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Pushing the Envelope Blog

The ABCs of Managing AWOL

Date: 01/17/22 | Category: Labor

With an organization as large as the U.S. Postal Service, it’s essential to move mail under any contingency, including when postal workers go on leave. Making sure the work gets done requires efficiently shifting personnel, which may mean USPS incurs additional costs, such as having to pay overtime to other employees.

Sometimes workers take leave without giving prior notice, and if they can’t be granted unscheduled leave status, they may be designated as Absence Without Leave (AWOL). Put simply, AWOL is a non-pay status that happens when USPS determines no kind of leave, even leave without pay, can be granted. With the onset of the pandemic in 2020, the Postal Service worked with its unions to implement a liberal leave policy, as long as employees could provide documentation. Despite that, monthly AWOL hours rose, doubling from April 2020 to September 2020.

In a recent report, OIG auditors assessed the Postal Service’s management of employees in AWOL status from fiscal years 2018 through 2020. The goal was to identify opportunities to address AWOL status in a timely manner and manage costs. While we understand USPS has faced challenges during the pandemic, we identified two areas for improvement.

Specifically, management didn’t always properly record AWOL hours, nor always collect or maintain supporting documentation for AWOL employees. Additionally, guidance for discipline of AWOL employees varied from district to district, causing confusion and potentially leading to managers and supervisors following different procedures. To address the situation, we made eight recommendations; Postal Service management generally agreed with all.

Have you had to take sudden leave from your job? What happened?

Leave a Comment

Your Name
James Hardman
Jan 5, 2023
Your Comment
I contracted Covid at work in the Longmont office back in January 2022. I did everything correctly including documentation when I got back. The postmaster (Sean), sent me an express mail threatening me with AWOL the day after I had already returned. The virtual timecard showed me having approved sick leave right up until Friday evening of the last day of pay period. Right as the time was up so it would be too late for me to have it fixed. At that point he had all of my sick leave changed to AWOL and my MLK Holiday pay revoked. It took me nearly 2 months to get it fixed through the union and he had NO repercutions even though it was obviously done vindictively. He has continued to do these sorts of things to employees ever since. It has gotten so bad there that I had to take an earlier than planned retirement for the sake of my own mental health. In my 28 years, I have never been through as much as I have at the Longmont, CO office in the last 2 years.
Your Name
Margay Mumy
Jan 2, 2023
Your Comment
Where is my Mail!?!? I’ve v gone to the usps upon receiving my post mail that I never physically received in my mailbox to no avail.
Your Name
Anonymous
Dec 20, 2022
Your Comment
I was exited to finally start day one in November after successfully jumping thru the many hoops required by USPS to get employment. I want to put this out here so if the right person/people come across it, they can determine if jt merits looking into. To sum my experience up from shadow day (I'm a rural carrier) to 3 day academy to vehicle training and certification.. I have concluded that the USPS is suffering cause their turn over is out of control. I'm told that new hires just don't return and the reasons vary. What I think it could be are several. Things like, a lack of thorough explanation once u are done w academy. And I mean thorough explanation of payroll...processes from beginning of day to end. When and how can we use the small phones to clock in and are the green time cards turned in daily and to who and what do all those codes mean? It seems petty but the vibe I get is that focus on preparing the newbie correctly gets pushed to the wayside in favor of viewing us as simply "help" & " extra set of hands. My instructor on the LLV nearly had me walking right out due to her sense of annoyance with me fir not understanding her vague instructions and me trying to confirm what I understood. Just awful. Especially with her yelling at me and saying how, "It's whatever cause she is cold and tired!" And she cut what was supposed to be 4 or 5 hours down to like 2 1/2. The main thing that still boggles my mind is the personal car thing. Before I accepted position I was asked at least 3 times if i was aware and alright using my car which i said was ok. Never asked me what kind or the size. I was told thst the route I was originally going to be on didn't provide a USPS vehicle so I definitely will use mine. I asked if since it's not a right sided car are we cut some slack as far as time goes since I'll have to park and get off car to drop mail...I was told to do this by three supervisors. They said there is no extra time consideration so I am to drive my car while I sit in the passenger side, steering and controlling gas and break w my left foot and it will be same as if I was using an LLV . I said I wouldn't do that cause it's unsafe...and even if that alone may not be illegal. ...not wearing a seat belt is. And doing that would hinder me wearing my belt safely. When I said I would not do that I was told that I would have to to do my job. I left those talks all with stressing that if that was the deal why didn't this get stressed as much as the other things were I'm hiring process. Is seems sort of sneaky manipulative, like they are desperate for help they have resorted to the ol bait and switch. Lastly, one person I have worked closely with the most made sure thst if i overheard and/or knew she was working off that clock "this week" , her words not mine.
Your Name
Jess Obidos
Aug 2, 2022
Your Comment
I was trying to apply as CCA but they won't hire me because I have AWOL on my record back in 2020. Any chance of me working for USPS?
  
