USPS’s Viewpoint on Custodial Team Cleaning – MS-47 TL-5

Posted on by 21cpw User Post

The attached USPS PowerPoint and article in the Professional Retail Store Maintenance magazine extolls the virtues of the USPS transition to a new cleaning methodology called Custodial Team Cleaning. They expect it to reduce 700 full-time equivalent positions.  In exchange the APWU got maintenance PSEs converted to career status and other goodies. The PowerPoint was by Tom Duchesne, Manager Maintenance Operations, and Dominic Bratta, Manager Maintenance Planning and Support in Merrifield VA. Both guys make over $156,000/year.

They listed these local obstacles to overcome:

– Management
– Weak leadership
– Custodians
– Resistance to change
– They know better
– Local Memorandum of Understanding
– Labor agreements that impact team cleaning process
– Complaints to OSHA
– Safety issues reported requiring immediate investigation and response from management
– Extension cord damage by forklift operators
– Frequent requests from custodians for consultation with union steward
– Harassment charges and EEOs filed

The PRSM article is USPS’s new team-cleaning approach enhances custodial workers’ professionalism, leading to healthier, cleaner postal facilities.  In locals that have already implemented MS-47, TL5, what was your experience?

Download [1.46 MB]



First Name: Don
Last Name: Cheney
Email: doncheney@live.com
Union/Local: APWU – Auburn WA Local
Office held if any: Retired President

4 thoughts on “USPS’s Viewpoint on Custodial Team Cleaning – MS-47 TL-5”

  1. Union and NAME of Local/Branch
    APWU - Dallas Local 732
    Office held, if any
    Steward
    Email Address
    roberthoward@dallasapwu.org

    How is the Army of one “Custodian Team Cleaning” going? Not well, I mean in thirty years with the Postal Service, I have never had to stand in urine to urinate until the new and improved “Call This Clean?” system was implemented. And yes, I file 1767s to the same people that implemented the program.

  2. Union and NAME of Local/Branch
    APWU - Boise Local 650
    Email Address
    tony55fortik@gmail.com

    I fully agree with Andy Penza in his comment below. Our office, which is a level 18 office, has me as the sole Custodian Level 05 BMC. This is being implemented by the end of this month – August 2017. I keep my office clean, all 3 stories of it. This CTC cleaning thing is nothing more than the same old situation where a management person who has a relative in the supply biz is making alot of money on this cleaning scheme. My little office will have to fork out 7K and an additional ongoing cintas agreements from now on. It just adds costly unneeded equipment and supplies to existing cleaning equipment supplies, etc. TOTALLY wasteful monetary expenditure on an unneeded venture. Definitely politically motivated by management. Don’t believe me, just look at the guide’s opening sentence – this is mandatory, not optional – and that is all you need to know to get the depravity of postal management who would screw the post office out of millions of dollars in order to get an advantage over our union.

  3. Union and NAME of Local/Branch
    APWU - Auburn WA Local
    Office held, if any
    Retired President
    Email Address
    doncheney@live.com

    What is wrong with using a HEPA-certified canister vacuum with wheels? To support the need for a reasonable accommodation, get a doctor’s note stating your functional limitations. Refer to Reasonable Accommodation for a Back Impairment.

    If reasonable accommodation is denied, you could retain an employment law attorney on a contingency basis to represent you on an EEO complaint. If continuing medical attention is needed, consider filing OWCP Form CA-2 for an occupational injury. A medical doctor (MD or OD) would need to say “more likely than not” that your medical condition is due to your work, or was aggravated by your work, and explain why.

    It is illegal for an employer to fire, demote, transfer or otherwise retaliate against a worker for reporting an injury or illness. If you believe you have been retaliated against in any way, file a whistleblower complaint within 30 days of the alleged retaliation at Whistleblowers.gov.

  4. Union and NAME of Local/Branch
    APWU - Boise Idaho Local 650
    Office held, if any
    Shop Steward
    Email Address
    penzoil302@gmail.com

    This Custodial Team Cleaning is crazy. In theory it could work ok. But our facility is looking dirtier than ever. Plus, most of our custodians’ backs or shoulders hurt from the vacuum backpacks. We were told that we will get a fit-for-duty test if we get a doctor’s note for the vacuum backpacks, and possibly fired.

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