NPMHU Files Charges with NLRB RE: Function-1 Scheduler And USPS Failure to Provide Information

  NPMHU Files Charges with NLRB RE: Function-1 Scheduler And USPS Failure to Provide Information

NLRB charge

To protect against statutory deadlines, the National Office has filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging that the Postal Service has failed to bargain in good faith by providing all of the relevant information requested by the National Union. The National Contract Administration Department has been pressing the Postal Service for months seeking information and worksheets relevant to the application of the Function-I Scheduler in any and all mail processing facilities that may be affected by this management tool. A copy of President Hogrogian's memorandum to Local Presidents and the NLRB charge are posted here for your review. (pdf)
Reference: www.npmhu.org

Veteran's Day Holiday Schedule

  CAD Issues Memorandum to Address Veteran's Day Schedule Inquiries

2017 memo Veterans Day

Veterans' Day is celebrated on Nov. 11th-- in 2017, the holiday falls on a Saturday. In view of the confusion caused by this anomaly, the Contract Administration Department issued a memorandum intended to clarify the holiday schedule for Mail Handlers.

The October 25, 2017 memo and related guidance is available at this link. (pdf)
Reference: www.npmhu.org

The TSP’s all-in-family millionaire’s club

  The TSP’s all-in-family millionaire’s club

"...Aside from a few wealthy political appointees from the current and past administrations, the vast majority of people with million-dollar accounts were individuals with careers averaging 28 years, who invested in the C and S stock indexed funds through good times and bad, and who did not panic and retreat to the “safety” of the treasury securities G fund during the Great Recession..."

Reference: federalnewsradio.com  

House Budget is an attack on FERS employees more so than CSRS, cuts G Fund rate, ends SRS, raises employee contributions again

  House advances 2018 budget resolution with federal retirement cuts

"...elimination of supplemental payments (SRS) to employees who retire before age 62; A switch to a defined contribution pension plan for new federal employees; reduce the G fund’s rate of return ..."

Reference: federal-employees.blogspot.com  

Unions seek assistance in rejecting 2018 House Budget that is an outright assault on postal and federal workers

  Oppose the 2018 House Budget - Fight Again for Working Families!

"...CALL 1-844-402-1001 NOW! Tell your member of Congress to VOTE NO against any budget that includes attacks to postal and federal employees’ benefits, including retirement benefits, or undermines the public Postal Service itself! As currently written, this budget will slash the pay and benefits of postal employees. It calls for: Increasing employee pension contributions into FERS, amounting to a pay cut of thousands of dollars a year for each FERS postal employee. Taking away the Social Security supplement for FERS employees who retire before they are eligible for Social Security benefits. Outright eliminating pensions for new hires..."

Reference: www.apwu.org  

Probes estimate billions of delayed mail to facilities and point to Postal Service ‘manipulation’...

  Probes estimate billions of delayed mail to facilities and point to Postal Service ‘manipulation’ by a few employees

"...Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) expressed his “great concern about the U.S. Postal Service Inspector General (OIG) audit report finding that the US Postal Service has been inaccurately reporting delayed mail across a number of facilities, directly impacting mail service for millions of customers.” The OIG estimated that during the year ended Feb. 28, “mail processing facilities underreported late arriving mail by about 2 billion mailpieces” — that’s billion..."

Reference: www.washingtonpost.com  

MHA alleges she was terminated for requesting FMLA leave by United States Postal Service

  Woman alleges she was terminated for requesting FMLA leave by United States Postal Service

"...According to the complaint, the plaintiff was hired by the defendant as a mail handler assistant in 2013 and informed the defendant of her pregnancy in 2015. The suit states she was terminated on Aug. 28, 2015..."

Reference: pennrecord.com  

Postal Officials Under-Reporting Delayed Mail, Tester Calls for Firings

  Tester wants firings after postal workers accused of delaying mail delivery

"...In a two-day audit of eight mail distribution centers, investigators discovered more than 572,000 delayed mail items on land. However, postal officials were only reporting 369,000 delays, essentially hiding 36 percent of the problem..."

Reference: billingsgazette.com  

When is my next annual salary increase?

  When is my next annual salary increase?
Effective November 25, 2017 - the basic annual salary for each grade and step of Table 1 and Table 2 shall be increased by an amount equal to an amount equal to 1.3% of the basic annual salary for the grade and step in effect on May 20, 2016. For more information please see Section 9.1 - Basic Annual Salary of the National Contract
Reference: NPMHU 317

Want to know how much YOUR local union pays employees and officers?

