August - Branch43.com
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August - Branch43.com
August 2016 Branch 43 News & Views Since July 25, 1890 Branch 43 Proudly Serving Amelia - Batavia - Bethel - Blanchester - Cincinnati - Cleves - Georgetown - Greenfield Harrison- Hillsboro - Lebanon - Loveland - Mason - Middletown - Milford - Monroe - Morrow New Richmond - Oxford - Ripley - South Lebanon - Springboro - Wilmington From the President’s Desk Sometimes I feel like we’re riding a merry-go-round. The music is playing, the scenery moves by at a predictable pace and returns with regularity. Even the up and down of the horses is tame David L Kennedy enough to handle as long as everything President is working in rhythm. For us in the Ohio Valley District, the music has stopped and the ride slowly grinds to a halt. What happened? We’ve received word that Ohio Valley Acting District Manager, Melvin Anderson will return to his ‘real’ job as the Northern Ohio District Manager. So, as we’ve seen many times in the past that when the music stops, all the ‘players’ return to their ‘real’ position. So, in keeping with the game of musical chairs, Sam Jaudon returns as Ohio Valley District Manager. What does this mean for us in SW Ohio? Time will tell, but the blanket mandates that ALL carriers have to be on the street by 9:00 a.m. and the see-saw of ‘mandatory’ return times MAY fade away. As the merry-go-round slowly begins the next ride, the familiar Sam Jaudon is back at the controls. Coming in September, career letter carriers will have a rare chance to increase their federal group life insurance, without undergoing a major life event, through an open season for Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) that begins on Sept. 1 and runs through Sept. 30. During open season, the first in 12 years, career carriers and most other federal employees may enroll in FEGLI for the first time, or increase their coverage, without taking a physical exam or waiting for a “qualifying life event,” such as marriage, divorce, death of a spouse or the joining of the family by an eligible child. Career letter carriers automatically are enrolled, when hired, in the basic FEGLI coverage and pay the premiums through payroll deduction, unless they decline the coverage. Carriers who are happy with their existing FEGLI coverage don’t need to do anything during open season to continue their coverage. Carriers can reduce or cancel their FEGLI coverage at any time without waiting for an open season. For a postal employee, the cost of basic insurance is covered completely by the Postal Service. The basic insurance amount is equal to the greater of a) the employee’s annual rate of pay (rounded up to the next $1,000) plus $2,000, or b) $10,000, plus an extra benefit for certain employees based on their age. Enrollment during open season requires submitting a completed Form SF-2817. For complete information about FEGLI and the choices available during open season, go to opm.gov/life. For retirees weighing their options, see Director of Retired Members Ron Watson’s column in the April 2016 issue of The Postal Record, available at nalc.org. Outside of open season, eligible employees can enroll or increase their coverage by taking a physical exam or having a qualifying life event and by filling out Form SF-2822. Once approved for basic coverage, an employee can enroll in Option B and/or Option C within 60 days. The Branch 43 membership voted to cancel the August meeting due to the NALCs 70th Biennial Convention which is being held in Los Angeles, California from August 15 through August 19, 2016. The branch office will remain open during regular business hours throughout the week. Stewards should note, according to M-1874, the thirty-one day moratorium on time limits for the processing of all grievances at the local, regional and national levels. The grievance time limit moratorium begins August 7 and concludes September 6. One year has past since we celebrated our 125th anniversary at Sharon Woods. This year our annual picnic returns on Labor Day to celebrate with the AFL-CIO at Coney Island. In years past there have been prominent guest speakers at the picnic, but at this time no announcement has been made. This year at Coney the Continued on Page 6 Page 2 August News & Views Safety??? NEWS & VIEWS Volume 127, Number 8 Published Monthly by: Queen City Letter Carriers NALC Branch 43 4100 Colerain Avenue Cincinnati, Ohio 45223-2684 www.branch43.com Phone: 513-542-6400 Fax: 513-542-0043 Board of Officers President / Editor: David L. Kennedy Vice President: Douglas E. Lape Secretary: Burt Hughes Recording Secretary / Asst. Secretary: Ted Thompson Treasurer: Connie Griffieth H.B.R./M.B.A.: Jim Metz Sgt.