National Association of Letter Carriers

The top step of the pay scale for a Grade 1 letter carrier is $59,859 per year, for a Grade 2 letter carrier that number is $61,097 per year. The overtime rates for those carriers respectively are $43.17 per hour and $44.06 per hour. As of the last paycheck on November 20, a Grade 1 carrier at top step should have grossed approximately $55,254 and a Grade 2 at top step should have grossed approximately $56,397. With a month left in the year (which this year represents 3 more paychecks), how is it that letter carriers throughout the branch have already grossed over $70,000?

I spoke with a Grade 1 letter carrier today who has not been on the overtime desired list at all this year. I know that this carrier has taken a reasonable amount of annual leave as well. This carrier has grossed over $73,000 so far this year. If you do the math, you'll discover that this means that the letter carrier has been forced to work over 415 hours in 48 weeks! That works out to over 8.5 hours per week stolen from his life. He is not the exception in today's Postal Service.

I also spoke to another Grade 1 letter carrier who has been on the overtime desired list (12 hour preference) for the entire year. He has grossed over $75,000 thus far. Again, the math reveals that he has worked approximately 460 hours of overtime.

For those that choose to be on the overtime desired list, that's fine (although it certainly doesn't seem to be the most efficient way to run a business). For those that are not on the overtime desired list, this constant requirement to either work more than 8 hours on a regularly scheduled day or worse yet to forfeit their day off to come to work is having devastating effects.

We are an aging workforce. More than 75 years ago, the Fair Labor Standards Act was amended to reduce the work week from 44 hours down to 40 hours. For a letter carrier in today's Postal Service, 50 hour work weeks are not uncommon and in some locations 50+ hour work weeks are the norm. People that started their careers with great attitudes have been beaten into angry souls who can't wait to escape into retirement. People are breaking down mentally and physically.

I don't want to paint all managers with a broad brush, but too many of them just don't get it. This is not what we signed up for and when you voice your displeasure to them the tired refrain is that "you're getting paid ... " or "the mail has to get delivered". The mail does have to get delivered, but at what cost?

There seems to be two incidents that have driven the explosion of overtime. First, FSS was introduced and management unilaterally implemented adjustments that were grossly inaccurate. Many offices didn't want to undergo route inspections to correct the bogus adjustments, so they muddled along.

Shortly thereafter, we had the double whammy of an exponential increase in parcel post and the elimination of the transitional employee and the creation by an arbitrator of the lower paid City Carrier Assistant. We have lots more work, and we can't make the job appealing to people at the inadequate rate that is offered. So, management is forced to make due with what they have.

Does that mean that the provisions of the National Agreement no longer apply? Absolutely not! I would like to try to help you and I need something from you in order to do that. Look at your paystub. How much have you grossed so far this year? Have you already exceeded your annual salary with 6 weeks left in the year? By how much have you exceeded your annual salary?

Talk to your co-workers. Find out if they too are working as much overtime as you are if they are not on the overtime desired list. I will guarantee this, if you gather your paystubs to establish that forced overtime is an ongoing problem in your office, I will address it with your help.

There are criteria that will have to be met. For instance, if a letter carrier is forced off the overtime list from time to time then there is a good chance that there is not a grievance. Management does have the right under limited circumstances to require non-odl carriers to work overtime. This issue has been grieved countless times and there are probably just as many losses as wins from Arbitrators on overtime issues. If you are forced to work overtime, your case will have to be examined individually on its own merit to determine whether the contract has been violated. If the contract has been violated, there will be a grievance.

What I'm talking about with this article is the systemic problem of repeated violations that occur day in and day out, week in and week out, month after month that lead to people earning blood money; earning over $20,000 worth of overtime when they don't desire any. I am talking ahout the offices where carriers are being required to work in excess of 50 hours per week when they have expressed a desire to exercise their contractual right to work only 40.

There is a Memorandum of Understanding RE: Article 8 in the National Agreement. You can find it in the JCAM at page 8-29 and you can find the JCAM at nalc.org or at nalcbranch25.com on the "Steward's Page". The key language from the MOU is printed below:

Recognizing that excessive use of overtime is inconsistent with the best interests of postal employees and the Postal Service, it is the intent of the parties in adopting changes to Article 8 to limit overtime, to avoid excessive mandatory overtime, and to protect the interests of employees who do not wish to work overtime, while recognizing that bona fide operational requirements do exist that necessitate the use of overtime from time to time.

