National Association of Letter Carriers

In the "real world", the holiday season is one of hope and joy for many. You may go to the coffee shop and tell your server to keep the change, you may pay for the person behind you in the drive through, or perhaps you'll drop a few dollars into the bucket that the Salvation Army volunteer is holding after you do your grocery shopping. Town centers and commons are lit and decorated creating a surreal feeling to those driving at night. Things are just a little "different". Hopefully, letter carriers won't lose sight of the real world in the coming month or so when the job becomes all that more difficult, the hours become so much longer, and the temperatures so much lower. Remember, there is life outside the post office and if things become unbearable try to think about your family, or your pet, or whatever brings a smile to your face. Hopefully that will work, but ifit doesn't please avail yourself to EAP.

For those of you that have children who are high school seniors that are going to continue their education, please take advantage of the Branch 25 Scholarship application found on page 6 of this month's WAKE UP! I'm very pleased to announce that beginning this year, the two scholarships have been DOUBLED to $1,000.00 each! Further, applying for the scholarships and taking the exam qualifies students to compete for other AFL-CIO scholarships. There are quite a few scholarships available to children of union families so it would be wise for students to study the available materials before taking the exam.

I started this article with a reference to the "real world"; now I'm going to share something that could only happen in the "postal world". More than 25 years ago, the carrier operation of the Burlington Post Office moved to Woburn, MA. Shortly thereafter, Winchester, Wilmington, and Lynnfield followed suit and moved to Woburn as well. Most recently, Reading made the move as well. There are window operations in each of the aforementioned towns, so there was no elimination of real estate. I won't bother to go through the logistics of transportation, etc. There can be arguments made that regardless how crazy it sounds, it may be a good business decision.

Then, just when you think the dust has settled and the status quo can be maintained, another curve ball is thrown. A couple years ago the BEDFORD carrier operation moved to BURLINGTON, MA. That's right, the Burlington Post Office, the same one that the Burlington letter carriers used to call home, welcomed the Bedford letter carriers. It was supposed to be a temporary move. Fortunately, I was skeptical about the move and I placed them in the CDRAAP process and they gained a couple positions. Low and behold, we have just been notified that the move to Burlington has become permanent!

What does this mean to the Bedford and Burlington letter carriers? For the Bedford carriers it simply means that they report to work at a new location. F or the Burlington carriers, not quite as straight forward. Because there is now city delivery housed in the Burlington Post Office again, the Burlington letter carriers will be given one opportunity to "retreat" to Burlington to become BEDFORD letter carriers with a new seniority date as such. As routes become vacant in Bedford, Bedford carriers will have the opportunity to bid as usual. Then, if there are no Bedford bidders (say that 10 times fast), Burlington carriers that were around back in 1990 when the operation was moved, will be given the opportunity to bid into Bedford. Now do you see why I refer to the "real world" and the "postal world"? You really can't make this stuff up!

Finally, I would like to address (I really don't like to, but I must) some of the petty interaction between letter carriers that we hear about at the Union office. It really has to stop. Fortunately, most offices don't have carriers (or their spouses) spying on other carriers and reporting back to management. Fortunately, most offices don't have carriers calling meetings with management to complain about other carriers. Fortunately, most offices don't have loud-mouthed punks that scream at or raise their voices at women (and men) because they've been allowed to do so over the years.

I would ask that ANYONE that bears witness to such abhorrent behavior immediately insists that management act on it. If they refuse to act, then I would suggest that you immediately contact their boss. If you get no satisfaction from their boss, then I would suggest that you go right up the ladder to the Postmaster General. Regardless of whether it is management on employee or employee on employee it should not be tolerated. Employee on management abuse shouldn't be tolerated either, but somehow that usually does get dealt with immediately.

This is a difficult time of year for many and as I said earlier, the increased workload doesn't help matters either. We don't need to find ourselves unemployed because we never learned manners growing up. That being said, I'm sure that there will be far more good will than negativity in this holiday season. I believe in the camaraderie that letter carriers share and I hope that we take care of our own. That is what Unionism is all about.

I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year! If you celebrate something else, I hope that is joyous as well!

Stay informed!

Dave Barbuzzi

You may want to make sure you aren't reading this article over a cup of coffee. I wouldn't want you to burn yourself when the hot coffee flies from your mouth when you choke on some of the words that follow.

The Postal Service, at least in this area, has just rolled out a new "tool" called the Supervisory Performance Engagement Tool (PET). The "tool" assists supervisors to communicate with their carriers regarding expectations and it also helps the supervisor to assess requests for OT. READ: Will provide the supervisor with another ill-advised basis to discipline letter carriers and will provide the supervisor with bogus grounds to DENY a carrier's request for auxillary assistance or OT.