-At-Arms: Mike Mize Comp. Officer: Tom Roos Dir. of Retirees: Gerald Giesting President Emeritus: Gary Gabbard President Emeritus: Gerald Giesting Trustees: Denny Doud, Dave Durbin, Skip Grant, Don Mueller, Randy Utz A.F.L. - C.I.O. Delegates: Executive Council - David Kennedy Brian Bailey, Sue Egbers, Diana Enwright, Kevin Grabel, Kevin Hensley & Lamont Seaborough EDITOR’S NOTES Branch 43 members are encouraged to send articles to the News & Views. Items of interest about your station, current events, etc. are welcome. The following guidelines apply: (1) We may edit your article for grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc. (2) If it should prove necessary to edit an article for space or coherence, every effort will be made to preserve the substance and intent of the article. (3) Unsigned articles will not be printed. Letters, criticism and suggestions for improving the News & Views are also welcome. If your letter is not intended for publication, please state so. Letters held to 150 words are less likely to be edited. (4) Articles must arrive at the Branch office by the 15th in order to make the next month’s issue. Digital format is preferred. Send items to: Editor, News & Views. Printed in House Management talks a good game but when the rubber hits Dave Utz Formal A Rep. the road everything is forgotten except BE BACK BY 6:00 or whatever the time is on any given day. Carriers are responsible for their safety all day long. Most of the LLVs & CRVs are not in very good shape. Management gave me an LLV with the parking brake broken. I was told by a carrier the vehicle was reported 2 days prior but management did not get it fixed. I reported the problem again and did not drive the vehicle. Check your vehicle in the morning and do not drive it if it is not in good working order. Fill out a repair tag. When a carrier is in an accident management will inspect for defects, and if a problem is found they will ask; Why did you drive the LLV? Don’t put yourself in that position. Weather condition are another major safety concern for carriers out in the elements for hours and hours. Management tells us in the heat to drink water, but don’t take any longer on your route and be sure to make your pivot. The fact is, you know how you are doing in the heat. Carriers need to be drinking 8 oz. of water about 1/2 hour. Throughout the country over the last few years, OSHA cites the USPS for heat related issues. Listed below is an excerpt from Brother Walzlawick’s case. The following is part of the Judges’ finding: On July 24, 2012, Brother John Watzlawick, an Independence, MO, letter carrier lost his life as a direct result of heat illness. An extensive investigation was conducted by OSHA and the Office of Region 5 National Business Agent Dan Pittman. On December 12, 2012, OSHA issued a citation (Inspection# 538158) labeled as “Willful.” Judge Ball writes: “Heat is No Excuse”, From the very top of the management chain down to the floor supervisor, the message was clear: heat is not an excuse for performance issues. Mr. Behrends, the acting Officer-InCharge at the time of the incident involving J.W. and other letter carriers, gave sworn testimony that Gail Hendrix and Steve Erbland told him and other managers that heat does not matter and that employees should be able to perform within their expected delivery parameters regardless of the weather. (Tr. 24547). This is further supported by the series of emails that were sent between the various managers in the Mid-America District. That message was relayed to lower-level supervisors, such as Mr. Harvey and Mr. Dyer, who, in turn, conveyed the same message to the letter carriers. These are other heat related citations issued to USPS: Dec. 4, 2013: OSHA 917092, Medford, MA., Oct. 21, 2015: OSHA 1075644, Ottumwa, IA., Jan. 5, 2016: OSHA 1087510, Monroe, LA., Feb. 18, 2016: OSHA 1093157, Pensacola, FL. Branch 43 cannot grieve a death, but we can grieve discipline. If the heat takes carriers longer, so be it. Call the station and inform management the heat is slowing you down and you are unable to make the agreed to time. You are in charge of your own safety at all times. David Utz August News & Views From the Vice President Employee Engagement Part 2 Last month I wrote extensively about the Post Service’s new Employee Engagement program and the attempt by our employer to improve the climate