FROM THE OFFICE OF BILL WEAVER, M.V.S. CRAFT PRESIDENT, BOSTON METRO AREA LOCAL 100 FEBRUARY 2008 BOSTONIAN M.V.S. CRAFT REPORT We have had two truck robberies in as many weeks, and the atmosphere among the drivers is understandably one of apprehension and tension. One supervisor from the Winter Hill Post Office, who must think that this is all just a big joke, came up behind a driver when he was exiting his truck, and said: "This is a hold-up, give me all the money". How incredibly stupid and insensitive is that? For the last two weeks, the union has requested a meeting with management to address the security issues of our M.V.S. brothers and sisters. We wanted to hear what was being done to protect our drivers. As you all know, it was reported in the media for several days that we carried the daily receipts for the post offices in the night dispatch truck. It was also reported that the amount of money we carry could be substantial - - possibly tens of thousands of dollars. The television stations and newspapers displayed pictures of our M.V.S. trucks (so now the bad guys know the type of vehicle to look for). On January 10th, we finally had a meeting with management and the Inspection Service. Moe Lepore, the other full time officers and I met with Steve Kennedy (Manager of Transportation), Connie Marvin (Manager of Labor Relations), and Lead Postal Inspector Michael Gendron and Inspector John Klempa. From the outset, management said that the meeting was informal, they were not there to develop or commit to a new policy. They were listening to our ideas and sharing some of their own. The union had a number of ideas. First and foremost, we wanted all the Reds off the M.V.S. trucks. We proposed an armored car service pick them up. The Service said that they had discussed the armored car service scenario, but it could prove too costly. We also suggested the Postal Police pick up the Reds. They replied that the Postal Police does not have the personnel to do that. At one time the Postal Police had 105 officers, but they are now down to about 20 officers. We also discussed dedicated M.V.S. runs with security to just pick up the Reds during the daylight hours. I talked about the staffing at the stations. A lot of stations only have one or two clerks at the close-out. When it is time to take the mail and the Reds, many times the driver is left, on a poorly lit dock, to fend for himself. The Inspectors talked about Postal Police and the Inspection Service being short-staffed. All had undergone reduction in staffing. We all know about budget cuts and short-staffing. We experience this all day long, waiting long periods of time for an expediter, to comply with the S.O.P. and to be scanned in and out; no mail handlers to help unload or load your truck; not enough time on your schedule to do the job that you are tasked with. All have an impact on our safety, and all are related to the bottom line of the Postal Service. The Inspectors said that they had identified some high-risk stations and had already made some procedural changes. One station we discussed was Lafayette Station. Both the union and management had concerns about this station. When the meeting was over and before I got back to the union office at the VMF, I got a phone call saying that Lafayette Station had been robbed - - although this time it was the station, and not the truck. Only by the Grace of God, no one has been physically harmed. M.V.S. trucks have been robbed before. This is not new to the Postal Service in Boston. The Service has known for years that we are vulnerable. Still, they have not changed their procedures for years. Nothing has been done to insure the safety of our M.V.S. drivers from being robbed. What will it take for the Service to take substantial steps to protect its employees? We are like an armored truck service without the armor or the security, ripe for the picking (taking). I hope the Postal Service’s desire to increase revenue and decrease its operating cost does not get one of us maimed or killed. Budget reductions and staffing reductions are having a major impact on the safety of postal employees. Semper Fi, Bill Weaver                         - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - December 2007 Bostonian Using the Right Equipment The union has received numerous complaints on the use of the new wire container for the transportation of mail. There are a number of stations that cannot safely accommodate these wire containers, because the containers "bottom out" coming off the scissors lift. This is due to a combination of factors including the steep slope of the ramps or plates on the lifts and the low profile of the container. When the containers "bottom out" or "hang up" it becomes a safety hazard because the containers are heavy, not to mention usually overloaded. Some stations have space restrictions where the containers will not fit through the doors or cannot be maneuvered in the confined space of the loading dock when they come off the lift. Another problem arises because of the design of the container and the operating restrictions on some of our tailgate trucks. The "tuckaway" lifts on our trucks do not have tilt capability and at some stations will not rest flush on the loading surface. This makes the use of the wire containers dangerous, especially when trying to load the containers over the lip of the "tuckaway" lift and onto the truck. The union has been working with management to develop an updated list of individual stations and branches to identify the specific types of equipment each office can safely accommodate. We use six (6) different types of equipment to transport mail; Postal Packs, Post Cons, BMC’s, Canvass