North Dakota APWU Convention Report

(By John Durham, 4/14/12)

   The 2012 North Dakota APWU State Convention was held April 12-14, 2011 at the Kelly Inn in Fargo, ND.  APWU clerks and maintenance employees from Fargo, Grand Forks, Devils Lake, Bismarck and Minot were in attendance.

   On Thursday NBA Willie Mellen gave a presentation on the new Postal Support Employee position and how the new category of employee fits it with the 2010-2015 National Agreement.  In the afternoon the convention dismissed early so delegates could join Fargo Letter Carriers and other APWU members in a postal rally.  The rally was held in front of Senator John Hoeven's office in south Fargo to bring attention to pending postal legislation.  The rally was a huge success and was the lead story for WDAY Channel 6 news that evening. 

APWU members Kyle Kuntz and Rick Nordeen at the rally.  Kyle is the Tour 1 Shop Steward in Fargo, and Rick is a Fargo PSE clerk.

Devils Lake Stands Strong!  Three APWU members from Devils Lake made local news headlines with the photo.

Thursday's rally not only had current APWU members, but also had retired and active members from the local NALC as well.  Representatives from sister unions in the area also showed support, including Tony St. Michael, President of the Fargo-Moorhead Central Labor Council. 

Because of an improper law enacted in 2006, the Postal Service has now been mandated by Congress to pay billions of dollars in advance payments into the federal health and retirement systems for all federal employees.  No other federal agency is required to make such astronomical payments, even though they reap the same benefits.  The five largest federal agencies (DoD, VA, Homeland Security, DOJ and Transportation) make up over half of the 2.7 million civilian federal workers.  None of these agencies are mandated to make pre-funding payments.  Take away these unneeded payments, and the USPS operated with a profit in 2011.  But because of the mandate, postal officials are forced to shut down plants and small town post offices and cut sevice standards.  This could have devastating consequences for business and communities across the nation.

Fargo Clerks Sue Carnahan, Richard Vetter, Mike Wavra and Tim Haaland led the way at Thursday's postal rally.

 Legislation is currently being drafted to help resolve some of these issues, but lawmakers in Washington are slow to react to the needs of the Postal Service.  The USPS is the lifeline that runs thru every community and business in America. 

 On Friday the convention got down to business.  The delegates broke down into committees and acted on various resolutions.  Issues such as increased rights and benefits for PTF and PSE clerks were acted on, as well as improved protections from involuntary assignments and layoffs for all workers.  Additional promotional opportunities for maintenance employees and clerks were also passed.  Health and safety issues on the DBCS issues were also passed by the convention, as well as language to allow the national APWU President the flexibility to consider reverting vacant officer positions due to financial constraints.  The APWU has lost almost 100,000 members over the past several years due to USPS downsizing the work forces.

Tim Haaland (Fargo), Lisa Kringlie (Wallace), Shelly Puklich and Richard Mielke (Bismarck), Dave Hancock (Jamestown), Rob Strunk (APWU HQ) and Willie Mellen, NBA Minneapolis Region.

In the afternoon, several guest speakers addressed the convention delegates.  North Dakota Representative Pam Gulleson and State Senator Ryan Taylor spoke briefly on their strong support of postal workers and the need for a strong Postal Service.  Gulleson is currently running for Congress, and Taylor is running for North Dakota Governor.  Both individuals received overwhelming support from the North Dakota APWU for their past efforts in helping postal employees and other worker rights.

 Representative Pam Gulleson is running for Congress.

 State Senator Ryan Taylor took his hat off to the APWU as he explained his goals in running for Governor of North Dakota.

PFFCU Manager Karen Andersen also gave a brief statement on the benefits of the Postal Family Federal Credit Union.  Our National Agreement outlines specific benefits for APWU members in relation to the credit union and USPS obligations to maintain this benefit for all members.

