This statement is inaccurate: "Anybody with less than 5 years in USPS will gone next year." That could only be true for letter carriers.
The Mailhandlers and the APWU have a MOU that prohibits laying off ANY career employee on the rolls before November 21, 2006. "Each employee who is employed in the regular work force as of November 20, 2006, and who has not acquired the protection provided under Article 6 shall be protected henceforth against any involuntary layoff or force reduction during the term of this Agreement."
In the rural carrier craft, "It is agreed by the Employer that NO employees employed in the career work force will be laid off on an involuntary basis during this Agreement." So that leaves only letter carriers and PTFs of any craft significantly vulnerable.
There are preconditions before laying off any career craft people. See Article 6.B. The APWU Step 4 settlement at http://www.apwu.org/dept/ind-
The talk of layoffs is probably a scare tactic, except for maybe EAS
employees. It would be very costly to layoff craft employees--if management followed the
contract. I know
that hasn't stopped them before.
APWU & NALC Article 6.B - NPMHU Article 6.3
4.
Before implementation of reassignment under this
Article or, if necessary,
layoff and reduction in force of
excess employees within the installation,
the Employer
will, to the fullest extent possible, separate all
casuals
within the craft and minimize the amount of overtime
work and
part-time flexible hours in the positions
or group of positions covered by
the seniority unit
as defined in this Agreement or as agreed to by the
parties.
In addition, the Employer shall solicit volunteers
from among
employees in the same craft within the
installation to terminate their
employment with the
Employer.
Employees who elect to terminate their employment
will receive a
lump sum severance payment in the
amount provided
by Part 435 of the Employee and
Labor Relations Manual, will receive benefit
coverage
to the extent provided by such Manual, and, if eligible,
will be given the early retirement
benefits provided by
Section 8336(d)(2) of Title 5, United States Code
and
the regulations implementing that statute.
5. No less than 20 days prior to effecting a layoff,
the
Employer will post a list of all vacancies in other seniority
units
and crafts at the same or lower level which
exist within the installation and
within the commuting
area of the losing installation. Employees in an
affected
seniority unit may, within 10 days after the posting,
request a
reassignment under this Article to a posted
vacancy. Qualified employees will
be assigned to such
vacancies on the basis of seniority. If a senior
non-preference
eligible employee within the seniority unit indicates
no
interest in available reassignment, then such
employee becomes exposed to
layoff. A preference eligible
employee within the seniority unit shall
be
required to accept such a reassignment to a vacancy in
the same level
at the installation, or, if none exists at the
installation, to a vacancy in
the same level at an installation
within the commuting area of the losing
installation.
If the reassignment is to a different craft, the
employee’s
seniority in the new craft shall be established in
accordance
with the applicable seniority provisions of the new
craft.
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