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Home > About USPS & News > Forms & Publications > Postal Periodicals and Publications > Manuals > Employee and Labor Relations Manual - Issue 18 > 2 Job Evaluation > 230 Bargaining Unit Positions Covered by a National Agreement
230 Bargaining Unit Positions Covered by a National
Agreement
231 Unit Position Descriptions
PS Form 820 (see Exhibit 212.2), the basic document used to describe and
evaluate or rank bargaining unit jobs covered by the national agreement,
generates the following two types of position descriptions:
a. Key Positions (KPs or benchmarks). Ranked through legislation to
clearly reflect level distinctions, these deliberately use general terms to
describe the duties and responsibilities of more than one employee.
b. Standard Positions (SPs). These generate more specific ranks than key
positions, but still deliberately use general terms to describe the duties
and responsibilities of more than one employee.
The purpose of a position description is to describe three components of a
position: (a) the primary assignment or basic function, (b) the tasks and
duties involved in carrying out the primary assignment, and (c) the
organizational relationship. These components constitute the basis for
comparing the position with key positions and for aligning it with other
positions in the Postal Service.
232 Use of PS Form 820
232.11 Purpose
PS Form 820 is used to establish and review rankings of bargaining unit
positions in the field and in certain area and Headquarters units. It serves to
document requests for a new position or for change to an existing one. In
most cases, the need for this form is not required because of the number of
positions already in existence to which work can be matched.
In most cases installation heads hold the authority to evaluate authorized
positions that match key or standard positions for levels PS-5 and below; in
these instances, no PS Form 820 needs to be completed. If a new or
changed position does not match a key or standard position, level PS-5 or
below, a PS Form 820 must be completed.
If a position's duties and responsibilities change, or if there exists a need to
create a new position, except in those cases where Customer Requirements
completes it as a result of a national review, the installation head must
complete a PS Form 820.
232.2 Documentation Requirements
232.21 Preparing PS Form 820
Installation heads enter the following information on the form:
a. Heading entries:
(1) Name of Office or Organization (Item 1). Insert the name of the
Post Office or other postal installation where the position exists.
(2) Suggested Title of Position (Item 2). Enter the title proposed for
the position to be ranked.
(3) Recommended Salary Level (Item 3). Enter the PS level from
Item 6D on the back of the form.
(4) Date of Submission (Item 4a). Enter the date on which the
Ranking of Position Request is submitted.
(5) Reason for This Request (Item 4b). Enter the reason for
submitting the PS Form 820.
b. Body entries:
(1) Basic Function (Item 5a). Describe the position's basic function in
a concise statement that explains the position's primary purpose,
for example, "Makes general repairs on a variety of postal and
building equipment on a tour when no other mechanics are
present; performs clerical tasks related to the scheduling, control,
and reporting of plant maintenance activities." Do not attempt to
describe the details of the position in this section.
(2) Duties and Responsibilities (Item 5b). Enter the individual tasks
performed in carrying out the basic function:
(a) Explain the tasks in detail sufficient to provide a clear
understanding of the work, referring to the evaluation
factors given in Item 6 (for example, trade fields in which
the work is performed; type of equipment worked on;
commonly used hand and power tools; nature and extent of
repairs; and work conditions (for example, in and around
moving machinery, bench work, outside work).
(b) Explain responsibilities in terms of decisions (for example,
removing needed equipment from service for repair or
requesting additional mechanical or supervisory assistance).
(c) Note skills, knowledge, or experience necessary to
accomplish the basic function efficiently, especially where
the task description does not make these qualities readily
apparent. Avoid listing an incumbent's or applicant's
particular qualities, other than those clearly essential to the
position.
(d) Note duties and responsibilities assigned to the position
beyond the scope of the basic function. Estimate the
percentage of time devoted to the separate tasks. Also note
tasks performed at stated intervals (quarterly, semiannually,
annually, etc.), other than daily.
(e) If the position is composed of a combination of tasks
requiring materially different skills and knowledge, estimate
the percentage of time to be devoted to each area.
(f) Avoid ambiguous terms like assists or processes. If such a
term is used, specify the work tasks attached to that
position feature.
(3) Organizational Relationships (Item 5c). Give the title and grade of
the position's immediate supervisor and:
(a) If the immediate supervisor works a different tour than the
incumbent, give the supervisor's tour time.
(b) If the supervisor works in a different building, note this.
(c) Explain the nature and extent of:
(i) Instructions received before, during, and after task
performance.
(ii) Available guidelines and procedures directly
applicable to the work.
(iii) Review of the finished work.
(d) If more than one supervisor in the chain of command
reviews finished work, note this.