on the workroom floor. I gave my opinion that that management really had two goals in the implementation of this initiative. First, to raise the score on the Postal Pulse survey regardless of whether or not the increase translated into an improved work atmosphere and second as a way to reward each other for raising those scores. Like every other employee in the Eastern Area, I received a copy of the Eastern Area Update since I wrote my last article. Now generally I do not read the update because most of the stories seem to be written about some other company and not the Postal Service since the articles bear little resemblance to the truth about what is actually happening in the stations and branches in the Ohio Valley District. This month however, I read every article because I was sure that I would find items touting the success of a program that I was told at the outset would take anywhere from 8 to 12 years to have a noticeable effect on the work climate and I was not disappointed. On the very first page of the Update, Area Vice President Joshua Colin spoke about how the grand mean score nationally went from 3.16 to 3.24, a rise of 0.08 or 2.5%. He also spoke of the increase of the grand mean score in the Eastern Area, which was 0.12; however, he did not state where the score began or ended, so we have no idea what the percentage increased. Vice President Colin goes on to talk about how engaged employees make the customer experience and how disengaged employees break the experience. He ends his column by stating that “The way your employees feel is the way your customers feel”. Based on the scores on the survey and the fact that the Postal Service ranks in the bottom 1% of employers that utilize this survey, you would have to conclude that the vast majority of craft employees are disengaged. If what Vice President Colin writes is true, all of these disengaged employees should translate into Doug Lape Vice President Page 3 our customers having a negative impression of the Postal Service. In fact, the exact opposite is true. In 2015 the Pew Research Center conducted a poll of all federal agencies and found that 84% of those polled have a favorable opinion of the Postal Service while only 14% have an unfavorable opinion. For most of the public, the only interaction that they have with the Postal Service is their Letter Carrier. This means that even though the vast majority of carriers are considered disengaged and no matter how toxic the climate on the workroom floor, carriers still give the public a positive image of the Postal Service and enhance the customer experience. Although I have no numbers to back this up, it is my opinion that the majority of the 14% who have an unfavorable opinion of the agency probably had to deal with someone in management at some point in the past. The other item that I noticed was an article discussing the Employee Engagement training that is being conducted. The Postal Service is paying three ambassadors to teach other management personnel how to implement the new program. As I stated earlier, this program is a way for management to reward each other for raising their scores. During the training, one of the managers was recognized by other managers for having the highest score, so they would be able to answer yes on the next survey when they are asked if they received praise and recognition; however, only if this manager gets their survey in the next seven days. There was one other article that bears mentioning and even though it does not deal directly with Employee Engagement, I believe that it illustrates perfectly the opinion that most people in management have towards craft employees in general and Letter Carriers specifically. The article relates a story about a CCA who picked up a letter addressed to the Easter Bunny and showed the letter to his supervisor. Now the supervisor jokingly told the carrier that as a CCA, he was responsible for answering the letter, which he did and purchased and delivered the items. At the end of the article the supervisor is quoted as saying “We all hear the bad things carriers do, but here is an instance of a young man bringing a little happiness to someone”. I have heard these types of comments many times in my career. Instead of simply praising the carrier for his actions, the supervisor has to insult the entire craft at the same time. It seems like management is programmed to believe that continued on page 6 Page 4 Life Insurance Open Season (September 1 - September 30, 2016) Overview The Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance Program, FEGLI, is having an Open Season from September 1, 2016 through September 30, 2016. This is the first FEGLI Open Season since 2004. During the month of September 2016, if you are a Federal employee eligible for FEGLI, you can elect any coverage that FEGLI offers, including Option C coverage on the lives of your eligible family members. Employees who are in their first 12 months of workers’ compensation are also eligible but they must meet pay and duty status requirements before their coverage can come into effect. You do not need to be currently enrolled in FEGLI to elect coverage during the Open Season. Open Season elections have no medical exam required and no health questions to answer. Elections made during the FEGLI Open Season have a one-year delayed effective date. Coverage you elect in the September 2016 FEGLI Open Season will be effective on the first day of the first full pay period on or after October 1, 2017, as long as you meet pay and duty status requirements. For most Postal employees, this means your coverage will be effective on October 14, 2017. Your new premiums will be effective when your new coverage is effective. You will not pay your new premiums during the one-year waiting period. The FEGLI Open Season is for FEGLI-eligible employees and qualifying compensationers only. Annuitants are not eligible to make FEGLI Open Season elections. By law, annuitants are never allowed to elect or increase their FEGLI life insurance coverage, even during an Open Season. Like employees, annuitants can cancel or reduce FEGLI coverage at any time unless assigned. Making Your FEGLI Open Season Election There is no special election form to use during the FEGLI Open Season. You make your Open Season election using the existing FEGLI election form, Standard Form SF 2817, or its electronic equivalent if your agency offers one. Submit your election to your agency’s human resources office. August News & Views If you submit your election by hand or electronically, be sure to indicate to your agency that this is an Open Season election. If your agency uses a shared service center or if you submit your election by mail, your agency may have a cover letter for you to attach to show that yours is an Open Season election. Your agency will give you a copy of your election as proof of receipt. Your agency will give you another copy of the election when your coverage becomes effective after you meet pay and duty status requirements. Be sure to elect ALL the FEGLI coverage that you want on your Open Season election, not just the coverage you want to add or increase. Any coverage you do not elect is waived or cancelled. If you like your current FEGLI coverage, you do not need to take any action during the Open Season. If you do nothing during the FEGLI Open Season, you will keep your existing election. You are not required to re-elect your coverage. Retiring after the FEGLI Open Season All regular rules still apply for continuing FEGLI into retirement. This includes the requirement that for any types or multiples of coverage you wish to bring into retirement, you must have that coverage throughout your last five years of Federal service, or your entire period or periods of service if you retire with less than five years. Because coverage elected during the FEGLI Open Season will be effective no sooner than October 2017, this means that if you want to bring your Open Season coverage into retirement, you must retire in October 2022 or later, five years after the coverage becomes effective. If you plan to retire before October 2022, consider this when deciding whether to elect coverage during the FEGLI Open Season. By law, there are no waivers for the five-year rule under the FEGLI Program. August News & Views Page 5 Page 6 S t e w a r d ' s C o r n e r t I would like to discuss e the Weingarten rule with the w membership. As a Formal A a representative, I have seen many r cases of carriers not exercising d their rights under our contract. 