Good Tidings and Union Cheer for "Holiday PSEs"

It’s that time of year again when the USPS increases the hiring of new employees. The Organization Department fields a lot of questions during this time regarding new employee orientations. One issue that seems to come up year after year is of local leaders being informed that employees are being hired as “Holiday” Postal Support Employees (PSEs) and do not need to have union orientations.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA or “union contract”), covers all aspects of PSE wages, benefits, hours and working conditions. The PSE workforce is comprised of employees who do not yet have career appointments, but who enjoy union representation and negotiated rights.

You will not find a PSE position title of “Holiday PSE,” “Temporary PSE,” “Peak PSE,” or “360-PSE.” PSEs are hired for a term not to exceed 360 calendar days per appointment. A PSE is not a Holiday Clerk Assistant. Annuitant Holiday Clerk Assistants (HCA) are retirees that have the opportunity to be rehired temporarily and work during a specific period.

Regardless of what time of year a PSE is hired, when PSEs are separated due to lack of work, reappointments must be made by PSE seniority. PSEs will be re-appointed ahead of applicants who have not served as PSEs, provided the need for hiring arises within one year of the break in service. Some additional provisions APWU has secured for PSEs include:

• Overtime Pay at the rate of 1.5 times the basic hourly straight-time rate for work performed after eight hours on duty in a service day, or 40 hours in a service week.
• Penalty Overtime Pay at the rate of two times the basic hourly straight-time rate, excluding the month of December, for all work in excess of 10 hours in a service day, or 56 hours in a service week.
• Night Differential Pay for hours worked between 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
• Higher-Level Pay for Higher-Level Work where in the event that a PSE is temporarily assigned to a higher-level position, PSEs are to be paid at the higher-level rate for the time spent performing higher-level duties.

You can find a PSE Rights and Benefits Brochure by sending a request to organization@apwu.org or visiting apwu.org/apwu-pse-rights-2022.

Thank you for all that you do each and every day. Best wishes for a safe and happy holiday season!