What is a “Steward?”

1. What is a “Steward?”

2. What is a “Steward?” That’s easy to answer! An NALC Steward takes care of their fellow Carriers!

3. Common perception • We only do grievance handling

4. Reality • Encyclopedia Definition • “Stewardship is the personal responsibility for taking care of another person’s property or other affairs.” • Stems from the Old English “stiweard” • sti which means “hall or household” • Weard which means “keeper” • Leader, baby sitter, educator, mediator, organizer, confidant, idealist, enforcer of the Contract

5. Requirements for Success • Honesty • Understanding • Self-starter • Good reputation • Integrity • Inquisitive • Trustworthy • Empathetic • Knowledgeable • Follows through

6. Requirements for Success • We need to know how the organization came to be • We need to recognize that we’re susceptible to political whims and how to protect ourselves against them • We need to know the National Agreement

7. Where we came from • In the late 1700s we collected two cents for every letter we delivered. . .we received no wages or salary • But. . . Under the “spoils system” . . .jobs came and went with administrations • July 1, 1863 – Free city delivery of mail began

8. Where we came from • August 29, 1889 - The NALC was born

9. Where we came from • 1893 – The NALC sued the Post Office Department and collected $3.5 million

10. Where we came from • 1900 – Bricklayers were earning $4/day – Letter Carriers were earning $2.21/day • September 20, 1917 – The NALC affiliated with the AFL

11. Where we came from • 1929 – Postal wages were a “good salary” • 1950 – Twice a day delivery was discontinued • 1953 – NALC became the first national MDA sponsor • 1960 – NALC Health Benefit Plan opened its doors

12. Where we came from • 1962 – EX10988 – The NALC was elected to represent all City Letter Carriers • 1967 – Letter Carrier turnover was 26%/year • 1969 – Letter Carriers in New York qualified for more in welfare benefits than from 40 hour work weeks

13. Where we came from • 12:01, March 18, 1970 – We went out on STRIKE!!!

14. Where we came from • April 2, 1970 – We returned to work with a 14% pay raise, an agreement for collective bargaining over wages, hours and working conditions and binding arbitration

15. Where we came from • 1972 – National officers to be elected by referendum in the future • 1975 – The “Kokomo Plan” was instituted

16. Where we came from • July 1, 1975 – COLCPE began

17. Where we came from • 1979 – The NALC wins the FLSA lawsuit – collected $400 million for Letter Carriers • 1984 – National arbitration determined national agreement for the first time • 1999 – All City Carriers were elevated above Clerks to Grade 6

18. Where we came from • 2003 – e-Activist began • Learn more from Carriers in a Common Cause!

19. Political whims • 1872 – Congress decided that there would be a Post Office • 1883 – Congress passed the Pendleton Act which created “Civil Service” • 1888 – Congress passed a law giving us an 8-hour workday • 1895 – Postmaster General Wilson prohibited postal employees from trying to influence legislation

20. Political whims • 1902 – President Roosevelt signed an Executive Order prohibiting us from trying to influence legislation • 1907 – President Roosevelt signed an Executive Order prohibiting us from participating in political campaigns • 1909 – President Taft signed an Executive Order prohibiting us from answering Congressional questions about our pay or working conditions

21. Political whims • 1912 - Congress passed the Lloyd-LaFollete Act giving us the right to petition Congress • 1912 – Congress passed the Reilly Act giving us “eight within ten” • 1932 – President Roosevelt signed an Executive Order cutting our pay by 15% • 1955 – President Eisenhower vetoed a pay raise for us

22. Political whims • 1960 – President Eisenhower vetoed another pay raise intended for us, but Congress overrode that veto. • 1962 – President • Kennedy signed an Executive Order ordering a national election for union representation of postal employees

23. Where we came from • 1969 – President Nixon signed an Executive Order giving us a negotiated grievance and arbitration procedure

24. Political whims • 1970 – Congress passed the Postal Reorganization Act which created the Postal Service • 1980 – President Carter signed an Executive Order bringing the Postal Service under the OSHA • 1982 – President Regan pushed through the “Government Pension Offset Bill” taking away 2/3 of any Social Security benefit that a retired Carrier might otherwise receive

25. Political whims • 1983 – Congress passed the “Windfall Elimination Provision” which cuts deeper into our Social Security benefits • 1983 – Congress passed a bill excluding future postal employees from a Civil Service pension • 2003 – Congress passed the “Civil Service Retirement Reform Bill” which requires the Service to hold billions of dollars in escrow for future retirees’ health benefits

26. Political whims • 2009 – Congress passed HR 2918 deferring payment of $4 billion in prepayment of retirees health benefits • 2009 – Congress passed bill allowing FERS retirees to apply unused sick leave towards retirement

27. Political whims • All-in-all, nearly 900 bills were submitted between 1973 and 2007 which had the capacity to materially affect our rights and benefits under the National Agreement.