Your Name
Smb
Dec 29, 2022
Your Comment
Your kidding right???
Very high…
just apply again or for another craft

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Your Name
Bob Dillon
Jul 29, 2022
Your Comment
If people don’t show up to work they should get one morning and then be gone the second time no questions ask.
Your Name
Anonymous
Jun 16, 2022
Your Comment
I submitted annual leave on eLRA and afterwards my supervisor told me I can’t submit annual leave online. However, I did and was able to request leave. I never got a 3971 back from management and they told me I was awol. But the contract states if you don’t get a 3971 back at all, it is considered approved. Now I have to grieve it and probably make twice more back than what I would have made just from annual leave. Can you investigate this misconduct and waste of postal resources for me? Thanks
Your Name
Shaconda Lee
May 20, 2022
Your Comment
I am a Mailhandler Employee at the LANDC since 11/11/2006. Where do I go to Complaint about the Management who has mishandled my Leave they were made aware in writing that I provided Management with proper substantiation for my Leave & was still purposely AWOLED in Retaliation for filling previous Grievance/EEO Complaints against Management❓
  
Your Name
SMB
Dec 29, 2022
Your Comment
They all do it egregiously.. just like there is a team of employees that sit all day and look for ways to criticize carriers.. instead focusing on fixing broken processes within this organization, nah instead put emphasis on human error where they will fix nothing nor do anything but point their fat lazy fingers and issue discipline. But it’s okay if your LLV smokes, catches fire and melts like butter on a hot tin roof, providing you with that near death experience that only USPS can..
File at NLRB.gov against employer for not bargaining in good faith and retaliation…
This is above the grievance process and will be seen by all including national…

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Your Name
Sarah Leptic
Apr 21, 2022
Your Comment
I got hurt in January. They haven’t approved my workers comp. They won’t file the right paperwork. I contracted Covid that same week and now have post Covid heart complications. What do I do? Am I fired? Should I resign?
Your Name
S.
Mar 11, 2022
Your Comment
Recently, I was deemed AWOL even though I was marked SDO for that day and was never told verbally or received in writing that I was to go to work that morning. The only thing that was previously was concerning my OJT.
Your Name
Common Sense
Jan 22, 2022
Your Comment
If this doesn’t highlight once and for all why you should work a second of overtime for this postal plantation nothing will. There is little to no net to catch you when you get injured, you are hunted down by the likes of the OIG enabled postal
Management when you attempt to rest an injury, what little net there is for when the inevitable happens and you are injured is all completely rigged and manipulated by the USPS. Your doctors are threatened, you are threatened, you have no rights. Look up the National Reassessment Process EEOC decision against the USPS in 2018. Despite this half billion dollar lesson, the USPS continues the exact same practices. You need to keep your human pack mule duties restricted to 8 hours per day. The USPS is notorious for being completely over staffed in the managerial department while understaffed in the actual mail moving business department.
  
Your Name
SMB
Dec 29, 2022
Your Comment
Amen… I couldn’t have said it better

Do not!! BY ANY MEANS VIOLATE YOUR RESTRICTIONS!!!

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Your Name
Terry Brossman
Jan 20, 2022
Your Comment
What were the 8 recommendations?
  
Your Name
Crystal Esters
Jun 21, 2022
Your Comment
Terry that’s what I wanna know .

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Your Name
Aileen Jennings
Jan 19, 2022
Your Comment
I was hurt on the job while casing mail. I followed all correct procedures, went to workers comp. Dr. , filed CA1, did all ecomp paperwork. It happened on Dec. 20th and I still have yet to receive COP
Your Name
Dana Martin
Jan 18, 2022
Your Comment
So glad you asked! Six months ago, I couldn't take a shower, get dressed, or case mail without experiencing pain in my right shoulder. I knew it was work related because I don't do anything but work, since we are so short handed. I filed a CA-2 last July. I have not heard from them about my case.
  
Your Name
Common Sense
Jan 22, 2022
Your Comment
There is no real medical care or recuperation as an injured postal worker. You’re just a broken down pack mule to them. This is why you don’t work overtime for these people. Make sure to let all of your co-workers know that there is no net or reward for being a postal hero, it’s all just consequences of not using common sense.

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Your Name
Anonymous
Jan 17, 2022
Your Comment
Recently tested positive for Covid. Had AL last week of December. I had to use 3 days or lose. It was changed to sick leave and 1 day LWOP. For the last 2 weeks of December. Nobody knows what they are doing nobody gives any info on what to do for Covid leave. Also they marked me 4 days unscheduled leave and I also lost 3 days AL because it rolled into pay period 2 got triple screwed.
  
Your Name
Common Sense
Jan 22, 2022
Your Comment
You need to get in touch with the Merit System Protection board anytime your pay is manipulated.

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

     
Your Name
Lea Mercer
Jan 27, 2022
Your Comment
And how do you do that.

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Your Name
Gary Raymond
Jan 17, 2022
Your Comment
Yes. I was admitted to a mental health facility. My employer was forbearing. The USPS should thoroughly consider the aftermath when its computer systems malfunction. My pharmacy had not and I suffered.