ARTICLE 12 PRINCIPLES OF SENIORITY POSTING AND REASSIGNMENTS R2022
ARTICLE 12 PRINCIPLES OF SENIORITY POSTING AND REASSIGNMENTS Section 12.2 Principles of Seniority E Relative Standing of Part-Time Flexibles and Mail Handler Assistants
Explanation: The change updates the heading to include MHAs who already are covered by the body of this section. ARTICLE 12 PRINCIPLES OF SENIORITY POSTING AND REASSIGNMENTS Section 12.2 Principles of Seniority F Changes in Which Seniority is Lost Except as specifically provided elsewhere in this Agreement an employee begins a new period of seniority: F1 When the change is at the employee's request: F1a From one postal installation to another, the employee will begin a new period of seniority as a part-time flexible or, in an installation with 200 26
or more man years, as a full-time regular. [if such status is available in the installation.] F1b From another craft to the Mail Handler craft, the employee will begin a new period of seniority as a part-time flexible or, in an installation with 200 or more man years, as a full-time regular. [if such status is available in the installation.] Explanation: These changes clarify that a mail handler or another craft employee who, by their own request, chooses to transfer from one facility to one with over 200 years of experience among its employees, that the employee gaining a position in the mail handler craft will start a new period of seniority as a full-time regular. ARTICLE 12 PRINCIPLES OF SENIORITY POSTING AND REASSIGNMENTS Section 12.2 Principles of Seniority Section G Changes in Which Seniority is Retained, Regained, or Restored G5 Failure to Meet Qualification Standards. When an employee is returned to the Mail Handler craft for not being able to meet the qualification standards for a job in the same installation, the employee shall regain former Mail Handler seniority which shall not include the period of intervening employment in the other craft. Explanation: This change to Article 12.2G5 makes clear that employees who leave the mail handler craft but then fail to meet qualification standards in their new craft and thus return to mail handler would regain their former MH seniority for the period of time they were employed in the intervening craft. For example, if a Mail Handler of 8 months transfers to the Letter Carrier craft for two months and fails their driving test, they may return to the mail handler craft with only the original 8 months of seniority in the mail handler craft. ARTICLE 12 PRINCIPLES OF SENIORITY POSTING AND REASSIGNMENTS Section 12.2 Principles of Seniority G8 Except as otherwise specifically provided for in this Agreement, effective the date of this Agreement, when it is necessary to resolve a tie in seniority between two or more Mail Handler craft employees, the following criteria shall apply in the order set forth below:
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G8a. Prior to March 25, 2023: [G8a] i Total continuous postal career service in the Mail Handler craft within the installation. [G8b] ii Total postal career service in the Mail Handler craft within the installation. [G8c] iii Total postal career service in the Mail Handler craft. [G8d] iv Total postal career service within the installation. [G8e] v Total postal career service. [G8f] vi Total Federal service as shown in the service computation date. [G8g] vii Numerical by the last 3 or more numbers (using enough numbers to break the tie but not fewer than 3 numbers) of the employee's social security number, from the lowest to highest. G8b. On or after March 25, 2023: i. Total continuous postal career service in the Mail Handler craft within the installation. ii. Total postal career service in the Mail Handler craft within the installation. iii. Total postal career service in the Mail Handler craft. iv. Total postal service in the Mail Handler craft. v. Total postal career service within the installation. vi. Total postal career service. vii. Total Federal service as shown in the service computation date. viii. Numerical by the last 3 or more numbers (using enough numbers to break the tie but not fewer than 3 numbers) of the employee's Employee Identification Number (EIN), from the lowest to highest. Explanation: These changes are meant to provide that, effective prospectively beginning on March 23, 2023, the seniority tiebreakers will take account of “Total postal service in the Mail Handler craft” before their “Total postal career service within the installation.” This will give former MHAs priority over employees with prior service in another craft.
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The final tie breaker also is changed from last three or more numbers of the relevant Social Security Numbers to the last three or more numbers in the relevant Employee Identification Number. ARTICLE 12 PRINCIPLES OF SENIORITY POSTING AND REASSIGNMENTS Section 12.3 Principles of Posting B In the Mail Handler Craft, Vacant Craft Duty Assignments Will Be Posted for Bid as follows:
B6 No assignment will be posted because of change in starting time unless the change exceeds an hour. Any change in starting time that exceeds one (1) hour shall be posted for bid, except when there is a permanent change in starting time of more than one hour and up to and including four hours, the incumbent shall have the option to accept such new reporting time. If the incumbent does not accept the new reporting time, the incumbent shall become an unassigned full-time regular, and the assignment will be posted for bid. A change in start time of an assignment exceeding four (4) hours will include cumulative changes within the life of this Agreement. Cumulative changes must be within four hours prior and four hours after the start time of the assignment on the ratification date of this Agreement. When an assignment is posted for bid, the start time at the effective date of the bid will become the new point from which the cumulative changes are measured. Explanation: Incumbent Mail Handlers who do not accept a new reporting time that changes the original reporting time from between one to four hours will become an unassigned full-time regular, and the assignment that they were slotted to fill will be posted for bid. ARTICLE 12 PRINCIPLES OF SENIORITY POSTING AND REASSIGNMENTS Section 12.3 Principles of Posting E Successful Bidder E3 Normally, an employee shall work the duty assignment for which the employee has been designated the successful bidder. However, when an
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employee is moved off the employee's duty assignment, the employee shall not be replaced by another employee. For temporary reassignments not covered by Article 25, the movement of people outside the bid assignment area will be as follows: E3a employees from other crafts performing work in accordance with Articles 7 or 13; E3b MHAs; E3c part-time flexible employees; E3d full-time flexible employees; E3e[d] part-time regular employees; E3f[e] full-time regular Mail Handler employees; E3g[f] the order of movement of full-time regular Mail Handler employees in .3E3f[e], above shall be a subject for local negotiations; however, if an agreement is not reached at the local level, the matter will be referred to the Area Manager, Human Resources and the Regional Director, Mail Handlers Union for settlement. Explanation: The changes to this subsection integrate the full-time flexible employees (caused by the MOU on automatic conversion of MHAs) into the pecking order for making temporary reassignments.