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.
"...Fentanyl is 50 times more potent than heroin and is now available on the internet and can be delivered through the mail..."
Reference: www.cbsnews.com
"...Are you contemplating a retirement from the United States Postal Service (USPS)? Retirement is one of the most important decisions most of us will face in life. There are so many questions we must ask ourselves prior to making this move ...or deciding we are not ready to do so yet. The USPS makes the decision easier for us by..."
Reference: Federal Retirement News
"...District Judge Lynn Adelman sentenced Ebony L. Smith to four years probation with home confinement. Smith, of Milwaukee, admitted to stealing the cards between April 2017 and January 2018..."
Reference: www.jsonline.com
"...stamp in the pair uses an image of the moon captured by amateur astronomer Gregory Revera of Huntsville, Alabama. Tranquility Base, the landing site of the Apollo 11 lunar module "Eagle" in the Sea of Tranquility, is denoted on the stamp by a bold yellow dot. Both stamps include the inscription "1969 First Moon Landing." An image of the lunar module will be included on the selvage, or..."
Reference: www.space.com
"...Tampa Processing & Distribution Center (P&DC) Mail Handler Tom McBane..."
Reference: The Suncoast Scoop
"...Trump’s postal task force, which he created through executive order last year, proposed the Postal Service join the rest of government in not allowing its employees to negotiate over pay..."
Reference: www.govexec.com
On June 26, 2018, the NPMHU, the APWU and the United States Postal Service executed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding ("Update MOU") to update the RI-399 Dispute Resolution Procedures that were originally signed in 1992.
"...The Postal Service says Tamara Clayton-Shelton had been employed with the agency since 1993 and was a mail handler at the Chicago International Military Service Center facility..."
Reference: news.yahoo.com
The USPS has recently expanded the Wounded Warrior Leave policy effective on January 5, 2019.
"... It happened at the USPS facility on Shannon Street, just off North 18th Street..."
Reference: www.wkyt.com
"...So be careful to use the correct date on all documents: don’t use your “last day in the office” or “last day at work,” which are less defined than your retirement date/effective date of retirement. Do you just want to know the “best” days (financially) to retire in 2019? Here’s a quick chart..."
Reference: Federal Worker News
Circa 2015
NLRB: USPS managers could be disciplined who fail to supply relevant information to Unions"...(b) Refusing to bargain collectively and in good faith with the National Postal Mail Handlers Union, Local 317, by failing, refusing, and unduly delaying in furnishing information that is relevant and necessary to the performance of their duties as agents of the National Postal Mail Handlers Union..."
Reference: www.postal-reporter.com
"...On Friday, the agency issued what it characterized as an extension and clarification, which stressed that casual discussion of impeachment remained acceptable. 'O.S.C.’s guidance was not intended to prevent all discussions of impeachment in the federal workplace,' the revised guidance said, adding: 'Merely discussing impeachment, without advocating for or against its use against such a candidate, is not political activity. For example, two employees may discuss whether reported conduct by the president warrants impeachment and express an opinion about whether the president should be impeached without engaging in political activity.'..."
Reference: www.nytimes.com
In April of this year, the Trump Administration issued Executive Order 13829 creating a task force charged with evaluating the operations and finances of the U.S. Postal Service, covering topics like pricing, USPS policies, and workforce costs. The report entitled United States Postal Service: A Sustainable Path Forward, was completed on August 10, 2018, but was not released until December 4, 2018.
The Task Force had the opportunity to recommend changes that would truly provide the Postal Service with a sustainable path forward. Notably, the Task Force did address the Postal Service’s obligation to fund retiree health benefits when writing that “[t]he Task Force believes that the obligation, including the $43 billion in pre-funding payments that the USPS failed to pay into the PSRHBF and the unfunded actuarial liability, must be restructured with the payments re-amortized with a new actuarial calculation based on the population of employees at or near retirement age.”
Unfortunately, the Task Force also issued some very detrimental recommendations which, if implemented, would cut services to the American public, raise postal rates to major mailers, and reduce the wages, benefits and collective bargaining rights of all postal employees. The Task Force’s recommendations include the following:
Redefining and reducing the Postal Service’s Universal Service Obligation
Reducing the number and density of Post Offices
Reducing delivery frequencies
Reducing door to door delivery
Lowering Service Standards
Raising rates for major e-commerce mailers
Increasing subcontracting of mail processing operations
Eliminating collective bargaining over the wages of postal employees
Reducing the wages of postal employees
Reducing pension or workers compensation benefits of postal employees
Some of these proposals could be implemented through administrative action, while others would require legislation.
