APWU of Florida

From the desk of Mike "Sully" Sullivan

Date: 3/10/2010
The Big SCAN!
Ever since technology came about the USPS has thrown every dollar they could at it to reduce the human workforce. They told everyone it was saving money and increasing productivity. There is no stopping the future and change is forthcoming.

I am addressing the portable scanner and its evolving use in the USPS disciplinary procedure. Scanning was implemented in the disciplinary procedure in the carrier craft when it was used to track the carrier in their daily route as they had specific points where they had to scan at a specific time to show they were on time. In order to keep up with the competition the USPS started scanning certified mail, express mail, and signiture confirmation. While this is a great benefit to the customer there is, at times, automatic discipline if someone missed a scan or the responsibility was not properly detailed. Hard to argue that the customer shouldn't know when their package was delivered or who it was signed by.
The USPS implemented the Scan Point Management System that calls for units to scan a barcode when the box section and the distribution mail is finalized. This duty is typically put upon the clerks that are in charge of the box section and designated in the distribution case. Which clerk is at times a "whoever has a scanner in their hand" or there is someone given the daily responsibility. There is absolutely no benefit to the customer with this scan. It is simply to track the proficeincy of the office and to bring down the hammer on offices that fail to meet the up time. Everyone knows when your Postmaster or Supervisor gets yelled at or in trouble the discipline flows and it always flows to the craft. This first started in the box section and since no one, especially supervision, wanted red flags in their section or station the box mail was always scanned as finalized right at the time it was due up be it 0900 to 1050 as each office has a different time. Clerks started questioning that the mail was scanned as finalized when there was still mail to be put up. First class letters would be finished but not flats, spurs, priority mail, or standard mail. That is when personnel were given orders to scan at a specific time or management would simply scan it as finalized on time themselves. This moved to what is called Distribution Up Time and it simply is about scanning when the mail is finalized to the carrier. The same scenarios occurred and I sent numerous information requests to get the Standard Operating Procedure being used in this procedure. Not only is discipline being used to get personnel to meet the "goal" time but it is also being used to show that staffing can be reduced at stations due to always making the "up time goal" while mail volume decreases.
If you voluntarily scan mail as finalized when it actually isn't you could be FIRED for falsification. If you are given a direct order to scan mail as finalized when it isn't you should get the order in writing ( good luck ) or make sure there is a witness that hears the order also. Then you contact your Union representative and initiate a grievance, especially to cover yourself. Many times a scanner is signed out and it could have your name attached to it so that even if you do not scan the mail as finalized whoever uses that scanner (your supervisor?) will have done it for you. Your name will be associated with it. Supervison is finalizing mail to cover themselves but not facing the same discipline that would beset upon you.
I now have in my possession the SOP on distribution up times. This is from the District Manager Suncoast District and I will gladly provide a copy to anyone who needs it. For those in the Northern and Southern Districts of Florida you should put in a request for it to see if there is any deviation. This one is NO. SOP-OP-F4_02-2010. It states that all committed distribution mail is letters, flats, parcels, and all classes, including first class, periodicals, standard mail, packages, and accountables. This is where we literally work ourselves out of a job by allowing short cuts to be taken and falsification to to un-reported.
The key topic coming up is going from a 6 day to 5 day delivery of mail. This will not increase jobs in the clerk craft and will not create Saturday and Sundays off on tour two. This will initiate the beginning of the end of the USPS. Management also has another plan to decrease the work force. It is to get out of the retail end of the service. They are doing this by making it more troublesome for the customer to go to a retail outlet in the USPS and do business. They would much rather have the customer go to the grocery store, gas station, or Walmart to conduct postal business. Everything management does is geared towards that. We need the customer to keep coming back to us and doing business. Treat every customer as though it were you or a loved one doing business there. I also urge everyone to simplify their lives by taking into account what they have in their lives. The job with the rights and benefits garnered by the Union is up there but your family is number one. Do not let a day go by without a card, phone call, email, or personal "I love you" being said to those special people in your life. I miss not hugging my son goodnight as he is now in Combat Control training with the Air Force. He knows though because I made it a point, and still do, to hug him every day. Spread the hugs and kisses.

Yours in Union Solidarity,
Mike “Sully” Sullivan, President