There are a few things that you should realize when reading this MOU. First, notice that it is the intent of the parties to avoid "excessive" mandatory overtime. The memo doesn't pretend that mandatory overtime will ever be able to be eliminated in its entirety but they hope to eliminate excessive mandatory overtime. Many letter carriers believe that there is never a time that they can be forced to work overtime if they are not on the overtime desired list. That is simply not true.

The language goes on to state that the parties recognize that "bona fide operational requirements" do exist that necessitate the use of overtime FROM TIME TO TIME. What does that mean? Well, I'm not going to include in this article a description of when management is justified in forcing you to work overtime. You'd be better served if I let them figure that out for themselves. If something comes up in your office and you're forced and you want to know if it's legitimate, talk to your steward or call us here at the office.

I will tell you what it doesn't mean, in my opinion. It doesn't mean that non-odl letter carriers should be averaging 10 hours of overtime each week for 10 months. I think an arbitrator would be hard-pressed to consider that meets the parties stated intentions of "from time to time".

Like anything else, we will win some and we will lose some, but I don't want to ignore any. Do the leg work, gather your paystubs and see whether you're being forced to work from time to time or whether you can plan on having to work your next day off or whether you can plan on working in excess of 8 hours on every Globe Direct day or every Monday or every ... you get the picture. Show me the pattern and I will do my best to prevail on your behalf.

On another note, I would like to encourage as many people as possible to attend the December branch meeting. The branch will be recognizing the shop stewards for the incredible jobs that they do and it would be great for them if they were recognized by their coworkers as well. We will also recognize a few volunteers that have gone above and beyond to make different branch events a success. Oh yeah, we'll be having our traditional Chinese food spread as well.

I would like to also take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy whatever other holiday you may celebrate and a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Stay informed!

Dave Barbuzzi

Seriously, I would like everyone reading this article to turn to page 5 of this month's WAKE-UP! and read the EAP poster. Read it and, please, take it to heart.

I don't think that anyone in today's Postal Service is not "aware of" bullying. It's out there. I would even dare say that it's prevalent in some locations as the preferred supervisory technique.

Let's get something straight right now, though. I'm not going to agree that if someone looks at you funny that you are being bullied. In that instance, you are just being subjected to the facial expression of ignorance and unprofessionalism.

Bullying is different. In the last several years, things at the P.O. have gotten worse and worse. I can vividly recall when I started my career 28 years ago. The old timers, and these were men and women that had been through the threats of removal as a result of the postal strike, but these old-timers would tell their stories about how bad things were. They would describe a perverse kind of rite of passage that was one's postal career. But, and this is a big but, many of the stories would end with laughter. Perhaps our predecessors were "tougher", or perhaps had endured more outside the Postal Service so the "bullying" that they endured at work wasn't as big a deal to them as it is to some employees now.

The thing is, during my career, I hadn't really seen people calling it quits until the last few years. Years ago, it seemed like people were retiring on their own terms. Sure, every now and then someone would leave because they didn't want to deal with a new program, or a route adjustment, but they had reached the point in their career where they wouldn't have to suffer reduced benefits if they retired.

Not so anymore. In the last several years, I have seen no fewer than three letter carriers pack it in because they couldn't take it anymore. It doesn't get any easier to witness.

That brings us to the second portion of the EAP poster. Act against bullying! It seems like every month I write about one of two things: protecting your route by being a professional letter carrier, or bearing witness for your brother or sister carrier against the abusive managers.

Eventually, it will be you that is on the receiving end of the bullying behavior. Would it upset you if your wife, your mother, or your child was being spoken to and treated the way your co-worker is being spoken to and treated? If so, then why do you remain silent?

USPS Publication 552 is the "Manager's Guide to Understanding, Investigating, and Preventing Harassment". The two Joint Statements on Violence in the Workplace are enforceable through the grievance/arbitration procedure. Section 115.4 of the M39 (Management of Delivery Services) deals with maintaining a mutual respect atmosphere. This provision points out that it is "the front-line manager who controls management's attempt to maintain an atmosphere between employer and employee which assures mutual respect for each other's rights and responsibilities."

Publication 552 requires management to take your complaint seriously. The branch has been successful in the past on many M39 Section 115.4 grievances. One of the worst Postmasters the branch ever dealt with was taken out of the branch as a result of a Joint Statement grievance.

I am not soliciting you to fabricate anything. There's enough reality on the workroom floor to fill a book. I am simply asking you to take advantage of the resources that are there. Whether it be EAP, the grievance procedure, Publication 552 investigation, contacting the Inspection Service, whatever you choose to do. But please, do something. You work too hard and you do too good of a job to be bullied into throwing it all away.

Stay informed!

