Classes of Mail

This one's a little dry. But it does contain some gems that shed light on the fact that Brian Renfroe has no intention of getting rid of the CCA classification.

We drop the educational portion of the podcast, to bring you this very special episode of Classes of Mail. We get to hear Michael Brasaemle's story: how he came to the United States from Korea, his time in the Air Force, and his path through the USPS. It's an amazing story.6

Michael came up with a route inspection checklist that's aimed at CARRIERS (not stewards). It's filled with a ton of useful advice on how to make the most of your route inspection, and how to give your steward as much ammunition as possible for any grievances after the fact.

Michael and I talk news! A final kidney update before my surgery, and the two topics mentioned in the title. For the attendance interview, we go through all the questions in an investigative interview template that has been circulating on social media, to be used against carriers who use their earned benefit of sick leave. We have suggestions on how to answer these awful questions.

Lino Miranda came on to Classes of Mail to talk about the two documentaries he's produces, which expose the Post Office's systemic delay of deliverable mail. We talk about the reaction he got, the legalities of recording on postal premises, and the harm done by the delay of mail. Finally, we talk about CREA, Lino's artificial intelligence grievance research tool.

OK, the first one wound up being pretty well received, so Michael is back for more. In this episode, Michael talks about unadjudicated discipline, deems desirable, and much more.

Bill Kriebel talks about his run for NBA in Region 12.

Holy moly this article is LONG! This section covers transferring to other installations, and the conversion of CCAs/PTFs to full-time regular. It also covers the prohibitions on crossing crafts.

Michael and I read the remainder of the OIG report on grievances. This episode covers the OIG's recommendations, and the Post Office's response.

In this episode, Michael and I read the OIG report that discusses how much money management wastes by not following the contract. During the 3-year period the OIG investigates, it totaled A BILLION DOLLARS!

This episode is what Classes of Mail is all about. We do a deep dive into the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) Section 508. In this section, we learn about what makes a proper mailbox, how we're supposed to handle "refused" mail, what we do when a person doesn't pick up their vacation hold in a timely manner, and SO MUCH MORE!

Michael and I talk about what we have planned for the LA Convention, and a few other items of interest.

We skip Article 6, which is about layoffs. The short version is that we're protected from layoffs. Article 7 is much more relevant, and much longer. Today, we get through all of Article 7.1, which covers the CCA category of employees.

I open the show by explaining WHEN outgoing mail gets its postmark dates. It's handled by a machine called the Advanced Facer Canceler System. Then I get into how that machine actually works. Finally, I answer a question from the mailbag about Commercial Mail Receiving Agencies (like the UPS Store), and what we're supposed to do with their mail. This episode kind of gets into the weeds, and that's...

Today we power through FOUR articles of the JCAM. Article 2 is about accommodations for deaf employees, and I share a funny anecdote from the Carrier Academy. Article 3 is about management's rights (and their obligations). Article 4 is about the impending robot uprising. Article 5 is about unilateral changes and past practices.

Michael asked me if he could come into the studio and say what's really on his mind, without me holding him back. This episode is the result.

Season 6 is here! I'll be reading the entire JCAM from cover to cover, this time with much better audio quality and fewer accents. Today I read from Article 1, which empowers the NALC to represent carriers, and covers cross-craft work by supervisors and 204B's.

This was supposed to be an episode about route inspections, but my passions got the better of me, and I wound up doing a whole episode about how the machines work down at the plant. I find it incredibly interesting.

This episode is intended for regular carriers, not stewards. Michael and I talk about the inspection process, and address a lot of the fears carriers have surrounding the actual day of inspection,

"You can't use the master's tools to tear down the master's house." C Moline is an all-time favorite podcast guest. Today, she talks about how our grievance process is inherently broken, and why it can't fix the daily injustices our carriers face. Instead, C talks about a handful of tools that everyday carriers can use to protect their rights and stop abuse in its tracks.

There is some fantastic information in here about the criteria management is supposed to use when issuing discipline.

Adam Crosby has added his voice to the growing ranks of postal podcasts. His core message is that our union needs to do a better job of representing its table two carriers. In this wide-ranging discussion, we talk about the Post Office's use of the Amazon model of hiring, they systemic mistreatment of CCAs, and the disappointing lack of empathy shown by carriers on table one.

I have a medical update about my kidney issue. Spoiler alert: it's cancer. But it's not that bad, as far as cancer goes. Michael and I also talk about some stuff going on in our branch, and at the national level. Finally, we give a hearty endorsement of the new Table Two Ticket podcast.

Michael and I read more from the EL-921, management's guide to handling grievances. This section covers precedent, and a few other items of interest.

I've been looking forward to reading this one. It's management's playbook for how they're SUPPOSED TO handle grievances. It provides valuable insights into how the grievance process works, and how management is supposed to cooperate with stewards. This is part one of what will probably be three parts.