Hampers, Plastic Hampers and now the wire container. The latest list, which addresses twenty-one (21) stations, is current as of October 2007. The union wanted to evaluate every station and branch, but postal management would only visit offices where they received specific complaints. We will follow through with a visit to every station, on our own, if necessary. Nevertheless, it is imperative that any driver or station personnel that have difficulty with the equipment used to transport mail to their specific station should file a Form PS-1767 (Report of Hazard, Unsafe Condition or Practice) immediately! On the form, describe the hazard/unsafe condition and what you would recommend to correct the area you are currently working at, and request an inspection of the hazard/condition. You should get the blue copy of the form as your receipt. Save that copy for you records. If it is determined that a hazard does exist, it should be fixed as soon as possible, but no later than fifteen (15) days, and you should be notified of the status of the reported hazard or unsafe condition. It is important that we create a paper trail because if someone gets hurt or if someone has an accident as a result of the unabated hazard of unsafe condition, we can hold management accountable. Although, we hope this will not happen, and all unsafe conditions will be abated and each employee will return home to their family as healthy as the left them. We need to know about any station or branch that cannot accept equipment safely. Any MVS driver that experiences trouble with a specific station should contact their steward or me at the VMF union office. If you work at a station, please contact your steward or the union hall @ 617-423-2798. It is important that the union have an updated and accurate list of the equipment each station can accept, so we can enforce those directives. Sometimes, the people responsible for loading mail into the equipment for a particular station do not receive information about the restrictions. Recently, we were at the Northwest Boston Facility where we observed mail loaded for the Waban and Newton Lower Falls Stations in wire containers. However, the placard for these stations clearly state "Hampers Only". In some cases, when drivers notified the dock supervisors that the mail was in the wrong container, they were instructed to switch the mail by themselves into the appropriate container. If that occurs, you should notify Central Control immediately to inform them of the situation and that you will be running late on your dispatch, as you will need time to search for an appropriate container and then switch the mail. Such situations are not simply mistakes on the part of management; they constitute a "Hazard, or Unsafe Condition or Practice" as described on the Form PS-1767. On a lighter note, I would like to wish you all a happy and safe holiday season from the stewards and officers of the MVS Craft! Semper Fi, Bill Weaver             * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * OCTOBER 2007 BOSTONIAN UNFAIR LABOR CHARGES FILED WITH THE NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD In 2003, the union negotiated a deal with Steven Kennedy, Manager of Transportation, for all employees who wished to get a bus endorsement on their commercial drivers license (CDL). The deal was that management would provide the training, given by our Driver Instructor Examiners (DIE). The service would also provide the bus and pay for the registry detail to administer the test. All this was to be done on the clock. The employee was to be responsible for going to the registry, paying for and taking the bus permit test on his own time. In April 2003, with management’s blessing the union posted a notice soliciting a list of all employees who wished to get a bus endorsement on their CDL. There were 34 employees who expressed interest. Those 34 employees did what was asked of them: They went to the registry—paid for and received their learner’s permit on their own time. The union contacted the Registry of Motor Vehicles and obtained the information about the registry detail and the pricing for the test. Kevin Smith, Supervisor Driver Training, was relayed the information and was supposed to set up a training schedule. He never did. When contacted numerous times, he always had an excuse. This went on and on for more than two years. In May of 2005, I took this issue to the APWU/USPS Labor Management meeting. Management said they would honor the agreement to train MVS drivers on the bus and PEDC (driver training) would schedule this training. Again, Kevin Smith had all the conceivable excuses one could have as to why he had yet to schedule the bus training. Now, by this time all the employee’s Learner’s Permits had expired! Again in October 2005, at the Labor Management Meeting, management reiterated that they would provide bus training which was followed, once again, by months of excuses by Kevin Smith.... Fast forward to the summer of 2006: Management at the National level decides to abolish the DIE position and replace it with the Driver Safety Instructor (DSI) which, is now under the control of Ellen Whooley, the Manager of Safety in Boston and the new supervisor for the DSI’s is Chris Dunn. Now, Kevin Smith is off the hook, he said Safety has to schedule the training. But, when I called Safety about the training, they said that they have no knowledge of any such agreement. The union provided copies of the minutes of the Labor Management Meeting that stated bus training will be provided. We also provided a copy of the Registry of Motor Vehicle Passenger Bus CDL Off Street Skill Test Course. Steven Kennedy gave us permission to use