From the National Association of Postal Supervisors:

This morning, NAPS received a request from Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe to re-open pay consultations between NAPS and the United States Postal Service as a result of the USPS Board of Governor’s decision not to proceed with ending six-day First Class mail delivery. The Resident Officers alerted the PMG this afternoon that NAPS will not consent to reopening pay consultations.

The text of the letter from the Resident Officers to the PMG can be found here.

From the National Association of Postal Supervisors:

The Postal Service’s announcement to move to five-day delivery relies upon a risky gambit.  It presumes Congress will stop its three-decade practice of mandating Saturday delivery, leaving the door open for five-day implementation by USPS in August.

The strategy is risky, even confrontational, for several reasons. Read the rest of this entry »

From the National Association of Postal Supervisors:

This morning the United States Postal Service announced that it would end Saturday delivery of First Class Mail while maintaining Saturday delivery of parcels and keeping open Post Offices with established Saturday hours. The Postal Service believes that these actions will result in cost savings of approximately $2 billion annually.

The National Association of Postal Supervisors has consistently warned in the past that moving to Five-Day delivery should be the last resort for the Postal Service after all other responsible options have been exhausted. That is because the success of our nation’s postal system has been built upon timely, reliable and affordable service to all points around the country. Actions that compromise the timeliness and reliability of our postal system will only hasten further problems, not solve current ones. Moreover, moving to five-day delivery is inconsistent with current law. Read the rest of this entry »

From NAPUS:

Postal Headquarters Responds to Management Association’s Concerns

In response to concerns raised by the three management associations (NAPUS, NAPS and the League,) Postal Headquarters officials announced adjustments to the DUO process, which will be rolled out this Thursday, January 24, 2013.  Adjustments will include changes to the DUO Financial Worksheets in CSDC, as well as an approval process through the Area Vice President.

Leaders of the three management associations have been involved in a series of meetings with  top Postal officials on issues concerning DUO implementations that were being done without following the proper guidelines and failed to show cost savings.  One of the most important adjustments to the DUO process will now require a signoff by the Area Vice President, which should ensure that guidelines are followed and cost savings estimates are valid.

As previously posted on the NAPUS website, on January 11, 2013, the USPS announced a temporary suspension of DUO implementations, pending adjustments to the process.  With the roll out of the new process on January 24^th, 2013, DUO activities will be resumed; except in offices that have rural routes that will be counted in the national rural count, where the DUO moratorium will be in effect.  Updates to the DUO process will be posted on the NAPUS website as it becomes available. DUO Suspension

Charlie Moser
January 22, 2013

Statement by President Louis M. Atkins
National Association of Postal Supervisors

Yesterday, the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service issued a directive ordering USPS management to accelerate the restructuring of operations in order to strengthen Postal Service finances. The Governors cited the inaction of the United States Congress up to this point to pass any legislation that would deal with the core financial issues of the United States Postal Service.

NAPS agrees with the fact that Congress must act in accordance with their Constitutional obligation to ensure the prosperity of our nation’s postal delivery system. Congress has to engage in a substantive debate on the Postal Service’s future. While the passage of S. 1789 last year was encouraging, the fact that the House of Representatives failed to move any comprehensive Postal Reform during the entirety of the 112th Congress is a grave disappointment.

NAPS understands why the Postal Service feels compelled to act at this juncture, we echo the caution that has been expressed by others in the Postal community.

The United States Postal Service is the most trusted government entity in the United States because of its commitment to dependable and cost-effective service. It is essential, especially in the current economic climate, that the USPS not waiver from that commitment.

NAPS advocates a more pragmatic and common-sense approach to the Postal Service’s fiscal crisis. NAPS has long urged the Postal Service to proceed along a course of “rightsizing”, in cooperation with the PRC and Congress, rather than unilateral closures of facilities. This path preserves service standards while offering substantial cost savings at a minimal impact to the workforce. Additional measures include shifting the Postal Service’s future retiree health benefit obligation to a schedule that is much more sustainable than the current 10 year plan along with giving the USPS the ability to offer non-postal products and services. These steps will serve to stabilize the USPS financially through a reduction in overhead and a much need influx of revenue.

Over the coming weeks and days, NAPS will request to consult with Postal management on this directive and will work to ensure that both the interests of the USPS and the American people are protected.

