Workplace issues

James D. Henry

NALC’s Contract Administration Unit oversees contract enforcement efforts at the highest level. The group of several NALC officers and staffers, headed by Vice President James D. Henry:

Contract Talk

“Contract Talk” is a regular column in NALC’s national membership magazine, The Postal Record.

Written by members of NALC’s Contract Administration Unit (CAU), the Contract Talk column provides advice on selected issues of interest to NALC contract enforcers. It appears generally monthly.

Click here to read the latest articles.

“Advanced Formal A and Beyond”

“Advanced Formal A and Beyond” is for NALC activists who have some experience at Formal Step A. The focus of this program is to teach participants to look at every Formal Step A case file from an arbitration advocate’s point of view. This training also sharpens the skills needed for enforcing the National Agreement at Formal Step A and provides an experience of what it’s like to serve as a Step B representative.

There is a lot of emphasis placed on handling situations where management fails to follow the grievance procedure as required by the National Agreement.

NALC Shop Steward’s Guide & Grievance Starters

The shop steward’s job is difficult and demanding. The NALC Shop Steward’s Guide is a resource for the front-line steward that goes beyond the language of the National Agreement and Joint Contract Administration Manual (JCAM) by providing more in-depth information on grievance handling and how to effectively handle the day to day situations shop stewards encounter. The Shop Stewards Guide also contains "Grievance Starters" to aid members on how to effectively process grievances on a variety of day to day topics.

The NALC Shop Steward’s Guide is written for every steward/activist who handles grievances at the Informal Step A and/or Formal Step A of the grievance procedure. It has a step-by-step guide for what to do and what happens before, during and after each step of the grievance procedure from Informal Step A all the way to arbitration. This includes advice on how to handle matters when management fails/refuses to participate in the grievance procedure as required by our contract with the USPS. There also are individual sections on topics such as time limits for grievances, investigative interviews, information requests, remedies, tips for writing statements, grievance-handling forms and more. The samples in the grievance-handling forms section can be tailored for branch use.

The NALC Shop Steward’s Guide along with many Grievance Starters is available on the Members Only portal. The NALC Shop Steward’s Guide is written for every NALC member who handles grievances at the Informal Step A and/or Formal Step A of the grievance procedure. Any other versions of the Shop Stewards Guide or Toolkit are obsolete and will no longer be available. The guide will only be available through the Members Only portal. This will allow NALC to update the guide in real time and ensure all stewards, activists and members have access.

To access the guide, from the NALC website log on to the “Members Only” portal, and click the “Member Documents” button where you will find the Shop Steward’s Guide and the available Grievance Starters in the drop down menu.

DRT-STEP B training

DRT-STEP B training is a joint certification program with the USPS and is an intensive week-long training. The training covers and examines relevant topics, including contract application, decision writing, computer-based research and dispute resolution skills. Most participants selected by the NALC to attend are shop stewards or branch officers who have exhibited the ability to work with management in a professional manner and are able to successfully complete the training.

The NALC participants are selected by their National Business Agent (NBA) to attend the rigorous week-long training. Participants should have extensive grievance handling experience at the Informal Step and Formal Step A levels, and have the ability to apply the terms of the National Agreement and JCAM when decisioning grievances.

If you are interested in becoming a Step B representative, you will need to contact your National Business Agent’s office as all recommendations for participants will be submitted by the NBAs.

Arbitration Advocate training

Arbitration Advocate training is for NALC activists who have experience processing grievances at the lower levels of the grievance procedure. These members have been recognized by their National Business Agent to attend the training and successfully advocate cases before an arbitrator. This training sharpens the skills needed for successfully presenting a case appealed to Arbitration and delivering the arguments made at the lower levels of the grievance process.

The NALC has negotiated an extremely effective grievance procedure. Consequently the vast majority of all grievances are resolved at the lower steps of the procedure. One of the reasons for our success is that we have “final and binding” arbitration. The certain knowledge that we will pursue meritorious grievances all the way to arbitration forces the Postal Service to resolve most grievances at the lower steps. Arbitration is where we fight out our most difficult and contentious issues.

News and Updates

NALC and USPS agree to a moratorium on the time limits for the processing of all grievances due to NALC's 73rd Biennial National Convention

M-02004 can be found in NALC’s Materials Reference System.

Maximum annual leave carryover amount of 520 hours extended into the 2025 leave year

NALC and the United States Postal Service have agreed to a memorandum of understanding (M-02002) extending the annual leave carryover limit.

