December 2024 Update
Peak season has been a series of hits and misses this year. At least, in the metro area facilities. Mail volume increased early and quickly, but then faded in many places to levels that could be described as slightly above normal.
Those Mail Handlers desiring to work overtime seem to be getting their fill, while those who prefer working their normal schedule are not being impacted. It appears that the overtime provisions of the National agreement are working as designed.
Close to 60 MHA's have been hired in the facilities throughout the Local since November 15th. The majority of which, of course, were hired in the metro area facilities. Management informed us as early as September that MHAs would be hired for peak season. When management provides us with this advance notice it always results in me asking the same question. Are you going to hire them before peak season starts; or are you going to hire them and put them on the floor during peak season? While management rarely answers this question, the latter scenario almost always seems to be the result. And there is the reason I always encourage Members to look out for their new Brothers and Sisters during peak season.
Indeed, it seems to me that placing a group of untrained and inexperienced MHAs on the floor during the busiest time of the year isn’t a good idea. Moreover, this doesn’t seem to be an effective strategy for ensuring employee retention; and in fact, several of these newly hired MHAs have already decided that the Postal Service isn’t for them. Hopefully the MHAs who remain will see value in continuing their Postal employment.
With peak season about to end and 2025 looming on the horizon, I guess I’ll conclude my last web column of 2024 with one of my well-worn (if not tired) sayings: Six of one, half a dozen of the other, and we move on.
Best wishes to everyone for a joyous holiday season and a happy new year.
JL