summer 2019 the three twenty times -...
TRANSCRIPT
SUMMER 2019
The Three Twenty Times
WWW.NPMHU320.COM
SUMMER 2019
2
The Three Twenty Times NPMHU Local 320
P.O. Box 64081 Phoenix, AZ 85082
WWW.NPMHU320.COM
Executive Council
President………Alex Cervantes Vice President………Shawn Garey
Treasurer…….Art Aguilar Secretary…….Jeremy Wood
State Rep………Bernie Gonzalez
Branch Presidents
Phoenix………Shawn Garey Tucson………Felipe M Ruiz
The Three Twenty times is published quarterly by the National Postal Mail Handlers Union, Local 320. Opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the editor or officers of Local 320. The Local Union has complete authority over the content of its publication, Articles and Reports and Ultimately that authority rests with the Local President. All rights reserved. The Three Twenty Times is published exclusively for our members. Members are encouraged to submit articles for future issue.
ART AGUILAR………EDITOR E-MAIL……[email protected]
Condolences
The officers and members
of L320 would like to
extend our condolences to
the following on the
recent losses of their
loved ones. You are all in
our prayers and we wish to
express our deepest
sympathy to all of you.
Loss of Mother Brian Dungey
Loss of Father Jeremy Thomas
Retired Union Brother
Allen Moses Richard Boker
Loss of Daughter
Joe Lopez
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President’s Report
By Alex Cervantes
Greetings MailHandlers !!!!!!
On April 1st, 2019, I was notified by Recording
Secretary Adrian Alvarez that due to personal
reasons he was resigning from his position. It is
with great regret that, I accept his resignation.
I want to thank Adrian Alvarez for the work that
he did as Phoenix Branch President and
Recording Secretary. Over the years, I worked
with 6 former Phoenix Branch Presidents and
Adrian, in my opinion, excelled all his
predecessors. I had the privilege of serving with
Adrian and will miss him standing by me in our
meetings. While he served, he was a strong and
dedicated leader that put in a lot of his own time
to visit facilities and Tours as well as to meet
with our Stewards. I am also confident that in
the near future, Adrian’s contractual knowledge,
leadership, and talent will eventually bring him
back to union service.
NEW UNION OFFICER FOR LOCAL 320
Jeremy Wood – Recording Secretary
Congratulations !!!!!!
In accordance with our Local union By-laws the
Council unanimously appointed Jeremy Wood to
fill the unexpired term for the position of
Recording Secretary. On Saturday, April 13,
2019, during our Phoenix Membership Meeting,
NPMHU National President Mr. Paul Hogrogian
administered the Oath of Office to Jeremy
Wood. I know that he is a great addition to our
Executive Board. I am looking forward to
continuing to work closely with Jeremy Wood
now in his new role as an Officer in this Union. I
offer congratulations to Brother Jeremy Wood
on his appointment by our Board to assume the
position of Recording Secretary. Jeremy Wood is
a seasoned union veteran who has served in
numerous capacities including Alternate
Steward, Steward, Chief Steward, Step 2
Designee, new employee Representative,
Health Plan Representative and Safety
Representative just to name a few. Jeremy
Wood has earned the respect of his peers over
the many years of skillful union service.
FIELD NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE
I am extremely happy to report that our National
President Mr. Paul Hogrogian has recently
appointed me to serve as Field Negotiating
Committee Member for the 2019 round of
collective bargaining with the USPS. We met
during the first week of February in Washington
DC to discuss/analyze important contract
proposals submitted by the entire Membership
for consideration during the upcoming round of
bargaining. If some of the proposals that were
submitted were adopted, they will greatly
improve the working conditions for all
MailHandlers.
NATIONAL RI-399 JURISDITIONAL NATIONAL
SETTLEMENT
The National Parties, Postal Management,
APWU and the NPMHU have entered in to a
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Memorandum of Understanding. The MOU
resolves most of the pending disputes now being
held at the National, Regional and Local Level.
