Today, National Association of Postmasters of the United States (NAPUS) President Robert Rapoza called for the U.S. Postal Service and the Congress to implement meaningful strategies to generate the revenue necessary to sustain the continuation of a universal postal system. In addition, Rapoza urged Congress to enact meaningful legislation to relieve the agency of an unfair retiree health burden imposed by Congress in 2006. Providing such relief would enable the nation’s Postal Service to continue to provide a universal and affordable postal system. The text entire text of the testimony can be accessed here. The hearing, in its entirety, may be viewed by linking on C-SPAN.

Before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the NAPUS president, who represents the nation’s Postmasters stated: “Revenue generation must be the primary focal point of legislative relief.” Rapoza continued that the Postal Service must “focus on revenue growth in all areas to help it retain its viability.” In his testimony, President Rapoza pointed out that the growing parcel market offers the Postal Service an important opportunity to raise funds: “The Postal Service must not simply ride the wave of the accelerating growth in the parcel market, but must capture a significant share of it.” He went on: “Post offices and their Postmasters must be able to adapt and innovate to meet this growing segment of the mail market. Indeed, post offices are uniquely situated to provide a secure, affordable and accessible point for parcel preparation, acceptance and delivery.” Rapoza concluded his reference to parcels by pointing out: “The physical presence of post offices provides a major competitive advantage” for the Postal Service.

NAPUS also highlighted another area in which the Postal Service may increase revenue. Governmental agencies, such as the Social Security Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, are beginning to use government cash cards as an alternative to paper checks and direct-deposit. Post offices are uniquely positioned to provide a location for the distribution of paper and direct-deposit alternatives for income transfer programs, government annuities and disaster assistance. Postal employees are experienced in residency validation and identity verification. Rapoza stated, “The local post office could easily verify identity and be the location where such cards are reloaded.”

President Rapoza also called for Congress to remedy the unjust retiree health benefits prefunding requirement that is imposed on no other public or private entity in the United States. “One of the most damaging impediments to postal sustainability is the failure to address the unfair statutory requirement that the Postal Service prefund, within a limited 10-year period, 75 years of retiree health benefits.” Rapoza illustrated this fact in stating that “about 70% of the Postal Service’s recent losses are tied to this prefunding requirement.”

President Rapoza reaffirmed that NAPUS “joined with the Chairman and members of this committee in promoting S. 1789, the bipartisan and consensus postal relief bill” from the previous year. He concluded his testimony by pledging that NAPUS will assist the Chairman and the committee to ensure the U.S. Postal Service, the greatest and most efficient postal service in the world, continues to provide the products and services that Americans expect and deserve.

Read more: NAPUS.

From NAPUS:

Posting Timeline Released for 2013 PTPO/RMPO Offices

Today, the Postal Service notified NAPUS of plans to post additional vacant offices that are scheduled to become 6-hour POStPlan offices.  Offices on the next posting list will include those where POStPlan is implemented, making them 6 –hour offices on February 9, February 23, and March 9, 2013. The effective date for these postings will be May 4, 2013. A list of these offices will be provided as soon as it is available.

The Postal Service also released the timeline for a future posting which will occur between April 24 and June 29, 2013.  Included with the timeline is eligibility and pay information that will be included on the vacancy announcements.  A list of affected offices will be provided when it becomes available.

Please click on the link to see the information on the additional vacancy postings and the timeline. Additional 6 -hour office postings

Charlie Moser
January 25, 2013

NAPUS.

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

NAPUS and League leaders met with USPS Officials to update the Administrative Rules and the Mitigating Factors process for the Pay for Performance (PFP) program. Updates to the Administrative Rules will include eliminating references to the former core requirements indicators, which were eliminated under the Postmaster Pay Package for FY2011-2015.

Under the current National Performance Assessment (NPA) process, Postmasters will be evaluated on Unit and Corporate performance indicators. Corporate indicators will account for 60% of the composite score and Unit indicators will account for 40% of the composite score. The Unit and Corporate performance indicators are established and measured in the National Performance Assessment (NPA) system.

