Local Memorandum Of
Understanding
Between
Cheltenham Post Office
And
Branch 157 National Association Of Letter Carriers
2006- 2011
ITEM A
ARTICLE 1
RECOGNITION
This Memorandum of Understanding is entered into on November 1, 2006 at
Cheltenham, Pa. Post Office between the Representative of the United States
Postal Service, and the designated agent of the National Association of Letter
Carriers Branch 157 pursuant to the Local Implementation Provision of the 2001 -
2006 National Agreement. This Memorandum of Understanding Constitutes the entire
Agreement on matters relating to Local conditions of employment.
ITEM 1
WASH UP
Each Letter Carrier will be granted a reasonable amount of time to wash up prior
to leaving for the street, lunch, and his end of tour. (Approx. six (6) minutes
daily.) Additional time may be granted by the supervisor.
ITEM 2
REGULAR WORK WEEK
All Regular Carriers will be on a fixed or rotating work schedule, as presently
exists. Any contemplated changes the Union will be notified and these changes
will be made by mutual agreement.
ITEM 3
CURTAILMENT OR TERMINATION OF POSTAL OPERATIONS
It is recognized by both parties that on occasion emergency conditions may exist
which would cause management to consider the curtailing of services, such as
weather extremes, civil defense alerts, bomb scares, no heat in winter, no
lighting or excessive temperatures. In such cases, management will take into
consideration the following factors in order:
A. The safety and health of the employee.
B. The emergency as stated by and acted upon by other Governmental Authorities.
C. Management will consult with the Union before implementation of any action.
Page 1
ITEM 3
CURTAILMENT OR TERMINATION OF POSTAL OPERATIONS (continued)
If local conditions warrant the non-delivery of mail or closing of the office,
the employees present will not be charged with Annual Leave unless requested by
the employee. (Work must be made available.)
ITEM 4
Annual leave will be granted throughout the year, except December 19TH thru
December 25TH.
ITEM 4
EXCHANGE OF VACATION
Exchange of Annual Leave period will be permitted only after all carriers senior
to the exchanges in the station have been offered said period. Management will
be informed 5 days in advance when possible.
CANCELLATIONS
Cancellations of Choice Vacation Periods will be posted for five (5) days.
Management will be informed 5 days in advance when possible. If less than five
(5) days remain before the beginning date of the cancelled period, the vacation
will be posted for the amount of time remaining. Cancellations of Choice
Vacation periods may first be bid by Carriers junior to the Carrier who cancels
his vacation. If no junior Carriers bid on the cancelled vacation a senior
carrier can bid in this instance seniority will prevail.
PRIME TIME VACATION
All Full Time and Part Time Flexible Carriers will be entitled to take a
vacation during this period.
Page 2
ITEM 5
DURATION OF VACATION PERIOD
The Prime Vacation Period will be:
May 11 - September 14, 2008 - 15%
May 10 - September 13, 2009
- 15%
May 9 - September 12, 2010 - 15%
May 8 - September 11, 2011 - 15%
May 13 - September 16, 2012 - 15%
May 12 - September 15, 2013 - 15%
ITEM 6
BEGINNING DAY OF VACATION
Vacations will start on Sunday and end on Sunday.
ITEM 7
SELECTION OF WEEKS
Employees may at their option select two choices during Prime Time in Units of
either 5 or 10 working days. The total not to exceed 10 or 15 days. (2 weeks
plus 1 week or 3 in a row.)
ITEM 8
JURY DUTY, NATIONAL OR STATE CONVENTION
Attendance at a National or State Convention will be at a minimum of one (1). If
the delegate has the seniority he/she will make his/her choice during the
bidding period for leave. It will be based on the percentage for that period.
However, it will not be considered one of his/her selections for prime time. In
the event he/she does not have the seniority it will be granted over and above
the percentage.
Page 3
ITEM 9
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES OFF
The number of Carriers off each week during the Prime Time Vacation will be 15%
of the Station complement as of March 1st of each year. Percentages of .5 or
higher will be rounded off to the next higher number.
ITEM 10
OFFICIAL NOTICES
Supervisors in cooperation with the NALC Steward will announce to Carriers at
Cheltenham Post Office no later than February 1, that picking for Vacations will
be from March 1 thru March 15. A notice announcing the vacation period will be
posted no later than February 1.
