The Denver Metro APWU has successfully negotiated a process that has already resulted in the conversion of 11 Denver part-time flexible clerks to full-time regular status, and could result in the eventual conversion of most or all of the remaining eight within the near future. A seldom-used procedure called “PTF Preferencing” allows part-time flexibles to express a “preference” on residual vacancies that have gone unfilled during the normal bidding process. There are a number of such vacancies in the CFS unit, where the 11 former PTF clerks who have already been converted are domiciled. The remaining PTF clerks will need to qualify on the typing requirement for CFS duty assignments before they are converted and placed into appropriate residual vacancies.

National Business Agent Bruce Bailey recently settled several Motor Vehicle Craft grievances pending at arbitration that concerned a number of unresolved subcontracting issues. Bruce had spent countless hours reviewing the grievances and was in constant communication with officers of our local and National MVS Craft Director Bob Pritchard. It was agreed by all that the settlement Bruce negotiated was the best outcome we could achieve.

The Postal Service has filed a petition seeking to overturn a recent court ruling that invalidated USPS return-to-work requirements for employees with absences of more than 21 days. The APWU had hailed the July 19 ruling as a major victory in the fight to preserve workers’ rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The USPS motion, filed Sept. 6 in the U.S. Court of Appeals, requests “reconsideration and rehearing” before the full Seventh Circuit Court, contending that a three-judge panel “erred” in a July 19 decision overturning a Postal Service return-to-work policy.

This month Automated Postal Center (APC) counter units will be integrated with traditional retail counters in several larger Colorado Post Office locations. As part of a national initiative, the Colorado/Wyoming District has been selected to roll out the APCs in traditional retail operations. Sixteen APC counter units will be installed at seven high-traffic Post Offices in Colorado. Start-up scheduled from mid to late October. The seven Colorado Post Offices selected to start the APC counter units include: Denver, University Park, Aurora Main, Ft. Collins Main, Littleton Highlands Ranch, Parker, Evergreen and the Colorado Springs Rockrimmon Station.

Recently, Bobby Rollins and I met to discuss the direction OWCP representation has taken. It seems that some members expect us to solve all the problems that come up during the course of a claim. This could not be further from the truth. OWCP representation is outside of the contract. The union does it because there is a need caused by the complexity, and understanding the procedures of the Federal Employees Compensation Act. Our goal is to provide the proper paperwork for a claim to be accepted, advise members in their rights under the FECA, and guide members in handling situations that come up in the course of a claim. It is not the union’s responsibility to deal with outside agencies. We do not have any authority to force doctors, billing agencies, etc. to fix problems as they occur. The only outside agency we will talk to is OWCP itself. OWCP would rather talk to us, as we are officially recognized representatives. Remember, it is your claim. You must do the actual work to have a successful claim. We are glad to help, and will continue to do so.

I strongly urge you to donate to PERF. The PERF has been severely depleted due to hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Postal employees in the gulf region, who needed help to rebuild, were greatly assisted by the funds they received from PERF. PERF is a fund that we all can use. You never know when your home could be destroyed by fire, tornados, floods, or other devastating causes. If this happens, you would want the PERF fund ready to help you rebuild. The only way the PERF will continue to be strong is if we contribute. Please consider sending a donation of any size to PERF. It is a tax-exempt organization. You can donate by check, money order, on-line or use myself as a conduit for a donation. You can also donate by using the Combined Federal Campaign and select number 9891. Brochures are available from your coordinator, steward or at the union office.

The PERF fund was established in 1990 by postal unions, management associations, and the USPS. PERF is a charitable organization that provides relief grants to postal employees and retirees whose property has been substantially damaged by natural disasters and home fires. Relief grants are distributed following FEMA payments and insurance settlements to help diminish the cost of uncovered losses.

