From A to Arbitration

Latest Episodes:

Episode 210: A Hodgepodge of Insightful Goodies. Jan 07, 2025

Show notes

This episode of From A to Arbitration is a "hodgepodge" of information: Corey provides updates on the upcoming release of his episode of Fed Up, and the increasingly popular CCA Corner. He then covers several topics: shout-outs to union leaders Ivan Butts (NAPS) and Chris Kelly (former NALC Branch 459); an email from management emphasizing safety and outlining disciplinary actions for distracted driving, which Corey criticizes as punitive rather than corrective, which violates contract language; a disciplinary action against a carrier for taking excessive breaks, which Corey argues is flawed due to reliance on GPS data alone and the inclusion of an official discussion, thus violating article 16.2; and finally, a closing argument from an arbitration case (C-35201) focusing on a violation of article 10.19 (sick leave) and article 15 (noncompliance). Corey highlights management's consistent failure to provide requested information, emphasizing the intentional nature of this noncompliance and its impact on grievance resolutions.

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The CCA Corner Volume 2: Proper Street Procedures And Management’s “Street Blitzes” Jan 01, 2025

Show notes

In this episode of the CCA Corner, Badmouth and Mallory discuss the recent increase in "safety blitzes" conducted by management. We break down common violations, delve into the M-41 handbook for safe driving procedures, and provide essential tips for staying safe and avoiding disciplinary action.

In this episode:

• Understanding Safety Blitzes: Learn how management is observing carriers and what they're looking for.

• M-41 Mastery: We explore key sections of the M-41 manual, including safe driving practices, vehicle operation, and handling mail.

• Building Good Habits: Develop essential habits for safe and efficient route delivery.

• Weingarten Rights: Understand your rights to union representation during any investigatory interview.

• Staying Safe: Learn how to respond if you feel you're being followed or if you're questioned by management.

Join us as we equip you with the knowledge and confidence to navigate the challenges of being a CCA and thrive on your route.

https://fromatoarbitration.com/cca-corner/

Episode 209: Talking Tentative Agreement with Mr. David Noble Dec 31, 2024

Show notes

Guest David Noble discusses the flaws in the recently negotiated tentative agreement (TA), arguing that President Renfroe's use of statistics is misleading and that he failed to account for the $3,369 loss in purchasing power since the last contract. Noble explains the three ways letter carriers receive pay increases (general wage increases, cost of living allowances, and step increases), highlighting how the TA fails to adequately address inflation, particularly for CCAs who receive no step increases. He criticizes the delayed release of the TA's language and the inclusion of a ballot identification number violating federal law. Noble details the significant changes to overtime rules in the TA, which were not disclosed in the summary provided by Renfroe, and expresses concern about the significant ballot mailing issues preventing many members from voting. He also emphasizes the critical need to address the crippling backlog of grievances pending arbitration, advocating for the addition of more arbitrators to expedite the process and ensure fair contract enforcement, contrasting the current union's focus on finances over addressing carrier issues. He concludes by suggesting that Renfroe's actions indicate a bias towards management rather than letter carriers.

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Episode 208: My tribute to a Titan, Mr. AJ Breaux. Enjoy your retirement, my brother. Dec 30, 2024

Show notes

This episode of "From A to Arbitration" is a shorter episode due to a scheduling conflict, featuring updates on upcoming appearances on other podcasts and a tribute to retiring NALC member AJ Breaux. Corey discusses the ongoing vote on the tentative agreement, expressing strong disapproval and criticizing the current NALC leadership's dishonesty. He encourages a "no" vote, emphasizing the importance of fighting for better conditions despite the risks of arbitration. The episode includes shout-outs to several stewards and branch presidents for their strong advocacy and concludes with a heartfelt tribute to AJ Breaux, highlighting his expertise, dedication, and significant contributions to the NALC.

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Episode 207: The CLC part II Dec 16, 2024

Show notes

This episode of "From A to Arbitration" features James Henry and various members of the Concerned Letter Carriers (CLC) slate advocating for a "no" vote on the proposed tentative agreement, citing its inadequacy in addressing letter carriers' needs. CLC members detail their backgrounds and reasons for supporting Henry's candidacy in the 2026 NALC election, emphasizing his integrity, arbitration expertise, and commitment to fighting for better wages, working conditions, and union reform. The discussion highlights concerns about the current NALC leadership and encourages listeners to actively participate in the upcoming vote and support the CLC's efforts.
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http://www.concernedlettercarriers.com/

Episode 206: Merry Christmas and some more 16.7 Dec 16, 2024

Show notes

This episode of "From A to Arbitration" discusses the ongoing issue of 16.7 violations, emphasizing the need for business agents to provide guidance to their members and highlighting management's tactics for targeting letter carriers. Corey analyzes a document outlining management's safety initiative, which he criticizes for its potential to be weaponized against carriers and for its failure to address the inherent problems of a toxic work environment created by management. He strongly advises carriers to request a steward immediately if approached by management during street observations and emphasizes that any evidence collected before the steward's arrival should be considered inadmissible. Corey also discusses the pressure the postal service is under, specifically mentioning the potential for privatization, and advocates for using public outreach to exert pressure on the postal service and Congress. Corey expresses strong disapproval of the tentative agreement and the current NALC administration's response, praising the work of the CLC and anticipating a significant win in the 2026 election. He concludes by announcing plans for a YouTube channel and weekly CLC podcasts focusing on basic union training.