Lot B for the training site. The Postal Service engineered the skills test course on a blueprint for Lot B which, was also given to Safety. Now, I assume, Safety is on board. Again, with management’s endorsement, the union posted a notice on March 8, 2007, soliciting a list of drivers wishing to get a bus endorsement on their CDL. Once again, those drivers went to the registry on their own time and at their own expense to get a bus learners permit. June 2007: Still no bus training has been scheduled. In July, 2007, I talked with Ellen Whooley about the bus training, at that time she said I should speak with Steven Kennedy. I went right from her office to Steve Kennedy’s office and he informed me, that there had been a meeting with Safety and Connie Marvin, Manager of Labor Relations where they decided that the Postal Service would NOT honor their agreement with the union to provide bus training. Upon learning about this meeting I went directly to Connie Marvin’s office to discuss the issue with her. She said that Steven Kennedy said that there was no longer a need for bus training, since the service no longer needed bus drivers. I informed her that we still provide employee bus transportation between the A Street parking lot and the GMF on all three tours and that about seven of our bid runs require a bus endorsement. She seemed puzzled and said she would get back to me. A week later, lacking any response from her, I called her and left her voice mail. She never called me back. Fed up with management failing to live up to the agreement reached in 2003, I filed an Unfair Labor Charge for failure to bargain in good faith with the National Labor Relations Board on September 7, 2007. MANAGEMENT MAKES THEIR OWN RULES Joe Caroll, Manager of the V.M.F. has instituted his own policy regarding call-in procedures for unscheduled leave request. Mr. Caroll has instructed all VMF employees that they are to call in each and every day that they are going to be absent from work. Even though Section 513.332 of the Employee and Labor Relations Manual (ELM.), states in part: "An exception to the advance approval requirement is made of unexpected illness or injuries, however, in these situations the employee must notify appropriate postal authorities of their illness or injury and expected duration of absence as soon as possible." Also there is a new enterprise Resource Management System (e.R.M.S.) for call in procedures instituted by the postal service at the VMF. This new system is an automated voice recognition system for unscheduled leave request. An instruction card was given to all employees for procedures and examples to be used when using the new system. One of the instructions on the card states: "Say total number of hours and or minutes for this leave type. If leave is two 8 hour days, say 16 hours. If leave is 4 hours and 30 minutes, say 4 hours, 30 minutes." The ELM and the new eRMS instructions say that an employee can call in for more than one absence at a time. I contacted Labor Relations about Mr.Caroll’s new call-in policy. Labor Relations in turn sent Mr. Caroll an e-mail stating in part: "Please be advised that there is no blanket policy in which an employee is required to call-in on each day of an absence ... If an employee reports that he/she will be out for 3 days, there is no requirement for that employee to call on day 2 or day 3." Labor Relations also stated: "As noted in the ELM, an employee is required to contact management and provide an expected duration of absence... once this is done, they are in compliance with our rules and regulations." We filed a grievance that was denied at Step 1. I had a Step 2 meeting with Joe Caroll, who stated that he believes he has the right to institute his own policies to protect the postal service. What about our member’s rights under our collective bargaining agreement? While management has the right to protect the interests of the Postal Service they cannot do so without regard for our collective bargaining agreement. This is just another example of some mangers making up the rules as they go along and to hell with our contract. This Union is fed up with the Postal Service failing to bargain in good faith. The union spends millions of dollars and thousands of man-hours negotiating National and Local Collective Bargaining Agreements, only to have the service fail to honor them. At the national level, the union and management developed a Joint Contract Interpretation Manual with clear language on interpretive issues. This was supposed to resolve grievances at the local level, yet many times, if the language doesn’t suit management at the local level they choose to ignore it, forcing the issue to arbitration anyway. The only thing that management understands is militancy within the law. That means pulling out of all programs that make management look good such as Safety, V.P.P., Labor Management, Employee Surveys etc. They only want to honor agreements that suit them. This Union will file unfair labor charges, we will call O.S.H.A. we will file a thousand grievances if that is what it takes to stop management from making a mockery of our Collective Bargaining Agreement. Semper Fi Bill Weaver              ---------------------------------- August 2007 Bostonian                 M.V.S. CRAFT REPORT LOCAL NEGOTIATIONS As you know, we had local negotiations in May. The union submitted several proposals to management. One proposal was for contractually guaranteeing handicapped parking spaces at the VMF. We did this because our current contract only provides handicapped spaces in the A St. parking lot, adjacent to the bus stop. Without language in the contract that provides for handicapped parking