From: Charlie Cash <CCash@apwu.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 25, 2022
Subject: Sortation and Delivery Center NotificationUnion Family,
While we were in Convention, the Postal Service sent notification on the creation of 21 Sortation and Delivery Center’s (SDC) throughout the country. An SDC is basically a large facility that will house multiple carrier units under one roof and will also have at least one machine to sort packages. It appears these SDCs are being created in facilities that were processing centers that were previously AMP’d elsewhere or created inside larger facilities that the Postal Service believes they have room for an SDC. The notification was received this week and we are in the process of analyzing the notification and the next steps. Upon receipt, my office began the steps of identifying where each facility is located, the finance number, how many APWU bargaining unit employees are in each office that may be affected (as either the gaining SDC or an office losing a carrier unit), and other data needed in order to see how the creation of the SDCs will impact those we represent.
Unfortunately, we do not know much more than what is already published n the public domain. Myself, President Dimondstein, and Directors Foster, Balogun, and Brooks all met with the Postal Service on July 12, 2022, in what we thought was a meeting to discuss the “mega-plants”. Instead were ambushed with the SDC concept. We voiced various concerns, especially on the timeline and how we were not given an opportunity for input.
The Postal Service presented us 10 locations they were moving forward on and planned to implement in August of this year. They did not provide us the names of the 11 additional SDCs that we have now been provided in the attached notification. We have had one small victory in this process-we did get them to delay the conversion to SDCs in almost all locations they originally provided us in July. All of the officers in attendance at the meeting in July were united and unequivocally let the Postal Service know that all changes must follow the contract to the letter. Unfortunately, we know the Postal Service has chosen not to adhere to the contract.
NOTHING MORE HAS BEEN PROVIDED TO US THAN WHAT IS CURRENTLY CIRCULATING VIA EMAIL FROM OTHER ORGANIZATIONS OR ON SOCIAL MEDIA. We have not been given the number of employees impacted, where excessing may occur, nor when any excessing may happen. We have not been told where the number of employees will increase either– because there is a chance that can happen as well. Each Division Director is staying on top of how this impacts their crafts-whether it be clerk work, PVS work, or maintenance work.
We do not have enough information to make a determination of how this will impact service to the public. We have been told all retail operations and box services will continue in offices where carrier operations are moved to an SDC. So it does appear some clerk work and custodial work will remain in the offices that lose carrier units to the SDCs-we just do not know how much yet.
We are actively seeking and demanding additional information and will update you as we know more. But one thing we all should be in agreement on at this time is that we need to do all we can to protect our work-especially when other crafts perform or work or management performs bargaining unit work.
Please disseminate as necessary.
Thank you and remember-stay safe, wear your mask!
Charlie Cash
Industrial Relations Director
American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO