Selma to Montgomery commemorative envelopes on sale

  Selma to Montgomery commemorative envelopes on sale
"... JEFFERSON COUNTY - AL - The U.S. Postal Service's Alabama District is selling envelopes to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery march for civil rights. ..."
Reference: www.abc3340.com

FERS Retirement Eligibility Information (OPM)

  FERS Retirement Eligibility Information (OPM)

Chart from OPM

"... Eligibility is determined by your age and number of years of creditable service. In some cases, you must have reached the Minimum Retirement Age (MRA) to receive retirement benefits...."
Reference: www.opm.gov

Mail handler jobs are being restored at Mansfield’s downtown post office

  Night shift added at Mansfield post office

"... “This is a manual hub operation. It involves manually re-containerizing and loading onto trucks mail that has been processed in Cleveland for delivery in the ‘448’ ZIP code area,” Van Allen said. ..."

Reference: www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com  

Alabama is a right-to-work state

  Are wages lower in a right-to-work state?

Alabama politicians love to tout that Alabama is a right-to-work state when it comes to luring large corporations and businesses to the state. Even many workers are lured into a false impression that right-to-work laws are a good thing for workers, especially non-unionized workers. The term itself, right-to-work, gives a feeling of giving you the right to work. Yay! You can't stop me from working. The fact of the matter is, a careful study by Lonnie K. Stevans of Hofstra University says, "Findings are that the number of businesses and self-employed are greater on average in right-to-work states, but employment, wages, and per-capita personal income are all lower on average in right-to-work states."[1] In short, right-to-work law is good for business, but not so much the worker.

[1] Stevans, Lonnie K., The Effect of Endogenous Right-to-Work Laws on Business and Economic Conditions in the United States: A Multivariate Approach (November 6, 2007). Review of Law and Economics, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 595-614, 2009. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1027987  

Potential $6.3 billion postal vehicle contract is coming

  Special Delivery: Automakers Will Get to Bid on a Huge USPS Contract

"...Potential vendors are set to descend on Washington, D.C. to meet with the postal service’s leadership and bang out the details, where bids will also be put in. The winning bidders will be chosen this summer, and the contract will ultimately be awarded in 2017 after a year of testing. Automotive News says that the contract will be huge — encompassing more than 180,000 vehicles that would cost between $25,000 and $35,000 per vehicle, ultimately making the contract worth as much as $6.3 billion. ..."

Reference: wallstcheatsheet.com  

Danny Glover Video on the Postal Service (Video)

  Danny Glover: Our Postal Service

Reference: YouTube  

Hegarty announces retirement; Board selects Paul Hogrogian as new National President

  Hegarty announces retirement; Board selects Paul Hogrogian as new National President
On Thursday, February 5, 2015, National President John Hegarty delivered his 26th and final report to the attendees of the Semi-Annual Meeting of the Local Unions (SAMLU). At this meeting in San Francisco, as customary, the President’s comprehensive report focused on the activities of the National Union since the previous meeting of Local Presidents... As part of his report to the SAMLU attendees, President Hegarty announced his plans to retire from his position as National President on May 1, 2015.

With Hegarty’s retirement, the National Executive Board has announced its unanimous selection of Paul Hogrogian to fill the unexpired term of office as National President, with that appointment effective on May 2, 2015.

Follow this link for the complete article. (text)

Follow this link to access the 2015 Feburary Update (pdf)


Reference: National Postal Mail Handlers Union

H. RES. 54 Moves to Restore Service Standards to Those in Effect on July 1, 2012

  H.Res. 54 Moves to Restore Service Standards to Those in Effect on July 1, 2012

On January 27, 2015, a Bi-Partisan group of House members signed on in support of H.Res. 54. The Resolution was introduced by Republican Congressman McKinley (WV). Members from both sides of the aisle are joining their colleague expressing the sense of the Congress that the USPS needs to use all means possible to return to the service standards in effect as of July 1, 2012.

Follow link to read the resolution.

Reference: www.npmhu.org  

Mail Processing Facility Closures Set To Begin Across The Nation!

  Lexington mail-processing center likely to begin closing in June, postal officials say

"..."We could sell the entire building and lease space back from the new owners, or we could sell the building and relocate the post office to another nearby site," Walton wrote in an email message. "Nothing is off the table at this point." The Nandino processing and distribution center opened in 1973. ..."

Reference: www.kentucky.com  

Beloved Calera Postmaster retiring after 30 year career

  'I've been blessed,' says Calera Postmaster retiring after 30 years in Postal Service, 24 years in Army

"..."He does love his employees and he does love the Postal Service and his customers," Martin said. Mary Sullivan, the Postal Service's district manager for Alabama, praised Watts for his life's work. "He left a very strong legacy in the Postal Service and in his family," she said. ..."

