Postal Manager Demoted Over Violation of NALC Contract?
Here are excerpts from the MSPB decision:
The appellant served as the EAS-20 Manager, Customer Services, at the Glenridge Post Office in Atlanta, Georgia. On April 26, 2007, Charles Gracek, Manager, Customer Service Operations, Atlanta, Georgia Post Office, proposed to reduce her in grade and pay to the EAS-17 position of Supervisor, Customer Services, based on a charge of
failure to perform her duties in an effective manner. Gracek specified as follows:
The appellant failed to provide information to the [NALC]union steward or to schedule “Formal A meetings” in the grievance process, which caused the steward to forward the grievances without management documentation and responses. The appellant’s failure to support management’s position at the Formal A step resulted in the “Step B Team” rendering decisions and awards totaling nearly $28,000 in the union’s favor. The appellant’s error cast doubt on her ability to manage her unit in a satisfactory and effective manner, and her inability to delegate duties to her supervisors and to timely complete tasks resulted in substantial financial liability for her unit.
On December 20, 2007, Kevin Helmer, Postmaster, Atlanta, Georgia, issued a revised letter of decision sustaining the proposal and reducing the appellant in grade and pay for failing to perform her duties in a satisfactory manner. He informed her that she would be reassigned to the position of EAS-17 Supervisor, Customer Services, Martech Station, Atlanta, Georgia, effective December 22, 2007. The appellant filed an appeal with the Board’s Atlanta Regional Office.
MSPB ruled that ” The penalty was within the bounds of reasonableness.”
click here to read entire decision
August 18th, 2008 at 8:51 am
Typical INCOMPETENT POSTAL MANAGER!
August 18th, 2008 at 10:58 am
Its funny how these pigs run to appeal when the Sh*t hits the fan on them. Thats what seperates us from them a STRONG and EFFECTIVE Union!
August 18th, 2008 at 11:01 am
One down, 89,999 to go!!!
August 18th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
Have a job for the pig in Washington, maybe I’ll make a new position for her. Let me see, oh yeah, I know what she can do, nothing just like she has been.
August 19th, 2008 at 8:07 am
What separates us is difference and indiference. It takes a Pig to know a Pig.
August 20th, 2008 at 3:44 am
This incompetent supervisor received 2 previous letters of warning in 2006 and the incompetent managers STILL promoted her to level 20 MDO….unbelievable…….
Now lets remove the incompetent MANAGERS that promoted this incompetent one…….geesh….
on and on and on it goes; where it stops nobody knows……
August 20th, 2008 at 8:12 am
This has been going on for years. Let a craft employee take $10.00’s worth of. “unauthorized overtime”,or clocks in a few clicks early, and it hits the fan.
Yet management’s indifference to the contract and other work rules has cost the Post Office millions of dollars over the years.
The fact that the story of a manager being demoted for not following the contract is considered newsworthy shows how rare it is for management to hold one of their own accountable
for their actions.
August 20th, 2008 at 9:38 am
yeah retired1, you obviously would have never been in management. With your attitude, you would do just as good (bad) as this one.
August 20th, 2008 at 11:03 am
The “original” retired here…
This is a simple case of management’s common, “File your grievance, see if I care” attitude.
“You may win your grievance two or three years from now but I will have inconvenienced you or cost you money during that time, because I am god of your little world.”
Supervisors have been getting away with “union busting” tactics for years.
The problem now is the billions of dollars in losses the PO is currently experiencing in skyrocketing fuel and operational costs and declining mail volume in part to the current economic slowdown. Until recently no one cared how much money a Postal supervisor or manager cost the PO with poor decisions. But now even the top brass is afraid the whole pyramid will collapse from under them and they can no longer tolerate waste and inefficiency at any level.
All Postal Employees have a duty and an obligation to protect the PO and its assets. This supervisor failed to do so and she got what she deserved. Let’s hope this new accountability policy becomes a trend rather than a flash in the pan, for the good of the PO and this great nation!
