FedEx Express Retires 22 Boeing 757 Freighters

  FedEx Express Retires 22 Boeing 757 Freighters

"...On April 1, 2024, United Parcel Service, aka UPS (5X), announced that it was becoming the primary air cargo provider for the United States Postal Service (USPS), replacing FX in this role and ending its more than 20-year partnership with USPS. The new contract between 5X and USPS will begin in late September 2024 after the current contract between USPS and FX expires on September 29. ..."

Reference: www.airwaysmag.com
 

OPM alters its final rule for the postal health benefits plan

  OPM 'tweaks' its final rule for the postal health benefits plan '

"...OPM officials added language to Monday’s rule clarifying that a USPS annuitant or their family member must “promptly notify OPM or the Postal Service, in writing, if they choose not to enroll in or to disenroll from Medicare Part B,” and they removed references tasking the USPS as the entity to receive overseas residency documentation for beneficiaries trying to qualify for an exception to the Part B enrollment requirement “to provide more operational flexibility” to the postal service and OPM. After Jan. 1, retiring USPS annuitants, and their family members, entitled to Medicare Part A coverage must also enroll in Part B coverage as well, unless they meet one of the following exceptions: ..."

Reference: www.govexec.com
 

Law enforcement is spying on thousands of Americans’ mail, records show

  Law enforcement is spying on thousands of Americans’ mail, records show

"...The Postal Service approves thousands of requests every year from police officers and federal agents seeking information from Americans’ letters and packages. ...The U.S. Postal Service has shared information from thousands of Americans’ letters and packages with law enforcement every year for the past decade, conveying the names, addresses and other details from the outside of boxes and envelopes without requiring a court order."

Reference: www.washingtonpost.com
 

The oldest operational post office in the state of Alabama

  The oldest operational post office in the state of Alabama

"...The Mooresville Post Office in Mooresville, Limestone County, is the oldest operational post office in the state of Alabama. Several of the mailboxes have been owned by the same families since before the American Civil War, and it continues to serve local residents. ..."

Reference: encyclopediaofalabama.org
 

Senior Moment | At what age do seniors stop paying property taxes in Alabama?

  At what age do seniors stop paying property taxes in Alabama?

"...If you are over 65 years of age, or permanent and totally disabled (regardless of age), or blind (regardless of age), you are exempt from the state portion of property tax. County taxes may still be due. ..."

Reference: Alabama Department of Revenue
 

2025 Federal Retiree COLA Watch – FERS / CSRS / Social Security

  2025 Federal Retiree COLA Watch – FERS / CSRS / Social Security

"...The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) increased 3.4 percent over the last 12 months to an index level of 307.811 (1982-84=100), according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). For the month of April, the index increased 0.4 percent prior to seasonal adjustment. ...Trend For Estimated 2025 COLA (FERS / CSRS / Social Security): ..."

Reference: www.myfederalretirement.com
 

Further Rules Proposed for Postal Service Health Benefits Program

  Further Rules Proposed for Postal Service Health Benefits Program

"...The proposed rules also address technical issues including financial matters and integration of Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage with the PSHB. ..."

Reference: www.fedweek.com
 

Chicago | NPMHU Steward, Local President and Activist Passes | Barry Romo

  Barry Romo, Anti-War Vietnam Veteran And Logan Square Activist, Dies At 76

"After graduating high school, Barry enlisted in the Army in 1966. He was sent to Vietnam in 1967 and served there until May 1968...Romo worked at a post office near O’Hare for nearly 40 years and was a union steward and president of the National Postal Mail Handlers Union, where he helped defend his coworkers’ rights, Clack said. ..."

Reference: blockclubchicago.org
 

Root Causes of Mail Issues in North Alabama | Looking Back At The Consolidation of the Huntsville, AL, Processing and Distribution Facility

  Consolidation of the Huntsville, AL, Processing and Distribution Facility

"The U.S. Postal Service uses the Area Mail Processing study to determine whether it should consolidate Postal Service facilities. The Huntsville, AL, Processing and Distribution Facility (P&DF) consolidation consisted of two phases: the originating mail consolidation (mail sent from Huntsville) and the destinating mail consolidation (mail delivered to Huntsville). The Postal Service completed the originating consolidation on December 31, 2011, but has not fully implemented the destinating consolidation. This report responds to a congressional request for a review of the consolidation. ...What the OIG Recommended: We recommended the vice president, Network Operations, continue processing Huntsville’s delivery point sequence mail at the Huntsville P&DF. We also recommended to re-evaluate staffing and resources at the Huntsville P&DF to ensure timely processing of delivery point sequence mail so fewer carriers return after 5 p.m. ..."

Reference: www.uspsoig.gov
 

USPS files unfair labor practice charges against Alabama postal workers unions

 

"...In recent years, the Birmingham post offices have been a significant source of strife for residents due to a 2011 decision to process Huntsville’s mail in Birmingham facilities. As Huntsville grew rapidly, Birmingham’s postal facilities did not grow to match, overtaxing the existing facilities and slowing down the mail.

Rep. Dale Strong, R-Alabama, sent a letter to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on May 23 asking for the USPS to invest in another facility in the area. Strong said a “major cause of these inefficiencies originates from the overburdened P&DF [processing and distribution facility] in Birmingham, Alabama” and that “the facility has had to recruit outside help and reroute mail to other distribution centers.”

These ongoing problems could potentially have contributed or added to the reasons for the USPS’ recent filings. ..."

Reference: www.alreporter.com