Reference: www.al.com  

Outgoing PMG Patrick Donahoe Calls Out Lawmakers, Unions and the Business Lobby as He Prepares for Exit

  Outgoing postal chief calls sounds off on Washington's 'myopia'
"...The nation’s top postal official called out practically everyone connected to the mailing industry on Tuesday, accusing lawmakers, unions and the business lobby of impeding efforts to modernize the U.S. Postal Service. ..."
Reference: thehill.com

Union Notified of New Developments in USPS Data Breach

  Union Notified of New Developments in USPS Data Breach
December 18, 2014 – In a new development on the earlier data breach at the Postal Service, USPS has now sent individual letters to another group of employees who may have had personal information compromised. USPS informed us that a large number of Workers Compensation records were “possibly” compromised, in some cases including not only personal identifying information (such as social security number), but certain medical information and bank routing information as well. Further, these types of records go back many years, as opposed to the earlier reports related to records back as far as May 2012.

All affected employees and former employees should begin receiving letters this week from the Postal Service, alerting them to this possible breach, and recommending actions they should take to protect themselves.

If you are not sure whether your OWCP claim is one of those affected, or if you wish to speak with someone directly about your situation, you are encouraged to contact the USPS Human Resources Shared Service Center 1-877-477-3273 and choose option 5 (option 1 for TDD/TTY), Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. eastern time.

In an on-line story posted on our web site on November 19, 2014, we provided links to some helpful web sites that provide more information on data breaches, and how to protect yourself against adverse consequences. In addition to credit monitoring, some of these sites suggest that individuals consider protecting themselves against “existing account fraud” by placing a fraud alert, a freeze, or both on their credit report. In many states, victims of a data breach can freeze their credit for free, but be aware that such a freeze may be inconvenient if you are trying to obtain credit, such as applying for a new credit card, buying or renting a place to live, etc. We encourage you to review this information carefully to decide how best to protect yourself going forward, as the NPMHU National Office continues to do everything in its power to address this breach, and to prevent future breaches that may affect employees, retirees, and others at the Postal Service.


Reference: www.npmhu.org

Senator Tester Sends Clear Message to PMG and Congress

  Senator Tester Sends Clear Message to PMG and Congress

NPMHU

(U.S. Senate) December 4, 2014 – With the Postal Service and some members of Congress giving the green light to closing more mail processing facilities, Senator Jon Tester is sending a clear message: stop digging the hole deeper.

Tester today led a group of Senators to the Senate floor to tell Postal Service leadership and Congress that as long as the Postal Service continues to close area mail processing facilities, it is shooting itself in the foot as it strives to improve its finances.

“There are a lot of folks around here who’d love to see the Postal Service go out of business. But the Postal Service – whether in urban America or rural America – delivers the goods Americans need,” Tester said. “All the Postal Service doing with its short-sighted cuts is weakening trust in the Postal Service. Essentially, they are digging their fiscal hole deeper.”

Starting in January, the Postal Service plans to eliminate overnight delivery in most of the country and close 82 mail processing facilities. These facilities route mail around the country so that letters, packages, medicine, equipment – and, yes, holiday gifts – get where they need to go. Closing the facilities would also cost up to 15,000 jobs.

Tester and his colleagues are pushing for a moratorium on processing facility closures while Tester and Congress work on a balanced reform bill. Tester said previous reform efforts do not preserve needed mail delivery standards or the future viability of the Postal Service.

“A proposal we’re working on will give the Postal Service the flexibility to raise new revenue while reducing the costly mandate to pre-fund retirement benefits,” Tester said. “We are trying to reform the Postal Service without putting the burden on rural America. But in the meantime, there’s no reason to make our work harder and hurt regular American families.”

The Postal Service is struggling financially in part due to the 2006 law – enacted before Tester was a member of the Senate – that requires the Postal Service to prepay retirement benefits of postal employees at a rate higher than necessary.

Tester is a member of the Senate’s Governmental Affairs Committee that oversees the Postal Service. He has previously criticized the Postmaster General for taking steps to privatize the agency and opposed the Committee's postal reform bill because it did not preserve strong enough mail delivery standards in rural America or adequately support postal workers.

Watch Senator Tester's speech in its entirety at this link.


Reference: www.npmhu.org

Postal Service not pursuing marijuana charges due to "small amount" (586 grams = 20.6705 ounces or 1.29191 pounds)

  USPS not pursuing charges following marijuana bust

"...Postal Inspector David Birch said because it was a small amount of marijuana, the USPS has decided to let local authorities prosecute the case...."