spaces at the VMF, management could remove the existing spaces at the VMF. I would not put it past management to do this, because, as you know, parking is in short supply (as a result of management moving carriers and half of their vehicles to the VMF). I believe management moved the carriers and their vehicles before they considered the consequences of their actions (i.e. parking and staffing). Needless to say, management rejected our proposal. Another union proposal was Motor Vehicle Proposal (MV-1A) which stated: "Each year the start of the second quarter Overtime Desired List will coincide with the effective date of the new annual bid (if held that year). The first quarter Overtime Desired List will run until the Second Quarter Overdrive Desired List takes effect. Prior to this, the second quarter list took effect April 1st and the effective date of the annual bid was the first day of the first pay period in April. As you know the effective date of the annual bid in 2007 was April 14th. So in this case, the list and the rotation changed twice because people changed runs with different tours and N/S days. This new language will put the bid and list in sync, making it easier for our members to keep track of the rotation. Management signed this proposal. The union’s next proposal states: "When an employee works any part of their vacation selection, except N/S overtime, the remainder of only that one week is cancelled. Incidental leave will be honored if submitted in accordance with Article 10". The reason for this proposal is that when members bid a vacation, then come to work for part of it, we end up screwing each other and breaking our own contract! PTFs lose hold- downs and 40 hour guarantees, regulars may lose N/S overtime and someone who actually wants a full week vacation to spend with their family loses out because the vacation slot is tied up when, in fact, it is not being used. We lose! Management gains! Management rejected this proposal as they stated that it is not in their best interest to have this language. When you come in to work, they do not have to guarantee a PTF 40 hours on a hold-down (and lose their flexibility), they do not have to cover your run with overtime. A vacation week is for 40 hours, anything less is considered incidental leave. We have contractual provisions for incidental leave. If you only need one or two days, submit a 3971 for only the days you need. The union is taking this proposal to Interest Arbitration. Semper Fi, Bill Weaver                       _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ June 2007 Bostonian                  M.V.S. CRAFT REPORT The Summer is upon us. That means hot and humid weather. The last thing you want is your air conditioner to malfunction. We can not put a vehicle out of service because the air conditioner or AM/FM radio is not in working order. But the Postal Service issued a directive stating all vehicle component systems, including air conditioning, are to be kept operational and functional. It also states in part that it is the VMF’s responsibility to repair the system and return the vehicle to service in a timely manner. If your AM/FM radio or air conditioner is not in working order, write it up so the vehicle maintenance personnel know the problem and can make arrangements for the repairs. CASUALS IN LIEU OF We have settled one casual in lieu of grievance that dealt with M.V.O. casuals working 8+ hours per day and 40+ hours for week when TTO and MVO PTFs were being sent home. The settlement resulted in two PTFs being converted to full time flexibles and 17 PTFs being paid for lost work hours. We still have casual cases pending. CARRIERS TRANSPORTING BULK MAIL Again, the union needs your help in identifying where anyone, other than a Motor Vehicle Craft employee, is transporting mail from postal facility to postal facility. We have several grievances pending and are in the process of filing more grievances. We could not have done this if not for you, the drivers, supplying us with the information to file these grievances. Thank you. I hope all have a safe and enjoyable Summer. Semper Fi                                       * * * * * * * * * * * * * April 2007 Bostonian ANNUAL BID On March 23rd, we completed our Annual Bid for Preferred Duty Assignment and Choice Vacation Period for all Tractor Trailer Operators and Motor Vehicle Operators. Tour 1 Steward, Dennis O’Connor, oversaw the bid for the union. Article 10 Leave The Choice Vacation Period is from the first Saturday in May (5/5/07) through the second Friday in September (9/14/07). Employees may take up to 3 weeks vacation in the choice vacation period. If an employee already has bid 3 weeks in the choice period and wants to bid a different week, the employee must first cancel one week before they select another. The Local Memorandum of Understanding (LMOU) Article10, E.3. states: "Employees will start their vacation on a Monday and return to work on the Monday following the end of their vacation, unless that Monday is a non-scheduled work day, in which case they will return to work on the first scheduled work day following the last Sunday of the vacation period." LMOU Article 10 E. 5. states: "If a week of choice period vacation time becomes available for any reason (except resignation), it shall be posted for application by seniority among the eligible employees providing there is at least 8 days available for posting before the start of the vacated period." If you know you will not be taking a certain week of vacation that you have bid, please notify management and the union ASAP. That will allow that week to be reposted providing others the opportunity to bid it. Standard Operating Procedure