August 21st, 2008 at 7:09 pm
We are being encouraged to support the Customer Connect Program while Management uses the money generated by this program to fund the Grievance ’slush fund” and many other subversive Stratagies to undermine our best efforts. The Postal Service seems to exist in a vacuum with no outside scrutiny. I do not nor will I ever support Customer Connect. One of my carriers was told that his job was to “case and carry mail”. It must be someone elses job to generate additional revenue, surely it’s not mine.
August 23rd, 2008 at 5:19 pm
For those who never thought a supervisor could be held responsible for his/her action is WRONG!!!!! Now is the time for our union to use this legal decision to attack management at ever level for mismanagement, frauds, waste of funds,etc per Article 19 for misconduct.
Furthermore, if the union cite a clause and this case within the grievance to report such abuse, mismanagement, fraud, waste, etc as part of grievance process and advise the OIG, GAO and elected officails of such abuse.
This will clearly level playing field and have those supervisors, Mgr’s, etc who failed to comply with CBA’s on notice that each they intentional deny a grievance without cause or failed to provide information may be subject to a investigation by OIG, GAO and elected officail for intentional abuse, waste, etc. So ensure you advise your steward about this case if the officail failed ot provide information regarding your grievance.
Rite Back At You!!!!!!!!
August 26th, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Don’t worry the flat sorter will be here soon!
August 30th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Thank God my Carriers are outstanding. Based on some of the written levels of stupidity from some of u, now I know why we have issues with service and generating revenue. The decision to reduce the manager was reasonable and it has happen more frequently these days, however, even when I terminate a carrier or clerk, I do not celebrate. To lose your job during these times is a not anything to celebrate.
September 1st, 2008 at 10:48 am
So it only took 28 thousand in fines to make this supervisor accountable for her actions. The Postal Service has so many jobs for people that do nothing, why can’t they create a position to monitor excessive grievances? They can red flag absences, they can red flag missing scans, so why not red flag stations that are showing an excess of complaints? Oh, I know, THAT MAKES TOO MUCH SENSE!!! Who cares about stopping a problem before it costs everyone 28 grand.
September 2nd, 2008 at 1:04 pm
She did not know and care about the contract as a EAS 20 why would she care as a EAS 17? She will come down for awhile & before long get her job back as probably a EAS 24, typical manuvering of Management & I have seen it before.
October 10th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
In order to get this decision to demote the incompetent EAS-20, the Postal Service, now posting a deficit of almost $3 Billion for the fiscal year, appealed all the way to the Washington DC Board in order to overturn an Administrative Judge’s (AJ) decision that was based in part upon the fact that the higher level managers had not proffered signed and sworn affidavits to the AJ as they should have…. Will they now demote these higher level managers for not properly doing their job??? Or are these managers the same protected idiots who promoted the incompetent dummy EAS-20 in the first place????
October 27th, 2008 at 11:40 am
I am a carrier who was walked off the floor for placing first class mail in a blue collection box. There were several things that i was and am dealing with at the time that I did this. There was the funeral that I wanted to attend but was denied. I was seeing a psychologist through EAP for stress, anxiety, and family issues. The work environment was horrendous. My grievance is currently being reviewed by the Dispute Resolution Team(DRT-B Team) and I would like to know my chances of retaining my job for the sake of my own sanity as well as the well-being of my family.
November 10th, 2008 at 1:20 am
Amoxicillin….
Amoxicillin….
November 13th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Wow to this report but DAMN to texas toast. But what do I know, I’m no Union rep.
I know, they - management have done far worst for delaying the mail. Think about that millions of missorted DPS mail that we all see everyday. Is that not delaying the mail?
Establish the fact and repeat it that you were not in your right frame of mind and the execution of you daily duties were affected.
Management can mess up countless amounts of time, usually no one hold them accountable but in our case - we get it quick and often.