Rhodelia, Kentucky Post Office 40161
August 2007
Monthly Archive
Photo: Rhodelia, KY Post Office Is One Small Room In House
Photo: Jamaica, Vermont Post Office
Fatal Attraction Costs Postal Carrier Her Job
Victoria Shaffer, a letter carrier was issued a notice of removal for threatening to kill her co-worker/former married lover. Shaffer filed a gender discrimination suit against the Postmaster General. According to federal court documents the case was recently dismissed because : 1) Shaffer’s evidence was not sufficient to support a finding that gender discrimination was a motivating factor in her arrest; 2) Shaffer’s failed to produce any direct evidence that her termination was related to her gender, or that there was any reason for her termination other than her threat to kill a co-worker; and 3) Shaffer’s indirect evidence was unable to show that her arrest or termination occurred under circumstances that would allow a court to infer unlawful discrimination.
Below is a text version of the case:
Shaffer was a letter carrier for the United States Postal Service. In the summer of 1999, she and Keith E. Burnham [note: courts documents indicate Burnham is now deceased], another letter carrier, began a romantic relationship. On March 4, 2000, Shaffer complained to Postal Inspector Troy Raper, reporting that Burnham’s wife and son were in the employee parking lot, which had a “No Trespassing” sign. Once Raper learned of the romantic relationship, he did not investigate further, treating the incident as a private matter. He did tell Shaffer “if she chose to have an affair with Keith Burnham and that upset Keith Burnham’s wife, allowing her personal problems to come into the workplace, could potentially have an impact on her job in the future and she needed to stop that.” Raper did not talk with Burnham about the incident. (more…)
Photo:Rural Ridge, PA Post Office
Rural Ridge, PA Post Office 15075
Postal Nurses Vote to Merge with APWU
APWU News
In an overwhelming vote of 51 to 9, on Aug. 17 the National Postal Professional Nurses (NPPN) voted “YES,” in favor of merging with the American Postal Workers Union. Pursuant to the APWU Constitution, the nurses will become a part of the Support Services Division, which will be responsible for contract negotiations, interpretation, and enforcement. Postal nurses will continue to be covered by a distinct collective bargaining agreement.
In a telephone vote held Aug. 20 and 21, the APWU National Executive Board approved the merger.
“We welcome this group of dedicated professionals as an integral part of our union, and look forward to mutually beneficial activities on behalf of all APWU-represented employees,” said APWU President William Burrus. “Article 2 of the APWU Constitution lists as an objective that the ‘APWU affirms its belief in a single union of all postal workers in non-supervisory levels.’ The merger of the postal nurses is a positive step in that direction.”
The NPPN has had collective bargaining agreements with the USPS since 1978, with its latest contract expiring on Aug. 17. The APWU will represent the NPPN at negotiations, which are set to begin Sept. 18.
usps& postal managersAug 22 2007 11:05 am
Postal Service CTO Robert Otto To Retire
Robert Otto, the U.S. Postal Service’s chief technology officer and a vice president, will retire Oct. 1, the agency formally announced today.
Otto sent a memo July 12 to all USPS information technology employees that announced his plans to step down.
Otto is responsible for information technology support to 325,000 USPS employees in addition to hundreds of national applications critical to daily operations, including the payroll for more than 700,000 USPS employees and millions of payments to contractors. He is also responsible for the world’s largest intranet, which connects 38,000 post offices through out the country.
Since January 2003, Otto has held the position of CTO while maintaining the responsibilities of chief information officer, a position he has held since 2001. He began his career with USPS in 1980 as the person in charge of nationwide computer security. Full story from FCW.com
Link: Robert Otto Bio
usps& postal newsAug 22 2007 08:59 am
USPS to Pilot Voluntary Survey On Race and Ethnicity
USPS News Link:
The shifting demographics of today’s workforce have caused the Office of Management and Budget to revise the standards for the classification of federal data on ethnicity and race. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has adopted those standards and USPS is required to comply with the Commission’s new reporting requirements.
In the past, Postal Service employees were able to select either race or ethnicity and were unable to select more than one race. Because of that, the racial and ethnic information recorded when you were first hired may be incomplete or incorrect.
A survey being piloted this September in the Southeast New England and Suncoast Districts will change that. The USPS Workplace Survey on Ethnicity and Race opens the door for employees to update their racial and ethnic profile kept in employee records.
