Body § 7.1 NA2016

§ 7.1 Definition and Use

1. Regular Work Force
   
   The regular work force shall be comprised of two categories of employees which are as follows:
   1. Full-Time
      Employees in this category shall be hired pursuant to such procedures as the Employer may establish and shall be assigned to regular schedules consisting of five (5) eight (8) hour days in a service week.
   2. Part-Time
      Employees in this category shall be hired pursuant to such procedures as the Employer may establish and shall be assigned to regular schedules of less than forty (40) hours in a service week, or shall be available to work flexible hours as assigned by the Employer during the course of a service week.
2. Supplemental Work Force
1. The Supplemental work force shall be comprised of casual employees. Casual employees in all postal installations may be hired for a term not to exceed 360 calendar days per appointment.
2. During the course of a service week, the Employer will make every effort to insure that qualified and available part-time flexible employees are utilized at the straight time rate prior to assigning such work to casuals. The number of casuals who may be employed in any accounting period, other than the two (2) accounting periods per fiscal year identified as set forth below, shall not exceed 3.0%, on an installation basis, of the total number of career employees covered by this Agreement. The Employer shall notify the Union, at the National level and at the appropriate installation, of which two (2) accounting periods in each fiscal year during which it may exceed the 3.0% limitation in that installation; such notice will be provided at least six (6) months in advance of the beginning date of the affected accounting period(s). The Employer will provide the Union at the installation level with an accounting period report listing the number of mail handler casuals at each installation. This report will be provided within fourteen (14) days of the close of the accounting period. In the event that the Employer exceeds the 3.0% limitation, a remedy, if any, will be determined by the individual facts and on a case-by-case basis.
   
   [See Letters, pages 133-135]
3. Mail Handler Assistant Employees (MHAs)
• • • Unformatted***
1. The Mail Handler Assistant (MHA) employee work force shall be comprised of noncareer bargaining unit employ- ees. 2. During the course of a service week, in postal installa- tions with less than 200 man years of employment, the Employ- er will make every effort to ensure that qualified and available part-time flexible employees, if there are any in the installation, are utilized at the straight-time rate prior to assigning such work to MHAs and/or casuals, provided that the reporting guarantee for MHAs is met. This sentence also shall apply to larger instal- lations during the limited period in which they continue to em- ploy part-time flexible employees. 3. The total number of MHAs within a district will not ex- ceed 18.5% of the total number of career mail handlers in that district, but not more than 23.5% in any installation. The Em- ployer will provide the Union at the National level with an ac- counting period report listing the number of MHAs at each in- stallation and in each district. This report will be provided with- in fourteen (14) days of the close of the accounting period. In the event that the Employer exceeds the 18.5% limitation by dis- trict, or the 23.5% limitation by installation, a remedy, if any, will be determined by the individual facts and on a case-by-case basis. 4. Any non-NPMHU bargaining unit employee on light or limited duty in the mail handler craft or on a rehabilitation as- signment in the mail handler craft who does not hold a bid as- signment will not be counted as a career employee for the pur- pose of determining the number of MHAs who may be em- ployed in the mail handler craft. 5. MHAs shall be hired from an appropriate register pursu- ant to such procedures as the Employer may establish. They will be hired for terms of 360 calendar days per appointment. Such employees have no daily or weekly work hour guarantees. MHAs will have a break in service of 5 days if reappointed. In addition, any MHA who is scheduled to work and who reports to work in an installation with 200 or more man years of employ- ment shall be guaranteed four (4) hours of work or pay. MHAs at smaller installations will be guaranteed two (2) hours work or pay. (The preceding Section, Article 7.1C, shall apply to Mail Handler Assistant employees.) [See Memo, page 136]