The NPMHU believes that many of the Task Force’s recommendations would adversely affect the Postal Service, postal customers, postal employees, and the American public. Service would deteriorate, causing further decline in mail volume and creating a death spiral. This would set the stage for privatizing the Postal Service.
The NPMHU will continue to work with all stakeholders, including the other postal unions, USPS management, major mailers, Congress, and the White House, to find solutions that will truly put the USPS on a sustainable path forward.
United States Postal Service: A Sustainable Path Forward (pdf)
"...Under the new guidance, federal workers are reportedly prohibited from supporting the impeachment of a candidate for federal office, as it would be construed as political due to its implications for elections in the future. Federal workers would also reportedly be prohibited from using terms like “resistance” and “#resist..."
Reference: thehill.com
"...President Trump has issued a proclamation for the closing of executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government on December 5, 2018, in honor of George H.W. Bush. The proclamation reads..."
Reference: www.wkrn.com
Effective November 24, 2018 — For career mail handlers, the basic annual salary for each grade and step of Table One and Table Two shall be increased by an amount equal to 1.3% of the basic annual salary for the grade and step in effect on May 20, 2016. This is the third of three-scheduled general wage increases as outlined in the 2016 National Agreement. In addition to the general increases provided in Section 9.1, MHAs will receive an additional increase of 1.0% annually, for a total of 2.3% effective November 24, 2018, as specifically outlined in Article 9.7 of the 2016 National Agreement.
November Update (pdf)
"...November 8-9, 2018 – Over 150 mail handlers who serve on their respective Local Dispute Resolution Committees (LDRC) gathered in Las Vegas, NV with an equal number of their USPS and APWU counterparts for the first gathering of two joint training sessions conducted by the members of the National Dispute Resolution Committee (NDRC) on the newly signed Updated MOU on RI-399 Dispute Resolution Procedures. The MOU was issued in June 2018. This historic MOU comes 26 years after the original Dispute Resolution Procedures (DRP) were issued in 1992 and marks an important milestone in the history of RI-399 and the process for addressing jurisdictional disputes between the NPMHU-represented mail handlers and APWU-represented clerks. Members of the NDRC plan to conduct five joint sessions in total, training over 1,500 LDRC members across the country. The parties are optimistic that the training will help ensure proper implementation of the Updated RI399 procedures. ..."
Reference: www.npmhu.org
"...Congress created the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) in 1986, and it became effective on January 1, 1987. Since that time, new Federal civilian employees who have retirement coverage are covered by FERS. FERS is a retirement plan that provides benefits from three different sources: a Basic Benefit Plan, Social Security and the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). Two of the three parts of FERS (Social Security and the TSP) can go with you to your next job if you leave the Federal Government before retirement. The Basic Benefit and Social Security parts of FERS require you to pay your share each pay period. Your agency withholds the cost of the Basic Benefit and Social Security from your pay as payroll deductions. Your agency pays its part too. Then, after you retire, you receive annuity payments each month for the rest of your life. The TSP part of FERS is an account that your agency automatically sets up for you. Each pay period your agency deposits into your account amount equal to 1% of the basic pay you earn for the pay period. You can also make your own contributions to your TSP account and your agency will also make a matching contribution. These contributions are tax-deferred. The Thrift Savings Plan is administered by the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board..."
Reference: www.opm.govThis information, as found on OPM.GOV, is accurate as of this posting date: 10/28/2018
"...Since at least the late 1800s, the United States government has regularly tracked the mail of many of its citizens. In 2014 alone, for example, the government recorded all data on the outside of the mail parcels of over 50,000 individuals via a surveillance initiative known as the mail covers program. In the current age of mass surveillance, this program—like all surveillance initiatives—has grown exponentially. Unbeknownst to most citizens, the government now photographs and records the exterior of each of the roughly 160 billion mail parcels delivered by the USPS every year. Still, despite its ability to allow governmental authorities to uncover a startlingly accurate picture of citizens’ daily lives, the long-abused mail covers program continues to be implemented without any judicial oversight. This Note provides the first comprehensive legal analysis of the mail covers program in the modern era. In doing so, it also analyzes current Fourth Amendment jurisprudence and advocates for the adoption of the mosaic theory to privacy protection better capable of safeguarding citizens in an age of unprecedented government surveillance capability..."
