USPS declines to extend contract talks With NALC, NPMHU
NALC ‘disappointed ’
Union to seek agreement in mediation
Jan. 20, 2012 — Today, the United States Postal Service declined to extend collective-bargaining negotiations with the National Association of Letter Carriers, triggering an impasse that will automatically send the matter to mediation under the auspices of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. If no consensual agreement is reached in a 60-day period of mediation, the issues will be submitted for final and binding resolution before an “Interest Arbitration” panel, which under law must consider all the evidence presented by the parties.
Fredric Rolando, President of NALC, issued the following statement:
“I am disappointed by the Postal Service’s decision. We have been making steady progress in negotiations, right up through this afternoon. Our negotiations have been innovative, professional and productive and have been conducted at the highest level.
“Now that the formal litigation process has begun, we will pursue a negotiated agreement through mediation and prepare to vigorously defend our members in Interest Arbitration, if it reaches that step.
“Notwithstanding this turn of events, NALC continues to believe that a negotiated agreement is in the best interests of the parties, the businesses that rely on us and the nation we serve. We will continue to negotiate in good faith as mediation takes place under the law’s dispute-resolution process even as we prepare for binding arbitration, and we will work with Congress on vitally needed reforms. We also will work with our external expert advisers to advance a new business model that will revitalize and preserve the USPS as a vital element of the nation’s business and cultural infrastructure.”
CONTRACT TALKS STALL: Impasse Declared
(January 20, 2012) National negotiations between the National Postal Mail Handlers Union and the U.S. Postal Service over the terms of their 2011 National Agreement have stalled, and the parties have been unable to agree to another extension of the deadline for their bargaining. (Two prior extensions previously had changed the original November 20, 2011 expiration of the National Agreement to December 16, 2011 and January 20, 2012, respectively.)
The parties at the National level are still discussing how they will proceed from this point forward, pursuant to their joint authority to establish dispute resolution procedures; the terms of the 2011 National Agreement will remain in effect until the completion of those procedures. Under the statute that governs postal negotiations, if both sides agree, the parties may first engage in mediation and, if unsuccessful, go to binding interest arbitration. As noted, the parties currently are discussing how they will proceed.
The National Office of the NPMHU appreciates the patience and support of the membership. More information will be shared with the Local Unions next week.
U.S. Postal Service Voted No. 1 For Supplier Diversity
Agency Enters Second Decade of Achieving Top Honors
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service was voted America’s No. 1 government agency for providing multicultural business opportunities, according to a recent survey in which more than 750,000 business owners participated. This marks the 11th consecutive year the Postal Service has appeared in that top-10 listing. Read more
Ohio Letter Carrier Indicted For Mail Theft
March 9, 2011
A federal grand jury sitting in Cleveland returned a two-count indictment charging Chrisoula Pipilakis, age 33, of Akron, Ohio, with embezzling mail and unauthorized opening of mail, Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, announced today.
The indictment alleges that from November 1, 2010, until on or about November 17, 2010, Chrisoula Pipilakis, then a Postal Service letter carrier a the Firestone and Five Points Post Office Stations, located in Akron, Ohio, did open and steal the contents from several letters, including gift cards and correspondence, which had come into her possession for delivery to persons residing in Akron, Ohio.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum, and in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Duane J. Deskins, following an investigation by the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
USPS Workforce Size and Employment Categories, 1990-2010
The following is a report from the Congressional Research Service (CRS)
The only groups to show an increase: Headquarters, Rural Carriers, Bldg. and Equip. Maint.Personnel Vehicle Maintenance Personnel,Non-bargaining Temporary, and Motor Vehicle Operators
Headquarters – “persons who work in a variety of capacities at the two central offices of the U.S. Postal Service, which are located in Washington, DC, and Rosslyn, VA.” numbers stood at 2000 in the CRS report covering 1986 but at the end of FY 2010 it is now 2,937.
Clerks show the biggest decrease over 23 years. In the CRS report covering 1987 it showed clerks numbers at 296,360. At the end of FY 2010 clerks had decreased to 157,168.
City carriers show 240,295 in 2001 but now stand at 192,180.
Supervisors show a high of 43,801 in 1991 but at the end of FY 2010 numbers have dropped to 27,792.
Rural carriers Full-Time show a high of 66,344 in 2006 and not stand at 66,845 at the end of FY 2010. It is interesting to note in previous CRS covering 1986, Rural carrier numbers were 35, 938.
Postmasters went from a high of 27,352 in 1986 to 23, 111 as of FY 2010.
Here is the summary from the CRS report covering 1990-2010. The full report is below:
This report provides data from the past 20 years on the size of the U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS’s)
workforce, including the number of persons employed by USPS by employment categories and
the number of persons employed by USPS under time-limited contracts. It also analyzes the most
salient aspects of these employment data. Read more
Beyond Mail: U.S. Postal Service Delivers Hope Through Marrow Donor Program
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service is known for delivering mail and packages throughout America, but did you know it is the largest contributor to the National Marrow Donor Program’s (NMDP) Be The Match Registry?
Thousands of patients with leukemia, lymphoma and other life-threatening blood diseases need donor matches for a bone marrow or blood cell transplants, yet there is only a 30 percent chance of patients’ finding matches within their own families. And for minorities, the possibility is drastically less. The Postal Service leverages the country’s second largest civilian workforce — and one of the most diverse — by delivering hope to patients that a life-saving match can be found.
