President's Message November 2009
Canada Post has provided the Union with floor plans for the new mail processing machines for next year. It appears that management is putting 8 new OCR's in the same place currently occupied by 5 OCR's. The Local has posted a copy on the bulletin board at the Hamilton Mail Processing Plant (HMPP) for members to review. The set up looks very congested with not much room to spare and the potential for safety hazards. The Union representatives of the health & safety committee will be raising members concerns regarding the proposal.
Management consulted with the Local over the last two months on a proposal for a manual sort pilot project to be set up beside the current Finals sections at the HMPP. In their proposal management stated they intent to test sort cases with clerks sorting on one side and other clerks dispatching mail on the back side for the entire shift. The Local's position is that this is a technological change under Article 29 of the collective agreement and there has not been sufficient notice or national agreement for such a pilot. The Local asked Management who they were going to get to do the pilot project and they said volunteers. The Local then asked what would happen if they did not get any volunteers and they said clerks would be forced. If this occurs the Local is advising the members to ask for grievance time and to file a grievance.
The Local had consultation with Management October 29, 2009, on the LCD 1, 1st Quality Review. This is a preliminary meeting of the parties which occurs before the restructuring exercise begins. There were a number of concerns raised by the Local but the biggest issue was how Canada Post has captured the mail volumes. There was a 10 day volume count in September and 48 weeks Mail Volume Index (MVI). Management stopped using the MVI and switched to the new Automated Mail Volume Index (AMVI) earlier this year without telling the Local. Apparently the Union was notified in Ottawa. Since that time the Local has identified a number of discrepancies and inaccuracies with the new AMVI. To date, the employer has been unwilling to address our concerns and a grievance will have to be filed in order to get an accurate accounting and mail volume index. The LCD 1 restructure is not going to be implemented until the spring of 2010.
In addition to the floor plans of the new mail processing machines at the HMPP, the Local has received a schedule following National consultation between Canada Post and the Union on the implementation of sequencing into letter carrier routes. Hamilton is on the schedule for the third quarter of 2011 to begin sequencing mail for letter carriers. I was part of the sequencing pilot project in Burlington LCD 8 in 1993 as a letter carrier. I was also part of the Appendix AA Pilot Project at LCD 8 in 2001 that tested a variation of sequencing mail for letter carriers. For those of us who have seen sequencing, and there are a number of letter carriers around the Local who were part the pilot projects, we can tell you the change is quite dramatic. The majority of the mail arrives at the case pre-sorted in lettertainers with nothing more to do then tie it out. The new mail processing machines have redirection capabilities. The employer is currently setting up the flat (magazines, envelopes, etc.) sorting machines to have letter carrier route numbers put on every piece processed.
I have heard some letter carriers say this technology is still experimental but that is not the case. The Americans, and other postal administrations, have had sequencing since the 1990's. There is evidence of negative affects in terms of workplace injuries. We are about to get state of the art sequencing. It is very important for all members that will be affected by this technological change to find out everything they can. Please take advantage of the advance notice we are getting to prepare for the changes and ask questions.
In solidarity,
Mark Platt
President
Hamilton Local 548