's An employee has Mike Mize Weingarten representation Formal A Rep. C rights only where he or she o reasonably believes that discipline could result r from the investigatory interview. These are our n rights as letter carriers to ask that a Union Steward e be present when management is interviewing us on r any issue that you believe could lead to discipline. Let’s face it, 90% of management is not your friend or on your side. They’re just trying to stay off the radar from downtown because of all their numbers and ridiculous mandates that are handed down. The Weingarten rights came about from Federal labor law, in what is known as the Weingarten rule, gives each employee the right to representation during any investigatory interview which he or she reasonably believes may lead to discipline (NLRB v. J. Weingarten, U.S. Supreme Court, 1975). Now, that was over 40 years ago and many carriers over the years have exercised their right during management’s interrogations. Why would you want or need to ask for a Union Steward? Well, it’s always a good idea to have someone witness the management interview. Whether you’re a CCA or veteran carrier, you may not know all the rules. Would you trust management to correctly write down your answers to their questions? As a Formal A I have seen many times where what the Union Steward writes as your answer is not the same as what management has written during a Pre-Discipline Interview. This is supposed to be your day in court as the employee and help clarify whatever the issue is. So how do you exercise your rights? You simply ask for a Union Steward. Management will ask you a question, like why were you one unit past 1700, or did you deliver an Express mail late yesterday. I have seen more often of late where a carrier is issued discipline and does not ask to see a Union Steward and no grievance is filed. At that point you have a Letter of Warning or 7 Day Suspension for two years. August News & Views We have to look out for one another. We have to educate the newer carriers. This includes informing them of their rights as a Union member. When you start to learn the rules, this job will get easier. This is your job, so why not learn all you can to protect yourself. We are one Union, so let’s educate each other and look out for one another. Fraternally, Mike Mize, Sgt@Arms/ Formal A Vice President Continued you cannot compliment a craft employee without insulting them in the same breath. In closing, I will say that I would like to believe that management is sincere in their belief that they can change the work climate and make this a better company for the employees. Unfortunately, I have yet to see any real improvement that would warrant the praise that management given itself in this program. In solidarity, Doug Recording Sec. Ted Thompson will give a presentation on Branch 43 History during the September 8th Membership meeting. This will be his first project as a participant of Class 21 of the NALC Leadership Academy. Please attend if interested or to help Ted by completing a brief questionarre President Continued branch will provide admission, food and soft drinks for $10.00 per family (up to six), or $5.00 per individual or extra family members. Admission tickets will be sent after registrations are received at the branch office. Members may bring a side dish or dessert to share. The entry form is on page 5 and is also available at branch43.com. All registrations must be returned to the branch office by August 26. Make plans now to join the entire Labor community for the largest Labor Day picnic in the country on Monday, September 5th at Coney Island. In solidarity, Dave Page 7 August News & Views Joe Cynthia James Troy James Celeste Rose Robert Wm. Ronald Jerome Karon John Warren Steve Gregory Steven Wm. Gregory Dennis George Gerald Roger Lloyd Patrick Ronald James Harry Daniel Sherman Andrew Robert Join fellow retirees for lunch 1:00 pm - 1st Monday of each month August Retiree Birthdays Allen Bidding Borcher Brock Buchheid Clooney Cooper Copenhaver Cottrell Haynes Janning Jansen Karch III Koenig Kruse Lee Luttrell Moore Mullins Murphy Murphy Patton Paulinelli Redmon, Jr. Regan Stacy Struewing Thuney Warnock Williamson Zeiser Zimmerman Gold Carriers Baldwin Hemmerle Hoskins Kolb Laker Mealy Murphy Obermeyer Osterholz Roundtree Staud Steuer Steuer James Wm. Donald Paul Al Robert Wm. Carl Francis Albert Thomas Joseph Robert Last Punch Bunch Monday, September 12th (2nd Mon. due to Holiday) Riverside Marina 145 Mary Ingles Hwy Dayton, Ky 41074 Call Greg Stulz (859) 380-9512 or Gerry Mees (859) 491-2008 July YOPC Attendees Deborah Bryant John Corcoran Liz Darby Kellie Demaree Tom Demaree Jerry Giesting Bob Heis Art Holt Dick Keller Fred Kirchgessner Gerry Mees Bob Shepherd Joe Steuer Paul Wilbers Toni Thomas, Dedicated Coll. Jim McNulty, Dedicated Coll. Join your fellow retirees next month for sharing old times, playing cards and lunch. Eugene K. Walsh Jim Meale, Sycamore Page 8 Motions made at the July Membership Meeting August News & Views WORD SEARCH… _ _ B _ _ _ _ Y Recording Secretary, Ted Thompson was