Postal workers on high alert after multiple menacing incidents in Canton, Ohio

  Postal workers on high alert after multiple menacing incidents in Canton, Ohio

"...According to Canton police, while investigating a scary situation Friday they learned that several other carriers had similar incidents in recent days. They were reportedly being followed and threatened by an unknown male suspect..."

Reference: fox8.com  

Mail Handler Assistants to Receive Wage Increase effective on May 25, 2019

  Mail Handler Assistants to Receive Wage Increase effective on May 25, 2019

Effective May 25, 2019- In accordance with Article 9.7 of the 2016 National Agreement between the NPMHU and the Postal Service, all Mail Handler Assistants will receive an hourly wage increase of $0.21 per hour effective on Saturday, May 25, 2019. This is the sixth MHA wage increase occurring during the 2016 National Agreement.

The 21 cent per hour increase raises the Level 4 MHA hourly rate to $16.21 and the Level 5 MHA hourly rate to $17.07, which is an increase of approximately 1.3% and 1.2% respectively. These additional increases were included in the 2016 National Agreement to help close the current gap between MHAs and career employees and to reduce attrition amongst MHAs.

Reference: www.npmhu.org  

NPMHU 317 - Huntsville Branch Union Meeting

  NPMHU 317 - Huntsville Branch Union Meeting
NPMHU 317 - Huntsville Branch is hosting a union meeting at Ted's Bar-B-Q at 12 PM on Saturday, May 11, 2019. Ted's Bar-B-Q is located at 8780 Madison Blvd. (256.772.6500) in Madison, Alabama.

Reference: NPMHU 317- Huntsville

27th Annual National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive on Saturday, May 11

  27th Annual National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive on Saturday, May 11

NALC Food Drive 2019

The APWU National officers are asking members to actively support the 27th Annual National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive on Saturday, May 11.

Each year on the second Saturday in May, Postal workers come together to collect and donate millions of pounds of food for local food banks. Donations are collected in over 10,000 cities and towns in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Postal customers across the country are asked to put non-perishable food donations in a sturdy bag and place the bag near their mailbox prior to their regular mail delivery on Saturday, May 11. Letter carriers will collect the donations as they deliver mail. Many USPS worksites also set out containers to collect contributions.

All donations are tax-deductible, as they are going to local non-profit charity food agencies. Contact your local post office to know where your donation is going or to help volunteer.


Reference: www.apwu.org

NPMHU Releases Details on RI-399 Payments

  NPMHU Releases Details on RI-399 Payments
As previously announced, the Update MOU on RI-399 that was signed by the NPMHU, the APWU, and the Postal Service in June 2018 included a monetary payment to individual Mail Handlers. Here are the details, except for the payment date, which is still to be determined.

In order to be eligible for payment, a Mail Handler had to be in the NPMHU Bargaining Unit (Career or MHA) and on the rolls of the Postal Service during the Pay Period which ended on September 1, 2017 AND the Mail Handler has to be in the NPMHU Bargaining Unit (Career or MHA) and on the rolls of the Postal Service during the Pay Period which ended on March 15, 2019. Any action taken by the Mail Handler after March 15, 2019 (e.g., retirement, transfer, resignation) is not considered.

A) If eligible, and in the Bargaining Unit for less than 5 years (as of September 1, 2017), the Mail Handler will receive 1 Share.

B) If eligible, and in the Bargaining Unit for 5 years or more but less than 10 years (as of September 1, 2017), the Mail Handler will receive 2 Shares.

C) If eligible, and in the Bargaining Unit for 10 years or more but less than 20 years (as of September 1, 2017), the Mail Handler will receive 3 Shares.

D) If eligible, and in the Bargaining Unit for 20 years or more (as of September 1, 2017), the Mail Handler will receive 4 Shares.

There are more than 38,000 eligible Mail Handlers, and the Share amounts are as follows:

1 Share = $143.90

2 Shares = $287.80

3 Shares = $431.70

4 Shares = $575.60

Once the actual date for distribution of these monies is set, the National Office will announce that date to all Locals and to all Mail Handlers. In addition, the National Office will establish a union-run appeal procedure for claims to be filed by ineligible Mail Handlers who believe they should have been listed amongst the eligible and by eligible Mail Handlers who believe they did not receive the proper number of Shares authorized. The decisions made by this appeal procedure will be final and binding, and will cause distributions of additional monies.

