Houston PSEs Step Up to Union Activism

(This article first appeared in the July-August issue of The American Postal Worker Magazine)

Heather Lewis, a Postal Support Employee in Houston, loves her job. “PSEs work really hard. We work long hours, but I actually enjoy it. It’s very challenging,” she said.

But there’s no denying that many PSEs are frustrated by their status as non-career employees. That’s why Lewis volunteered to become a shop steward soon after she was hired last fall.

“I want to fight for the people,” said Lewis, who was a steward at a previous job. “I want to be a voice when people think they have no voice. That motivates me.”

Like High School

Another source of frustration for PSEs is the tension that often arises between career employees and non-career employees. “Some of the regulars do frown upon us like we are lower-class citizens,” Lewis said.

Reginald Bayne, another shop steward in the Houston Area Local, explained that sometimes the “mentality is like high school. You are a freshman and have to go through certain hazing periods because you are a PSE,” he said. “You kind of have to prove yourself.”

Bayne was hired in August 2011 and volunteered to become a steward in January 2014. “I saw there wasn’t any representation from the PSE level,” said Bayne, who was a steward for eight years at a previous job. “I wanted to lend my experience as a steward and at least give it a try.”

He was converted to career in October 2015 and continues to serve as a union rep.

Silver Lining

One of Bayne’s co-workers, Corey Jasper, was hired as a casual employee in September 2014 and became a PSE after just two months. However, weeks later, Jasper was still receiving casual pay.

After getting the run-around from management, assistance finally came when Jasper met Bayne, who asked him, “Did you join the union? Well, let me tell you something about us…”

It took about a year before Jasper’s pay was straightened out, but there was a silver lining to the ordeal: It inspired Jasper to become a shop steward himself. He has been serving as an alternate steward since March 2016.

Union activism has been rewarding for Lewis, Bayne and Jasper.

“I got a chance to challenge management on things that I knew were wrong,” Bayne said, adding that he also was able to “help represent younger workers and PSEs who had no idea about the union and how their union worked, their rights as union members and how the contract represents them. A lot had no understanding of it.”

Lewis agreed. “They look at me like an equal to them. They feel more comfortable speaking to me.”

“They really inspired me,” Jasper said of his fellow stewards. “Coming into work, I realized, I can do something more… I learned that people are going to blame the union for management mistakes. I have to explain that we are doing our part and doing the best that we can.”

Everybody Wants to be Career

The biggest concern among PSEs is conversion to career, they say.

“Everybody wants to be career. They don’t like the way PSEs are treated in terms of hours and schedule changes,” Bayne said.

Lewis added, “‘When can we have two days off? Why do we have to work 10 to 12 hours every day, and they let the regulars go home and keep us?’ That’s the kind of questions they ask.” She likes to remind her co-workers that “we’re not going to be PSEs forever. There’s a rainbow on the other side.”

Bayne had some words of wisdom for workers just starting out. “You need to get involved from Day One and ask questions so you know your rights,” he said. “You are a dues paying member and you have certain rights…and you need to find out what they are.”