unable to print the Motions from the July Membership meeting due to the fact he was attending the first week of NALC’s Leadership Academy when this issue was prepared. The July Motions will be printed here next month. Sorry for any inconvience Survey paints dismal picture of worker morale at Metroplex Mail Distribution Center in Pontiac PONTIAC, Mich. (WXYZ) – A workplace survey about the Metroplex Mail Distribution Center in Pontiac paints a dismal picture of workplace life. The survey, exclusively obtained by 7 Action News, was sent out to more than 700 union workers in May. One hundred seventy-five have responded so far. The overwhelming majority call it a “toxic work environment” – circling words like “hostile”, “tense”, and “difficult” when answering questions. Name the title of this month’s Word Search in the spaces provided above. All words listed below pertain to the title. The words can be forward, backward, up, down or diagonal. Send this completed page finding all 20 words along with the title to the branch office by the last day of the month for a chance to win a 125th Anniversary T-shirt. AMERICA BREAK COMMUNITY COUNTRY ETHIC HONOR LABOR MEN MONDAY NATIONAL PICNIC RESPECT RIGHTS SEPTEMBER TRIBUTE UNIONS USA WELL BEING WOMEN WORK Winner of the July Word Search was Denise Knue (retired). Denise will receive a 125th Anniversary Branch 43 T-shirt for knowing the title, completing the word search, and sending it to the office. August News & Views Roy Tailors /Galls Uniform Co. 1905 Dalton Avenue Cincinnati, Ohio 45214 (513) 621-4787 Serving YOU Since 1958 Union Made with Pride "Service is the Key to Our Success" Our Hamilton County Respresentative is Retired Member of Branch 43 Pat Mulvaney Call Pat at 513-284-1504 and Richard Gargana 513-607-7738 Retired Human Resource Specialist Cincinnati District Northern Kentucky Representative Terry Metz Call 289-9372 Store Hours: M-F 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Sat 8:30 AM - Noon Closed on Saturday from July 4th through Labor Day Page 9 Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Human Resources Share Service Center 1-877-477-3273 Option 5, then Select 6 TTY: 1-866-833-8777 MAILING ADDRESS: HRSSC FMLA EASTERN PO Box 970905 Greensboro NC 27497-0905 FAX: 651-456-6041 July Membership Meeting Raffle Winners Split-the-Pot - Dave Haussler MDA - Mark Mercer, Mike Winters, Burt Hughes, Dave Haussler & Don Mueller Page 10 Brooklyn letter carrier plans to sue city over false arrest A postal worker who says he was falsely arrested after clashing with cops on a Brooklyn street has a special delivery for the city — a new lawsuit. A lawyer for Glenn Grays said his March 17 caughton-camera arrest traumatized him so badly that he is still unable to return to work. Grays, 27, of East New York, said he was on duty and driving along President St. in Crown Heights when an unmarked police car nearly hit his mail truck. He shouted something in frustration, he said, and the police car stopped and backed up. The officers demanded his ID, cuffed him and took him away. The scene was caught on several cameras including a cellphone video. Source: NY Daily News Save the Date Bengals vs. Broncos Sunday, September 25th August News & Views Arslan Uniforms 1045 Dalton Avenue Cincinnati,OH 45203 Phone (513) 621-2111/Fax (513) 961-9211 Union Made/American Made Branch 43 Retired Member Ed Groen (513) 378-8905 Call or stop by the store Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Saturday 8:00 AM - Noon Injury Compensation Questions? Members can call the Office on Tuesdays between 12:30 - 4:00. Compensation Officer Tom Roos will be available to answer questions about claims. The office received a call regarding Paul Hasty who is a retired clerk. Paul has fallen on hard times and if anyone remembers him they are asked to call Roger Mcilvaine at 513-777-7462 August News & Views Page 11 Queen City Letter Carriers Non-Profit Org. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Cincinnati, Ohio PERMIT No. 6919 NALC Branch 43 4100 Colerain Avenue Cincinnati, Ohio 45223 "ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED" Upcoming Events Officer Meeting - CANCELLED Branch Meeting - CANCELLED NALC Convention - August 15th - 19th Y.O.P.C. - 9:00 am. August 31st NALC Health Benefit Plan Customer Service For eligibility, claim and benefit information 1-888-636-NALC (6252) For additional imformation visit our website at: www.nalc.org/depart/hbp 4100 Colerain Ave Cincinnati, Ohio 45223 (513) 542-6400
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