Follow this link to review a copy of the May 6, 2019 Memorandum sent to all Local Unions (pdf)


Reference: www.npmhu.org

Deadly fentanyl bought online from China being shipped through the mail

  Deadly fentanyl bought online from China being shipped through the mail

"...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  

If you are a postal employee nearing retirement you should use eRetire to properly prepare

  If you are a postal employee nearing retirement you should use eRetire to properly prepare

"...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  

Wisconsin postal worker stole 6,600 greeting cards sentenced to home confinement and probation

  Wisconsin postal worker stole 6,600 greeting cards sentenced to home confinement and probation

"...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  

US Postal Service Reveals Stamps for Moon Landing 50th Anniversary

  US Postal Service Reveals Stamps for Moon Landing 50th Anniversary

"...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 Mail Handler Is 90 Years Young

  Tom Is 90 Years Young

"...Tampa Processing & Distribution Center (P&DC) Mail Handler Tom McBane..."

Reference: The Suncoast Scoop  

Mr. McBane: Happy Birthday From NPMHU Local 317 (Alabama)!

Trump wants to prevent postal workers from negotiating over pay

  Trump wants to prevent postal workers from negotiating over pay

"...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  

RI-399 Update- Monetary Payment Criteria Finalized

  RI-399 Update- Monetary Payment Criteria Finalized
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.

With certain exceptions, the MOU effectively withdrew and administratively closed all cross-craft grievances that were pending in the RI- 399 process prior to September 1, 2017. The Update MOU also provides monetary payments to mail handlers and clerks in consideration of the withdrawal of these grievances. The parties have agreed that $14,500,000 will be distributed among mail handlers designated by the NPMHU. The parties also agreed that the APWU represented employees will be similarly compensated.

The NPMHU National Executive Board has approved a detailed criteria to determine which mail handlers will receive payments as well as the amount that each eligible mail handler will receive. For full details, read the March 1, 2019 memorandum linked below.

March 1, 2019 Memorandum to Local Presidents (pdf)


Reference: www.npmhu.org

Illinois Postal Service Mail Handler Shot and Killed on I-57

  Illinois Postal Service Mail Handler Shot and Killed on I-57

"...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  

USPS Expands Wounded Warriors Leave

  USPS Expands Wounded Warriors Leave
The USPS has recently expanded the Wounded Warrior Leave policy effective on January 5, 2019.

The Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act of 2015 is a law that provides veterans who have a service connected disability rating of 30 percent or more with 104 hours of Wounded Warrior Leave during their first year of employment. The 104 hours of Wounded Warrior Leave is a separate category of leave in addition to any earned annual and sick leave. The leave can be used to undergo medical treatment for the service connected disability.

The USPS has decided to expand the Wounded Warrior Leave policy by providing 104 hours of Wounded Warrior Leave to veterans with a service connected disability rating of 30 percent or more at the beginning of each new leave year. Any unused Wounded Warrior Leave hours cannot be carried over into the new leave year and are lost.

USPS Expands Wounded Warrior Leave - Memorandum to Local Presidents (pdf)

Reference: www.npmhu.org

PS5980 - Treatment Verification for Wounded Warriors Leave

Louisiana postal employee dead after electrocution while changing light bulb

  Louisiana postal employee dead after electrocution while changing light bulb

"... It happened at the USPS facility on Shannon Street, just off North 18th Street..."

Reference: www.wkyt.com  

CSRS and FERS “best” days (financially) to retire in 2019

  CSRS and FERS “best” days (financially) to retire in 2019

"...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  

Information Request(s): Good reference for a problem that never seems to end

 

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  

Agency Pulls Back on Its Warning Against Talk of ‘Resistance’ in Federal Workplaces

  Agency Pulls Back on Its Warning Against Talk of ‘Resistance’ in Federal Workplaces

"...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  

Presidential Task Force on the USPS Finally Issues its Report

  Presidential Task Force on the USPS Finally Issues its Report

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)

Reference: www.npmhu.org  

Federal employees warned not discuss Trump impeachment or ‘the Resistance’ at work

  Federal employees warned not discuss Trump impeachment or ‘the Resistance’ at work

"...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  

Executive order closes Government on Dec. 5 in honor of George H.W. Bush

  Executive order closes Government on Dec. 5 in honor of George H.W. Bush

"...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  

New Mail Handler Wage Charts

  New Mail Handler Wage Charts

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)

Reference: www.npmhu.org

...and this is the Wage Chart prior to the new one referenced above.  

