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Use of Associate Office employees 1973

2315-04XX) DISTRIBUTION CLERK--LEVEL 5
	BARGAINING UNIT QUALIFICATION STANDARD 2300h (2310-01XX) CITY OR SPECIAL CARRIER--LEVEL 5 (2315-04XX) DISTRIBUTION CLERK--LEVEL 5 (2340-04XX) POST OFFICE CLERK--LEVEL 3 (2310-53XX) SPECIAL DELIVERY MESSENGER--LEVEL 5

DOCUMENT DATE: November 30, 1987

FUNCTION:

A City or Special Carrier or a Special Delivery Messenger is responsible for the prompt and efficient delivery and collection of mail on foot or by vehicle under varying conditions in a prescribed area within a city. As representatives of the Postal Service, these employees maintain pleasant and effective public relations with customers. This requires a general familiarity with postal regulations and procedures commonly used and with the geography of the city.

A Distribution Clerk separates mail in a post office, terminal, airmail facility, or other postal facility, in accordance with established schemes, including incoming and/or outgoing mail.

A Post Office Clerk sorts incoming and dispatches outgoing mail for a small number of points of separation and destination; provides a limited number of services at public windows in an office with fewer than 190 revenue units annually.

DESCRIPTION OF WORK:

See the Standard Position Descriptions for the Occupation Codes given above.

Clerks sort and distribute mail to post offices and to carrier routes in accordance with established schemes. They may also perform a variety of services at public windows of post offices, post office branches, or stations. They perform related duties as assigned. The work involves continuous standing, stretching, and reaching. Clerks may be required to handle heavy sacks of letter mail or parcel post weighing up to 70 pounds.

Carriers and Special Delivery Messengers are responsible for the prompt and efficient delivery and collection of mail on foot or by vehicle under varying conditions in a prescribed area or on various routes. They may be required to drive motor vehicles in all kinds of traffic and road conditions and to deliver parcel post from trucks and make collections of mail from various boxes or other locations. They may be required to carry mail in shoulder satchels weighing as much as 35 pounds and to load and unload sacks of mail weighing up to 70 pounds. They must serve in all kinds of weather.

REQUIREMENTS:

No experience is required. All competitors must take Postal Service Test 470, Configuration 1. The test subjects will be of the following types: (1) memory for addresses and (2) address checking. Competitors will be rated on the written examination on a scale of 100 and must attain a rating of at least 70.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

A physical examination will be required before appointment. The examination must show that the:

Applicants are physically able to perform efficiently the duties of the position, which require arduous exertion involving prolonged standing, walking, and reaching, and may involve the handling of heavy sacks of mail. In most instances the absence of arm, hand, leg, or foot will not disqualify an applicant for appointment, although it may be necessary that this condition be compensated by use of a satisfactory prosthesis. Distant vision must test 20/40 (Snellen) in one eye, corrective lenses permitted. The ability to read without strain printed material the size of typewritten characters is required. Corrective lenses are permitted. For clerk positions required to perform a variety of services at public windows, the ability to hear the ordinary conversational voice is required, with or without a hearing aid. Color vision is not required for these positions. Applicants must possess emotional and mental stability.

Applicants will be disqualified for appointment if they have an irremediable defect or incurable disease which prevents efficient performance of duty or which renders them a hazard to themselves, fellow employees, or others. Remediable defects or curable diseases will not exclude a person from examination, but proof that such conditions have been remedied or cured must be received during the life of the eligible register before persons otherwise qualified may be considered for appointment.

For positions requiring the driving of vehicles weighing less than 10,000 pounds (GVW), applicants must have vision of 20/40 (Snellen) in one eye and be able to read without strain printed material the size of typewritten characters. Corrective lenses are permitted. The ability to hear is not a requirement for drivers of vehicles weighing less than 10,000 pounds (GVW).

ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS:

The duties of newly appointed part-time clerks and carriers are at times interchangeable.

Clerks, Carriers, and Special Delivery Messengers act as representatives of the Postal Service. They must maintain pleasant and effective public relations with customers and others, requiring a general familiarity with postal laws, regulations, and procedures commonly used and with the geography of the area.

These employees at any time may be assigned to work in places exposed to public view. Their appearance influences the general public's confidence in and attitude toward the entire Postal Service. Employees appointed under this standard are therefore expected to maintain neat and proper personal attire and grooming appropriate to conducting public business, including the wearing of a uniform when required.