Dave Barbuzzi

In the January 2015 issue of the WAKE-UP!, I asked everyone to get ready for 2016. My reasoning was two-fold. First, I knew that management would be eliminating routes in some of our offices during the CDRAAP process. That has happened, but to a very limited extent thus far. I'm convinced that the only way they were able to eliminate routes was due to letter carriers either not knowing the rules, or not following them. So, I asked you nine months ago to get ready, to learn the rules and follow them regarding proper procedures to follow in the office and on the street.

Second, I knew that the Union would be successful in gaining routes during the CDRAAP process. This success is not something that the Postal Service can accept. They want the routes back! There is no doubt in my mind that the Postal Service will be launching a full-scale route inspection attack on letter carriers come the spring of 2016. If your office gained a route or routes, be prepared to demonstrate that your office indeed deserved that route(s) and still needs the route(s).

Several articles mentioned things such as proper delivery of parcels, proper safety procedures during the delivery of mail, and the benefit of performing as many duties as possible on the street instead of the office. Unfortunately, it was also necessary for articles to mention not working off the clock and not casing DPS, FSS, or circulars. Believe me, I would have much rather been writing about how flawed the Wells Report was or how the NFL self-destructed over the off-season, but the Postal Service being what it is, it was my responsibility to prepare you for next year.

Well, where do you stand? If management takes your average street time during a random 8-week period, what will it be? Are you punching properly, filling out 3996's properly, and requesting the 3996's of anyone that provides assistance to your route? Have you been checking the work hour work load reports that are posted each day? Do you know if the work hour work load reports have been posted each day in your office? Are you still casing your FSS?

Please, prepare for 2016. I'm not going to hide anything. I want your office to have as many routes as it deserves, as the volume dictates. If, or should I say when, management inspects in the low volume spring months, I am going to ask that you request special inspections en masse in September. What it really boils down to is do you want to be a victim? Or, do you want to be a well-educated professional letter carrier that controls what happens to your office during an inspection or special inspection.

Honestly, I'm sick of this. But just because I'm sick of this doesn't mean that I'm going to let my guard down at all and all I'm asking is that you do the same. Operations Programs Support (OPS) thrives when letter carriers are ignorant to their rights and responsibilities. OPS thrives when letter carriers are lazy. The Union thrives and your office benefits when you take pride in knowing each and every aspect of your job and how to properly complete your job.

Shifting gears a bit, our National Agreement expires on May 20, 2016. Preparation for negotiations are already underway for a new National Agreement. If I'm a betting man, my money is on the parties not coming to a negotiated settlement. There will most likely be an arbitrated award some months after the May expiration. That means that some time after next May, there will be another local implementation period. If you're not happy with your current local agreement or if you just want to tweak it, put together a committee now. You can never prepare too early. There is far too much work involved in attempting to improve a local agreement to delay preparations. If you have any questions, contact the branch office.

Stay informed!

Dave Barbuzzi

Summer time is usually a hectic time considering that prime time vacation is in full swing. In the past, the mail volume has "cooperated" by declining and easing the pain of short staffing. With the explosion of parcel post and the advent of Amazon everything, such is not the case anymore. The letter carriers that have done the job are to be commended for remaining professional and safe during such trying times.

Summer time is also usually a fairly quiet time from a branch perspective. This year, during June and July some 46 grievances were filed branch wide. That is only slightly below the average of about 29 each month. Although those numbers are somewhat discouraging, what is encouraging is that carriers in Newburyport, Andover, Beverly and Billerica have stepped up to be Shop Stewards. Please show your support to your shop stewards, especially Tony Bossi, Cathy Allison, Doug Murray, Jason Goodhue and George Peteff. They have taken on the tasks that are undesirable and thankless. Thank you!

The branch is growing. No, there is no merger on the horizon. The branch is growing because as the CDRAAP process moves along, as a whole, we are doing well.

We have gained hours in Acton and South Hamilton. There are reviews in each of these two towns that could/should convert the gained hours into gained routes or assignments. Stay tuned. We have gained two routes in Tewksbury, two routes and a T-6 assignment in Marblehead, a route and an aux route in Concord, a route plus in Newburyport, a route and an aux in Winchester.

We lost time in Gloucester and Maynard that has resulted in a full route becoming a 7-plus hour aux route in each office. If the carriers do their jobs, and time is properly credited, there is a good chance we should be able to restore those routes either through a review or through special inspections in the fall. EVERYONE will have to do their part in order to succeed.

