Shop Steward’s Training Flash Drive

(This article first appeared in the July/August 2019 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine) 

The ‘Shop Steward’s Training Flash Drive’ is a comprehensive collection of educational material produced by the Research and Education Department designed to assist officers and shop stewards with filing and winning grievances. It consists of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), Joint Contract Interpretation Manual (JCIM) and the Shop Steward's Training Manual.

The manual covers: Certification and Duties of Shop Stewards; Violating the Duty of Fair Representation; Shop Steward’s Rights and Special Immunity; and the Proper Order to Place Documents in the Grievance File.

Other documents included are: Grievance Appeal (Steps 1, 2, 3, Step 2 Appeal to Arbitration); Grievant or Witness Statement; Information Request; Grievance Chronology Sheet; Extending Time Limits Request; Receipt of Exchange Documents; Addition Facts, Evidence, and/or Contentions Submitted at Step 2 Meeting; Statement of Corrections and/or Additions, and an Exhibit Sheet.

Proper Documentation of Grievances

This section covers the Documentation Needed, Tips for the Steward, and the Appropriate Remedy to Request for the following contract violations:

Absent without Approved Leave (AWOL); Administrative Leave/Act of God; Advance Sick Leave; Consecutive Off Days; Crossing Crafts or Occupational Groups; Denied Annual Leave; Denial Family and Medical Leave (FMLA); Denial of Holiday Pay; Denied Information Request; Denied Light Duty Request; Denied Sick Leave; Denied Steward Duty Time; Discipline; Holiday Scheduling; Improper or Untimely Reversion of Duty Assignment; Letter of Demand; Maximization of Part-Time Flexibles to Full Time in Post Offices Level 20 or Below; Overtime Violation; Postal Support Employees (PSEs) Used in Lieu of Part-Time Flexibles (PTFs); PSEs Working Past the 8 Hours Violation; PSEs Working on the Window Demonstrating the Need for Additional Duty Assignment(s); PSEs Working on the Window Exceeding the Negotiated Percentages; Restricted Sick Leave; Supervisors Performing Bargaining Unit Work; Interrogation By Postal Inspectors and/or Office of Inspector General (OIG) Agents; Weingarten Rights (Employee’s Right to Union Representation); Miranda Rights (Your Right to Remain Silent); Garrity Rights/Warning (Ensures that public sector employees cannot be coerced to testify by threating them with discharge in a criminal trial); Kalkines Warning (Right to Know if Information Obtained Will be Used Against You); Denial of a Steward During an Interrogation, and Steward’s Right to Refuse to Disclose Information Received During an Interview with the Employee.

USPS Handbooks and Manual

The flash drive offers Postal Bulletins and many series of USPS Handbooks and Manuals, including the Employee Labor Relations Manual (ELM) – which outlines rules and regulations governing the USPS and its employees, the Administrative Support Manual and the Postal Operations Manual.

USPS Publications offered are:

Glossary of Postal Terms; Achieving a Violence-Free Workplace Together - Workplace Violence Prevention Program; Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Mail; Threat Assessment Team Guide; Safety Talks; Guide to Contract Postal Units for Postal Service Employees; Compensation, Relocation Benefits, and Reinstatement Policies for Career Employees in Transition: Q’s and A’s; Response Checklist for Suspicious Mail and Unknown Powders or Substances; Directives and Forms Catalog; Postal Employee Crime Prevention; Manager’s Guide to Reasonable Accommodation; Window Services Crime Prevention Booklet; Supervisor’s Guide Employee Assistance Program; Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Information and Services; Manager’s Guide to Understanding, Investigating, and Preventing Harassment, and Employee’s Guide to Understanding, Preventing, and Reporting Harassment.

Reference Material

The flash drive contains a wealth of reference material:

APWU Collective Bargaining Reports (CBRs) Special Issues; Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA); Large Office Issues, Protecting Clerk Work in Small Offices; Window Training Guide; PSEs Issues; Defense Against Discipline; Disabled Veterans Benefits, and Disability Retirement.

As we are unable to verify each employee's classification and several management officials have requested a copy of the flash drive, local or state presidents only can order the flash drive by sending a request to:

Joyce B. Robinson, Director Research and Education

1300 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005