I was fortunate (unfortunate) enough to view a copy of the training materials that are being used in the roll out of the program. It's full of gems. Unlike past "tools" like "DOIS" and "DUVRS", this tool contains requirements for management to violate the national agreement. You read that right. Continue reading and you'll see how.

My favorite quote is "Delivery is Just Math". That's actually not just a quote, but a heading for a section of the training. I was speaking to a letter carrier the other day. Throughout his career, this letter carrier has NEVER shied away from overtime. He'd do a piece of a route, a collection, work his day off, if it was OT, he was on it. Overtime is different now, though. The way the service has fouled things up, and treated people so horribly that staffing in most places is severely lacking, overtime is not a choice anymore. It's an expectation whether you're on the list or not. It's an expectation whether you're feeling well or not. It's an expectation whether you've got personal matters to take care of or not. It's relentless and it goes unappreciated. Management doesn't have to thank you, after all, they PAY you! That's their attitude. But don't forget, delivery is just math.

But all this overtime, combined with the lack of appreciation shown by management has become exhausting. Carriers are tired, and it's the kind of tired that a good night's sleep doesn't take care of. So what do they do? If they're fortunate enough to be in a position to do so, they pack it in and retire. They may not want to retire, they may want to go a few more years to pay some bills or to enhance their annuity, but they retire nonetheless.

The ones that aren't appreciated and retire are actually more fortunate than the ones that are not only not appreciated, but have to continue working and are subjected to ignorant managers that make their lives hell because they don't know how to manage. They don't even show respect to the employee as a person, let alone a valued asset to the company.

I hate to tell you, but after reviewing the training material for this program, I'm pretty sure it's going to get worse. This program requires a supervisor to enter an "Agreed to leave time" as well as an "Agreed to return time". THERE IS NO HANDBOOK OR MANUAL THAT REQUIRES A LETTER CARRIER TO AGREE TO A SPECIFIC TIME THAT THEY WILL LEAVE AND RETURN. You are required to give your best ESTIMATE, and you are required to notify management if you will not be able to complete your duties in eight hours. We have enough arguments on the work room floor already without a requirement to give a specific "agreed upon" leave or return time. If you are forced to give a leave and return time, be certain to tell management that you are doing so "under duress" and only to satisfy the requirement that you obey an instruction, then notify your steward and the branch office and a grievance will be promptly filed. If management insists on a time, you can "agree" to do your best to leave at a particular time but there are things other than "math" that affect your day. I don't need to tell you what they are, you're human, you already know.

The training material also provides a dangerous premise for supervisors. Over the years, we've all heard how the office standards of 18 and 8 are the minimum standards. Many managers are quick to ridicule a carrier who maintains standards telling them that standards are minimum and we should do better. Many carriers absolutely do case faster than minimum standards. But, it is a violation of the contract for management to attempt to change office standards, and by training front line supervisors to expect MORE than standard they are doing just that.

The program also references a tool that provides PDI and LOW (letter of warning) templates customized to topics of engagement. Templates imply boiler plate language and applying boiler plate language in discipline to a group of individuals is wrong. Again, we will be monitoring the roll out of the program and we will be ready to provide assistance and resources to our carriers when needed.

It's a sad state of affairs that a new program comes complete with a recipe to discipline letter carriers. It seems to me that if management came up with a reasonable program, they wouldn't have to worry about how to succeed with discipline BEFORE they even rolled the program out.

I could continue writing about this program and fill up all eight pages of the WAKE-UP!, but instead I'll finish up on this topic by referring you to a national level settlement from 2011 that certainly still applies today. The pertinent part of the settlement reads: "The use of any management created system or tool that calculates a workload projection does not change the letter carrier's reporting requirements outlined in section 131.4 of Handbook M-41, the supervisor's scheduling responsibilities outlined in section 122 of Handbook M-39, or the letter carrier's and supervisor's responsibilities contained in Section 28 of Handbook M-41." I strongly urge all letter carriers to go to the nalc.org Website, and under the tab "Workplace Issues" select "Resources", then select "Materials Reference System". Once there, enter the number 1769 to read the complete text of this resolution. (Note: The resolution can also be accessed by this link.)

You should also read the referenced sections of the M-41 while you're at it. Hell, you should read and familiarize yourself with the entire M-41. The Postal Service, to borrow the phrase of so many employees that call the Union office, is "out of control". The only way to regain control is to have an educated workforce. Educate yourselves!

Stay informed!

