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MS 1 BEM Staffing UpdatesIdowu BalogunJune 3, 2019
(This article first appeared in the May/June 2019 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine) 
Building Equipment Maintenance (BEM) Mechanics are responsible for maintaining postal building infrastructures, namely (1) Building Electrical Systems (HVAC) and (2) plumbing, air compression, elevators, dock levelers, dock doors, power distribution, switch gears, and power panels. BEM Mechanics must use the MS1 Handbook Manual to calculate required staffing.
In May 2016, the Postal Service issued a new MS1 TL 5, proposing draconian changes to the then-current MS1 TL 4 Handbook. The APWU filed a dispute, and Maintenance Division Director Balogun was the assigned case officer. In 2017, Arbitrator Goldberg concluded the dispute by remanding the case back to APWU and USPS to resolve.
After the decision, APWU and the Postal Service began meeting immediately to resolve the dispute. We met for the past year to address the remanded part of the decision.
Below is our progress so far:
  1. Over a period of two months, we negotiated, line by line, acceptable preventative time allowances, frequencies, space adjustments and miscellaneous time allowances.
  2. The USPS, along with APWU National Officers, participated in Beta Testing in Phoenix, AZ in January 2019.
  3. The USPS and APWU participated in Beta Testing in Manchester, NH in February 2019.
The parties will meet once the Postal Service’s “input” has been collected and completed for three selected sites. The USPS and APWU will continue negotiations for the foreseeable future. The agreement between the parties is summed up as follows:
“The APWU will be provided the final draft(s) for review and concurrence prior to publication.” The USPS has not yet fulfilled this requirement.In Dec. 2018, while still meeting about MS1 TL 5, we were notified that the Postal Service issued another MS1 Handbook changes, called MS 1 TL 6. We immediately requested for meetings regarding these changes. Meetings on MSI TL5 and MS1 TL6 are still ongoing.

NCED Visit March 2019On March 6–8, 2019, we visited the National Center for Employee Development (NCED) Training Center. We met with over 60 students at an evening session on March 7, 2019. The next day, we met with the NCED Managers and National Support Technician (NST) Managers to discuss concerns raised during the students/union meeting.
  • We were able to resolve a majority of your concerns, as follows:
  • The two APWU Bulletin boards were returned to the living area immediately.
  • New popcorn machines will be delivered soon.
  • Food temperature will be monitored daily. If not up to standards, you are encouraged to contact the Kitchen Manager immediately.
  • Automatic Parcel and Bundle Sorter (APBS) courses are in the process of being separated into Basic and Advanced.
  • Soda and coffee machines were moved inside the buffet area, not eliminated.
  • Bed replacements are on a cycle and are being looked into, with feedback forthcoming.
Students are encouraged to visit NCED.com to familiarize themselves with the resources available during their stay, including special diets and emergency numbers while at the center. Our role is to help you be as comfortable as possible while away from home and family. We pledge to continue visiting NCED no less than twice a year. We will continue updating students of our visitation dates.
  Dallas Area Local welcomes James Chrestman. James was appointed by a unanimous decision of the Executive Board to the vacant position of Assistant Maintenance Craft Director. We would like to also thank former Assistant Director and Steward Timberly Lyimo for all of her years of service to the Dallas Area Local, we appreciated you dedication, positive attitude and services to the Maintenance Craft and we thank you.  
APWU Maintenance Division and USPS resolved two national disputes, Q15T-4Q-C 17340522 and Q15T -4Q-C 17340479, and National Labor Relations Board charge concerning the wages, hours and working conditions of a small but united occupational group, Electronic Technicians Level 11 (ET-11s). To view the full agreement click here 
Safety Is Its Own Reward
Safety Is Its Own Reward(This article first appeared in the May-June 2017 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.)
By Maintenance Craft Directors 
The Lehigh Valley Processing & Distribution Center was issued a fine of nearly $100,000 by OSHA for extensive “willful” safety violations. OSHA found the $99,630 violation willful because the Postal Service failed in their “ongoing responsibility [to] ensure the adherence to the machine specific procedures to affect the necessary energy control for each system component.”
More specifically, OSHA charged a violation of 29 CFR 1910.147(d)(2) because “the machine or equipment was not turned off or shut down using the procedures established for the machine or equipment.” Those procedures are contained in the Electrical Work Procedures Maintenance Management Order (MMO) and machine specific Energy Control Procedure MMOs, such as MMO 037-15, which applies to the Automated Package Processing System (APPS).
A ‘Running’ Example
Reportedly, the Postal Service required repair work on the induct line of an APPS machine while the equipment was running.
The Maintenance Division sent out information earlier to the field about a safety issue on the APPS. It was highlighted in a Safety Bulletin, sent as MMO 069-08, dated July 3, 2008. This was necessary because, as the title of the MMO said, there could be an unexpected startup of the induction belts under certain conditions.
These conditions involved maintenance work and the bulletin warned that, “To prevent personal injury or death, the following precautions are to be followed…” The bulletin continued with four bullet points outlining the safety issues and the statement that USPS Engineering and the vendor were working on a solution.
