Postal employees to begin receiving 2021 tax year documents today

  Postal employees to begin receiving 2021 tax year documents today

"...Current and newly retired USPS postal employees are reporting they are in receipt, as of today, the tax documents required to file 2021 tax year tax forms...mailbox today or it has been identified as a scanned image in their USPS Informed Delivery app. Informed Delivery is a great tool"

Reference: Federal Retirement
 

How do i get a passport from my local post office?

  How do i get a passport?

Article on how to get your passport and includes all the clickable links you need to expedite the process. It also identifies how to get your Passport Identification Card which is useful for entering the United States at land border crossings and sea ports-of-entry from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda and a second form of ID in some places. Please note that the passport card cannot be used for international air travel.

Reference: Federal Retiree>/i>
 

Today You Can Order Your Free At-⁠Home COVID-⁠19 Tests

  Today You Can Order Your Free At-⁠Home COVID-⁠19 Tests

Every home in the U.S. can soon order 4 free at-⁠home COVID-⁠19 tests The tests will be completely free—there are no shipping costs and you don’t need to enter a credit card number.

Ordering begins today, January 19.

Reference: www.covidtests.gov
 

Packages from UPS, FedEx and Amazon being looted in LA from cargo trains

  Thieves in LA are looting freight trains filled with packages from UPS, FedEx and Amazon

Watch Video on YouTube

"...Union Pacific, one of the country's largest railroad companies, says it may avoid operating in Los Angeles County following the spike in thefts, which it blames on lax prosecution of crimes. The containers and trains are locked, but can be broken into. Union Pacific said last month in a letter to the Los Angeles District Attorney that it saw a 160% year-over-year increase in theft in LA county. The company claims that a December 2020 special directive issued by District Attorney George Gascón that changed how low-level offenses are prosecuted has contributed to the uptick. ..."

Reference: www.cnn.com


 

Postal union (APWU) warns mail slowdown could occur due to COVID-19 surge, lack of contact tracing

  Postal union (APWU) warns mail slowdown could occur due to COVID-19 surge, lack of contact tracing

"...The reason? They say postal employees aren’t being told when their coworkers are testing positive for COVID-19, allowing the virus to spread inside their facilities. “We’re really having a problem with the surge,” said Keith Combs, president of the American Postal Workers Union..."

Reference: www.wxyz.com
 

Deadline Looming on President Hogrogian's Official Call for Bargaining Proposals

  Deadline Looming on President Hogrogian's Official Call for Bargaining Proposals

To be fully considered prior to the onset of negotiations, bargaining proposals must be submitted by January 28, 2022.

Fillable bargaining proposal form (pdf)

With preparations underway for negotiations over the terms of the 2022 National Agreement between the NPMHU and the Postal Service, the National Office is issuing its official call for bargaining proposals from all members and Local Unions.

To be fully considered prior to the onset of negotiations, proposals must be submitted by January 28, 2022. Although formal bargaining is not scheduled to begin until June, the Union’s Field Negotiating Committee will be meeting for a full week in February 2022 to review all submitted proposals and outline the changes in the National Agreement that should be proposed by the NPMHU.

To be sure, planning for collective bargaining is a continuous process at the National Office, as the National Officers and representatives working in the Contract Administration Department routinely identify and collect proposals for improving the language currently found in the 2019 National Agreement. But an equally important aspect of preparing for bargaining is the collection and review of proposals generated by mail handlers across the country.

Thus, National President Paul Hogrogian has issued this official call for bargaining proposals from the membership, the Local Unions, and other subordinate bodies of the NPMHU. If you have any proposals that you would like to have considered for the upcoming round of bargaining, now is the time to submit them to the National Office. Every proposal submitted will be fully analyzed by the NPMHU’s Field Negotiating Committee and the National Negotiations Team while the Union develops its opening bargaining proposals.

