Originally published - Summer 2019 Voice of Colorado
by Robert Helmig, President, CPWU
It's important to document management doing bargaining unit work. Far too many times they don’t accurately report on the 1260 what they worked. Also, if a RCA or anyone else other than a clerk is doing clerk work, l need to know. Management has sent me over a dozen reversion notices in the last year and a lot of it is because others are doing our work. Don't let it happen and not report it to me.
On that note, if you are in a manual station, it is important that when you fill out your 1234 timecard. you do so accurately. I get calls asking to do a maximization grievance and can't because the clerk only writes down 8 hours for that day. You need start time, out to lunch, in from lunch, and end of tour. If there isn't a punch clock, write it up and send it to me. We need accurate hours.
For lead clerks, you should be doing TAC's. If not, I need to know about it, ASAP.
As far as representation goes, I have gotten a few calls and the clerk issue is untimely because they spoke with someone other than me. I am the only one certified to represent you in your station. With exception to one station, I am the representative. There is a process to certify someone to represent a station covered by the Colorado APWU. If you continue to call others and not me, your issue may be moot, as it could be untimely. Remember, you have 14 days from when the action happened or when you became await of is to grieve it. My contact information is on the website, and on page 2 of The Voice.
I want to offer on behalf of the state of Colorado our sympathies to the family and friends of brother Bob Pritchard. He was the Motor Vehicle Craft Director at national for 17 years and was the longest serving craft director in our history at national. I knew Bob on a personal level, he was a great mentor, friend and family man. He will be missed.
I hope everyone has a great and safe summer. Spend it with your family and friends, and relax.
Originally published - Summer 2019 Voice of Colorado
Is There a Bully in Your Office?
by David Steinbach, Vice Pres., CPWU
I would like to tell everyone the Regional Convention that was in Casper, WY, was a great success. The delegates received great training and learn something each time we go to training.
Now my issue today, "Is there a bully in your office?" I can't understand what kind of person you are that you have to bully someone when supervising an office, and the bullies are out there.
I don't understand how another human being can make themselves feel good by bullying someone or intimidating someone on the workroom floor just to get your cookies.
The 40 plus years I've been around, I've dealt with them off and on over the years. I try to understand why they bully and intimidate on the floor. Did something happen to them as a child? Maybe they were bullied at one time.
The sad part is they enjoy it when they bully someone. They rain on your sunshine, then go home and sleep like a baby.
Some of the things I have seen over the years are hard to believe. Higher management knows who they are and still puts them in offices around the country just to bully someone.
Maybe they will bully someone into retiring early, or bully till someone can't take it anymore, possibly do something stupid, and get into trouble.
To yell at someone on the workroom floor is embarrassing the heck out of them, then puffing out their chest and walking away like they won the superbowl. Unreal!
I saw a disabled custodian get threatened, yelled at with a finger in their face assault, and then emergency place him. What a big man he thought he was. You could hear him screaming throughout the office.
I bet this supervisor slept like a baby that night. As you probably have heard throughout your career the postal policy of zero tolerance. The policy says all employees fall under of zero tolerance. The policy says all employees fall under this policy. NOT!
It only applies to craft employees. We all know it. It's against the law to bully. A finger in the face is an assault. In the real world you could go to jail for it. In the USPS you're paid dearly for it and that's how they get promoted. What is wrong with this picture?
As a parent, how would you feel if you knew one of your children was being bullied at school or being intimidated by a teacher? I am sure you would be upset with that teacher. Well, it's going on daily at the post office. If only the public knew what really goes on in the post office.
Shouldn't the law include postal management also? I would like the Postmaster General to tell me face-to-face that it is OK for one of her supervisors to bully a postal worker in front of other employees, and the supervisor doing this laughs and walks away beating his chest like King Kong.
Well, King Kong is well and alive in the USPS and has been for years. This keeps getting worse as time goes on.
Does Congress need to get involved to get this stopped? How about all the parents and friends that we all know need to step up to the plate and make postal management pay like the rest of us have to if we act as such?
Trying to put together a Town Hall meeting ASAP. Let the public know that postal workers are getting treated this way with management being rewarded instead of facing the music like they should be.
I hope you read the last APWU newspaper. Vance Zimmerman had a real nice article about this. He says "It's real and it's out of control." If a postal employee assaults one of your co-workers or supervisors with a finger in the face and yelling and screaming at someone, see where they end up.
This is America and postal supervisors are acting like this and getting away with it. Whatever it may be it has to stop.
Please let the state officers know if you are being bullied at your work by anyone. You have a right to come to work and not worry about getting bullied or getting pushed around.
Your community needs to know the true facts on how you are treated at work. Your congress person needs to hear from all of us. I know mine isn't happy about this.
So please let us know. We can all stand together on this and make it better.
Originally published - Summer 2019 Voice of Colorado
HATCH ACT
by Jill Taulbee, Secretary/Treasurer, CPWU
The Hatch Act became law in 1939. It prohibits federal employees, including postal workers, from engaging in political activities while on duty or in a federal building. Political activity is defined as activity directed at the success or failure of a political party, partisan political group, or candidate for partisan office. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel is in charge of overseeing provision, of the Hatch Act.
Prohibited Activities
• May not engage in political activity while on duty, in the workplace, wearing a uniform or official insignia, or in a government vehicle;
• May not wear, display, or distribute partisan political buttons, t-shirts, signs, or other items;
• May not perform campaign related chores;
• May not make political contributions to a partisan political party, candidate for partisan political office or partisan political group;
• May not use email or social media to engage in political activity.
Permitted
• May be a candidate in a nonpartisan election;
• May register and vote as they choose;
• May assist-in voter registration drives;
• May contribute money to the political campaigns, political parties, or partisan political groups.
Any employee who violates the Hatch Act is subject to a range of disciplinary actions including removal from federal service, reduction in grade, debarment from federal service for a period not to exceed 5 years, suspension, letter of reprimand, or civil penalty not to exceed $1,000.00.
DON'T RISK LOSING YOUR JOB!
It would be in your best interest to leave all your political gear at home and your political views off social media, and the workroom floor. Do not think for a minute that the Postal Service does not monitor social media accounts. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel, whose job is to enforce the Hatch Act, and the Postal Service will go after employees for violations of the act.
Several postal employees have been fired as a result of violating the Hatch Act by posting political views or comments on social and/or bringing campaign material promoting a candidate to work, The employees may have been able to get their jobs back, but settlement agreements ranged-from 30 — 60 day suspensions or longer. This is a serious matter; don't take the risk of losing your job. More information on the Hatch Act can be found through the Office of Special Council website, osc.gov.
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Originally published - Summer 2019 Voice of Colorado
by Robert Helmig, President, CPWU
It's important to document management doing bargaining unit work. Far too many times they don’t accurately report on the 1260 what they worked. Also, if a RCA or anyone else other than a clerk is doing clerk work, l need to know.
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Page Last Updated: Mar 66, 2021 (12:50:24)
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