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.
"...Generally, you're first eligible to sign up for Part A and Part B starting 3 months before you turn 65 and ending 3 months after the month you turn 65. · If you ..."
Reference: www.medicare.gov
"The carriers halted some deliveries in Florida as the storm slammed the southern U.S. ...For the Postal Service, all delivery and retail operations are suspended until further notice for facilities in the 335, 336, 337, 339, 341, 342 and 346 3-digit zip code areas, the agency said in a notice Wednesday.
The Postal Service suspended operations at four processing and distribution centers in Tampa, Fort Myers and Sarasota. Alternate sites in Orlando could receive drop shipments in their place. Normal operations at the impacted sites were slated to resume at 4 a.m. on Friday. ..."
"...In 2021, the APWU Maintenance Division filed a National Dispute (USPS # 6X 18T-6X-C 21354335) regarding the Postal Service's violation of Article 7 section 3 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), specifically concerning the 2.5 percent cap on the total number of Part-Time Regular employees in the Maintenance Division. According to the CBA, the total number of part-time employees who “may be hired” should not exceed 2.5 percent of the total number of Maintenance Craft employees covered by the agreement...."
Reference: apwu.org
"...Postal enrollees will pay 11.1% more toward their health care premiums. Averaged with the government’s share of the cost, which is increasing by 5.1%, the overall premium increase for PSHB is 6.9%.
“The premium increase for the Postal program is lower than the FEHB premium increase due to greater integration in Medicare required under the Postal Service Reform Act, differences in the cost profiles of the plans offered in each program and demographic factors,” OPM said.
PSHB enrollees, on average, will pay $20 more toward their biweekly health care premiums next year. ..."
"...After scratching off the $20 Millionaire's Club ticket the man immediately said, "Thank you, Lord." He matched the winning number 54 for the corresponding $1 million top prize in the second row of the game’s play area. The postal worker can now think of retirement after working for the company for 30 years. When asked what he would do with the money, he said he's going to pay some bills. ..."
Reference: www.wmar2news.com
"...Your order of COVID tests is completely free – you won’t even pay for shipping. We will start shipping tests the week of September 30. Want to know when your tests are coming? Sign up to receive email alerts when you order! ..."
Reference: covidtests.gov
USPS employees and annuitants may participate in an upcoming virtual seminar on the new Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) Program.
The session will be held Thursday, Oct. 3, from noon to 1 p.m. Eastern and from 4 to 5 p.m. Eastern.
PSHB — which takes effect in 2025 — is a new, separate program within the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and will be administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
USPS employees, annuitants, and eligible family members are required to enroll in this new program.
The MyHR website’s PSHB page has more information, including the Zoom links and passcodes to participate. To find the page, enter “Postal Service Health Benefits” in the MyHR search bar.
Participation is voluntary. Nonexempt employees must be off the clock or on authorized breaks.
Employees can also receive updates by texting “PSHBP” to 39369.
"...We are writing to inform you of a recent national arbitration decision issued by Arbitrator Dennis Nolan in a grievance brought by the National Association of Letter Carriers, which concerned the Postal employees who did not receive their paychecks as a result of the breach of the Postal Service’s PostalEase system. The NPMHU also filed a grievance on this issue, and the NPMHU (along with the APWU) intervened in the NALC grievance. By way of background, on December 20, 2022, the Union received notification from the Postal Service that some Postal Service employees had unknowingly provided their usernames and passwords to criminal websites while attempting to access PostalEase. We were told that employees had been using Google to access PostalEase and that Google in turn was redirecting them to third party criminally run websites that mirrored the look and access of PostalEase. ..."
Reference: www.npmhu.org
The Postal Service will hold two virtual job fairs for sales positions this month.
The events are part of the organization’s efforts to expand its sales force and align sales strategies with new operational capabilities to drive revenue, one of the goals of the Delivering for America plan.
Topics to be covered during the fairs include:
• The roles and responsibilities of territory representatives and senior territory representatives;
• The number and locations of vacancies spanning 20 Postal Service districts;
• How to navigate the USPS Careers online page and create an eCareer profile; and
• How to effectively respond to knowledge, skills and abilities questions to demonstrate your qualifications.
The fairs are open to both career and noncareer employees and will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, Sept. 29, and Monday, Sept. 30.
To participate in a fair, employees must complete an online registration form on LiteBlue or Blue by clicking on the “Looking for a career in Sales?” banner. A list of districts with sales vacancies will be listed on the registration page.
All participants must be current Postal Service employees and attend while off the clock. Participation is voluntary.
"...September 30 is the end of the “special enrollment period” in which Postal Service retirees eligible for Medicare Part B but not currently enrolled in it may elect that coverage without the standard penalty for enrolling more than three months beyond first eligibility, which typically is on turning age 65.
The period opened in April under terms of the 2022 Postal Service reform law ordering creation of the new Postal Service Health Benefits program, which will replace the FEHB program for postal employees and retirees starting in January.
The voluntary period, applies to those already retired and who are not enrolled in Part B, which covers physicians and related services. ..."
"...An audit of postal facilities in Center Point, Birmingham, Northport and Tuscaloosa found operational problems that the report said was hampering the quality of service in those locations.
The audits, conducted by the United States Post Office’s Office of the Inspector General, found issues related to delayed mail at all four of the sites, including problems with scanning of packages, carriers and the condition of the properties. The Birmingham facility had difficulty with clearance times, outbound trips, scan compliance, security and other issues, the report said. ...
"
USPS employees and annuitants may participate in an upcoming virtual seminar on the new Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) Program.
The session will be held Thursday, Sept. 19, from noon to 1 p.m. Eastern and from 4 to 5 p.m. Eastern.
PSHB — which takes effect in 2025 — is a new, separate program within the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and will be administered by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
USPS employees, annuitants, and eligible family members are required to enroll in this new program.
The MyHR website’s PSHB page has more information, including the Zoom links and passcodes to participate. To find the page, enter “Postal Service Health Benefits” in the MyHR search bar.
Participation is voluntary. Nonexempt employees must be off the clock or on authorized breaks.
Employees can also receive updates by texting “PSHBP” to 39369.
"...while USPS has and will enter into new agreements with package consolidator companies consistent with its current business strategy, the organization will no longer offer discounted rates through negotiated service agreements (NSAs) for packages entered by consolidators at Post Office delivery units.
“As we engage in the process of modernizing our network, we are also changing our product and pricing strategies to ensure that they are aligned with our operating model and goals,” said Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.
“As one part of this new approach, we have decided that it is appropriate to make changes to how we utilize NSAs in the provision of our Parcel Select product. ..."
Official Call for Bargaining Proposals (pdf)
NPMHU 2025 Bargaining Proposal Form (pdf)
With preparations underway for negotiations over the terms of the 2025 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 31, 2025. 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 2025 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 2022 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 no later than January 31, 2025. 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 31, 2025, by faxing to 202-833-0008 or by using the following address:
"...availability fell from 84.4 percent in 2020 to 82.8 percent in 2023 ...“We found progressive corrective action has not been consistent and sick leave, LWOP, and AWOL hours have generally trended upward...In a sample of 400 regular sick leave occurrences of more than three days, management did not have the required medical documentation for 358, or 90 percent."
Reference: www.fedweek.com
Postal Items Found on Amazon Today "...Postal related items found on Amazon. Books, toys, signs, clothing, stamp collecting, ......