We lost some time in Manchester. Beverly has gained time, but it is too early in the process to have a definitive projection. There are issues with data in Chelmsford, and new 3999's have to be performed in Sudbury, so we are awaiting the results of those zones as well. Although Burlington and Wilmington had their eighth weeks at the end of April, as of publication of this WAKE-UP! the team has not begun to put together a package to finalize the results in those offices.

So, there has been more good than bad. I truly hope that there are no longer ANY carriers working off the clock or casing mail that shouldn't be cased or taking shortcuts when delivering parcels by not going to the door and ringing the bell when appropriate and by doing things in the office that should be done on the street. Follow the lead of the offices that have been successful so that you too can be successful. This article proves that if you do the job professionally and resist the urge to take the easy way out, you will see the benefits of your hard labor in the form of a properly adjusted route! Keep up the good work and thank you!

The last thing that I would like to write about is dignity and respect at work, particularly in the morning interaction between carrier and supervisor regarding 3996's. Don't engage in an argument. Period. Supply your estimate as accurately as you can, and wait for management's disposition of your request. If your request is denied, there is ONLY ONE MORE THING TO SAY and that is: "What would you like me to do with the mail I can't deliver in 8 hours?" If they tell you they expect it to be delivered in 8, don't argue, go about your business and call from the road (at a reasonable time) to let them know that you can't complete your assignment in 8 hours. If you have medical restrictions limiting you to 8 hours, COMPLY WITH YOUR RESTRICTIONS! BRING THE MAIL BACK IF DELIVERING WOULD VIOLATE YOUR RESTRICTIONS.

Stay informed!

Dave Barbuzzi

"Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people, in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome. Group members try to minimize conflict and reach a consensus decision without critical evaluation of alternative viewpoints, by actively suppressing dissenting viewpoints, and by isolating themselves from outside influences."

I was reading about "Stockholm Syndrome" in an effort to understand why more than 75 letter carriers would be yelled at, told to "hit something" during a safety talk regarding the recent rash of safety problems in the district, and yet not one of them reduced their experience to writing and sent it to the Union office. I don't think that "Stockholm Syndrome" applies to this group of carriers, as these carriers certainly don't seem to have empathy or sympathy for this Postmaster. Perhaps pity may be more appropriate.

I cited "Groupthink" because I think it is prevalent in upper level management, labor relations, and front line supervisors. Think about it for a minute. There isn't a supervisor working for a lunatic Postmaster that doesn't know it. They don't have many options. They can go back to the craft, look for a job elsewhere, or fall victim to groupthink. In the end, the supervisors in most instances try to maintain their compassion towards their employees and retain their own dignity, but self-preservation trumps all.

Labor is not going to fix it. The POOM is not going to fix it. The front-line supervisors can't fix it. It's now up to you.

What are you afraid of? Perhaps you're afraid that your driving privileges will be revoked if you make a 3 point turn that you've been making safely for approximately 4 years and have been accompanied on at least 3 3999's while making said turn? Perhaps you're concerned that your Postmaster will instruct your supervisor to not bring you in for overtime anymore. Both of these actions were taken by the same Postmaster that told his employees to "hit something". I can almost see the 3 year old child stomping his feet and jumping up and down as he throws a temper tantrum as these stories are relayed to me.

The thing is, and you've heard this many times before, if a letter carrier behaved this way they would be put out of work immediately pending investigation. What do you think would happen if a shop steward yelled on the workroom floor for someone to "hit something"?

I think most of the supervisors deep down realize what they're dealing with, but that doesn't do us any good. That doesn't prevent the stress and anxiety that appears as soon as the alarm goes off and you're getting ready to go to work.

YOU have to stop the nonsense. YOU have to put pen to paper for yourself and your brothers and sisters. YOU have to be professional, obey and grieve, so that I don't get management's side of the story about insubordinate letter carriers. YOU have to know how to do your job backwards and forwards so that you can perform beyond reproach. YOU have to come to the realization that the solution lies within YOU and that it is going to be YOUR work that will change the way you are treated.

Look, if you're happy with being threatened, yelled at, degraded, forget that you've read this and move on to the next article. If you believe that dignity and respect aren't just words on a memo but are instead what you show others and what you expect in return, start writing. Keep a notebook with dates, times and observations (keep it on your break, lunch, or after work). Encourage your brothers and sisters to do the same. Share your observations with the POOM, hell, put the District Manager on notice as well. Most importantly, share your written, signed observations with the Union. It's the only way to cure this disease.

Stay informed!

Dave Barbuzzi

No, I didn't think so. If you receive this issue of the WAKE-UP! Before Sunday, May 3, why don't you join us for some fun at Metro Bowl in Peabody for the Branch 25 MDA Bowlathon? We do this event a couple times each year, but this is the first time we are doing it in this location. It's always a good time so why not join us for a great cause?