Those lazy days of summer have ended and it’s time to prepare your back for the upcoming fall and winter seasons. Whether it’s raking leaves, shoveling snow, or cleaning out the garage, your back muscles will be strained and abused. For those not prepared, this will mean getting a backache. “Fortunately, with attention to proper techniques and exercise, you can help to prevent seasonal back pain,” said Dr. Keith Reich, a board-certified rheumatologist and contributing editor to OurHealthNetwork.com. Here are a few tips that Reich shares with his patients who are prone to back pain:

• Do not rake, shovel, or lift heavy objects first thing in the morning. Move around a bit and “loosen up”. The back is the most vulnerable to injury after being at rest all night.
• Do warm-up and stretching exercises just before beginning the job.
• Try not to twist your spine. If you need to reach for something, turn your entire body, rather than twist. Twisting along with bending will severely stress the spine and back muscles.
• Do not use rakes and shovels that are too heavy for you.
• If you need to lift a heavy load, get help.
• Take frequent breaks and stretch your back in the opposite direction (lean backward). 
• Raking leaves and shoveling snow are strenuous activities that, if done properly, will help you burn extra calories and give you a good cardiac workout. If done improperly though, you will experience hours of back pain. If you follow these tips, you will enjoy your raking and shoveling “workouts”:

Raking Tips:

• Stand straight and walk to the leaves, instead of bending at the waist to reach them.
• Once you have the leaves under the rake, pull them straight toward you. Don’t twist your body to get another load of leaves.
• Avoid overuse injury to the back and shoulders by switching sides every few minutes. Rake ten minutes left-handed and another ten minutes right-handed.

Snow Shoveling Tips:

• Lifting a shovelful of snow should be done with your knees, not your back. Keep your back straight, bend your knees, and lift the snow by straightening your knees.
• Lift smaller loads of snow rather than heavy shovelfuls.
• Turn your entire body and step in the direction in which you are throwing the snow. Do not just twist at the waist and throw. Twisting and throwing a heavy load will cause early back fatigue and make the back susceptible to severe injuries.

So much for “belt tightening” so far at the Denver GMF. Ever since the beginning of the new fiscal year, overtime has been running rampant. This has been caused by unexpectedly high mail volume in conjunction with the holiday mailing season. That’s the good news. The bad news is that non-OTDL volunteers are being required to work lots of overtime, in some cases up to six and even seven days per week. We are carefully monitoring this situation to ensure that the required contractual pecking order is followed when selecting employees to work overtime. Please understand that as long as all OTDL volunteers are utilized to the maximum possible extent (based upon needed skills and availability), management is allowed to require non-volunteers to work mandatory overtime. Please report any overtime pecking order violations to your union steward as soon as possible to ensure that appropriate grievances can be filed. We will do everything in our power to ensure that the contract is properly respected and enforced during this difficult period.

Motor Vehicle Craft Director Fred Morin reports that he has successfully negotiated the upgrading of four MVS Craft Vehicle Dispatching Clerks from Level 5 to Level 6. The upgraded Clerks will be reclassified as “Vehicle Operations Assistants”. This upgrade was based upon an analysis of the duties actually performed by these employees as compared to the two job descriptions. Congratulations to these employees, and many thanks to Fred Morin for his efforts on their behalf.

Installation of the APPS machine at the Denver Mail Processing Annex is close to completion, and it should start processing live mail in mid-November. Technical problems have caused a few minor delays but nothing has arisen that should further postpone this process. We are still awaiting a detailed implementation plan from Postal management that will yield a specific timeline for excessing and abolishing. We continue to believe that no job abolishments will occur until early next year. We will pass along any new information as soon as it becomes available.

Local negotiations are well underway in a number of offices under our jurisdiction. We are responding to management-initiated proposals and working to secure improvements that would benefit our members. This process must be concluded by no later than December 1, 2005. We will keep you posted on our progress.

Our next regular general membership meeting is scheduled to begin at 5:00 PM at the union office on Wednesday, October 26, 2005. One important item on the agenda is final action on proposed changes to the local’s Constitution and Bylaws. Please plan to be there and take an active role in your union!