NPMHU, APWU and USPS Come Together for Historic RI399 Training

  NPMHU, APWU and USPS Come Together for Historic RI399 Training

"...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  

Your next contractual wage increase will be effective November 24, 2018

  Your next wage increase will be effective November 24, 2018
Effective November 24, 2018 - 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% for the basic annual salary for the grade and step in effect on May 20, 2016.

Reference: NPMHU 317

FERS retirement Information as found on opm.gov

  FERS retirement Information as found on opm.gov

"...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.gov

This information, as found on OPM.GOV, is accurate as of this posting date: 10/28/2018

 

Going Postal: Analyzing the Abuse of Mail Covers Under the Fourth Amendment

  Going Postal: Analyzing the Abuse of Mail Covers Under the Fourth Amendment

"...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  

Man arrested in Plantation Florida in plot to send mail bombs through postal service

  Man arrested in Plantation in plot to send bombs

"...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  

PP 21-2018 Payroll Issue Impacts Mostly APWU Employess and Some Others

 

ALERT: The following notice was posted and found on ePayroll at USPS Liteblue on 10/16/2018:

---

"An issue has been identified with the processing of the PP 21-2018 Payroll that prevented some employees from not being paid correctly. The largest percentage impacted were APWU employees but other bargaining and non-bargaining employees were also impacted. Impacted employees may not have been paid fully for overtime, penalty overtime & night work, and may have had their leave hours paid reduced. Employees should review their earnings statement to ensure they were paid correctly for PP 21-2018. A recovery is being planned to correct impacted employees' pay."

---

The APWU site has posted a the following article relating to the issue:

Significant Payroll Issue Identified

"... 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 NPMHU NATIONAL NEGOTIATIONS: OFFICIAL CALL FOR BARGAINING PROPOSALS

  2019 NATIONAL NEGOTIATIONS: OFFICIAL CALL FOR BARGAINING PROPOSALS
2019 NATIONAL NEGOTIATIONS

*OFFICIAL CALL FOR BARGAINING PROPOSALS*

With preparations underway for negotiations over the terms of the 2019 National Agreement between the NPMHU and the Postal Service, the National Office has issued its official call for bargaining proposals from all members and Local Unions.

To be fully considered prior to the onset of negotiations, proposals must be submitted by January 18, 2019. Although formal bargaining is not scheduled to begin until June, the Union’s Field Negotiating Committee will be meeting for a full week in February of 2019 to review all submitted proposals and outline the changes in the National Agreement that should be proposed by the NPMHU.

To be sure, planning for collective bargaining is a continuous process at the National Office, as the National Officers and representatives working in the Contract Administration Department routinely identify and collect proposals for improving the language currently found in the 2016 National Agreement. But an equally important aspect of preparing for bargaining is the collection and review of proposals generated by mail handlers across the country. Thus, National President Paul Hogrogian has issued this official call for bargaining proposals from the membership, the Local Unions, and other subordinate bodies of the NPMHU.

If you have any proposals that you would like to have considered for the upcoming round of bargaining, now is the time to submit them to the National Office. Every proposal submitted will be fully analyzed by the NPMHU’s Field Negotiating Committee and the National Negotiations Team while the Union develops its opening bargaining proposals.

All proposals should set forth the Article, Section, Paragraph, and/or Page of the National Agreement that you are suggesting should be changed; the specific language you would like to see added to, or deleted from, the current National Agreement; and your specific reasons for suggesting the change. If you have supporting evidence or documentation that you believe would support the change that you propose, please submit those materials to the National Office along with your proposals.

The National Office is asking that all proposals be submitted as soon as possible, but in no event later than January 18, 2019. The National Office also has issued a form that can be used to submit proposals. Copies of that form have been mailed to all Local Unions and can be downloaded on the NPMHU website.

Once again, proposals from any member (or group of members) and any Local Unions or other subordinate body should be submitted to the National Office by January 18, 2019 using the following address:

National Postal Mail Handlers Union
2019 Negotiations
1101 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 500
Washington, DC 20036


2019 Bargaining Proposal Form (pdf)
2019 Bargaining Proposal Fillable Form (pdf)
Reference: National Postal Mail Handlers Union