PSEs Urged Not to Participate
APWU News – 11/06/2015 – The American Postal Workers Union has filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in response to the “Stay Survey,” in which the Postal Service asks newly hired non-career employees about their job satisfaction and the quality of their working conditions. The APWU is discouraging Postal Support Employees (PSEs) from participating.
Management is likely to use the results of the survey against union members in arbitration over the contract, Industrial Relations Director Tony D. McKinnon explained. The union also objects to the Postal Pulse survey, which is aimed at the entire workforce. 
The NLRB has ruled that employers may not “‘attempt to erode a union’s bargaining position by engaging in a direct effort to determine employee sentiment rather than discuss such matters solely with the union.”
In addition, an employer cannot try “‘to determine for himself the degree of support or lack thereof,’ which exists for a position that it seeks to advance in negotiations with the employee bargaining representative.”
“The ‘Stay Survey,’ is a type of unlawful direct dealing. It undercuts the ability of the APWU to bargain for improvements to the working conditions of Postal Support Employees,” McKinnon said.
The APWU has requested that the NLRB seek injunctive relief in a federal court to prevent the Postal Service from going forward with the survey.
Never ever participate in any survey of the employees, regardless of craft or seniority. This tactic has been used for decades as a smoke screen that tries to convey a message that the management really cares about you and your job, when in reality it will take any micro-sized hint of satisfaction and use it to try to convince the unions, who never believe the shit in the first place, mediators and eventually arbitrators how much the employees love how the place is run.
Why they persist is a mystery, but there are a lot of suck ups who want to be managers themselves who will give glowing marks, and others who will be too afraid especially in offices where local supervisors and management are bullies and harass their craft every day.
If the management really gave a damn about our concerns, think about what would be different. First, city carriers would be allowed to case DPS every day. We think DPS is too inaccurate and full of misthrows to be allowed to be taken to the street as is. It causes millions of pieces of mail to be delayed every single day. Second, we would have had new vehicles a long time ago. It would have axles that are properly aligned, higher with more parcel space in the back and racks on the sides to hold more mail. We would have better ventilation, and not have the truck blow hot air year round.
The LLV’s would have been at least front wheel drive and it wouldn’t hurt to have them be all wheel drive to make it less necessary to use chains. And would it kill management to let them have AM/FM radios? The money wasted replacing perfectly good tires would have more than paid for cheap radios.
Third, management would be truly held accountable for their behavior, and overseen by independent entities who could investigate allegations of abuse, both to employees, mishandling of funds, and stop the incestuous tradition of promoting and transferring really crooked managers who should have been fired, investigated and had criminal charges filed if appropriate.
Until we see that kind of action, you know your survey will be a rigged insult to you and your work.