PRC Issues Order Denying Postmasters Complaint Over Management Of Post Offices
Filed under: NAPUS, post offices, postal, postal news, Postmasters, PRC, usps
The Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) issued a decision to deny a complaint by NAPUS and the League of Postmasters to renew an expedited complaint or a request a stay to prevent the Postal Service’s Final Rule from going into effect on December 1, 2011. The PRC did grant the Postmaster associations the right to re-file a complaint.
The Postal Regulatory Commission Issues Order Denying Motion for Renewal and Alternative Request for a Stay of the Effective Date.
Effective December 1, 2011, this change will allow the Postal Service to convert a Post Office into, or replace it with, another type of USPS-operated retail facility (including changing it to a station or branch) without following the discontinuance process. The change would also make it possible to change the staffing of a Post Office such that it is staffed only part-time by a Postmaster, or not staffed by a Postmaster at all, but rather by another type of USPS employee, and it would not be a discontinuance action.
The other “final rule” change would also allow a Post Office to be operated or managed by a Postmaster or by another type of postal employee at the direction of a Postmaster, including when the Postmaster is not physically present.
Leaders of both Postmaster organizations will confer with legal counsel next week to consider their options. Additional information on this very important issue will be provided as it becomes available.
read full story from NAPUS
Postmasters To Manage More Than One Post Office In Changes To USPS Manuals
Filed under: post offices, postal, postal news, Postmasters, usps
USPS revises manuals and handbooks: Employee and Labor Relations Manual (ELM), Handbook PO-101, Administrative Support Manual (ASM) and Postal Operations Manual (POM)
ELM Revision: Management of Post Offices by Postmasters
Effective December 1, 2011, Employee and Labor Relations Manual (ELM), Part 113, Definitions, is revised to clarify that a postmaster may be responsible for the management of more than one Post Office™ facility, and that the postmaster may assign duties to subordinate personnel, including when the postmaster is not physically present. Read more
NAPUS To Request Fact Finding on USPS 2011-2015 Pay Package Offer
Filed under: NAPUS, postal, postal news, Postmasters, usps
NAPUS Executive Board Unanimously Approves President Rapoza’s Request to Ask the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to Convene a Factfinding Panel on Postmaster Pay Package
In a special telecom tonight, The NAPUS Executive Board unanimously approved President Bob Rapoza’s request to ask the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to convene a factfinding panel to review the Postal Service’s final decision on the 2011-15 Postmaster Pay Package.
Rapoza told the Board “In view of the Postal Service’s final decision on the Postmaster Pay Package for 2011-2015, I am requesting that the NAPUS Executive Board consider my request to pursue fact finding through the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS.)”
For more on this historic and unprecedented action, please go to President Rapoza’s Update link on the NAPUS website.
Charlie Moser
November 16, 2011
source: NAPUS
USPS Issues Final Decision on Postmaster Pay Package
Filed under: pay, pay info, postal, postal news, Postmasters, usps
for Fiscal Years 2011-2015. Postmaster Salary Range Increase of 6.5% from January 2013 through January 2016.
“Severe Financial Difficulties” Cited, as PFP Salary Rating Applications are Suspended for FY 2011 and FY 2012.
After 4 months of pay talks between representatives from both Postmaster organizations and the Postal Service, today the Postal Service issued a final decision concerning changes in pay policies, schedules, and fringe benefit programs for Postmasters.
Below is a jointly released statement from NAPUS President Bob Rapoza and League President Mark Strong, both leaders expressed disappointment that many of the proposals they presented were not included in the pay package.
“During the past four months, NAPUS and the League have been engaged in pay talks with the Postal Service. During this time we presented our case and put forth our best arguments to no avail due to the current financial condition of the postal service Today we received the final pay package delivered to our offices..”
“At the beginning of Pay Talks the postal service had projected a loss of $8.5 billion and now, 120 days later, the projected loss is $10 billion. This financial crisis we are in is through no fault of the more than 26,000 Postmasters who work extremely hard to manage the postal services most critical operations and provide universal service to the American public. While realizing that the financial condition of the Postal Service dictated the tone of the pay talks process, we believe that some of our recommendations could have been included in the package without adding significant costs to the program.”
“The Pay Package includes a 6.5% increase in the minimum and maximum salary ranges of the EAS pay schedule from January 2013 through January 2016. However, PFP Program ratings will be suspended and not be applied to salaries for FY 2011 and FY 2012. A determination as to whether PFP ratings will be applied to salaried for 2013 through 2015 will be based on the economic condition of the Postal Service during those years.”
