American Postal Workers Union
AFL-CIO
News From The President
Bill Lewis
July 31, 2003
Trenton
P&DC
The bi-weekly fumigation meeting was held this week. Construction of the
equipment is a few days behind schedule. Shaw Company has brought
additional help on site to pick up the pace. Work has begun on the inside
installing the miles of piping to deliver the gas.
Extensive work is being performed on the air handlers and ductwork. This
work was necessary due to the poor balance of air in these systems. This should
improve the poor air conditioning in the building.
Work is continuing on the remote control system for operation of the machines
for the gassing. The contractor has contracted a software company to
design the software to operate these machines. Closed circuit TVs have
been installed to monitor the operations during the gassing.
The chemicals are not on site yet, they are scheduled for the end of the month.
Two retention ponds have been built out of concrete barrier and lined with
rubber liners to house the chemical trucks. One is behind the credit union
building and the other is up by the dock.
Some testing of the equipment should begin the second or third week of August.
Many different tests and meetings will occur before the final permits will be
issued.
Employee's Lockers and Contents
The employee's lockers are in the process of being emptied. Employees who
submitted claims will have their contents removed and sent for x-raying. Any
objects that have sharp edges or points will be destroyed all food and liquids
will be disposed of. Ninety claims were submitted and employees who
accepted the 100.00 will have all contents destroyed.
Employee contents that were on desks or in offices will be removed and sent for
x-raying and returned to employees. All of this will have to be completed
in the next few days before the main fumigation pipes are installed. Once
the main pipes are installed travel with power equipment will be limited or
impossible.
My position is employees who do eventually lose items or belongings will have
the right to file a claim consistent with Article 27 of the Collective
Bargaining Agreement. I will advise everyone of the steps involved in the
near future. I will instruct and train all stewards in the proper handling
of these claims and appeals, since they are different then regular grievances.
I am confident management will deny and play with our rights on these claims.
Town Meeting
The town meeting on the fumigation will be:
Thursday, August 7, 2003
7:00 - 9:00 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.)
Auditorium Reynolds Middle School
2145 Yardville- Hamilton Square Road
Hamilton, New Jersey
The United States Postal Service has called for this community meeting to
educate Hamilton residents and business people about the decontamination of the
Hamilton Processing and Distribution Center. Following presentations, there will
be a question-and-answer period.
Additional questions may be presented by calling the Community Information Line
at 1-800-527-0741.
The Honorable Mayor Glen D. Gilmore and Thomas G. Day, Vice President,
Engineering, United States Postal Service will address the community.
Additional invited participants include representatives from the New Jersey
State Department of Health, New Jersey State Department of Environmental
Protection, New Jersey State Police and the United States Environmental
Protection Agency.
Employee Briefing
An employee briefing and breakfast will be held October 19, 2003, at the Trenton
Marriott more details will be forth coming.
Brentwood
Renovations of the Brentwood facility still continue. I asked our Congressman's
office to check on progress and a tentative date to resume operations. I
was informed that the target date of October 2003. This date is 2 (two)
years from the anthrax attack, what that translates into is the earliest date we
could reoccupy Trenton will be the end of 2004 or early 2005.
The Fumigation Tour
I appreciate everyone's comments on me not participating with the tour of the
P&DC. My decision was based on legal advice. In the last few
days I have been contacted by legislators who share my concerns and have voiced
they may not be participating, they are awaiting advice from their legal
counsel. We cannot and must not allow the Postal Service to silence us.
The world must know what has happened to us and still continues.
Arbitration
It's not like I did not expect some form of game, as predicted, management has
unilaterally canceled the arbitration hearing for our local's anthrax issues
i.e. medical tests, treatment and travel.
After months of negotiations and 2 months advance notice of the arbitration
hearing, management canceled the date, reason being availability of management's
advocates. I found this to be very disturbing, management has two levels
of advocates, level 19 labor relations specialist, and the new level 23 area
labor relations specialist (super advocates). When I raised this issue,
management informed me they are using an attorney.
To make matters worse, we had 5 other arbitration hearings for the Motor Vehicle
Craft this week and management canceled 4 of them. We are trying to
reschedule the travel issue in the near future. The next available date
the arbitrator has is in September.
This is the second Tour La France, and congratulations to Lance Armstrong and
the rest of the American Team. Last year it cost 25 million to sponsor, I
wonder how much this year? I surly know the amount would cover our compensation
for travel to our temporary duty assignments!!
Grievance Settlements
All employees who have received grievance settlements by the union and have not
been compensated should approach your supervisor and steward. Many have
received grievance settlements but some are still out standing.
I would like to make a comment on this whole process. The local had 5,000
grievances back logged; to place blame does not correct the problem. I
approached the issue with the intent of resolving these cases with the best
possible resolution I could possibly get with the information contained in the
file. I would have never imagined the amount of work that was involved in
processing a resolved grievance i.e. filing, copying, removing cases from the
arbitration calendar and trying to force management to implement these
settlements.
I now realized I could never please everyone, but rest assured I tried my best
to resolve your cases. I hope this cleansing of the grievance arbitration
procedure will help bring closure to future cases in a timely manner. I
will continue to manage our arbitration's and scheduling and I hope to prevent
any future delays.
Hope to see you at the picnic, August 10, 2003.
July 20, 2003
Tour of
the P&DC
The tour of the fumigation equipment at the Trenton P&DC happened on
July 9, 2003. I was looking forward to the tour so I could share with all
of you what was happening within the walls. Well, several days before the
tour, I received mail from the USPS containing a Non Discloser / Confidentiality
Agreement related to the tour.
I had to agree to the terms of this document or I could not participate in the
tour. I read the document several times and I felt very uncomfortable
agreeing to it. The way I read it was, if I told you anything from that
point forward about the decontamination process I would be in breech of the
terms of the agreement and I would be liable for a law suit and I would place
the local in jeopardy. I forwarded the Non Discloser and Confidentiality
Agreement to an attorney for review. The lawyer agreed with me and called
the Postmaster trying to modify the agreement to allow me to act as a collective
bargaining agent and keep you up to date. The postal service refused to
negotiate with me or our attorney about changing the agreement.
I chose not to silence myself and did not participate in the tour. I will
continue to pass along all information I have. I have not seen any reports
from the other unions who did sign the agreement and took the tour. The
only legitimate reason to participate would be to gather information to relay on
to you, since I was unable to keep you up to date I did not go on the tour.
Arbitration
On July 31, 2003, we will have the arbitration for all the hours spent
traveling to Kilmer, South River, Monmouth, and Toms River. I am still
considering Monroe in the mix. A class action grievance was filed on
behalf of every APWU represented employee. We have been preparing for this
arbitration for some time now. Our case will be presented by National
Business Agent Jeff Kehlert.
I do anticipate the Postal Service to play its usual games in delaying or
creating a smoke screen. If this arbitration is ruled in our favor it
could result in a significant sum of money being awarded.
Another case scheduled on this date is a class action grievance filed on the
time spent under going testing and receiving medical treatment at RWJ hospital.
This grievance is also for all APWU employees.
I have over the past few months attempted to resolve these grievances, but have
been unsuccessful. I was told once how nice they were in not excessing us.
I do recall them trying to close us down or rightsize us. It was
only last summer to be exact.
In closing, the best I heard this week was from a manager in Kilmer "we
should be happy we have jobs" similar to "Lucky to have
jobs."
The struggle continues for the Trenton Postal Workers.
July 2, 2003
The New Jersey Department of
Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS) held a Postal Workers Team meeting.
The intent of the meeting was to bring everyone up to speed on events of the
Trenton P&DC.
As we all know the construction of the fumigation equipment is on going and is
only running behind schedule by a few days, the contractor expects to catch up
if the weather cooperates.
The union was informed that the Environmental Clearance Committee (ECC) has been
formed and the members of that committee have been meeting and will be
increasing their meetings as we draw closer to the actual gassing.
The committee consists of medical personnel and scientists from various
organizations; NJDHSS, NIOSH, EOHSI, OSHA and other health organizations.
The committee is responsible for determining the types of test and the placement
of the test strips. There will be two different types of test. The
wipe test will be cultured for actual growth of anthrax spores.
There will different types of wipe tests depending on the surface and area, hepa
vacuum, swab and air samples will be taken from predetermined locations of known
contaminated areas.
The second type of test will be; test strips, these strips will contain a
substance similar to anthrax. The strips will measure the
effectiveness and disbursement of the gas throughout the building.
In total there will be 8000 tests performed on the building. The
committee determined this was an appropriate amount based on the size of our
building. The Trenton P&DC is 7 million cubic square feet.
These strips will be removed and sent the NJDHSS lab for testing.
NJDHSS has established the protocol for handling these strips.
Once the entire tests are completed the ECC will review the results and make a
recommendation based on technical review of the data. This
recommendation will be a public release. The ECC can only make a
recommendation and has no authority over reoccupying the building.
The US Postal Service has the final say. Once the ECC
recommendation is made public, the committee will cease to exist.
Once the Postal Service makes the final decision to enter the building, OSHA
will have jurisdiction for the health and safety of the workers renovating the
building. On going sampling of the building will be continued during
the construction phase.
On July 9, 2003, the union will receive a tour of the outside of the Trenton
P&DC. On August 8, 2003, a community meeting will be held at the same
location as the last one, at Steinert High School, Klockner Rd, Hamilton,
NJ. On Sunday, September 21, 2003, an employee's brunch will be held
at the Trenton Marriott, Trenton, NJ.
June 17, 2003
Trenton P&DC
Construction of the fumigation equipment continues. The
inclement weather has only caused minimal delays. The outside
portion of the construction should be completed soon. All of
the major components of the fumigation system are on site. Public
Service Electric and Gas Company has still not given a date of when the new
transformer will be installed to power the equipment.
On the inside of the
building they are examining the environmental equipment and the mechanical
operations of the machinery. There could be some delays due to
the antiquated Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning system HVAC.
A company is on site trying to get the HVAC system to work with the computers
that will control the fumigation process. The HVAC system will be used in
conjunction with the emitters to deliver the gas into the building.
