A. The probationary period for a new employee shall be ninety (90) calendar days. The Employer shall have the right to separate from its employ any probationary employee at any time during the probationary period and these probationary employees shall not be permitted access to the grievance procedure in relation thereto. If the Employer intends to separate an employee during the probationary period for scheme failure, the employee shall be given at least seven (7) days advance notice of such intent to separate the employee. If the employee qualifies on the scheme within the notice period, the employee will not be separated for prior scheme failure.

B. The parties recognize that the failure of the Employer to discover a falsification by an employee in the employment application prior to the expiration of the probationary period shall not bar the use of such falsification as a reason for discharge.

C. When an employee completes the probationary period, seniority will be computed in accordance with this Agreement as of the initial day of full-time or part-time employment.

D. When an employee who is separated from the Postal Service for any reason is re-hired, the employee shall serve a new probationary period. If the separation was due to disability, the employee's seniority shall be established in accordance with Section 2, if applicable.

Section 2. Principles of Seniority

A. Except as specifically provided in this Article, the principles of seniority are established in the craft Articles of this Agreement.

B. An employee who left the bargaining unit on or after November 20, 1994, and returns to the same craft and installation:

1. will begin a new period of seniority if the employee returns from a position outside the Postal Service; or

2. will begin a new period of seniority if the employee returns from a non-bargaining unit position within the Postal Service, unless the employee returns within 1 year from the date the employee left the unit.

C. An employee who left the bargaining unit before July 21, 1973, and returns to the same craft shall have seniority as specified in the 1971-1973 National Agreement.

D. An employee who left the bargaining unit during the period from July 21, 1973, to November 19, 1994, and returns to the same craft has seniority as provided in the 1990-1994 National Agreement.

E. Except as provided in the Motor Vehicle craft, an employee who left the craft and/or installation and returns to the same craft and/or installation will begin a new period of seniority unless the employee returns within 1 year from the date the employee left the craft and/or installation.

F. The seniority for employees returning, within one year, under B.2. above shall be established after reassignment as the seniority the employee had when he/she left minus seniority credit for service outside the bargaining unit, craft and/or installation.

Section 3. Principles of Posting

A. To insure a more efficient and stable work force, an employee may be designated a successful bidder no more than five (5) times during the duration of this Agreement unless such bid:

1. is to a job in a higher wage level;

2. is due to elimination or reposting of the employee's duty assignment; or

3. enables an employee to become assigned to a station closer to the employee's place of residence.

B. Specific provisions for posting for each craft are contained in the craft posting provisions of this Agreement.

Section 4. Principles of Reassignments

A. A primary principle in effecting reassignments will be that dislocation and inconvenience to employees in the regular work force shall be kept to a minimum, consistent with the needs of the service. Reassignments will be made in accordance with this Section and the provisions of Section 5 below.

B. When a major relocation of employees is planned in major metropolitan areas or due to the implementation of national postal mail networks, the Employer will apply this Article in the development of the relocation and reassignment plan. At least 90 days in advance of implementation of such plan, the Employer will meet with the Union at the national level to fully advise the Union how it intends to implement the plan. If the Union believes such plan violates the National Agreement, the matter may be grieved.

Such plan shall include a meeting at the regional level in advance (as much as six months whenever possible) of the reassignments anticipated. The Employer will advise the Union based on the best estimates available at the time of the anticipated impact; the numbers of employees affected by craft; the locations to which they will be reassigned; and, in the case of a new installation, the anticipated complement by tour and craft. The Union at the Regional Level will be periodically updated by the Employer should any of the information change due to more current data being available.

C. When employees are excessed out of their installation, the Union at the national level may request a comparative work hour report of the losing installation 60 days after the excessing of such employees.

If a review of the report does not substantiate that business conditions warranted the action taken, such employees shall have their retreat rights activated. If the retreat right is denied, the employees have the right to the grievance-arbitration procedure.