“The Performance Evaluation System (PES) is discontinued and a joint work group will be established by the Postmaster associations and the Postal Service, to determine how to incorporate the compensation portion of the discontinued PES into the NPA component of the PFP Program.”
“It is not just Postmasters that will have to manage without a pay raise in 2011 and 2012. The entire federal work force is in the same boat and there are a lot of people around the country who’ve lost their jobs, and others who seen a decline in wages.”
For more information on changes to leave and health benefits contributions, please click Pay Package 2011-2015 to see the entire EAS Pay Package for Postmasters (FY 2011-2015.)
Charlie Moser
November 9, 2011
Postmaster to PRC: Financial Challenges That USPS Face Today Are Manufactured
Filed under: politics, post office closings, postal, postal news, Postmasters, PRC, usps
The following are excerpts of comments submitted to the Postal Regulatory Commission regarding the Retail Access Optimization Initiative:
The financial challenges that face the Postal Service today are, at heart,manufactured, the result of dysfunctional Congressional oversight and a myopic postal management that seeks at every turn to undermine the very basis for its existence. The postal network we have developed over generations provides not only mail delivery but an essential governmental presence in every community and corner of the nation. This
network, which should be viewed as an asset rather than simply as overbuilt industrial capacity, truly has served to bind the nation together. Dissolving and dismantling this important piece of our national infrastructure would be a tragic mistake. Read more
NAPUS: We Must Keep Postmasters in Charge of Post Offices
As of Monday morning in San Juan, 568 Postmasters were registered for NAPUS’ 107th National Convention; total registration stood at 1,116. President Bob Rapoza welcomed everyone back to San Juan: 28 years ago, NAPUS held its first convention here. He thanked Convention Chair Reinaldo Ruiz and the Postmasters of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands for their hard work in organizing the convention.
Rapoza repeated his advice not to sweat the small stuff. He acknowledged these are tough times, but contended they would be even tougher without the good relationship NAPUS has with the League and NAPS. This working relationship continues to benefit Supervisors and Postmasters. Read more
League of Postmasters Calls on Congress to Stop Closing Post Offices
Filed under: postal, postal news, postal reform, Postmasters, press releases, usps
and to Let USPS Pension Overpayments Prefund Retiree Health Benefits
USPS Pension and Retiree Health Benefits Payments Should be Realigned;
USPS Should Not Withdraw from the Federal Retiree Health Benefit Plan.
ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 6, 2011— “Enough is enough. Congress must act. The time to act is now and the action to take is to allow the Postal Service’s pension overpayments to be transferred to its retiree health benefit fund,” said LEAGUE President Mark Strong in a Statement submitted today in the Senate hearing on the Postal Service Crisis. “This would allow the Postal Service to stop closing rural post offices and stop devastating thousands of small rural communities,” he added. Read more
Postmasters allege USPS closing POs on Saturday to ‘skew’ numbers to support 5-day delivery
Filed under: post office closings, postal, postal news, Postmasters, usps
About 40 postmasters from throughout Northwest Missouri gathered at the Old School House in Cameron, Mo., to discuss the proposed closings, what the postal service is doing wrong and what they suggest be done.
Unlike the public Postal Service meetings occurring throughout the state this month to discuss rural post office closings, the meeting consisted only of postmasters. Due to what they described as intimidation tactics from the U.S. Postal Service, no one outside of two people wished to be identified to the News-Press. One of them that did made sure to be vocal for those who couldn’t speak.
Alleging the Postal Service was intimidating employees and closing offices on Saturday to skew future numbers to pass on to Congress to allow offices to move to a five-day work week, Kelly McCartney, vice president of the National League of Postmasters, stated what other postmasters were already saying — closing rural offices would be an ineffective cost-saving measure.
source: Tempers flare at meeting – Postmasters, lawmakers discuss possible post office closures - News Press Now, St, Joseph, MO
Postmaster Vacancy Closes Rural Post Office in Kansas
Marienthal, Kansas customers were told their post office boxes can be transferred to either Scott City (16 miles away) or Leoti (8 miles away).
USPS begins Pay Talks with Postmasters today
On August 27, 2010 LEAGUE and NAPUS jointly signed a letter asking that the OIG investigate the 2009 NPA process, specifically the suspected reduction of CORE scores to many Postmasters by higher level management. It was suspected that this unilateral reduction in scores without the immediate manager’s approval or input was driven by higher levels of management. On August 8, 2011 the results of the investigation were shared with the organizations and .found that our concerns were true. Read more