Not surprisingly, the information provided in the Service’s impact notice received on March 2 turned out to be inaccurate.  What was originally listed as a date of March 2019 for the excessing event has now become June of 2018. There are many other details in the impact report that are incorrect that we have brought to the Service’s attention.  

The recent change to a June 2018 date has caused an acceleration of the timeline for getting issues like seniority, jobs, and many other concerns completed prior to the move into the new building. We have been meeting with the Service concerning all of these issues – and more.  The merged Clerk seniority list was provided a few days ago and will be posted here as soon as it is reviewed. A merged Maintenance seniority list should be completed and posted soon.

The withholding of residual duty assignments is now occurring only within the installation. The Service claims there are enough jobs within the installation to prevent excessing to another installation outside of Portland.  The Associate Offices should not have any duty assignments withheld, and any residual AO duty assignments should be placed into the process for filling residual vacancies.

We have already seen a reduction in the number of clerks to be excessed outside of the Clerk Craft.  Attrition through retirements and transfers are helping to reduce the impact. We still have a long way to go, as the number of potential excessed Clerks is still near 200. Those Clerks that are excessed shall remain in the installation, but in other crafts. Duty assignments may be offered in the Maintenance, carrier and mail handler crafts.  Excessing is done by inverse seniority. After the excessing event is completed, and as Clerk duty assignments become available, retreat rights to the Clerk Craft from these other crafts shall be done by seniority.

Local Portland management has determined that the new parcel sorting machine is mail handler work, and intends to post jobs in May or June for this machine that will not be running until October. We have raised the issue that this work/machine has not been awarded to the mailhandler craft, and that posting the jobs would be a violation of an agreement between the two Unions and the USPS.  The APWU at the Regional and National level are involved. We believe that the Service is now “re-grouping” to assess their plan.

The Portland Local will be available to meet with any Members, and we plan to schedule caucuses to share information and answer any questions. Watch the Poker, Facebook page, Local website and bulletin boards for dates of meetings.  

Our next membership meeting is May 20, 2018 at 6:30 pm.  More shall be revealed, watch this space.

The Portland Local received an impact notice on March 2, 2018 that states the service anticipates it will be necessary to excess 212 full time Clerks outside the craft or installation.  Simply put, the service wants to move 212 Clerks out of the Clerk craft. These excessed Clerks will possibly be placed into the Maintenance, mail handler, or letter carrier crafts within the installation. If there are not enough jobs within the installation,  the Clerks will be moved to other postal installations within 50 miles of the new Portland facility. The date of impact is March 1, 2019. This impact notice also includes the service’s intent to terminate 80 Postal Support Employees (PSE) Clerks in Portland.  

There will be many rumors and much speculation about this impact over the coming year.  Please look to the Portland Local Poker, Facebook page, and website (portlandapwu.com) for the latest facts.  We will update these locations with new information as it becomes available. We must stress that this impact notice was provided on March 2, 2018 and the impact/event is anticipated March 1, 2019.  Our Local will be working diligently on this impact over the next year. One of the initial changes locally will be the withholding of positions in the clerk, maintenance, letter carrier and mail handler crafts within 50 miles of the new facility. “Withholding” is the withholding of residual (unbid) vacancies for those full time career employees who are being excessed.  This withholding will prevent the conversion of PSE’s to career status. The withholding may also have an impact on the mail handler and carrier non-career workforce (MHA, CCA) and their conversion to career status. A “Regional Meeting” will be conducted in the near future to discuss the impact notice and excessing event. Our Local officers have provided the APWU Regional Coordinator with a list of our concerns for that meeting.

Two meetings took place on February 21, 2018 concerning the consolidation of Mt. Hood P&DC into the Portland P&DC.  The first meeting was a “regional” meeting between the APWU Regional Coordinator Omar Gonzales and a USPS representative from Western Area in Denver.  The Portland Local President and Vice President were also a part of this conference call meeting.  The USPS representative stated that Mt. Hood employees will be staying in their current duty assignments until they move into the new building.  He also stated that the Service was “looking at moving all the Clerks, Maintenance and mail handlers into this new facility” and no operations will be remaining at the current Mt. Hood location.  No date was given as to when this move will take place.

The second meeting involved the local parties and took place at the Portland GMF.  Our Union attempted to address several issues that we have been trying to discuss for nearly a year.  There was discussion between the parties about the merging of the Portland and Mt. Hood seniority rosters, and the parties agreed upon a method to accomplish this goal.  

We asked about the staffing levels in the new building for the Clerk Craft, and the Service told us that they “don’t know.”  

We asked about the staffing and complement for the Maintenance Craft, and the Service told us that they “don’t know.”

We asked when current employees would be moving into the new building, and the Service told us that they “don’t know.”  After further questioning from our Union, the Service finally said the employees will be moving in June or July – MAYBE.  

The Service knows when they will take possession of the new building.  They know what machines will be installed in the new building, and they know the staffing needed for most of those machines.  But, they claim they “don’t know” what the staffing will be in the new building.

We have been informed that full-sized lockers are not in the new building’s design plan.  We have been trying to discuss this issue, as well as many other issues, for almost a year.  Now, when the Service will finally discuss the issue of lockers and locker rooms, the only response provided to us is “not in the design.”

We know from speaking with our Members what many of our concerns are.  When will we be moving? What will my job be in the new building? We will continue to push the Service for answers to our questions.  We “don’t know” is not the answer the employees and their families want, need, or deserve to hear from the Service.  At this point, only the building and the machines inside that building have been the Service’s focus.  The time has come for the Service to begin considering the employees and their families.  In reality, it is way past time for the Service to begin discussing the human factors surrounding this event.