D. In order to minimize the impact on employees in the regular work force, the Employer agrees to separate, to the extent possible, casual employees working in the affected craft and installation prior to excessing any regular employee in that craft out of the installation. The junior full-time employee who is being excessed has the option of reverting to part-time flexible status in his/her craft, or of being reassigned to the gaining installation.

Section 5. Reassignments

A. Basic Principles and Reassignments

When it is proposed to:

l. Discontinue an independent installation;

2. Consolidate an independent installation (i.e., discontinue the independent identity of an installation by making it part of another and continuing independent installation);

3. Transfer a classified station or classified branch to the jurisdiction of another installation or make an independent installation;

4. Reassign within an installation employees excess to the needs of a section of that installation;

5. Reduce the number of regular work force employees of an installation other than by attrition;

6. Centralized mail processing and/or delivery installation (Clerk Craft only);

7. Reassignment--motor vehicles;

8. Reassignment--part-time flexibles in excess of quota; such actions shall be subject to the following principles and requirements.

B. Principles and Requirements

l. Dislocation and inconvenience to full-time and part-time flexible employees shall be kept to the minimum consistent with the needs of the service.

2. The Vice-President, Area Operations shall give full consideration to withholding sufficient full-time and part-time flexible positions within the area for full-time and part-time flexible employees who may be involuntarily reassigned. When positions are withheld, local management will periodically review the continuing need for withholding such positions and discuss with the union the results of such review.

3. No employee shall be allowed to displace, or "bump" another employee, properly holding a position or duty assignment.

4. The Union shall be notified in advance (as much as six (6) months whenever possible), such notification to be at the regional level, except under A.4 above, which shall be at the local level.

5. Full-time and part-time flexible employees involuntarily detailed or reassigned from one installation to another shall be given not less than 60 days advance notice, if possible, and shall receive moving, mileage, per diem and reimbursement for movement of household goods as appropriate if legally payable will be governed by the standardized Government travel regulations as set forth in Methods Handbook F- 10, " Travel."

6. Any employee volunteering to accept reassignment to another craft or occupational group, another branch of the Postal Service, or another installation shall start a new period of seniority beginning with such assignment, except as provided herein.

7. Whenever changes in mail handling patterns are undertaken in an area including one or more postal installations with resultant successive reassignments of clerks from those installations to one or more central installations, the reassignment of clerks shall be treated as details for the first 180 days in order to prevent inequities in the seniority lists at the gaining installations. The 180 days is computed from the date of the first detail of a clerk to the central, consolidated or new installation in that specific planning program. If a tie develops in establishing the merged seniority roster at the gaining installation, it shall be broken by total continuous service in the regular work force in the same craft.

8. In determining seniority of special delivery messengers who received career status under Civil Service Regulation 3.101, that period of continuous service as a special delivery messenger prior to attaining career status shall be included.

9. Whenever in this Agreement provision is made for reassignments, it is understood that any full-time or part-time flexible employee reassigned must meet the qualification requirements of the position to which reassigned.

10. Whenever the provisions of the Section establishing seniority are inconsistent with the provisions of the Craft Articles of this Agreement, the provisions of the Craft Articles shall prevail.

11. It is understood that any employee entitled hereunder to a specific placement may exercise such entitlement only if no other employee has a superior claim hereunder to the same position.

12. Surplus/excess U.S. Postal Service Employees-- Surplus/excess U.S. Postal Service employees from non-mail processing and non-mail delivery installations, regional offices, the U.S. Postal Service Headquarters or from other Federal departments or agencies shall be placed at the foot of the part-time flexible roll and begin a new period of seniority effective the date of reassignment. Except as provided in Article 12.2, surplus/excess U.S. Postal Service employees from an APWU bargaining unit in any such facility shall begin a new period of seniority but will retain their full-time or part-time status.

