NALC National Contract Arbitration Award

  NALC National Contract Arbitration Award

"...rejected the Postal Service’s proposals to freeze pay, eliminate cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) and implement a two-tier wage schedule for career city carriers. Instead, the new contract provides three general wage increases between now and the end of the contract: 1 percent in November 2013, 1.5 percent in November 2014, and 1 percent in November 2015. It also provides for the payment of seven COLAs between now and 2016, though the two COLAs calculated in 2013 will be deferred and paid in 2014. These wage and COLA provisions follow the wage pattern established by the negotiated American Postal Workers Union (APWU) contract and the arbitrated National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association (NRLCA) contract...."

Reference: www.nalc.org  

Postal Service introduces new course to 'control' leave usage

  PRE-Fundamentals of Attendance Control, known as 'PRE-FACT' (Course # 10021514)

The USPS has introduced 'PRE-Fundamentals of Attendance Control (PRE-FACT) (Course # 10021514)' with the stated objective of helping supervisors manage the leave program. The course reportedly educates supervisors on how to make sure employees provide appropriate documentation, as well as appropriately approving or disapproving earned leave. This course is allegedly used to help supervisors with attendance control. This course is in addition to the stacks of manuals that already cover this subject in the F-21 Handbook, F-22 Handbook, Postal Source Data System Time and Attendance.

Reference: NPMHU 317  

From the NPMHU 317 Picture Archive

Huntsville P&DF

Birmingham

Alleged meth-head postal employee accused of stealing 1938 heirloom telegram

  Peninsula family reunited with stolen 1938 heirloom telegram

"...by a postal worker who's accused of stealing about 10,000 letters since at least 2008 to finance his drug habit. Postal worker Romeo Natan, 38, of San Bruno and two colleagues face felony charges in connection with the thefts. Natan allegedly stole letters carrying credit and gift cards or anything else he could turn into cash to buy methamphetamine. ..."

Reference: www.mercurynews.com  

Year in prison for post office break-ins

  Post office break-ins lead to year in prison

"...The agreement further states Fannin participated in break-ins on July 9, 2010, at the Post Office in Crum, followed by a July 21, 2010, break-in at the Breeden post office in Mingo County, W.Va...."

Reference: www.herald-dispatch.com  

Did 'big postal truck' run over Davis Haines?

  Birmingham's Davis Haines, back from the brink of death, stars in holiday show

"...“It was this 18-wheeler, or it may have been a Mack Truck, a big postal truck,” Davis says. “The light was green for both of us, and I was turning left while he was turning right. He was so close to me that we just sort of merged into each other. He ran over my mid-section.”..."

Reference: www.al.com  

Postal downsizing causing delivery issues

  Postal frustrations

"...The U.S. Postal Service has struggled to provide adequate staffing for post offices in some oil-boom towns, where populations have ballooned in recent years. Long lines at postal windows, late mail, returned mail and undelivered mail ..."

Reference: www.minotdailynews.com  

Retired Mail Handler John Dennie, arrested trying to save postal jobs

  Postal legislation dead, but postal hunger strike continues

"...The five hunger strikers occupied Issa’s office on Thursday. One–identified in a press release as John Dennie, a retired mail handler from New York–was arrested by Capitol police and later released, Partridge said...."

Reference: federaltimes.com  

Metro Post (USPS Same-Day Delivery) Trial Delayed

  USPS Delays Same-Day Trial

"...That's bad news, not just for this same-day test, but for the eight to ten chains reportedly signed up for the trial who will lose days' worth of deliveries on the critical run-up to Christmas Eve...."

Reference: storefrontbacktalk.com  

Mail Handler allegedly helps steal thousands of checks

  Mail center supervisor pleads guilty to stealing $2.8M in government checks

"...Fambro-Echols worked there as a mail handler. While on the job, Eason and Fambro-Echols stole thousands of U.S. Treasury checks and provided them to a network of brokers and check cashers who would then negotiate the checks and split the criminal proceeds with Eason and Fambro-Echols, Yates said...."

Reference: www.ajc.com  

Postal Service awards $30m contract to firm it is suing for $390m

  USPS awards $30m contract to firm it is suing for $390m

"...The US Postal Service has awarded a $30m contract to Northrop Grumman Corporation at the same time it is attempting to sue the company over breaches of another contract, seeking a nine-figure sum...."