PFP salary determinations for FY2013 will be subject to the Postal Service’s review of compensation practices throughout the United States economy. Based on that review, PFP program ratings will either be suspended or applied to salary determinations. For FY2014 and FY2015, PFP ratings will be applied to salary determinations.

Postal headquarters also released the non-bargaining salary schedules for FY2013, including 6 hour offices and PMRs. The new schedules are posted on the NPA/PFP link on the NAPUS website.

via NAPUS.

From the National Association of Postmasters of the United States:

A reoccurring message delivered at the recently concluded NAPUS convention was that Congress’ failure to enact legislation to maintain a viable Postal Service is undermining the agency’s ability to provide the level of service to which Americans are entitled and expect. While the U.S. Senate has met its obligation to pass legislation (S 1789), the House failed to meet its constitutional responsibility due to an objectionable and highly-partisan postal bill (HR 2309). Moreover, the House Leadership has been reluctant to bring forth consensus-driven, constructive postal relief legislation.

In order to elevate postal visibility in the 2012 electoral dialogue, NAPUS members are being asked to widely-disseminate a non-partisan congressional campaign flier entitled, A Postal Message to American Voters.  (The flier was shared with NAPUS Chapter Presidents and Legislative Chairs prior to the annual convention.)

NAPUS believes that American voters must hold individual Members of Congress accountable at the polls for the state of the Postal Service.  Elected officials who advocate for legislation to promote a viable universal Postal Service should be rewarded on Election Day; and those who refuse to commit to constructive legislation that ensures a viable universal Postal Service, or would push the agency over-the-cliff and into insolvency should be punished at the polls.

USPS Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President Megan Brennan thanked Postmasters for what they do, day in and out. “You wear the public mantle,” she said, “internally and for your customers.” She commended President Bob Rapoza for his leadership. She told convention attendees he has been a staunch advocate for NAPUS and Postmasters.

Brennan flashed on the screen some recent dire headlines about the Postal Service. “This is what causes a crisis among mailers,” she pointed out, “and impacts employee morale. You and I will change these headlines.” Read the rest of this entry »

From the National Association of Postmasters of the US:

Apparently, the House Republican leadership has thrown in the towel in attempting to bring up H.R. 2309, the Issa-Ross postal bill, prior to the summer recess. (The summer recess extends from August 4 through September 9.)

Depending on who you ask, the following reasons have been offered for deferring action on H.R 2309:

• The GOP leadership does not believe that the bill has enough support to pass, or remain intact through the amendment process
• The GOP leadership does not want to reserve prolonged floor time for a controversial bill
• The GOP  leadership does not deem HR 2309 to be a legislative priority
• The GOP leadership does not want to subject vulnerable GOP Members of Congress to politically difficult votes only three months prior to the election
• All of the above.

The political and legislative calendar does not improve in the fall. In September, the House is scheduled to be in session for only eight days, with a stop-gap government spending bill and politically-charged pre-election measures dominating the landscape. There is potential for a postal bill being considered in a post-election lame-duck session; however, the presidential and congressional elections will determine whether such a session will tackle postal legislation in 2012, or delay a bill until 2013. Only time and the general election returns will tell.

Additional Postmaster Jobs Will be Posted From June 6 Through June 12.

Today, the Postal Service mailed the following letter to all  Postmasters:

Regarding the Special Incentive Offer announced to you May 9, 2012; the separation date is July 31, 2012. However, based on operational requirements and at management’s discretion, two alternate separation dates (August 31 and September 30) may be used.The Postal Service has developed a change process for effective separation dates, with your local management. If there is an impact, your manager will discuss your alternate effective date with you. Determinations for separation dates will be made and communicated to you by your local management by July 9, 2012.

