A week after the Trump hiring freeze was announced, the Office of Management and Budget has gotten around to “clarifying” it. Among the clarifications- hiring by the US Postal Service is not included in the freeze.
Trump’s freeze
Does the Trump order on regulations affect the USPS? Who knows!
More confusion from Trump: One of his executive orders says that agencies must eliminate two regulations for every new regulation they propose. As with Trump’s hiring freeze, the order is vague, yet apparently all-encompassing. Does it apply to the USPS?
Here’s what Politico had to say about the impact of the order on independent agencies like the USPS: Continue reading
NAPS: USPS has “reached out” to Trump administration on freeze
The National Association of Postal Supervisors says it has been in contact with USPS Headquarters over the possible impact of Donald Trump’s hiring freeze. NAPS says the USPS told them that they had “reached out” to the Trump administration to discuss the issue. Continue reading
NALC tells members Trump freeze shouldn’t affect CCA conversions
The National Association of Letter Carriers told members yesterday that it was in discussions with postal management over what effect, if any, the hiring freeze ordered by Donald Trump would have on letter carriers.
In a message sent via the NALC member smartphone app, the union said that while the parties were still unsure of the possible impacts, the NALC is confident that the order would not prevent contractually required CCA conversions, based on a line in the order stating that it does not abrogate any existing collective bargaining agreements in effect on January 22.
The USPS and its unions have yet to make any public statements on the freeze.
NALC on twitter: “…freeze should not extend to USPS…[we’re] working to ensure that it does not.”
Update: The NALC still hasn’t responded publicly to the freeze announcement, but it has posted additional information on its members only smartphone app.
While we still haven’t heard anything official from any of the parties involved, we did come across this tweet from the National Association of Letter Carriers:
@Newarknuggets “…freeze should not extend to USPS…[we’re] working to ensure that it does not.” More: https://t.co/o8WMosNpW0
— Letter Carriers (@NALC_National) January 23, 2017
Text of Presidential Memorandum Regarding the Hiring Freeze
MEMORANDUM FOR THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES
SUBJECT: Hiring Freeze
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order a freeze on the hiring of Federal civilian employees to be applied across the board in the executive branch. Continue reading
Update: No exception for USPS in Trump hiring freeze order
Update: On January 31 2017, the Trump regime excluded the USPS from the hiring freeze.
NBC News has posted a copy of the Trump hiring freeze executive order. The order, as reported earlier, excludes only military personnel. The order is to apply “across the board in the executive branch”. The US Postal Service, by law, is defined as an “independent establishment of the executive branch of the Government of the United States”. (As we’ve noted before, the word “independent” simply means that the USPS is not part of a cabinet department).
The order specifically states that the freeze “applies to all executive departments and agencies regardless of the sources of their operational and programmatic funding…” The order also warns that “Contracting outside the Government to circumvent the intent of this memorandum shall not be permitted”.
There is a loophole of sorts in the order- agency heads may exempt “positions that it [sic] deems necessary to meet national security or public safety responsibilities. In addition, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) may grant exemptions from this freeze where those exemptions are otherwise necessary”.
Text of Pres. Trump's executive action on employee hiring freeze for some parts of federal government. pic.twitter.com/CQJSCqILvF
— NBC Nightly News (@NBCNightlyNews) January 23, 2017
Trump freezes hiring of all federal employees “except the military”.
We haven’t seen the text of this executive order yet, or any assessment of its affect, if any, on the USPS.
From the Washington Post:
Trump instituted a governmentwide hiring freeze Monday, signing an executive order that he said would affect all employees “except for the military.” Trump had pledged to halt government hiring as part of his campaign’s “Contract with the American Voter,” which he framed as part of a larger effort to “clean up corruption and special interest in Washington D.C.” That campaign plan, however, also included exemptions for public safety and public health.
Source: Trump freezes hiring of many federal workers – The Washington Post
Trump eyes 10 percent spending cuts, 20 percent slash of federal workers
Making good on a promise to slash government, President-elect Trump has asked his incoming team to pursue spending and staffing cuts.
Insiders said that the spending reductions in some departments could go as high as 10 percent and staff cuts to 20 percent, numbers that would rock Washington if he follows through.
At least two so-called “landing teams” in Cabinet agencies have relayed the call for cuts as part of their marching orders to shrink the flab in government.
Source: Trump eyes 10 percent spending cuts, 20 percent slash of federal workers | Fox News
Trump hiring freeze could leave 15,000 letter carrier jobs vacant each year
On Saturday, Donald Trump gave a speech in Gettysburg PA that was billed as a “revolutionary ‘Contract with the American Voter'”.
Although the “contract” didn’t mention the US Postal Service by name, the second item in his “contract” should raise concerns.
Trump promised:
a hiring freeze on all federal employees to reduce federal workforce through attrition (exempting military, public safety, and public health)
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