ekate
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Posts: 6
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Post by ekate on Mar 22, 2016 11:05:45 GMT -7
Is anyone else perturbed that a month and a half into the year, careers were told we couldn't use LWOP for early outs, days off, etc.? Had I known that's how it was going to be, I would have been much more careful with the annual leave I did take.
I took an entire week off in January with pre-planned roster leave! Had we known in advance, I wouldn't have scheduled it!
I think there should be some leniency given when it comes to using LWOP for PACS, and early outs. Come on! This is ridiculous.
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LWOP Use
Mar 22, 2016 12:20:15 GMT -7
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Post by slcgl on Mar 22, 2016 12:20:15 GMT -7
I know the no LWOP rule must have been an unpleasant surprise to careers who've only been at the REC since Wichita's closure was announced. It can be difficult to budget out your annual when you're only earning 13 days per year. But management's refusal to allow LWOP for careers isn't new, we've been through periods like this before. It happens when the REC slows down, and could last many months, maybe a year or more.
I do sympathize ekate, it sounds like you've a difficult year ahead of you without much annual to work with. I too wish management could be more lenient, but employee morale has never been much of a concern for them. Maybe the next few months will see significant F-PARS volume, and they can allow some LWOP.
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ekate
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Post by ekate on Mar 22, 2016 15:11:02 GMT -7
Thanks slcgl, that's good to know.
I don't understand why they implement no LWOP when it's slower though. Seems like a backwards move. Explain that to me lol.
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LWOP Use
Mar 22, 2016 19:19:58 GMT -7
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Post by slcgl on Mar 22, 2016 19:19:58 GMT -7
It's because of all the expensive benefits you receive as a career. Say you take 10 hours of LWOP in a pay period. You will still receive your health insurance, etc, but you didn't give the postal service 80 hours of work in return. Multiply this effect by hundreds of career employees, and it adds up significantly.
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ekate
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Post by ekate on Mar 23, 2016 10:55:33 GMT -7
I understand why they don't allow it, but why are there times (years) that you can use it for days off and then other times that you can't? And why when it's slower do they enforce it? It seems like when it's slower and they don't need as many keyers that that's when they would allow us to use LWOP to leave early, etc. It's just all so confusing!
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Post by Topple on Mar 23, 2016 14:38:54 GMT -7
My guess would be that as the REC slows down, they have to answer for every penny they spend.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2016 22:48:13 GMT -7
Poor Ekate!
You receive many, many benefits as a career employee. You receive guaranteed hours, sick leave, holiday pay, and first dibs on any overtime. In fact, you don't even have to work any OT if you don't want to. You are entitled to better, more affordable health care plans, a pension, and a 5% match on your TSP contributions. You get a step increase every 9 months regardless of performance.
It's just all so confusing!
"Explain that to me LOL."
Edited to add - Sunday Premiums! I totally forgot about Sunday Premiums! You are lucky to have weekends off but getting paid an extra 2 hours every Sunday def adds up.
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ekate
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Post by ekate on Mar 23, 2016 23:55:40 GMT -7
MACK - I know that you - for some odd reason - have a personal vendetta towards me, even though you have no idea who I am and what's involved in my personal life. But if you can't contribute anything to the conversation and act like an adult, just go away.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2016 0:17:44 GMT -7
Ekate, even though I have no idea who you are or what's involved in your personal life.... guess what? I don't care!
So if you can't contribute anything to the conversation, or act like an adult who actually understands the multiple benefits and entitlements you are afforded as a career employee, just go away.
I know that you - for some odd reason - fail to grasp the multitude of benefits heaped at your feet after only a year as a PSE. Why don't you take a step back and either be grateful, or continue to "better yourself" so you can have this amazing degree where you can actually earn a lot more money and have a lot more free time and have better working conditions outside of this hellhole your fellow employees call a career?
How much longer until that happens?
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Post by Topple on Mar 24, 2016 9:55:25 GMT -7
I think you both have valid points. We don't know what Ekate is going through in her personal life, and she has a right to try and figure out why things work or don't work the way they do. Conversely, you're right Mack, that there are many people here, including me, who aren't entitled to the same benefits and pay and may have to wait longer than she did to get them. I'm sure she understands that and appreciates what she has. You can correct me if I'm wrong, but to me, Ekate, you seem like someone who is very curious and has a strong sense of justice for yourself and others. Mack, you strike me as someone who is kind, but firm, and believes in fairness. I hope you two can try to get along so I don't have to start closing threads.
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ekate
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Post by ekate on Mar 24, 2016 10:45:45 GMT -7
You're right, Topple, I'm curious to know why things work the way they do here, which is why I posted the question to begin with. I haven't gotten any straight, common sense answers from my sup or anyone else, so I brought it here to get my questions answered.
Some people get offended too easily.
The reason this is such a big deal to me, is because I just recently got engaged and we're getting married this summer. I don't want to get fired for taking time off for *kind of* an important event.