The MOU also requires all local facilities
employing both Clerks and MailHandlers to
develop an updated “9/1/2017 building
inventories.” If the local facilities do not sign
their own inventories, then the National Parties
will send in representatives to complete these
documents. Here in Arizona, I am happy to
announce that in both the Phoenix and Tucson
installations, we previously had signed building
inventories that protects ALL MailHandler work.
When I first took over as Local 320 President, I
made the jurisdictional dispute process my
priority. I knew that we needed a building
inventory so that we can protect our jobs in
Phoenix and Tucson. I am proud to say that out
of all of the local Agreements that we made
including but not limited to: Providing
employees with leave during the week of
Christmas, Creating additional Sections, Change
of schedule agreement, holiday agreement,
higher level agreement, creation of Tour 1
Sections at WV, Signing a new and improved
local Agreement. etc…..
I can honestly say that the completion of the
Building inventory for Tucson and Phoenix
installations is our biggest and most important
accomplishment. We even included scanning in
some work areas as MailHandler work.
NATIONAL RI-399 JURISDICTIONAL NATIONAL
SETTLEMENT PAYOUT
The above Memorandum Of Understanding
(MOU) also provides for monetary payments to
MailHandlers and Clerks. The Parties agreed that
$14,500.000 will be distributed among
MailHandlers and APWU represented Clerk
employees will also receive $14,500.000
In order to be eligible for payment, you needed
to be in the MailHandler craft and on the rolls of
the Postal Service during the Pay Period which
ended on September 1st, 2017 AND
MailHandlers needed to be on the rolls of the
Postal Service which ended on March 15, 2019.
A MailHandler must satisfy BOTH of these
criteria to be eligible for payment.
1/ Eligible payees in the bargaining unit for
less than 5 years (as of 9-1-2017) will
receive 1 share ($143.90).
2/ Eligible payees in the bargaining unit for
5 years or more but less than 10 years (as
of 9-1-2017) will receive 2 shares
($287.80).
3/ Eligible payees in the bargaining unit for
10 years or more but less than 20 years
(as of 9-17-2017) will receive 3 shares
($431.70).
4/ Eligible payees in the bargaining unit for
20 years or more (as of 9-17-2017) will
receive 4 shares ($575.60).
There were more than 38,000 eligible
mailhandlers involved in this settlement.
TUCSON
On Saturday March 30, 2019, we conducted a
Tucson Branch Meeting followed by a Tucson
Picnic at Old Chicago Restaurant. We had a great
turnout. Over 30 regular members and Retirees
attended with their families. It was a good time
and the food was great.
We are in the process of obtaining a bigger
Union office. Our current office is too small and
is inadequate to provide our services to our
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members. Hopefully, in the next couple of
months, our new office will be ready.
NATIONAL TRAINING
On Friday, April 12, 2019, National President
Paul Hogrogian, National Secretary-Treasurer
Mike Hora, Western Region Vice President Don
Sneesby, Southern Region Vice President
Lawrence Sapp and Eastern Region Vice
President John Gibson provided Stewards from
Phoenix and Tucson Steward’s Training.
PHOENIX BRANCH MEETING
On Saturday, April 13, 2019, we conducted our
Phoenix Membership Meeting. All of the
Stewards were recognized for their hard work by
presenting them with a Certificate of recognition
for their work.
AWARDS
GMF Tour 3 Steward, Chief Steward, and Step
2 Designee Mr. Isaiah Dixon received the 2019
Steward Of the Year Award. Isaiah has done a
great job and he truly deserved to be recognized
for his work. Vice President and Phoenix Branch
President Shawn Garey received Local 320’s
highest and most special award, The Presidential
Award for his dedication to Members of Local
320.
PHOENIX PICNIC
On Sunday, April 14, 2019, we conducted our
Phoenix Membership Picnic at Kiwanis Park in
Tempe. It was a great day and a great turnout.