Collective bargaining update

To build on recent progress in negotiations, NALC and USPS representatives have agreed to spend an additional week in early July in a hotel to work toward reaching agreement on the few economic and non-economic issues that remain unresolved.

NALC Activist publication revitalized; Winter 2024 edition now available online

The NALC Activist is a newsletter intended for shop stewards, branch officers and all local NALC leaders.

National rap session to be held Nov. 17-19 in New Orleans

The 2023 NALC national conference, or “rap session,” is set for Nov. 17-19 at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside.

Two additional installations added to all-career model

NALC and USPS have agreed to memorandum of agreement (M-01988) pursuant to the May 24, 2022, Memorandum of Understanding Re: City Delivery Staffing Adjustment – Hiring Part-Time Flexible City Letter Carriers (M-01986).

Advanced Formal A and Beyond Training Program set for Feb. 24–March 1 and Sept. 14–20, 2024; apply now

Learn more about the training program that is held at the Maritime Institute in Linthicum Heights, MD.

Six additional installations added to all-career model

NALC and USPS have agreed to memorandum of agreement (M-01988) pursuant to the May 24, 2022, Memorandum of Understanding Re: City Delivery Staffing Adjustment – Hiring Part-Time Flexible City Letter Carriers (M-01986).

Bid counts renewed effective May 21, 2023

The USPS and NALC have renewed the bidding procedures outlined in Article 12.3.A of the National Agreement, effective May 21, 2023.

NALC and USPS continue contract negotiations

NALC and the Postal Service have agreed to continue negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement.

Seven additional installations added to all-career model

NALC and USPS have agreed to memorandum of agreement (M-01988) pursuant to the May 24, 2022, Memorandum of Understanding Re: City Delivery Staffing Adjustment – Hiring Part-Time Flexible City Letter Carriers (M-01986).

Contract negotiations update

On Feb. 22, NALC and the Postal Service officially opened collective bargaining for the 2023 USPS-NALC National Agreement.

Thirteen additional installations added to all-career model

The Postal Service will convert all city carrier assistants to part-time flexible (PTF) career status as well as hire new PTF city letter carriers in these 13 installations.

Rate changes for Step AA part-time flexibles to be implemented

New rates for PTFs in Step AA

Forty-four additional installations added to all-career model

NALC and USPS have agreed to memorandum of agreement (M-01988).

NALC and the Postal Service open negotiations for sixteenth collective bargaining agreement

Today, NALC and the Postal Service formally opened negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement.

Thirty-six additional installations added to all-career model

NALC and USPS have agreed to memorandum of agreement (M-01988) pursuant to the May 24, 2022, Memorandum of Understanding Re: City Delivery Staffing Adjustment – Hiring Part-Time Flexible City Letter Carriers (M-01986).

Two additional installations added to all-career model

NALC and USPS have agreed to memorandum of agreement (M-01988).

11 additional installations added to all-career model

NALC and USPS have agreed to additional memorandums of agreement (M-01988) providing for another 11 installations added to the all-career city letter carrier workforce model.

162 Installations added to all-career model

NALC and USPS have agreed on two additional memorandums of agreement (M-01988) pursuant to the May 24, 2022, Memorandum of Understanding Re: City Delivery Staffing Adjustment – Hiring Part-Time Flexible City Letter Carriers (M-01986).

Customer Connect has been upgraded

In July, city letter carriers were able to begin entering their own customer connect leads and receiving feedback on their submitted leads through the Mobile Delivery Device (MDD), when they are on street mode under option “U”.

Eight additional installations to convert CCAs to career status and directly hire career letter carriers

On Aug. 31, NALC and USPS signed another memorandum of agreement which provides for an additional eight installations in which the Postal Service will convert all city carrier assistants to part-time flexible (PTF) career status.

NALC and USPS agree to moratorium on the time limits for the processing of all grievances due to NALC's 72nd National Convention

The NALC and the USPS have agreed to a moratorium on the time limits for the processing of all grievances at the local, regional, and national levels due to the NALC’s 72nd National Convention to be held in Chicago the week of Aug. 8.

NALC and USPS agree to MOUs to convert CCAs to career status and directly hire career letter carriers in select locations

These MOUs adjust staffing, maintain compliance with the contractual caps on CCA employment in several districts, and move to an all-career model in a number of installations across the country.

Vice President Lew Drass steps down; James Henry appointed

NALC Vice President Lew Drass stepped down from the office of vice president on April 30. President Rolando appointed James Henry of Garden Grove, CA Branch 1100 to fill the vacancy.

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