Necarrier /m4532

Thank You very much for responding.

I dont know what their reasoning is on the scanner. I dont know what their reasoning is almost ever. Im upset about this because I believe it was made up by the PM. I want to contact the OIG office about this and tell them please investigate it. I would go through anytihng I can to prove the PM has it out for me. I dont understand, besides all the crazy things managment does, why she (the PM) needs to save face. If a woman made a complaint about me, then why does my PM need to be so upset that I was already home during the time the complainant stated this happened? This is what I want the OIG to find out.

Your PM doesn't want to be caught being wrong (about the texting thing) so she makes up a different charge (the scanner issue) so she can say, "it doesn't matter about the texting, cuz see, you were doing something wrong anyway, so I AM right!" Its all about not admitting she made a mistake.
If you don't have specific instances where the PM treats you differently than other carriers in similar situations, it will be hard for anyone to show that she "has it out for you."

NECarrier /m4534

I was thinking of the fact that many people miss their msp scans, hot case scans, and forget to enter their mileage daily. THey are not disciplined. I havent been told about a missed scan in almost a year, and we are told about our scans daily.

Im sorry but I dont understand how the Pm can not want to make a mistake, if the complaint came from the OIG office. DOnt they have to investigate it? Why does the PM have to be right or wrong? Im not following how it has anything to do with her. I was told this is from the OIG office. Im sorry O know you are helping me nad you have much more experience which is why Im asking, I dont umderstand her reasoning at all but that may be because I dont understand the whole discipline process.
Thank You for writing me back though. Very Much. Besides gathering facts and knowledge, its like therapy!

Unless you saw a badge that said "OIG" on it, how do you know there was ever anything that had to do with the OIG? Your PM could easily say, "this is a complaint from the OIG" to make her "investigation" have more legitimacy or importance. It would be a good way to intimidate a carrier to say, "this is from the OIG!!!"
So if your PM is the one calling you in the office and you say, "that couldn't have been me, I was off the clock by then" then you have just shown her to be a liar. She has to protect her "authority" by finding something else you were doing wrong so she doesn't look foolish in front of an employee (you).
In our office we often say, how do you know management is lying to you? Their lips are moving.
Just because she says it is a complaint from the OIG doesn't mean that is true. The whole idea of someone calling the OIG over a mailman texting is ridiculous. More likely the PM or the POOM saw someone they THOUGHT was texting, decided it must have been you and called you in to the office to intimidate you into "confessing".
If there is any discipline issued to you over this, you & your steward should fight it tooth and nail.

Ne Carrier /m4536
Today my supervisor asked me on the workroom floor to bring in my phone records. He said "they" want them. I said theres no reason for that now, (I had offered them previously) because I wasnt at work when the complaint was made so I no longer need to prove my innocence. He said are you refusing? I said the only person who will ever give you my records is my attorney, which I feel I need now, because youa re harassing me about this. A vehicle was seen driving erraticlly. I was not at work at this time. It has absolutley nothing to do with me. What do you think? I feel like Im definnitley being treated badly for no reason at all

/m4537 Absolutely do not provide them with your phone records, your answer was excellent. They have NO proof against you or they wouldn't be asking for YOUR records.
Where is your steward on this? He should be running interference between the supervisor and you.
Mgt has to PROVE it was you. When they can do that (HAH!!) then worry. Your steward should be watching and taking notes, a harassment grievance could be in the making.
If your steward isn't helpful, talk to another union officer and keep detailed personal notes (with dates, times, names, witnesses and direct quotes) of every interaction you have with management on this issue.
They are trying to make hay from moonshine- no substance to work with.

My steward told me that the PM had come to him and said I had been driving my LLV and talking on my cell phone. My steward said, "prove it". That's the crux of it- they can't prove it was you because it WAS'T you! :-)

NEcarrier
I am filing an EEO complaint. Do I need an attorney to help me so I dont get screwed Ive read where the USPS eeoc process is flawed according to an OIG report. Also, wherer do I start? The union isnt helping me the way Id like so Im on my own.