Speaking of great causes, May 9 is the NALC Food Drive. Unfortunately, it seems as though the food drive is about the only thing that can bring a scowl to many carriers' faces faster than the news that they are being forced to work overtime on their day off. I've said it before, but I still just don't get it. Are we so jaded with our distrust and in some cases hatred of management that we aren't able to see how much good this once a year event produces?

I won't concentrate on the negative reactions. I will point out that for the past several years on food drive day I have jumped into my car with my camera and I have driven to a few cities within the branch to get pictures of carriers doing what they do, helping those less fortunate. If your office does something special in conjunction with the food drive, let me know, I'd love to come out and take a few pies for the WAKE-UP! and/or Website!

The CDRAAP train keeps on rolling along. I am very encouraged by the work done by the local contacts, as well as that done by Steve Jean and Dan Wheeler from Branch 25, and Peter O'Keefe from Branch 18. They truly have the best interests of letter carriers in mind and have fought effortlessly for every minute that we are entitled to.

That's the good news. The bad news is that for whatever reason, there is going to be some pain in this process for offices that have neglected to follow the rules. Perhaps once the pain is suffered, a learning experience can take place. A few months ago I wrote about preparing for 2016, that is what the offices that suffer losses will have to do.

In the last several months I have written about parcel delivery, about not casing mail that shouldn't be cased, about doing everything possible on the street instead of in the office, and about NEVER working off the clock. Yet, just last week when I was in one of our stations for a PDI, the supervisor told me that he was having a tough time convincing some carriers not to "rubber band" parcels to mailboxes. Why would we not want to provide first class service, to follow the rules, to go to the door and ring the bell and place the parcel IN THE CUSTOMERS' HANDS?

Think about that for a minute. The customer has a choice. Brown tosses parcels on the porch. Red white and blue tosses parcels on the porch. Our rules and procedures dictate that we are supposed to ring the bell. We are supposed to attempt to put that parcel in the customers' hands. Our procedures dictate that we do something that the competition does not do. Our procedures, if followed, give us a competitive edge and give our brand exposure. Why sabotage that? Why eliminate a route in your office? Yeah, I don't know either.

It has come to our attention that some of the ptf's that transferred in order to become regulars are looking to return to their original offices. As far as the branch is aware, there has not been anyone that has missed out on their retreat rights. However, if you transferred to make regular and you would like to exercise your retreat rights to return to your original office, please contact the branch office so that we can monitor the situation.

Finally, just a little note to the Reading carriers. We will continue to be diligent in our efforts to make management (labor relations) comply with the arbitration decision. It involves a significant sum of money, and they seem to be hesitant to pay it. The NBA's office is involved and if we have to go before the arbitrator AGAIN, we will. I don't think she'll be please with management.

Stay informed!

Dave Barbuzzi

We all want our lives and our jobs to be as easy as they can be, right? None of us have a problem doing our fair share of work, right? If someone told us how we could accomplish a fair and manageable route, we would follow those instructions to the letter, wouldn't we? I'm pretty sure the overwhelming answer to the first two questions is yes; the answer to the third question I'm not so sure.

Why am I not sure? Well, let's just say that it seems like many carriers are having a problem seeing the forest through the trees. I am going to again try to explain to you the impact that not following the rules outlined in the M-41 (City Delivery Carriers Duties and Responsibilities) has on your route; excuse me, the Postal Service's route.

Let's start first thing in the morning. How many of you come to work in the morning, and before you've even had the chance to punch in, you notice that there are carrier's arranging their mail, getting their vehicle keys and or scanners, or even worse; casing mail? The effect of these actions are so obvious that no explanation is necessary and it's also an easy fix: DON'T DO IT!

Let's continue on with the morning. Mail flow isn't always ideal is it? What do you do when there is no mail available and you're told to go on standby time? If you say that you case FSS or DPS you are making your future miserable. How? Routes can't be given more credit for office time than office standards. Standards are based on mail volume and various fixed office times. FSS and DPS mail ARE NOT COUNTED as mail volume, so if you case them, it will appear that you did not achieve standard office time and the time spent casing said mail will be deducted from your route. To make matters even worse, chances are that casing the FSS and DPS mail will reduce the amount of time that you need on the street to deliver your route and thus your street time will be reduced.

Casing the mail referenced above is probably the most common thing that most carriers are doing. When the steward or myself advise you that you should do nothing on standby other than standby, many people think that we are advising you to be lazy or to steal from the postal service. I'm not kidding, I've heard these remarks. But, your actions result in just the opposite, you and the postal service are stealing from your future. Your actions will serve to give you more work to do in the same amount of time.