National President Paul Hogrogian, Southern
Region Vice President Lawrence Sapp and
Western Region Vice President Don Sneesby
were in attendance. Also former National
Trainer and former Eastern Region Vice
President Sam D’Ambrosio and former Western
Region Vice President and former Local 320
President Rudy Santos were also in attendance
at our picnic.
Once again, if you have any questions or
concerns please contact your Union
Representative. If you need to talk to me please
call me at: (602) 454-0147 or my cell phone at
(623) 670-0314 or email me at:
[email protected]. Additionally, I can be
reached at our website at NPMHU320.com or by
dropping a note at the GMF, West Valley or
Tucson Union cubicles.
Please feel free to give me a call on any issue
at any time.
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Vice President/PHX Branch President’s
Report By Shawn Garey
Greetings Fellow Mail Handlers,
It has been a busy several months since my last article. In January I conducted new Stewards training in Phoenix. I would like to welcome Joe Rodriguez, Ana Magana, Vanessa Ruiz, Isaac Robbins, Jennifer Williamson, Willette Gay and Melissa Murga as new Stewards they have all shown great promise and I expect great things from them going forward. In February I conducted a 2-day Stewards training for both Phoenix and Tucson Stewards. I separated the Stewards into small groups mixed from the different facilities and we practiced filing grievances from the bottom up starting with a statement and an information request. I would like to thank all our advanced stewards who helped provide guidance to their respective groups during these exercises. I was impressed at how fast our Stewards are progressing and am grateful for the high level of participation during the training. The more training we provide the better the representation on the workroom floor. Thanks again to all our Stewards for all you do.
In March I attended the Tucson Branch Meeting and Picnic. The turnout was great. I was happy to see everyone and did my best to answer questions regarding issues as they relate
ANNUAL MEETING
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ANNUAL MEETING
ISAIAH DIXON STEWARD OF THE YEAR
to Tucson. The Picnic in Tucson had a high turnout and went great as well. It was awesome for everyone to have an opportunity to get together outside of work and enjoy a little free time together.
In April we had our Annual Meeting along with training from our National Trainers. They covered issues as they relate to the F1 scheduler and how to combat management’s actions through the grievance procedure. I would like to thank the members of the National Executive Board for attending the meeting and the picnic. Those are the opportunities for our members to get a better understanding of the issues impacting our craft on a National level.
In addition to the internal meetings and training Alex and I have continued to meet monthly in both Phoenix and Tucson to address disputes involving craft assignments. In Tucson we are in the process of appealing 1 case to the Regional Level involving scanning. In Phoenix the APWU has disputed the craft determination on the USS and was sent to the Regional level as well. I know we are presenting the best cases and I am optimistic they will be settled in our favor.
In my last article I addressed both the USS at the West Valley and LCTS 3 at the P&DC as it pertains to the definition of a section. The USS is still under negotiation and we are fighting to ensure that management assigns it properly as we believe based on the staffing needs and hours of operation that it should be a standalone section. I’m hopeful that this will be completed by the next article I write. At the P&DC the LCTS 3 has been added to the LCTS 1 section. This was done as typical work hours on this machine make it difficult to argue that it should be its own section.
Recently our Union prevailed again on the representative case regarding clerk craft employees performing the load and unload scans in the platform (dock) operations in Phoenix and West Valley. This again reaffirms that these duties should be performed by the Mail Handler craft with the exception that a MVS driver may scan load or unload if he is performing the referenced task on his own vehicle.