  Want to know how much your local union pays employees and officers?
Unions are required to file and report certain things to the Department of Labor. If you would like to see this publicly available information, go to https://olms.dol-esa.gov/query/getOrgQry.do. For example,once you enter the previous link, you can find the pay for NPMHU Local 317 Employees/Officers by entering:

Union Name by Abbreviation: enter NPMHU-POSTAL MAIL HANDLERS, LIUNA

Designation Number: enter 317

Then at the bottom of the page where it says Report Type enter LM-2

Once you have made these three items, simply click submit. Once you arrive at the next form page make sure the check box is marked next to 505-261. Now at the bottom of the page where it says, Reports Specific to LM2s and LM3s, check the box that says, Officer/Employee Report. Now click Submit. Once you have completed this, you are now on the Records 1 to 5 page. Here you will see the first 5 individuals and their corresponding pay. Simply click NEXT at the top right of the page to see the next individuals and then so on. You can play with these forms and search queries to find even more information relating to our Local.

Reference: NPMHU 317

NPMHU and USPS Finalize Contract Interpretation Manual

  NPMHU and USPS Finalize Contract Interpretation Manual
"...As provided for in Article 15, Section .3E of the National Agreement between the National Postal Mail Handlers Union and the United States Postal Service, both parties have agreed to jointly produce a Contract Interpretation Manual (CIM), which represents a good faith effort to identify contractual issues on which the National parties are in agreement regarding interpretation and application of the parties' National Agreement. The latest issue of the CIM is Version 4, which was released on August 24, 2017..."
Reference: https://www.npmhu.org/media/news/cimv4

Man accused of going postal with pallet full of parcels

  Man accused of going postal with pallet full of parcels

"...He struck her with the pallet, bruising her hip. She told the officer that she became pinned between the pallet and the mail hamper. She yelled at the suspect to stop striking her, but he refused to pull the pallet back. He told the victim she needed to be more aware of her surroundings ..."

Reference: www.nwfdailynews.com  

Are there any postal employment opportunities in Alabama? Here's the latest list

  Are there any postal employment opportunities in Alabama? Here's the latest list

For more employment opportunities go to: http://www.usps.com/careers

Reference: usps.gov  

$270 COLA effective in September 2017: Approximately $10.38 Per Pay Period [270/26= 10.38...]

  $270 COLA effective in September 2017

Effective on September 2, 2017, career Mail Handler craft employees are scheduled to receive the third of seven possible cost-of-living (COLA) adjustments as outlined in Article 9.3 of the 2016 National Agreement. This COLA increase is based on the upward change in the relevant Consumer Price Index (CPI) following release of the July 2017 Index, and provides an annual increase of $270 for all Steps in Table 1 and for Step P of Table 2. The remaining Steps in Table 2 will receive the proportional COLA increase percentages as outlined in Article 9.3 of the National Agreement.

Reference: www.npmhu.org

...so when is our next contractual salary/wage increase?

 

No Indication of Buyouts as USPS Cutting 12,000 Jobs Nationwide

  USPS cutting 12,000 jobs nationwide

"...The public’s going to have to wait a lot longer in line at a lot of these post offices. The phone won’t get answered, and the level of service the public has gotten used to could decline if these job cuts go through,” said David Yao ..."

Reference: q13fox.com  

NPMHU SECURES DELAY OF PROPOSED INVOLUNTARY REASSIGNMENTS

  NPMHU SECURES DELAY OF PROPOSED INVOLUNTARY REASSIGNMENTS

USPS management continues to implement its ill-conceived plans to realign its work force. Their plans involve massive bid reversions and job abolishments in almost every mail processing facility throughout the country. In most cases, management is basing its staffing needs on the flawed Function 1 Scheduler that the Postal Service uses to determine staffing levels at the large mail processing plants. Postal management continues to argue that these reversions and/or abolishments are necessary because of the continuing decline in mail volumes.

In response to these unwarranted attacks on the postal workforce, NPMHU President Paul Hogrogian and APWU President Mark Dimondstein sent a joint letter to Postmaster General Megan Brennan protesting the Postal Service’s proposed actions. The two Presidents vowed that both unions would work together to combat the Postal Service’s attacks on its employees.

The NPMHU has been recently informed by Postal Headquarters that the September 2017 “move date” will be pushed back and that no Mail Handler will be involuntarily reassigned out of his/her installation until, in all likelihood, at least February 2018. Postal management has agreed to use this extended period to discuss with the unions ways to minimize and even eliminate the involuntary reassignments of Full-Time career employees out of their current installations. Management also confirmed that it is required under Article 7 of our National Agreement to reduce their proposed non-career work hours to the greatest extent possible before excessing career employees out of their installation.