28. The National Agreement. . . Article1Union Recognition • Says that the NALC is the sole bargaining agent for all City Letter Carriers (whether members or not)

29. The National Agreement. . . Article 2Non-discrimination and Civil Rights • It says that there will be no discrimination tolerated because of because of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, physical handicap, or marital status.

30. The National Agreement. . . Article 3Management Rights • This is an important one. . .Management likes to use it in their behalf, but it works better for us. . . • It says that management has the right to manage, as long as they manage in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, contract provisions, arbitration awards, letters of agreement, and memoranda.

31. The National Agreement. . . Article 4Technological and Mechanization Changes • It says that management will keep us informed ahead of time regarding changes in wages, hours, and working conditions

32. The National Agreement. . . Article 5Prohibition of Unilateral Changes • This is an important one. . . • It incorporates the National Labor Relations Act into the national agreement • It prohibits management from acting unilaterally in areas of wages, hours, and working conditions

33. The National Agreement. . . Article 6No Layoffs or Reduction in Force • You may not be laid off once you have six years of continuous service

34. The National Agreement. . . Article 7Employee Classifications • This article defines the employee classifications within the Letter Carrier workforce • Career • Full time • Part time • Non-career • TEs . . .no more casuals

35. The National Agreement. . . Article 8Hours of Work • It lays out who should work and when • It’s the topic of more grievances than any other article

36. The National Agreement. . . Article 9Salaries and Wages • Sets out the amounts and timing of pay increases over the life of the Contract

37. The National Agreement. . . Article 10Leave • Lays out the rules governing the various types of postal leave • You start out with 104 hours of paid annual leave a year • After 15 years, you earn 208 hours of paid annual leave a year • You can even carry over 440 hours of annual leave • You also earn 104 hours of paid sick leave a year

38. The National Agreement. . . Article 11 Holidays • Regular Letter Carriers get 10 paid holidays a year

39. The National Agreement. . . Article 12Seniority, Posting and Reassignments • Up until 2009, this wasn’t a particularly important article, but • Declining volumes made it so. . . • Loss of regular jobs and excessing

40. The National Agreement. . . Article 13Ill and Injured • Deals with “light duty” • Caused by a non-work related injury or illness • An employee with five years or more service • Management owes “greatest consideration” • Deals with “limited duty” • Caused by a work related injury or illness • Any career employee • Management owes 40 hours of work or pay

41. The National Agreement. . . Article 14Safety and Health • It’s management’s responsibility to provide safe working conditions and to develop a safe work force • It’s our responsibility to support them in that effort

42. The National Agreement. . . Article 15Grievance/Arbitration Procedure • Defines the process through which disputes between management and the work force will be resolved

43. The National Agreement. . . Article 16Discipline • In the administration of this Article, a basic principle shall be that discipline should be corrective in nature, rather than punitive • No employee may be disciplined or discharged except for just cause

44. The National Agreement. . . Article 17Representation • Very important article • It defines Stewards rights and responsibilities • The right to investigate and adjust grievances and problems that may become grievances; • The right to paid time to conduct those activities; • The right to obtain management information; • Superseniority concerning being involuntarily transferred; • An employee’s right to steward representation during an interrogation.

45. The National Agreement. . . Article 18No Strike • Pretty quiet. . . • Now. . .

46. The National Agreement. . . Article 19Handbooks and Manuals • Those parts of all handbooks, manuals and published regulations of the Postal Service, that directly relate to wages, hours or working conditions, as they apply to employees covered by this Agreement, shall contain nothing that conflicts with this Agreement

47. The National Agreement. . . Article 20Parking • Doesn’t have a lot of value to us

48. The National Agreement. . . Article 21Benefit Plans • Says that the Service will continue to pay a share of our health benefits as well as how big that share will be • 85% for 2008 • 83% for 2009 • 82% for 2010 • 81% for 2011 • 80% for 2012 • Pray (and work) for the cost of health benefits to go down for everyone

49. The National Agreement. . . Article 22Bulletin Boards • Give us the right to post NALC materials on bulletin boards in the workplace

50. The National Agreement. . . Article 23Right of Union Officials to Enter Premises • Establishes the right of NALC officials to enter postal installations for any official purpose related to collective bargaining or labor relations • Simple notification is sufficient