National Association of Letter Carriers

I will start this month’s message by congratulating Tony Bossi on his appointment to the position of Regional Grievance Assistant for Region 14. Tony, the former steward in Billerica, served the past few years as Branch 25 Vice President. Prior to Tony’s appointment to his current position, he served Region 14 as their Regional Office Assistant. Tony’s new position did not allow him to serve as Branch VP as well and he officially resigned as of April 1, 2024. Tony will still be around at branch meetings unless his travel for the new job conflicts. I am very excited for Tony and his new opportunity at the regional level and I know he will do great things going forward!

I have appointed Salem Steward, Gilbert Paredes, as Tony’s replacement as vice president. Gilbert was previously a trustee for the branch. Tony has left some big shoes to fill but I expect great things out of Gilbert in his new role for the branch!

At the March branch meeting I was able to hand out some more NALC membership pins. Pictured below receiving their pins are Trustee Bob Cronin (35 years), Burlington’s Dave Sicard (40 years), Amesbury’s Said Bejjani (25 years), Marblehead’s Lori Rocker (35 years), Lowell’s Eileen Nutter (30 years), and Marblehead’s Linda Johnson (35 years).

May 11 is the Letter Carrier’s Food Drive. I hope all Branch 25 letter carriers do their part to help make this year’s drive as successful as possible. There is a great need in our communities and we can help with that by doing our part!

In Solidarity,

Daniel P. Wheeler

One of my duties as Branch President is to be active in the legislative program of the NALC. The Letter Carrier Political Fund (LCPF) is a non-partisan political action committee (PAC) established to elect qualifed candidates who support letter carriers.

Each year, NALC fights to fend off attacks in Congress that threaten letter carriers’ collective bargaining rights, retirement benefits and livelihoods. We’ve been successful so far, and we want to continue helping to elect House and Senate candidates who will protect us, promote our issues and deliver our message to Washington.

Since union dues can’t be used to support candidates for political office, NALC relies 100 percent on member contributions to the LCPF, which in turn helps us support those on Capitol Hill who defend the issues that matter most to us. Our PAC brings together strong letter carrier advocates from all political parties in Washington who are dedicated to helping protect a strong USPS that provides universal and affordable service. The NALC uses the money from the LCPF to further essential causes for the nation’s letter carriers. Some of the legislation affecting letter carriers that the NALC supports are the Social Security Fairness Act, the Federal Retirement Fairness Act and the Protect Our Letter Carriers Act which was just introduced in the House on March 13.

The Social Security Fairness Act would help many Civil Service retirees who worked in the private sector and paid into Social Security. Because of the Windfall Benefit Reduction and Government Pension Offset provisions, these retirees don’t get the full benefits they should. The Federal Retirement Fairness Act would affect many carriers who worked as non-career employees (Casuals, TE’s or CCA’s). Currently, employees don’t receive credit for this time. The Federal Retirement Fairness Act would allow catch-up contributions to make those non-career years creditable towards retirement.

The Protect Our Letter Carriers Act is a bipartisan legislation providing $7 billion in funding for the USPS to replace collection box locks with more secure electronic versions. The bill would also require the Attorney General to appoint an assistant U.S. attorney in each judicial district to prioritize cases involving letter carrier crimes. The bill would also strengthen sentencing guidelines for these crimes.

The money from the LCPF is used to support congressional members who support these and other bills that are important to us as letter carriers. What can you do to help protect your benefits? Consider donating to the Letter Carrier Political Fund. We ask each member to donate as little as $5.00 per pay period to the LCPF. If we all contribute a little, a little becomes a lot. Your donation will help elect members of Congress who will fight to protect your benefits, not take them away. The NALC supports candidates for federal office who support issues of active and retired Letter Carriers, regardless of what party they may be affiliated with.

Over the next few months, members will hear from the branch asking for their help. It’s easy to sign up through LiteBlue. That information is found on page 9 of this issue of The Wake Up!

In Solidarity,

Daniel P. Wheeler

The topic of this month’s President’s Report is dignity and respect. It goes without saying that every employee should be able to go to work with the expectation of being treated with dignity and respect, whether by their fellow employees or management. Unfortunately, for many of us, that isn’t the case. We deal with many personalities in life and at work. We have differences, and not everyone we work with is someone we necessarily get along with. However, there is no excuse for not treating others with dignity and respect. I want to address the issue of management treating (or not treating) employees the way they should.

Management has a clear responsibility to maintain a mutually respectful atmosphere. Handbook M-39, Management of Delivery Services, states this clearly in Section 115.4 which states:

Maintain Mutual Respect Atmosphere

The National Agreement sets out the basic rules and rights governing management and employees in their dealings with each other. Still, it is the front-line manager who controls management’s attempt to maintain an atmosphere between employer and employee which assures mutual respect for each other’s rights and responsibilities.

This section of the M-39 clearly says that management is responsible for maintaining this atmosphere. Sadly, many managers don’t seem to take this seriously. In fact, some seem to make every effort to counter it actively!

Not all managers are this way. Plenty in the branch do their part and take dignity and respect seriously. Unfortunately, some managers don’t know how to and probably shouldn’t be managing other people. Local management is under pressure from their bosses for sure, but that in no way excuses their mistreatment of letter carriers on the workroom floor. The Postal Service has always been “about the numbers,” as most big businesses are. However, in my twenty-nine years in the business, I have never seen management more driven by the numbers. They are constantly looking to save a few minutes here and there. They try to squeeze carriers. They push “downtime” where it may not exist. They question every little bit of “stationary time.”