However, management remains steadfast in its intention to realign the work force and align employees’ schedules/start times with the projected mail arrival profiles. This will result in wholesale start time changes, bid reversions, and abolishment of duty assignments. Area Labor-Relations specialists will be meeting with the respective NPMHU Regional Directors to discuss how they will be implementing these changes. During these meetings, our Regional Directors will be voicing our strong opposition to these unnecessary changes and suggest more efficient alternatives.

Unions representatives at the Local and Branch levels will challenge the unwarranted start time changes, reversions, and abolishments and will file the appropriate grievances. The National and Regional CAD remain fully prepared to assist the Local Unions in processing these grievances. All members also should stay informed of these issues, both through the mail and on the NPMHU website.

Read the July Update to learn about the Union's efforts in securing a delay in the proposed involuntary reassignments.

Reference: www.npmhu.org  

NPMHU and APWU Deliver Unified Objection to PMG Brennan

  NPMHU and APWU Deliver Unified Objection to PMG Brennan

On June 21, 2017, NPMHU President Paul Hogrogian and APWU President Mark Dimondstein delivered a clear message to Postmaster General Brennan. (pdf)

Text copy of the correspondence is as follows:

Megan Brennan

Postmaster General - Chief Executive Officer
United States Postal Service
475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW
Washington, DC 20260

Dear Postmaster General Brennan:
American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO
June 21, 2017


As presidents of our respective unions representing over 250,000 hard-working postal employees, we are deeply disturbed by the wholesale and massive job cuts under way by your administration. The cutting of an already skeletal workforce will not only cause massive disruption to the workforce but will cause further degradation of postal services for the American people throughout the country.

We also note that your public commitment to abide by the respective Collective Bargaining Agreements as you address workforce complements is being violated because the ongoing job reversions and job abolishments are contrary to contractual obligations. The excessing impact statements - currently amounting to over 1500 events affecting over 15,000 employees and counting - are blatant violations of our CBAs in relation to advance notice, mandated information to the unions, meeting requirements, move dates, and residual vacancies.

Using the information that the Postal Service has provided to the unions, there also is no way to determine if the required Article 12 provisions involving part-time flexible hours or PSE and MHA/Casual employment were considered or if the staffing is based upon all available work hours.

Our contracts further require that at the Area/Regional meeting a list of residual vacancies be provided to the union for each excessing event. At the current time, there are insufficient residual vacancies to accommodate the impact of thousands of bargaining unit employees. In fact, it would take a significant amount of time to gather that number of residual vacancies.

Without the residual vacancies, there is no excessing. That begs the question of why there is a demand to excess thousands of employees if there are no 'landing spots' for the excessed employees to be placed into.

Based upon all of the above factors and concerns expressed above, the NPMHU and the APWU request that management consider and explore all other alternative options prior to the massive excessing plan currently proposed.

Without change, these management actions essentially throw any good faith efforts and constructive relationships to the wind. At a time when the parties have been working together to craft, promote, and pass constructive postal reform legislation, we wonder why the Postal Service would choose to declare war on its unions and its employees. Rest assured that, absent correction, the APWU and the NPMHU will together resist these misguided actions and violations of your agreements with, and commitments to, our members.

We are both available early afternoon on Tuesday June 27th or late morning or early afternoon on Wednesday June 28th to further discuss these matters in person.

We await your response.

(Signed) Presidents Paul Hogrogian and Mark Dimondstein

Reference: www.npmhu.org
*Bolding Added  

Union Moves to Challenge Wholesale Job Reversions and Bid Abolishments

  Union Moves to Challenge Wholesale Job Reversions and Bid Abolishments

The National Office has been in contact with Postal Headquarters to discuss the deluge of bid reversions and abolishments that are being implemented across the country as a result of the Function 1 Scheduler. Postal Management has argued that these reversions/ abolishments are necessary because of the continuing decline in mail volumes. The most recent figures (for the period from October 1, 2016 through May 31, 201 7) indicate a decline of over 6 billion pieces in total mail volume from the same period last year.

In an extreme over reaction to these mail volume figures, USPS Headquarters has directed all Postal Areas to assess their current workforce complements and make the necessary adjustments to reflect the decline in mail volume. Not surprisingly, the Area Managers are now over reacting to Postal Headquarters' initial over reaction.

The "staffing tool" that is being used to determine complement in each postal installation is called the Function 1 Scheduler. As explained by Postal Managers, the Function 1 Scheduler uses mail volumes, available equipment, allied labor, and volume arrival, among other factors, to help the processing centers to determine their bid alignments and schedules. However, as most Mail Handler representatives already know, the Function 1 Scheduler is far from perfect.