(4) Evaluation Report (Item 6). Proceed as follows:
(a) When choosing a position for comparison, select a ranked
position in the installation closely related in function to the
position under analysis. If no closely related position exists,
select one with similar work processes or other
characteristics.
(b) Rank factors in comparative, not absolute terms. For
example, if neither position involves contact with the public,
check "Public Relations Requirements" under section 6d as
"Approximately the Same." Comparison reflects the
evaluator's best judgment, based on knowledge of both the
comparison position and the position under review.
(c) After completing Items 6b and 6c, where appropriate, enter
the PS level recommendation in Item 7a.
(5) Signature and Date of Authorized Official (Items 7b and 7c). Sign
and date the PS Form 820, certifying the accuracy and
completeness comparable to other official certifications.
232.22 Signing Off at Management Review Levels
Reviewing managers:
a. Review the initiating office's recommendations.
b. If they do not concur with the initiating office's recommendations, return
the unsigned PS Form 820 with a memorandum explaining reasons for
disapproval.
c. If they concur with the initiating office's recommendations, forward the
request to the next higher management level for review, as appropriate.
232.3 Action by Districts
District Human Resources managers take one of the following courses of
action:
a. If the position is listed in the Bargaining Unit Position Authorization
Guidelines (available from Customer Requirements at Headquarters):
(1) Match the request to an existing key or standard position and
prepare a Staffing Change Notice showing the proper title, grade
and occupation code.
(2) Return the original PS Form 820, signed and dated, to the
initiating installation.
b. If the job cannot be matched to an existing key or standard position,
forward the PS Form 820 to the area Human Resources manager for
review.
232.4 Action by Areas
Area Human Resources managers take one of the following courses of
action:
a. If they do not concur with the district's conclusions, return the PS Form
820 to the initiating office and prepares a memorandum stating the
reasons.
b. If they concur with the district's conclusions, forward the PS Form 820
to Customer Requirements for review.
232.5 Action by Customer Requirements
Customer Requirements:
a. Evaluates the job against an existing key or standard position, revises
an existing standard position, or establishes a new standard position.
b. After completing the job evaluation, forwards the new or revised
position description to Labor Relations for review, craft determination,
and any further action required under terms of the national agreement.
c. After final approval, returns the PS Form 820 to the initiating office, with
copies to the area and district Human Resources managers for field or
area request, as appropriate.
233 Evaluation of Bargaining Unit Positions
Effective evaluation requires a clear understanding of the position duties,
responsibilities, and work requirements. Careful description of the position
ensures that employees receive equal pay for substantively equal work.
233.2 Basis for Position Evaluation
Comparison of a position's duties, responsibilities, and work requirements to
key position descriptions serves as the only basis for evaluation. Specifically,
the following factors determine final ranking:
a. Difficulty of the work to be performed.
b. Degree of responsibility to be exercised.
c. Scope and variety of tasks involved.
d. Conditions under which the work is performed.
The following factors do not affect the position evaluation:
a. The incumbent's knowledge, skills, abilities, or previous position title.
b. Designation of the register from which the employee will be selected.
233.3 Criteria for Evaluating Mixed Assignments
Criteria for evaluating mixed assignments are as follows:
a. Regularly Scheduled to Two Positions on a Daily Basis. When a
full-time employee is scheduled every workday to perform the work of
two separately defined positions in two different grades, the employee
is placed in the position of the higher grade. The duties of the lower
grade position, while included in the work assignment, represent extra
duties in relation to the official position and do not affect the pay grade
of the employee.
b. Regularly Scheduled on Intermittent Days in Two Positions. When a
full-time employee is regularly scheduled on intermittent workdays to
perform the work of two separate positions in different grades, the
employee is placed in the position in which more than 50 percent of the
time is spent. If the time is equally divided, the employee is placed in
the higher grade position.
c. Regularly Scheduled on Intermittent Days to More Than Two Positions.
When a full-time employee is scheduled on intermittent days to perform
the work of more than two positions in different grades, and less than
50 percent of the time is spent in a single position, the total work
assignment of the employee is separately defined as a position and
ranked in an appropriate grade.
d. Regularly Scheduled to Perform Work in Two or More Positions in the
Same Grade. When a full-time employee is regularly scheduled to
perform the work of two or more positions in the same salary grade, the
employee is assigned to the position in which more than 50 percent of
the time is spent. If the work is evenly divided between two positions, or
if less than 50 percent of the time is spent in a single position, the work
assignment of the employee is separately defined and an appropriate
title is assigned.
Employees with positions covered by a collective bargaining agreement may
grieve the salary level, title, or identification of their positions through the
agreement's grievance-arbitration procedures.
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