Postal Window Clerks Protect Your Jobs
By Al Ross, APWU Clerk Craft Director, East Bay Area Local #47
With the Postal Service’s intent to downsize a lot of window clerk positions based on recorded POS-ONE downtime, it is now crucial for all window clerks to start following certain procedures to reflect accurately exactly with function that you are undertaking.
Within the POS-ONE system, that are a number of codes that can be used to record what type of operational function you are doing so the system won’t record you on downtime. Downtime is one of the key elements that the Postal Service is using to eliminate, what they consider, excessive Window Clerk positions. Downtime can cause a station that has five clerks to be down sized to 2.5 clerks based on the data that the POS-ONE system records.
Therefore, extreme care should be used to accurately record all window clerk functions. For instance, if you move to the box section, move to operation 769-13. If you are on windows, make sure you are on operation code 355-13. If you are in the back office, move to operation code 558-13 and if you are a union official on union time, move to operation 608-13.
The POS-ONE system is also equipped with different dynakey for various transactions. So, if you have to retrieve a parcel, process a passport or locate a supervisor, you should hit “other customer service, non-automated transactions” and follow the steps associated with that action.
As an example, if a customer comes in for mail pick up, hit “other customer service, non-automated transactions, non-automated mail pickup and stand-by.” Once you retrieve the mail for the customer, you should log-on and hit “mail pick-up,” and scan the item if appropriate. After this, hit “end of visit” and this records your begin and end time of the entire transaction. If you don’t follow these procedures but simply go to the back of the office to retrieve the customer’s mail, the POS-ONE system will record your complete action as downtime. If you are processing a passport application, you should start by hitting, “other customer services, non-automated transactions.” You must then scroll down to #11 (request passport form), then hit “enter.” If you input AIC 264 or 241, don’t forget to return to “request passport form” to continue recording the time frame it took to process the application. Please use all appropriate keys when doing any transactions. If you need to summon your supervisor based on your customer’s request, hit #3. Hit #8 if you are giving customers directions and hit #10 if you are accepting “hold mail” request forms. #12 should be used when distributing tax forms and #15 should be used when you’re processing a P.O box application.
We must develop some consistence in using those dynakeys because those keys show that we are being gainfully employed. Because of the intent of the postal service, we must do everything we can not only to prevent the elimination of window clerk positions but also to save our jobs.
Note from APWU Steward: “The last two digits of 769-13 represent the LU (local unit). According to the TACS handbook, “The Local Unit is a two-digit field that is added onto the operation number. The default LU is two zeroes. This refers to this employee’s current base LU. This code can further identify either the type of work performed or where the work is performed.” Each office has their own way of identifying local units.”
Related link:
Window Clerk News - New Window Staffing Tool - Postmasters and supervisors now have a new staffing tool to help them better manage and staff their retail windows. “WOS Earned/Actual Staffing Graph” takes the guess work out of how many employees are needed at the retail window throughout the day. With one mouse click, “WOS Earned/Actual Staffing Graph” compares the earned staffing level to the actual staffing level for each 30-minute interval within a business day and recommends the number of employees needed to staff windows at different times of the day. Senior Operations Vice President Bill Galligan calls it the best tool available to field managers to manage their unit.
July 18th, 2006 at 4:05 am
We have been preaching everything you stated in your article for a few years in Buflo. NY Our clerks always use the non-revenue keys. But the WOS/Actual Staffing Graph is not accurate. We only get credit for 3 non-revenue transactions. The Post Office “tool” is set up in their favor.
Plus some of the time credit is set too low. A routine passport may not take too long…but many passports are not routine. If you work in an urban Post Office you do many non-revenue transactions in a day you do not get credit for.
We still tell clerks to use the non-rev. keys because we have a grievance in about this issue.
August 10th, 2006 at 7:43 am
Remember no shortcuts!!! These are the petty stuff these idiots would find when you are a counter. Just be careful!!! If you are going to stepoff, log off and close the cash drawer. You never know who the dumbass co-worker trying to become friends with you might do to you. People are like snakes, first they seduce you, second they bite you hard until you are suffocated!!!