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LWOP Use
Mar 24, 2016 11:50:33 GMT -7
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ekate likes this
Post by slcgl on Mar 24, 2016 11:50:33 GMT -7
Congrats ekate!
I'll post more on attendance and discipline when I've got more than 10 minutes, but you don't need to worry. It's very difficult for management to fire a career employee. You almost need to put in some deliberate effort to lose your job.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2016 17:13:52 GMT -7
Every one has questions and sometimes discussion boards can be a great resource. However, I've seen a couple times where ekate has asked this same exact question, gotten the same exact correct info as to why, and continues to either ask again or continue to complain about it ad nauseum.
You know how you were annoyed at Mariah's posts? That's how I feel about your constant complaining about early outs. It seems it is all. you. ever. talk. about. Like a rabid dog.
You know what? I get the same 13 days of annual leave a year. I take vacations every year and still have weeks and weeks of annual at my disposal. I went to the Dominican Republic last year, and Bali this year. It's nice to have holidays off, but what did I ever do to deserve them? More than half of the people at the REC don't and I am already used to working them from my years as a PSE.
We are so lucky! Usually if your employer is closed for a holiday, you don't have the opportunity to work. I work the majority of my holidays and bank them for future use. It's smart economically because you often redeem those hours at your higher rate of pay, making them more valuable in the end. Why should the PSE's have to work 10 hour overtime most holidays while the other half of the work force takes the day off? Especially those unremarkable holidays like Columbus Day or Presidents Day?
I doubt you would take my advice ekate, but start working some of your holidays and you will see your annual leave balance start to climb. After 80 hours of LWOP in a year, you begin to see reductions in your advanced annual.
And after 3 years, your annual leave will increase by 50%! And then eventually double! Benefits at other employers usually stay the same or go down, but are rarely increased like that.
Did you really not get any straight, common sense answer from your sup or anyone else on this? That seems odd to me. Regardless of the sup or manager, they all say the same thing year after year when it comes to this: "How can we justify our need to headquarters for this many expensive career employees when we are allowing them to take LWOP?"
My best friend works for PepsiCo. In order to receive 2 additional days of vacation, she had to donate $200 per day to the American Heart Association as well as participate in a race/walk at the crack of dawn as well as enlisting 3 friends. Ummm, no thanks!
As an FTF, you have even more flexibility managing your annual leave! You can ask for a Change of Shift as first choice, Annual second. I don't have that option as a regular. That was def one of the best upsides to being an FTF. Why not work that to your advantage instead of complaining about it? Yeah, you may get your holiday work week rearranged but you also get to request a rearrangement the rest of the time without touching your annual. If they didn't have the flexibility to change FTF's schedules, we would still be at the old ratio and you wouldn't even be a career.
Did you know that as a career, you make two and a half times pay for working your Christmas holiday? Your holiday doesn't even have to be on Christmas Day - what an awesome opportunity!
When you already know the answer, and begin your post with "Is anyone else perturbed?" then I interpret that as yet another open invitation to dog and complain and vent about how unfair our jobs are and how miserable you are. I hope your fiance doesn't have to listen to this at home, poor guy.
I don't know why you often respond to my posts as "some people get offended too easily." I am not easily offended. I have no idea what you are talking about, to be honest. Yes, there is a high turnover rate at this job for a reason...FOR PSE'S! Not for careers! We are incredibly lucky and there are so many positives to be appreciated. I don't understand the need to circulate negativity and bring others down with the constant complaining, that's all. Congrats on your engagement!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2016 17:21:20 GMT -7
Ha! I wrote b*tch and complain and the forum converted the word b*tch to dog. That made me laugh, I hope it does for you, too!
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LWOP Use
Mar 24, 2016 21:07:46 GMT -7
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Post by slcgl on Mar 24, 2016 21:07:46 GMT -7
First thing, here is the promised info on the disciplinary process for careers. Management cannot fire a career employee without first going through these steps: discussion, letter of warning, 7 day suspension, and 14 day suspension. A career who is finally terminated has known for a long time that it is coming. If management fires an employee without going through these steps, a grievance is filed and the union gets the person their job back.
ekate, if you have a 90 day period where you exceed 3 unscheduled absences, it isn't the end of the world, and you won't suddenly be fired. You'll just need to be careful with your attendance for another 90 days, and you'll be fine. If you ever receive a letter of warning, I believe it is removed from your personnel file after 2 years. Maybe ask a steward about that fact, just to be sure.
Second thing: mack, I'm glad you're posting here, and I think you have a lot to contribute. But Topple asked you and ekate to get along, and your response, though thoughtful, included a few more swipes at ekate. I understand being irritated by a certain posts, I've been in that position many times. But ekate hasn't actually broken any forum rules. It's easy to avoid any thread that she starts, if you're not interested in what she has to say.
I don't believe there's anything more useful for anyone to say on this subject, and I'm locking this thread. ekate and mack, please continue to participate here, but perhaps take a minute to review the forum rules.
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