When the number of Carriers off each week is determined, the Supervisor will
make a chart with 1 space for each Carrier permitted off, for each week of the
vacation period. Starting on March 1, the senior carrier will select his
vacation period and carriers will make selections in descending seniority. The
Supervisors will contact each carrier who is I.O.D., extended illness, detailed,
etc. and no carrier will be permitted to select until the carrier senior to him
has selected. Carriers not prepared to select when contacted will be bypassed
till they are ready to select.
The vacation schedule will be posted on the bulletin board. A duplicate copy of
the employee's Form 3971 indicating the employee's vacation period will be
returned signed by management at the end of the bidding period March 15.
ITEM 11
BEGINNING A NEW LEAVE YEAR
No later than November 1 of each year management will notify all carrier craft
employees of the beginning of the new leave year. A written notice of this will
be posted on all employee bulletin boards. This notice will be announced to the
Carriers for three (3) consecutive days.
Page 4
ITEM 12
NON PRIME TIME
1. On November 30 of each year Cheltenham Post Office will determine the Active
Carrier Force.
2. 10% of the active carrier complement in Cheltenham will be granted Annual
Leave. Percentages of .5 or higher will be rounded off to the next highest
number. Leave will be granted consistent with the following guidelines:
A. Leave will be approved on a first come first served basis except where
requests are submitted on the same date at which time seniority will prevail.
B. Leave request(s) can be submitted at any time up to 7 days in advance. Leave
will be granted subject to the above provisions provided the allotted number of
carriers are not already off.
C. Leave request(s) not submitted seven (7) days in advance will be
approved/disapproved based on operational needs. Disapprovals must be explained
on PS Form 3971. "Service Needs" or "Not Submitted Timely" are not considered
appropriate reasons. The reason must be defined, eg. unscheduled absences;
overtime would be needed to cover the absence. Approval/disapproval will be made
within 24 hours or by the end of the tour if said leave is for the next day.
D. Same day Short Tour Leave Request(s) will be approved/disapproved as outlined
in "C". PS Form 3971 will be returned to the Carrier within two (2) hours.
3. On December 1 thru 7 leave slips will be accepted for the period January 1
thru to the beginning of Prime Time.
4. On August 1 thru 7 leave slips will be accepted for the period from the end
of Prime Time till December 31.
5. All leave slips accepted during the periods in numbers 3 and 4 above will be
considered as received on the same day and seniority will prevail.
THANKSGIVING WEEK 15%
From Friday after Thanksgiving thru Saturday of the following calendar week.
CHRISTMAS WEEK 15%
FROM DECEMBER 25 THRU TO JANUARY 7, NO MATTER WHEN IT FALLS.
EASTER WEEK 15%
From the Sunday before Easter to Easter Sunday.
Page 5
ITEM 13
HOLIDAY
The following procedures will be followed when selecting carriers to work on
Holidays:
1. Transitional Employees, even if overtime is necessary.
2. PTF'S even if overtime is necessary.
3. All Full-Time Regular employees who volunteer to work either their Holiday or
Non-Scheduled Day, shall be combined into a single group, ranked in seniority
order and selected to work by this list.
4. All Full-Time Regular employees who did not volunteer to work shall be
selected by inverse seniority.
ITEM 14
OVERTIME
The Overtime List will be on an office wide basis, according to craft.
ITEM 15
LIGHT DUTY
There will be no limit or restriction to the number of light duty
assignments within the Letter Carrier Craft depending on the number of hours
available at Cheltenham Post Office for either temporary or permanent light duty
assignments.
ITEM 16
LIGHT DUTY WHICH CONFLICTS
Any light duty assignments which conflicts with the regular work force will be
dealt with in accordance with Article XIII of the National Agreement.
Page 6
ITEM 17
IDENTIFICATION OF LIGHT DUTY ASSIGNMENTS
It is agreed that light duty assignments within Cheltenham Post Office for
Letter Carriers may include but are not limited to:
A. Casing and strapping out of a Route or Routes.
B. Assisting other Routes setting up mail.
C. Casing curtailed or backlogged mail on the Routes.
D. Relabeling Carrier Cases.
E. Rewriting Carrier Route books.
F. Rewriting or lining out of Form 3982's.
G. Maintenance of delivery service equipment.
H. Training new employees.
I. Answering of phone, assisting of customers complaints or questions etc.
J. Any other duties which in the future could be deemed as light duty in the
Carrier Craft.
ITEM 18
REASSIGNMENTS
It is agreed Cheltenham Post Office will be known as an Installation. It is
further agreed that when it is necessary to reassign within this Installation,
employees excess to the needs, Management will meet with the Union to present
the facts. This will be done prior to making a final determination.