What else do you do in the office in the morning to make your life "easier"? Do you go through your parcel hamper to put your parcels in order? Bad move. Again, let's say that takes you three minutes and let's say there are 20 routes in your office. Well, your office just lost 2 hours in a CDRAAP type adjustment as a result. But 20 routes x 3 minutes is only one hour, where is the other hour? The other hour is the hour that the 20 routes would have needed to line the parcels on the street as they are being loaded into the vehicles (the way it's supposed to be done!). By the way, chances are it would take more than 3 minutes to line the parcels as they're being loaded into your vehicle. What else happens when you're lining parcels in the office? Do you ever find a mis-sorted parcel? Of course you do. How long does it take you to bring the parcel over to a clerk or supervisor? Less than a minute I would guess. Again, that minute will disappear from your office time. Now, let's say that you find that parcel when you should find it, when you're in the parking lot loading your vehicle. You have to secure your vehicle, walk the parcel back into the post office, and give it to a clerk or supervisor. This may take 2-3 minutes AND YOU WILL GET CREDIT FOR THIS TIME AS YOU ARE ON STREET TIME. Again, using the 20 route model this innocent action on your part will cost your office another hour!

How about third bundles, how do you handle them? Chances are, you make them all nice and neat in the office. You put them in order and cut the straps and tray them up. If you do, you are making a sizeable donation to the profitability of the postal service and you are taking time away from your family. If you take nothing else from this remember this: If you can do it on the street instead of the office, DO IT ON THE STREET!

Let's move to the street now. Of course, if you don't take your full breaks and lunch period, you are hurting everyone. Don't be intimidated into thinking that you're not good enough or that you'll be in trouble. You are doing a great job and management has GPS, MSP, and street supervision to ensure that you're doing the right thing. Be proud of the job that you do and ask management to show you how to do it better if they're unhappy with your performance.

Where do you take care of your "beats" , you know, the triple m mail and the mis-sorts that you encounter on the street? Do you take care of them on the street, or do you wait until you get back to the office in the afternoon? There is a big push to reduce afternoon office time, and quite frankly, I'm glad. Most afternoon office time is spent doing things that you should be doing on the street. Let's say you spend 5 minutes in the office "cleaning things up" in the afternoon when you could have spent the same 5 minutes on the street. That's a 10 minute swing and using the 20 route model, your office just lost 200 minutes or over 3 hours!

This article has only detailed the most common things that we are doing to kill our routes. Based on these very common actions, a typical 20 route office would easily lose a route! Of course, it would be the Union's fault for entering into a cooperative adjustment process with management, it wouldn't be the result of everyone taking the easy way out. What everyone has to understand is that your office doesn't need to lose 8 hours to lose a route. If your times are tight and you lose only one hour, a full route will be eliminated and changed to an auxillary route. That's how it starts.

I hope that everyone reading this article will take it at face value and realize that it is the cold hard reality of how and why we lose routes in an office or we fail to gain routes. To be blunt, staffing sucks, forced overtime sucks, not having a day off sucks, the unbearable confrontation with management on a daily basis sucks. Keep doing the things mentioned in this article and all these things will suck for the rest of your career. Do your job the right way and it will gradually improve. Your call.

Stay informed!

Dave Barbuzzi

Thank you to each and every letter carrier that has persevered through this historic winter and gotten the job done. It has been no easy task, and your efforts should be acknowledged, so THANK YOU!

Hopefully, the public and more importantly your managers realize that there are more things on your mind right now than just delivering the mail. How many times have you gotten up an hour or so early to clear the snow from your own driveway and mailbox so that your letter carrier can be safe? How many times have you come home from work only to clear your driveway and mailbox? How's your commute doing, is it taking any longer?

How are your roof and gutters doing? How many times have you climbed onto a ladder to pull snow off your roof, or used a roof rake, or climbed right onto the roof itself? Have you found yourself delivering mail, thinking about the potential leaks, of the actual leaks caused by the ice dams that we're seeing everywhere? Are you wondering when you'll fall victim, and are you stressing over the potential insurance claims that you may have to make?

I'm not asking these questions to stress you out. I'm reducing these things to writing so you can see that you're not alone. Try to keep your cool. The last thing we want to happen is for anyone to be so stressed/tired from this weather that they lose focus on the job at hand. That job, the most important job, is to stay safe and to go home every day just as healthy as when you got to work.

