Article 32 Review



Article 32 Review

Date: November 22, 2000

Project Name: Install synchronized clocks throughout the facility. Including but not limited to, installing clocks, drilling walls, routing cables, testing and installing all associated equipment.

Participants: Gordon Pankratz, Jack Jensen, Tim McCarthy

We consider this project to be new construction work, not maintenance. A partial, older Stromberg system exists at this time. This old small system would be removed from the facility and a complete system installed throughout the whole facility. Funk & Wagnall’s Standard College Dictionary, copy 1973, defines construction and maintenance as follows:

The Administrative Support Manual, in Section 530, specifies "policies and requirements for maintenance of facilities, plant equipment, and postal equipment."

535.112 Facility and Plant Equipment

Contract service is encouraged for Postal Service-operated facility and plant equipment maintenance, when economically advantageous.

The Administrative Support Manual does not require projects to be completed by Maintenance Units.

HBK MS-63 does not require construction projects to be completed by Maintenance units.

A). Public Interest: This project indirectly impacts the delivery of the mails. Currently there are synchronized clocks in part of the facility. The bulk of the clocks are stand-alone individual clocks. Each one may have a different time displayed. By some people using different times some operations may not operate in unison and delays the mail. Contracting would better facilitate construction because it would provide the engineering skill needed, accompanied by faster completion by a firm who could dedicate specialized resources to meet measurable construction standards. Also, it is in the public's best interest to contract personnel who are expert in the procedures required to perform demolition, plumbing, electrical installation, and other work. The installation contractor is required to apply sufficient resources to the project to minimize downtime of the area of the facility affected which enables Mail Processing to maintain service standards for the public.

B). Cost: Detailed cost comparisons, showing Postal labor costs vs. contracted labor costs, were presented to the APWU, July 26, 2000. There is sufficient workload to fully employee all maintenance employees’ 40 hours per week, with overtime opportunities, during the time period scheduled for this project. Even if it could be shown that Postal labor is the least expensive alternative to complete this project, the delays we anticipate we would encounter, should we attempt this project in-house, would consume any savings the Service would realize by considering this project in the first place.

The National Agreement between the USPS and the American Postal Workers Union does not require management to utilize overtime to complete projects such as this one. Further more, the USPS is not required to add employees and the maintenance unit has no ability to use a temporary work force (casuals or TEs).

C). Efficiency: Based on the judgment of the individuals, contracting provides engineering, project management, and skilled trades workers who do this work on a daily basis. To be able to complete this installation with our present Postal maintenance work force, managers would need to delay other necessary maintenance work.

Contracting ensures that the system is unquestionably covered by warranty, eliminating any Postal liability for installation errors. In the judgment of reviewing management personnel, supplier warranties and certifications are added considerations and reasons, which enhance efficiency cost and value.

D). Availability of Equipment: Equipment required to do this work is readily available within the P&DC or could be rented.

E). Qualifications of Employees: The P&DC employs seven (7) Building Equipment Mechanics, four (4) Maintenance Mechanics, and one (1) Maintenance Electrician. These personnel work on three shifts, and are fully occupied at all times performing preventative and corrective maintenance on building equipment, industrial powered vehicles (electric forklifts and related equipment) and other similar maintenance work as well as various project work. Some of these employees may have the knowledge to perform work similar the installation of synchronized clocks, but they have no history of completing such a project, at this facility. All employees are scheduled for 40 hours of work with regular overtime opportunities, and are not available to do this project.

Administrative Support Manual (ASM):

The Administrative Support Manual specifies the "policies and requirements for maintenance of facilities, plant equipment, and postal equipment" in Section 530.

531.22 Primary Objectives of Maintenance Management

.221 Maintain a safe, pleasant, and healthful physical working environment.

.222 Maintain all plant and postal equipment in good operating condition.

.223 Minimize total operating costs.

535.1 General

535.11 Use

535.111 Postal Equipment

Maintenance of postal equipment should be performed by Postal Service personnel, whenever possible. Exceptions are:

a. Where capable personnel are not available.

a. When maintenance can be performed by contract and it is economically advantageous.

b. When a piece of equipment is a prototype or experimental model or unusually complex, so that a commercial firm is the only practical source of required maintenance expertise.

535.112 Facility and Plant Equipment

Contract service is encouraged for Postal Service-operated facility and plant equipment maintenance, when economically advantageous.

535.13 National Agreement Considerations

Installation heads must be knowledgeable about Article 32, Subcontracting, of the National Agreement with the postal unions, before considering contract maintenance service.

CERTIFIED MAIL 70000520001579253246

Synchronized clock system art32.doc

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download