John announces "Become a Steward"

January's Union meeting voting results  Page 1 | Page 2

The Postal Service Hires More Veterans Than Any Other Civilian Employer

Jovita's slideshow from the "Day of Action" rally on 9/27/11

Pensacola rally makes the news!

"Call to Action" Petition. Please Sign and Send to Representative Jeff Miller

Pensacola's Postal Rally on Sept 27th makes the Pensacola Journal News

Local Negotiations Continue (August 27, 2011)

The ground rules have been set and local negotiations are in full swing.

On Wednesday, August 17th, members of our Negotiation Team (Dan Miranda, Jovita Olive and Sandy Wheeler)) led by President John Olive met with USPS officials in Milton to establish ground rules and set the date for formal negotiations to begin.  The management team consisted of Gulf Breeze Postmaster Val Johnson and OIC Catrinia Jones. 

The same occurred on Thursday, August 18th, when the group traveled to meet with postal officials in Crestview.  President John Olive and the same team who met in Milton, discussed ground rules and set a date for formal negotiations with MPOO Todd Smith, Crestview Postmaster and USPS Step 2 designee in the grievance procedure John Blair and Postmaster of Valparaiso Jerry Maynard.  It was agreed that LMOU's for the small AO's would be negotiated together.

Both sides exchanged proposals on Monday, August 22nd for Pensacola's LMOU.  Plant Manager Ethel King was chief spokesperson for the USPS.  OSS Elizabeth Papp-Stinson, Maintenance Manager Robert Frommel and Customer Service Supervisor Adell Johnson assisted her.  The management team designated Chris Weathers as their Recording Secretary. President John Olive, DIR Dan Miranda, Clerk Craft Director Sandy Wheeler, Maintenance Craft Director Kevin Stemcosky and Secretary Jovita Olive represented the Union.

Most proposals were tabled for further discussion.  One of the main topics of discussion was whether the 01/02 section should be combined with the Main Office Window Section to form, as management proposes, the GMF Station.  The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 29th.

The following day, Tuesday, August 23rd, management representatives John Blair and Jerry Maynard met with the Union team (the same members who had met with management the previous day in Pensacola and Jim Dey) at the union hall.  It was quite an accomplishment as 7 LMOU's for 7 offices were completed. 

Wednesday, August 24th, Gulf Breeze representatives met in Pensacola to begin discussions on their LMOU.  John Blair, Todd Smith, Val Johnson and Jerry Maynard represented the employer.  Alternate Stewards in Gulf Breeze and Navarre Leigh Ann Loggins and Jerri Keel joined the union team to discuss the issues.  As with Pensacola's negotiations, most of the proposals were tabled for further discussion.  A meeting to continue was set for Wednesday, August 31st.

Formal negotiations for the Milton LMOU began Thursday, August 25th.  Jim Dey joined the other 5 members of the team for the Union.  For management were Catrinia Jones and Jerry Maynard.  President Olive asked that management present counter proposals for the language they had trouble with in the union proposals.  The next meeting for Milton's LMOU is Thursday, September 1st.

Cantonment Postmaster Paul Stull and MPOO Todd Smith met with the union at the union hall on Friday, August 26th.  After some good discussions, both sides were able to complete negotiations for the LMOU.

The Union will be meeting with management next week in Bonifay.  Hopefully, negotiations there will go smoothly as the ones here locally have.

It is possible that negotiations could be completed next week.  We will keep you posted.

Local Negotiations Begin (August 17, 2011)

The Pensacola Area Local has begun the local negotiations process with meetings to set ground rules for the discussions that will follow for changes to our Local Memorandum of Understanding (LMOU).

On Tuesday, August 16, 2011, representatives of the two parties, the Union and US Postal Service in Pensacola, met at 1400 W. Jordan Street. Immediately afterwards, both parties met to establish ground rules for the Gulf Breeze installation. Today, Milton’s ground rules were set.

Local President John Olive wrote this about local negotiations in the last issue of the local newsletter, the Pensacola Postal Voice:  “As discussed here before, these negotiations are vital to bringing workers’ rights to the day-to-day workplace everywhere we work. Your LMOU defines the rules for many issues, from Leave Approval to Excessing to Holiday Work to Overtime to Hurricane Preparedness and much more. As you may know, we have historically established a time frame for these local agreements within the terms of a new National Agreement(CBR). Understanding this, we know that this year’s LMOU negotiations may be the most important we have faced in many years, both because this National Agreement is an agreement for almost 5 years (It’s a longer term than we are accustomed to and we know without much doubt that it will be 2015 or later before we have this opportunity again) and also because our new National Agreement contains more changes than any of its predecessors. This negotiation is a process. The process costs you and me in both financial terms and in terms of human resources; but essentially, it is what we do as a Union. ”Once ground rules have been established at all the other offices the Local represents, local negotiations will proceed to the next step, presenting proposals and counter proposals from both parties for discussion.

We will keep you posted on all the developments.

Local negotiations begin for the Pensacola Area Local. For the Plant and Customer Service in Pensacola are, pictured above, left to right, for the Union, President John Olive, Director of Industrial Relations Dan Miranda and Maintenance Craft Director Kevin Stemcosky.  For the Postal Service:  Center and to the right, Customer Service Supervisor Adell Johnson, Postmaster Stanley Walker, Maintenance Manager Robert Frommel, OSS Elizabeth Papp-Stinson and Plant Manager Ethel King.

Local negotiations begin for for Gulf Breeze, from left to right, for the Union, President John Olive, Director of Industrial Relations Dan Miranda, Maintenance Craft Director Kevin Stemcosky and Alternate Stewards Leigh Ann Loggins and Jerri Keel. For the Postal Service, Gulf Breeze Postmaster Lavalda Johnson and MPOO Todd Smith.