(This article appeared in the September/October 2026 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine)
The officers of the Clerk Division have continued our commitment to preserving work and expanding our reach into non-traditional duties that will grow our craft. We recognize that traditional Clerk Craft tasks are diminishing as mail volume continues to decline. Nevertheless, we will fight to maintain those duties and utilize the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) to secure additional work. That commitment is in all functions of the Postal Service – Mail Processing, Retail, Government Services, and many other areas that are considered non-managerial, non-supervisory duties and responsibilities.
National Arbitration
The Clerk Division initiated a national-level dispute
concerning the Postal Service’s failure to comply with
Article 1.5 and the Clerk Craft Jobs MOUs. The Postal
Service argued the case was not arbitrable, contending
that it was a “factual dispute about the assignment
of specific duties at a particular location.” Arbitrator
Margo Newman’s interim award determined the case
is arbitrable, concluding that the union’s case can be
heard on the merits based on “the scope and meaning
of the phrase ‘non-managerial and non-supervisory’” in
Article 1.5 and the relevant work-preservation MOUs.
The case on its merits is scheduled to be heard on
Nov. 19-20.
This dispute is very signifi cant for the Clerk Division.
We maintain there is a bright red line between bargaining
unit work and managerial or supervisory duties,
which contradicts the Postal Service’s claim of “shared
duties.” Moreover, the Clerk Craft Jobs MOU points out
the “presumption that the duties will be returned to the
APWU craft” when work is in question.
RI-399 and Mail Processing
In Function 1, Mail Processing, as the Postal Service
introduces new automated equipment, we have worked
through the Regional Instruction (RI)-399 process to
battle for Clerk Craft jurisdiction. We have arbitrated at
the national level an interpretive issue related to Paragraph
10(a) of the 2018 RI-399 Update MOU, jurisdiction over the Small Delivery Unit Sorter (SDUS) and
Single Induction Parcel Sorter (SIPS) and will have
completed hearings on the High Output Package Sorter
(HOPS) as this issue goes to press.
These jurisdictional disputes are difficult to change at arbitration once the Postal Service has determined craft jurisdiction. That remains the same for both the Clerk Craft and Mail Handler craft, but we remain steadfast in our struggle for more jobs and more work.
The Postal Service continues to advance its automated machinery, and we cannot return to the old way of processing and distributing mail. Just like cell phones and everything you can do with them — we are not going back to landlines after such technological advancements. In terms of staffing in our mail processing facilities, we must change our vision of settling grievances solely for financial payouts. Delivery Bar Code Sorter (DBCS) grievances should cite the Joint Contract Interpretation Manual (JCIM) language in Article 37 to demand that each machine be properly staffed with a minimum of two mail processing clerks. Too many grievances are settled only for payment to the individual clerk who worked the DBCS alone and do not address the appropriate staffing of these machines.
Retail and Customer Service
In Function 4, Retail and Customer Service, we have
made great strides in gaining more work for the craft
through Government Services. For some time now, our
retail clerks have been performing FBI Fingerprinting,
General Services Administration (GSA) Personal
Identification Verifi cation (PIV) Credentialing, and DOL
In-Person Proofing. Recently, the Postal Service began
a pilot program for TSA Pre-Check qualifi cation.
We believe our primary focus in the future should be
on customer service-oriented work, like data entry and
government services. Mail volume is expected to continue
to decline, leading the Clerk Division to explore
other possibilities for job growth. We encourage these
possibilities for increasing work opportunities in the
Clerk Craft. ■