Memorandum Of Understanding
between
American Postal Workers Union
Tucson Area Local, AFL-CIO
and
United States Postal Service

Bisbee LMOU
2006-2010


TABLE OF CONTENTS



ARTICLE 1

IMPLEMENTATION OF CHANGES

    Both parties recognize the need for improvement of mail services. The union will be informed as far in advance as possible of implementation of changes that effect jobs or working conditions.

ARTICLE 2

WASH UP PERIOD 

    Employees will be allowed a 3 minute wash-up period prior to lunch and at the end of the tour throughout the duration of the current agreement.


ARTICLE 3 

HOLIDAY SCHEDULING

    When holiday schedules are to be arranged, management will determine the number of employees needed to work the holiday, by installation, not to conflict with the current National Agreement. The employer will select employees to work on their holiday, or designated as their holiday in the following sequential order:

  1. Part-time flexible employees qualified to work.
  2. Full time regular employees qualified to work within their section and who volunteer for work on their designated holiday, by seniority.
  3. All clerk craft casuals. 
  4. All full time regular employees with necessary skills by inverse seniority (non-volunteers)
Future changes due to the migration to Shared Services will be implemented upon further discussion between APWU and the USPS at the unit.

ARTICLE 4

POSTINGS

  1.    Unless negotiated differently at the local level when the need is required, all designated article of the National Agreement will be applicable.

    2.      Only if the incumbent submits a written request to be relieved will a position be reposted if the starting time exceeds one hour and/or the
             duties assignment or scheme responsibility is changed.

    3.       Bids shall be posted for 10 working days and may be accepted up to the end of business (EOB) on the 10th day.  Bids shall be posted in a
              conspicuous place.

    4.       Awards will be posted the following Monday.


ARTICLE 5 

SCHEDULING OF ANNUAL LEAVE

  1. Vacation planning as hereinafter provided is clarified for local application within the framework of and not conflicting with the National Agreement. The appropriate supervisor shall be responsible for scheduling and granting annual leave within his/her jurisdiction, on an equitable basis, with due regard for the needs of the Service and welfare of the employees. Requests for annual leave during the choice vacation period, submitted prior to the deadline, shall be awarded by craft seniority.
  2. The dates of the choice vacation period shall be from the 1st full week in March through the weekend after the Thanksgiving holiday, and the week     between Christmas and New Years.
  The choice vacation planning procedure will be implemented as follows:
 
                        a.    Beginning January 2 a leave calendar will be passed around by seniority to all leave earning employees.
                        b.     Employees will have up to 2 working days to choose their 1st period and then return the calendar to management.  This process will continue until all employees have submitted their 1st choice.
                        c.    Once all 1st choice submissions have been completed, this process will repeat itself for the 2nd choice submissions. Choices for both the 1st and 2nd choice options shall be in increments of either 5 or 10 days not to exceed 15 days as outlined in Article 10.3.d of the National Agreement
                        d.   Employees on extended leave will be contacted by management and afforded an opportunity to submit a leave request by seniority.                     

      e.      All applications for annual leave for the choice vacation periods shall be submitted to any supervisor in duplicate on PS form 3971.

f.        Every employee will get a 1st choice prior to any employee getting a 2nd choice.

    3.            Leave during the choice vacation period will begin on Sunday and run through midnight the following Saturday.

    4.            Jury Duty and attendance to a national or state convention and military duty shall not be charged to the employee’s choice vacation period.

    5.            A minimum of 10 percent of clerk craft employees shall be allowed leave each week during the choice vacation period.

    6.            Requests for periods of annual leave other than during the choice periods may be granted on an as-available, first-come, first-served basis. Seniority shall         be used only to break a tie when requests are submitted at the same time. Application for non-choice vacation leave may be submitted in triplicate to any         supervisor. The supervisor shall initial and return the triplicate copy, not indicating approval or disapproval, only receipt. Duplicates of requests shall be             returned with action indicated within 5 working days after submission. If duplicate in not returned within 5 working days after submission of PS Form 3971,     leave shall be granted.

    7.            Requests for annual leave in addition to the employees selection(s) during the choice vacation period may not be submitted more than (45) forty-five days         prior to the dates requested.

ARTICLE 6 

ASSIGNMENT OF ILL OR INJURED EMPLOYEES

    It is hereby agreed to by all parties concerned that the earliest possible return to duty of any ill or injured employee is in the best interest of the Postal Service and the individual concerned, consistent with a medical determination of the attending medical authority. Any and all written requests from an employee for a temporary or permanent change in duty assignment, be submitted per the provisions of Article 13 of the National Agreement, shall be submitted ad soon as possible. Management shall consider such requests after consultation with the union. The postmaster shall make an appropriate decision and assignments will be made by management, if appropriate. Each light duty request shall be acted upon based on its own merit and may not be cited as a precedent in any past or future requests.

Assignments per Article 13 of the National Agreement shall be made from those areas agreed to by the parties during the current local Agreement. Other areas may be considered by the Postmaster for temporary assignment.

         1.     Every effort will be made to accommodate a handicapped employee in providing handicapped parking.

         2.     The assignment of light duty of an employee shall not adversely affect the affect.the assignment of any regular employee.

         3.     If any employee is denied light duty, the local president will be notified by the Postmaster.


ARTICLE 7 

      OVERTIME       


   1.            The overtime desired list shall be prepared and maintained by the Bisbee post office.  The overtime desired list ( ODTL) shall be posted for                 signing two (2) weeks prior to the end of each quarter.

2.            At least one hour notice shall be given when overtime is required, except in an emergency.
 
3.            At least 48 hours notice shall be given for a sixth day, when possible.

4.      The pecking order for overtime assignments in the Bisbee post office is as follows:          

    1. Full time regulars on the OTDL.
    2. Part-time flexibles – hours to be rotated.
    3. Full –time requlars not on the OTDL by juniority.
    4. Clerk craft casuals after the career employees have been maxed out (60hrs).

ARTICLE 8 

NOTICE TO UNIONS 

    1.            One copy of all 1723’s for assignments shall be mailed to the union president in Tucson and a copy shall be furnished to the shop                          steward.

            2.            Seniority lists shall be posted and updated as needed.


ARTICLE 9 

SECTIONS DEFINED 

    The Bisbee Post Office shall be known as the section including Copper Queen, Warren and the Main Office.

 

ARTICLE 10

EMPLOYEE PARKING

    The Postmaster shall review employee parking requirements as needed and if there is a problem in the future it will be subject to labor-management meetings.

 

ARTICLE 11 

TERMINATION OR CURTAILMENT OF POSTAL OPERATIONS 

    The parties recognize that the Postal Service is the communications machinery of the United States of America and that historically, this Post Office has provided this service to the public without interruption: therefore, as a matter of policy, postal operations will not be terminated at the Post Office unless the Postmaster determines that conditions so warrant.

Reasonable consideration shall be given, but not limited to, such conditions as:

  1. The safety and health of the employees.
  2. Civil disorders.
  3. Acts of God.
  4. Hazardous weather conditions.
  5. Advice of local authorities.
  6. Bomb threats.

    Management shall notify the employees, at the earliest possible time, of termination or curtailment of postal operations. Such notification may be by telephone and/or available public media such as television or radio.


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