The best guess/estimate I have on a time frame to reoccupy is as follows:
The testing of the equipment will be around the end of October 2003. If
all goes well, the actual fumigation will take place in December.
The test results should be around March 2004 once the building is deemed safe to
occupy, the renovation process will begin. This will be an extensive operation,
possible replacement of the Air Conditioning unit, duct work, walls, drop
ceiling, carpeting, furniture, painting and cleaning. The
postal service is exploring if it cheaper to dispose of the DBCS machines and
purchase new ones. I predict based on the information provided
to me during the last few briefings that we will not return until winter of
2005. Maybe the end of 2004 with a prayer.
Lockers
I reported in a previous email that the maintenance employees' lockers contents
were removed, cleaned and the contents are stored in a trailer.
At the request of some members I have followed up on this. I
am now being told that I misunderstood what was told to me.
The contents in the maintenance lockers were not cleaned. Let
me tell you - I know what I was told!
Employees who have not accepted the 100 dollar settlement will have their
contents removed for possible cleaning. No lockers have been
opened yet nor has any contents been removed.
Brentwood and
Trenton Employees who do not want to return to their installation
The following information I received from APWU headquarters. I
found this information very disturbing. The postal service set
the APWU right up. The position of the Postal Service was any
employees traumatized to the extent that they feel they cannot reenter these
plants would be placed in other facilities without a loss of status or
seniority.
I disagree with the APWU's position on this matter and especially having 3
different positions for 3 crafts. I do commend Clerk Craft Director,
Jim McCarthy, for having the courage to make the proper decision. I
disagree with the Maintenance and Motor Vehicle Craft Director's decisions.
Each employee who faced death at the hands of these terrorists will have to make
a decision to return to these contaminated plants. No one can assure
these victims if these buildings will ever be 100% anthrax free. The
decision not to return is not of a voluntary nature under normal
circumstances. The decision to return will be based upon the
employees mental health and their physical condition.
Brentwood and Trenton Employees who do not want to return to their installation.
Motor Vehicle Craft:
This is the Motor Vehicle Division of the APWU position on the issue of employees who do not want to return to their installation because of anthrax.
Specifically, this will involve the Brentwood Facility and the Trenton Facility; also known Hamilton Facility. The Motor Vehicle Craft would prefer that these employees be allowed to transfer to other installations, and should remain the same class of employees. It they are full-time regulars, they would remain full-time flexibles. If they are full-time flexibles, they would remain full-time flexibles. If they are PTF's, they would remain PTF's.
The employees would be slotted in and would begin a new period of seniority at that installation. Current PTF's at that installation, once they are converted to full-time, would leap frog over them on the seniority list for purposes of bidding. This seems fair to the current employees at the installation where they are transferring to, and protects the employee in terms of status and income.
Bob Pritchard
Maintenance Craft:
In order to accommodate those individual employees who are unable to return to the Brentwood P&D, it is the position of the Maintenance Division that such employees should be granted the right to transfer to a residual vacancy (a vacancy in the Craft that remains unfilled after completion of the in-craft PAR/PER process).
The right to transfer would not be subject to USPS refusal. The transfer should be to a same or lower level duty assignment.
The seniority of the individual would be as provided for in Article 38 for voluntary transfer.
Steve Raymer
Clerk Craft:
For those Clerk Craft employees who are unable to return to either Brentwood or Trenton, upon reopening, will be considered a volunteer for excessing.
These identified employees would be able to select from available residual vacancies being withheld pursuant to Article 12.
These employees (Brentwood/Trenton) will be commingled with other identified excessed employees by seniority to select from the appropriate residual vacancies being withheld for that area.
The employees (Brentwood/Trenton) must meet the minimum qualification (e.g., exam, etc), and also quality on any additional qualifications (e.g., schemes/skills) that the residual duty assignment requires.
These individuals will retain status and seniority but have no retreat rights (37.2.D.5.c).
Also, there are no relocation benefits.
Jim McCarthy
May 26, 2003
Some members have
received a pay adjustment this week in their paycheck. If you
received an adjustment, more than likely it was for a grievance settlement.
I was trying to time, announcing the settlements until the pay adjustments
were completed. My timing was off! There are more pay adjustments coming
in the next few pay days. I will be distributing settlements for your
records, you must follow up and make sure you receive the settlement in your
pay, I will not know if you got paid or not. You have to make sure
you compare your settlements to your paychecks.
The following is an update of the grievance review process conducted in Trenton,
NJ. The parties have reviewed to date 4,611 cases for all crafts.
This effort to reduce and resolve grievances was a priority of mine when I took
office. We all knew what happened next. The parties were guided by a
national memorandum to meet and resolve the backlog of grievances.
Several issues are still in the discussion stages awaiting decisions or possible
future negotiations. Management has indicated that several issues need to
be arbitrated. I have requested arbitration dates be assigned to
Trenton, NJ so we may continue the momentum of clearing the backlog of
grievances. The following are the results of the process to date:
Clerk Craft
Total cases: 2414
Resolved: 702
Withdrawn: 1320
RIS: 392
Pending clerk issues: Travel/Testing/Treatment; Anthrax related issues for
all three crafts; Accounting Techs; Registry Upgrade; RI 399 and Mail
Handlers on the SPBS and FSM 100. There are also many individual issues.
Maintenance Craft
Total cases: 558
Resolved: 155
Withdrawn: 99
RIS: 304
Pending maintenance issues: Denial of Information; MS 47 Custodial Staffing;
Oklahoma Travel and subcontracting issues. There are also many individual
issues.
Motor Vehicle Craft
Total cases: 1639
Resolved: 580
Withdrawn: 185
RIS: 874
Pending motor vehicle issues: HCR; Mobile Truck; Jasper Transmission; DIE;
Subcontracting; Denial of Information and Steward Duty Time.
I hope in the future we will be able to resolve our issues in a reasonable time
frame, and not 10 years or more. I will continue to work toward getting
faster resolutions to our disputes. You must remember we're not
doing this by ourselves, management is the other half and we all know their act
by now.
Please remember to give to COPA, forms available at the union office -- call or
write for a form.
May 26, 2003
Rumors
On many occasions I have written asking you to dispel rumors, the latest rumor
is the furthest thing from the truth. I have not resigned from the
union or post office. I have no intentions or desire to resign from
the union. The second part of the rumor of me being ill is also
false. My health is the best it has been in many years.
I will remain in office as long as the membership desires me to represent them.
I had no intentions of addressing this rumor, but since it has ran out of
control and is being circulated out of our local and state, I had to put it to
rest.
Trenton P&DC
On a recent trip to APWU headquarters I was troubled to learn that our national
APWU residence officers did not have knowledge that the Trenton P&DC has not
been fumigated and they were surprised to learn that the final fumigation may
not be completed until the end of the year. I will have to take
steps to keep all our national union updated with the latest Trenton updates.
Construction of the decontamination equipment is moving along on schedule.
Those who have not seen the P&DC, there now is black plastic covering the
entire fence. Green plastic construction fence has been placed
around the grass outside the public areas. Wooden security shacks
have been built and placed at the employees' entrance and by the main office
window area. Two cranes tower over the building during daytime, at
night one crane has an American flag blowing in the wind, the perimeter of the
roof is marked with little red banner flags, looks like a going out of business
sale.
A meeting is scheduled this week on the progress of the installation of the
fumigation equipment. If you have any questions please forward them
to me and I will present them at the meeting.
Monroe
The new temporary air conditioning units are up and noisier than ever.
Those of us who worked in South River will remember how loud they were.
On those hot summer days they will help keep us cool. When we moved
into Monroe my biggest complaint was the lack of heat, air conditioners and
ventilation system. I finally received the test results of the air
quality. The results of the dust and other air borne contaminants
are within acceptable levels. Since I do not have any knowledge in
this area I will forward the report to APWU national safety and health
specialist. The results were due over a month ago, after I contacted
the Postal service we finally received them. I will also inquire
from our specialist about testing for noise levels within Monroe.
Currently we have members who worked in the Trenton P&DC working in Monroe,
Kilmer P&DC & VMF, Lakewood VMF, RT. 130 Retail Center (trailer park)
and the carrier annex on RT. 130.
COPA
President Commission on Postal reform has hired consultants to query workers
about pay; this is the next move against our collective bargaining rights and
us. Our struggles locally and nationally are far from being
over. To date the members of Trenton Local have raised
$4,776.62. I would like to thank the members who have contributed
and ask the rest to step up and continue, remember money does talk. Give
to COPA.
May 4, 2003
Count Down to
Return...
The first pre fumigation meeting was held on March 30, 2003. Management
has committed to keeping the union updated with the development of the
construction of the fumigation equipment. A meeting will be held every 2
weeks.
I was glad to see some movement in the right direction. Cranes and some
other equipment have arrived at the site. Over the next 2 weeks, 6 trucks
a day will arrive and slowly increase to 10 until the project is completed.
The construction crew will eventually go to a 24-hour a day operation.
The cranes can be seen towering over the building on the South dock area along
with other large pipes and containers. They are currently placing black
plastic/fabric on the fence surrounding the compound so inquiring eyes can't
see.
The Vehicle Maintenance Facility is now closed and those employees are now
working in Lakewood and Kilmer VMF. Just prior to those members leaving a
meeting was held with management. The union was not invited because all we
do is supposedly obstruct the process. As a farewell address by area and
district managers these members were informed how lucky they were because they
could be working in Burger King. I guess this falls inline with how lucky
we all are to have jobs. I know how we maintained our employment during
this crisis, APWU. Enough said.
The final employees will bid farewell to our P&DC this weekend and on May 5,
2003. The new MOWS retail trailers and the box mail trailer will open
across the street. The Postal Service has made some improvements to this
property, paving, fencing and landscaping. The trailers will be powered by
electric instead of a gas generator. A toilet trailer with running water
will replace the Johnnie on the spot. The grounds will also be used for
storing our tractor-trailers, I hope none of our trucks fall in the sinkholes;
since 2 have appeared on the leased property.
