From USPS News Link:

USPS is providing Postmasters additional time to take advantage of their Special Incentive Offer. Postmasters who meet the criteria now have until July 2, 2012 to take advantage of the offer.

The new timetable gives Postmasters the opportunity to apply for one or more of the approximately 1,600 vacant Postmaster positions posted today on the eCareer website. Postmasters should visit eCareer — located on LiteBlue — to review the posted vacancies and to apply online.

Frequently Asked Questions on the Postmaster incentive offer — including information on how incentive date changes may affect Postmasters who opted in after the May 9 original announcement — are available at the Workforce Connection website on LiteBlue. Postmasters can expect to receive formal communications outlining these changes by mail within the next week.

Postmasters with questions not covered at the Workforce Connection website can call the Human Resources Shared Service Center (877-477-3273).

(5/25/2012) The APWU and the USPS reached a settlement on May 25 that prohibits the Postal Service from deducting square footage of floor space, including under mail processing equipment, in developing a Building Inventory. The agreement resolves Case #Q06T-4Q-C 10269698, which was scheduled for arbitration next week.

The settlement is significant because management began deducting the square footage as a ploy to reduce staffing.

The agreement requires the Postal Service to inform USPS representatives and to have restored the  deducted square feet of floor space within 30 days. The settlement does not permit “new” staffing packages to be created.

Local management needs policing by local unions to ensure that the only adjustments made are in fact restoration of the square feet of deducted space, said Maintenance Craft Director Steve Raymer. The agreement stipulates that all other entries on the inventory and the frequencies of work remain the same.

Duty Assignments
The settlement also provides that local postal management take immediate action to restore any duty assignments established by the return of the deducted floor space. Such duty assignments must be posted and filled within 60 days of the settlement, which is in accordance with Article 38.4.A of the 2010-2015 Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The initial vacancies and all following vacancies are to be filled with career employees. The Postal Service may fill any of these vacancies with PSEs.

All other issues and remedies regarding, for example, posting and filling of other duty assignments; other reasons for challenging the current staffing package; or anything outside of the returning of the deducted floor space; which may be in grievance cases that were held pending the outcome of this case, will be sent back to the field for resolution or arbitration.

From The National Association of Letter Carriers:

New ‘Guide to Route Inspections’ now available:

The 2012 NALC Guide to Route Inspections was created to assist shop stewards and branch officers in identifying contractual violations that take place during management’s unilateral six-day route counts and inspections / adjustments, and with filing successful grievances on those violations. The sections in this guide take you through the inspection in chronological order and provide an easy reference to various provisions and related national settlements that govern route inspections. There is also a section with detailed descriptions and advice on how to read the various forms, reports and screens used during the route count and inspection process. Once you learn how to read one of our examples, you will be able to understand every one of the same type of form, report, or screen you will ever see. Click here to download the guide.

The US Postal Service reported a $1.6 billion loss in April, bringing the year to date loss to $8 billion. Almost the entire FY 2012 loss, however, exists only on paper: $7.1 billion represents seven months worth of the PAEA “trust fund” payments Congress imposed in 2006, while $569 million is a non-cash item reflecting “discount and inflation rate changes” on future workers comp liabilities. None of the $7.1 billion in “trust fund” payments have actually been made- and the USPS doesn’t intend to make them.

The “real” loss, reflecting actual revenue and expenses, stands at $275 million.

Phony loss numbers aside, the report does provide plenty of cause for concern however. Both first class and standard mail volumes continue to decline at an alarming rate- first class was down 7.1% from last April, while standard volumes dropped by almost six percent. Overall volume was down 6% for the month, 5.2% for the year to date.

USPS Unaudited financial results for April 2012.

PORTLAND, Ore. KATU TV- Twelve people were arrested Thursday evening during an Occupy Portland protest to support the U.S. Postal Service, according to Portland police.

About 80 people gathered at the post office on Southwest 6th and Clay. They sounded off about a large-scale layoff announced by the postal service in February.

Under the restructuring plan up to 35,000 postal workers stand to lose their jobs.

via 12 arrested in Occupy protest to support post office | Local & Regional | KATU.com – Portland News, Sports, Traffic Weather and Breaking News – Portland, Oregon.