Read the full memorandum and related material that was sent to Local President on June 2, 2017

Reference: www.npmhu.org  

Former St. Petersburg postal mail handler gets nine years in prison for theft of Social Security checks

  Former St. Petersburg postal worker gets nine years in prison for theft of Social Security checks

"...A former U.S. Postal Service mail handler was ordered to serve nine years in prison Wednesday for stealing close to $3 million in Social Security checks from a St. Petersburg mail-processing facility..."

Reference: www.tampabay.com  

Social Security: Get your special extra earnings for periods of military active duty from 1957 through 2001

  Social Security: Get your special extra earnings for periods of military active duty from 1957 through 2001

Uncle Sam Pays Vets for Service

"...special extra earnings for periods of active duty from 1957 through 2001 can also be credited to your Social Security earnings record...."
Reference: Federal Retirement News

Career Mail Handlers Scheduled to Receive Second of Seven Possible Cost-of-Living (COLA) adjustments

  Career Mail Handlers Scheduled to Receive Second of Seven Possible Cost-of-Living (COLA) adjustments

Effective on March 4, 2017, all career Mail Handler craft employees are scheduled to receive the second of seven possible cost-of-living (COLA) adjustments as outlined in Article 9.3 of the 2016 National Agreement. This COLA increase is based on the upward change in the relevant Consumer Price Index (CPI) following release of the January 2017 Index, and provides an annual increase of $333 for all Steps in Table 1 and for Step P of Table 2. The remaining Steps in Table 2 will receive the proportional COLA increase percentages as outlined in Article 9.3 of the National Agreement.

Link to wage chart effective March 4, 2017 (pdf)

Reference: www.npmhu.org  

Chaffetz, PMG Brennan tout bill to sustain U.S. Postal Service

  Chaffetz, PMG Brennan tout bill to sustain U.S. Postal Service

"...The legislation would require postal retirees to look to Medicare for their primary health coverage, a change the would dramatically cut the Postal Service’s costs for retiree healthcare..."

Reference: www.linns.com

More Reading on Medicare: The ABDs (and Fs) of Medicare Coverage. Barron's, February 4, 2017.

 

Mail Handlers Ratify New Contract

  Mail Handlers Ratify New Contract

MEMBERSHIP RATIFIES 2016 NATIONAL AGREEMENT

The terms of the 2016 National Agreement between the NPMHU and the U.S. Postal Service were officially ratified on February 10, 2017, when the results of the membership ratification vote were certified by the American Arbitration Association. The final vote tally was 8,047 in favor of ratification and 513 in opposition to ratification. Additional information regarding important provisions of the new National Agreement will be shared in subsequent NPMHU publications. Further details about the implementation of the 2016 National Agreement will be provided to Local Union officers and representatives as they become available.

Wage Chart Explanation

Updated Wage Chart (pdf)

Link to February 2017 Update

Reference: www.npmhu.org  

NPMHU Membership to Vote on Ratification of Tentative 2016 National Agreement

  NPMHU Membership to Vote on Ratification of Tentative 2016 National Agreement
"...materials were mailed to all members on January 11, 2017. To be counted, the completed ballots must be received in the designated P.O. Box in Washington, DC no later than 9:00 a.m. on the morning of Friday, February 10, 2017. On that day all returned ballots will be verified, counted, and certified by the American Arbitration Association to determine whether a majority of voting mail handlers have approved the tentative agreement..."
Reference: www.npmhu.org

SUMMARY OF TENTATIVE AGREEMENT ESTABLISHING TERMS OF 2016 NATIONAL AGREEMENT

  SUMMARY OF TENTATIVE AGREEMENT ESTABLISHING TERMS OF 2016 NATIONAL AGREEMENT
The following is a summary of the tentative agreement reached between representatives of the NPMHU and the Postal Service to establish the terms of the 2016 National Agreement.

Term The 2016 National Agreement will cover three years and four months, or 40 months, and will expire at midnight on September 20, 2019.

General Wage Increases

All career Mail Handlers will receive three general wage increases during the term:

-- the first, retroactively effective to November 26, 2016, will be 1.2%;

-- the second, effective on November 25, 2017, will be 1.3%; and

-- the third, effective on November 24, 2018, will be 1.3%.