I've recently heard that there may be some delays due to inspections.
Locker Information
The latest information I have on the lockers is that nothing has been disposed
of yet. Employees who have submitted a claim for the hundred dollars,
their lockers have been tagged. Employees who requested contents or who have
claimed over a hundred dollars, their contents will be decontaminated and if
cleared will be returned to the employee. I was informed that maintenance
lockers have had their contents removed and decontaminated and are being stored
in trailers. I have spoken to management about returning items to the
maintenance employees. Contents left on employee's desks or work areas are
being stored in their location and will be gassed.
Brentwood Update
Employees and contractors are working inside the building without any protection
from anthrax; these employees are restoring the machines and the building.
Monroe Report
The temporary Air Conditioning units have arrived at Monroe and should be
working by May 15, 2003. The employees who worked at the River could tell
you how loud these units are. The new restrooms are working; I was
informed these restrooms were additions to the others, now I'm being informed
they are replacements. The cubicle/office employees now have their own
private bathrooms. The MDO's door will be locked because everyone is
stealing from the office.
April 5, 2003
Monroe Air Sampling
During the recent safety inspection many members in Monroe voiced their concerns about the lack of ventilation and the dust. On April 3, 2003 at 11:20 PM a Safety & Health Meeting was held in the Monroe Facility. Bill Coleman from our local was in attendance to view the collection method for an Air Sampling that was taking place at the facility.
Safety Specialist Carey informed us that complaints had been made regarding the amount of dust that the employees are being exposed to in the facility. She said that OSHA has standards for levels of airborne contaminants and considers the amount of dust here to be within the levels of nuisance, not hazardous. However as a precaution, the USPS did contract with the URS Company to take environmental samples. A total of seven samples will be taken from predetermined locations around the facility to measure the level of airborne nuisance.
Five of the sample collection boxes were going to be placed in the feeder sections of the DBCS Machines. It was predetermined that those are the areas were the largest amount of impact exists. The sixth sample collection unit is a Personal Sample and was being worn by a Tour 1 Mail Processor. All six of these sample units were to be put out for an 8-hour period representing an employees normal work shift or normal exposure period. Tour 1 was picked because of the highest quantity of machinery in use.
The seventh sample collection box was being used for a different purpose. That unit was being placed at the SPBS. Its purpose there was to take an Oil Mist Sample. Apparently during startup, the SPBS Machine emits a visible oil residue cloud into the air. This seventh sample will be used to collect a sample from that oil mist.
Mr. Joe Rambo of the URS Environmental Company stated that the test results normal take 3 to 4 days. However Safety Specialist Carey interjected that with the weekend coming we could expect the results by the end of next week. She said that the results would be shared with the Unions once received.
West Trenton Post Office
On Saturday, April 4, 2003, I was notified that there was a suspicious substance (anthrax) at the West Trenton Station. Per the USPS all procedures were complied with. I have no way to verify if proper protocol was adhered too until Monday. I was told that the substance had been tested. The substance never made it inside the Post Office due to the carrier spotting it and acting properly. If anyone has anything to add to my investigation please advise.
Trenton P&DC
I was informed this week that the fumigation equipment is being disassembled in Brentwood and will be shipped to Trenton in about 6 weeks. Employees have entered the Brentwood facility without personal protection equipment to begin the refurbishing process.
I have been invited to a briefing outlining the progress in the decontamination of the Trenton P&DC. The meeting will be on Thursday, April 10, 2003. That evening there will be a Hamilton Community Meeting at 6:30 PM at Steinert High School Auditorium, 2900 Klockner Rd, Hamilton, NJ. Doors open at 6:00 PM.
I traveled to Washington, DC this week to voice my concerns about the delay in the decontamination of Trenton and the lack of communication from management. I met with Congressman Smith and Saxton's staff about ensuring that all the employees are returned to Trenton P&DC when it reopens. I also spoke with Congressman Holt about the same issue. We cannot just trust the Postal Service and sit quietly and wait for the Postal Service to do away with us.
Trenton VMF
On April 19, 2003, the Trenton Vehicle Maintenance Facility will shut down and operations will be divided between Kilmer and Lakewood. The employees will be placed off tour. I have a lot of concerns for this small group, reason being it is the same postal management that controlled the CFS. The stories I am hearing from management is a repeat of the CFS.
March 4, 2002
Anthrax Free
The Postal Service has informed the APWU that the Brentwood P&DC is environmentally safe. The fumigation process has successfully eradicated the deadly bacteria Anthrax from that mail-processing center.
It has been 17 long months since the shut down of both the Brentwood and Trenton P&DC’s. This is the first promising sign for postal workers in these facilities that have had their lives disrupted.
The Postal Service plans on moving the fumigation equipment from Washington, DC to Trenton at the end of the month. The process will take several months before the Trenton P&DC will be ready for fumigation.
I have been advised that a contract is near finalization with the contractors who will be performing the fumigation of the Trenton P&DC.
I plan on meeting with the Postal Service in the near future regarding the final clean up of our facility. I will keep you posted on all events.
February 28, 2002
Trenton Postal Workers await word on the results of the Brentwood P&DC fumigation.
Many members have inquired into the status of the
fumigation results of the Brentwood P&DC. I am sorry to report there has
been no official announcement. I
was hoping to hear either way as to what the outcome was.
All I hear is the committee is reviewing the results of the test strips;
I was hoping to have the results by the end of February.
I make inquiries everyday from different sources, as of
Friday, February 28, 2003, NO RESULTS. I
find this very disturbing since we were told it would take several weeks not
several months.
Even if the Brentwood Post Office is deemed safe to reopen,
there are obstacles in the way in proceeding with the fumigation of Trenton
P&DC. There is no contract
signed for the fumigation process. The
following is a Postal Service press release dated May 8, 2002.
The contracts signed with Ashland and Sabre initially
cover the Brentwood facility, and provides the framework for the cleanup that
will be done in Trenton. The Postal
Service will finalize the contractors’ engagement for Trenton once the
Brentwood cleanup has been completed and deemed a success.
Do not believe we will
be back into the building before the end of 2003. When the contract is signed, there are many other steps that
need to be completed and many governmental agencies controlling the final
gassing. It took 7 months for a
contract to be signed for Brentwood, fourteen 14 months passed before the actual
gassing occurred. I find it hard to
be positive with his whole process since we are being kept totally in the dark. What happened to all the promises that we were going to be
kept up to date?
Work is still progressing in preparing the Trenton P&DC
for possible fumigation. The machinery inside the building was severely damage by the cleaning
solution. A decision will have to
be made as to rebuild or replace several of the machines.
Several
maintenance employees have been trained to reenter the building. These employees need to start-taking antibiotics again and also have the
option of getting the real vaccination, 6 shots.
Part of preparing the building and ground surrounding the
P&DC is that the Vehicle Maintenance Facility will be have to be closed.
The new date for the closing of the VMF operation is April 5, 2003.
VMF operations will be divided between Lakewood and Kilmer VMFs.
No date has been set for moving retail and box mail trailers next to the
annex parking lot.
Lets hope for the best. I will continue to monitor the process and as soon as the results are released I will pass them along. At the request of many members we will resume the Bill Lewis updates. I appreciate your support during our long struggle, and together we shall overcome, and return home.
Status of Trenton P&DC
Ř Brentwood’s results are still good
Ř The dismantling and cleaning of the machines inside Trenton P&DC continues.
Ř A disturbing aspect of this cleaning process is; the workers space suits are still testing positive for spores when they are exiting the building.
Ř Time frame for moving the fumigation equipment is end of April.
Ř New possible problem is the high humidity may cause mold problems in the building, they will have to deal with.
Ř OSHA has now mandated a re-entry plan to be established for Trenton and Brentwood if any new construction or structural changes are made to the building.
Ř Testing will be conducted in the affected area for anthrax re-contamination.
Ř The local union has pushed and will continue to fight for periodic testing.
Lockers:
602 employees accepted 100.00 checks
168 employees have not responded.
149 employees are requesting more then 100 dollars
No Locker has been opened yet.
Congressman Smith has requested a GAO investigation into Trenton. Roy Braunstein was the vehicle to get this investigation moving. This investigation will begin this week; we may not see anyone for some time since GAO will be starting in DC. Congressman Smith has also requested the CDC findings and investigations into side affect of antibiotic long-term health problems associated with exposure anthrax.
The CDC has responded claiming they have done follow up studies on us. I found this to be a joke. If you have been contract by the CDC in the last month or two please send me an email. My investigation has shown that a telemarketing company has been calling a small amount of employees. Please let me know, upon hearing from you I will present my findings to our congressman for his consideration.
NJ Health Department will be distributing a voluntary questionnaire concerning your experience with the educational material supplied with dealing with anthrax and the medication to prevent infection from anthrax. This is different from CDC’s so called investigation.
December 14, 2002
A
Special Thank You
I would like to thank Rob & Julie Edelschein for donating the Christmas
wreath for the Postal Workers' memorial located in front of the Trenton
P&DC. I would also like to thank the members and friends of the APWU
who continually reset up the memorial. Either from the weather or anti
Postal Worker forces, somehow the memorial seems to get knock over. That
will not discourage us from maintaining our presence in front of our building.
I request all members to stop by and place a remembrance in front of our
P&DC.
Retirement
This week I attended a seminar on retirement given by John R. Smith Director of
the retirees' department. I found the seminar very informative. I realized
there was so much information about our retirement system I did not know after
25 years of service. I am in the process of requesting a similar program
for the Trenton Local.
With
the latest early out proposal pending, many members have expressed their wishes
to retire. Many rumors are also flying about large incentives.
President Bill Burrus was in attendance at the seminar and clearly stated that
there were no incentives being offered. The Postal Service informed the
APWU that they could not afford an early out incentive.
This doesn't mean there will not be an incentive when the time comes, as of now
there is no incentive. The early out must be approved by the Office of
Personnel Management not the Postal Service, and by law there are penalties for
retiring early.
