February Update

Contract Issues:

          1. Our first pay raise will appear in paychecks dated February 23, 2007. Checks for the back-pay period (from Nov. 25, 2006) will be disbursed at a later date, which the union will publicize as soon as the date is known.  

          2. All jobs held by casuals will be posted for bid and filled by full time clerks according to seniority.

          3. No definite date regarding the conversion of the flexi’s has been agreed upon as yet. The union is presently negotiating this issue with management in an effort to convert all flexi’s prior to the December deadline.

          4. The March COLA traditionally is the smaller of the bi-yearly increases and has not risen to the point that we would be entitled to an increase.

          5. In March, the Local Memorandum of Understanding (LMOU) talks between management and the union will begin. One of the major topics will be the bids with split rest days. The new National Agreement gives each local the right to decide if it wants to continue or cancel them. The majority of the current split rest day bids at DVD are located in the 1^st class letter section. The union will attempt to eliminate as many of these jobs as possible without giving up Sunday restdays. For example, the union will not force management to eliminate a Sunday/Tuesday bid for a Tuesday/Wednesday bid. This means that some of the current split rest day bids will not change. The reason for this stance is that we have many members who prefer to have Sunday/Tuesday off. This allows them to be home with their family on one day of the week-end rather than having consecutive restdays during the week. In the future though, no split rest day bids will be posted.

FSM Update:

I am waiting to receive the final number of clerk positions needed to staff the FSM. This number will vary on each Tour because of the different types of mail processed. At the January Labor/Management meeting management proposed several different plans. They stated no definite staffing package has been established as yet. We will keep you informed of all current developments.

Shop Steward Elections: The results of the shop steward elections are final. I would like to congratulate the following people who were either duly elected or appointed by the NY Metro Area Postal Union President.

Clerks:

Tour 1: Gaetano “Tom” Brusciarelli, Pay Location 197 will team with   

             Verna Brunson.

Tour 2: Terrence “Terry” Kinderel, Pay Location 297 will team with Kirk

              DeValve. They will represent Pay Locations 295 & 297.

Tour 3:  Gynteen Cuthbert was elected to Pay Location 397.

Motor Vehicle:

Robert Rock ran unopposed as the Tour 3 TTO representative.

Maintenance:

Tour 1: Dana Thomas will team with Al Williams to represent Tour 1.

Tour 2: Thomas Beals will team with Nick Homyak.

Tour 3:  Mark Millman was appointed to the new shop steward position.

          When I was first elected Director of DVD the maintenance craft had only two stewards for all three tours. Tour 1 workers had to rely on the clerk steward from Tour 3. I promised to rectify this disparity. It may have taken longer then I wanted, but I am proud that we have tripled the compliment of maintenance shop stewards. I hope that by fulfilling my good faith promise to increase the representatives for the maintenance craft that the non-members will step up to the plate and join the Union.

Unionism & Organizing:

I am frequently asked: “Why should I join the union?” The most common reason I hear for not being a union member is: “You must represent me anyway & I am entitled to all the pay raises.” I enjoy this question because it gives me the opportunity to educate workers about how important it is to belong to a union. The union is not just about negotiating raises and benefits. Although many studies have proven that union jobs pay twenty (20) % more than non-union jobs.  The most important benefit of working a union job is that your work environment is constantly monitored to insure a safe working environment. Postal management, as well as private industrial management, has but one goal and that is production. There are several government departments that monitor on-the-job safety. OSHA is the best known, but if you read the history of the American Labor Movement you will learn that these departments were created because of the Union’s determination to demand certain rights for their members. Many union members put their livelihood on the line to fight for and achieve these rights.

 The coal miners were the first workers who chose to “organize” themselves to form a Union. If you visit Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, you can see firsthand the jail where the “Molly McGuire’s” were detained because they tried to organize. After several violent gun battles with the Pennsylvania National Guard the Union leaders were arrested and hung from the second floor of the jailhouse. These Union protests mark the birth of “Unionism” where many workers demanded that safety regulations in the mining industry be developed. The accompanying article shows that 86% of the 2006 construction-site deaths in New York city occurred on non-union jobs.

The Union has been responsible for insuring that postal management abides by all federal safety rules and regulations. One of the most important programs here at DVD is the “Lock-out/ Tag out” program. The Union participates in both the Safety & ERRP committee meetings. I encourage the stewards to do regular safety inspections of their work areas. We can and will improve our fight for safer work environment conditions but we need the assistance of all employees.

Now, “Why should you join the union?”  Because the Union negotiates contracts that allow you to receive 20 % more wage benefits, constantly fights for safe work environment & represents you when management unfairly takes discipline against you. The Union needs both your financial and moral support. It is your career and it is time for you to stand up and take responsibility for it.

We, at DVD, are between 75% and 80% unionized. Our goal is to get the other 205+ workers to join the Union and become involved. Only then will management realize that we are a united workforce, one to be reckoned with. Instead, management capitalizes on pitting employee against employee in an effort to weaken the workers view of the Union. In an effort to “Organize the Unorganized” any member that gets a non-member to join the Union will receive a $50 check.  The new member will also receive a $50 check.

On February 27^th union officers of New Metro will be attending a national conference pertaining to the new contract. Assistant Director, Sharon Tyrrell and I will be conducting tour visits in March to discuss the contractual information that we receive from this conference.