Reference: postal-edaily.blogspot.com  

PMG Megan J. Brennan: The next Postmaster General

  Currently the next Postmaster General (PMG), Megan J. Brennan, is the USPS Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President

Megan J. Brennan (Photo: USPS)

Megan J. Brennan was named Chief Operating Officer and executive vice president in December 2010. Brennan leads the continuous improvement of the entire postal network operation as well as the allocations of people and resources. She reports to the Postmaster General.

Brennan has responsibility for the day-to-day activities of 491,000 career employees working in more than 31,000 facilities supported by a fleet of over 200,000 vehicles. She is responsible for Post Offices, delivery and retail operations, facilities and the mail processing network. Reporting to Brennan are the vice presidents of Delivery and Post Office Operations, Facilities, Network Operations, Retail Channel Operations and the seven vice presidents of Area Operations.

Previously she was vice president of Eastern Area Operations. As the senior postal official she oversaw an area that encompassed Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Delaware, Kentucky, Central and South Jersey, Western New York and parts of Virginia and Indiana. Reporting to the deputy postmaster general and chief operating officer, she was responsible for postal operations, including processing and distribution, customer service and administrative operations.

A 27-year veteran of the Postal Service, Brennan served as vice president of Northeast Area Operations from May 2005 until being named vice president of Eastern Area Operations. Prior to that, she was manager of Operations Support for the Northeast Area. In this capacity, she was responsible for coordinating and integrating processing and distribution, transportation and delivery operations throughout the Northeast Area.

Brennan also held the headquarters position of manager of Field Support and Integration, where she worked directly for the Chief Operating Officer.

Brennan joined the Postal Service in 1986 as a letter carrier in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and began her management career as a delivery and collection supervisor. She has in-depth experience in both line management and support positions, having worked at the district, area and headquarters levels. She served as district manager, Springfield, Massachusetts, and plant manager for the Lehigh Valley and Reading, Pennsylvania, processing and distribution facilities.

Brennan is a graduate of Immaculata College in Pennsylvania. She is a Sloan Fellow and holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.


Reference: https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/leadership/officers/coo-evp.htm

NPMHU Local 317 Election Results (November 8, 2014 Election)

  NPMHU Local 317 Election Results (November 8, 2014 Election)

Click for Election Results

Reference: NPMHU 317

Huntsville Postal Workers Protest 2015 Delaying of Mail

  Postal Workers plan Huntsville protest

"...According to the American Postal Workers Union, they're coming together to "Stop Delaying America's Mail."..."

Reference: www.waaytv.com  

Postmaster General Donahoe is Out, Megan Brennan Appointed First Female Postmaster General

  U.S. Postmaster General Donahoe to retire in February

"...United States Postmaster General, Patrick Donahoe, who has led the financially troubled U.S. Postal Service for four years, is set to retire in February 2015..."

Reference: www.reuters.com  

Are you using a good antivirus on your computer? Purchase AVG Internet Security from Amazon

 

AVG Internet Security + PC TuneUp 2014, 3-User 1-Year - ESD [Download]

AVG

With all the data breaches taking place all over the internet, are you protecting yourself with quality virus protection? If not, get AVG, Ultimate virus protection for everything you do online including banking and shopping.
Reference: AVG Internet Security + PC TuneUp 2014, 3-User 1-Year - ESD [Download]

USPS Acknowledges Cyber-Intrusion: Employee Information Released in Breach

  USPS Acknowledges Cyber-Intrusion: Employee Information Released in Breach
On November 10, 2014, the United States Postal Service notified the NPMHU of a cyber-intrusion into some of its information systems. According to the USPS, the investigation indicates that files containing employee information were compromised, including names, dates of birth, social security numbers, addresses, beginning and end dates of employment, and emergency contact information for all active employees. The Service claims that steps have already have been taken to strengthen the security of USPS systems affirming that there will be additional measures in the coming days and weeks. The Service is working closely with the FBI, the Department of Justice, Inspector General and Postal Inspection Service, and the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team to determine the source and magnitude of the breach.

The Postal Service will be conducting stand-up talks with all employees. There are some immediate steps you can take. According to the Service, a personalized letter from the Postmaster General is being sent to your home address via First-Class Mail with an enrollment code for a credit monitoring product that is being provided to all employees free of charge for one year. The Union encourages you to take advantage of this free service. If you do not receive your letter by November 20, please contact the Human Resources Shared Services Center (HRSSC) at 1-877-477-3273, and choose option 5 (option 1 for TDD/TTY), Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m.– 8:30 p.m., ET.

Rest assured that the NPMHU is doing everything possible to ensure that the Postal Service takes appropriate steps to minimize the adverse effects of this privacy failure. Watch your bulletin boards, U.S. Mail and Union publications for additional information.