By April 26, 2010, management issued MMO 039-10, rescinding the prior MMO regarding the unexpected start-up of the induction belts. After the unexpected start-up problem was fixed, specific safety procedures were listed. These included admonitions to not defeat an interlock switch without authorization, to stop the machine before opening any access door and to follow the prescribed safety procedures. Other requirements included that auto induction lane 1 should be stopped prior to entering and working in the area. This was to prevent the risk of personal injury beyond the interlock controlled induction area access gate.
Unfortunately, local management wanted our mechanics and technicians to perform maintenance functions on the auto inductions lane inside the APPS while the machine was running. Local management believed that the Maintenance Technical Support Center (MTSC) in Norman, OK supported their position.
Thankfully, a rightfully concerned mechanic contacted the local union, resulting in consultation and information from the Maintenance NBA and headquarters Maintenance Division officers.
As a reminder to all, you can find further information on the Hazardous Energy Control Program (Lockout) in MMO 033-05 and the Electrical Work Plan in MMO 023-13. The document which “establishes policy and requirements for an electrical work plan (EWP)” is Management Instruction (MI) EL-810-2013-5.
All the documents listed here should be available locally.
Safety is Serious Business
It should be obvious that safety is its own reward. Following the sometimes inconvenient procedures required ensures your own safety and health, providing the best chance of avoiding injury at work. It is easy to engage in a kind of gallows humor about how the employer will put the bottom line ahead of individual well-being, but safety is serious business.
Employers are serious about cost avoidance, and we must be serious about enforcing our rights to a safe and healthful work location and procedures. Rushing to shortcut things is NOT in the best interests of anyone, employer or employee. The extra time and cost, if any, necessary to perform your duties in a safe and effective manner is an investment for which the reward is not being injured or killed.
Our sincere thanks go to the officers and members of the Lehigh Valley, PA Area Local and to Vice President Chris Day for swift and appropriate action. We hope and trust that the citation for a repeated and willful violation, with a hefty monetary cost, will deter the Postal Service from putting us at risk. But, to ensure our own safety, we must, as the members did in Lehigh Valley, insist on enforcement of the safety and health rules.
How to Get a Custodial Staffing Review(This article first appeared in the January/February 2019 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine) 
By Maintenance Division Director Idowu Balogun
A staffing review is an important tool for protecting Maintenance Craft jobs, and we encourage locals to request reviews if there is a valid reason to believe that your office is understaffed under TL 3 or TL 5. Staffing packages in the Maintenance Division can be broken into two general categories: custodial staffing and mechanized staffing.
Custodial staffing is determined by following the step-by-step process outlined in the MS-47 Handbook, Housekeeping Postal Facilities. Management is required to abide by the handbook and to maintain the results of a proper staffing package. Three basic forms are involved:
• PS Form 4869, Building Inventory
• PS Form 4839, Frequency of Cleaning
• PS Form 4852, Work Hour Analysis
Mechanized staffing determines the number of noncustodial positions (for example, Electronic Technician, Maintenance Mechanic, Building Equipment Mechanic and Maintenance Control Clerk) in an installation, using a program called e-WHEP, the electronic Work Hour Estimator Program. The e-WHEP was designed for use in the mail processing plant and NDC environments, but it also includes sections for building equipment, administrative, and field maintenance staffing.
Paperless Review Requests
To have your staffing package reviewed by a national staffing advocate – remotely or by a field visit – you must do the following:
1. Request a complete copy of the most current staffing package in an electronic format (PDF) from your local manager or Postmaster. Your request should indicate whether you are interested in custodial staffing, mechanized staffing, or both.
2. Once you receive the information from management, you must review Form 4869, Building Inventory, for accuracy, and complete a list of discrepancies. (See below.)
3. Your local president must submit an “e-Request to Review” letter by sending an e-mail to MaintStaffing@apwu.org. Please be sure to specify what you are requesting and who the local point of contact (POC) will be. Please include phone numbers and an e-mail address.
4. Attach a copy of the staffing package, as a PDF, and the list of discrepancies to your request.
5. If you have a previous staffing package, attach that as a PDF as well for comparison purposes.
TL 3 or TL 5 Staffing: Determining Discrepancies
A complete list of discrepancies is essential to conducting an accurate and effective staffing review. The list is generated by verifying the accuracy of PS Form 4869, which itemizes inventory. Follow the guidelines below:
• If an item is missing, you must add it to your list.
• If a frequency of cleaning differs from what is listed on Form 4839, you must note it on your list.
• If the square footage of a location has been reduced, you must note it on your list.
• If the building has been expanded, you must note it on your list.
• If custodians are performing non-custodial duties in addition to their custodial work, identify the tasks, and indicate the number of minutes per day and the number of days per year the tasks are being performed. Examples include delivering Express Mail, raising or lowering flags, recycling duties, etc. It is not enough to simply identify the tasks. Including all the information listed above is crucial.
Using the Custodian Staffing TL 3 or TL 5 Program
The MS-47 Staffing Program developed by Maintenance Craft officers is designed to enable staffing advocates and/or local union officials to verify the custodian staffing packages given to them by local management in three simple steps.