Hey there everyone. I am in Tucson looking to go to Phoenix. I cannot find a mutual transfer, so I am thinking about E-reassign and go as a PTF. Does anyone know if the USPS is accepting transfers through E-reassign? I know for a fact that the USA has reached their quota for hiring TE's. So does that mean that they will accept straight up transfers? Has anyone tried to transfer through E-reassign? How long does this process usually take? Any info on E-reassign would be appreciated. Thanks!

Yes the post office is still doing e-assigns. The problem is that they have frozen the list in many areas. I have been on e-assign for over a year and 4 months for Oregon. I am first on the list for a number of cities but until they are finished doing route inspections and excessing they will not use the list(per human resourses). I am going to greive one posting as they violated the contact by hiring a TE rather than going to the e-assign list. But that takes time. Depending on if you are willing to be low man and risk being one of the first to go if they layoff in the career employees it may be the only option.

Hey Wags,
Like skycap I've been on several lists in Oregon for just over a year--also in WA and the northwest generally. I've had 2 offers through eReassign that took less than 9 months. The hours were low for one and my wife exercised her veto power on the other one. I have one great contact in HR who is telling me to hang in there a little bit longer...
Good luck!

thanks for answering. Skycap, what do you mean risk being let go if they layoff? I have almost 10 years with the PO, and even though i would start over as a PTF, I take my 10 years seniority with me and wouldn't face a layoff for those with 6 years and under. Am I correct in this?? Am I correct that the entier USA is on an article 12 hiring freeze? Does anyone know when this will ease up? How can you find out where you are at on the transfer waiting list? Thanks for all of your help.

Wags, I have about the same time in 11 yrs in Aug. But it is at the Las vegas installation. If I take an e-assign I will have 0 senority at the new station and and if they determine that they are overstaffed they cut from the bottom of senority up. My 11yrs doesn't mean a thing. And you can not bump another career employee. Read Article 12 of the NALC contract.

Skycap, I Went to the Phoenix union hall last week and the VP told me that they would first have to eliminate all of the TE's, which in Phoenix is 75 of them. That is a lot of hours to get rid of before they would start cutting career employees. And the PO has never had a layoff and I truly believe that they don't want to start that now.

They are 2 billion dollars in the RED!What choices do they have?They have to make cut backs. I have been with the PO since 1983 and it has NEVER been so bad.If they go to the 5 day work week (which I understand The PMG is adressing Congress for) they will eliminate all TE'S and all PTF'S under 6 years.My manager is getting ready to retire and he says many people don't understand how serious this is.If you are over 6 years you can be excessed anywhere and remain a PTF indeffintely.E reassign is being used for severe need only at this time.It is my understanding that you must sign paperwork that you could be excessed if deemed necessary if you are transfered as a PTF also.This is not a good situation. Make sure to protect your interests no one else will..

I realize that the post office will not do layoffs until it is a last resort, the mail still has to be delivered. But the period for them to not contract out routes has passed and they will hire anyone off the street to deliver the mail. we all have all this"undertime" now that they can get us to do double routes and still be back by five. I don't trust the post office to protect me just because I have 11yrs in.

OK.. let me understand something here. I realize that if I transfer through E-reassign, I become a PTF, but I also take my 10 years with me for vacation and retirement rights. But, does becoming a PTF again mean that I can be layed off or excessed and that I am now considered under 6 years? I was told by my union that PTF's would not be excessed, but that regulars would be excessed first, but be the first ones brought back as positions became open. So by doing that, they have the flexibility to work the PTFs, but you could be a PTF for a very long time. Do I have this right?? Thanks to all who read and respond. I am trying to make the right decision here.

You keep your time in service.You will be at risk for being excessed,not laid off.Only those under 6 yrs have to be concerned with that.You will NOT be guaranteed 40 hrs either.You could be excessed up to 50 miles or more.Keep that in mind.

Wags
Your ten yrs doesn't count for vacation, you are at the bottom of the list for senority if you e-assign. But you are at the 10 yr level for pay on the ptf scale. As far as being excessed you may not have a choice on where you go and it may not be anywhere near where you were originally at. My union pres. said that layoffs were by installation and were senority driven, so it seemed to me that if I had 0 senority at that installaltion I would be the first to go. I don't know if that is correct or not.

Wags
I have successfully used eReassign twice in the last 5 years as a city carrier. You keep your career seniority: your pay level is the same(you actually make more per hour as a ptf than you would as a regular) and you earn the same amount of leave per pay period as before.
The difference is that your in-house seniority goes to the bottom. You still earn annual leave at a higher rate, but you choose dead last, which sucks.
Your career seniority stays the same; you'll retire on the same date as before and have layoff protection.
When you make regular, you'll be vulnerable to excessing despite your career seniority.

Hope that helps.

Ppridgen, thanks for responding. Do you mind if I ask you where you have used E-reassign? IE... what area of the country. Do you know if the PO is accepting E-reassigns now or is everyone on a waiting list? How do you find out if in fact there is a waiting list for a certain city and where you place on that list? Are you worried about being excessed?

Wags,

I went from NC to Philly in 2005. I was waiting for about 6 months. Then from Philly to OKC. On the list about 3 months. The trick for me was putting in for transfers to places where everybody else in the post office was NOT also trying to relocate to. For instance, Florida or NC or Phoenix might take a LONG time.
Also, you'd better have a *crystal* clean safety/attendance/discipline/sick leave record or you can forget about being approved. I would think that would go equally for eReassign and mutual transfers alike. In my experience, HR seems to be trying to find reasons to deny transfers.
Me personally, I don't care one bit about being excessed, I'd take the first PTR job I could find now. If they gave me a choice between moving 50 miles and being a PTF only getting 20-25 hours a week, I'd go PTF. But that's just my personal circumstances. Everybody is different.

Waiting really sucks. I wrote a letter to HR in one district and they were kind enough to at least tell me that they had over 4,000 requests on file ahead of me(Greensboro District). So you may have to re-prioritize your options if you're really desperate to move.

Wags,
Regarding your question about whether or not eReassigns are now happening... I've had one offer in NM and another in WA within the last few months but my understanding is that critical vacancies only are suppposed to be filled. In one case, however, I would have been the third and last to come in bringing the station to full compliment--not a position I want to be in. So who knows?? What you can do is go through the union to the business agent in your district and HR is required to tell you roughly where you are on lists where you have submitted eReassign requests.