C. Special Provisions on Reassignments

In addition to the general principles and requirements above specified, the following specific provisions are applicable:

1. Discontinuance of an Independent Installation

a. When an independent installation is discontinued, all full-time and part-time flexible employees shall, to the maximum extent possible, be involuntarily reassigned to continuing postal positions in accordance with the following:

b. Involuntary reassignment of full-time employees with their seniority for duty assignments to vacancies in the same or lower level in the same craft or occupational group in installations within 100 miles of the discontinued installation, or in more distant installations, if after consultation with the Union, it is determined that it is necessary. The Postal Service will designate such installations for the reassignment of excess full-time employees. When two or more such vacancies are simultaneously available, first choice of duty assignment shall go to the senior employee entitled by displacement from a discontinued installation to such placement.

c. Involuntary reassignment of full-time employees for whom consultation did not provide for placement under C.1.b above in other crafts or occupational groups in which they meet minimum qualifications at the same or lower level with permanent seniority for duty assignments under (1) and (2) below, whichever is lesser:

(1) One day junior to the seniority of the junior full-time employee in the same level and craft or occupation in the installation to which assigned, or

(2) The seniority the employee had in the craft from which reassigned.

d. Involuntary reassignment of part-time flexible employees with seniority in any vacancy in the part-time flexible quota in the same craft or occupational group at any installation within 100 miles of the discontinued installation, or in more distant installations, if after consultation with the Union it is determined that it is necessary, the Postal Service will designate such installations for the reassignment of the part-time flexible employees.

e. Involuntary reassignment of part-time flexible employees for whom consultation did not provide for placement under C.1.d above in other crafts or occupational groups in which they meet minimum qualification at the same or lower level at the foot of the existing part-time flexible roster at the receiving installation and begin a new period of seniority.

f. Full-time employees for whom no full-time vacancies are available by the time the installation is discontinued shall be changed to part-time flexible employees in the same craft and placed as such, but shall for six months retain placement rights to full-time vacancies developing within that time within any installation within 100 miles of the discontinued installation, or in more distant installations, if after consultation with the Union it is necessary, U.S. Postal Service will designate such installations for the reassignment of excess full-time employees on the same basis as if they had remained full-time.

g. Employees, full-time or part-time flexible, involuntarily reassigned as above provided shall upon the reestablishment of the discontinued installation be entitled to reassignment with full seniority to the first vacancy in the reestablished installation in the level, craft or occupational group from which reassigned.

2. Consolidation of an Independent Installation

a. When an independent postal installation is consolidated with another postal installation, each full-time or part-time flexible employee shall be involuntarily reassigned to the continuing installation without loss of seniority in the employee's craft or occupational group.

b. Where reassignments under 2.a, preceding, result in an excess of employees in any craft or occupational group in the continuing installation, identification and placement of excess employees shall be accomplished by the continuing installation in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement covering such situations.

c. If the consolidated installation again becomes an independent installation, each full-time and part-time flexible employee whose reassignment was necessitated by the previous consolidation shall be entitled to the first vacancy in the reestablished installation in the level and craft or occupational group held at the time the installation was discontinued.

3. Transfer of a Classified Station or Classified Branch to the Jurisdiction of Another Installation or Made an Independent Installation

a. When a classified station or classified branch is transferred to the jurisdiction of another installation or made an independent installation, all full-time employees shall at their option remain with the classified station or classified branch without loss of seniority, or remain with the installation from which the classified station or classified branch is being transferred.

b. A realistic appraisal shall be made of the number of employees by crafts or occupations who will be needed in the station after transfer, and potential vacancies within these requirements created by the unwillingness of employees to follow the station to the new jurisdiction shall be posted for bid on an office-wide basis in the losing installation.

c. If the postings provided in paragraph 3.b, preceding, do not result in sufficient employees to staff the transferred classified station or classified branch, junior employees, by craft or occupational group on an installation-wide seniority basis in the losing installation, shall be involuntarily reassigned to the classified station or classified branch and each employee thus involuntarily reassigned shall be entitled to the first vacancy in such employee's level and craft or occupational group in the installation from which transferred.