I
will be reproducing the training package I received to share with any member
requesting one. Due to the high cost and labor involved I will reproduce
them upon request.
Our
January meeting we will have Roy Braunstein, Legislative Director as our guest
speaker and I am sure he will be able to update us on any new information on the
early out.
President
Bill Burrus shares his views and reasoning on the extension of our Collective
Bargaining Agreement.
The
tentative agreement to extend the contract was based on my belief that 2003 will
not be the optimum time to engage in collective bargaining and that achieving
the union's goals will be difficult - if not impossible - during a period of
uncertainty for the Postal Service and our country.
Mail volume is in decline; the nation is experiencing a prolonged economic
slump; anti-labor forces now control all of the branches of government; efforts
to enact postal reform legislation and transformation are underway; and the
decisions of the Board of Governors will be influenced by recent appointees who
favor privatization of the Postal Service.
The tentative agreement guarantees wage increases and cost-of-living
adjustments, protects our health benefits, continues no-layoff protection, and
provides special earlyretirement opportunities.
Your vote will determine whether we adopt these changes or - if we reject them -
wait to pursue our agenda in 2003 contract negotiations. In the interim, the
turmoil of plant consolidations and excessing will adversely affect thousands of
our members.
A contract extension, at the very minimum, gives us a measure of stability and,
in a worst-case scenario, provides that special early-retirement opportunities
will be available to all eligible APWU members.
The question before you is whether we will be in a better position in 2003 or
2005. This tentative agreement does not - and is not intended to - address in a
comprehensive way all of the issues that can only be resolved in contract
negotiations.
As your president, it is my professional judgment that the limited
accomplishments of the tentative agreement far exceed the uncertainties of
returning to the bargaining table in 2003. I believe it is in your best interest
to approve the tentative agreement and I ask that you vote "Yes."
"Regardless of where you stand on the contract extension, we urge you to
vote," said APWU President William Burrus, " and we hope that you will
urge your fellow members to vote on this important matter."
I urge all members to vote to ratify the contract extension, said Bill Lewis
Trenton Metro Area Local's President. Ballots must be returned by December
19, 2002. Anyone needing a ballot should directly contact APWU
headquarters at 202-842-8505.
Read about the extension at Bill's
Corner
Clerk
Bids
The clerk bid posting was posted on Wednesday, December 11, 2002, and management
canceled the posting on December 12, 2002, without notifying the union. As
soon as I get an explanation, I will share their lame excuse.
Monroe Report
This week the building had to be evacuated due to a natural gas leak.
Every time I go by where the gas enters the building I smell a strong odor of
natural gas. The gas leaks maybe contributed to the recent work on the
curtain heater system.
After 2 months we now have some phones on the workroom floor. Time clocks are
another issue. I have been told they will begin to install time clocks.
All members should be hitting on their proper operation; this will assist the
union in investigating your grievances.
I have requested that all postings and general information be posted in Kilmer
and Monroe.
No date has been provided for our new rest rooms.
In closing lets hope for the best with the gassing of the Brentwood Post Office.
The outcome will determine when we go home.
Some
important dates
Annual Leave Exchange Open Season
Nov. 5, 2002 - Dec. 15, 2002
TSP Open Season
Oct. 15, 2002 - Dec. 31, 2002
Flexible Spending Accounts Open Season
Nov. 11, 2002 - Dec. 22, 2002
Long Term-Care Insurance Open Season
Through Dec. 31, 2002
December 11, 2002
FUMIGATION
OF JOSEPH CURSEEN, JR., AND THOMAS MORRIS, JR., UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
PROCESSING AND DISTRIBUTION CENTER ON BRENTWOOD ROAD
STATEMENT OF AZEEZALY JAFFER
VICE PRESIDENT OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND COMMUNICATIONS
The U.S. Postal Service received a Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and
Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) crisis exemption from the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency on Monday night which permits us to proceed with the fumigation of the
Joseph Curseen, Jr. and Thomas Morris, Jr. Processing and Distribution
Center on Brentwood Road, Northeast, in Washington, DC.
This has been a long and careful process that involved the best scientific minds
from the public and private sectors as well as the cooperation and assistance of
our partner agencies. We appreciate their help and guidance, and the Postal
Service looks forward to rehabilitating the Joseph Curseen Jr., Thomas Morris,
Jr. facility and making it a vital part of the Brentwood community once again
The crisis exemption authorizes the Postal Service to use chlorine dioxide
(ClO2) to kill anthrax spores in the facility. Fumigation is scheduled to
begin on December 14, 2002.
The facility has been closed since October 21, 2001 after it was determined that
anthrax spores were released into the air from two letters processed there that
were intended for Senators Daschle and Leahy. Since the facility's closure, the
Postal Service has constructed an effective decontamination system based on the
best available science and engineering from experts in both the public and
private sectors.
This process is based on what was used to rehabilitate the Hart Senate Office
Building where the Daschle letter was opened. Over the past year or so, the
Postal Service has been adapting the decontamination process used in the Daschle
suite at Hart to accommodate the scale of the Joseph Curseen, Jr. and Thomas
Morris, Jr., Processing and Distribution Center, which is roughly 170 times
larger than the Daschle suite.
The Postal Service will host a community meeting on Wednesday evening,
December 11, 2002, at 6:30 p.m. in the Auditorium of Gallaudet University's
Kellogg Conference Center to brief the community and answer questions before
proceeding with the fumigation.
Additionally, the Postal Service has established a toll-free information line
for community questions at 1-800-527-0741; the deaf and hearing impaired can
access the information line through TTY 1-800-418-5301. For
additional information, please visit our website, http://www.usps.com/
under News and Events, then Security of the Mail for the latest fact sheet and
answers to the most frequently asked questions.
December 10, 2002
Just
received this update from the US Postal Service's media department. I will
monitor this event very closely. Lets hope for the best.
Bill
FYI, the fumigation of the Brentwood P&DC is still on schedule for this
coming weekend, beginning on December 14. A media briefing is
scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday, and another community meeting will be
conducted prior to the fumigation.
Additionally, temperatures are forecasted to rise into the 40s for the weekend,
which will be beneficial in the effectiveness of the fumigation.
I will advise of any further developments. As we have experienced
before, this situation is very fluid and could change.
The weekly employee Newsbreak will be issued announcing the fumigation as soon
as we get confirmation that everything is a go.
November 21, 2002
CFS
As we all know CFS clerks were scheduled to be excessed to New Brunswick.
This excessing issue has traveled many different roads before being resolved
yesterday. Let me say my primary goal has been to stay focused on the
excessing of the Trenton employees. Now that the excessing issue is
resolved, I will focus on the mail being permanently moved to New Brunswick.
Highlights of the CFS Excessing MOU
Trenton CFS Clerks' excessing letter is hereby withdrawn.
Trenton CFS Clerks will be issued notices of abolishment. A date will be
determined. All time frames will be controlled in accordance with the Collective
Bargaining Agreement.
Management will post residual vacancies for all Trenton employees to bid on.
Tour 3 vacancies will still be withheld until the parties can determine what the
needs are for tour 3.
All unencumbered employees will be assigned consistent with the provisions of
the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Trenton CFS Employees whose jobs are abolished will be offered details to New
Brunswick. No out of schedule will be paid if you choose to take a detail.
Mileage will be paid.
I plan to visit the CFS unit on Tuesday around 11 am.
Monroe Report
After countless discussions and meetings, I am pleased to inform you they're
installing additional rest rooms and a break area on the automation side of the
building. Now you will only have to travel 1/8 of a mile to a rest room.
They're also going to install additional heat for us.
I have complained about additional time clocks, and now they are being
installed.
Health Benefits
I have requested that someone from personnel be available for all 3 tours to
process your health benefit selection forms. Management will announce the
dates and times a personnel employee will be available. Open season closes
December 9, 2002.
Tour 3 Employees
I've been having many discussions over this issue with management. We have
explored many different options. Management is playing hardball with this issue.
I have instructed tour 3 and tour 1 stewards to file grievances for the casuals
they've hired, and the excessive overtime. With all the overtime hours
used, I feel there is enough work for the Kilmer 36. My position is that
no casual should work as long as we have displaced tour 3 employees. Those
grievances have been filed and advanced to the second step.
Two candidates from our local election have filed charges against me relating to
various alleged election violations. All these charges do is steal
valuable time needed to fight management on these pressing issues. I
assure you there has been no violation of the law. I will fight these
allegations vigorously. To me, this is just another attempt to discredit
me for all the hard work and the positive results we have achieved over the past
year.
I will continue to push forward on this tour 3 issue until there is some
resolutions.
Local Union Office
Just a little bit more bad luck for the Trenton Local, our union office was
flooded with sewage that backed up from the township. We are moving
forward to restore the office so we can continue on our mission to save the
Trenton Postal Worker
October 12, 2002
Monroe
Report
The SPBS is nearly completed, maintenance is working on fine tuning it and
making some final repairs. The FSM 1000 is assembled and awaiting airlines
before it can be ran and tested. The FSM 881 is near completion and also
awaiting air. The contractor should have the air compressor installed
within a week.
Maintenance plans on disassembling the 2 DBCS's from Princeton and installing
them in Monroe this weekend. With this installation, mail processors will
be assigned to Monroe by Tuesday, October 15, 2002. Anytime employees are
moved from one facility to another there is bound to be labor problems and
grievances. I will try to help make the move for the employees as smooth
as possible and protect your rights.
On October 19, 2002, the FSM 100 will be relocated from Kilmer to Monroe.
This process should be completed within 10 days. At this point, additional
mail processors will be moved to Monroe. Which mail processors will be the
question? The local's position is the mail processors who hold FSM bids will go
first. I know management has attempted to delete the FSM 100 duties from
those bids but the local has filed grievances on the elimination of the
principle duty assignment. We will continue to protect the concept of every bid
having a principle duty assignment.
I have met with management and voiced some of the members concerns about our new
place of employment.
Safety Concerns
Lighting in the parking lots was a concern but since the meeting the lights have
been turned on, and additional temporary lights are installed.