Reference: amazonaws.com
"...Mail bomb went through the processing and distribution center in Opa-locka, Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, law enforcement officials said Thursday. The Miami-Dade Police went to the mail-sorting facility, located on the southwest side of the Miami Opa-Locka Executive Airport...the source of the bombs suspect that some of the parcels were mailed from Florida. The official said investigators have been examining a database of images of mail maintained by the U.S. Postal Service..."
Reference: www.sun-sentinel.com
The following notice was posted and found on ePayroll at USPS Liteblue on 10/16/2018:
"... the APWU became aware that the Postal Service identified a computer glitch with the payroll system that will affect nearly 90,000 APWU represented bargaining unit employees. The APWU immediately contacted the USPS about the issue and will continue to monitor the situation..."
Reference: www.apwu.org
2019 NATIONAL NEGOTIATIONS
"...The current Collective Bargaining Agreement between the American Postal Workers Union and the United States Postal Service expires at midnight September 20, 2018. The union entered the final 10-day stretch of intense negotiations – including days of round-the-clock bargaining – on Sept. 10..."
Reference: www.apwu.org
In accordance with the current National Contract under Section 9.3 Cost of Living Adjustment, career employees represented by the NPMHU will receive a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), effective September 1, 2018. It will appear in paychecks dated September 21, 2018 (Pay Period 19-2018), and will total $645.00 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.
See specific details and new wage charts HERE
Reference: NPMHU 317
We are pleased to provide a linked copy of a National Arbitration Award issued by Arbitrator Stephen Goldberg on August 6, 2018 in a case concerning the use of Union LWOP for political activities under the National Agreement. The matter was heard in June 2018, briefed in July 2018, and decided earlier this week. The case was initiated by the APWU, with the NPMHU and the NALC intervening.
Based on the investigative findings of the Office of Special Counsel, and on political pressures from Senator Johnson and his supporters, the Postal Service unilaterally issued a Corrective Action Plan, which included changes to the ELM and its regulations on the use of Union LWOP and to the Form 3971. Those changes were made unilaterally, and without any bargaining or even consultation with the major postal unions.
Arbitrator Goldberg easily found that these unilateral changes violated the National Agreement, and ordered that they be rescinded. He also ordered the Postal Service to bargain with the APWU about any changes to Union LWOP. To reach this conclusion, he rejected the USPS claim that the Office of Special Counsel has the authority to demand that USPS make these changes.
With this arbitral victory, bargaining over the changes to Union LWOP submitted by the Postal Service is expected to occur over the coming weeks and months.
(August 7, 2018) President Paul Hogrogian's memorandum re: Arbitrator Stephen B. Goldberg's decision; Hatch Act and LWOP Case No. Q15C-4Q-C 17697250 and Case No. Q15C-4Q-C 18033533 (pdf)
The National Labor Relations issued a Complaint and Notice of Hearing against the U.S. Postal Service, based on an unfair labor practice filed by the NPMHU alleging that the Postal Service had illegally refused to respond to a series of information requests about the F-1 Scheduler that were filed by the NPMHU Contract Administration Department during the period running from May through November of 2017.
After the Complaint was issued, and hearings were scheduled first for May 24 and then for June 26, 2018, the NLRB, the Postal Service, and the NPMHU entered into settlement discussions, the result of which will provide to the National Office of the NPMHU all of the information requested.
The Postal Service is required to post the below referenced notice in all mail processing plants and on LiteBlue, and to certify compliance with its terms, which includes providing all information requested no later than July 9, 2018.
July 5, 2018- Read President Hogrogian's memorandum to Local Presidents (pdf)
NLRB settlement Case 05-CA-208552 (pdf)
Did you realize that a new law has been passed that pertains to TSP withdrawal options. Although please note the law has been passed, but the new options are not yet available and it could take up to two years for them to become available. One important change is: Currently, when you take a withdrawal, the money comes from your traditional and Roth balances on a pro rata basis. For example, if 80% of your account is in your traditional balance and 20% is in Roth, any withdrawal you take will be 80% traditional and 20% Roth. Under the new rules, you can still use this method, but you’ll also have the option to take your withdrawal only from your Roth balance or only from your traditional balance. These options will be available for all types of withdrawals. Read the TSP Q&A relating to the changes at: https://www.tsp.gov/PDF/formspubs/tspfs10.pdf
Reference: NPMHU 317