ITEM 19
PARKING
Establishment of a Parking Committee consisting of 2 Letter Carriers and 2
Management Personnel. They will meet quarterly to locate and secure parking for
all Letter Carriers.
Page 7
ITEM 20
COVERED IN ITEM 8
ITEM 21
ROUTE INSPECTIONS
All Carriers will be notified 2 weeks in advance of Route Inspections and at
that time Carriers will be given a copy of printed instructions and sample
forms.
BLOOD LEAVE
It is agreed that employees excused from their regular tour of duty to make
donations to the Red Cross or other Non-Profit Blood Bank will receive
Administrative Leave, in accordance with the E.L.M.
ITEM 22
POSTING AND BIDDING
A. In instances where several assignments are posted, a Letter Carrier may bid
for as many assignments as posted stating his preference in the following
manner:
1. First choice, second choice, third choice, etc.
B. Letter Carriers applying for an assignment shall make a sealed bid in writing
to the Supervisor in charge of the installation during the period for which the
notice is posted, and opened in presence of a Union Representative of Branch
157.
C. The senior applicant for a vacant assignment will be placed in the assignment
within 15 days of the closing of bids, unless on leave except in December, when
the successful bidder will be placed on his new assignment on the first work day
of January.
D. Utility and Reserve (Float) Letter Carrier vacancies will be posted for bid
in the same manner and subject to the same provisions as provided in this
Article of this Local Memorandum of Understanding.
E. All Full Time Carrier vacancies will be posted for 10 days.
Page 8
ASSIGNMENTS
When there is a change of more than 1 hour in the starting time of a Route the
decision to post or not to post will be done by mutual consent.
REGULAR WORKING HIS NON SCHEDULED DAY
In the event a Regular assigned Carrier is requested to work on his nonscheduled
day, he will be assigned to work his own Route. A Utility Carrier (Float) is
covering one of the Routes on the Utilities string, he will be bumped on a daily
basis, regardless of it being a holddown. Below is listed the exception to the
duration clause and the bumping procedure to be followed:
SECTION 2 B 5
A. Full Time Reserve and Unassigned Carriers who have insufficient work for
eight hours bump Part Time Flexibles on temporary bid assignments.
B. Full Time Regular Carriers who are called in to work their own Route on their
non scheduled day, bump their Utility or T-6 Carriers, who then bump a Reserve,
Unassigned, or Part Time Flexible Carrier holding a temporary bid assignment on
one of the four Routes on the Utility or T-6 string. However, there is no
bumping if there is an open Route on the string.
C. There is not eight hours of work in the delivery unit for a Reserve or
Unassigned who may bump a Part Time Flexible holding a temporary bid assignment
rather than be reassigned to another delivery unit where there is eight hours of
work.
D. A Reserve or Unassigned Carrier is the successful bidder of a permanent
vacant duty assignment.
E. A Part Time Flexible Carrier is converted to a permanent Route vacancy.
F. Reserve and Unassigned Carriers bid on permanent Route vacancies. Reserve
Carriers, by virtue of having craft, full time duty assignments may not be
arbitrarily moved from their permanent or temporary bid assignments. Unassigned
Carriers may be assigned to permanent Route vacancies after their temporary bid
assignments have ended.
G. If nothing is available in his string, he will choose vacant assignments with
his seniority.
Page 9
SECTION 3-0
When a Letter Carrier Route or full time assignments, other than the Letter
Carrier Route(s) or full time duty assignment(s) of the junior employee(s), is
abolished at a delivery unit as a result of, but not limited to, Route
Adjustments, Highways, Housing Projects, all Routes and full time duty
assignments at that unit held by Letter Carrier(s) whose Route(s) or full time
duty assignments was abolished shall be posted for bid in accordance with the
posting procedure in the Article.
BREAKS
On July 21 of each year the Union will determine whether both breaks are on the
street or one is in the office and the other on the street.
Page 10
Pursuant to Article XXX of the National Agreement the Articles negotiated at the
Local Level and those Articles brought forth from previous Local Memorandums of
Understanding constitute the entire Agreement between Branch 157, national
Association of Letter Carriers and the Cheltenham Post Office.
Randy Egelkamp
William McKinney
Postmaster
President, Branch 157
Cheltenham Post Office
Nat'l Assoc. Letter Carriers
Cheltenham, Pa.
Philadelphia, Pa.
November 1, 2006
November 1, 2006
Page 11