Mansfield Local Victorious!

NO Consolidation!

It is a battle that has taken more than five years.  It was one that not many people expected the Mansfield Local to win.  Those in the know said that the mail would be moved from Mansfield to the bigger plant in Akron.  Little did they know about the resolve of the officers and membership in the Mansfield Area Local.

Today we have been informed that mail processing will stay in Mansfield, Ohio.  Local president Wendy Hammon phoned the OPWU late last night with the good news.  This is indeed a victory for the membership of the local and for all of the brothers & sisters who helped the cause.  It certainly stands as a shining example of what workers can accomplish when they stick together and work as a union!!!

For the past five years the employees of the Mansfield Post Office have worked under the threat of losing their mail to Akron.  It has taken tens of informational pickets, thousands of phone calls, and probably hundreds of thousands letters and petition signatures to get politicans to understand the severity of the situation.  Newspapers were contacted, television stations were called, radio interviews were given - all to get the word out to the public that mail service in the Mansfield Area would be adversely affected. The response was over-whelming.  Towns from all over the 448 zipcode area passed resolutions protesting the move and the loss of their postmarks.  Congresspeople called for GAO investigations.  Everyone except higher level postal management thought it was a bad idea. 

Due to the unrelenting hard work of the officers, stewards and members of the Mansfield Area Local; this decision has been reversed and the mail processing will stay in Mansfield.  THIS LOCAL STANDS AS A SHINING EXAMPLE TO ALL OF THE APWU!  THEY HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT NO MATTER WHAT THE ODDS, DEDICATION TO A CAUSE CAN MAKE THINGS HAPPEN

Congratulations to everyone who had anything to do with this protest.  You have shown just what can be accomplished when you really stand together as an organization.

I am not a Crook, er, a Clerk!

"Hi!  My name is Dick, "Tricky", Nixon and I am a Rural Carrier Associate or Relief, I'm not sure which but it really doesn't make a difference because I rarely work in my craft.  Most of the time now I work inside the post office selling stamps or other cool stuff like that.  My boss, the postmaster, told me that he would get me extra hours by working me where he formerly used clerks.  It's great!  I don't have to go outside in bad weather and I'm getting more hours than ever, which is really good considering the economy.  I mean, who wouldn't want more work hours, right?  I don't know what happened to Jenny, the clerk.  She used to be here all the time but now I see her just a few times during the week.  She said the PM told her he had to reduce hours under oders from the District.  So, she gets less work, but since I am so much cheaper, I get more work.  What a great country!

"Hey Dick!  Don't forget about me.  My name is Joan Dillenger and I am a Postmaster Relief.  I am supposed to work only when the postmaster is off, but now he brings me in all of the time and sends the clerk home.  Another way to save on the ole budget.  He can hide my work hours and show less clerk ones.  I guess he is bucking for a merit increase.  Anyways, it is not my job to watch how many clerk hours are used.  I just take the money and run, baby!"

"Wait a minute - you guys don't have it over me.  My name is Ben Sneaky and I am a contract cleaner.  I was hired to clean the post office when they got rid of the janitor.  I'm not even a postal employee but the PM has used me to sort mail and make express runs.  Heck, I'll take all the work I can get cause I've got six kids and a mortgage!  I guess clerks do to but they never seem to complain about me getting to do their work."

"Okay, okay you guys.  That is enough fraternization.  Get out of here and go home so I can get my three hours on the window.  I guess being the postamster isn't enough anymore.  Now I've got to fill in for what used to be clerk hours.  Upper management told me that either I work the window or they would replace me with somone who would.  Man, I wish a clerk would stand up for themselves and file a grievance.  I hate doing this work and mine too.  I'm putting in about 60 hours a week and don't get overtime for any of it".

This sound funny to you?  Well, it shouldn't because it is happening every day all over the Postal Service.  Postmasters have been ordered to shave their budgets by reducing craft hours anywhere possible and clerks are the ones being most abused.  Every situation listed above is a violations of our collective bargaining agreement and could be grieved.  Why aren't they?

The union cannot recover work hours without someone standing up and saying this is not right.  You cannot replace me with someone not qualified to do clerk work.  You can't send me home and do the work yourself.  You cannot schedule a non-clerk craft employee in my place.

Until small office clerks decide to protect their jobs this erosion of work will continue, perhaps even to the total eliminations of clerk hours in these facilities.  You do not work in a "family atomsphere" type of place.  These people should not be your friends if they are taking work hours away from you.  The Postmaster isn't your buddy if they work the window and send you home.

You have to stand up for yourself. Filing a grievance to protect you job is what is the right thing to do.

If you continue to let "Tricky Dick", Joan Dillenger, Ben Sneaky, and the postmaster walk all over you then there is no one to blame but you.

Congratulations!

To those Ohio locals that were among the top contributors of COPA for 2008.

