Pen Pushers Destroy Work Schedules with no Respect for the Workers

Senior Plant Manager Felipe Flores seems to be content to allow the newest batch of Pen Pushers to create the “latest and greatest” plans to save the Postal Service with no regard to the impact on employee’s lives.

They continue to ignore the fact that upending entire work crews causes everyone a tremendous amount of stress and concern. Child care, transportation, family, and sleep schedules are all disrupted and the pen pushers simply shrug their shoulders. They make no effort to reduce impacts by utilizing postal support employees or allowing attrition to accomplish the changes.

Acting In-Plant Support Manager Bob Vore signed over a hundred notification letters and began distributing them to employees at the Plant and PACC on February 23 before the ink was even dry on their final plan.  These letters do little to inform the employees why these reposting or abolishments must occur. This is because there is no justification. The Pen Pushers met with your representatives and could give no explanation on why the changes were necessary at the PACC other than to say that Southern California’s mail would now be trucked.  Then an hour later with no explanation or discussion the Pen Pushers changed their plan again and signed the letters you received. Actions speak louder than words, so we’ve learned that whatever comes out of a Pen Pusher’s mouth can’t be trusted from one hour to the next.

Also the recent transplant from Indianapolis Pen Pusher MDO Marek Kazibwami seems to be content with stating that the changes are necessary after having worked in Portland for less than a few months.  When confronted with questions regarding their plan he could only read from a national arbitration that has no bearing on the issues presented.  He ignores the fact that employees with over 35 year’s seniority were being displaced by PSE’s with less than two years seniority. He ignores the fact that workers at the PACC just had their job reposted as NTFT.  When challenged to use PSE’s instead he could only reply that they are needed where they are at.

Downtown the Pen Pushers moved employees to tour 3 weeks ago from tour 1. With no regard to these employees many will be shuffled back to their rightful tour because of their seniority. A new batch of employees will learn that they are now excessed from tour 1. These Pen Pusher’s disrespect and lack of consideration for employee’s lives outside their workplace knows no bounds.

The Pen Pushers have been hard at work out at the Mt. Hood DDC also. Mt. Hood clerks have just seen their tour 1 assignments decimated. For the past year clerks have been pushed and pulled from one assignment to the next each time with the promise that the latest and greatest plan will solve all the problems that management has created for themselves.

We as employees understand that at times change is necessary. But we won’t standby and allow the Pen Pushers to disrupt our lives with no genuine explanations for why.

What can we do? We all need to get involved. Spread the word to your co-workers.

Join us on Monday February 29th at 1 p.m. at the Union Hall to discuss how our actions will speak louder than words.