There are some issues with doors lacking handles and a hydraulic door closer so
when the wind blows the door remains open letting the cold air in. Maybe
minor, except it is right in the swing room. Sometimes the bathroom door
blows open.
Rest rooms are being maintained and I thank the custodians for their diligence
in keeping the place clean. An agreement has been reached that the Lab Rats can
use the restrooms in the administrative area. The ceiling tiles have been
put back in place. Everyone must help keep the restrooms clean, that means
cleaning up after your self. Please try.
I requested the eye wash station become operational and placed where all
employees will access it, right now it is laying on a pallet. Eye protection
must be made available to maintenance employees.
Outside lighting, lines, numbers on the bays as well as chocks for the wheels
are serious concerns of our VMS employees. I thank those employees for
bringing these items to my attention. Management has stated they are aware
and currently working toward eliminating these hazards. Dock lights are
missing for the expediters and mail handlers who must work in trailers. I
have been informed temporary lighting will be made available.
Time clocks, I have asked that additional clocks be made available to eliminate
the congestion at the clocks. Maintenance is working on getting additional
clocks in place.
I voiced our concerns about the heating and ventilation. Only time will
tell about this.
Additional parking is needed. I have been advised that parking spots will
be created down the far end of the building. A second employee entrance
will be created down there to eliminate employees walking through the truck
yard.
No final decisions has been made about relocating MOWS, VMF, MVS and the
supervisor trailer park. The VMF has 3 options, Lakewood VMF, Kilmer VMF or a
location in on 539/537 in Cream Ridge, NJ. The engineers are looking at the site
and drawing up plans for it. MOWs, they are exploring 2 options, moving the
Trailer to a site on 130 right up the road from the annex or moving into
Mercerville. They plan on moving the MVS operation to the same site as MOWS on
130. As always these plans are not final and involve a lot of postal brass
making decisions. I will watch these developments closely
October 3, 2002
Monroe
Report
The heat and humidity in the building is unbearable. The fans are
simulating a hair dryer. Ugh. I have questioned management about the
AC unit from South River and have not received an answer. The plan was to bring
that AC unit to Monroe when we moved. I clearly remember that.
I have had some discussions over the heating for this upcoming winter season.
The brains are telling me it will be warm enough with the 2 roof top blowers,
machines and bodies generate heat. Get some warm clothes and lets hope for a
real mild winter.
Restrooms have already become an issue when they are being cleaned and employees
are unable to use them. My investigation leads me to believe there is plumbing
on the South side of the building and they are able to install restrooms for the
employees. MONEY, we need it for bike racing. Not for the lab rats.
There are still no lockers install in the building yet. Target date is the
middle of the month.
Installation of the SPBS is moving along, and now the FSM 1000 is unloaded and
waiting to be installed. Battery chargers for the industrial equipment are
online. The TACS room is running with some equipment.
Oh, don't let me forget the baseboard heat for the administration section is
completed. Now the bosses will have some heat. Maybe they can leave the door
open for us.
There hasn't been any drinking water for several days, the watercooler bottles
are all empty (for those of you who worked at the River, it's the same thing all
over again!!) We are waiting on the water delivery. The vending
machines were all inoperative last night (again, for those of you at the River,
this is nothing new!) The employee entrance still has no door handle.
The registry cage is erected.
Safety rails are being installed all around the sheetrocked walls. Over
all some progress has been made but slow moving.
Mileage
This subject of mileage has once again surfaced and management intends on
rewriting the language contained in the handbook and manuals regarding travel.
I clocked the mileage from the Trenton P&DC to Monroe via the NJ turnpike
exit 7A to 8A and it was 20 miles. Someone please clock the mileage and
see if I am wrong.
Telephone Numbers for the Monroe Union Office
(609) 860-9312 PHONE
(609)860-9361 FAX
September 29, 2002
The Monroe Report
We have finally moved, effective Saturday, September 28, 2002, we began
sorting mail on a limited basis at our new interim facility in Monroe Township,
NJ. I don't share the same hype and excitement as some do over this
facility. This new interim facility raises some serious safety concerns.
Many members have made inquiries regarding the restrooms, locker rooms and swing
room facilities at Monroe. The restrooms are completed. For the workers on
the workroom floor there is only one restroom for each, male and female.
The restrooms do have privacy stalls and are covered by drop ceilings. The
administrated section has a set of restrooms also.
The locker rooms are constructed, but lack lockers. No surprise to me, we had 8
months to get them, assemble, store them and be ready for the workers on move in
day.
The swing room is ready but lacks a drop ceiling. You can be accompanied by the
noise and dust while you enjoy your breaks and lunches. The reason for no
drop ceiling over the swing room is, no money. There are vending machines,
refrigerator, tables and chairs. I don't believe there will be enough
space when we go to full operations.
There is no ceiling over the administrated area also, lets see who gets a
ceiling first! Do you think the suits will deal with the dust and noise
from the floor?
Outside lights are another issue; they are installed, but are not operational.
The lights were supposed to be functioning prior to move in, why would you need
outside lighting when 75 percent of your workforce works in the twilight hours.
The registry cage is being erected and should be completed. The cage is located
on the loading dock, I mean right on the outside wall between the bay doors.
The installation of the SPBS in underway and expected to be completed in several
weeks. The FSM 1000 installation will begin as soon as the contractor
releases additional space. The removal of AFSM 100 from Kilmer will be on
or about October 18, 2002.
The building lacks a ventilation system. There is no air conditioning; no
fresh air exchange and heat source is questionable. When I questioned
management about the heat, all I got was a chuckle. They have installed
additional heat, electric baseboard in the administration section.
The heat and fresh air exchange is a major concern with winter coming upon us
very soon. There is no buffer zone between loading dock and the workroom
floor. What that means as soon as a bay door opens the cold northeast wind
will rush into the building trapping the heat source at the ceiling. Dust could
be a problem without a proper ventilation system.
Aisles in this facility are another concern. The building is only as wide as a
length of an of a SPBS machine. The machine is being installed right
across the width of the building, it is a short machine only 100 sorting bins.
If it was a large model like ours in Trenton it may not have fit. So when
an employee wants to go to a restroom, lunch or leave the building they must
travel along the loading dock, and we all know how safe and congested a loading
dock can be at certain times of a day.
There seems to be a problem with the bay door staying in an open position.
They are not motorized, so use extreme caution when working around them.
The reason for all the cut backs is simply money. Well, can we just sit
back and allow them to take from us, when they can spend 25 million on a bike
racing event? Hell no! We must take on this battle like all the other we
have fought over the past year. The struggle still continues for the Trenton
Postal Worker.
Please forward all of your concerns to me about the Monroe facility. I will
request management to address our concerns.
September, 25, 2002
The US
Postal Service notified the Trenton Metro Area Local that mail sorting
operations currently housed at the South River MDC will be transferred to the
new interim Trenton Distribution center in Monroe Township. This switch in
operations will be effective Saturday, September 28, 2002.
After many days of rumors and uncertainties, postal workers finally received
notice of the relocation. For some Trenton employees this will be their fourth
location since the closing of the Anthrax contaminated processing center.
The Monroe facility is still not complete. Rest rooms are not operational,
the accommodations for employees breaks and lunches isn't complete nor is there
a place to store their personal affects. The Postal Service has insured
the union that these concerns of the union will be addressed and all rest rooms
and employees needs will be addressed.
The Postal Service has been forced to vacate South River MDC and make this
premature move by Aeropostale who they share the warehouse with.
Aeropostale has taken the Postal Service to court according to unnamed sources.
The Trenton Metro Area Local has concerns about the safety of the employees in
this new facility. Construction work will be proceeding at the same time
employees are sorting mail.
A meeting has been scheduled with the union on Thursday, September 26, 2002, at
9:30 am. I will share any updated information as it becomes available.
So long River - hello Monroe!
COLA
COLA Increase Takes Effect September 7, 2002
The consumer price index, CPI-W rose in July to 524.5. The second cost of
living adjustment under the 2000 Collective Bargaining agreement will be:
Per
Annum: $312.00
Per Pay
Period: $12.00
Cents
Per Hour: .15
The Postal Service will begin paying the adjustment effective September 7, 2002,
(pay period 20-2002) and it will be reflected in paycheck dated September 27,
2002.
Due to a falling CPI-W index, employees did not receive any monies from the
first cost-of-living adjustment period.
Pay scales showing the Cost of Living allowance that takes effect September 7,
2002, will be printed in the September/October edition of the American Postal
Worker.
Annual Leave Submission for Christmas Week
Applications for annual leave for Christmas Week 2002 will be accepted
during the period of September 7 through September 20, 2002. This Annual
Leave period covers the weeks of December 25, 2002, through January 1, 2003, for
the APWU Crafts.
Approved Annual Leave will be posted the first week of PP 21.
Clerk Bid Posting
Clerk bid posting, CL 162 is now posted. The window for bidding is
8/30/02 through 9/9/02.
The
Postal Job Bidding Phone Numbers & Hours for Clerks:
Phone
1-800-222-2415
1-800-520-0625 (TDD)
Hours
Monday-Friday 3:00am-Midnight (Central Time)
Saturday 3:00am-6:00pm (Central Time)
Including Holidays
No Bidding on Sundays
Central Time is a 1-hour time difference from us, so that would make our bidding
hours in the Eastern Time zone 4:00am-1:00am (M-F) and 4:00am-7:00pm (Sat).
Happy Labor Day, be safe and enjoy the final days of summer.
August 26, 2002
Anthrax
Testing
All samples taken at South River and the Trenton P&DC, west dock have come
back negative for anthrax.
August 22, 2002
Anthrax
Testing
Tests results from Kilmer P&DC and Monmouth P&DC have come back
negative. No traces of anthrax have been found in these facilities.
" We are pleased that no evidence of anthrax was found at either the Kilmer
or Monmouth plants, " said Vito Cetta, District Manager of Central Jersey.
This maybe a first, I do agree with Mr. Cetta's statement, that we are pleased.