Dave Barbuzzi

Before anyone gets all concerned and the phone at the branch office starts ringing off the hook I have to get something out of the way; Mark Gangi is fine!!! Actually, he's more than fine. He has worked his last day in Burlington and by the time you read this he will be retired. The October branch meeting will be the last one he attends for awhile as he is packing up and heading to Florida. Try to make it a point to attend the October meeting and wish Mark well; he has done much for you over his career.

I'm going to take a little privilege with a good chunk of my article this month to express the gratitude that I feel as a person, a letter carrier, and a branch officer for knowing, working with, and having as a secretary the man I call "Marco".

As a letter carrier, Mark was definitely one of the best. His pride in the postal service always showed with his clean, wrinkle-free unifomis, complete with tie, union pins, and polish on the shoes. During the early part of his career and continuing for many years Mark served as an instructor at "Good Start", which has given way to the Carrier Academy. And, Mark is the only carrier that I'm aware of that used the PS Form 3821. OK, I won't keep you in suspense, that's the form used to show that you cleared your accountable at the end of the day.

For many years, Mark served as the alternate steward in Burlington, and on occasion the chief steward. He had the misfortune of being in that position during Burlington's darkest times when a female Postmaster tried to destroy the office and its morale. She didn't succeed.

For almost the past two decades Mark has been a rock as the Secretary of Branch 25. He is meticulous in the performance of his duties and the members have benefitted as a result. The work he does allows me to not have to spend time worrying about the administrative aspects of the branch such as processing new members, keeping the mailing list up to date, sending out notices, ensuring that election notices reach the proper union publications in a timely manner, and countless other tasks. Anyone that has attended a branch meeting and heard him read his VERY THOROUGH minutes can't help but smile when he does his best "fast-talking" read. Sometimes he may trip over a word or two, but seldom does he miss anything.

Over the last 29 years I've also had the pleasure and honor of calling Mark my friend. In Burlington, as in many offices, there is a familial bond amongst the carriers. Whether it was card games in the earlier years to volunteering en masse for the pancake breakfast, it's something special and Mark has been right in the middle of that. Christmas season won't be the same this year with him in Florida. And I would not be doing Mark's service justice if I didn't mention that he has recruited his wife Rhonda into one of our most valuable assets as a volunteer alongside Kathy Hall at so many bowlathons and behind the scenes cleaning up after so many pancake breakfasts.

The Postal Service, and the Union, will certainly take a hit with his retirement, but, he's earned it!!! Good luck and best wishes for a long, happy and healthy retirement my friend!

I'll bet after reading that there's one guy wondering how he's going to follow that act. Andy Coan of Peabody is your new Branch Secretary. If you read the meeting notices, you will have noticed Andy's signature on quite a few of them over the last few years. Andy has been the Assistant Secretary and he has my full confidence now that he makes the step up to the "big show".

I'd also like to take this opportunity to announce the appointment of Anthony "Tony" Bossi to the position of Assistant Secretary. The Executive Council just got a little younger with Tony coming on board.

Tony is a letter carrier and shop steward in the Billerica installation. Anyone familiar with that installation realizes that it is a "challenging" situation on a good day and outright hellish on quite a few days. Tony, however, has exhibited a professional demeanor beyond his years and experience in any dealings that I have witnessed of him and I'm sure he will prove a valuable asset to the Branch.

If you're considering joining Mark and taking the retirement plunge, you should definitely attend the retirement seminar that we are co-sponsoring with Branches 12 and 334 (Worcester and Framingham). This program has been created by national and is a thorough five hour presentation packed with vital information. It would serve any member well to attend even if retirement may be just a bit beyond the horizon. The details are on the Branch 25 Website. It starts at 9:00 am, but the coffee should be ready at 8:30 am. Hope to see you there! Please notify the union office by October 7 if you plan to attend as there will be food served and we'll need a headcount.

Stay informed!

Dave Barbuzzi

I'm thrilled to be able to begin this month's message on a positive note. At the recently concluded 70th Biennial Convention in Los Angeles, Branch 25 took home some hardware. Congratulations are in order for our Webmaster, Newburyport's own Mike Shields, as the Branch 25 Website took second place in the nation. And kudos and a sincere thank you to retired Lowell letter carrier Ken Bonin who's cartoon took first place nationwide. When I texted Ken to congratulate him, he humbly responded that he couldn't have done it without Jim Nutter as Jimmy throws him ideas for cartoons every so often. On that note, if there is anyone that either has the talent to draw a cartoon, or has the wit to come up with a concept, please let the branch know.