For Mail Handler Assistants (MHAs), the general wage increases will be 1% higher per year, or 2.2% in November 2016, 2.3% in November 2017, and 2.3% in November 2018. MHAs will not receive Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs), but also will receive an additional 50 cents per hour in their base pay, set as another 9 cents per hour effective in November 2016, 20 cents per hour in May 2018, and 21 cents per hour in May 2019. The Level 4 rate for MHAs that started in 2013 at $13.75, and has recently been $14.71, will immediately go to $15.12 per hour effective last month. The Level 5 rate will be $15.94 per hour. In 2019, the Level 4 rate will be at $16.21, and the Level 5 rate will be over $17 per hour. Cost-of-Living Adjustments

All career Mail Handlers will receive seven cost-of-living adjustments, using the July 2014 CPI index as a base:

-- the first COLA will be retroactively effective in September 2016, and will be $21

-- the second COLA will be effective in March 2017

-- the third COLA will be effective in September 2017

-- the fourth COLA will be effective in March 2018

-- the fifth COLA will be effective in September 2018

-- the sixth COLA will be effective in March 2019

-- the seventh COLA will be effective in September 2019

All cost-of-living adjustments paid during the 2016 National Agreement will be rolled into basic salary immediately.

The exact amount of the COLAs will be based on future increases in the Consumer Price Index. As Mail Handlers know from previous years, because of wild and largely unpredictable fluctuations in the rate of inflation, economists have great difficulty in accurately projecting the amount of these COLAs. For example, the COLAs paid during the entire five-year term of the 2011 National Agreement averaged $183 per COLA, even though several COLAs were 0 because of minimal inflation in the economy. If that average were to repeat itself during the term of the 2016 National Agreement, the COLA provision, by itself, would provide almost $1,300 in additional base wage increases over the next three years. Of course, should inflation moderate, these guaranteed COLA payments will be lower, and should inflation increase more than expected, these guaranteed COLA payments could provide larger wage increases.

Overall Impact of Wage Increases

For a Level 4 Mail Handler at top step, the wage increases during the forty months of the 2016 National Agreement – not including COLA – will total $2,137, including $675 retroactively effective in November 2016; $731 effective in November 2017; and $731 effective in November 2018. For a Level 5 Mail Handler at top step, these general wage increases – again not including COLA – will total $2,177 over the forty months of the contract, including $687 retroactively effective in November 2016; $745 effective in November 2017; and $745 effective in November 2018. When projected COLA payments are added in at the consensus estimate of $250 per increase, at top step for career employees there will be an additional $1,750 in base wage increases – over and above the general wage increases described above – during the term of the 2016 National Agreement. And, of course, protection against future inflation is precisely why the COLA provision remains an important component of the National Agreement.

For MHAs, at Level 4, the rate that was at $13.75 in 2013 and at $14.71 in 2016 will go to $15.12 per hour effective on November 26, 2016 and to $16.21 per hour in 2019, before the next round of bargaining. No Layoff Clause

All career Mail Handlers employed as of May 20, 2016 will be protected against layoff or force reduction during the entire term of the Agreement, unless Congress repeals or significantly relaxes the Private Express Statutes. Health Insurance

In 2017, there will be no change in the percentage of employee contribution to health insurance. Starting in 2018, the Postal Service’s share of the cost of health insurance, which currently is 76% of the weighted average formula used by OPM for federal employees with a maximum percentage of 79.25%, will be decreased by 2%, and then there will be another 1% decrease in 2019. Thus, the Postal Service will contribute 76% of the weighted average in 2017; 74% of the weighted average in 2018; and 73% of the weighted average in 2019. For comparison purposes, the federal government pays 72% of the weighted average health insurance costs for federal employees, who receive exactly the same health insurance benefits.

In today’s dollars, a 1% increase in health care contributions is equivalent to an increase of approximately $70 per year for self-only coverage and between $100 and $160 per year for family coverage, depending on the particular health plan selected. These amounts automatically are paid with pre-tax dollars, so the actual out-of-pocket cost to each Mail Handler should be less by the percentage of income taxes usually paid.

Night Shift Differential

A small 4 cents per hour increase in night shift differential will apply to all MHAs and during the first year of career employment for current and future career employees.

Clothing Allowance

There will be a 2.5% increase in clothing allowance during each year of the contract.

Employee Complement

The tentative agreement includes a one-time conversion of MHAs in installations which have 200 or more man years of employment, with the conversion to take place within 60 days of ratification. As of the date of ratification, any MHA with 2.5 or more years as an MHA at that time will automatically be converted to full-time career status, without the need to serve another probationary period. The parties at the National level also will meet one year later to discuss the possibility of another one-time conversion in early 2018.

The agreement also will reduce casual employees from 5% to 3% by installation, and in return will increase the percentage of MHAs by 3.5%. This will mean approximately 1,400 additional members of our bargaining unit, which will be good for the employees who are new MHAs and good for the overall strength of the Union.

Holidays

MHAs will receive holiday leave pay for six holidays per year: New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. This pay will be 8 hours per holiday in installations which have 200 or more man-years of employment and 6 hours per holiday in other offices. And if MHAs work on a holiday, they will be able to choose annual leave rather than pay for the 8 or 6 hours.