The afternoon closed with a brief presentation on Non-Traditional Full-Time duty assignements and how the new type of job applies in our 2010-2015 National Agreement.  NBA Willie Mellen did a nice job explaining the new language and how the parties in Washington intended for the new NTFT assignments to be implemented.   

State President Christie Heitman of South Dakota APWU (center) sat by former North Dakota APWU officers Jim Vanyo and Merle Bakkegard.

On the final day of the convention elections were conducted.  North Dakota APWU President Sue Carnahan, Vice President Tracy Valentine and Secretary-Treasurer Bob Hager were all re-elected for another 2-year term.  No ballots were cast as the officers ran unopposed.  Congratulations Sue, Tracy and Bob!

L-R: Tracy Valentine (Grand Forks), Bob Hager (Devils Lake) and Sue Carnahan (Fargo) are sworn in for another term as North Dakota APWU officers. 

More photos from the 2012 Convention can be viewed on our Photos Page on this web site.  Additional pictures are also posted on our Facebook page.

Fargo Clerk Receives $3200 Award

(Posted 3/31/12)

     March 2012 was a good month for Fargo Clerk Dondi Koenig.  First of all, he was the senior successful bidder on one of Fargo's very first 4/10 shifts ever posted for bid.  Dondi was awarded a Sales and Service Associate job on Tour 2 effective March 24, moving from his former Tour 3 job.  But the good news didn't stop there.

     In a Step 2 grievance settlement signed last week, Dondi was awarded a lump sum payment of $3250.00.  The grievance was filed by Tour 3 Shop Steward Tim Haaland when Dondi was routinely scheduled by management outside his normal bid assignment without proper compensation.  The violation was initially cited in 2011, and continued for several months into 2012. 

Dondi Koenig is happy to now be on the day shift, and excited for the extra bonus too, courtesy of the USPS!

     Congratulations to Dondi, and hats off to Tim for solid work on documenting and arguing another successful grievance!

Over $4,000.00 Paid to West Fargo Clerks

(Posted 3/24/12)

West Fargo Clerk Lisa Ensrud had multiple grievances filed on her behalf recently

Several grievances were settled at Step 2 recently that resulted in over $4,000.00 of grievance payments to full-time clerks assigned to the West Fargo Post Office.

New contract language in 2011 saw lots of changes for Level 21 Post Offices like West Fargo.  One change was the conversion of PTF employees to Full-Time status.  But instead of changing the two West Fargo PTF to Full-Time Regular status, local management decided to go with 32-hour NTFT (Non-Traditional Full-Time) assignments.  This decision now strictly prohibits management from forcing overtime upon employees who are not on the OTDL (Overtime Desired List).  Unfortunately local management did not realize or concern themselves with these new rules until it was too late.  The result?  A grievance was filed, and settlement was reached.

Other violations in the office centered on forced hours outside bid assignments, and 12-hour work limit violations.  In total, over $4000.00 was paid out to the various career clerks in West Fargo.  Currently the office is staffed with five clerks: two FTR clerks, two NTFT clerks and one new PSE clerk.  A notice for a second PSE clerk was posted by management last week.

Grievance Payments Top 1.6M for Fargo Area

(Posted 4/1/12)

According to current union records, grievances filed by the Fargo Area Local APWU have now exceeded 1.6 million dollars.

Grievance records and files go back as far as the 1960's, but more accurate accounts of actual grievance payments aren't clear until the mid 1980's.  Since then, the local union has kept a running total of amounts paid out in settlements.  From 1985 to present a grand total of $1,631,783.00 has been paid out by the USPS to various employees represented by the Fargo Area Local APWU.  This total includes clerks and maintenance employees in Fargo, West Fargo and Wahpeton, ND Post Offices, as well as Moorhead and Fergus Falls, MN Post Offices.

Larger grievances in past years have contributed to this outrageous figure.  In August 2000 the Postal Service finally paid out over $362,000 after they lost a National Arbitration award that upgraded all Fargo Mail Processors from Level 4 to Level 5.  That payment covered 11 years of back pay to numerous employees.