The office of National Diversity Initiatives is rolling out the pilot survey so that employees can voluntarily self-identify their race and their ethnicity. The national survey to all USPS employees will roll out in early 2008.
Employees are strongly encouraged to complete the survey even if they have submitted this information in the past. Individual participation is voluntary, confidential and has no impact on employment status.
DOL Complaint Seeks To Ban USPS Mail Hauling Contractor
U.S. Labor Department seeks nearly $1.4 million in back wages, plus debarment, of California mail hauling company
Press Release - SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the filing of an administrative complaint against Woodland Hills, Calif.-based Alan Berman Trucking to recover $1,369,870 in back wages for 80 current and former employees. The complaint also seeks debarment of the company and its principals, which would prohibit them from receiving government contracts for a period of three years.
“Federal contractors have a responsibility to pay workers in accordance with federal law,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao.
Alan Berman Trucking had some $10 million in mail hauling contracts with the U.S. Postal Service subject to the Service Contract Act (SCA) during the time period investigated, providing services from postal facilities in the greater Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay areas.
Investigators with the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division found violations on eight contracts where the company treated the drivers as independent contractors, requiring that they use their own trucks and assume all costs. The company paid employees either by the mile or by the trip, failed to record hours worked and failed to pay any fringe benefits as required by law. In addition, the company made illegal deductions for fuel from the drivers’ pay and failed to reimburse the cost of the driver-owned trucks’ maintenance and wear and tear. As a result, the drivers’ wages fell below the prevailing wage rate required by the SCA.
The back wage compensation sought covers work performed between June 2004 and February 2007. This investigation is the department’s ninth of the company, and violations of federal labor laws were found during seven prior investigations. This suit names the company, as well as president Alan Berman of Woodland Hills, Calif., and vice president Osvaldo “Ozzie”Tarditti of Northridge, Calif., as defendants.
Under the SCA, contractors and subcontractors on federal service contracts exceeding $2,500 must pay their service workers no less than the wages and fringe benefits prevailing in the locality. The Labor Department issues wage determinations that provide the required SCA wage rate and fringe benefits for each service occupation. These determinations are incorporated into covered federal contracts.
For further information about the SCA and other laws administered by the Wage and Hour Division, call the department’s toll-free helpline at (866) 4US-WAGE (487-9243), visit the division’s Web site at http://www.dol.gov/esa/whd/ or contact the division’s Los Angeles District Office at (213) 894-6375.
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Chao v. Alan Berman Trucking et al
Case Number: SCA-2007SCA00010
Postal Mail Handlers Awarded $13.8 Million for Casuals Violation
Note: Some readers (in commenting on the ‘Kelly Girl Award’ article) said USPS would not pay Clerks nearly $20 million. Well, read on about the recent payments to Mail Handlers in Phoenix, AZ. Mail Handlers received payment from the ‘casual in lieu of’ settlement agreement on August 10, 2007 (Pay Period 16) .
Background
On October 23, 2006 Arbitrator Philip Tamoush awarded $12,799,200.00 to Mail Handlers in Phoenix, AZ and $100, 800.00 to NPMHU Local #320 for lost union dues.
The arbitrator found that USPS utilized the supplemental workforce (casual-category employees ) on “a year-round basis in lieu of , instead of, in place of , full or part-time employees, in violation of Article 7.1 B of the National Agreement.”
See settlement agreement below:
Company Tests Popcorn Vending Machine at NJ Postal Facility
Press Release
Pop N Go, Inc. is pleased to announce the test of our popcorn vending machine program with the U.S Postal Service at their South New Jersey Processing and Distribution Center. Frank Collepardi, President of Franco’s Snacks, stated, “We service over 1,000 employees in this center and based on the response to Pop N Go’s popcorn machine we are looking forward to expanding into many other facilities.”
Franco’s Snacks vending company has been instrumental in locating Pop N Go’s machine in this huge facility. Personnel from other postal centers are planning to visit this South Jersey location so they can witness the popularity of the Pop N Go machine.
Mel Wyman, CEO of Pop N Go, stated, “There are hundreds of these facilities nationwide and we are on site on a constant basis with Frank to monitor the program with a target of rolling out throughout New Jersey and the entire U.S.”