Testing was conducted on August 21, 2002, at South River MDC, Trenton P&DC
and the Princeton Post Office. I was told that the results from these
tests should be back by Monday, August 26, 2002.
New Building
Construction (renovations) have begun at the new interim Trenton Facility in
Monroe, NJ. The Postal Service has once again found a way around the laws
that govern me and you. Under some federal law they are not required to
obtain building permits. I was wondering why they waited so long, when did they
ever care about laws or employees rights before?
I am somewhat confused why the Monroe community would not enjoy the revenue that
500 employees would bring to their local establishments. I would think the
local businesses that surround the new facility would be excited with us
arriving. I guess I am wrong.
The time frame for occupying the new facility is still around October 12, 2002,
for the South River Operations. They do hope to move up the move in date,
to September 21, 2002.
Tour 3 Excessing Meeting
Our local union as well as the Kilmer local met with the Postal Service on
Wednesday, August 21, 2002. The Trenton local's position is that some tour
3 employees should continue to process outgoing mail at the Kilmer Plant when
the new interim facility opens. My reasoning for this position is we don't
want to give up any work, as long as we are working that mail we will maintain
ownership. The employees who would remain would continue the same benefits
they currently have. No Excessing.
Kilmer local's position is a simple one, we should be excessed to the Kilmer
facility permanently and there is no room for negotiations.
The Postal Service is enjoying the Kilmer local's position. Now they can
run headquarters and our political leaders and say the unions cannot agree and
we need to follow the contract. They are wrong, the contract is being
applied by assigning temporary duty assignments to the Trenton employees due to
the temporary closing of the Hamilton plant. What has the Postal service
done over the past 10 months? They have assigned temporary duty
assignments, why change now?
NBA Eric Wilson will obtain the national position on this mess.
We will continue negotiations and I will reach out to the National Clerk Craft
in Washington for assistance.
CFS Consolidation
This meeting was a disaster. We met with Red Bank and Kilmer Locals
and with the Postal Service on Wednesday, August 21, 2002, over the
consolidation of CFS.
The information supplied the unions when they notified the region was different
then what they supplied at the meeting. Postal Service's position is that
it doesn't matter. They were unable to support their facts and figures.
The meeting was terminated and the postal service will try to obtain the
necessary information. The most interesting bit of information was that
this CFS consolidation plan has only been in the planning stage for a few weeks,
not like the Postmaster general stated in his letter.
PMG Potter stated in his August 7, 2002, correspondence "Our plan is to
return all operations and staffing to the Trenton P&DC that were in place
prior to the anthrax attacks, with the exception previously slated for
consolidation."
Management informed me that they planned this for about a week before the
Regional notification happened. They also confirmed that Trenton was not
slated for consolidation prior to the closing. Now tell me, who is telling
the truth? You decide.
Management is going to get the correct information and I will decide what course
we should take.
August 20, 2002
Anthrax
Testing
The APWU has been advised that the Postal Service will conduct precautionary
testing for anthrax on Wednesday, August 21, 2002. Testing is scheduled
for South River, 8 am to noon, Trenton P&DC, west dock, 8 pm to 3 am.
The areas to be tested are those associated with the induction of collection
mail.
These test were scheduled for Sunday, August 18, 2002, but were canceled because
it did not make sense to test everywhere.
I will keep you updated.
August 19, 2002
No Anthrax Testing
The
Postal Service advised me today that they didn't test for Anthrax at the Trenton
P&DC, west dock, South River MDC or Princeton PO. They did conduct
Anthrax tests at Monmouth P&DC and Kilmer P&DC. The Postal Service
notified me by mail and fax that they were going to perform test for Anthrax on
Sunday, August 18, 2002, at all the facilities where collection mail is worked.
But they never notified the union of the changes. I made the call after
investigating where the tests were conducted. Oh well. Surprised?
I'm not. The reason offered by the service was it didn't make sense to
test all the areas, only where the mail is processed.
As soon as I am notified of the results I will pass this on.
August 16, 2002
Additional
Testing
The postal service has informed me of additional testing of the West dock,
Trenton P&DC, South River MDC, Princeton PO, Kilmer and Monmouth. The
primary area of testing will be where collection mail is gathered and processed.
The people performing the testing will be wearing personal protective equipment,
(space suits). I will keep you updated as events unfold.
August 15, 2002
Anthrax
Testing
The APWU has requested that both Kilmer P&DC and Monmouth P&DC be tested
for anthrax. The reasons for the request was due to the positive test in a
Princeton mail box. The postal service has agreed to do the testing this
weekend. The APWU made this request to ensure the safety of the
membership. As soon as I have additional information or the results, I
will pass it along to you. The latest news stories pertaining to the
Princeton mail box and other related stories are posted on the local's web page.
New
Building
The POAC, (new building) meeting this week was canceled. I have been
informed that there is a problem obtaining the appropriate permits. This
delay will push back the move in date. The Mayor of Monroe is holding up
the process. The reason I hear is the senior citizens community in Monroe
is placing pressure on the Mayor. I guess no one wants us. By the
time this building is up and running we will back in Trenton or I would at least
hope so.
Meetings
On August 21, 2002, the local has 3 meetings, POAC, Tour 3 issues and the
consolidation of the CFS unit. Once I meet with management I will be able
to report on exactly what they are up to.
Mayor Gilmore has advised me that the local will be touring the fumigation
equipment at the Brentwood Post Office.
August 6, 2002
CFS
Consolidation Monmouth, New Brunswick and Trenton
The union has been advised that Central New Jersey District is proposing to
consolidate the Monmouth, Trenton and New Brunswick CFS units. The
Monmouth and Trenton CFS units will be consolidated with the New Brunswick unit.
The combined operation will be housed in the New Brunswick Carrier Annex.
Central New Jersey District is claiming the consolidation of the CFS units will
allow for more efficient operation, cost savings and a reduction in overtime.
The employee impact is as follows:
Monmouth: 22 level 4 CFS clerks, 3 PTFs
Trenton: 10 level 4 CFS clerks and 1 level 5 clerk
The current staffing at the new Brunswick CFS unit is 22. The total
proposed staffing for the consolidated CFS unit at New Brunswick is 62.
This notice does not provide for excessing out of the installation at this
time. I have reviewed the information provided and find many
discrepancies. I will continue to investigate this issue. Once we have a
meeting I will provide more information.
Please be advised that management has posted 2 CFS clerk bids on the last
posting. The clerk posting date is the July 31, 2002, and the
consolidation notice is dated July 26, 2002. Bidding on these positions at
this time could be a serious mistake, but that's only my opinion. You must make
the choice.
We will fight this issue just as we have the many other injustices perpetrated
against us. It is clear that Central Jersey has no intentions on living up
to their statements that everyone will be returning when we open. The most
disturbing factor is, the postal service considers our customers of the Trenton
P&DC second class citizens and they do not deserve first class mail service.
Just to update you, I have not received any notice reversing their decision to
excess 66 Trenton employees. Been told this by many, but talk is cheap.
July 31, 2002
New
Building
The
Postal Service notified the local that it has leased an interim facility.
The facility is located at 24 Engelhard Rd. Monroe, NJ 08831. They plan to start
occupying the building in 4 to 6 weeks. There is preliminary work needed
before we can occupy the building; lighting, air lines, electrical drops,
bathrooms, swing rooms and locker rooms will have to be installed. The
postal service has scheduled a meeting next week to discuss the building.
I plan on making a trip to this new site in the next few days. I will update you
on all the specifics once they are made available to us. This move will
create a whole new world of labor issues. If you have questions please
feel free to contact me and I will try to get some answers.
Excessing
I have been notified that the proposal to excess 36 clerks has been delayed.
The postal service has taken that off the table at the present moment. I
still have not received this in writing. They plan on scheduling a meeting
in the near future. I believe we need to be cautious and sleep with one
eye open! I will stay on top of this troubling issue. Please don't think
for one moment this issue has gone away.
Stay tuned I am sure this story will get better.
Web
Site
If you have missed some of the latest news articles on Trenton P&DC, check
the local's web site.
If you are interested in becoming a maintenance employee, management has
scheduled a training course to assist you in passing the exam. Information
is posted on the web page. This course is on your own time.
See you at the picnic.
July 27, 2002
There is
no change in management's excessing plan.
I would like to thank both Mayor Gilmore for arranging the meeting and Senator
Torricelli for giving us so much of his valuable time over the past several
months. If you do attend the picnic please take the time to say thank you
to the Mayor.
The meeting with Senator Torricelli and Mayor Gilmore did not yield the results
I would have expected or desired. The Postal Service took the position
that the excessing was the result of the unions failing to negotiate a local
agreement for overtime, holidays and vacation provisions with merge seniority.
Our local's position was simple and clear, Will tour 3 remain intact? If and
when we reopen, and will the notice of excessing be rescinded? I asked
these questions several times, without a response. The only response to
any questions pertaining to this issue was we need to meet and negotiate.
As in previous meetings I requested that the Postal Service please advise me of
what is the problem. The union has not filed any grievances on these
issues. Absence of any labor problems or grievances, why negotiate
something that is working? When I questioned how these 3 issues lead to
excessing 36 clerks, I got the same automated response. We need to meet and
negotiate.
How will excessing 36 clerks improve mail service? Currently we have 100
tour 3 Trenton employees working at Kilmer now processing tour 3 mail.
As far as I am concerned the notice of excessing still stands, management still
plans on downsizing tour 3, and abolishing clerk positions. They may
attempt to cloud the issue, but their main goal is to eliminate tour 3.
Our local was represented by Bill Lewis, Local President, Bob Lauer, Local
Executive Vice President and Roy Braunstein APWU National Legislative Director.
Roy was of enormous help and assistance during this meeting and arranging an
additional meeting with Congressman Smith and his staff afterwards. Thanks
Roy.
After the meeting we headed over to Congressman Smith's office. We met
with the Congressman and updated him on the latest news. (Second time this
week.) We did meet with his Chief of Staff, Mary Noonan and Nick Manetto
and had very meaningful discussions and explored many options we have, to
continue our fight. This upcoming week Roy Braunstein and other APWU staff
will be meeting with Congressman Smith's staff and will work together on some
ideas we discussed. I cannot not tell you what we have in store because
our enemies do monitor our communications. I do like the plan and I do
believe it will expose the evildoers of Central Jersey District.