I am also happy to report that your delegation represented you well at the convention. Delegates attended multiple workshops and I must say that Branch 25 was present on the convention floor at all times. These delegates receive per diem which is reimbursement for meals, they take their own annual leave to attend and it is a testament to their dedication that they took their responsibilities to the branch members very seriously.

As of the writing of this article, the parties at the national level are still attempting to negotiate a national agreement. Personally, I take that as a good sign and here's why. When asked about the compensation package in the rural carriers' agreement, President Rolando basically said that he was happy for them but that is not where we want to be. Unfortunately, the APWU contract was decided by Arbitrator. It is a three year contract (2015-2018) and includes pay increases of 1.2%, 1.3% and 1.3% for career employees and 2.2%, 2.3%, and 2.3% pay increases for PSE's. Obviously, there are other provisions, but let's face it, I'll bet you only care about the money.

The NALC is looking for more. I don't know how much more, I'm not at the table and our National President is not taking out ads to disclose the bargaining strategy. Thank God for that! We aren't only looking for more, we deserve more. Just as was the case when President Sombrotto succeeded in attaining level 6 pay for all letter carriers, the letter carrier job has become increasingly more difficult DAILY!

During the life of our current agreement, parcel volume has increased by some 1.2 BILLION pieces per year! This increase has been handled while eliminating some 1500 routes but adding some 3.5 MILLION delivery points. With all due respect to our friends in the clerk craft, there is NO COMPARISON. We work harder and we should be compensated as such. I have all the confidence in the world in our national officers that they will be presenting this information and much, much more in support of a healthy wage increase for letter carriers - ALL LETTER CARRIERS!

If an agreement isn't struck with the Postal Service, I have no doubt that our team will present a very compelling case at arbitration. I think we can all agree that an arbitrator would be hard-pressed not to agree that our job has become even more difficult in the last five years. There have been more accidents where letter carriers have been injured, sometimes fatally, by careless drivers. There has been more crime. Our CCA's have worked, and continue to work, ridiculous stretches of time without a day off. I could continue, and I'm sure that you could add countless examples as well, but there is only so much room in a newsletter.

There is another effect from the increase in the difficulty of our job. The Retirement Workshop was one of the most well-attended workshops at the convention. The workshop was presented twice. And I'll tell you what, it wasn't just "grey-haired" people attending the workshop. Understandably, quite a few letter carriers just want to get the hell out as soon as they possibly can and they wanted to find out how to do so.

Think about that for a minute. I can remember when I started at the Postal Service. I had considered UPS as well, but it concerned me that I seldom saw a middle-aged or older UPS driver. I wondered whether the drivers were forced out by management or whether they just couldn't keep up with the physical rigors of the job. Either way, it was enough of a concern that I opted to pursue a career at the Post Office.

Now, as discussed with the increase in parcel volume, delivery points, combined with a decrease in routes, how long will letter carriers "survive" the job. The new hires aren't getting any younger either. To that end, the NALC has developed a presentation on retirement that lasts approximately 5 hours. I have spoken with the President of Branch 12, Worcester, and we are most likely going to have the program presented to our branches together at a central location in the fall.

What I need is for anyone that is interested and thinks that they would likely attend such a program on a Sunday to contact the Branch office ASAP. We will need this information when determining where to present the program, etc.

By the time you receive the WAKE-UP!, the dog days of summer should be behind us. It has been a hot one. I have not been advised of any heat-related injuries. Hopefully, there weren't any. I'd like to think that all letter carriers are aware of the need to stay hydrated and to rest. Hopefully, this increased knowledge and awareness of the dangers of heat injury kept our letter carriers safe!

Stay informed!

Dave Barbuzzi

Hurry up and wait! That's what we all get to do now that the NALC and USPS have agreed to an extension of the bargaining deadline to negotiate a new national agreement. I'm going to take the glass half full attitude and look at this as a positive thing. I look forward to the outcome; preferably a negotiated settlement but if it ends up at arbitration I'm confident in the case our team will put forward.

Speaking of a national agreement, the words contained within the pages don't carry as much weight if there is no one to enforce them. That is the role of the shop steward. Presently there are 6 stations that don't have shop stewards (7, but Lynnfield will soon be part of the Woburn installation and there is a steward there). They are Concord, Gloucester, Haverhill, Lowell, North Reading, and Topsfield. Fortunately, there are carriers in those offices that contact us at the office if something goes awry. However, suffice it to say I would like to see a steward in each office. If you are thinking or have thought about becoming a shop steward, give me a call to discuss whether it's right for you.

