Branch 920

        DRT new address
       3190 South 70th St.
       Phila., Pa. 19153                                                                       Ų Letter Carrier Pay Chart

Ų There was no projected accumulation toward the sixth cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for letter carriers, based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) December 16 release of November Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures.

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Ų Registration under way for 2010 food drive: President Rolando is challenging all branches to increase their effort in the 2010 drive, scheduled for Saturday, May 8

From the NALC Bulletin:

Let Let me make the following clear to one and all, including Postal Service management at headquarters and in the field, and all letter carriers, at every level in the union and in every post office: No one, at any level, has any authority to amend or violate the national contract, period.

I continue to receive calls from branch officers who inform me that local managers have approached them and attempted to secure agreements to violate the national contract. These same managers have the audacity to suggest that I am cooperating with the Postal Service and that they should, too!

The plain fact is that I encourage cooperation with the Postal Service because I realize the current financial crisis requires cooperation, where appropriate.

If any manager approaches you with a suggestion for creative ooperation, advise them to send their ideas to USPS headquarters, which will then make the determination whether to present such ideas to us. Some of the ideas floating around now are not grounded in common sense. For example, the idea of prohibiting all carriers from working their nonscheduled day off, and then requiring non-ODL carriers to work overtime is a clear violation of the contract – one we will stop through the grievance procedure, and one that will cost the USPS dearly in the end. We must be mindful of the critical difference between contract amendment/contract violation on the one hand, and creative, positive cooperation on the other.

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Ų The Family and Medical Leave Act guarantees each letter carrier up to 12 weeks of leave each postal leave year, for:
A new child in the family—by birth, by adoption or by placement in foster care;
Caring for a family member with a serious health condition; or
The employee's own serious health condition that prevents him or her from performing the job.

Ų Contains Interpretations Endorsed by NALC and USPS: The JCAM contains the authoritative, agreed-upon interpretations of the National Agreement. The National Association of Letter Carriers and the United States Postal Service have agreed at the national level that this is the definitive interpretation of the contract.
Is Binding on Both Parties: Postal managers and NALC representatives at all levels are required to follow the JCAM's interpretations of the contract.
Should Be Used to Settle Disputes: The JCAM should be used by the local parties to help resolve disputes and should be introduced in the expedited and regular arbitration forums.

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