for the Receipt and Dispatch of Vehicles There have been instances where the SOP has not been followed - - whether by management or craft employees. I urge everyone to follow procedure. There is no valid reason not to. If there is no one to take and lock up your keys or provide a glad hand lock to secure the trailer… or whatever - then wait. If that makes you or the mail late for the next dispatch, so what, that’s management’s problem. Management will have to either increase the staffing or better schedule their personnel. Whichever they choose, in the end, we will get the help we need. If you don’t follow the SOP, and something goes wrong, management has and will take disciplinary action against you. Protect your job and insure the safety of yourself and others. Local Negotiations We will be opening local negotiation for the MVS Craft in Boston in May. Article 30 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) allows the union and management at the local level to negotiate 22 items. I will be posting the 22 items on the union bulletin board at the VMF. If any union member has any input/suggestions, please submit them in writing by depositing them in the union mailbox at the VMF. BUS ENDORSEMENT The agreement between the A.P.W.U. and management in Boston concerning bus training and CDL endorsement is finally being implemented. The employee will be responsible to get their own bus permit and pay the fee. Once you get your bus permit, let me know - in writing - so that you can be trained as soon as possible. COPA I would like to thank all those who gave the $26 we requested to COPA. I urge all those who have not given to do so. It is very important that we support those in Congress who support us. Semper Fi                    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * FEBRUARY 2007 Bostonian                                                                      CDL Checks As a commercial driver, management may check your commercial driver’s license and your medical examiner’s certificate at anytime. However, in the recent past, management started taking photocopies of your CDL every six months, which was a little ridiculous. Through an agreement reached between the union and Steve Kennedy, Manager of Transportation & Networks, management will only make a photocopy of your CDL at the time of its renewal, which is every five years. Management will make one photocopy of your CDL, which will be kept secure in your file in the offices of Transportation & Networks on the 4th floor of the GMF.                                      XATA System Last spring I wrote an article in the Bostonian informing you about the Xata System, the Postal Service’s on-board computer system installed in the new fleet. The Xata System was supposed to have a vast amount of applications, including the ability to download data from a Global Positioning Satellite or GPS, which could track every vehicle in the fleet. Typically, the Service invested millions of dollars on this system, and subsequently discovered that it just doesn’t work as expected. In fact, management attempted to implement the system in Boston last summer, but could not get it operational. Apparently, management at the headquarters level is reevaluating the system and may decide to scrap it altogether. From our perspective this would be a good decision. I could understand the value of such a system if your fleet operated in an environment, where it traveled to different destinations every day over the interstate highway system. This is not the case for us—we service the same stations, facilities and vendors everyday. It is our belief that management never intended to use this system to improve its operational efficiency; rather we believe they intended to employ the Xata System in a punitive fashion, purely to monitor its employees. Semper Fi, Bill Weaver Articles From Past Issues . . . December 2006 BOSTONIAN VMF Maintenance Employees Re-Bid The VMF Maintenance bargaining unit employees re-bid for the first time in 15 years. The re-bid was necessitated because management abolished job, changed starting times and non-scheduled days off. These changes left some members unassigned with uncertain futures. Management proposed many other changes, but they never materialized. When the union called for the re-bid and started the process, we found many discrepancies on the posted seniority lists. This included craft seniority, seniority within the position designation and time not credited to employees who had prior service time in a position designation. Some had Motor Vehicle seniority that reflected total Postal Service seniority, even though they started their postal careers in other crafts. Needless to say, this has taken some time to correct. The bid will occur on Monday November 27, 2006, and should take effect on December 9, 2006. USPS Reassessment On Sunday, October 15, 2006, the Boston Metro Local held a seminar on the United States Postal Service "Re-assessment" program. Richard Boutwell, one of our experts on OWCP from Headquarters, conducted the seminar. The program is new to the Postal Service (this has been done in the private sector for many years). To date, "re-assessment" has only been implemented at two cites, one in California, and the other in upstate New York. Basically, management at the local level will reassess all long-term employees on limited duty or in a rehabilitation assignment. If the Service has no jobs or bids that are medically suitable for the employee, then the employee will be sent home. Eventually, they will receive notice of two jobs in the private sector that meet the employee’s medical restrictions and will be instructed to apply for those jobs. Their compensation will decrease by the amount of money paid by those jobs, whether or not the employee gets either job.   