Shop stewards need help though. They can't be expected to have a crystal ball and know everything that takes place in their station each and every day. They need their fellow carriers to communicate with them constantly. Please, don't take that literally and call and text your shop steward while he or she is trying to perform his or her duties. I mean, if you notice something wrong, make sure you notify the steward.

I'll give you an example. In one of our stations, there was a vehicle that was prone to stalling. Unlike vehicles that may stall while idling and not moving, this vehicle stalled while driving down the road. Imagine driving along, having your vehicle stall, and not having access to power steering! Do you think you could perform an emergency evasive maneuver under those circumstances? I wouldn't like my chances.

The thing is, the vehicle wasn't repaired immediately. Like so many other unsafe vehicles, it was passed off from carrier to carrier until quite a few carriers had written it up. These statements are part of a grievance file.

In another office, a carrier called the supervisor to tell him that the brake pedal in his vehicle was going all the way to the floor. The supervisor responded - wait for it - the supervisor responded by asking the carrier if he could drive the vehicle back to the office. What do you think the carrier did? If you guessed that he drove it back to the office, YOU'RE RIGHT !!!

I'm not relaying these facts to you to embarrass the carriers involved. I'm relaying these facts to you in order to tell you what SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED, and what I hope will happen in the future after you read this article.

Safety is our responsibility, but it is also management's responsibility to supply us with the tools we need to work safely. That means that our vehicles should have brakes that are properly adjusted and not worn out, and that our vehicles should be properly tuned so that they don't stall while driving down the road.

We have the right, and in my opinion the obligation, to refuse to drive an unsafe vehicle that places us in imminent danger. Both vehicles described above should have been grounded immediately, on the spot !!!

I'd like to think that in each case, the respective Postmasters were unaware of the defects. That being said, if you ever have to make the call to your office and your supervisor instructs you to drive a defective vehicle, ask to speak to the Postmaster immediately. Explain to the Postmaster that to continue to drive the vehicle in its present state would put you in imminent danger and notify him or her that you will wait with the vehicle for someone to bring you a different vehicle or to arrange for a tow.

Regardless of the outcome, notify your shop steward about what happened. If you've completed a vehicle repair tag and the vehicle is still in service, notify your shop steward so he or she can initiate an Article 14 Safety grievance. You can also fill out a PS Form 1767 to report a hazardous or unsafe condition. You are too valuable to your family to not go home unharmed every day.

Finally, the weather is starting to heat up. Stay hydrated. Elsewhere in this newsletter Safety Officer Rick Dauphinais talks about an app for your smartphone from OSHA. I would strongly suggest everyone download that app and heed any warnings that it gives.

Have a safe, healthy summer. Hopefully, you are going to enjoy some well deserved prime-time vacation. As always ...

Stay informed!

Dave Barbuzzi

Letter carriers have a difficult, physical job. I apologize for stating what is obvious to YOU, but unfortunately I don't believe that it's obvious to everyone.

Most letter carriers don't look for trouble. Please note the apology in paragraph one and apply it here as well.

The overwhelming majority of letter carriers are honest, hardworking men and women that do their best day in and day out. I promise that's the last obvious statement in this article, so please, continue reading.

Unfortunately, because of all of the remarks in the preceding paragraphs, letter carriers don't "have their guard up" when speaking to management, filling out accident reports, or filling out forms for worker's comp. They know what they do every day and they speak plainly if something doesn't go quite right and that something results in an accident or injury.

I hate to have to write this, but put your guard up at all times. Still tell the truth of course, but realize that many of the people that read what you write are reading it in hopes of finding inconsistencies.

I'd like to relay the facts of a case that I presented at arbitration involving OWCP and the OIG. Hopefully, everyone reading this remembers that the OIG are NOT your friends. If you have any doubt about that, you won't by the time you finish reading.

Diabetics are prone to eye issues that can lead to blindness if they go unchecked. These folks usually go to the doctor and the doctor generally refers them to eye specialists at the appropriate time. The eye specialist examines the eyes and will take the appropriate action when necessary.

So, a carrier who fits the above description reports to work one day, lifts a tray of FSS, and experiences pain in his eyes and his vision becomes extremely blurry. He tells his supervisor that his vision has become extremely blurry and that he has to go to the emergency room. For matters of complete disclosure, he did not specifically say "This is an on-the-job injury". That's not surprising as he was a CCA with roughly 7 months experience.

He went to the emergency room and was diagnosed with a condition and instructed to stay out of work for 7 days. Subsequently, his own doctor gave him lifting restrictions of 10 lbs. The "condition" was something that he hadn't experienced before. He worked light duty for about a week and was then told that there was no more work. At that point, he filled out a CA-1 and the fun started. Mind you, all he put on the CA-1 was that while preparing his mail his vision became blurry.