The USPS has announced the retirement of Western Area Vice President Sylvester Black. Black achieved notoriety in postal circles in 2009 when it was reported that he had made violent threats against subordinates in the course of area teleconferences. At the time, National Association of Postal Supervisors Ted Keating wrote to PMG Pat Donahoe demanding that Black be fired. In the letter, Keating wrote “My question to you today Pat is, what would have happened to a supervisor or postmaster who made similar remarks about craft employees during a service talk? I think we both know the answer to that question.” No action was taken.

Here is the announcement of Black’s retirement from USPS News Link:

Sylvester Black, the 37-year USPS veteran who has served as VP, Area Operations for the Western Area, since 2002, will retire from the Postal Service Oct. 1.

Black began his career in 1975 as an accounting assistant at the Bulk Mail Center in Des Moines, IA, and has since held several positions of increasing responsibility. As New York, NY, Postmaster, Capital Metro Area’s Operations Manager, and then VP for the former New York Metro Area, Black’s hallmark achievement was improving service performance. As VP for the Western Area — which serves 49 million customers in all or parts of 18 states — Black demonstrated once again that even the largest, most geographically challenged area in the Postal Service can provide excellent customer service.

A key leader during the difficult period following the Sept. 11 attacks and the subsequent anthrax crisis, Black helped guide USPS through one of its most challenging periods. He earned a reputation as a consummate team player and mentor to USPS managers and executives, earning the Board of Governors Award three times and two Diversity Achievement Leadership Awards.

“Sylvester’s breadth of experience, expertise and dedication has served our organization extremely well over the years,” said PMG Pat Donahoe. “We will miss his leadership tremendously.”

An announcement about a replacement for the Western Area VP position will be made at a later date.

Read more: USPS News Link Story – Sylvester Black to retire.

House Republican leaders have given up on passing postal reform legislation for the foreseeable future.  They have indicated that they do not intend to take up either the Senate-passed postal reform measure or alternative House legislation before the month-long August recess, which begins on August 4.

Even after the House returns on September 10, it is unlikely that postal legislation will be brought to the floor during the eight days in September and early October when Congress will be in session, before taking a six-week break for the election recess.  And chances of Congressional action on postal business during the lame duck session (between Thanksgiving and Christmas) are dim.  That’s because weighty tax cut, deficit reduction and debt ceiling issues will then dominate the legislative agenda.  The election results could also push postal business over to next year.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee approved the Issa-Ross postal bill (H.R. 2309) in January, and the Senate passed their bill (S. 1789) in late April, but House Republican leaders since then have not expressed interest in completing House action.  Why?  Several reasons are possible, including other GOP legislative and political priorities, and insufficient Republican votes to pass the Issa-Ross postal bill.  In addition, rural GOP lawmakers are especially edgy, only months away from the election, about voting for a measure that could lead to the closure of their own post offices.  (The Issa-Ross bill would establish a commission for closing thousands of post offices in a fashion similar to the military base-closing process.)

All this means that the Postal Service will continue to pursue the preliminary plans they announced earlier this spring to reduce operating hours in thousands of post offices, as well as begin to consolidate scores of mail processing centers — without critical systemic and financial relief from Congress.  It means that the cash-strapped Postal Service will default on August 1 in failing to pay $5.5 billion into a retiree health fund, an obligation that was originally due last September, but deferred.  And on September 30, the Postal Service is likely to default again, this time on a $5.6 billion payment to the same fund.

Who’s to blame for the situation?  A Federal Times editorial this week plainly suggested: ” The House’s failure to act is disgraceful. Through their inaction, Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and House Government Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, R-Calif., are demonstrating contempt for the Postal Service and a lack of respect for the law and for the obligations of their own institution.”

Is Semi-Retirement Something You Should Consider?

Retirement-eligible federal and postal employees will become able to phase into retirement by working part-time, while receiving a partial annuity and mentoring new employees, under a bill recently signed into law by President Obama.

Under the measure (Section 100121 of H.R. 4348, beginning on page 512), semi-retired employees who work part-time will continue to earn credit toward their retirement annuity and contribute to the Thrift Savings Plan.

How will phased-retirement work and who should consider doing it?  Check here for the answers.

The Postal Service’s announcement last Thursday regarding its modified, two-phase plan to consolidate its mail processing network, coupled with its May 9 POStPlan to keep rural post offices open (but with limited operating hours), is likely to move the House of Representatives closer to bringing postal legislation to the floor some time in June.  Until now, House Republican leaders have been unable to find enough votes within their own party to assure passage of the controversial Issa-Ross postal legislation, H.R. 2309.