 Grievance payments for last three years total almost $250,000.00

From 1995 to 2006 Fargo management also paid close to $800,000 in four separate grievances concerning the use of casual employees in-lieu of career workers.

While the Mail Processor upgrade case and casual grievances make up the bulk of the payments, there is still a disturbing trend of increased grievance payments over the years.  In 2011 the USPS paid out almost $50,000 in grievance settlements, and over $25,000 had already been paid in 2012.

Since April 2009 over $246,000 has been settled in grievances at the various steps.  Overtime issues and supervisors performing bargaining unit work seem to be a common source of grievances, and have been for the past 30-40 years.

Local union officials have made several attempts to eliminate or seriously reduce the number of repeated errors.  In 2010 a Local Overtime Policy was developed.  Joint meetings with all supervisors were held to discuss local overtime procedures. 

Last year the local union agreed to take over the administrative duties of handling the annual leave requests from employees.  This has resulted in the virtual elimination of annual leave grievances and payouts, a huge improvement.

With our new local contract this fall, the local union has also resumed administrative duties in relation to the holiday schedules.  This has also dramatically decreased the amount of mistakes and payouts. 

Provisions in the National Agreement allow the union to also take over administrative duties of overtime assignments, if all parties agree locally.  But so far, Fago management and union officials haven't found a way to reach solution and compromise in this final area.  Consequently, many common mistakes continue to resurface, resulting in endless stream of grievance payments.

Tired of Running DBCS Alone?  Take Action!

(Posted March 6, 2012)

 If you are a Mail Processing Clerk in Fargo, ND then chances are you've been stuck working in letter automation without a partner for a significant portion of your shift.  If so, then a contract violation may exist.

Fargo shop stewards are asking automation clerks to report such incidents by requesting steward time at work.  However, another option is now available.  Simply go to the "Contact Us" page of this web site, fill in the information, and submit.  Your information will be forwarded to the appropriate union official for further action.

Be sure to include as many facts and details as you can.  Date of incident, time worked alone, machine # and program will all be critiical in processing a grievance.

Don't try to feed and sweep at the same time, the machine is designed for two operators!

     If you have any questions, suggestions or comments, please contact the union office by sending us a message from this web site.

 

Fargo Now Hiring PSEs, Sample Test Link Below (6/12/11)

The Fargo Post Office posted a job notice that seeks applicants for the newly created PSE or Postal Support Employee Clerk position.  The job posting period runs from June 10 thru June 16, 2011.  Applications are open to the general public.  Anyone interested in applying the position should visit the Postal Service web site at USPS.com.  Applicants must apply on-line.

The PSE Clerk position in Fargo will have a starting wage of $14.60 per hour, with additional pay for night differential.  PSEs will also earning two and a half weeks of vacation per year, and be permitted to join the APWU and have access to the grievance procedure.  After a year the PSE will also be eligible for health insurance benefits.

It is anticipated that management will be hiring 10-12 PSE Clerks for Fargo, eventually replacing the current clerk casual complement. 

The PSE Clerk position is considered a non-career position.  However, when management decides to hire additional career clerk employees, they must start with the most senior Postal Support Employee.

For more information about the PSE Clerk position contact your local union official by sending us an e-mail or calling the union office at 701-241-6163.

To preview the 473 Battery Exam that applicant are required to take, simply click on this link and you can study the same questions.

 APWU, USPS Agree
On New Lead Clerk Jobs

(05/04/12) The APWU and USPS agreed to job descriptions for new Lead Clerk positions on May 4, and agreed to the process for posting and bidding the new positions. The new positions were negotiated as part of the 2010-2015 Collective Bargaining Agreement. 

The process for establishing the new positions in outlined in series of Questions and Answers. [PDF] 

Lead Clerk positions will be established as follows: 

Lead Sales & Service Associate [PDF]

Lead Mail Processing Clerk [PDF]

Lead Customer Service Clerk [PDF] 

They will earn one level higher than others in their group. 