“Our Delivering the Gift of Life campaign has been one of our best investments over the years, adding more than 53,000 potential volunteer donors to the Be The Match Registry,” said Postmaster General John E. Potter. “What reward could possibly be more valuable than life? I was there at our first drive in Baltimore in 1997 when we joined forces with Rod Carew, the Marrow Foundation and the National Marrow Donor Program. It makes me proud to know our employees believe in the spirit of community, and their generosity and self-sacrifice continue to amaze me.”
The Postal Service was honored by Be the Match Foundation (the fundraising arm of the NMDP) last year with the very first “Rod Carew Award for Leadership” for its efforts to stem diseases of the blood and immune system and for having saved more lives — 80 — than any other business organization in the country.
Embarking on the 14th year of this collaborative recruitment initiative, the Postal Service, NMDP and Be The Match Foundation work tirelessly to offer people an opportunity to save lives and kindle hope where none may have existed. Postal Service employees, their spouses and dependents, ages 18 and older, are eligible to participate through the Delivering the Gift of Life campaign at no cost for type-testing of tissue.
Any person of any race or ethnicity who is 18-60 years old and meets donation health guidelines can become a potential volunteer donor. Interested postal employees who are not currently part of the registry can send an e-mail to marrowcampaign@usps.gov. Others who want to help or become a part of the Be The Match Registry can go to www.bethematch.org for more information.
USPS to Crowdsource Graphic Illustration for Season’s Greetings from Hawaii Packages
Prova.fm, an online crowdsourcing startup announced a design contest for the United States Postal Service in Hawaii. The Post Office recognizes the power of the crowd too
The United States Postal Service in Hawaii has selected the online community of designers at Prova.fm to crowdsource the design of a “Season’s Greetings from Hawaii” logo to be printed on the Hawaii Priority Mail Large Flat Rate Boxes. A new design contest via Prova’s online platform was created to satisfy the Post Office’s marketing, branding, and advertising needs.
Prova has built a community of skilled and emerging design talent to offer just such solutions for the business community. “Crowdsourcing is an expedient, cost effective, and often superior method of completing any kind of project, and especially where print or online designs are concerned;” said Prova Founder David Gash.
The United States Postal Service (USPS) in Honolulu approached Prova to engage the design community there with the project. The USPS needs to “inspire Postal Service customers to choose the Large Flat Rate Box for shipping packages worldwide”. USPS Retail Manager Nancy Wong had this to say about their selection of Prova:
“We liked Prova’s system because we’ll get a wider submission base with Prova, than simply getting ideas from our employees. You just put down what you want and designers from all over are going to be able to submit their designs.”
Prova takes advantage of virtually untapped skills and resources via the web. Tens of thousands of talented artists and designers can be engaged using Prova as a platform for assignments – as well as for promoting their work. Prova’s CEO and Founder had this to say about the contest; “Crowdsourcing is beginning to come into its own because of the advent and adaptation of digital technologies. We are obviously thrilled the digital design community has this opportunity to satisfy a tangible need of a global concern such as the USPS.”
Congressman Stephen Lynch Introduces Legislation To Correct USPS CSRS Retirement Overpayments
Congressman Stephen Lynch introduced legislation yesterday to correct methodology which overcharges USPS for its CSRS retirement obligations. The legislation amends the provisions of title 5, United States Code, relating to the methodology for calculating the amount of any Postal surplus or supplemental liability under the Civil Service Retirement System.
This is a bill in the U.S. Congress originating in the House of Representatives . A bill must be passed by both the House and Senate and then be signed by the President before it becomes law.
SPEECH OF HON. STEPHEN F. LYNCH
OF MASSACHUSETTS
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, JULY 15, 2010
Mr. LYNCH. Madam Speaker, the United States Postal Service’s CSRS Obligation Modification Act of 2010, is intended to remedy a unfair and inequitable methodology for allocating the Postal Service’s share of Civil Service Retirement System, CSRS, retirement benefit liabilities for employees that provided service to this country under both the Post Office Department and the independent United States Postal Service.
According to a January 2010 report by the United States Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General, USPS-OIG, the Postal Service paid more into the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Trust Fund that it would have paid if a more equitable methodology were used to allocate CSRS retirement benefit liabilities between the Federal government and the United States Postal Service.
As a result of the USPS-OIG report’s findings, the Postmaster General of the United States Postal Service submitted a request, in accordance with section 802(c) of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, to the Postal Regulatory Commission, PRC, calling for an independent and objective review of the methods used to allocate benefit liabilities between the Postal Service and the Federal government under generally accepted actuarial practices and principles.
The independent actuarial firm hired by the PRC, The Segal Company, determined that the current methodology used by the Office of Personnel Management, OPM, for allocating such retirement benefits between the United States Postal Service and the Federal government follows an antiquated methodology that fails to incorporate current actuarial best practices and accounting standards as recognized and codified by the Financial Accounting Standard Board.
Accordingly, to remedy this unjust treatment, this legislation I am introducing today directs OPM to update and modernize the actuarial methodology to be used in allocating CSRS retirement benefit liabilities between the United States Postal Service and the Federal government in accordance with The Segal Company’s recommendation. Under this approach, the Federal government’s portion of an individual’s CSRS annuity will be based on the CSRS benefit accrual formula and the conventional individual’s “high-3” average salary. By utilizing this methodology, this legislation will ensure that OPM is using modern actuarial practices and accounting standards to apportion the benefit liabilities that are codified by the independent Financial Accounting Standard Board under FASB ASC 715.