For more information, please read:

USPS Cyber Intrusion and Employee Data Compromise Employee Frequently Asked Questions

USPS Newsbreak: Notification of cyber intrusion and employee data compromise

Reference: www.npmhu.org

USPS employee data breach reported, data of over 500,000 employees and customers allegedly compromised

  U.S. Postal Service employees' information compromised in latest data breach

"...Postal Service spokesman David Partenheimer said personal information that might have been obtained in the attack includes employees' names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, addresses, emergency contacts and other information...."

Reference: jacksonville.com  

NPMHU Prevails in Lead Clerk National Arbitration

  NPMHU Prevails in Lead Clerk National Arbitration

November 7, 2014- We are extremely pleased to announce that the NPMHU has prevailed in its National arbitration against the Postal Service over the ability of the Postal Service to allow Lead Clerks to supervise or in any way to assign or direct the work of members of the Mail Handler craft.

Arbitrator Das' Award makes two important findings:

First, Arbitrator Das stressed, as the Postal Service was forced to concede, that Lead Clerks "are not authorized to perform supervisory functions ... including decisions about hiring, promotion, discipline, approval of leave, the resolution of grievances, and employee evaluations. "

Second, Arbitrator Das made clear that, absent negotiations between the Postal Service and the NPMHU, the Postal Service cannot utilize Lead Clerks to direct or guide the work of Mail Handlers.

A complete copy of the award and the Union's notification to the field is available for your review.

Reference: www.npmhu.org  

Stats on 2014 Midterm Elections: A clearly divided country

  Midterm Elections 2014 Exit Polls

Stats on 2014 midterm elections identify a deeply divided country. The GOP overtakes the House and Senate.

Reference: wsj.com  

David Koch: “We propose the abolition of the governmental Postal Service."

 

David Koch of the extremely wealthy Koch brothers are investing heavily in agendas that only make the rich richer and the rest of us are paying for it. Although there is nothing wrong with people protecting and growing wealth, there is a problem with doing so off the backs of the blue-collar worker. Midterm elections are next month, please educate yourself before simply voting on unsubstantiated claims and promises. Although we will not go so far as to tell you who to vote for, we do suggest doing an internet search of legitimate resources to determine who is behind specific agendas. Please vote not only at the polls, but by where you shop and spend your money.

Astounding: David Koch's 1980 VP Run: Kill Medicare, Social Security, Minimum Wage, Public Schools

"...“We propose the abolition of the governmental Postal Service. The present system, in addition to being inefficient, encourages governmental surveillance of private correspondence. Pending abolition, we call for an end to the monopoly system and for allowing free competition in all aspects of postal service.”..."

Reference: www.dailykos.com  

Reminder: Don't forget to vote in the Local 317 election

  NPMHU Local 317 Election

NPMHU 317

You should be in receipt of your ballot for the NPMHU Local 317 Election. Thanks in advance for participating in the election process for the future leaders/representatives of the mail handler craft.
Reference: npmhu317.blogspot.com

Postal unions continue the battle against the degradation of America's postal service

  Postal unions continue fight plant-closure battle

"...Mail processing plants are not only needed to continue to maintain high delivery standards, such as overnight and prompt delivery, but they’re also the livelihood of countless workers. With 82 plants slated to close nationwide—..."

Reference: kokomoperspective.com  

In spite of Alabama's anti-union politicians, Mercedes Benz identifies the value of unions

  In spite of Alabama's anti-union politicians, Mercedes Benz identifies the value of unions

"...The MBUSI plant in Tuscaloosa County is the only Daimler plant in the world that does not currently offer employee representation. Organized by MBUSI employees, UAW Local 112 offers workers the opportunity for a voice in the workplace that aligns with Daimler AG's global commitment to the German principle of "co-determination" between management and employees..."

Reference: Huntsville Economic Development  

Jacksonville Postal Facility to Absorb Gainesville Mail

  Jacksonville USPS sorting facility to take on Gainesville mail

"...Most people we found dropping off mail at Jacksonville's main sorting facility had no idea anything would be changing with their mail. But the King Street sorting facility is getting set to take on new responsibility: handling mail not only from this region but Alachua County area too when the sorting faculty in Gainesville closes...."

Reference: www.actionnewsjax.com  

NPMHU Challenges Planned Closures and Consolidations via National Level Grievance

  NPMHU Challenges Planned Closures and Consolidations via National Level Grievance

The National Postal Mail Handlers Union has initiated a Step 4 grievance concerning violations arising from the Postal Service's plans to close or consolidate approximately 82 facilities starting in January 2015. In particular, the NPMHU believes that the Postal Service's decision to close or consolidate these facilities is a violation of Handbook P0-408, Area Mail Processing (AMP) Guidelines, which is incorporated into the National Agreement through Article 19.

Additional details available at this link. (pdf)
Reference: National Postal Mail Handlers Union