Sisters, brothers, cousins, and others!
We just had a consultation to discuss electronic bidding, and it is here fast! March 10th is their implementation date. This will be for all Group 1 & Group 2 workers. We were assured (on the record) by PC&R that all sups have been trained in how to do the bidding on their computer systems, and on our PDTs. They will be willing & available to help show a member how to do the bid themselves. If a member is not comfortable using those technologies, the sup will be able to submit the bid for them, with the worker’s assistance. If for some reason a sup is unavailable to help a member bid, they have asked that the member please contact a steward, and then have that steward contact PC&R to report the sup & the time, so that they can follow up with that sup & explain that they need to help workers when requested.
Members won’t have access to route information online, so at this point we still have to look at books to learn about the schedules. At this point, this is only for monthly/ownership bids. The LTAs will be done the regular way, by submitting paper bids using the regular process. To make the process slightly less confusing, members will only have access to the bids for their group. This means that P04s won’t see letter carrier walks or MSC schedules, and vice versa. Transfers will still be done using the normal means, so that shouldn’t be impacted either.
I imagine that a lot of us are nervous of how this will roll out, as this is a significant change! I do feel that it’s a good step for us in the long run. In the future, having members be able to look at route information online and submit their bids from their home, will make things a lot easier for people. Remember that if anyone could use some help, they can call the office any time. 604 685 6581.
I hope everyone has a great day!
In solidarity,
Joseph Henderson McCance
1st Vice President CUPW Vancouver Local 846