To be awarded a Lead Customer Service Clerk or Lead Mail Processing Clerk position, employees must have a minimum of one year’s experience in the functional area. Lead Sales & Service Associates must have a minimum of one year’s experience working on the window.

Lead Clerks can perform all of the tasks of a supervisor except issue discipline and grant leave. They may work alone or as a working leader, with or without supervision, and will have the latitude to determine when a supervisor should be involved in their activities. 

Lead Clerk positions will be posted as senior-qualified duty assignments. 

Repeat Grievance Equals More Cash

(Posted on 5/3/12)

In March 2012 the Postal Service reached a grievance settlement at Step 3 to pay Fargo window clerks a total of $2100.00.  (See article below)  But the violation continued, forcing the local union to file another grievance on the same issue.  The result?  A Step 2 settlement this week that agreed to pay $3,400.00 to the same group of affected employees.

A grand total of $5,500.00 has been paid to the same 17 window clerks in Fargo over the past two months.

Management didn't seem to learn from the earlier settlement, and continued violating a local agreement that prohibited unassigned employees from working the window.

As of May 3, 2012 Fargo still has two unencumbered employees, Candi Sellin and Troy Blevins.  Both clerks were former PTR clerks who worked the window. 

For now management has ceased assigning these employees at the window section, so there should be no more grievances on this issue, for now.

Fargo LMOU Booklet Now Available

(Posted 4/22/12)

 Fargo clerks and maintenance employees who are APWU members can now obtain a free booklet of the 2010-2015 Fargo LMOU.  The booklet is free for APWU members.  Just stop by or contact the union office for your complimentary copy.  The booklet contains 32 pages, with larger text size for easier reading.

Non-members may obtain a copy for $50.00.

$2100.00 Awarded to Fargo Window Clerks

(Posted 3/22/12)

A recent Step 3 grievance settlement was signed this month, awarding $2100.00 to Fargo employees to be determined by the local APWU.

The grievance was filed back in August 2011 when new contract language required management to convert Fargo's six PTR clerks to Full-Time status and post duty assignments for all clerks to bid.  Management refused to comply in a timely manner, waiting until this month to finally post jobs.  As a result, the former PTRs were left as unassigned clerks for the last seven months. 

The primary issue of this grievance was the fact that management utilized unassigned employees at the window.  This action was in direct violation of a local grievance settlement that expressly prohibited such action.

In reaching agreement on the case, USPS officials in Western Area agreed to pay Fargo employees a total of $2100, to be divided by those employees designated by the union.  Upon receipt of the award the Fargo Area Local APWU sent a letter to Labor Relations, requesting all 17 Fargo clerks who are currently window qualified receive an equal payment of $123.50.

A copy of the settlement can be viewed by clicking here.

It pay$ to belong to the APWU! 

 New Fargo PSEs are 100% Union!

As of May 4, 2012 19 PSE Clerks currently work at the Fargo and West Fargo Post Offices, and all have immediately joined the union!

At the May 3, 2012 Labor-Management Meeting Fargo Postmaster Greg Johnson stated that Fargo is authorized a total of 22 PSE Clerks.  Management continues to be actively hiring additional PSEs.

Please take some time to introduce yourselves to the new employees and be sure to thank them for joining the APWU!

Current PSE Union Members 

1. Matt Isaac, Tour 3
2. Nikki Snyder, Tour 3
3. Brand Nelson, Tour 3
4. Kathryn Payne, Tour 1
5. Steve Durham, Tour 3
6. Jerry Amos-Clement, T-3
7. Chet Rehder, Tour 1
8. Dwayne Kimbrough, T-3
9. Mohamoud Aden, T-3
10. Rick Nordeen, Tour 1
11. Alleson Ellfeson, WF
12. Bill McVay, Tour 1
13. Jannie Ahmed, Tour 3
14. David Cornelius, Tour 1
15. Roger Middleton, Tour 1
16. Ryan Oster, Tour 1
17. Maggie Sorenson, MHD
18. Jackie Feil, Tour 1
19. Cole Wandler, Tour 1

 Next Union Meeting

Wednesday, May 23, 2012 at 8:00 am

Room #___

Main Post Office

657 2nd Ave N

Fargo, ND 58102

Agenda Items:

Officer/Steward Reports

New Business

Open Discussion

Scholarship Applications Available

(Posted 4/2/12)

Applications are now available for the local annual scholarship.