To the unbiased person, these facts, even without the statement: "I am reporting an on-the-job injury" would be enough to reasonably believe that the work activity caused or aggravated the condition. However, because he didn't immediately complete a CA-1, the OIG determined that he must obviously have been attempting to defraud the Postal Service by filing a false claim.

The OIG got into high gear and contacted an eye specialist that the carrier had been seeing as part of normal preventative care due to diabetes. They never contacted the emergency room doctor that put him out of work. They never contacted the doctor that gave him the 10 lb lifting restriction. They never "researched" what the emergency room diagnosis meant. They never researched whether the emergency room diagnosis was related to diabetes. They didn't know what the carrier was doing immediately before he felt pain and experienced blurred vision. They did an investigation worthy of the Keystone Kops, which is typical of OIG investigations that I have encountered.

The grievant was fired. His arbitration was last week. Toss a coin on his fate as every arbitration has the potential to go either way.

What could he have done differently? I would like to think that if he had consulted with an OWCP rep he would have made sure that the doctor that was completing the paperwork for OWCP was aware of the diagnosis that the emergency room doctor provided. I would like to think that if he had consulted with an OWCP rep that he would have made it clear to the doctor completing the paperwork that he was lifting something heavy immediately prior to experiencing pain in his eyes. Hell, I'd like to think if he had consulted with an OWCP rep that they would have told him to ASK the doctor completing the paperwork whether the diagnosis from the emergency room would be considered work related or simply an unfortunate coincidence.

None of those questions were asked. Instead he completed the paperwork and had the doctor complete the paperwork. Management figured he must be lying and the OIG agent saw an opportunity to justify his existence and performed a half-ass investigation and completed a quarter-ass report (that's my phrase, I hope you like it).

You have an OWCP rep, it's Ron Noviello. The Union has compensation specialists that are extremely well versed in all the nuances of the entire process from claim through appeal. Don't trust your claim to "common sense" ... get help. The harsh reality is that you don't have many friends, take advantage of the ones you do have.

Stay informed!

Dave Barbuzzi

The references above are from a recent arbitration decision rendered in New Bedford, MA. Unfortunately, based on the facts that gave rise to the grievance, the decision could have originated from any number of offices, some within this branch.

I put the language front and center to make a point to those that read this column. The significance of the words and logic used by the Arbitrator are not lost on me and I hope they will not be lost on you.

The Arbitrator opines, and I certainly agree, that WORDS, acts, or actions become equal to a punch being thrown or a shot being fired. Think about that for a minute. Arbitrators understand that words can have a devastating impact on an employee. The Arbitrator in question qualifies this statement that it is the "intent" of the words, acts, or actions that determine how those words, acts, or actions will be judged. In other words, regardless of the intent, a violation of the contract has occurred. It is the intent that determines the remedy to said violation.

The Arbitrator goes on to acknowledge that the carrier was humiliated. He states, however, that even though humiliation was involved, he was not convinced that a violation of the Joint Statement on Violence and Behavior in the Workplace had occurred.

Often times, we have our feelings hurt or we are even humiliated, and we cry foul. We should. But sometimes, we believe that we have the grounds to have our Supervisor or Postmaster removed from supervising. As we see from this Arbitrator, our personal opinion does not necessarily reflect the opinion of an Arbitrator that will ultimately make that decision.

That is not to say that we should remain silent. We should make our voices heard and we should address ANY untoward behavior through the grievance procedure. An Arbitrator may not view a single act of humiliation as a violation of the Joint Statement, but when a series of such acts is proven the Arbitrator's opinion will most likely change and the remedy will most likely change as well.

The last thing that is referenced is the fact that the Supervisor did not recall using the language that he was accused of using. However, several witness affidavits convinced the Arbitrator that the Supervisor did indeed speak as charged. Corroboration is one of the most important aspects of ANY grievance. It is certainly necessary in a Joint Statement case. Anyone reading this article or attending a branch meeting will have heard that very fact addressed time and again.

So, why have I written this article. Quite frankly, because it wears me down to get phone calls from angry letter carriers who have suffered the attacks of their managers yet aren't willing to put their name to a statement. Even worse are the calls of witnesses that want me to know what they witnessed but they don't want me to do anything about it and they certainly don't want me to use their names.