Reference: postandparcel.info  

Google buys parcel storage service

  Why Did Google Buy BufferBox? Because The Entire Mail And Package Delivery System Is Broken

"...The mail delivery system is broken and old. It’s ripe for…disruption. How broken? The US Post Office lost $15.9B in 2012. So at first blush, one could say that Google wants to compete with the likes of shipping magicians like Amazon and UPS..."

Reference: techcrunch.com  

Pitney Bowes Software’s Data Analytics Says Huntsville Ranks 23 for Adding New Households in Next Five Years

  Pitney Bowes Software’s Data Analytics Says Houston, Atlanta and Washington DC Will Add the Most New Households in Next Five Years

"...“Projected household growth is a critical indicator for the economic prospects of a specific geographic area, and this data can help real estate, retail and a range of other businesses, plan their growth strategy scientifically,” said John O’Hara, President of Pitney Bowes Software. “It is no longer acceptable to make strategic business decisions on gut feel alone. Given the plethora of data, and the advanced tools for analyzing it, business leaders can stay ahead of real estate trends for planning.”..."

Reference: pb.com  

USPS argues to halt raises and COLA's for Mail Handlers while overpaying execs

  USPS Execs Get Illegally High Salaries Admid $11.6 Bil Loss

"...turns out that at least three USPS officers made more than the legal compensation limit for their respective work category, according to the agency’s inspector general. In a report made public this month, the Postal Service watchdog reveals that one of the officers, identified as the president of digital solutions, made a whopping $306,250 last year. This exceeds even the “critical position” cap set by the federal law...."

Reference: www.themoralliberal.com  

Mail Handler Contract Negotiations Update (14)

  Contract Update #14

"...draconian proposals from the Postal Service, including – for current mail handlers – absolutely no general wage increases, no cost-of-living adjustments, and a drastic increase in employee contributions for health insurance to the current rate paid by federal employees. Another proposal from the Postal Service seeks to substantially modify, and effectively eliminate, the current no lay-off clause. In addition, the Postal Service is seeking the authority to hire and to utilize, without any contractual restrictions on scheduling, use, or retention, a total of 25% non-career casual employees. Finally, for new career mail handlers hired in the future, the Postal Service proposes that their pay rates be 20% lower at the entry level and 20% lower at the maximum level. The bottom line is that the Postal Service seeks to freeze the wages for all current mail handlers, while reducing their take-home pay by approximately 8% to pay for health insurance premiums. For new hires, the USPS proposal would mean a permanent, non-career workforce with low pay and no benefits for one-quarter of employees performing mail handler work, and a reduction of 20% in the wages of newly hired career mail handlers...."

Reference: www.npmhu.org  

Great Postal Related Gift Ideas: Upcycled Postal Mail Sacks

  TerraCycle Upcycles Old U.S. Postal Service Bags Into Chic Accessories

"...TerraCycle has made a name for itself by turning landfill-bound objects into one-of-a-kind accessories, and its newest line of bags is no different. Stitched together from decommissioned U.S. Postal Service cotton-canvas mail sacks, each upcycled pouch and tote features markings from the original carryall, along with distressing, light fraying, and patch marks from years of service. Plus, all iPad cases are lined remnant Ultrasuede scraps—all the better to keep your precious cargo safe through rain, sleet, and gloom of night...."

Reference: www.ecouterre.com  

Do the statements of Vegliante in this article represent your thoughts/reality? ?

  No new buyouts on Postal Service horizon

"... Employee Reaction Vegliante said employees understand USPS needs to make changes in order to deal with declining mail volume and how Americans are now utilizing the Postal Service. "People are telling us, 'We understand what's going on. We understand the need to do certain things. We need to do it.' I can appreciate that because if you're the one that's subject to change, once you understand it, once you accept it, you want it to happen." ..."

Reference: www.federalnewsradio.com  

Postal Service acknowledges Birmingham absentee ballot problem

  Postal Service acknowledges Birmingham absentee ballot problem

"...USPS says mail processing equipment erroneously read the return address as the mailing address. They did not specify if the error occurred in Birmingham or in Montgomery, where the mail was post marked...."

Reference: www.cbs42.com  

USPS officer received a $61,250 performance bonus last year

  Postal Service, IG at odds on whether top exec’s $306K compensation package over legal limit

"...officer’s employment agreement defined “basic salary” as the pension plus a yearly salary of $113,048 for a total of $245,000. On top of that, the officer received a $61,250 performance bonus last year...."

Reference: federaltimes.com  

Company says postal rate increase too low to sustain Postal Service

  US direct mail giant urges rethink on Standard Mail pricing

"...The company said in failing to meet its costs, USPS was breaking US postal law, and putting its own financial health at risk – as well as requiring direct mail customers to effectively pay higher rates to protect the ailing catalogue industry...."

Reference: postandparcel.info  

Alabama Mail Carrier Indicted for Involvement with Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Conspiracy

  U.S. Postal Service Mail Carrier Indicted for Involvement with Stolen Identity Refund Fraud Conspiracy

"...Harrison was a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier who was part of a stolen identity refund fraud conspiracy. Members of the conspiracy filed false tax returns using stolen identities from various locations including the Northern District of Alabama. The fraudulent tax refunds were directed to debit cards that were mailed to addresses on Harrison’s postal route in Montgomery, Ala. Harrison retrieved the debit cards from the mail and, for a fee, provided them to a co-conspirator. An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt...."

Reference: Dept. of Justice  

Mail Handler Interest Arbitration Begins

  Mail Handler Interest Arbitration Begins

The interest arbitration proceedings to determine the terms of the 2011 National Agreement between the NPMHU and the Postal Service have begun, with hearing dates already scheduled through January 2013. The three-member arbitration panel held its first planning and process meeting on October 15, 2012. The neutral member and chair of the panel is Herbert Fishgold, a nationally known arbitrator with more than thirty years of experience. As previously announced, Fishgold – who was appointed through a striking process run by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service –is an arbitrator of nationwide reputation and professional stature, who is also a member of the National Academy of Arbitrators. He has served as a third-party neutral for more than thirty years, during which time he has mediated and arbitrated bargaining disputes in a wide range of industries at the national, state, and local levels. Arbitrator Fishgold is familiar with many of the basic facts and issues presented by the Postal Service, the mailing industry, and postal employees generally – based on, among other things, his service as an interest arbitrator in the 2006 dispute between the National Rural Letter Carriers Association and the Postal Service. Joining Fishgold on the panel as the USPS-appointed arbitrator is Robert Dufek, a Manager of Labor Relations at the Postal Service and long-time management attorney and representative. The third member of the panel has been appointed by the NPMHU, and he is union lawyer Robert Weinberg, a senior member of the law firm of Bredhoff & Kaiser, PLLC in Washington, DC. That firm, which has operated as General Counsel to the NPMHU since 1992, also is the home of Bruce Lerner and Matt Clash-Drexler, the lawyers representing Mail Handlers both in last year’s national negotiations and in the current arbitration proceedings. Hearings are slated to begin on November 9, with as many as twelve dates scheduled in November, December, and January. As the testimony and evidence are presented, more details will be distributed.

Reference: www.npmhu.org  

Lance Armstrong jersey items on eBay

  Lance Armstrong items on eBay

"...Get your Lance Armstrong postal logo jersey for work or get a signed jersey to collect...."

Reference: Postal News Network  

  Postal Service sides with Clerks on one of the AFCS-200 assignments

"...In a letter faxed to the NPMHU office on Friday evening, September 28, 2012, the Postal Service has outlined its intent to assign one “operator position” on the new AFCS-200..."

Reference: Postal Newsgroup  

APWU Buyout Incentive Approved

  APWU, USPS Negotiate Retirement Incentive

"...The APWU has negotiated a retirement incentive agreement that awards eligible full-time career employees a $15,000 payment in two installments, President Cliff Guffey has announced. The first installment will be $10,000; the second will be $5,000...."

Reference: www.apwu.org  

VA care opens for Lejeune vets, families

  VA care opens for Lejeune vets, families

"...To be eligible, patients must show they spent at least 30 days at Lejeune from Jan. 1, 1957, to Dec. 31, 1987, or they were in utero during that period with mothers residing on base. They also must have one or more of the following: cancer of..."

Reference: militaryvetnews.blogspot.com  

Best time to retire from the Postal Service

  Best time to retire from USPS

"...To maximize your benefits when you retire, you need to do only two things..."

Reference: federaltimes.com 

Tiny buyout offer fails to reach highest expectations

...yet larger offer is taken by nearly 20% of postmasters.

  3,000 mail handlers accept buyouts

"...The Postal Service expected between 2,800 and 3,200 to accept the deal, which was offered in May — 2,952 did so. The incentives to leave are among three attempts by the agency this year to trim its career workforce..."

Reference: www.federaltimes.com 

Huntsville - Bid Job Posting

The following information is for the Huntsville Bid Cluster only. This information is provided to assist employees in bidding by providing the Job Slot numbers for your use.

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