The Fargo Area Local APWU is offering one $500.00 scholarship to a help the son or daughter of a Fargo Area Local APWU union member.  To find out more information and download the application forms, simply click the link below:

Fargo Area Scholarship

(April 30 deadline)

There is also a $1000.00 Scholarship being offered thru the ABA.  All Fargo Area Local APWU members are also eligible for this random drawing. 

ABA Scholarship

(May 15 deadline)

Newsletter Now Available On Line 

(Posted 3/24/12)

Past editions of the "Fargo Tour Guide" can now be viewed by visiting the Newsletter Page of this website.  The newsletter archives are still being processed, so check back periodically and enjoy the rich history of our local.  Many members have put a lot of hard work into the Fargo Area Local APWU over the years. 

Know Your Rights to Visit Your Shop Steward

(Posted on 2/18/12)

Frustrated at work?  Upset over how things are going at work?  Overtime issues don’t seem quite right?

Article 17 of the National Agreement has very strong contract language that guarantees your right to see a union shop steward, on-the-clock.  All clerks (including PSEs) and maintenance employees have the right to visit with their shop steward in private to discuss work place issues and possible grievances.

In the fall of 2011 Tour 3 Shop Steward Tim Haaland signed an agreement with Fargo Postmaster Greg Johnson that outlines specific rules and guidelines concerning your rights and entitlements to visit with your shop steward.  To view this agreement click here or visit our Documents Page on this web site. 

Know your rights!

USPS Pays Fargo Clerks $9,000.00!

(Posted on 10/28/11)

     A Step 2 grievance  settlement signed this week in Fargo agreed to pay over nine thousand dollars to eight different clerks assigned to the Prairiewood Station in south Fargo.

     The complaint was filed after numerous instances where management would assign clerks from the plant or Main Post Office to work at the Prairiewood Station.  The Fargo LMOU is very specific about keeping the staffing at Prairiewood separate from the MPO.  This separation language was negotiated in good faith by both parties.  Fargo management is supposed to staff the Prairiewood station with enough career Full-Time clerks to cover routine absences such as annual leave, sick leave, days off, etc.  But local managers refuse to acknowledge that they have been routinely short-staffed. 

 As a result, multiple grievances were filed by the APWU, pointing to clear language in the LMOU.  The agreement does not permit employees from the MPO to be assigned to Prairiewood before the entire Prairiewood pecking order has been completely exhausted.  This includes the use of penalty overtime, which Dakotas District managers seems to highly discourage.  The result?  Big Cash-Ola for a few lucky Prairiewood clerks.

Will management learn from their errant ways, or will they keep on violating the agreement and paying cash in grievance settlements?

Local APWU officials would rather see management post additional Full-Time assignments at Prairiewood for all employees to bid.

In a meeting last year in Fargo, Dakotas District staff admitted that the Prairiewood Station in south Fargo was the generated more revenue than any other window unit in the entire Dakotas District.  Common sense should dictate staffing the biggest money-maker for the USPS with experienced full-time employees.  But nobody has ever accused USPS officials of regularly employing rational thinking.

Can you say, "Cash-Ola?"

  VOMA Clerk Ron Cossette, the most senior clerk in Fargo, received $2495, the largest individual amount.  Three other clerks received over $1400 each.  The smallest amount was $76.  Calculations were based on overtime availability for particular dates.

It pay$ to belong to the Union!