(This article first appeared in the March-April 2018 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine) 

By Southern Region Coordinator Kennith Beasley 

Whatever we do in life, we must make sense in our interactions and conversations with each other – especially between the union and management – so that we can respectfully arrive at some kind of resolve. Not making sense kills morale.

Martin Luther King Jr. said, “All men are caught up in an inescapable network of mutuality, what affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Therefore, we have to depend on each other if we are going to have civilized understanding, especially when acting as a liaison between union members and management.

Never in the history of the post office has management made such blatant, off-course actions in regard to excessing employees. The employees who are not impacted now want to retire, not because they are ready to, but because they are tired of management’s unreliable and senseless decisions.

The implications of these bad decisions have consequences that are not good for the Postal Service. They are ill-advised and detrimental to the progress of workers and the American public.

The union has received several thousand notices of excessing events from management, which the Regional Coordinators in-turn send out to the local presidents of the affected offices. As you know, the 50-mile excessing radius is still in effect – and even if it was beyond the 50 miles, there are still no places for the employees to be excessed to.

The facilities where the employees are slated to be excessed from are short of help, and the facilities that the employees are to be excessed to have no residual vacancies. To further complicate matters, the Postal Service is still hiring non-career employees to fill positions. Management cannot justify excessing employees out of positions and hiring employees to fill them. That in itself creates an impasse. It’s like robbing Peter to pay Paul. Employees on the workroom floor are baffled and puzzled saying, “management makes no sense.”

Management’s own impact statements that are used to show justification are seriously flawed and baseless. In fact, most of their reports make the union’s case as to why the employees should not be excessed.

Our own MDAT program clearly backs up the union’s contention that the excessing should cease. The union keeps telling management if they continue to violate the provisions in Article 12, it will cost them a lot of money in arbitration.

JCIM Training

JCIM training should be complete by the time this article is published. I want to thank all the local and national representatives who took the time to participate. The training is much needed for the union and management. 

Management was in the training with you when the interpretation was accepted by both sides. So when you go into your meetings with them and they say something different, you can then look them in the eye and boldly call them out.

Join a Contract Action Team

CAT means “Contract Action Team.” They give every union member a chance to become involved in 2018 contract negotiations. The team’s main focus will be to build solidarity with your union brothers and sisters, and explain to the public how important the public Postal Service is to America.

I do believe that the continued, enthusiastic cooperation and hard work our union members showed in 2017, will help us do even better in 2018. We are the marvel of the post office.

My fellow Regional Coordinators: Sharyn M. Stone, Central Region; Mike Gallagher, Eastern Region; John H. Dirzius, Northeast Region; Omar M. Gonzalez, Western Region; and myself, Kennith Beasley, Southern Region, are sending our best wishes to everyone for a wonderful, safe and prosperous 2018.