For positions requiring driving, applicants must have a valid state driver's license, and demonstrate and maintain a safe driving record. Applicants must pass the Postal Service road test to show the ability to safely drive a vehicle of the type use on the job. 
 

The Issue That Looms
Large in ‘Article 1.6.B Offices’

(This article first appeared in the January/February 2009 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.)

It doesn't take a brain surgeon to realize that mail volume down substantially throughout the Post Office: This obviously has an impact on revenue, work hours and work schedules.

In this article, the Clerk Craft will address how these factors affect offices with less than 100 bargaining-unit employees. Because these offices are spotlighted in an often-referred to section of our National Agreement, these small workplaces are known as “Article 1.6.B offices.” The contract says:

In offices with less than 100 bargaining unit employees, supervisors are prohibited from performing bargaining unit work except as enumerated in Section 6.A, 1 through 5, or when the duties are included in the supervisor’s position description.

Article 1.6.A of the National Agreement spells out that supervisors in larger offices are prohibited from performing our work except in emergencies, for training purposes, to assure proper operation of equipment, and to protect the safety of USPS employees and postal property itself.

So, taken together, Article 1.6.A and 1.6.B prohibit supervisors from performing craft work in offices of less than 100 bargaining unit employees except in an emergency, for training purposes, to assure proper operation of equipment, to protect the safety of employees and postal property, or when the duties are included in the supervisor’s job description.

A Memorandum of Understanding stipulates that where the National Agreement makes reference to offices with a certain number of employees or man years, “that number shall include all categories of bargaining unit employees in the office/facility/installation.” (See Page 288 of the National Agreement “Re: Article 7, 12 and 13 – Cross Craft and Office Size.”)

Article 1.6.B has been arbitrated at the national level on two occasions: Rulings have been issued by Arbitrator Sylvester Garrett in 1978 (Case AC-NAT-5221) and by Arbitrator Shyam Das in 2005 (Q98C- 4Q-C-01238942), with the two arbitrators deciding that historical practice sets the baseline for what work can be performed by postmasters and supervisors.

In Practice

It’s no secret that management has been cutting PTF hours and, in some cases, reverting and/or abolishing clerk duty assignments and allowing managers to do the work historically performed by the bargaining unit. In an effort to put a stop to this practice of cutting our bargaining unit hours, we began a two-phase plan.

Phase One began four years ago, when the Clerk Division sent out the first Article 1.6.B. survey, a copy of the 2005 Das Award, and a synopsis of our arguments for the “post-Das” era. There were two versions of the survey form to be used by stewards and/or state officers who represented small offices.

They helped us to establish the history of supervisors/postmasters performing bargaining unit work at these small offices. Of the two sets of forms, one was for when the manager agreed to sign it and the other was to be signed by the clerks in the office when the managers refused to cooperate.

Now we are ready to move on: During Phase Two, we will investigate possible violations of Article 1.6.B. Only the APWU can protect clerks.

But we cannot protect clerk work in small offices without your help: We need you to alert us when hours are being cut. Postmasters worried about their own paychecks cannot be expected to protect Clerk Craft hours. Unfortunately, the clerks themselves in small offices frequently do not fully understand their rights.

We must reach out and provide the support to enable them to help themselves. We must make it clear that although the contract language suggests that window transactions and distribution tasks are functions that a postmaster can perform, they should not be a major portion of their daily work responsibility.

We also want to assure the 1.6.B clerks that this is not our first or last effort in protecting their jobs. We were successful negotiating a Local Memorandum of Understanding for Members At Large (MALs) that provides the protection of a local contract to thousands of union members in small offices who have not previously been covered by one. It’s because we have completed that task that we seek support in our probe into possible Article 1.6.B violations.

DVD, MOU Updates

A new APWU-produced DVD about Function 4 audits shows how window clerks can protect their jobs by working the window consistent with their training and the standards that management has established.

The goal of the DVD is to help retail clerks understand how the Postal Service determines workload and staffing. The DVD costs $30 and can be ordered through the APWU Store. It can be reproduced as often as necessary for distribution to stewards and window clerks.

The Clerk Craft is also in the process of finalizing several MOUs, regarding:

• Career Opportunities for TEs currently working in the Remote Encoding Centers;
• Impacts on Self-Service Postal Center Technicians (SSPCs) affected by the removal of vending equipment;
• Automated Postal Centers (APC); and
• Lobby Assistance: The assistance provided to postal customers in the lobbies featuring APCs, as well as in full-service retail operations staffed by Sales and Service Associates.