/m4540 My understanding of EEO is that it is for a person who is being treated differently than someone else in that same situation. Is there anyone in your same situation?
I don't disagree that mgt is treating you badly. Perhaps a grievance for harassment might be more appropriate. Mgt should not be asking you for your phone records (your personal property) in front of your coworkers, implying that you are lying to mgt and thus tarnishing your reputation amongst your fellow carriers.
If your steward isn't helping you the way you'd like, ask him why. Does he think this situation isn't actionable? If not, why not? Try to pin him down and explain how you feel and what you would like to see happen.
If you want to file an EEO, try asking Egark on the carriers forum. He is knowledgeable on many topics. I don't know much about EEO.

Which report from OIG states that the EEOC process within the USPS is flawed? I would love to read that. There may be an opening for a regular position in my office. As senior PTF, it would seem logical and stand that I would become a regular, however...I hate using that word logical....actually I am very nervous that the whole FSS scenario will rear its head and perhaps an excessed regular from the whole MIRAP episode from a nearby office will be givin the position. What are my rights?

Mark the Mailman /m4521 - Even though management may try to short you over six months, I know stewards who have been VERY successful in grieving for maximization. There are a lot of other things that they can look at, and argue in the grievance procedure, if only they are trained and willing to do the work (few are anymore).

PTF /m4540 If your steward doesn't want to help you out, here's what you do. File a grievance yourself. Anybody can file a grievance. File under Article 2, disparity of treatment. And on line 12b of the grievance form, it says, "Companion EEO Appeal?" where you can check "yes" on there, after you initiate the EEO complaint against management.

Article 15.1 sets forth a broad definition of a grievance. This means that most work related disputes may be pursued through the grievance/arbitration procedure.

Article 15 Section 2. Grievance Procedure—Steps
Informal Step A (a)
Informal Step A
(a) Any employee who feels aggrieved must discuss the grievance with
the employee’s immediate supervisor within fourteen (14) days of the
date on which the employee or the Union first learned or may reasonably
have been expected to have learned of its cause. This constitutes
the Informal Step A filing date. The employee, if he or she so desires,
may be accompanied and represented by the employee’s steward or a
Union representative. During the meeting the parties are encouraged to
jointly review all relevant documents to facilitate resolution of the dispute.
The Union also may initiate a grievance at Informal Step A within
14 days of the date the Union first became aware of (or reasonably
should have become aware of) the facts giving rise to the grievance. In
such case the participation of an individual grievant is not required. An
Informal Step A Union grievance may involve a complaint affecting
more than one employee in the office. JCAM 2009 page 15-2

If a letter carrier instead files his or her own grievance, management
must give the steward or other union representative the opportunity to
be present during any portion of the discussion which involves adjustment
or settlement of the grievance (see the pre-arbitration settlement
H7N-5R-C 26829, April 2, 1982 M-01065).

So, anybody can file a grievance. But, when it comes to an adjustment or settlement, the union must take over. By doing it yourself, you'll send a message to your steward, and others. Good luck.

Edited by author 02-05-2010 06:36 PM
Some good news for PTF's:
1. 5 day delivery, if it comes, will come further in the future then once thought. People kept saying October 2010 but now the earliest it can happen is Summer 2011. Knowing the Postal Service's propensity to stall and delay, there is hope it may never happen. Check out this link http://courierexpressandpostal.blogspot.co...ery-inevitable.html
2. My branch president the other day (I am part of a large NALC branch in the northeast) announced that my district will not be implementing FSS until November at the earliest (it was supposed to be implemented now) Nationally, there is a problem with the feeder mechanism.
3. There may be an retirement incentive for carriers soon.

Yea being a ptf sucks, management send u to any station, and ur not guarantted the 40hrs. Im thinking about getting out of the union, they are not doing anything for us ptf's, I know some ptf who have 2months more seniority than I, who are already regular for the past 2 years. Union are not doing there job, lets unified, and get out of the union and see what they can do without us ptfs.

Thank you NEcarrier for your help and everyone who helped me. The union doesnt help as much as say one of you guys would. I pressed them for help and I am going forward with a grievance and eeoc. I will let you knwop how it turns out.

/m4547 Good luck!