November 17, 2022
We enclose a copy of a November 14, 2022 letter, just received in the National Office, that sets forth the Postal Service’s determination of craft jurisdiction for employees operating the Single Induction Parcel Sorter (SIPS) and the Small Delivery Unit Sorter (SDUS). The SIPS and SDUS are currently deployed throughout the country in both Function 1 and Function 4 facilities..

As set forth in the attached letter, the Postal Service has determined that jurisdictional assignments on the SIPS and SDUS should be divided between the Mail Handler Craft and the Clerk Craft similar to the determination used for the Automated Delivery Unit Sorter (ADUS). For those facilities in which Mail Handlers are present, mail handlers have been assigned in Function 1 (F1) operations to the staging of packages and equipment, to the sweeping of packages (removal of full containers and replacement with empty containers) including “sort plan switch out,” and to the transportation of full containers to dispatch. A different rule has been established for Function 4 (F4) operations.

Under the Update MOU, the National Office has precise deadlines for challenging this determination, for discussing the issues at the NDRC, and for appealing any remaining disputes to National arbitration. The NPMHU will comply, to the extent necessary, with all of these procedures, which are reprinted here for ease of reference:

12. Either Union may initiate a dispute at the National level within twenty-one (21) calendar days from the date of receipt of a National craft determination made by the Postal Service; otherwise, that craft determination will be final and binding on the parties. The NDRC shall have sixty (60) calendar days after receipt of the dispute to attempt to resolve the dispute.

a. If the dispute is resolved, a tripartite settlement agreement will be signed by the three parties.

b. If the dispute is unresolved at the end of the sixty (60) calendar day period, a tripartite decision will be written by the NDRC setting forth the position of each party. The moving party may appeal the dispute to National RI-399 arbitration within twenty-one (21) calendar days of the receipt of the written decision of the NDRC. Copies of the appeal must be provided to the other parties through the NDRC within the twenty-one (21) day timeframe.

c. Disputes concerning National craft determinations may be initiated only at the National level.

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f. Any National-level case disputing a craft jurisdictional determination will be arbitrated within six (6) months of the implementation of the determination.

The National Office will begin the process of disputing the craft jurisdictions through the RI-399 Update MOU.

Should you have any questions about this letter or its implementation in any particular facility, please contact the National CAD. Please note that, as stated in the USPS letter, any ADUS machine that currently is operational should be adjusting assignments, if necessary, within 90 days from the November 14, 2022 date of the USPS letter, and this jurisdictional determination will go into effect no sooner than 45 days from the November 14, 2022 date of the USPS letter.

Craft Determination, SIPS, SDUS

Source: NPMHU