Much of the harassing behavior letter carriers feel from management stems from these interactions. While managers may have the right to pursue “downtime” or question a carrier’s times or “stationary event” occurrences, they don’t have the right to do so in a harassing manner. Many of these interactions are the types that add up over time. Taken as single events, they may not seem like a big deal. Over time, however, this constant pushing and prodding can be threatening.

If management behaves in a way that fails to maintain the dignity and respect they are mandated to uphold, this behavior is unacceptable. Unfortunately, dignity and respect grievances can be some of the toughest for us to succeed. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pursue them or that we can’t win them, though. We must have the proper evidence to back up a possible grievance. Witness statements can play a significant role in these grievances. If we can get people who have witnessed management’s lousy behavior to attest to it in writing, that goes a long way toward making our case. Often, people don’t want to get involved or expose themselves to possible retaliation, which is understandable. I would encourage everyone to stand up for their fellow Brothers and Sisters and give a statement if needed!

If management says that you have under time and you don’t believe that you do have any, be clear about it to management. The letter carrier is the only person who knows how long their assignment will take them on any given day. If you feel like management is crossing the line to the point where it becomes a dignity and respect issue, please inform your steward or contact the branch office.

In Solidarity,

Daniel P. Wheeler

This month’s President’s Report about something fairly common but something that many letter carriers don’t fully understand. That subject is a Pre-Disciplinary Interview (PDI). Many of the letter carriers we represent in PDIs have never had one and are unaware of what it means until the first-time management tells them they are being brought in for one. Some of these carriers are new, and some may have years on the job but have never been brought in for a PDI. The PDI is management’s first step if they are considering issuing discipline. A PDI is the employee’s “day in court”. It is the employee’s opportunity to offer an explanation of whatever event or issue that management is inquiring about. PDIs can vary wildly throughout the different offices and different managers. Some can be very informal, and some seem very official, with management reading from scripted questions.

Before we go too far talking about PDIs, I will say there is something called an Official Discussion. Such discussions are covered under Article 16 of the National Agreement. The JCAM (Joint Contract Administration Manual) has the following to say regarding discussions:

Although included in Article 16, a “discussion” is non-disciplinary and thus is not grievable. Discussions are conducted in private between a supervisor and an employee. Both the supervisor and the employee may keep a record of the discussion for personal use; however, these are not to be considered official Postal Service records. They may not be included in the employee’s personnel folder, nor may they be passed to another supervisor. Discussions cannot be cited as elements of an employee’s past record in any future disciplinary action. Discussions may be used (when they are relevant and timely) only to establish that an employee has been made aware of some particular obligation or responsibility.

Official Discussions are just that: discussions between the employee and management. They cannot be cited in the future, and no official record is kept. Management is not required to provide a steward for such discussions. However, management must make it clear that the discussion will not lead to discipline. If they do not clearly state this, a steward’s presence should be requested.

This brings us to what is referred to as the carrier’s Weingarten Rights. In 1975, the United States Supreme Court, in the case of NLRB v. J. Weingarten, upheld a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decision that employees have a right to union representation at investigatory interviews. These rights have become known as the Weingarten Rights. These rights are the foundation of the grievance process. Anytime an employee is questioned by management, and that questioning may lead to discipline, the employee has the right to representation from a steward. Whenever management tells an employee they wish to talk with them about something, the first question should be, “Is it possible this interview may lead to discipline?” If management answers yes, the employee should request a steward be present during the interview. Management is required to provide a steward if one has been requested. However, it is the employee’s responsibility to make that request. There are offices with no stewards in the building. This does not release management from their responsibility to provide one. If there is no local shop steward, management must contact the branch office to have someone come sit in.

Management must also make the employee and steward aware of what the PDI will be about before it starts. If either the employee or steward requests, adequate time must be given to talk privately before the interview. Another major part of the Weingarten Rights is that the steward can actively participate in the PDI. The steward is not allowed to disrupt the PDI or to instruct the employee not to answer questions. For the most part, this is not an issue in any of the branch’s offices currently. However, it has happened before where management thinks the steward is only there as a passive observer to the meeting. This is not the case and is a violation of the National Agreement. Not all PDIs lead to discipline being issued. Some do and some don’t. Every letter carrier should know their rights. Knowing or not knowing could make a world of difference, even if it’s something you have never needed to know up until now. The USPS Weingarten Card is printed on page 6 of this issue of The Wake Up!. It may be something worth saving to refer to if needed. Remember, you only have rights if you know what they are!

In Solidarity,

Daniel P. Wheeler

Starting this month, Branch 25 will have a new treasurer for the first time in thirty-five years! Thirty-five years is a long time to do anything. Many of the retirees we honor at branch meetings don’t even have that many years with the Postal Service! To put Jim’s career as Branch 25 officer into perspective, there have been four NALC national presidents and seven United States presidents during Jim’s tenure as treasurer.

I want to personally extend my thanks and gratitude on behalf of Branch 25 to Jim for all his hard work and dedication through the years. The branch is in capable hands as Assistant-Treasurer James Metilinos will be assuming the treasurer role but, Jim will be missed! Thanks for everything Jim!

2023 was a busy year here in Branch 25. As of the (almost) end of the year there have been 508 total grievances in the branch. The breakdown of those grievances is as follows:

In Solidarity,

Daniel P. Wheeler