August 20th, 2006 at 9:05 am
As A Window Supervisor,I can relate to my SSA’s Our PO is very high volumn and very busy.We lost 8 clerks do to excess.Our office was on IBM POS now we are on NCR. This system is slow and not fully compatible with the IBM hard ware. The system constantley freezes during transactions and we are having more voided mo then ever,this causes long lines and poor customer services,each day my fustrations grow. The Postal wervice is always pitching customer sevice and that we must get our customers back from our compatition. The Mystrey Shopper program is sometimes a no win situtation,but I feel it could work for both the SSA and management. They give you a report when visited of how you did,how do we know that this shopper actually did is or her job. There were a few reports I contested-that was a waste of my time. I have two stations,now is it funny that both my main office and my station recieved the same score and same results,and on another report they claim I did not have the correct POP ( I did and I sent them pictures of my office.)and another report the gave me a 100 and I saw taped sign by one of my stations-so are they checked when something is contested-I doubt it. They want all the associates to ask all these questions ang yet hurry and move the line. I believe in rewarding good work,maybe the shopper should name the associate and if a score of 100 is achieved reward them,if a score is not perfect management should provide re-traing. If all associate know that this procedure is ineffect,I feel we will get better results.We have an APC in our office,and our District wants to have a Lobby Director,all well and good I barely have enough window clecks to man our satations and service our customers-so I am out there helping out. We are expected to maintain a certain amount of Revenue each month. Our ofiice is maintaining our goal,while others are not, so what does the District do-they have a contest for the month of August who ever genrenates the most revenue will win a 5,500 it is shared with the employees.Well talk about bad luck recently a customer drove though our outer lobby were unfortunately our APC is located so our customers are unable to use it-so there goes our revenue. You are probably saying why am I telling you this-because our office was #1 in revenue and the first to hit $100,000. and maintains our goals. Now I see other offices really pushing and making more revenue just beacuse of a contest while we were doing it from the begining-we recieved nothing not even a letter of thanks,and now they will probably win.
It is just ironic. The Postal service preaches customer service,but they excess clerks only to bring down the service in AO’s. May be these people in Washington and in upper management in the local districts who come up with these new ideas for beter sevice maybe they should get their heads out of their ***** and get together with local supervisors and managers who know their operations and Post Offices of what will work. They also ask for suggestions,but this goes no where,what do we know,right ? We have had 6 OIC’s in the past 3 years,talk about adjusting.each one has their own ideas of what should work,so we are constantly changing and it is not for the benfit of our office. Well I vented enough,oh did I tell you I actually Love my job, and that my employees are my second family and what ever I need they are always ready to do what ever is needed,I respect them and they in return respect me.
Thank You,
Judy
January 21st, 2007 at 12:30 pm
Judy,
My hat goes off to you. I am in a similar situation. Only difference, I had 27 OIC’s in 7 years. Now I have a Postmaster who is as dumb and lazy as they come. Wants the clerks to do her job for her, every aspect of it. She’ll harass us everyday just to make us miseable. She talks a good game though. She’ll talk customer service but won’t provide any. She talk about USPS and how they do things, and then she’ll go right along with it. Our office hours were cut a few years ago to the bone by an OIC that wanted to make a fat bonus. We are suffering now because of it. We have little time to do all that needs to be done. We aren’t permitted to work any O.T. Lots of days, I leave without getting a wash up just to avoid a confrontation. Because we are a small office, we do not get our 10 minute breaks (thanks for ignoring us APWU). So from 5:00 until 1:30 pm it’s constant work for me. Can’t even stop to take a phone call. It’s bad and getting worse. THE USPS is becoming a SWEAT SHOP. Our morale is at an all time low. My guess is we won’t be around in 15 years, as we know the system today. Bits and pieces will be sold off to UPS, FEDEx and others.
February 7th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
I’ve heard that there are tricks to giving you more window hours such as scanning every book of stamps that you sell instead of scanning one and changing the quantity. Does anyone know more about this?
February 15th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
If you push quantity; 10; and scan a book of stamps the system gives you 45 seconds. If you scan each book separately you get 45 seconds for each book. Scan separately! Also if someone wants 5 sheets or 100 loose stamps scan and enter 20 times 5 times. When the amount screen comes up don’t just enter 100.
May 14th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
i did all those steps of hitting the nonrevenue button all the time and after ten years as a clerk i am being excessed out of craft so a senior employee can take my bid because the union say they have to protect the senior employees but to hell with the junior employees, i asked myself was it worth it asking all the questions and trying to upsell. where did it get me bitter brooklyn employee