I would like to thank Ms. Noonan and Nick for all their help and time.
Nick will be at the picnic, so please take the time to thank him for all his
help. He has been committed to our struggle from day one.
This week we had the no building meeting, 13 POAC meeting and we did learn that
the building deal has ran into some legal obstacles relating to the lease.
I was hopeing to hear some news by weeks end. That did not happen.
One interesting thing did come about, I received a phone call from the Office of
the Mayor of Monroe Township asking why the union wanted to lease the building.
They additionally wanted to know why the employees did not want to work in
Monroe Township. I informed them our issues were not with Monroe
Community. We are just tired of the commute and we want to go home.
They did enlighten me that no zoning permits were taken out. I told them I
have nothing to do with the issue and directed them to district.
In closing, today I would like to thank all of you for your support and efforts
in our attempt to get home. No single effort, event or person will
accomplish this task. We must remain united and keep gathering support.
I do need employees to get in contact with their local community leaders, civic
and church groups and ask them to publicly support us. Tell them to feel free to
contact me. We need to go back to writing letters to our political leaders
and maintain constant pressure, so when you feel the need to trash the union or
me please direct your enemy in the right direction.
Hope to see you at the picnic.
July 22, 2002
Today's
meeting with Congressman Smith and Area Vice President David Solomon was not as
successful as I would have hoped for. Mr. Solomon had the typical
corporate lingo and was filled with false information. Speaking with him
was like watching the transformation tape. Mr. Solomon has been filled
with too much transformation.
He would not commit to any type of agreement with Congressman Smith. He
placed the blame on the union and overtime grievances and the parties being
unable to negotiate away our members rights. When I questioned him if we
agree to overtime provisions, would that stop the movement of tour 3 mails and
future excessing? He basically said tour 3 mail is gone. This whole
issue is not about the union being unable to reach an agreement on overtime and
other issues. The issue is transformation and the consolidation of mail.
He did state that, as an example; the CFS unit would not be returning to
Trenton, when we questioned if there are any other operations being impacted.
He stated the longer we stay closed the more work we will lose.
The Postal Service has now had 8 months to get the consolidation plan working.
My observation is the plan is not workable. Remember the plan is to merge
all 085/086 originating mail with Kilmer 088/089 outgoing operations. The
plan sounds great, but in reality it is failing miserably. In order to
create a delusional smoke screen, management is holding all Kilmer's collection
mail, 088/089 on their platform and at 7 PM transporting it to DVD to be
canceled and processed. This diverting of Kilmer's collection mail allows
management to just process Trenton's collection mail.
Kilmer cannot handle all of Trenton's mail, and some must be sent to DVD. This
operating plan has been in effect for several weeks. I waited to be sure it
wasn't just a one-night trip. Additionally, Kilmer is shipping 4 star routes
directly to West Jersey with its collection mail. All Kilmer is doing is
off loading the amount of mail it is receiving from Trenton so they can claim
its plan is working. If they could handle it they would be doing it every
day.
Under the transformation plan, Kilmer would process all originating mail from
088, 089, 085, and 086. One would believe the intent of this merger would
be to capture savings by merging of the 2 facilities. I wonder how much
they are saving by re routing mail from Trenton to Kilmer and then to DVD and
then to West Jersey and back to South River to our area office, stations and
branches. Kilmer now has an additional 100 tour 3 employees assigned there
and they can't handle the mail so they went out and hired themselves some
casuals and placed them under the Trenton's finance number. Now this is
the group that wants to reduce Trenton's staffing at Kilmer to 36 when they have
a hundred employees and cannot get the mission accomplished.
The whole transformation plan is in a holding pattern awaiting the new building.
At that time they will abolish a large number of the tour 3 bids. The
longer we are shut down we run the risk of losing more mail.
Congressman Smith tried to get a time frame on the start of the clean up and the
status of the new building. Mr. Solomon had no additional information on
these items to share with us. He will not meet with the employees of
Trenton at our union meeting.
At the recommendation of the parties I will continue to negotiate with the
postal service and the Kilmer local.
July 22, 2002
Excessing
Meeting - July 22, 2002
This
morning I attended an excessing meeting at the Kilmer Plant that was scheduled
by District management. APWU National Business Agents Eric Wilson and Frank
Giordano were present along with the President and Vice President of the Kilmer
local. Representing management was Lynn Goldstein, District Mgr. Labor
Relations; Patricia Connolly, District Mgr. Human Resources; Victor Pacheco,
Kilmer Plant Mgr.; Gary Johnston, Area Mgr. Labor Relations and Steve Roman,
Trenton Plant Mgr.
Management opened by asking if we would reconsider their proposal of about a
month ago which Bill Lewis has publicized. Basically it would “temporarily”
excess Trenton employees but with no bidding or retreat rights. Our
response was a firm no.
The intention of the Post Office is to give a 60-day advance notice immediately
to the junior 36 employees on the Trenton seniority list. The original plan had
been to move level 5’s only, but a new twist was added when it was announced
that the level 4 DCO positions would be abolished today also. The CFS unit would
be the lone remaining level 4 positions. Management has revised its plans to
excess the JUNIOR 36 employees, level 4 and 5, since the DCO’s will be
eventually put into level 5 positions. This would make the excessing strictly by
seniority since there are no level 6 clerks in the bottom 36.
The DCO’s will not be the only ones losing their jobs. We were advised that
“manual” operations on tour 3 would be abolished. Management did not set a
time table or identify at this moment which jobs they consider to fall under
“manual,” only saying there will be more abolishment's than the number of
those excessed. All tour 3 relief and pool positions, most people probably refer
to these as “station fill in window clerks,” will be abolished and reposted
on tour 2 with different core duty assignments.
Senior employees will be given an opportunity to voluntarily replace the
excessed clerks, carrying with them the seniority of that person, not your own
hiring date. NBA Giordano requested a post excessing profile be provided
to the union to aid those contemplating volunteering. This is an estimated list
of positions that will remain in Trenton upon reopening. I'm not sure when we
can expect to have that available, since management hasn't committed to a date
for the proposed tour 3 abolishment's. We will pursue that issue.
For those of you who have a copy of the Collective Bargaining Agreement,
management has indicated they will be excessing under Article 12, Section 5.C.6.
Article 12 is the most complex of all, with additional memorandums,
arbitration's and manuals supplementing the contract. Rest assured, we will
relentlessly scrutinize management's every step and your rights will be
protected. The union will post further information as it becomes available.
Bob Lauer
Executive Vice President
July 19, 2002
There
hasn't been any additional news about the excessing. I have spent the last
few days reaching out to all of our political allies. Additionally I have
been in contact with our National union. Since we've had a good idea of
what management was up to, I wasn't totally surprised to receive the excessing
notice. Over the past several weeks I have been gathering information to assist
us in our fight. I will present this information to the Political Leaders.
Today I held a teleconference with Representative Chris Smith's Washington
office preparing for our Monday meeting. Roy Braunstein, APWU Legislative
Director participated in this teleconference. On Monday, July 22, 2002, I
will be meeting with Congressman Chris Smith and David Solomon, Area Vice
President of the Postal Service.
The Postal Service has scheduled a meeting with the union over Article 12 and
the proposed excessing on Monday at the same time. Bob Lauer, Executive Vice
President will be attending this excessing meeting. With him will be Sandy
Schleher, Clerk Craft Director, NBA's Eric Wilson and Frank Giordano will be
there from our National Union.
On Wednesday, July 24, 2002, there will be a New Building Meeting, POAC, I've
heard they are very close to closing a deal. Since I've heard this before
I did not get excited over it. I heard on June 17, 2002, in 24 hours the
lease would be signed. I do believe this time the deal is close to being
finalized. The reason I believe this is because management has begun to
implement their plan of mass destruction of tour 3.
On Thursday, July 25, 2002, I will be heading to Washington with Mayor Gilmore
to attend a meeting with Senators Torricelli and Corzine. Mayor Gilmore
requested this meeting.
Once I have all the information I will hold a union meeting to bring you up to
date on these troubling events. I can only make one promise that I will
fight the consolidation of the outgoing mail and management's attempts to excess
our members. I ask you pray that God gives me the strength and wisdom to
fight these evil managers.
July 17, 2002
On July
16, 2002, I was advised of management's proposal to excess thirty-six (36) level
5 clerks from Trenton P&DC to the Kilmer P&DC. The reason for this
move is the consolidation of the outgoing operations.
Management has supplied me with an inaccurate and incomplete impact statement,
which I am currently reviewing. On Monday, July 22, 2002, a meeting is
scheduled and I will obtain as much information as possible.
I have no details on which operations on tour 3 will be impacted or a time
frame.
Excessing is a very a complicated process and involves many different issues.
Please do not listen to rumors. If you do hear these rumors or you do have
information please share with me.
Feel free to email me or call the office 609-631-7745 and leave your name and
your phone number if you have any questions.
This is the thanks we get for being front line heroes.
I have started the process of contacting our Senators and Congressional Leaders.
As more information becomes available I will share and keep you updated.
July 11, 2002
New
Building
A New (No) Building meeting, POAC, was held on Wednesday, July 10, 2002.
We were informed that the building's lease has not been finalized. The
final signature is the Postmaster General and we await his approval. The
building is located in the same general locations as the last few, Exit 8A off
the NJ Turnpike and Cranbury Rd.
We were informed that all the machines and mail that was sent to DVD, Princeton
and the Carrier Annex will be brought into the interim building for processing.
Tour 3, out going mail will not be brought there, reasons offered by the Postal
Service is there isn't sufficient space and the availability of machines. (Bull)
The building is just a shell, four walls. Before we could occupy the
building they will need to install lighting, rest rooms, swing room, lockers and
other basic necessities. The air conditioning from South River will be moved
with the river operations, so we will have temporary air conditioning in the
building. As soon as the PMG approves the lease, construction will begin.