There is an office in the branch where the Postmaster and Delivery Supervisor have acknowledged that they have zero respect for the shop steward. They try to justify their lack of professionalism by saying that because this steward is slow, that he is disrespecting them. I have spoken to other letter carriers in the office about the steward's performance and have asked them if they see the steward slacking off or milking it. I've heard from them that the steward takes longer because he does what he's supposed to do. One example used is that he actually rings the bell when delivering parcels as the M41 requires. Another example is that the steward takes his 30 minute lunch and his two 10 minute breaks. Imagine that ... he follows the rules. I wish I could write that the supervisor follows the rules. He doesn't. But that's another article.

Stay informed!

Dave Barbuzzi

The most recent headache that is being reported to the branch office by the rank and file letter carriers deals with "Informed Visibility". This is the program whereby letter carriers are now tasked with doing the work to determine the "operational efficiency" of the Postal Service that used to be contracted out to private companies. That's a fancy way of saying that your scanner talks to you and tells you to scan a number of mail pieces at a particular address or from a particular collection box.

According to the literature on this program, the scanner should not alert a letter carrier if said carrier is traveling more than 5 mph. Also, the literature says that no letter carrier that has a hearing impairment should be disciplined for missing the test address because they didn't hear the alert or feel the vibration of the scanner.

Finally, and this is the one that concerns me most, the number of alerts that a carrier receives is configurable by management. Currently, according to the literature that I have seen, the maximum number of times that a carrier route can be selected for sampling is 5 times per day, 25 times per week, and 300 times per quarter. When it comes to collection boxes, 30-40 collection boxes are targeted per day per district.

Let's think about the 5 times per day aspect of the sampling. Fifteen seems to be the magic number of mail pieces that carriers are being asked to scan at each location. Let's say in a perfect world that each location actually has fifteen mail pieces with the proper barcodes. How long does that take?

Have you figured out where I'm going with this? If you complain to your boss about this increase in demand on your time, you'll most likely be met with the response that you get paid to do your job, so do it. Well, we all do indeed get paid to do our jobs. However, what if you are not on the overtime list and you WERE going to have an 8 hour day and then low and behold you get 5 sampling requests for 15 pieces of mail each. There's no way that you could have known about that when you were determining that you didn't need to complete a 3996 in the morning. Now, you're stuck working overtime and you don't want to.

If that happens to you, you should notify management from the street that you are not able to complete your duties in 8 hours and that you require assistance. Then, when you return from the road you should complete a 3996 to document why you were not able to complete your duties in 8 hours.

We should, however, do everything in our power to make this program succeed, now more than ever. Last week, NALC opened negotiations with the Postal Service on a new National Agreement. Our current agreement expires in May. This program is precisely why letter carriers deserve more.

The service is saving money by not paying an outside firm to conduct this testing. We want some of that money, plain and simple. The Postal Service saved money by not having to pay a boat load of supervisors a ton of money to conduct mail counts and inspections. We got our routes, now we want our money.

Our national officers know what they are doing. The NRLCA (National Rural Letter Carriers' Association) has a tentative agreement with the Postal Service that is for 3 years and includes pay raises each year and preserves the COLA. As far as I'm concerned, that's a good START for the NALC. If you read the opening remarks that President Rolando made at the bargaining table, it is clear that our negotiating team believes that we have a unique value that is not matched by the other crafts and we should be compensated commensurate with that value.

Finally, as I stated above the National Agreement expires in May. Whenever a new agreement is negotiated or arbitrated, a period of local implementation follows. If you want something addressed in your local, form a committee and contact the office.

Stay informed!

Dave Barbuzzi

It's only fitting that Branch 25 was able to realize an increase of 25 routes during the CDRAAP process! This will probably be the last article that I write about the process as we don't anticipate too much more happening throughout the rest of the reviews that have yet been completed. Suffice it to say that I am immensely proud of the local contacts, the letter carriers, and the Union support personnel that safeguarded our interests in the process. Take a look at the table on the cover of this month's WAKE-UP! to better understand the impact of your efforts.

The gains that were realized should provide much needed relief. In some offices, a new employee to meet the needs of the new assignment created, will translate into a reduction of 40 hours/week of forced overtime. In some offices, the gains in career employees to the complement will mean an increase in letter carriers allowed off during vacation periods. And of course, we all know that there is strength in numbers. Hopefully, all the new employees that should be hired as a result of the increase in complement, join the Union. Some haven't even been hired yet, but they have already benefited by the CDRAAP process and your hard work.

Make no mistake, this is not the time to sit back and enjoy your well deserved gains. It is time to redouble your efforts and be the most professional letter carrier you can be. Deliver safely, take your full lunch and both of your full ten minute breaks. No more, no less. Embrace the fact that "Big Brother" (Operations Programs Support) is watching you every minute of every day from their mission control. You do a great job and you want them to know it!