Also, please be aware that additional vacant Post Offices have been identified. Another Limited Area of Consideration (LAC) eCareer posting for these offices will be available beginning June 6, 2012, through June 12, 2012. Only current career Postmasters within the districts where the jobs are posted will be eligible to apply. Selections for these offices will be completed prior to July 2, 2012.

For more information, please review the attached FAQs regarding the Special Incentive for Postmasters, also located on Workforce Connection<https://liteblue.usps.gov/humanresources/workforceconnection/home.shtml> via LiteBlue.

Special Incentive FAQs
Incentive_FAQs_Final_Postmaster_06042012_v3

Charlie Moser
June 4, 2012

Last night’s update from NAPUS:

Today, the Senate cast votes on 15 of 40 amendments to S. 1789, the Lieberman-Collins-Carper-Brown postal relief bill. The legislative body will resume its voting tomorrow at 2:00 PM EDT. The proceedings may be viewed on CSPAN-2 or at www.senate.gov.

During the course of consideration, two amendments were withdrawn by their sponsors; most notably, Sen. John McCain elected not to offer SA 2001, his amendment that replicated H.R. 2309, the Issa-Ross postal bill. It is possible that McCain did not offer this amendment, since its defeat would “prejudice” consideration of the Issa-Ross bill in the House. However, McCain did offer an amendment to create a post office closing commission, SA 2033. Such a commission is included in H.R. 2309. The amendment was defeated by a whopping 30-69 vote, sending a clear message to House-advocates of such commission.

As anticipated, right out of the box, Senate Budget Committee Ranking Republican Jeff Sessions raised a budget point-of-order against the bill for violating last summer’s budget agreement. To waive this procedural roadblock required a 60-vote super-majority, which was achieved by a 62-37 vote. Senators Collins and Lieberman pointed out that the only reason that the bill “scored” was because unfair and arcane budget rules were applied to the postal bill. Had the 60 vote threshold not been attained, S. 1789 would been stillborn. Surviving the budget point of order could be a predictor of the outcome on final passage.

As series of post office protection amendments were adopted by voice votes, including NAPUS-promoted amendments SA 2031 (McCaskill-Merkley) and SA 2056 (Tester). SA 2031 includes a 1-year moratorium on post office closures.

Two amendments were proposed and defeated relating to delivery frequency. S. 1789, as drafted, would permit the USPS to move to 5-day delivery in 2 years. Sen. Tom Udall proposed an amendment (SA 2043) to maintain 6-day delivery; it was defeated on a 43-56 vote. And, Sen. Corker proposed an amendment (SA 2083) to implement 5-day delivery immediately; it was soundly defeated by a 29-70 vote.

Check in tomorrow evening/night for more updates, depending on when the Senate completes action.

via NAPUS.

Postmasters Anxiously Await News on Pay Consultations, Voluntary Early Retirements (VERs) and Rumors.

A deafening silence has led to an increase in the level of anxiety for Postmasters as they wait for news on pay consultations, Voluntary Early Retirements (VERs), incentives, and rumors. NAPUS leaders will continue to meet with USPS officials on many of these issues next week. NAPUS President Bob Rapoza asked NAPUS members to remain patient and assured them that progress is being made on pay talks, with the ultimate goal of achieving fair and equitable compensation for Postmasters.

Discussions on VERs, incentives and many other issues are ongoing, but there is nothing that we can report at this time. We cannot comment on the rumors being spread throughout the Postal Service, but NAPUS members are advised to check the NAPUS website and official USPS news sources for factual information. It’s important for everyone to realize that NAPUS leaders are currently engaged in discussions with postal leaders on a variety of issues and you will be provided with detailed information as soon as it can be officially released.

An important development concerning postal legislation occurred just hours ago, as Senate leaders agreed to begin voting on S.1789 (21st Century Postal Service Act) next week. This is a significant step and you can find details on what’s in the bill, including what you should know about the many amendments the bill contains. For more information on S.1789, please go to Legislative News on the NAPUS website.

Charlie Moser

April 20, 2012

via NAPUS.