The first phase will be to move South River's operations into the building,
since time is running out for the Lab Rats. Aeropostale wants us out and
our cohabitat agreement runs out on Oct 1, 2002.
I was very frustrated with the lack of information and progress. On June 17, I
was informed that the deal would be signed in 24 hours, it has been a long 24
hours. When I observed the lack of management representatives attending
the meeting, I knew the meeting was going to be a major disappointment. I
don't feel this building or any building where we must continue to commute will
help improve our lives. If and when we move into an interim building I
foresee nothing but major headaches and a whole new world of labor issues.
It's hard for me to be positive when you see the Postal Service spend 25 million
dollars on bike race. They do not want us in a building closer to home, the
Trenton area. They constantly want us to do without. When they spend this type
of money on nonsense and can't spend a few million on improving service to our
customers or at least attempt to improve our lives and help reduce the stress
these terrorists created. I know "get over it," That's what
we've been told GET OVER IT. Sorry I can't.
DCO
The local has been informed that management intends to abolish the remaining
Trenton DCO positions. The Postal Service has transferred flat imaging to
the remote encoding center in Princeton, NJ. I will advise you when the
official notice is given to the employees.
Bids
The union has filed a grievance over the last clerk bid posting and the
temporary clerk posting. Management has failed to answer our step 1
grievance and is forcing us to appeal this case to step 2. The reason for
the grievance is management failed to post the bids in South River, and blocked
all level 4's from bidding.
Improving
Moral
In another attempt to improve moral, management is issuing discipline for
attendance related infractions. The Postal Service implemented a new
attendance monitoring system, Resource Management Data, RMD. Anyone who is
brought in for a pre disciplinary interview should request a shop steward.
If you are issued discipline contact your shop steward.
Picnic
Tickets are available and I hope to see you at the picnic, any questions check
the web page or email me. It would be nice and positive to see some of our
co workers we haven't seen in several months.
No Scabs
this is a union function, remember you don't want to be part of us.
July 3, 2002
Have a
Happy and Safe 4th of July.
Presidents Day and Memorial Day Holidays
Holiday/Annual Leave Hours from PAY PERIOD 05-2002 (PRESIDENTS DAY HOLIDAY) AND
PAY PERIOD 12-2002 (MEMORIAL DAY HOLIDAY) will be added to the affected
employees hours and annual leave balances in PAY PERIOD 14-2002.
These hours will be included in the annual leave earned this year amount and
annual leave balance on the employees PAY PERIOD 14-2002 earnings statements
JULY 5, 2002.
FOURTH
OF JULY HOLIDAY
The upcoming FOURTH OF JULY HOLIDAY will mark the third time that eligible
employees may elect a day of annual leave in lieu of holiday leave when they
work the holiday or designated holiday.
6/6/02
Annual
leave in lieu of holiday pay options
The annual leave in lieu of holiday pay options has not been reprogrammed into
the USPS payroll system.
Many employees who exercised this option in February (President Day) and in May
(Memorial Day) have not seen the annual leave credited to your leave balance.
This is scheduled to be done within the next couple of pay periods. Exact
date has not been provided to the union.
However, the USPS and APWU have agreed the employee can use this leave even
though its not listed on an employee leave balance. The local office
should have a list of every employee entitled to the annual leave from the
holiday option. This is an employees annual leave. They must input
it manually until the payroll/leave program is updated. This was confirmed
by phone with the USPS Headquarters Labor Relations Specialist Lisa Hambalek on
Thursday, June 6, 2002.
July 1, 2002
Bus
Service
The bus schedule for July 4th is as follows:
Wednesday, July 3, 2002, at 22:00 NJ Transit will transport Tour One employees
and bring back Tour Three employees. There will be no bus service on
Thursday, July 4, 2002, for Tour Two and Tour Three.
Service will resume Thursday night at 22:00 PM - for Tour 1.
Vans are available for alternate transportation. Please make necessary
arrangements to ensure all employees are able to report to work.
Clerk
Bid Posting
The local will be filing a class action grievance on the latest clerk posting.
The reasons for the grievance is, management's failure to post for the full 10
days at South River and the computer is preventing some employees from bidding.
The union will request the bids be reposted for the whole 10 days at all
facilities where Trenton Employees are domiciled. We will seek out of
schedule pay for all days beyond the 28 days. I am advising every one of this
grievance so no one should get too comfortable in their new position. We
tried to correct the problem prior to the closing, but we were unsuccessful,
then again who are we to tell a manager they are doing something wrong?
Air
Conditioning
I must report that the River and the Carrier Annex now have some cool air
blowing. The annex has its new ac unit up and running. The river has
a temporary system working. We are truly going to need it this week. I
know Aeropostale employees will also enjoy the AC.
New
Building
There hasn't been any information provided to the union on a new building since
the June 7, 2002, meeting. I have heard that they are still searching for
a building, but no official word. For now we must prepare for a long hot
summer up in the New Brunswick Area.
Lack
of Information
It has been several weeks since we had any meeting with management. I have
requested along with Congressman Smith to have a union meeting where Area Vice
President David Solomon could discuss our future and what can or would be done
to assist us in dealing with this hardship or maybe just answer your questions.
We are still awaiting a time and place.
Can
we Trust Them, You Decide
This update was to long for email and has been placed on the local's web page.
The web page also contains some interesting news articles relating to us.
Take a few moments and check out the web site www.trentonmetroarealocal.com
Local
Picnic
This years picnic will be August 4, 2002. The location is at the German
American Club. For further details check out the web page.
June 8, 2002
New
Building
This was the 11th POAC meeting and still no building. The Postal Service
is still negotiating with AT&T lawyers over the building in South Brunswick.
The service is still looking at buildings in Monroe Township and Florence /
Roebling areas. Most of the machines that came in from other areas have
now been redeployed to DVD. Oh well, did we really think we were going to
get them?
Air Conditioning
The temporary air conditioning should be completed shortly at the River.
The reason for the delay is the best I have ever heard. We could not get water
for the unit. The South River township would not allow us to use the water
from the hydrants to fill the cooling tower. Water will be trucked in by tanker
trucks.
Construction and installation has begun on installing air conditioning in the
annex. Target date is still around the middle of the month.
Bus Service
The bus service to the temporary duty assignments will continue this weekend.
Change is coming, they plan on eliminating the bus service on the weekends.
I will try to get a clear answer or lets say, try to understand their plan.
Will keep you informed of this major change.
CDC
I have been informed that the CDC will be contacting us to continue their study
of the Trenton Lab Rats.
085 Mail
The service plans on shipping 085 letter mail to DVD with our new machines to do
the dual pass on these zones. The 085 standard A mail is now being processed in
Raritan.
Also plans are under way to move more Kilmer outgoing mail to DVD. Kilmer
is already shipping some of their outgoing mail to West Jersey, this is just
another attempt to disguise how Kilmer is able (unable) to process our mail.
One could see through this smoke screen. Just a quick review of the past
will show who absorbed Kilmer and Monmouth mail on a regular basis.
Trenton, enough said.
CFS
The Postal service still plans on screwing these 10 CFS clerks by changing
their begin tour start times and continues to terrorize them with psychological
torture. They are not treated the same as Kilmer's employees. These
employee are continually harassed by other employees and management. I do
have a meeting scheduled for Monday the 10th of June.
I must inform you that Congressman Smith's staff is unable to get Vito Cetta to
return their calls on this matter and other issues of great importance to us.
Senator Robert Torricelli has invited the local Union leadership to attend a
meeting on Sunday, June 9, 2002, with Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, in
Princeton, NJ. I will be attending this meeting and I will present to the
Senators how we are still suffering from the Terrorist attack at the hands of
our employer. The anthrax letter was sent to Senator Daschle, so lets hope
he will listen to us and join in our struggle to reopen Trenton in full.
May 30, 2002
I
attended the 10th POAC meeting or as I refer to it as the NO Building Meeting.
On May 1, 2002, the Postal Service signed a lease to sub lease a building in
South Brunswick. The owner, AT&T pension group had 25 days to approve
or disapprove the sub lease agreement. On May 28, 2002, I was notified
that the Postal Service was not getting this building. Today I was
informed that AT&T attorneys want to meet with the Postal Service to discuss
the reasons for the denial. I say screw them and move forward.
The Postal Service is currently looking at several other sites, Monroe area,
Florence/Roebling area and they are still looking in Cranbury. At today's
meeting I got the impression that they like the site in Monroe but were going to
hold out until the meeting with AT&T. I don't see us getting an
interim building any time soon. The postal services master plan of
screwing tour 3 depends on this building. I will keep a close eye on this
event.
CFS
Management has notified the CFS clerks they are changing their tour hours to
1:30 PM to 10:00 PM. The Union was never notified by management of these
changes nor were afforded the right to negotiate for these clerks. I spoke
with Vito Cetta about this injustice, he has assured me, he would look into it.
Congressman Smith's office has also been in contact with management over the CFS
changes. Their reason for this change was this is what the Union wanted.
I have heard this before. Jim Burke, regional coordinator was told the issue was
all settled with the Union.
I am requesting a labor management meeting over the CFS issue.
At the last POAC meeting I was told it was un-American for the Union to file
grievances in a time like this, well guys how about screwing the victims of a
bio-terrorist attack. Is this in keeping with the true sprit of being an
American?
Air Conditioning
There were plans to place air conditioning in the carrier annex and South River.
I made an inquiry this week as to when this mission would be completed. I
was informed that the owner of the carrier annex building was sitting on the
contract to perform the installation. It now looks like the middle of June
will be the date for installation of AC in the annex. I forgot to ask what
year.
The air conditioning in South River should be happening any time soon, yeah
right. They are installing a temporary system. They were going to erect a
plastic barrier between us and Aeropostel but the cost factor has now eliminated
that plan.
I hope we get this air conditioning soon. I guess it would be un-American to
complain to them as they sit in a comfortable office with ac in the district.
The River
The River still continues to be included in discussions