4. Reassignment Within an Installation of Employees Excess to the Needs of a Section

a. The identification of assignments comprising for this purpose a section shall be determined locally by local negotiations. If no sections are established immediately by local negotiations, the entire installation shall comprise the section.

b. Full-time employees, excess to the needs of a section, starting with that employee who is junior in the same craft or occupational group and in the same level assigned in that section, shall be reassigned outside the section but within the same craft or occupational group. They shall retain their seniority and may bid on any existing vacancies for which they are eligible to bid. If they do not bid, they may be assigned in any vacant duty assignment for which there was no senior bidder in the same craft and installation. Their preference is to be considered if more than one such assignment is available.

c. Such reassigned full-time employee retains the right to retreat to the section from which withdrawn only upon the occurrence of the first residual vacancy in the salary level after employees in the section have completed bidding. Such bidding in the section is limited to employees in the same salary level as the vacancy. Failure to bid for the first available vacancy will end such retreat right. The right to retreat to the section is optional with the employee who has retreat rights with respect to a vacancy in a lower salary level. Failure to exercise the option does not terminate the retreat rights in the salary level in which the employee was reassigned away from the section. In the Clerk Craft, an employee may exercise the option to retreat to a vacancy in a lower salary level only to an assignment for which the employee would have been otherwise eligible to bid.

d. The duty assignment vacated by the reassignment of the junior full-time employee from the section shall be posted for bid of the full-time employees in the section. If there are no bids, the junior remaining unassigned full-time employee in the section shall be assigned to the vacancy.

5. Reduction in the Number of Employees in an Installation Other Than by Attrition

a. Reassignments within installation. When for any reason an installation must reduce the number of employees more rapidly than is possible by normal attrition, tat installation:

(1) Shall determine by craft and occupational group the number of excess employees;

(2) Shall, to the extent possible, minimize the impact on regular work force employees by separation of all casuals;

(3) Shall, to the extent possible, minimize the impact on full-time positions by reducing part-time flexible hours;

(4) Shall identify as excess the necessary number of junior full-time employees in the salary level, craft, and occupational group affected on an installation-wide basis within the installation; make reassignments of excess full-time employees who meet the minimum qualifications for vacant assignments in other crafts in the same installation; involuntarily reassign them (except as provided for letter carriers and special delivery messengers and vehicle service employees in Section C.5.b below) in the same or lower level with seniority, whichever is the lesser of:

(a) One day junior to the seniority of the junior full-time employee in the same level and craft or occupational group in the installation to which assigned, or

(b) The seniority the employee had in the craft from which reassigned. The 5- year rule does not apply.

(5) The employee shall be returned at the first opportunity to the craft from which reassigned.

(6) When returned, the employee retains seniority previously attained in the craft augmented by intervening employment in the other craft.

(7) The right of election by a senior employee provided in paragraph b(3), below is not available for this cross-craft reassignment within the installation.

b. Reassignments to other installations after making reassignments within the installation:

(1) Involuntarily reassign such excess full-time employees starting with the junior with their seniority for duty assignments to vacancies in the same or lower level in the APWU crafts in installations within 100 miles of the losing installation, or in more distant installations if after consultation with the Union it is determined that it is necessary, the Postal Service will designate such installations for the reassignment of excess full-time employees. Employees who meet the minimum qualifications will be afforded their option of available vacancies by seniority. However:

(a) Whenever full-time or part-time motor vehicle craft assignments are discontinued in an installation and there is an excess in a position designation and salary level, the excess shall be adjusted to the maximum extent possible by making voluntary reassignments to vacant motor vehicle craft positions in installations within 100 miles unless the employee applies for a vacancy in a more distant installation. Senior qualified applicants for such vacant positions shall be reassigned. When reassignment is in the same designation and salary level, the reassigned employee retains his/her seniority.

