NPMHU Local 317 - Alabama
Official Site of the National Postal Mail Handlers Union Local 317. Postal News for NPMHU 317 members. We consist of branches in Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile, and Montgomery.
"Local 331, which is based in Albuquerque...Max Jaramillo, 58, served as treasurer of the National Postal Mail Handlers Union, Local 331, from 2014 through early 2024. He used the union’s funds to cover personal expenses, including alcohol, cigarettes, condoms..."
Reference: www.krqe.com
"The U.S. Postal Service is hosting several free hiring events to help future employees create their online profile and immediately start applying for jobs. ...If you enjoy taking walks, breathing in fresh air, and serving your community, the Postal Service is a great place to work, with job security, career advancement opportunities and benefits. The Postal Service has an immediate need for the following positions to be filled: the following positions to be filled:
Mail Processing: Clerks and Mail Handlers
Delivery: City and Rural Carriers
Transportation: Tractor Trailer Operators
Maintenance: Mechanics, Laborer Custodian and Automotive Technician
A complete list of job fair locations can be found here. ..."
"...The Postal Service is reminding managers to check their list of employees and contractors in eAccess.
Managers need to confirm that employees and contractors are assigned correctly in the platform.
If employee or contractor information is outdated or incorrect, managers..."
"The U.S. Postal Service will be required to evaluate its consolidation of Huntsville’s processing and distribution center through a bill that passed the U.S. House, U.S. Rep. Dale Strong, R-Monrovia, said Thursday. ...Strong, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, said the move has disrupted mail service across North Alabama. The provision was included in H.R. 7006, the Financial Services and General Government Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bill, which advanced as part of the appropriations package passed earlier this week. It will require USPS to provide a briefing on the impacts of consolidating the Huntsville processing and distribution center, including its effect on mail service to north Alabama. ..."
Reference: www.al.com
"...The Postal Service will send a letter in mid-January with information about a new temporary federal tax deduction for certain portions of federal overtime payments made to eligible employees.
The letter will include the employee’s qualified overtime amount for 2025. ..."
2025 No. 12 – December 12, 2025 (pdf)
You are reading the twelfth Contract Update produced and distributed by the NPMHU during the course of 2025 negotiations. These updates, along with the Union’s magazine and monthly bulletins, will keep mail handlers throughout the country informed and involved in the issues raised during this round of bargaining.
Discussions on economic issues between Deputy Postmaster General Douglas Tulino, National President Paul Hogrogian, and National Secretary-Treasurer Kevin Tabarus, Contract Administration Manager Teresa Harmon and NPMHU General Counsel Matthew Clash-Drexler have continued to intensify and become increasingly substantive.
Recent sessions have focused more on areas of disagreement, including the continued impact of the proportional COLA and persistent disparities between the Mail Handler wage scale and those of other postal unions. Throughout these discussions, the NPMHU Negotiations Team has consistently conveyed that securing a contract that fairly reflects the value, contributions, and lived economic realities of the membership remains its top priority.
In furtherance of that goal, the NPMHU Negotiations Team presented detailed cost analyses of its economic proposals to Deputy Postmaster General Tulino, clearly demonstrating both their reasonableness and their financial feasibility. The Team hopes that these proposals will receive serious consideration and looks to management to respond with meaningful movement that advances the parties toward an agreement.
The Postal Service is currently reviewing the NPMHU’s proposals in between bargaining sessions, and additional meetings have been scheduled to receive management’s response and to continue negotiations.
Throughout this process, the NPMHU Negotiations Team remains steadfast in advocating for the best interests of the Mail Handler craft. The Team understands that fair wages and working conditions are essential not only to the well-being of the membership, but also to maintaining a strong and efficient Postal Service that serves the American mailing public. The NPMHU will continue to press for an agreement that supports the workforce and upholds the mission of the Postal Service.