Added 3/1/2018:  Mt. Hood P&DC employees are considered impacted and are currently eligible for priority clerk craft 21 day postings on e-reassign.  

Representatives from the APWU and USPS at the regional level will conduct a meeting in Portland on February 21, 2018 concerning the consolidation .  A meeting of the local parties will be conducted following the regional meeting.  The latest information should be available following those meetings. Watch this space.

General Membership Meeting 6:30 pm February 11, 2018

Executive Council Meeting       5:00 pm February 11, 2018

Executive Board Meeting          1:30  pm February  7, 2018

The APWU was provided notice dated January 26, 2018 from the USPS of their proposal “to involuntarily reassign one hundred twenty six (126) Full Time Clerks and thirty eight (38) Full Time Maintenance employees…”  The notice goes on to state that Mt. Hood P&DC would be consolidated into the Portland bid cluster.   With the construction of the new building, we all have been aware that something like this was coming.    The date of this event is “anticipated” to be effective on May 12, 2018.  The notice does not state if movement of the Mt. Hood P&DC employees will happen on that date.  The service could choose to consolidate and move employees on that date.  The service may consolidate on that date and continue Mt. Hood as a Mail Processing operation as part of the Portland Installation and Bid Cluster. The postal service has refused to provide your Local union any information up to this point.  We hope to have more information very soon. There is a lot of information needed, questions to be answered and meetings that need to happen prior to the consolidation, excessing and moving events.

We, again, have contacted the USPS to request a meeting to answer our questions. Our Local will be holding informational and Q&A meetings very soon. Watch this space, more shall be revealed.

January 21, 2018  6:30PM

2360 SE Morrison Portland Oregon 97214

The Voluntary Early Retirement (VERA) recently announced by the Postal Service has
generated many questions from the members of the APWU. The Postal Service published a list of 93 questions and answers shared with the members in an earlier APWU.org web article.
Many are asking, “Should I accept early-out retirement?” It is not the place of the national APWU to give advice on whether to retire or not. That is a personal decision. However, it is decision with implications that members should know and consider.
USPS management did not discuss the VERA with the APWU in advance of the announcement.
APWU national officers initiated a January 10 meeting with postal management to address issues and concerns about the VERA. In this meeting, the union pressed its views that:
1) the Postal Service is not overstaffed, and service to the public is suffering due to
understaffing; and,
2) if the Postal Service moves forward with misguided plans to reduce the workforce, the
Postal Service should offer a monetary incentive for those eligible for regular retirement
as well employees eligible for an early-out.
Incentives have been offered numerous times in the past for both bargaining unit and supervisory employees.
If you are eligible for the VERA you will receive a packet in the mail from the USPS. The packet will have vital information about your opportunity for an early-out. The packet will include your annuity estimate (this is not a guarantee of what your annuity payments will be; OPM makes the final determination of your annuity and it could be different than the estimated amount provided in your packet) and information about available benefits including eligibility, limits, and costs.
Anyone considering the early-out offer needs to study the packet.
You are eligible for USPS-sponsored retirement counseling – both group and individual.
Information on who to contact and how to arrange counseling will be in the packet. The packet along with your counseling session(s) will explain eligibility for any annuity supplement, your health insurance premiums, how your FEGLI life insurance can change, and other issues.
According to a settlement agreement with APWU, local management must arrange reasonably private space for employees who wish to receive individual counseling on the clock. Your spouse can participate in the counseling session(s). Take advantage of every opportunity to learn the specifics about your retirement benefits.
Some points to consider when making your decision:
• As of now there is no financial incentive to retire early, unlike the 2009 and 2012 VERAs
where incentives were negotiated with the APWU.
• In its August 22, 2017 request to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for VERA
approval, the Postal Service said that 10,522 APWU represented employees will shortly
be “impacted” by “differing personnel actions” and “repositioning initiatives.”

The Postal Service estimates that only 1,712 of the 10,522 APWU represented employees
will accept the VERA.
• Those who apply for the early-out will see financial/income impacts, including:
o If you are an employee covered by CSRS you will have your annuity reduced by
2% for each year you are under age 55.
o If you are covered by FERS you will only earn 1% of your salary as an annuity
for each year worked (e.g. if you worked 20 years, your annuity will be 20% of
your high-3 average salary).
o If you are under the Minimum Retirement Age (MRA) you will not receive the
Social Security Supplement until you reach the MRA. Find your MRA using this
OPM Chart. FERS is a three-legged stool: a modest annuity, social security, and
retirement savings in TSP. When you reach the normal minimum retirement age
(MRA); but are not yet eligible for social security, you get an “annuity
supplement” to provide that social security leg. For example, if you are age 50
and your MRA is 57 you will not receive the supplement until you turn age 57
and the supplement will end at age 62 when you can start receiving social security
payments.
o You will not receive Cost of Living Allowances (COLAs) on your annuity until
you reach MRA.
o With an early retirement you can’t make additional contributions to TSP or
receive employer contributions as you would with continued employment.
o TSP withdrawal restrictions are not eased for those accepting a VERA.
o Your life insurance coverage (FEGLI) may change. The amounts of coverage
may decrease and the costs (if you continue coverage) will likely rise.o Your health insurance premiums will increase if you currently are covered by the
Consumer Driven APWU health plan.
Make your decision on complete and accurate information about your retirement benefits.
APWU will continue to share important information on the VERA and will share any new
information that comes to light.