I realize that is no easy task, especially when you are trying to balance staying safe and providing service. We at the Branch Office can't instruct you. We are fielding calls asking about what to do when there is a dusting, or perhaps an inch or so of snow on a walkway or stairs. We have also received calls about what is safe/reasonable when delivering curbline boxes in these conditions.

Those questions are legitimate concerns and should be discussed with your supervisor or Postmaster. For instance, some managers may commend you for placing your gear selector in park, curbing your wheel, turning off your ignition, and stepping into the wheel well with your door closed to reach out of the vehicle at a curbline delivery. Other managers may deem it an unsafe act or a time-wasting practice. The fact is, this is the time of year that we have to find safe ways to accomplish the service's mission of delivering the mail, not of bringing the mail for a ride. Talk to your manager and make sure that you're on the same page.

Look around, take a ride around routes other than your own, and cities and towns other than your own. How much mail do you think would be delivered if letter carriers withheld delivery to every house that has an inch or so of snow on the ground? Take a look at the sidewalks everywhere, how many of them are cleared to the standards that the Postal Service wants you to apply to a delivery? The point is that we want to do everything possible to deliver the mail and we need a willing dance partner in the Postal Service. I can't stress enough that this conversation is one that has to happen locally as there is no "one size fits all" to safety. You're going to need the trust and respect of your manager, and he or she is going to have to be willing to back you up God forbid the unthinkable does happen and you slip and fall.

On an entirely different note, I'd like to point out that the Postal Service is entering its third year of "operating profitability". You, too, can educate yourself on where the service stands by frequently checking the NALC national website, www.nalc.org. At any rate, the first quarter of this fiscal year ending with the Postal Service showing an operating PROFIT of $1.1 BILLION (That's with a "B"). Letter revenue is up. Package revenue is up. Overall mail volume is up. The only thing holding the service back continues to be the failure of Congress to right the wrong of the 2006 legislation that requires the pre-funding of retiree health benefits 75 years into the future.

You won't often hear me agreeing with the OIG, but they recently released a white paper with some good information. Also, in a recent blog post on the OIG website titled "Be Careful What You Assume" from February 16 you'll find the following gem: "What if your credit card company told you: 'You will charge a million dollars on your credit card during your life; please enclose the million dollars in your next bill payment. It's the responsible thing to do.' Doesn't seem quite right, does it?"

Stay informed!

Dave Barbuzzi

As much as I'd enjoy writing an entire article about football, specifically the Patriots and how the rest of the league stoops to any depth in an effort to discredit their success, I'll leave the football reference in the title of my article and move on. Just as Bill Belichick doesn't spend any time savoring a win or lamenting a loss but instead moves on to the next opponent, so too does the branch attempt to move forward in an effort to prepare you to succeed.

Presently, as has been the case for several months now, we are dwelling on the CDRAAP process and how yours and management's actions will affect the outcome of the process. In order to succeed, you simply have to (sorry, another Patriots quote) "Do your job."

I've written about it enough so I won't dwell on it here. I'll just say that to "Do your job" is to perform your duties professionally day in and day out. Doing your job is always done exclusively ON THE CLOCK. Doing your job is following all safety rules and taking your full lunch and your full two ten minute breaks. Doing your job is properly attempting delivery on parcels. Finally, doing your job is not casing FSS or DPS on standby time or any time for that matter. Of course, as with anything else you read in this newsletter, if you're instructed by management to do something contrary to the rules you have to comply and grieve (unless the instruction would put you in imminent danger).

As far as other matters go, as of press time we still don't know when the Lowell letter carriers will be moved from their work location on Phoenix Ave. to Billerica, Dracut, and downtown Lowell. If the Postal Service at the district or area knows, they haven't seen fit to tell the NALC.

We have enjoyed some success in the long-awaited interest arbitrations regarding several of the LMOU's in the branch. In a few offices, we were able to include CCA's in the calculation of carriers allowed choice leave. In one office we were able to wrest "unfettered management discretion" away from management and replace it with a guaranteed percentage of letter carriers allowed off during non-choice. There are also a few more offices that are either pending being heard at arbitration or that have been heard and are awaiting the arbitrator's award.

There are several grievances throughout the branch that are scheduled for arbitration as a result of management ignoring or improperly denying a letter carrier's request for a special route inspection. I have been contacted by management's advocate and have proposed a just resolution to the grievances. Stay tuned for the outcome.

I'd like to finish up this Article by relaying a chain of events to you that piggy backs with last month's theme of management not caring about safety. In one of our stations, a 29 year carrier with an impeccable record struck a stationary object (a rock) and the door to his LLV subsequently fell off a few minutes later.