Closures of post offices and mail processing plants are radioactive issues for Washington lawmakers in an election year, with thousands of jobs and significant local interests in jeopardy.  But the Postal Service’s recent announcements, significantly downsizing its original plans, have softened the breadth and negative political impact of closures.  Far less facilities will be immediately closed than the Postal Service originally announced.  Many lawmakers, particularly Republicans with rural districts, are breathing a sigh of relief that their post offices will remain open, albeit with reduced operating hours.  Significant numbers of House Members and Senators are similarly relieved that mail processing plants in their districts and states are not among the 40 mail processing plants that will be closed between now and early next year, or the additional 89 to come next year, after the November election.

These events are likely to give Republican House leaders enough confidence to bring a modified version of the Issa-Ross postal  legislation, H.R. 2309, to the floor next month.  How much the Issa-Ross measure will be modified still remains uncertain.  If the House acts and approves a postal measure next month, House and Senate negotiators potentially could iron out the differences between their bills over the summer, opening the way for Congressional approval of a final postal reform measure by early October, before the start of the election recess.  A lot of very troubling questions yet remain, however.

The Issa-Ross bill and the Senate-approved measure are dramatically different in their fundamental views of the Postal Service itself and what is necessary to put the troubled enterprise back on its feet.  Finding compromise could be especially difficult for House and Senate conferees, especially in the ramp-up to the November elections, when a failing government institution like the Postal Service could become a popular target for many Republicans.

In the meantime, the clock toward financial armageddon for the Postal Service continues to tick.  Without Congressional intervention, the Postal Service will be unable to make the twin $5.5 billion retiree health prefunding payments for 2011 and 2012 that are due in early August and late September.  Even worse, the Postal Service may run out of cash and find itself unable to meet its payroll by later this fall.

It is critical that the House of Representatives act immediately and pass sensible postal reform legislation.  NAPS supports the Senate-approved bill and is urging its members to contact their House lawmakers to ask them to support the Senate bill.  SEND THAT MESSAGE TO YOUR HOUSE LAWMAKER TODAY BY CLICKING HERE.

Statement by President Louis M. Atkins, National Association of Postal Supervisors:

The announcement by the Postal Service on May 9, 2012 that they were adjusting their plans on post office closings and their decision to maintain service for post offices throughout the country was indeed welcome news to NAPS.

Our concern from the time the Postal Service announced their original closure plans was that their plans were too aggressive and that the proposed changes could deny many citizens, particularly in those in rural America, from the opportunity to continue to have postal services in their local communities.

From the information the Postal Service has provided about continuation of service throughout the country, we believe that both business mailers and local communities now have the certainty of the Postal Service will continuing to maintain universal service throughout the country.

The Postal Service has served the mailing of every corner of the United States, from colonial times up to today. The announcement by the Postal Service will ensure that this obligation to serve the American public will continue into the future.

Our organization will continue to support the provisions of S1789 that received bipartisan support in the United States Senate and urge that the House of Representatives embrace the changes that are outlined in the Senate bill and complete a legislative initiative that supports the health and prosperity of the United States Postal Service.

NAPS Leg/Reg Update – March 26, 2012

It looked like a cinch that postal reform would be coming to the Senate floor this week. Now it doesn’t.

That’s because Senate lawmakers on both sides decided Monday that they’d rather score points telling their constitutents back home over the approaching two-week recess what they’ve done to bring down gasoline prices, rather than what they did to save the ailing Postal Service.

Democrats originally thought that Republicans would resist taking up legislation (S 2204) that would roll back tax preferences for large oil companies. Instead, Republicans reflected eagerness for an election year debate on gasoline prices, and supported a procedural motion on Monday evening to take up the oil bill, which could take up the rest of this week. That would effectively sideline postal legislation (S. 1789) until after lawmakers return from the two-week recess, which occurs on April 16. Stay tuned ….

Meanwhile, on Tuesday the House postal oversight subcommittee will hold a hearing on “Can a USPS-Run Health Plan Solve Its Financial Crisis?” The Postal Service has proposed establishing a separate health plan outside of FEHBP that it says would save $7B per year. The health plan is part of a broad five-year business plan (the “Plan to Profitability”) released by the Postal Service last month. Postmaster General Patrick Donohoe, along with FEBHP expert Walton Francis will testify at Tuesday’s hearing. To watch the hearing live (which begins at 10 am EDST) or a replay, click here.