"...Lobster is one of the most prized and delicious seafood delicacies. The sweet, succulent meat makes lobster tail, lobster rolls, and other lobster dishes extremely popular. However, high-quality live lobster can be hard to find if you don’t live near the coast. This leads many seafood lovers to wonder – can you mail live lobster?
The short answer is yes, you can mail live lobster through the United States Postal Service (USPS) if you follow specific guidelines. While mailing live animals does have restrictions and regulations, it is possible to have fresh live lobster delivered right to your door.
In this detailed guide, we will ..."
"...This year, the facility has four high-tech helpers lending a hand, robotic arms installed in September that are helping keep operations efficient during peak season.
"We got these four robotic arms in September," Herron said. "It's helping to really streamline the efficiency of this by allowing for more mechanical robotics to properly identify those packages and get them down the processing machine."
The robotic arms read boxes, identify them and move them into the correct position to read barcodes before packages continue down the sorting line to be dispatched to their next destination. ..."
"...Amazon reportedly wants a four-year contract extension, while USPS wants to hold an auction for its services. If negotiations break down, the 30-year partnership could end next year...the e-commerce giant says it was surprised to find out that USPS wanted to hold an auction for some of its shipping capacity."
Reference: www.pcmag.com
2025 No. 11 – December 5, 2025 (pdf)
You are reading the eleventh Contract Update produced and distributed by the NPMHU during the course of 2025 negotiations. These updates, along with the Union’s magazine and monthly bulletins, will keep mail handlers throughout the country informed and involved in the issues raised during this round of bargaining.
Since the contract negotiation deadline has been extended, discussions about economics between Deputy Postmaster General Douglas Tulino, Vice President of Labor Relations Mike Elston, National President Paul Hogrogian, National Secretary-Treasurer Kevin Tabarus, Contract Administration Manager Teresa Harmon and NPMHU General Counsel Matthew Clash-Drexler have continued to gain momentum. The conversations in recent sessions have become increasingly focused, detailed, and substantive.
Throughout these meetings, the NPMHU Negotiations Team has repeatedly and unequivocally underscored the importance of addressing the long-standing issues in the wage scale for both career employees and MHAs. The team has also emphasized the significant impact of the proportional COLA, which continues to disproportionately affect those at the lower end of the scale. National President Hogrogian continues to ensure that the Postal Service understands that these are central priorities at the bargaining table which must be addressed during this bargaining cycle.
Although the dialogue has been productive, the parties remain far apart on several key economic questions. The NPMHU Negotiations Team has made clear that meaningful movement on these issues is essential and will continue pressing for proposals that accurately reflect the value and contributions of the membership.
Additional bargaining dates have been scheduled, and we expect to provide further updates as those meetings take place. As always, the NPMHU Negotiations Team remains fully committed to securing real and lasting improvements for the National Postal Mail Handlers Union, the Mail Handler Craft, the Postal Service, and the American mailing public.
"...Read letters to Santa and help make a holiday wish come true. Sign up now so you’re ready when letter adoption begins on November 17!...Help make holiday wishes come true by adopting a letter and finding the ideal gift to send through our convenient online catalog or on your own."
Reference: www.uspsoperationsanta.com
"...Chicago area are today dealing with the aftermath of an unexpected turn of events, as the local post office at 1241 Central Avenue has been forced to close its doors due to a roof collapse following..."
