail handlers have jurisdiction to operate the AFSM-100 machines-and is ‘sufficiently specific as to be capable of implementation.’  Consolidation Coal, supra, 666 F.2d at 810.  The Court further holds that the Settlement Agreement is entitled to enforcement. 

Pursuant and in accordance with the Judge’s order, the APWU expects immediate staffing of the three FSM 100 machines with the clerk craft. 

The APWU will monitor USPS compliance with the Judge’s order and pursue appropriate pay remedies for all work performed by the Mail Handler craft on the AFSM 100’s commencing today.

 

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TO ALL EMPLOYEES:

 FSS BUILDING EXPANSION

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE 

Construction activity on the FSS Building Expansion will begin as early as July 1, 2008.  During this time, Turner Construction will be fencing off a zone in the South/East corner (adjacent to Rte. #130) of the employee parking lot.  This is known as Phase I. 

During Phase 1, the Rte # 130 exit will be maintained, but obviously there will be an impact to employee parking.  We will be opening up an overflow parking lot in the trailer parking area (behind the VMF). 

Please be patient with us during this construction period. 

Russ Herrick

(A) Plant Manager

 

 

Trenton P&DC's Building Expansion

 

Construction Bids have been awarded the project should begin shortly

Construction Should be Completed: ??-??-??

 

Flat  Sequence System 

Deployment / Installation Begins October 2009

 

Watch Videos of Flats Sequencing System FSS

Source Postal Reporter

Additional FSS Information

 

 

Early Info on the FSS

Source APWU

 

The most recent addition to the Automation stable is a workhorse called the Flat Sorter Sequencer (FSS). This new, large piece of equipment will be deployed for the first time later this year. The schedule calls for 100 FSS machines to be in operation by the end of 2010. There may be even more after that.

Anyone who remembers working on an LSM (Letter Sorting Machine) will recognize similarities with the FSS. The mail is inserted into a slot in a cart; at the bottom of the cart, a slot-door opens that drops the piece into the appropriate bin. The preventative-maintenance route is certain to include checking for open cart doors. For many there will be some deja vu.

The 360-bin FSS is divided into four logical units of 90 bins each. The automatic feed will process as many as 17,000 flats per hour through the FSS. The Postal Service intends for the FSS to walk-sequence flat mail, and to have it run the same as a two-pass DBCS (Delivery Bar Code Sorter).

The FSS machines will be deployed in multiples of two, three, four, or even five machines to an office. Most facilities already have made or are in the process of making floor space available. The latest schedule shows Bulk Mail Centers in Los Angeles, Atlanta, and New Jersey to be first in line for FSS deployment.

Increased Number of ETs

As far as the Maintenance Division is concerned, the additional FSS capability will increase the number of ETs in each office. While it will vary from office to office, you can expect up to 15 additional ETs for the first FSS. Additional machines will require more ETs, just not as many.

The effect on the number of MPE employees is not known at this time, but both MPEs and ETs will require six weeks of training at the National Center for Employee Development in Norman, OK. ETs will then spend an additional five weeks of training in Norman.

We will keep you posted on our negotiations with the Postal Service over the fine points of training for the FSS deployment.

 

 

A few tidbits you need to know once you have been injured on duty: 

 

Recommendations for Family Medical Leave Documentation: 

Deems Desirable

By 

Sandy Schleher, Clerk Craft Director

Family Leave Coordinator

 Trenton Metro Area Local  

 

Due to several recent incidents and inquiries, it’s necessary to remind everyone about the three day waiting period you must endure when suffering a work related injury. 

Injuries that result from work activity occurring over more than one day, occupational injuries, have a three-day waiting period before OWCP wage loss compensation will be paid. The employee must be in a non-pay status for the first three days. No leave may be used, but if the inability to work exceeds fourteen calendar days, compensation will be paid for any wage loss during the three-day waiting period. These rules are unchanged. 

Thanks to President Bush signing the “Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act” into law, as of December 20, 2006, there is now a three day waiting period before continuation of pay (COP) is paid for traumatic injuries. Traumatic injuries occur in a single day or shift. This new rule applies to USPS employees only. 

During the first three-day period of a traumatic injury, you may choose to use annual leave, sick leave or leave without pay. If the disability exceeds fourteen days, or is followed by permanent disability, any leave that was used will be restored, if LWOP was used, the employee will be paid.

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ATTENTION ALL TRENTON  CLERK CRAFT EMPLOYEES 

Excessing Information (5/13/08) 

Think before you bid to a station and branch job

 

I have requested the Postal Service to rescind the excessing notices.  USPS management has refused, claiming we are still overstaffed in the stations and branches.

 

The Postal Service has notified the union that due to a function 4 review there is a need to excess full time regular clerks from the stations and branches. 

 

Circle Branch plans to excess 5 clerks

Downtown plans to excess 4 clerks

Fort Dix plans to excess 4 clerks

Main Office Window plans to excess 2 clerks

Mercerville plans to excess 1 clerk

Annex plans to excess 6 clerks (this is pending)

Chambersburg plans to excess 1 clerk

Yardville plans to excess 1 clerk

 

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6 years later we are still fighting

We must never forget

10/18/01

 


 

TOP       

APWU National News

 

 

 

 


Breaking News

 

PostalProfiles.com (Postal MySpace) Launches
PostalMag.com owner Tom Wakefield has launched PostalProfiles.com, a powerful social networking platform for postal people. He is asking for 100 people to sign up to start using and testing the site. Shortly thereafter, the site will open to unlimited registrations. The new site allows members to create their own blogs, post unlimited photos and much more. More information... - Comments

 

 

 


TOP   

Postal News

USPS should take 'service' out of its name

Long lines, no stamp vending machines, fewer window clerks, they want you to buy your stamps at your local supermarket or online. Perhaps it is time for the United States Postal Service to change its name to the United States Postal Company.

Post Office surcharge could slash Netflix profit

Netflix Inc., the largest US mail-order movie-rental service, may suffer a cut in profit if the US Postal Service starts charging extra to manually sort the envelopes that carry its DVDs, a Citigroup Inc. analyst said.


TOP    

    

Articles

Ventilation Filtration System VFS

By Gary Kloepfer

 

Automated Postal Centers

Installed in  Trenton P&DC Main Office Window 

Which Re-Hab or District employee will scab our work?

Could this be the first grievance when the building reopens?

 

Administrative Leave

 The following information is provided to assist locals 

in documenting Administrative Leave grievances.

 

12/60 Work Limitations and the

Appropriate Remedy for Exceeding the Ceiling

 

 


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