(b)When the entire special delivery messenger unit is moved from one independent installation to another and all special delivery territory is transferred, the special delivery messengers will be reassigned in the gaining unit with full seniority credit for all seniority gained in the craft and installation. When less than the entire special delivery messenger unit is transferred and it is necessary to reassign one or more special delivery messengers to the gaining installation, senior special delivery messengers shall be given option for reassignment. If no special delivery messenger elects to be reassigned, the junior special delivery messenger shall be reassigned.

(2) Involuntarily reassign full-time employees for whom consultation did not provide for placement under b(1) above in other crafts or occupational groups in which they meet minimum qualifications at the same or lower level with permanent seniority for duty assignments whichever is lesser of:

(a) one day junior to the seniority of the junior full-time employee in the same level and craft or occupational group in the installation to which assigned, or

(b) the seniority he/she had in the craft from which reassigned. The 5-year rule does not apply.

(3) Any senior employee in the same craft or occupational group in the same installation may elect to be reassigned to the gaining installation and take the seniority of the senior full-time employee subject to involuntary reassignment. Such senior employees who accept reassignment to the gaining installation do not have retreat rights.

(4) When two or more such vacancies are simultaneously available, first choice of duty assignment shall go to the senior employee entitled by displacement from a discontinued installation to such placement.

(5) A full-time employee shall have the option of changing to part-time flexible in the same craft or occupational group in lieu of involuntary reassignment.

(6) Employees involuntarily reassigned under b(l) and (2) above, other than senior employees who elect to be reassigned in place of junior employees, shall be entitled at the time of such reassignment to file a written request to be returned to the first vacancy in the level, in the craft or occupational group in the installation from which reassigned, and such request shall be honored so long as the employee does not withdraw it or decline to accept an opportunity to return in accordance with such request.

In the Clerk Craft, an employee(s) involuntarily reassigned shall be entitled at the time of such reassignment to file a written request to return to the first vacancy in the craft and installation from which reassigned. Such request for retreat rights must indicate whether the employee(s) desires to retreat to the same, lower, and/or higher salary level assignment and, if so, what salary level(s). The employee(s) shall have the right to bid for vacancies within the former installation and the written request for retreat rights shall serve as a bid for all vacancies in the level from which the employee was reassigned and for all residual vacancies in other levels for which the employee has expressed a desire to retreat. The employee(s) may retreat to only those assignments for which the employee(s) would have been otherwise eligible to bid. If vacancies are available in a specified lower, higher or same salary level, the employee will be given the option. Failure to exercise retreat rights to the first available vacancy terminates such rights. Furthermore, employee(s) electing to retreat to a lower level assignment are not entitled to salary protection.

[See Memo Page 323]

6. Centralized Mail, Processing and/or Delivery Installation (Clerk Craft Only)

a. When the operations at a centralized installation or other mail processing and/or delivery installation result in an excess of full-time clerks at another installation(s), full-time clerks who are excess in a losing installation(s) by reason of the change, shall be reassigned as provided in Section C.5.b. Reassignments of clerks shall be treated as details for the first 180 days to avoid inequities in the selection of preferred duty assignments by full-time clerks in the gaining installation.

b. Previously established preferred duty assignments which become vacant before expiration of the detail period must be posted for bid and awarded to eligible full-time clerks then permanently assigned in the gaining installation. Excess part-time flexible clerks may be reassigned as provided for in Section C.8.

c. All new duty assignments created in the gaining installation and all other vacant duty assignments in the centralized installation shall be posted for bid. One hundred eighty (180) days is computed from the date of the first detail of an employee. Bidding shall be open to all full-time clerks of the craft involved at the gaining installation. This includes full-time clerks assigned to the gaining installation.

d. When the centralized installation is a new one:

(1) Full-time clerks who apply for reassignment from the losing installation, shall be reassigned with their seniority.