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Episode 205: Emergency TA episode with the Gunslinger Charlie Miller Dec 14, 2024

Show notes

This emergency episode of From A to Arbitration features Charlie Miller discussing the newly released tentative agreement (TA). Miller, citing his extensive arbitration experience, analyzes several key provisions, highlighting problematic language in article 8 regarding overtime limits, noting that the 12-hour/60-hour protections apply only to full-time employees not on overtime or work assignment lists, contradicting earlier statements by President Renfroe. He critiques the poorly constructed language regarding overtime pay (2.5 times the rate), arguing it incentivizes short staffing and fails to address the root cause of the issue—inadequate wages. Miller expresses concern about the two-tiered overtime system created by the TA and the new language in article 8 section 5(c) requiring weekly posting of the overtime desired list to ensure equitability, which he believes shifts undue burden to the union. He further criticizes the reduction in fixed office time (from 33 to 20 minutes) and the lack of improvements to working conditions, noncompliance issues, and the toxic work environment. Discussion includes the flawed article 17 language concerning dues processing, where the union now bears responsibility for defending and indemnifying the postal service. The conversation touches on the inadequate pay for CCAs and the lack of a unified COLA, and the failure to address the issue of route adjustments via a non-grievable alternate dispute resolution process. Finally, they discuss the potential for abuse of article 16.7 (emergency placements) and the lack of recourse against managerial abuse. The episode concludes with a call for union unity and a renewed commitment to fighting for fair wages and working conditions.

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Episode 204: The CCA Corner with Bad Mouth Morris: Volume 1 Dec 09, 2024

Show notes

This introductory episode of CCA Corner features Badmouth Morris advocating for CCA organization and empowerment. He criticizes the current tentative agreement (TA) for neglecting CCAs and calls for their mobilization, particularly in the upcoming election. Morris stresses the importance of education and empowerment, aiming to provide digestible information about rights, union processes, and grievance procedures for newer CCAs. He highlights the need for solidarity between CCAs and regular carriers, emphasizing that change comes from the bottom up and that a unified front is crucial for challenging management and improving working conditions. Morris encourages mentorship and support for CCAs, urging experienced carriers to share knowledge and offer encouragement. Future episodes will address topics like surviving the first 90 days, common grievances, Weingarten rights, and escaping de facto on-call status, with topics crowdsourced from CCAs nationwide.
https://fromatoarbitration.com/cca-corner/

Episode 203: Cry "Havoc!" and let slip the dogs of war. The Boogeyman and the Director of City Delivery Dec 09, 2024

Show notes

This lengthy episode of "From A to Arbitration" announces Corey's acceptance of the position of Director of City Delivery on the CLC ticket, emphasizing his commitment to aggressively addressing management's harmful actions against letter carriers. He details his plans for a transparent administration, including weekly national Zoom meetings, and promises a strong CLC ticket for the 2026 election. The episode analyzes a recent arbitration decision from Region 3 that criticized the union's use of escalated monetary awards for noncompliance, highlighting the subsequent cowardly response from some business agent offices. Corey counters this response by providing examples from prior arbitration awards supporting the use of such remedies and outlines strategies for effectively addressing this issue in future cases. He then dissects a national management directive detailing procedures for emergency placements of letter carriers based on safety violations (unattended vehicles, seatbelts, distracted driving, etc.), outlining how to challenge these actions based on procedural flaws (lack of investigation, lack of formal charges, removal of supervisor authority) with supporting arbitration precedent. The episode concludes with a strong declaration of commitment to fighting for the city letter carrier and a preview of a segment featuring Badmouth Morris on the CCA Corner.
Cites: C-06012, C-29546, C-01944, C-24822, C-35382, C-35537 A-B, M-01967

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Episode 202: Let's get back into discipline. Beating the charge Dec 04, 2024

Show notes

This episode focuses on strategies for challenging disciplinary actions based solely on the charges issued, without relying on additional information. Corey announces upcoming Sunday episodes, including a new segment, "CCA Corner," hosted by Badmouth Morris, aimed at uniting and empowering CCAs to combat their neglect by the current NALC administration. He emphasizes the critical importance of meticulously reviewing disciplinary charges for inaccuracies and inconsistencies, citing several arbitration cases (Sims C-36248, Schedler C-01233, Brooks C-28040) that support challenging vaguely worded or factually incorrect charges. The host then analyzes three disciplinary actions: a 7-day suspension for improper conduct and failure to follow instructions, where he highlights the fast-tracking of discipline and the lack of specificity in the cited ELM sections; a 14-day suspension for improper conduct and unsafe driving, where he points out inconsistencies in the stated awareness of ELM provisions and the lack of a connection between the actions and the charges; and a letter of warning for failure to follow instructions regarding an SPM scan, where he argues that the charge is based solely on scanner data (violating M-01458) and the cited regulations do not apply. He uses arbitrator Snow's decision (C-06894) to emphasize the importance of allowing time for reflection between disciplinary actions, highlighting the inappropriateness of issuing a 7-day and a 14-day suspension for the same offense on the same day. Throughout the episode, Corey stresses the importance of requesting "any and all information" used in issuing the discipline and using this information to expose inaccuracies and inconsistencies in the charges themselves, ultimately aiming to defeat disciplinary actions based on the flawed charges provided by management.

http://www.fromatoarbitration.com/

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