All proposals should set forth the Article, Section, Paragraph, and/or Page of the National Agreement that you are suggesting should be changed; the specific language you would like to see added to, or deleted from, the current National Agreement; and your specific reasons for suggesting the change. If you have supporting evidence or documentation that you believe would support the change that you propose, please submit those materials to the National Office along with your proposals. The National Office is asking that all proposals be submitted as soon as possible, but in no event later than January 28, 2022. The National Office also has issued a form that can be used to submit proposals.

Once again, proposals from any member (or group of members) and any Local Unions or other subordinate body should be submitted to the National Office by January 28, 2022, using the following address:

National Postal Mail Handlers Union
ATTN: 2022 Negotiations
815 16th Street, NW, Suite 5100
Washington, DC 20006

Reference: npmhu.org
 

No More Surprise Medical Bills: 5 Things To Know about the No Surprises Act Taking Effect in 2022

  No More Surprise Medical Bills: 5 Things To Know about the No Surprises Act Taking Effect in 2022

New Year. New Law. Beginning January 1, 2022, new federal protections will shield millions of consumers from surprise medical bills. Surprise medical bills – unexpected bills from an out-of-network provider, out-of-network facility or out-of-network air ambulance provider – is common among those with private insurance. Nearly one in five patients who go to the emergency room, have an elective surgery, or give birth in a hospital receive surprise bills, with average costs ranging from $750 to $2,600 per episode. Learn about how the No Surprises Act can protect you from surprise medical billing. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Reference: https://www.hhs.gov/
 

USPS, USDS collaborate on new COVID-19 test website: Free at-⁠home COVID-⁠19 tests

  USPS, USDS collaborate on new COVID-19 test website

"...The United States Postal Service and United States Digital Service have been working on a new website for Americans to order free, at-home rapid COVID-19 tests. The administration is confident it won't crash in meeting massive demand. The White House is standing up a new website for Americans to order free at-home COVID-19 tests as part of an effort first announced last month to expand access to testing across the country.

The new website will go live with capabilities for Americans to order up to four free, at-home rapid tests per residential address on Jan. 19.

When asked about the new website (COVIDtests.gov) during a White House call..."

Reference: www.fcw.com
 

Thrift Savings Plan Contribution limits increase this year

  Thrift Savings Plan Contribution limits increase this year

The Postal Service wants employees to know that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has made changes to the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) contribution limits for 2022.

Employees can now contribute up to $20,500 to their TSP, starting Jan. 1. The previous limit was $19,500.

Additionally, employees age 50 and older can also use the TSP catch-up option to contribute an additional $6,500, for a total of $27,000 in contributions.

Employees under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) who contribute 5 percent of their basic pay to the TSP each pay period are reminded that the Postal Service will contribute an additional 4 percent of your basic pay to your TSP account in addition to an automatic 1 percent contribution.

TSP participants who have not maxed out their contributions are encouraged to consider increasing their contribution amounts to better reach their retirement savings goals.

Employees who want to make changes to their TSP contributions should access PostalEase on LiteBlue.

Reference: usps.com
 

Most Popular Commemorative 'Saved' Stamp

  Most Popular Commemorative 'Saved' Stamp

"...Elvis: The most popular (in terms of number saved, not sold) commemorative stamp issued by the USPS is the 1993 Elvis stamp. Over 124 million of this colorful 29-cent stamp featuring the famous singer have been saved..."

Reference: Postal News Network

Get the '1993 Elvis Stamp' on Amazon HERE

 

Biden admin 'plans' to have Postal Service mail 500M coronavirus at-home test kits amid surge

  Biden admin 'plans' to have Postal Service mail 500M coronavirus at-home test kits amid surge

"... Officials hope to start shipping tests within the month; they will be sent to people who request them on a yet-to-be-launched government website..."

Reference: Postal Briefing
 

The Great Resignation: Labor Department Says 4.5 Million Americans Quit Their Jobs In November

  The Great Resignation: Labor Department Says 4.5 Million Americans Quit Their Jobs In November

"...The Great Resignation continues. The Labor Department says 4.5 million Americans quit their jobs in November, a new record. ...He says people are quitting in the middle of a worker shortage. There are 10.6 million job openings in the U.S., according to the Labor Department. ..."

Reference: cbslocal.com