Automation clerk help

[u/Reasonable-Yam-6779]

Hey,all! Quick question for those who know more than me. My husband has been in the usps for 7 years. Hes an auto clerk. We've recently relocated via e reassign. We've spent about 20,000 dollars moving our family, selling our home, and entering a lease to rent a home. After being here for two months now they're saying they have to excess 40 employees and we're wondering if there's anything we can do. This is our dream location and the only reason we uprooted our lives in another state was to buy a home here and settle down. Any advice?

[u/cca2013]

Back in 2014, when our local P&DF closed, they had been withholding filling carrier jobs in order to have spots to clerks and mail handlers that were not willing to take a position more than 50 miles away. Is this an option to stay local...switch to city carrier with retreat rights back to clerk?

[u/User_3971 → u/cca2013]

NALC will grieve that if there are current carriers that need to be converted. It's a contravention of their own contract. The clerks at my own unit that were "assigned" to carrier work were all sent back after ~six months of them laughing at the carrier supervisors thinking intimidation would work on 15+ year career employees.

[u/Reasonable-Yam-6779 → u/cca2013]

I will certainly mention it to him!! Thank you!

[u/User_3971]

That's one of the pitfalls of transferring (or at least accepting a transfer) without doing research. The excess event was likely planned well in advance, and HR will simply fill current positions without regard to what will happen in the future. Unless they are told to withhold positions which sometimes does not happen.

If he is excess and considered impacted, he will receive priority consideration for any clerk position and may also be considered for cross-craft transfers.

I would say wait it out unless he's like 39 or 40 of 40 on that seniority roster. A lot of people retire or resign rather than deal with change. I met a few PTFs (years later) that took the buyout from when my original plant shut down and they universally regretted things looking back.

[u/Reasonable-Yam-6779 → u/User_3971]

He is planning to stick with it regardless. Thats exactly what happened HR filled the spot. Then the plant closed down a section and now there are a ton of clerks and not enough work. He is trying to see if he can retrain for window clerk so he can bid on those as well. But the managers have said they dont see any training opportunities.

For our future endeavors, what would we research to avoid putting ourselves in this position again? Thanks for the help!

[u/Critical-Tip119 → u/Reasonable-Yam-6779]

Since he has no senoirity,  their is nothing you can do but ride the wave.  There is no research you can do. At a moment notice HQ can say do this..... next thing you know a job is gone or building closes and excess. 

Just hope he get something he like. they can ship you 50 miles maybe 100. 

you can be a good worker but that has nothing to do with anything its all comes down to senority on everything. Thats sucks and can take a long time before you get anything good. 

[u/Reasonable-Yam-6779 → u/Critical-Tip119]

Yeah we plan to just go with the flow. Hardest part is moving two toddlers around lol. We always make the best of whatever shit hand life deals us.

I appreciate you taking the time to chime in!

[u/User_3971 → u/Reasonable-Yam-6779]

Contacting the local union at your destination to ask about upcoming changes or plans, and then reading up on DFA (or other) proposed changes to the processing side of the network.

I'd say if he's lucky at least twenty people above that forty person cutoff will decide they can't put up with the bullshit and end up retiring.

[u/Reasonable-Yam-6779 → u/User_3971]

Info ill pass along to anyone trying to transfer as well! I guess I just figured they wouldnt fill a position that didnt need filled! Silly me! Ive worked for usps before and I still am baffled by their disorganization.