Article 35 Alcohol and Drug Recovery Programs NA2022

Article 35 Alcohol and Drug Recovery Programs

§ 35.1 Programs

1. The Employer and the Union express strong support for programs of self-help. The Employer shall provide and maintain a program which shall encompass the education, identification, referral, guidance and follow-up of those employees afflicted by the disease of Alcoholism and/or Drug Abuse. When an employee is referred to EAP by the Employer, the EAP counselor will have a reasonable period of time to evaluate the employee's progress in the program. The parties will meet at the national level at least once every 6 months to discuss existing and new programs. This program of labor-management cooperation shall support the continuation of the EAP Program, at the current level. In addition, the Employer will give full consideration to expansion of the EAP Program where warranted.
2. An employee's voluntary participation in such programs will be considered favorably in disciplinary action proceedings.
3. In offices having EAP Programs the status and progress of the program, including improving methods for identifying alcoholism and drug abuse at its early stages and encouraging employees to obtain treatment without delay, will be proper agenda items for discussion at the local regularly scheduled Labor-Management Committee meetings as provided for in Article 38. Such discussion shall not breach the confidentiality of EAP participants.

§ 35.2 Committees

The Employer and the Union agree to work jointly in the development of the expanded EAP and in improvements in the existing EAP. The Union will continue to be a participating member of the National EAP Committee, already in existence. The Committee will have responsibility for jointly:

1. assessing the effectiveness of EAPs operating inside and outside the USPS; and
2. developing on an ongoing basis the general guidelines with respect to the level of service and the mechanisms by which the services will be provided.

The Committee is not responsible for day-to-day administration of the program. The Committee shall convene at such times and places as it deems appropriate. No action or recommendations may be taken by the Committee except by consensus of its members. In the event that the members of the Committee are unable to agree within a reasonable time on an appropriate course of action with respect to any aspect of its responsibility, the Vice President, Labor Relations, and the National Union Presidents of those EAP-member unions shall meet to resolve such issues.

The Committee will submit to the Vice President, Labor Relations, and the Presidents of the EAP-member unions, a comprehensive report on the general guidelines for changes, if any, in the level of EAP services and the mechanism by which the services will be provided. The Committee is authorized to obtain expert advice and assistance to aid its pursuit of its objectives. The apportionment of any fees and expenses for any such experts shall be by the consensus of the Committee.

The Employer and the Union agree that they will cooperate fully at all levels towards achieving the objectives of the EAP. The parties further agree that NPMHU is entitled to a member on the National EAP Committee, and two voting members and two alternates on each of the District Advisory Committees. Both voting and alternate members will attend the District meetings.

(The preceding Article, Article 35, shall apply to Mail Handler Assistant employees.)