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Treasurers Report By Art Aguilar Hello mail handlers I know everyone has a lot of issues to deal with on a daily basis and the majority of us do not have the time to look at Postal issues that will be affecting us down the road but we have to try to be conscious of actions that will be affecting us as a union. The first issue is a new bargaining unit agreement which will have negotiations under way in the next couple of months. Our negations are executed by our national staff and they will fight to get what is fair. If we cannot come to an agreement then our union will rely on binding arbitration. The second issue will be the elections in 2020. Both of these issues could have good and bad outcomes for all mail handlers. Bargaining is out of our hands and all we can do is hope for the best outcome. In the second issue we as citizens have the right to vote for elected leaders that have our best interest in mind. Part of voting is to research and find candidates at the local and national levels that are on the side of labor. This union has legislative representatives that lobby and try to find those elected officials in congress, the senate, and of course the highest office in the land (president) that are there for us. As a union we have a Political Action Committee that helps the campaigns of those representatives that are willing to fight with us and not against us. I
challenge all employees to donate $1 per pay period in order for our union to reach some of its objectives. $1 per person can make a big difference and it is a sum that members will not miss. In this newsletter there are instructions on how to donate directly from your pay through direct deposit each pay period. Thank you Art Aguilar The National Postal MailHandlers Union Political Action Committee(NPMHU PAC) contributes to campaigns of candidates for and incumbents of Congress who repeatedly demonstrate “concern for working people and for [the] aims and objectives of the NPMHU and the entire trade union movement.” The PAC is non-partisan in its operations, and, by federal law, is financed completely through voluntary contributions from members and groups who subscribe to the objectives of the Mail Handlers PAC. Your Union needs your active involvement in contributing to the Political Action Committee to assist candidates who will work to protect the wages and benefits of all Mail Handlers. Our PAC membership is mall but growing larger. Contributions to the Mail Handlers PAC are not deductible as charitable contributions for purposes of federal income taxes. In addition, federal law requires that the Mail Handlers PAC report to the Federal Election Commission the name, mailing address, occupation, and name of employer for each individual whose contributions in any calendar year total in excess of $200. Please also note that the Mail Handlers PAC has political purposes, and that all members have the right to refuse to contribute, and the right to revoke their authorization for any continuing contributions, without any reprisal.
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Recording Secretary’s Report By Jeremy Wood
Hello fellow Mail Handlers, I would like to start off by introducing myself to those of you who don't know me. My name is Jeremy Wood, I am a tour 2 Mail Handler at the West Valley. I have been a Mail Handler for over 20 years and have been a union steward for most of those years. Recently I was selected by the Executive Council to fulfill the remainder of term as Recording Secretary. I'm honored and would like to thank the Council for having faith in me to perform these duties. On April 25 we had our annual Local 320 picnic. It was a very good turn out with a lot of Mail Handlers and their families coming out to have a good time. Shout out to Sabrina Vega and Cynthia Lowry for putting together games for all the little ones to enjoy. Hopefully those who couldn't make it out this year will be able to make it next time. You can enjoy the food, fun, and friends. Maybe even go home with the grand raffle prize of a 50-inch TV like tour 2 Mail handler Ricardo Rodriguez did this year. We all see contractual violations that happen every day on the workroom floor. I know it’s easy to say "that's the union stewards’ job to file." Yes this is true but a union steward can't
always see everything that happens on the floor all the time. As union members we all need to help the stewards out. Whenever you see a violation happen request a union steward that way you can write out a statement and the steward can file the grievance. "The people united will never be defeated" Cesar Chavez
PHOENIX RETIREES
Caster Wooden David Booth James Bardin
Jefferey Anderson Richard Southwick
Mike Sheehan David Ramirez David Worhack David Newell
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State Representative’s Report By Bernie Gonzalez
