The Clerk Division recently resolved three issues regarding Postal Support Employees (PSEs) that prompted us to file Step 4 disputes. They are described below.
PSE Pretextual Separation Issue (Case #6X 18C-6X-C-22247750, APWU #HQTG20220108)
Clerk Division Director Lamont Brooks reached an agreement with the Postal Service regarding past separations of PSEs for alleged “lack of work.” The settlement applies to clerk craft PSEs separated for lack of work between May 6, 2022, and the signing date of this agreement, November 17, 2025.
The dispute was initiated when the Postal Service misinterpreted the contract concerning PSE cap violation provisions. The Step 4 settlement references a prior 2014 agreement that stated, “PSEs shall not be terminated in order to come into compliance with the specific cap requirements.”
The resolution provides local unions with an opportunity to “demonstrate there was adequate work available for any, or all, of the separated PSEs” and further states, “… the PSEs will be permitted to seek reinstatement at the local level, if they have not already done so, and will be reinstated retroactively and made whole.”
Local unions will be provided with a copy of each reinstatement letter and a copy of the settlement. These documents will be mailed to the affected separated PSEs at their last known address. This will allow separated PSEs to “fully understand their options.”
“This dispute repairs the damage done to PSEs who were improperly separated as a result of the Postal Service’s violation of our CBA. Our local unions must step forward once they receive notification of the affected PSEs in their representational area and do their part to assist them in returning to postal employment,” Director Brooks explained.
“Director Brooks and the Clerk Division leadership have done a tremendous job protecting the contractual rights of the PSE workforce and the future full-time regular workforce of APWU. Their work proves that APWU will leave no stone unturned to protect workers, and no one will be left behind when we fight for our contractual rights,” said APWU President Jonathan Smith.
The settlement closes three national issues: PSE Career Conversions, PSE Multiple Probationary Periods, and PSE Health Benefits.