Said carrier immediately followed the rules and called to notify management of the circumstances. He inquired whether he was to fill out an accident report on the spot and was told "no". When he completed his assignment for the day, he again asked about the accident report with the same response. Finally, he approached management the next morning and was again told no paperwork necessary.

Fast forward two weeks and the carrier is issued a letter of demand for the repair. I contacted the Acting Manager of Safety to see if there had been anything reported and there has been nothing out of this office reported at all this year. Hmmmm. Smells like a cover-up to me.

There seems to be a perception that if there is no damage, there is no need for management to report. According to safety, that is not the case. Striking an object is striking an object whether there is damage or not. But, if there was no damage, what is the letter of demand for?

Who is interpreting the rules and regulations this way? Is it the POOM? Is it the Postmaster? Is it the District Manager? According to my conversation it isn't safety. So, how can there be such a divergent interpretation of a simple act? What do you think would happen to one of us if we didn't notify management? Yeah, I still haven't seen anything to indicate that leadership at the District Level cares about safety at all.

Stay informed!

Dave Barbuzzi

Phil Collins had a song by that name in 1982 ( ... am I dating myself?). At the moment, I can't think of a more appropriate question to ask the Postal Service. Let me narrow it down a little further, to ask our District Manager John "Mike" Powers. I'll narrow it even further than that, do you care about safety?

I don't think he does. Now, I've been told by many a Postmaster that the District Manager does care and that he begins telecons with safety all the time. I'm not impressed. I haven't seen him at one District Safety and Health Committee meeting since he became District Manager. At one meeting, the previous manager of safety dialed in to the telecom for the "safety" portion. Again, not impressed. I heard nothing on the telecom that spoke to me about someone that cared about safety from any more than a financial perspective (lost work days, etc).

But that's not the only reason I have the opinion that I do. In November, a special route inspection was aborted in Dracut because the Operations Programs Support department ironically was/IS unaware of postal policy. They aborted an inspection because the letter carrier was following safety policy and removing his vehicle from gear during curb line delivery. (The policy can be found on the "Carrier's Page" of the Branch 25 Website).

Knowing that I'd be wasting my time attempting to correct the situation with Labor Relations (Operations Programs Support had already proven to be a dead end), I emailed the District Manager. I explained what had happened in Dracut, and I also explained that I was fairly certain that only a small percentage of letter carriers knew and followed the safety policy. I asked him to direct safety to get messaging out about the policy to remove the vehicle from gear in order to make the Greater Boston District a safer place. Evidently, I'm not high enough up the food chain to get a direct response from the District Manager. Instead, he directed the Manager of Labor Relations to contact me.

Boy was that an interesting conversation. In a nutshell, I was told that "hardly anyone does that" (referring to the policy to remove the vehicle from gear). Think about that for a minute. This is a manager in charge of overseeing Labor Relations for the entire district acknowledging that a fundamentally important safety policy is ignored and that our District Manager isn't going to address it. I explained that there was a carrier that has been out of work for over a year because he was hit while delivering curbline and his vehicle went off the road down a slope and came to rest in a customer' s front yard. That wouldn't have happened if the vehicle was in park. End of discussion. Of course, it wouldn't happen to you either, would it?

So no, I don't think the District Manager cares about safety for any other reason than the impact is has on a budget. If he stops into your office this Holiday Season, ask him if he cares and ask him if so is he going to attempt to make his district safer by educating letter carriers.

I hope everyone is preparing for 2016. That's right, 2016. Please, if you've never listened to your branch officers prior to this, listen now. An overwhelming majority of the branch is going to adjusted as part of the CDRAAP process. Your clock rings and your mail volume will determine your working conditions moving forward. The problem is, much of the mail volume that is being cased won't count as it is mail that shouldn't be cased (FSS, DPS, circulars, etc.). So, not only will you lose the time you spend casing it, but you will also be displaying an abbreviated street time as you've made it easier to deliver the mail by casing it. You'll be rewarded with extra territory to deliver.

Want a route cut? Grow the parcel business and do your route professionally every day. Grow the business by following the rules and providing customer service. Rule number one in the M41 (City Delivery Carriers Duties and Responsibilities) when delivering parcels is to ring the doorbell or knock on the door to determine if someone is home to accept the parcel. That's right, we are supposed to put the parcel in the customer's hands if possible, not on their door stoop (Amazon parcels don't apply as they've asked for drop and go). This policy is also on the Carrier's Page of the Branch 25 Website.

So now I'll ask you: "Do You Know, Do You Care?" My money says you do!

Stay informed!

Dave Barbuzzi