Reference: hoodline.com
"...The bill would name the Tuskegee Post Office at 401 North Elm Street to the “Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Post Office.” ...“Designating the Tuskegee Post Office as the Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Post Office is a meaningful way to honor the legacy of these trailblazing heroes, and I’m proud to do this on my first Veterans Day with the full support of Alabama’s congressional delegation,” Figures said. “The Tuskegee Airmen, whom I especially honor on my first Veterans Day"
Reference: www.al.com
"...National Arbitrator Maggie Brogan's decision in the RI-399 dispute concerning application of paragraph 10(a) - the "unless'' clause - of the 2018 Update MOU. Click here for PDF. ...One of the local jurisdictional practices that was inconsistent with a National-level craft determination was the Automated Flat Sorting Machine, the AFSM 100, as enhanced in 2006 with automatic induction and automatic tray handling (Al/ A THS). A 2006 National-level craftdetermination by the Postal Service assigned the primary jurisdiction of the feed station to the clerk craft, the primary jurisdiction of the load and prep stations to the mail handler craft, and the primary jurisdiction of the employee operating the A THS to the mail handler craft. Notwithstanding that determination, there were a number of places where the clerks continued to perform the prep station work assigned to the Mail Handler craft. Accordingly, when inventories were created... "
Reference: www.npmhu.org
"...Mr. Cruz (for himself, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, and Mrs. Capito) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs...To require the Comptroller General of the United States to submit reports to Congress on theft of mail and United States Postal Service property, and for other purposes. ..."
Reference: www.govinfo.gov
"...A postal carrier was killed in a two-vehicle crash in Pickens County.
Alabama State Troopers identified the victim as April F. Box. She was 57 and lived in Aliceville.
The wreck..."
"...The Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) Program is a separate program within the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program, administered by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
PSHB provides health benefits plans to eligible Postal Service employees, Postal Service annuitants, and their eligible family members.
Postal Service employees and Postal Service annuitants are no longer eligible to enroll or continue enrollment in an FEHB plan as of January 1, 2025, and must have enrolled in a PSHB plan to maintain health coverage through the Postal Service.
If a Postal Service employee or Postal Service annuitant is covered under a family member’s FEHB plan not through the Postal Service, they can continue that coverage after January 1, 2025.
Former Postal Service employees and their family members who are on Temporary Continuation of Coverage prior to January 1, 2025, through their FEHB plan will continue with that FEHB plan after January 1, 2025...READ MORE"
Prepare for Open Season!
The 2025 Federal Benefits Open Season begins November 10. It's your annual opportunity to enroll in or change your Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) dental and/or vision plan.
"By ending evening collection, the USPS plan delays processing of some mail by a day (Meg Cunningham/The Beacon). ...Under a recent consolidation effort by the U.S. Postal Service, though, rural areas farther away from processing hubs are seeing more reductions in service compared to their urban counterparts, even in areas that haven’t technically seen parts of the plan go into effect yet. “The mail, it’s awful. Sometimes we don’t even get things that were sent to us,” said Leah Lawson, vice president of the Bank of New Madrid in southeast Missouri. ..."
Reference: www.yahoo.com
"...The Postal Inspection Service has released a documentary about the agency’s investigation into the tragic death of a USPS employee in 2019.
The 28-minute film, “Ambush in Andrews,” tells the story of Irene Pressley, an Andrews, SC, rural carrier who was shot and killed while delivering mail.
The Inspection Service’s investigation showed that a drug dealer ..."
"...Please note: The Federal Benefits Open Season ends at 11:59 pm Eastern Time on Monday December 8, 2025 for the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) and the Federal Flexible Spending Account Program (FSAFEDS). Open Season for the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB) and Postal Service Health Benefits Program (PSHB) ends at 11:59 pm, per the location of your electronic enrollment system, on Monday December 8, 2025. ...Visit BENEFEDS.gov"
Reference: www.opm.gov
"...The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is warning consumers to be aware of scams connected with packages delivered to people who did not order them.
Con artists use these packages, often billed as containing free merchandise, to perpetrate various “brushing scams..."
"The Census Bureau plans to use U.S. postal workers as census takers...The field tests will be conducted next year in western Texas; tribal lands in Arizona; Colorado Springs, Colorado; western North Carolina; Spartanburg, South Carolina; and Huntsville, Alabama. The unpublished Federal Register notice didn’t say which locations would test postal workers as census-takers who interview people about the race, sex, age, type of housing and relationships in their households. ...kicking around for some time, given the knowledge that postal workers often have of the neighborhoods where they deliver mail. "
Reference: AP News