Columbus for locals with 1000+ members

Canton and Akron for locals with 300-499 members

Mansfield for locals with 100-299 members

Springfield for locals with 40-99 members

Tiffin and Cambridge for locals with 19 or less members

Also, the following locals all met or exceeded their donation goals:

Ashtabula, Cambridge, Canton, Findlay, Lake Geauga, Mansfield, Martins Ferry, Northeast, Springfield, and Tiffin.

HR 22

This legislation would provide relief from the Postal Service's obligation to "pre-fund" retiree healthcare benefits.  This costs the USPS more than $5 BILLION a year and has contributed to the current financial crisis that threatens the viability of the postal system.

The bill was introduced on January 6, 2009 by Congressman Danny Davis of Illinois.  As of April 6th the bill had 252 co-sponsors, including the following from Ohio:  John Boccieri (D-16), Steve Driehaus (D-1), Marcy Kaptur (D-9), Dennis Kucinich (D-10), Zack Space (D-18), Betty Sutton (D-13), Michael Turner (R-3), and Charlie Wilson (D-6).  If your representative is not on this list - contact them immediately.  You can do it right from this webpage by clicking on the "Contract Congress" icon. UPDATE:  As of April 23rd the bill now has 276 co-sponsors including Congressman Tim Ryan (D-17) of Ohio.

The state of the economy is leading to a dramatic downturn in mail volume, 9 billion pieces in 2008 with even larger decreases coming this year.  The Postal Service lost $2.8 billion last year even though they cut costs by $2 billion.  Management responds to this loss by curtailing work hours, service to the customers, and consolidating processing facilities.  The Postmaster General has said it is LIKELY that the Service will run out of money before the end of the year.

This Bill must pass to save the Postal Service and your JOB. 

Employee Free Choice Act

UPDATE!!

EFCA was officially introduced in Congress on March 10, 2009.  It is listed as HR1409 in the House and S.560 in the Senate.

Through March 17th the bill in the House (1409) had 224 cosponsors including 220 Democrats, 1 Independent, and 3 Republicans.  Ohio House members cosponsoring the bill are:  John Bocciere (D-16), Steve Driehaus (D-1), Marcia Fudge (D-11), Marcy Kaptur (D-9), Mary Jo Kilroy (D-15), Dennis Kucinich (D-10), Tim Ryan (D-17), Zack Space (D-18), Betty Sutton (D-13), and Charlie Wilson (D-6).  In the Senate, Sherrod Brown is a cosponsor along with 37 other Democrats and 2 Independents. 

If your congressperson or senator is not on the cosponsor list, please contact their office immediately and seek their support.

What Is It?

It is the opportunity for working people to have the freedom to form unions and bargain collectively at their workplace.  It gives workers a fair chance to form unions to improve their lives by:

* Guaranteeing that if a majority of workers wants a union, they can have one, allowing them to form unions by signing cards authorizing union representation.

* Providing mediation and arbitration for first contract disputes.

* Establishing more stringent penalities for violation of employee rights when workers seek to form a union and during first contract negotiations.

Why Is It Needed?

Companies have long discouraged workers from forming unions by threats of discipline, removal, reduction of benefits, hiring of union busters, and other forms of management intimidation. 

Workers represented by unions are 52% more likely to have job-provided health care, 3 times more likely to have guaranteed pensions, and earn 28% more than nonunion workers.  Research has shown that over 60 million workers would form a union tomorrow if given the chance.

Who Supports It?

EFCA has widespread support, including bipartisan backing in the Congress and President Obama's pledge to sign it into law.  Nearly 73% of the public and hundreds of respected religious, academic and business people & organizations have signed on in support. Current Ohio cosponsors of the bill are: Marcy Kaptur, Dennis Kucinich, Steve LaTourette, Tim Ryan, Zack Space, Betty Sutton and Charles Wilson.  Sherrod Brown is cosponsoring on the Senate side.

Who Opposes It?

Corporate front groups have mounted a massive campaign to block EFCA.  Former Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott has said "We like driving the car and we're not going to give the steering wheel to anybody but us".

What Would the Act Provide?

EFCA would put the choice of whether to form a union back in workers hands by giving them the option of using majority sign-up, an alternative to the current company-dominated system. 

EFCA guarantees that companies can't just drag their feet on a first contract.  It provides for mediation or binding arbitration to secure a union contract.

EFCA levels the playing field by putting real penalties on companies that violate the law during organizing and contract campaigns.

General Information

EFCA would not take away secret-ballot elections if workers wanted to have one.  The act simply gives them another option-majority sign-up.

EFCA would not silence employers or require they remain neutral about the union.  They would still be free to express their opinion about the union as long as they do not threaten or intimidate workers.

What You Need To Do

Contact your elected representatives and request their support for The Employee Free Choice Act.  You can do it right here on this website by entering your zipcode at the Contact Congress section.  It will give you all the information needed to voice your opinion.