The outlook for limited duty/rehabilitation employees is not good; unless they have a bid position that accommodates their medical restriction within a full duty capacity. There is a lot more to this program and space limits this conversation. If anyone has any question about this issue, or any other, please feel free to contact me. I will get an answer. Back Bay Post Office The old Back Bay Post Office closed and the retail operation moved to the corner of Arlington and St. James Street. The Back Bay distribution is now split between the new location and the GMF. The Back Bay Letter Carriers relocated to the GMF as well. I learned in late October that the Postal Service planned to have limited/light duty carriers transport the Back Bay carriers to their routes from the GMF beginning on November 13, 2006. On November 3, 2006, I wrote a letter to management concerning this issue.  The letter stated that this work belongs to the Motor Vehicle Craft. I stated that the transportation or bus service for employees is performed by our Craft. We currently transport employees between the A Street Parking Lot and the GMF on all tours-7 days a week. In the past, we transported Letter Carriers between the John W. McCormack Post Office, the GMF, and the A Street Parking Lot - - as spelled out in our local agreement. Additionally, each and every holiday season we transport casuals to and from the GMF, the A Street Parking Lot and the Boston Parcel Post Annex. I also stated that Motor Vehicle Operators possess Commercial Driver’s Licenses and are trained in the safe operation of transporting passengers. Additionally, I provided management with a national level arbitration award supporting our position. I asked management to inform me of their decision in this matter. As of November 13th, the scheduled begin date, management failed to reply to my request and the carriers began the transportation. We filed a grievance on this immediately! Charles Hutchinson, pictured with Moe Lepore and Bill Weaver, on his last day of work - October 27, 2006. Charlie began his M.V.S. career in Boston on February 13, 1988. Charlie was a good union brother for many years. One of Charlie’s concerns was that he be able to stay in the union after he retired. We all wish Charlie and his family a long and healthy retirement. Good Luck! In closing, happy and safe holidays to all. Semper Fi, Bill Weaver, M.V.S. Craft President                         --------------------------- AUGUST 2006 XATA is COMING The XATA System that is installed in all our new motor vehicles trucks is an onboard computer system. It has the capability of collecting a vast amount of data that the Postal Service can use in any number of applications. One is the global positioning system (GPS). This tracks your vehicle, telling management how long you were stopped at a particular location or your route of travel. This information is not going to be available to management in real time (they will not be able track you as you go). This information will be downloaded from your vehicle after you finish your run. Management may say that they will use this information to move the mail more efficiently, but I believe this information will be used for other reasons as well. This may include accident investigations and/or to issue discipline. For example: Let’s say you are driving down Commonwealth Ave. at 35 miles per hour, and all of a sudden you are involved in an accident. From the information retrieved from XATA, management may be able to determine that at that location, the speed limit is only 30 miles per hour and use this information to find you at fault and take disciplinary action. Management may use the GPS to make sure that employees are following their route of travel and if you are not, take disciplinary action against you. If you make an unauthorized stop, again, disciplinary action could result. Management will know the times that you arrive and leave a particular stop; they will know if you flag a stop; they will know if you don’t do the stops in proper order. Essentially management will have the capabilities to know everything you do in your tour of duty as far as the vehicle is concerned. M.V.S. management in Boston has had their training on XATA. They were testing the system at the VMF and found that some of the vehicles did not have the proper software and that will have to be rectified. For now XATA is on hold in Boston. Postal Management is concentrating on smaller facilities in Massachusetts to get them on line and work out the bugs. But make no mistake XATA will be here soon. M.V.S. craft employees will receive training on the system as there is information that you will have to input at each stop. The information you may have to input might be the volume of the mail and equipment you are transporting, along with other information. This will require additional time to complete your assignment at each stop. The additional time should be reflected on your schedule (4533). Make management aware that you need this additional time at the stop. Remember Big Brother is watching. Protect your job. CARRIERS DOING MVS CRAFT WORK We have filed several grievances in the Boston District regarding carriers doing MVS work. Carriers have been taking box line mail and transporting mis-sent mail from station to station. The transportation of bulk mail from postal facility to postal facility is the work of the Motor Vehicle craft. Bulk mail is defined as all classes of mail with multiple addresses, whether that volume be a tub or a hamper of mail. As a result of the grievances