(2) Reassignments shall be in the order of seniority and shall not exceed the number of excess full-time clerks in the losing installation.

(3) The provisions of 5.a, above, apply to reassign junior full-time excess clerks, with their seniority, when there are excess full-time clerks after the reassignment of senior full-time clerks who apply for reassignment.

7. Reassignments - Motor Vehicle

a. When a vehicle maintenance facility is established to replace an auxiliary garage, full-time and part-time flexible craft positions in the gaining installation are to be posted in the losing installation for applications by full-time and part-time flexible employees, respectively. Senior qualified applicants shall be reassigned without loss of seniority, but not to exceed the number of excess employees in the losing installation.

b. When a vehicle maintenance facility is established to replace vehicle maintenance in a perimeter office, full-time and part-time flexible craft positions in the new maintenance facility shall be posted in the losing installation for applications by full-time and part-time flexible employees, respectively. Senior qualified applicants shall be reassigned without loss of seniority, but not to exceed the number of excess employees in the losing installation.

c. When vehicle operations are changed by transfer from one installation to another, new full-time and part-time flexible craft positions shall be posted for applications in the losing installation by full-time and part-time flexible employees in the craft, respectively. Senior qualified applicants shall be reassigned without loss of seniority, but not to exceed the number of excess employees in the losing installation.

d. After all reassignments have been made to the gaining installation, pursuant to Subsections a, b and c, the new full-time assignments in the gaining installation shall be posted for bid.

e. If, after establishment of a new installation, operations result in further excess at losing installation(s), the procedures in Subsections a, b, c and d, above, apply to reassign senior applicants from the losing installation(s) to positions in the new installation.

8. Reassignment - Part-Time Flexible Employees in Excess of Quota (Other Than Motor Vehicle)

Where there are part-time flexible employees in excess of the part-time flexible quota for the craft for whom work is not available, part-time flexibles lowest on the part-time flexible roll equal in number to such excess may at their option be reassigned to the foot of the part-time flexible roll in the same or another craft in another installation.

a. An excess employee reassigned to another craft in the same or another installation shall be assigned to the foot of the part-time flexible roll and begin a new period of seniority.

b. An excess part-time flexible employee reassigned to the same craft in another installation shall be placed at the foot of the part-time flexible roll. Upon change to full-time from the top of the part-time flexible roll, the employee's seniority for preferred assignments shall include the seniority the employee had in losing installation augmented by part-time flexible service in the gaining installation.

c. A senior part-time flexible in the same craft or occupational group in the same installation may elect to be reassigned in another installation in the same or another craft and take the seniority, if any, of the senior excess part-time flexible being reassigned, as set forth in a and b, above.

d. The Postal Service will designate, after consultation with the Union, vacancies at installations in which excess part-time flexibles may request to be reassigned beginning with vacancies in other crafts in the same installation; then vacancies in the same craft in other installations; and finally vacancies in other crafts in other installations making the designations to minimize relocation hardships to the extent practicable.

e. Part-time flexibles reassigned to another craft in the same installation shall be returned to the first part-time flexible vacancy within the craft and level from which reassigned.

f. Part-time flexibles reassigned to other installations have retreat rights to the next such vacancy according to their standing on the part-time flexible roll in the losing installation but such retreat right does not extend to part-time flexibles who elect to request reassignment in place of the junior part-time flexibles.

g. The right to return is dependent upon a written request made at the time of reassignment from the losing installation and such request shall be honored unless it is withdrawn or an opportunity to return is declined.

D. Part-Time Regular Employees

Part-time regular employees assigned in the craft units shall be considered to be in a separate category. All provisions of this Section apply to part-time regular employees within their own category.

Section 6. Transfers

A. Installation heads will consider requests for transfers submitted by employees from other installations.

B. Providing a written request for a voluntary transfer has been submitted, a written acknowledgment shall be given in a timely manner.

[see Memo, page 325]