There are a couple other issues that I would like to receive feedback on. It has come to my attention that in some locations, management has assigned or is attempting to assign Sunday as a permanent fixed work day for some letter carriers. Almost every local agreement in the branch mandates that letter carriers be on a "rotating day off". If your day off rotates, Sunday will fall in that rotation every six weeks. In other words, in most locations it is a violation of the contract to assign a permanent work day. If this has happened in your office, please make us aware of it so it can be addressed.

While we are talking about Sundays, there is another issue that has come to light. Unfortunately, many offices don't have enough CCA's to send to the Amazon hubs to deliver on Sundays. As a result, regular carriers from the overtime desired list are delivering the Amazon parcels on Sundays. In and of itself, that is not a problem. However, what may be a problem is if a regular carrier from city "A" delivers parcels in cities "B" and "C". You see, the regular carrier from city "A" is not the overtime desired list for cities "B" and "C" and should not be performing overtime work in those cities. Not only are the rights of the carrier who is delivering being violated, but the rights of the city "B" and "C" carriers who are on the overtime desired list are also being violated.

Finally, to wrap up this mini Sunday seminar, I would like to mention the 8 hour guarantee for regular carriers. Sunday is no different than any other day when it comes to the 8 hour work guarantee. You can not be solicited to waive the guarantee, and you can not voluntarily waive the guarantee either. If you don't want to work 8 hours on any day, then don't work at all. If anyone in any office is waiving an 8 hour work guarantee on any non-service day, we need to know about it. It must be grieved as it must be stopped. There is no gray area.

I hope to see as many of you as possible at the pancake breakfast and the Bowlathon. The breakfast is great, and well worth the cost of admission. Aside from that, let's all hope that the Patriots do well on April 28-30 during this year's NFL Draft !!!

Stay informed!

Dave Barbuzzi

Shortly after the shootings in San Bernardino, I found myself in the Social Security Administration office in Waltham. After having been there for a bit, I began having thoughts about San Bernardino and I couldn't help but survey my surroundings. I was in a government facility, the people that were waiting were of clearly diverse race, and there was minimal security.

I began to think about a text message that I had received from Jim Nutter. Jim had suggested that each installation should discuss an active shooter plan. I found myself surveying the office, looking to see if there were another set of doors in addition to the ones I had entered. I couldn't see any.

I don't know how many carriers are thinking about such things, but in today's world, it's probably a good idea to raise awareness. I searched online and was able to find various videos produced by assorted security companies and the like. The Department of Homeland Security has produced an informational booklet. The link can be found in this article and by the time you receive the WAKE-UP! the booklet will be available on the Branch 25 website.

While on the subject of online resources, I would be remiss if I didn't advise you that the Postal Service is "catching up" to the social media world. No, I'm not referring to them having a Website or a Facebook page, I'm referring to the fact that they are beginning to make an effort to monitor social media of employees. There has been a revision to the Administrative Support Manual (ASM) dealing with the "Responsible Use of Social Media".

At the moment, the rules and regulations apply to Postal Service employees who use social media in their official capacity to communicate with the public or Postal Service employees. The language reads: "Be respectful. Whether in the actual or virtual world, your interactions and discourse should be respectful. Do not verbally attack other individuals or companies. This includes fellow employees, contractors, customers, vendors, and competitors."

I have seen things on social media that have made me cringe. There are postal employees that are quite uninhibited in the way they conduct themselves on various Websites and groups. Don't get caught up taking pictures with your cell phone at work. Don't post pictures of a customer's mail, mailbox, house, whatever. You can take pictures in a public place on your break or lunch. There should be no addresses showing nor should there be any way to identify the sender or recipient without the address. Please be smart on social media.

CDRAAP is winding down. There are a few things that will carryover to the New Year. For instance, there are a few offices whose adjustments won't take affect until early January. There are also offices whose review periods will carryover into 2016. Since the last update, Haverhill and Danvers have been addressed. Haverhill has gained two assignments and a T-6 job and it appears that Danvers is gaining an aux route. I realize that it has been a long grind, but the results are proving that my faith in the membership is well-founded. There will be no time to rest as I've said many times in the past that OPS will eventually attempt to take back what you've worked so hard to gain. Keep doing the job professionally and you'll be fine.

I would like to wrap up this article by remarking about an encouraging trend. Over the last several months there have been a handful of CCA's in attendance at the Branch meetings. Some have attended multiple meetings. Further, there have been CCA's that have called the office with questions about their rights. That's great! This is a complicated job and it serves every employee, not just the new ones, well to attend a branch meeting so they can:

Stay informed!

Dave Barbuzzi