VOLUME 66 No 1 Official Publication of Branch Nine, NALC ...

1 VOLUME 66 No 1 official publication of branch nine , NALC Jan/Feb 2014 NOTICE TO ALL Branch 9 MEMBERSAny proposed amendments to the Branch 9 Bylaws must bepresented in writing to the Recording Secretary no later thanthe February 25, 2014 General Membership so many new carriers at our stations now is a good time to review pivoting. Pivoting is a method of utilizing the under-time of one or several carriers to perform duties on a temporary vacant route or to cover absences. Non-preferential mail may be cur-tailed within delivery time stan-dards on the vacant route and/or on the route of the carriers being pivoted. As carriers we are required to pro-vide reasonable effort and eight hours of work for eight hours of pay (less our two 10 minute breaks.)

2 There is no argument that on some days carriers have under-time that can be utilized. However, a problem arises when manage-ment infers from their figures that there is undertime and the carrier disagrees. Here are a few things to keep in mind: The projected undertime figure that supervisors share with carriers when assigning pivots is based on office time only, not street Management s numbers are based on the regular carrier s performance. Carriers unfamil-iar with the case may not be able to meet the projection. 2. Weather that can inhibit street efficiency is not factored into the No time allowances are made for heavy DPS VOLUME , working a third bundle coverage like Red Plum, or lots of packages since that work is a street func-tion and not included in the calculation of office Travel time to and/or from the pivot is usually not accounted Management may not take work off your assignment in order for you to pivot on a dif-ferent Refresher Many other factors can turn a projected pivot into overtime.

3 It is your obligation to inform management as soon as you know that it will. Submit a completed 3996 (help slip) to the supervisor if you are still in the office. If you re on the street, contact the station supervisor stating that you can t complete the pivot and ask for instructions. You can t be disciplined solely for not completing a pivot that has been assigned. If management has an issue with your performance then a private job discussion, with your union steward present, is the proper forum for discussion. If you have questions about this or any other workplace issue, talk to your union steward or call Darrell/Mike at the Branch office, 612-781-9858. Kieran Hughes (Minnehaha ) Branch nine NewsJan/Feb 20142 Branch nine , NALC2408 Central Ave.

4 NEMinneapolis, MN 55418 Voice: (612) 781-9858 Fax: (612) 781-9849E-Mail Addresses:Website: nine OfficersPresidentMike ZagarosExec. Vice PresidentDarrell MausRecording SecretaryJeremy RothsteinTreasurerLisa O NeillFinancial SecretaryMelia DerrickEditorChuck GloverSergeant at ArmsJim NelsonTrusteeMike SmithTrusteeJoAnn GilbaughTrusteeCathy JonesDirector of RetireesRodney AndersonNALC Health Benefits Waldemar(612) 963-6252 The Branch nine News is a monthly Publication of NALC Branch 9, and is published in the interest of and for the members of NALC Branch 9. The opinions expressed by the writers are not necessarily those of the OFFICERS, or of NALC Branch 9. Articles MUST be submitted to the editor by the 2nd Friday of the month, and must be signed.

5 The Editorial Staff reserves the right to edit or refuse to print articles which are derogatory in nature. Any Official NALC organization may reproduce our articles provided appropriate credit is retired Mike McKinney (Lake Street) gets a congratulatory hand-shake from Darrell Maus ( Branch 9 VP).Flanked by Steward Joe Rian and Darrell Maus, Richfield carrier Terry Young makes that much anticipated last Paul Layer (left) is all smiles as he helps celebrate Jim Grange s, retirement from Diamond Koch (Robbinsdale) closes out her postal career in 2014 Branch nine News3 Mike ZagarosPresident s ReportWho Stole the Mercury?Over the years we have been able to rely upon the January Thaw to help ease the dreariness of winter.

6 No such luck this year. Instead we are left with these questions: Isn t there a temperature when it s too cold to deliver the mail? What about carrier safety? It s unsafe to be out in these temperatures especially after I thought we were finished with forced These are just a few of the issues that our members, stewards and officers are being confronted with on a daily basis, and it s frustrating for everyone involved. The reason for the frustration is because it seems that it s caused by, for the most part, things that are beyond our control and beyond the scope of the contract. So as we look for the mercury that should be in our thermometers, the overriding question remains Isn t there anything the Union can do?

7 While delivery under adverse conditions is not new, the amount of times a week that carriers are working after dark has gone from occasionally to daily. When you add that to the extreme temperatures that led to a lot of school closings last month carriers still went out and delivered the mail 6 days a week with many are asking what is going on? I know that I am not telling you something new, but as they say in the movies, Houston, we have a problem. On the one side we have management at the local level saying I am sorry but we are short staffed. The answer to this dilemma seems simple, hire more people. The problem with the solution is the bureaucracy that goes with the hiring process. The question that has to be answered by local management is have you earned that extra staffing?

8 That same question is asked at every level from the MCSO s all the way up the District Manager, of the Western Area who has final approval before we get to hire additional staffing. Then after these new employees are hired, how do we keep them? This leads to a vicious cycle that we are short staffed because we don t have enough CCAs and too many CCAs that we hire have resigned once we get them through the door leading back to short staffing. The first thing that we as a Union can do is to watch out for and help our fellow carriers from the most junior to the most senior. Because the Union is all of us and the job of being a letter carrier has gotten a lot more difficult even without including factors like darkness and the cold being thrown into the mix.

9 Ask yourself, do you know everyone who works in your office? Do they know you? The second problem has to do with something called route structure or the make-up of a route. Is your route properly adjusted? Now the answer to that question depends on who you ask. What has become very clear both management and the craft have different ideas on what is a properly adjusted route. The answer really depends on the day, because every day is unique with different conditions, mail volumes and the like. While the contract calls for all routes to be adjusted to as close to 8 hours as possible that s about as easy as when we tried to hold mercury in our hands in school. Not so easy. Article 34 calls for a fair days work for a fair days pay, nothing more and nothing less.

10 Every carrier has an obligation to let management know if they have more work than they can complete in 8 hours and to seek instructions on what to do. This shouldn t be an argument or a haggling session. Simply tell them what you think. Management can and will use their DOIS projections which is no more or less accurate Pres. article continued on Page 11 Branch nine NewsJan/Feb 20144 USPS Board avoids the cold, flies to Las Vegas for meetingAs letter carriers in much of the country brave bitter cold, and even sub-zero temperatures to deliver the mail, the USPS Board of Governors will be flying to sunny Las Vegas for their regular monthly meeting. The fore-cast is for partly cloudy skies and high temperatures around 60 degrees above zero!