The Mt. Hood and Portland Installations merged seniority roster has been posted on the Portland Seniority Roster page.  We believe that it is correct. If you believe there is an error with this roster, please call the office and share your concerns.  We will investigate and make any necessary corrections.

We have become aware of concerns being voiced at the Portland Air Cargo Center (PACC) and the Portland Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC).  We, as the Executive Board of the Portland Oregon Area Local, wish to provide our members with the following facts.

1. When the Sunset DDC closed, the full time regular employees were excessed/reassigned, not transferred, to Portland P&DC, Mt. Hood DDC and Associate Offices.
2. The Sunset full time regular employees were excessed/reassigned with their seniority.
3. Mt. Hood P&DC is being consolidated with Portland P&DC in accordance with Art. 12  of the APWU contract.
4. Art. 12.5.C.2.a states:   “When an independent postal installation is consolidated with another postal installation, each full time or part time flexible employee shall be involuntarily reassigned   to the continuing installation without loss of seniority in the employee’s craft or occupational group.

Feel free to contact the Local office with any questions or concerns, or plan on attending the next Local General Membership meeting on May 20, 2018 at 6:30 PM.  
Joe Cogan-President

Bill Martin-Vice President

Debbie Battle-Secretary/Tres.

Kevin Fraser-Clerk Craft Director

Steven Clinton-Motor Vehicle Service Director

John King-Maintenance Craft Director

Verna Matthews-Associate Office Director

Daryl Teckenberg-Editor

Cheryl Walton-Director of Education

Daniel Cortez-Director of Legislation

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.