filed, MVS has gotten back the work that is rightfully our jurisdiction. The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) in Watertown, MA, filed a grievance because we got the work back at that station. They claimed the work was theirs. It went to arbitration where the arbitrator ruled that the work was, in fact, the work of the Motor Vehicle Craft. The union needs your help in identifying where anyone, other than a Motor Vehicle craft employee, is transporting mail from postal facility to postal facility. We need this information so that we may get our work back and protect our craft and our jobs. If you know of this happening, please contact your steward. Semper Fi, Bill Weaver ----------------------------------------- M.V.S. CRAFT . . . Miscellaneous Info Drivers Signing Truck Rental Agreements It has come to the union’s attention that when a driver picks up a truck at Ryder Truck Rentals, the driver is required to show their license (Ryder makes a copy of your license); the driver inspects the vehicle and signs a rental agreement. By signing the driver agrees to, among other things, all of the following. Customer is totally responsible for all loss or damage to the vehicle; agrees that the vehicle is received full of fuel. Rental rates do not include fuel, and the driver is responsible for all fuel. Driver agrees: "I have read, understand and hereby agree to the terms and conditions on both sides of this agreement." In essence the driver is taking responsibility for this vehicle individually, even though 20 – 30 other drivers may use this vehicle during the course of the rental agreement. God forbid this vehicle be involved in a fatal accident; if so, we believe this exposes the signer to be named in litigation, which could possibly tie up your home and personal assets until adjudication. The Postal Service is renting this vehicle to conduct their business. Postal management should sign and take responsibility for the vehicles they rent. --------------------------- Getting Help Loading and Unloading First, let me state that the job description of a TTO and MVO is to assist with the loading and unloading of the vehicle. Yet management is consistently understaffing the GMF and certain stations and branches leaving the MVS drivers to fend for themselves. We have reported this problem time and time again to management. We have written 1767s (report of an unsafe condition) on this issue. The response is always the same. If there is no help, notify your supervisor or the station supervisor, who will get you help. We have been assured over and over again that the drivers will get help. Well, this is all a bunch of CRAP and just rhetoric on management’s part. Do we, or do we not, have schedules? And do those schedules not have precise loading and unloading times and locations? So why is there no help where and when we need it? It’s not that we are catching management off guard – they make the schedules, they know the times and locations. One can only conclude that this is by design on their part, but why? Is it to keep the budget down so they may reap a bigger bonus? I wonder what would happen if our drivers just kept to their job description and didn’t go that extra mile for the Service. I wonder what would happen if we waited for help to arrive. The mail might be a half to an hour late getting to the station. What would that mean? The carriers might hit the street late resulting in hours of overtime that day for that particular station. What would happen if this happened day in and day out? I wonder how long it would take for the station and area managers to ‘hit the roof’, after all they’re budget-driven also, and don’t they get bonuses too? What is it going to take for MVS drivers to get the help they need?  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - DISCIPLINE It is very important that if an employee receives discipline of any kind, that you inform your steward or me, as we only have fourteen (14) days to file a grievance. There have been instances where the employee has not informed us until a month later and at that point we have lost our time limits. If management wants to talk to you about something that you believe may lead to discipline, it is your responsibility to ask for a union steward. Also, if management wants to talk to you about something and you are not sure if it could lead to discipline, ask, and then request a steward. ------------------------------- FORM PS-1767 REPORT OF HAZARD, UNSAFE CONDITION OR PRACTICE We in M.V.S. have had many instances where our members have reported verbally what they believe is an unsafe condition at a certain station, only to return a day, week or month later to see that the same hazard or unsafe condition or practice still exists. If this happens, you should file a Form PS-1767 (Report of Hazard, Unsafe Condition or Practice). On the form, describe the hazard/unsafe condition and what you would recommend to correct the area you are currently working at, and request an inspection of the hazard/condition. You should get the blue copy of the form as your receipt. Save that copy for your records. If it is determined that a hazard does exist, it should be fixed as soon as possible, but no later than fifteen (15) days, and you should be notified of the status of the reported hazard or unsafe condition. It is important that we create a paper trail because if someone gets hurt or if someone has an accident as a result of the unabated hazard or unsafe condition, we can hold management accountable. Although, we hope this will not happen and all unsafe conditions will be abated and each employee will return home to their family as healthy as they left them. * * * * * * * * * *