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Once again I want to take this opportunity to reach out to all our fellow members and discuss or assist you with some of the issues that some of you might be dealing with on the workroom floor. As some of you know our contract expires on September 20,2019. Our National Field Negotiating Committee is getting ready to discuss the terms of the 2019 National Agreement scheduled to begin in June 2019. As we look into the future of the Postal Service, we all know that the Postal Service continues to make critical changes that eventually will affect some of our jobs. Recently, our union conducted stewards' training to add more stewards to our steward force. As an officer of this local I can honestly say that starting with our alternate stewards, stewards, Chief stewards and every member of the executive board we are ready to take on all challenges ahead of us. We will continue to do our best to represent all of our fellow members in every issue and contractual violations. On another note, I want to reach out to all of our fellow members and ask if you know a coworker that is a NON-UNION MEMBER please talk to
them or refer them to me, or any of our executive board members. We would like to see all of these NON-UNION MEMBERS join our union. We want all NON-UNION MEMBERS to join our fight and be a part of the solution and not a part of the problem. Let a NON-UNION MEMBER know about all of the great benefits they will enjoy once they become a member of this great local; we would love to see Local 320 as one of the locals with 100% union membership. As some of you know at the West Valley NON OTDL employees have been working excessive overtime, and we all know that management everyday expects more with less. Recently some 204-B's forced employees to work beyond the 12 hours allowed, obviously this is a clear violation. According to the provision of the ELM 432.32 MAXIMUM HOURS ALLOWED Except as designated in labor agreements for bargaining unit employees or in emergency situations as determined by the post master general (or designee), employees might not be required to work more than 12 hours in 1 service day. In addition, the total hours of daily service, including scheduled work hours, overtime, and mealtime, may not be extended over a period longer than 12 consecutive hours. Postmasters and exempt employees are excluded from these provisions. I want to thank all our members that attended our annual meeting and our 2019 Picnic. I would also like to thank the rest of the executive board, for putting the Picnic together and making sure all our members had a great time with their families. Great job guys!!! I'd also like to give a thank you to all the stewards and alternate stewards for all the work you guys do out there on the workroom floor. As a steward you might not get a thank you for every grievance you file, but one thing is for sure, you will get the satisfaction of fighting management and getting great settlements for our members and our craft.
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PHOENIX PICNIC
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Tucson Branch Presidents Report By Felipe M Ruiz Hello to all My Local,320 Brothers and Sisters. Christmas season is long gone and the summer months are fast approaching, along with the increase in the temperature. Make sure you stay hydrated and healthy. Work smarter not harder. At this time, the Tucson branch of Local 320 has filled 190 plus grievances and we are only one third of the year through. With Short staffing, management continues to delegate Mail Handler work to the clerk craft. Please do not place blame or fault on our clerk brothers and sisters, they are being directed by management. When filling out cross craft forms simply ask the clerk doing the work if they were directed by management and ask who. Please stay positive and work together to accomplish our common goal, to get the mail out to our customers. The grievances filled on the cross crafts of scanning load and unload on the dock and in the terminal and the on the shipping out of the unworked sleeves have been denied at Step 3 and possibly going to arbitration. These are
very strong cases and are supported by our plant inventory. Please be diligent in writing the statements on cross craft and make sure your dates and times of violation are accurate. Errors have been found and management is questioning the integrity of certain Mail Handlers statements. A recent Step 3 decision on the grievance filed on behalf of the Mail Handler being forced to drive PIT came back with The language " The step 3 Representatives cannot find any prohibitions against making employees take PIT training, however the parties agree that management cannot force an employee to perform PIT duties if the employees are not comfortable with driving." Please look after each other and work together. If you do not like someone, it doesn't mean you cannot work alongside each other. You get paid to work, not to talk. You are getting great wages and benefits, be grateful. There will always be a few Mail Handlers who have a lack of discernment and causing dissent towards certain Mail Handlers and even our Union, If we continue to forge ahead, they will fall to the wayside. Stay positive, stay strong Enjoy your up and coming paid holidays of Memorial Day and the 4th of July. In Strength and Unity, Felipe M. Ruiz, Tucson branch president.
Felipe M. Ruiz
Tucson Branch president
TUCSON RETIREE
FREDERICK M. VASQUEZ
SUMMER 2019
TUCSON BRANCH MEETING AND PICNIC
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In this edition of our Three Twenty Times the union is notifying its members that the section of its fall/winter 2018 quarterly newsletter (The Three Twenty Times) titled “Non-Members has been rescinded”.
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