UPDATE – March 25, 2014: PubCom, PPC problems, Rest pod problems, LC and MSC staffing problems and more…

UPDATE – March 25, 2014: PubCom, PPC problems, Rest pod problems, LC and MSC staffing problems and more…

Publication Committee

One of my duties as the Education Director is to be the spokesperson for the Publication Committee on the Executive Committee. The Publication Committee is charged with producing two specific publications.

One is the Postal Worker and the other is the Update. The Update was a single sheet publication that went out on a regular basis – either weekly or monthly throughout the Local. We have not produced it for sometime; I believe that it is time to resurrect it.

The basic idea is that members across the Local write a few paragraphs as to the issues in their work location or section.

If anyone would like to write and help in the publication of the Update or Postal Worker, please come to the General Membership Meeting in April and put your name forward. If you can’t attend but still would like to help, you can put your name forward by sending your nomination and acceptance in writing to the Union Hall.

PPC Opened

The new Pacific Processing Plant opened on February 24th and there were many bugs that need to be worked out.

The Corporation has now moved the VPDC operations and most of the VMPP will have moved in this week.

The move for the Vancouver Exchange Office (Inbound) section will be delayed until April 27th, or possibly longer, due to problems with the installation of equipment.

Some of the Problems at the PPC

There are so many issues that are happening at the PPC that it is impossible to list all of them in this short space.

The non-conveyable parcels jam the belt system constantly. Anything that is not a standard shape or size or that is cylindrical is non-conveyable. If they get on the belt by accident, they will stop the belt. You can not have your lettertainer or streetletter collection containers (SO95) too full or it will tip and stop the belt. Small packets are jamming the belt sensors and most of the day you will see the GLT members with long sticks trying to poke packets back on the belt and unjam the system.

The system must be cleared before you can restart re-feeding the belts and we have had some supervisors telling members to continue to feed as soon as their section is clear and this has lead to more shut downs of the systems.

There are many more problems that we will highlight in upcoming updates and bulletins.

Rest Pods

The Rest Pods (as the employer calls them) are full of dust and noise when members are trying to take their breaks.

One thing is clear, is that the noise in this Plant is very high, contrary to the claims of new equipment and how quiet it would be. There are areas in this plant where you have to talk at a high volume to be heard.

It may be that the noise level is within the levels of the Labour Code, but continually having to work in these noisy areas will affect people’s hearing in the long run and should be taken seriously by CPC.

Lunchrooms not Rest Pods

We need better lunchrooms to stop all this noise pollution. There is dust everywhere in the Rest Pods and this is where we take our breaks. This will only get worse as the plant fills with letter mail and more people.

Let them Eat Cake

Marie Antoinette and CPC appear to have the same attitude. The Corporate Elite can eat at the cafeteria while the worker can not eat there. It is clear that the cafeteria was built for the managers, supervisors and administration staff. They don’t have to worry about swiping in and out for lunch, so they don’t have to worry about what time they return from their breaks.

With the processing clerks needing to walk 10 to 15 minutes to get to the cafeteria and the employer saying that the walk is on your rest time, not very many members can get there and back during their breaks. The cafeteria would have been better if it was built in the middle of the Plant so that the ones with a timed lunch and coffee could use it.

This needs to be looked at from a National Level as this is just wrong.

Cuts for the MSCs

The Corporation has given the National and Local the numbers it anticipates for the job cuts in the MSC section through to the end of the PT rollout, believed to be sometime in 2016. CPC has not confirmed the end date at this time.

In February, the CPC supplied the following:

These are drastic numbers and the Union is working at trying to lessen this impact. The Local believes that the Corporation is removing all the part time MSCs at Depot 74, which makes no sense and we will be arguing that these positions should stay.
What it appears from the employer’s information is that the total loss will be 85.5 full-time equivalent positions.

CPC states that of the 80 part-time MSCs only 23 will remain. 7 for the weekend, 7 for VPDC operations, and 9 at the Hub and “T” schedules.

The 27 part-time Depot 74 MSCs will be eliminated and only 17 full-time MSCs with 5 relief will be left at the Hub. At the PPC, there will be a loss of 5 full-time and 20 part-time including reliefs. The total number of positions left from the current number of 247 will be 130.

Board Rules Motion Out of Order

The January motion passed at the membership meeting on the freeze to the MSC transfer list has been ruled out of order by the National Executive Board.

In Solidarity,

Pat Bertrand Education Director
Publication Committee

Cuts for Letter Carriers and PO4s

So far we have received two official notices from the Corporation relating to the Postal Transformation impact on the first Letter Carrier depots that are now scheduled for restructures. These notices include depots from other Locals in the region and as such do not provide a clear breakdown of the numbers of positions that Canada Post is estimating will be lost in the Vancouver Local. We recently received an unofficial estimation of the numbers for Vancouver and they indicate that there will be a loss of approximately 73 full-time equivalent Letter Carrier positions as a result of the restructures that are slated to implement between October 20, 2014 and June 15, 2015. Canada Post has also indicated that there will be a further loss during this period of approximately 28.5 full-time equivalent PO4 positions in Vancouver Delivery.

Restructure implementation schedule:

NV 3/NV 4: Richmond 22: RDC 23/24: Depot 74/99: Mountain View: Station K:

October 20, 2014 January 19, 2015 January 19, 2015 May 11, 2015 June 15, 2015 June 15, 2015

We have been verbally informed that Depot 74/99, MountainView and Station K will be moving to a new location that is under construction at Woodland and Hastings. We do not have an official confirmation of which depots will move to Woodland, or when.

Volume counts will be starting over the next two months for the North Van and Richmond depots. Union representatives, along with Chris Zukowsky our Local’s 1st Vice President, are preparing information and training materials to help Letter Carriers ready themselves for these restructures.

Canada Post has given assurances that the job security provisions of the Collective Agreement will be followed. They have stated that their intention is to use natural attrition (retirements, resignations and so on) to make whatever staffing adjustments are required.

We are continuing to pressure the employer to provide our members with specific information relating to the significant changes that Postal Transformation is bringing to our workplace. National consultations have been stalled for several months now, but are to resume within the next few weeks.

In Solidarity,

Kim Evans
President