Apparently, a Papal Visit trumps the collective bargaining agreements of all unions as it relates to seniority, requests for leave and basic employee privacy.

The following is a reprint of the memo posted at employee entrances at the Philadelphia P&DC on August 19, 2015 (the picture below is a bit blurred)
Date: August 19, 2015
From: The Plant Manager’s Office
To: ALL EMPLOYEES – EAS and Craft
As you are all aware, Pope Francis will be visiting Philadelphia on Saturday, September 26th through Sunday, September 27th. The City of Philadelphia, along with the United States Secret Service, is working to develop security plans that will seriously impact vehicular access in and around the city starting as early as Thursday, September 24th. The United States Postal Inspection Service has been involved in the planning and has been sharing information with the Philadelphia District as it becomes available.

We fully recognize the challenges some of you may have with reporting for duty during the Papal Visit. Therefore, we are prepared to grant leave to the fullest extent possible. Starting August 24th through August 28th submission of Forms 3971 will be accepted for Friday, September 25th through Sunday September 27th. Single days during this time frame will not be accepted. It stands to reason that if you can make it to work Friday, you should be able to report Saturday and Sunday.

Leave will not be granted on a first come, first serve basis, rather, it will be based on your ability to report for duty, given the traffic restrictions some of you may encounter. When submitting the 3971, you must provide your home address. This will assist management with granting leave to the fullest extent possible. All 3971s are to be submitted to the ERMS office. You will be notified by September 11th whether or not your leave was approved.

As stated, leave will be granted to the fullest extent possible. We expect the public will not be mailing much during this time frame and access to delivery units in and around the city will be challenged. We are still working on the mail processing and transportation plan for the Papal Visit. Please also know, ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE WILL NOT BE AUTHORIZED. Annual Leave or Leave Without Pay is what will be granted during the Papal Visit.

As details on the Papal Visit become available, weekly updates will be provided. Please forward all questions to your immediate supervisor and answers will be provided based on accessible information.

Thank you,
Judith W. Herrick
Plant Manager, Philadelphia P&DC

UPDATED SEPTEMBER 10, 2015