Other Contractual Provisions

Article 4 will be amended to ensure that Local representatives will be notified and entitled to meet about deployment of any new automation or mechanized equipment, whether the machinery is local purchased or nationally deployed.

Any agreements to exceed the percentage caps on MHAs set forth in Article 7, by either installation or district, will require the approval of the National parties, much like local agreements to exceed the percentage cap on casuals.

A change in Article 8 will allow employees transferred or reassigned into an installation or into the Mail Handler craft to place their names on the Overtime Desired List immediately.

Another change to Article 8 will make clear that available and qualified casuals, MHAs, and/or PTFs will be working overtime before full-time regulars not on the list are forced to work.

A small change in Article 10 makes clear that requests for vacant weeks of vacation must be submitted no less than 7 days in advance, and not precisely 7 days in advance.

The MOU governing administrative leave for donations of bone marrow, stem cells, blood platelets, and organs has been amended to provide for leave in hours, rather than days, and to clearly cover PTFs, PTRs, and MHAs.

The definition of “parent” under the MOU on Bereavement Leave now will cover mother, father, mother-in-law, and father-in-law.

The parties have formed a Task Force on Sick Leave to discuss opportunities, beyond the annual leave exchange option (which will continue), to provide incentives for those Mail Handlers who do not use their sick leave.

The tentative agreement ensures that MHAs are covered by regulations governing wounded warrior leave for the first year of employment, pursuant to which veterans with a 30% disability can use up to 13 days of wounded warrior leave for medical appointments and treatment. This benefit has since been extended to all current postal employees with a 30% or more disability, for the one year period from November 5, 2016 to November 4, 2017.

All MHAs who are converted after completing one year or more as an MHA will not have to serve another probationary period as a career employee.

The previous MOU on Relative Standing for MHAs, based on their date of hire, will be fully incorporated into the contract.

The previous MOU on Discipline of MHAs will be incorporated into the contract, stating that just cause requires that discipline be both progressive and corrective in nature and based on the individual facts and circumstances of each case.

The MOU on Filling Residual Vacancies, which has significantly increased the number of MHA conversions to career, will be incorporated into the contract, but with improvements over the existing MOU. This revised version of the MOU continues the conversion process, but also allows MHAs to be converted as unassigned regulars rather than waiting for the E-reassign process to play itself out.

The parties have agreed to an MOU providing that the Article 12 Task Force will discuss the potential for offering MHAs conversion opportunities to any newly established or vacant part-time career positions within 50 miles, including PTR and PTF positions.

Under Article 12, no Mail Handlers, including MHAs, will be moved off of their assignment until all employees from other crafts performing Mail Handler work (under articles 7.2 or 13) are moved first.

A new MOU provides that the separation and reappointment of MHAs for lack of work, if they occur, will be based on inverse relative standing.

If employees from other crafts are involuntarily reassigned into the Mail Handler craft, they will be treated as detailed and not allowed to bid for the first 120 days, so that they cannot obtain bids in preference to Mail Handlers also being reassigned into the installation.

When Mail Handlers are being involuntarily excessed both into other crafts in the installation and to Mail Handler positions in other installations, a new provision will allow the senior employees to choose whether to stay in the installation or move to another.

Another change to Article 12.2G4 will mean that a Mail Handler who voluntarily reassigns to another craft in the installation and then returns within 90 days to the Mail Handler craft will not get credit toward seniority for the time actually spent in the other craft.

A change to Article 12.3B3 will require management to determine whether to revert vacant duty assignments and post those assignments for bid within the same 28 day period, thereby eliminating the Postal Service’s ability to postpone its reversion determination indefinitely, as management often does under the 2011 National Agreement and prior contracts.

The language of Article 12.3B12 has been improved, to require a temporary supervisor to return to the craft not simply for 14 consecutive days, but for at least one continuous pay period, before the temporary supervisor can bid or retain an existing bid.

A change to Article 12.6B2 will require local management, if and when it learns that an installation is released from withholding, in whole or in part, to notify the Union.

A new MOU provides that, if there is excessing from 200 man year facilities because only Part-Time Mail Handler work remains, the parties at the Regional level will be allowed to agree to create PTF positions to allow Mail Handlers to stay in that installation.

A revision in Article 15 will allow District violations of MHA caps to be grieved at Step 3 by the appropriate Regional Director.

The MOU on Purging Letters of Warning has been obtained again for all Mail Handlers, and it will apply to MHAs.

Article 38 is amended to provide that MHAs must be counted when determining the number of Mail Handlers and the frequency of labor-management committee meetings.

The tentative agreement makes permanent the rule that all new career employees, whether or not they are on probation, will be entitled to bid.

A revision to the MOU concerning on-the-job training instructors will provide that Level 5 Mail Handlers who train will receive Level 6 pay. This has been a Union proposal for at least 25 years, finally obtained.

Changes to the MOU on Transfers, through the next version of the Contract Interpretation Manual, will provide that the 18-month and 12-month lock-in periods will not apply to Mail Handlers who are involuntarily reassigned to an installation, and to ensure that time as an MHA will count toward an otherwise applicable lock-in period.

A change in Article 17 will provide for orientation if a current postal employee is reassigned to the Mail Handler craft.

Article 30 is amended to establish the period for negotiations over Local Memoranda of Understanding to run for 30 consecutive days between March 1, 2017 and April 29, 2017.

The Article 32 MOU on Subcontracting has been continued, as the parties continue to discuss insourcing of work from the Surface Transportation Centers, the Mail Transport Equipment Service Centers (MTEC), and the bedloading or consolidation-deconsolidation centers.

MHAs will be covered by Article 35 governing alcohol and drug recovery programs and EAP.

All other MOUs and Letters of Intent have been continued, except for the Clean Air Act Committee, the Reassignment Made Pursuant to Article 12.6C6c, and the MOD-15 MOU, which have been deleted as outdated or obsolete.

The Joint Education and Training Fund will be continued, with additional funding of $1 million per year.

All other provisions of the 2011 National Agreement are being maintained, except for date changes or other cosmetic changes that may be necessary to accommodate the new contract.

DOWNLOAD: SUMMARY OF TENTATIVE AGREEMENT ESTABLISHING TERMS OF 2016 NATIONAL AGREEMENT


Reference: www.npmhu.org

2016 Contract Update #9

  2016 Contract Update #9

Read 2016 Contract Update #9 (pdf)

With the completion of the 2016 NPMHU National Convention, the National Office and representatives of the U.S. Postal Service have returned to the bargaining table to reach closure on the issues that remain open before an overall settlement can be announced on the terms of the 2016 National Agreement.

As previously reported by National President Hogrogian, at the original midnight deadline on May 20, 2016, the parties agreed to extend their negotiations. There were two primary reasons for that extension: first, the parties had made substantial progress in bargaining, with many tentative agreements already initialed and verbal commitments on approaches to address the outstanding issues; and second, both parties wanted to wait for the release of the final arbitrated award covering the contract between the Postal Service and the American Postal Workers Union, which was expected to be available in June 2016.

The APWU arbitration award was eventually issued on July 8, 2016, through a panel headed by Stephen Goldberg. The decision awarded a contract covering 40 months, through September 20, 2018. On the key economic issues, the award provides career employees with three general wage increases of 1.2%, 1.3%, and 1.3%, as well as a potential for five cost-of-living adjustments during the same time period. Non-career employees who are not eligible for COLA were awarded wage increases of 2.2%, 2.3%, and 2.3%, plus another 50 cents per hour spread over the contract. The award also included layoff protection for career employees currently on the rolls.

With this award public, talks began to resolve outstanding issues between the NPMHU and the USPS. A short hiatus was taken for the National Convention, but now it appears that a tentative agreement is within reach. Of course, such an agreement will be subject to ratification by the entire membership.

Our agreement will include general wage increases and COLAs for career employees, as well as wage increases and other financial improvements for MHAs. The parties also have reached tentative understandings on important work rules, to provide additional protection to career employees and much-needed improvements for MHAs. Still to be resolved are various MHA-related items, a possible reduction in the percentage of casual employees, and even the total duration of the agreement. But the parties remain optimistic that an overall settlement can be reached soon.

As developments occur, circulation of these Contract Updates will continue, so please check your bulletins for more information.

Reference: www.npmhu.org

The great big Postal Service lie

  The great big Postal Service lie

"...look out, because a cabal of corporate predators and Koch-headed ideologues are scheming to take "public" out of this pubic agency and strip "service" out of the Postal Service by spreading a diabolical Big Lie. Their bogus claim is that this essential public service is a hopeless money loser, sucking billions from taxpayers every year. Unfortunately, our lazy media establishment..."

Reference: Federal Employee News  

Federal Employees Group Life Insurance Open Season: September 1 - 30, 2016

  Federal Employees Group Life Insurance Open Season: September 1 - 30, 2016

Take advantage of the Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) Open Season. For the first time in 12 years, as a FEGLIeligible employee you can enroll in or increase your FEGLI coverage for yourself and eligible dependent family members – without answering any medical questions or having a physical examination. All career employees are eligible to participate.

Almost everyone needs life insurance; how much is for you to decide. Through the FEGLI Program, you have several choices in selecting the amount of life insurance that’s right for you. FEGLI offers:
• • Basic Life — Provides the first level of financial protection. Unless waived, all eligible Federal employees will receive Basic term life insurance in an amount equal to your salary, rounded up to the next $1,000, plus $2,000. If eligible, the Federal Government pays one-third of the cost of your Basic insurance. You must have Basic Insurance before you can enroll in Optional Coverage.
• • Option A — Standard, in the amount of $10,000.
• • Option B — Additional, in an amount from one to five times your annual rate of basic pay after rounding your salary up to the next $1,000.
• • Option C — Family, one to five multiples of coverage for your spouse and each of your eligible dependent children under age 22. Each multiple is equal to $5,000 for the death of a spouse and $2,500 for the death of each eligible dependent child. Generally, only unmarried dependent children are eligible for coverage under Option C.

Protect your family from the loss of your income. When considering the amount of coverage you need, think about the funds your survivors might need in addition to funeral expenses. Examples are: mortgage, rent, credit card debt, school loans, uncovered medical costs, taxes and attorney’s fees.

Find out what coverage you currently have:

Review your Life Insurance code on your Earnings Statement. Log on to liteblue.usps.gov, go to Employee Apps – Quick Links and click on ePayroll. There will not be a line for Basic coverage because the Postal Service pays the full amount. You cannot have Optional coverage without Basic. If you are not sure whether you have Basic only, check your most recent PS Form 50.

Determine the right amount of coverage for you and your family:

Use the FEGLI Calculator or MetLife's Coverage Calculator to estimate the coverage needed. The FEGLI Calculator computes premium amounts based on the coverage you select. You can also see how much your coverage will cost in retirement. MetLife's Coverage Calculator helps you evaluate your needs and identify an appropriate coverage amount.

The FEGLI Open Season brochure provides additional information about Open Season and what FEGLI offers.

Ready to make changes to your FEGLI coverage?

Complete the SF 2817, Life Insurance Election. Sign for all of the coverage you want, even if it includes coverage you already have. Any coverage not signed for, will be cancelled on the effective date of your Open Season election. The effective date of your Open Season election will be October 14, 2017, provided that you are in a pay and duty status. If you are in a nonpay status, your new coverage will become effective upon your return to pay and duty status.

Mail your completed SF 2817 to:
HR Shared Service Center
ATTN: FEGLI Open Season
PO Box 971300
Greensboro NC 27497- 1300

There is a one year delayed effective date for coverage elected through the FEGLI Open Season. Elections will take effect on the first day of your first pay period that begins on or after October 1, 2017, provided you are in pay and duty status. If you do not want to wait, you can elect coverage without a delayed effective date by providing satisfactory medical information on the Request for Insurance form, SF 2822.1 You can also elect basic and optional coverage within 60 days of a qualifying life event (e.g., marriage, divorce, death of a spouse, birth/adoption of children).

Don’t forget to name a beneficiary!

During this Open Season, we encourage you to verify, add or change your beneficiary elections to ensure that your benefits will be paid according to your wishes. Updating your beneficiary designation is completely voluntary. If you do not name a beneficiary, your benefits will be paid according to the order of payment set by law. If you want to update your designation, you can complete a Designation of Beneficiary (SF 2823, available at www.opm.gov/life) and submit it to your human resources office or shared service center.

Additional material available for download:
2016 FEGLI Reference Guide (pdf)
2016 FEGLI Brochure (pdf)
SF2817 Life Insurance Election (pdf)

Reference: www.npmhu.org  

Mail Handler Contract Update

  Mail Handler Contract Update

What's the latest on the mail handler contract update? The big question for most mail handler's is what is going to happen with the new contract? The answer to that question is unknown. The last contract update was in May on the national site. Will we finally garner a decent wage increase or will the arbitrator simply follow the arbitrator in the APWU arbitration and receive a tiny 1% increase for career employees while incomes of typical Americans rose in 2015 by 5.2 percent? Sadly, as parcel growth increases exponentially, the postal service continues to cry poor-mouth, especially at contract negotiations time. Will mail handlers garner wages to catch them up to somewhere close to that of other crafts or will health insurance costs continue to drive down any wage increases while mail handlers struggle to survive while middle class incomes see the first significant boost to middle-class pay since the end of the Great Recession and the fastest increase ever recorded by the federal government? Only time will tell if we continue to slide economically while the rest of the nation reaps the benefits of an improving economy. Stay tuned for more and hope you will be rewarded for your hard work and loyalty.

Reference: npmhu317.blogspot.com