Postmasters: USPS Notice To PMRs Of Opportunity To Apply For PSE

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From the National League of Postmasters –  June 6, 2011

Last week PMRs in level 15 and 16 Post Offices across the country received letters from Human Resources notifying them of an opportunity to apply for Postal Support Employee (PSE) positions since their current position will not exceed August 23, 2011. Below are portions of this letter.

Subject: Special Notice of Opportunity to Apply for Postal Support Employee Vacancies

This special notice of opportunity is provided since your current appointment as a Casual, Transitional or Postmaster Relief/Leave Replacement will not exceed August 23, 2011 in accordance with the new labor contract agreement with the American Postal Workers Union (APWU), AFL-CIO, which went into effect May 23, 2011.

PSEs are a new category of non-career employee established to provide the USPS with flexibility. PSEs will be appointed for a term not to exceed 360 calendar days. If there is still an operational need, a PSE may be reappointed for another not to exceed 360 day term after a five-day break in service. PSE employees will enjoy benefits including raises, health benefits and leave. Announcements for these new positions will be posted to all interested persons on usps.com/employment – continue to visit eCareer!

To apply for PSE vacancies announced on usps.com/employment, you must:

1. Create a new external email address (e.g., yahoo, gmail, etc.). You will need it for the Registration process where you create a unique Login ID and Password. (You cannot use your previously-issued applicant User ID(s), if any, because the ID is deactivated when the user is hired.) Be sure to make note of your new User ID and Password as they will be needed for future access to your new eCareer Candidate Profile.

2. Add the following email domains to the safe sender list on your new email address to ensure that communications related to your application are not filtered: @usps.gov; @panpowered.com; @geninfo.com.

3. Create a new external Candidate Profile using your new email address and unique User ID and password.

4. Search for jobs on usps.com/employment and use your new Candidate Profile to apply for PSE vacancies by the closing date. Submit a separate application for each PSE position for which you wish to apply.

5. Follow all instructions carefully and watch daily for further messages from eCareer and our vendors concerning actions required in connection with your application.

Based on the pay chart given to us PSEs in level 15/16 offices will be level 4 and start at $12.38 an hour. Casual replacements in higher level offices will be Level 6 and earn $14.60 per hour. There are leave benefits and health benefits for PSE positions after a year of service that PMRs do not have.

This APWU contract change from PMRs to PSEs does not apply to Level 13 and below offices.

The LEAGUE, as well as the other management organizations, has been asking for clarification of a number of issues with regard to the APWU contract and its impact on Postmasters, our customers and service. On Tuesday June 7th we will be briefed on specific questions we have submitted regarding the contract and we will clarify a lot of questions regarding the PMR positions. It is our intent to leave that meeting with a better understanding of the hiring process and what we can do to assist our dedicated employees who have stuck by Postmasters all these years. We will have more information on what PMRs and Postmasters need to do to make sure your PMR gets the opportunity to be hired. We hope to provide information and assistance to Postmasters to make sure they do everything they can to follow the correct process so that they can get replacements hired timely.

Mark Strong
National League of Postmasters

4 thoughts on “Postmasters: USPS Notice To PMRs Of Opportunity To Apply For PSE”

  1. The PSE’s are not forced to join the union, even though I feel all postal workers should be members. You could go work at a mailing house for $11 hr. and no benefits. Oh but they aren’t union! The PSE’s only need to be union members if they want to get APWU health insurance after a year of employment. The Poostal Service will then pay 75% of the insurance costs.

  2. These PSE’s are going to go up from casual pay of $9-$10 hr. Gee I guess the extra $700-$800 a month couldn’t possibly cover the $52 dues, DAA!

  4. Is it mandatory to join APWU when you are hired in one of these PSE positions. You do know that as an regular employee when I chose to get out of the union I had to wait until my anniversary date. If these PSE employee are forced to join they can never get out (being that there anniversary date would be that 360 day period of employment). With the pay being as low as $14.60 an hour and union dues at $52 a month this does not seem fair.

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