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CBA ARTICLE 1

Article 1 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement is entitled “UNION RECOGNITION.” It is this Article which serves to recognize the American Postal Workers Union as the EXCLUSIVE representative for all Postal Clerks, Maintenance Employees, Motor Vehicle Employees, Mail Equipment Shops Employees, and Material Distribution Centers Employees, regardless of whether those employees are members or not. No such employee may negotiate the terms and conditions of their employment without the APWU. Nor does any such employee have the authority to waive any of their contractual rights without the knowledge, consent, participation, and agreement of the APWU. The APWU must be a party to any grievance settlement or that settlement is not valid and will not stand (Prearbitration Settlement in Case #H7N-5R-C 26829).

ARTICLE 1.6 BARGAINING UNIT WORK

In Post Offices or installations with 100 or more employees, supervisors are prohibited from performing Bargaining Unit Work except under the following circumstances:

  1. IN AN EMERGENCY
  2. FOR THE PURPOSE OF TRAINING OR INSTRUCTION OF EMPLOYEES
  3. TO ASSURE THE PROPER OPERATION OF EQUIPMENT
  4. TO PROTECT THE SAFETY OF EMPLOYEES
  5. TO PROTECT THE PROPERTY OF THE USPS.

In smaller offices, supervisors may only perform such work under the listed conditions or when such duties are included within their job description.

An “emergency” is defined, in Article 3.F, as “an unforeseen circumstance or a combination of circumstances which calls for immediate action in a situation which is not expected to be of a recurring nature.” A supervisor MAY NOT place mail on Manual Distribution ledges (AC-C 24024/5-HIL-1082) or load FSM or Automation feeders except for the above purposes. As a general rule of thumb, if a supervisor is touching the mail, he is performing Bargaining Unit Work. Even if a supervisor performs Bargaining Unit Work for only a few minutes, but does so on a regular or daily basis, he is violating the contract.

It is also worth noting that an Acting Supervisor (204-B) is not permitted to perform Bargaining Unit Overtime. That is to say that a 204-B may not perform his bid job on overtime during, immediately following, or immediately preceding a detail as an Acting Supervisor until or unless all other personnel have been utilized.

Often, employees will not complain about the craft work performed by supervisors, believing that this is somehow making their work easier. HOWEVER, we have entered an age of EXCESSING and JOB ABOLISHMENTS and such behavior CAN NO LONGER BE CONDONED. The more Bargaining Unit Work these supervisors can get away with, the more jobs the Postal Service can eliminate. THE NEXT JOB THEY SEEK TO ABOLISH MAY BE YOURS! To protect your job, it is essential that you report all such infractions, however brief, to your Shop Steward. THE JOB YOU SAVE MAY BE YOUR OWN!

Many thanks to The Red Bank Local