June 2006
Monthly Archive
Former PMR Pleads Guilty to Tampering With Customer’s Medications
(Press Release) James A. McDevitt, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Carolyn Sturgeon, age 60, of Malden, Washington, pleaded guilty to one count of an Indictment charging her with Tampering with a Consumer Product, in violation of Title 18, United States Code Section 1365(a).
Former Temporary Postmaster Carolyn Sturgeon acknowledged that on July 13, 2005, she was working at the Malden, Washington, Post Office. That day, she opened a certified mail packet that had been sent from the St. John’s Pharmacy in St. John, Washington, to a Postal customer who is suffering from spinal cord tumors. The Postal customer takes Oxycodone according to a daily dosage regime to help relieve the constant, severe pain caused by the spinal cord tumors. The mail packet contained a prescription bottle holding 84 tablets of Oxycodone, which the customer had been prescribed. Sturgeon removed the Oxycodone tablets from the prescription bottle and replaced them with 84 tablet of Synthroid, a thyroid medication that Sturgeon had been prescribed. Sturgeon placed the prescription bottle now holding the Synthroid tablets back into the certified mail packet and, thereafter, caused the packet to be delivered to the Postal customer.
Later that day, the Postal customer received the mail packet and subsequently placed two of the Synthroid tablets in her mouth according to the dosage regimen for Oxycodone. The customer, however, removed the tablets before swallowing them and, out of caution, called the St. John=s Pharmacy. The Pharmacy, which had complied with and followed all proper procedures, confirmed the description of the tablets as being Synthroid, a medication neither stored nor dispensed by the Pharmacy.
If the Postal customer had ingested the Synthroid tablets according to the daily dosage regime for Oxycodone, the customer could have suffered a cardiac arrest.
source: U.S. Attorney’s Office
opm& fehbJun 26 2006 03:22 pm
OPM Rewriting Rules for Employees Paying Health Premiums on LWOP
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has issued proposed regulations to rewrite the existing Federal regulations (5 CFR 890.502) governing Payment of Health Premiums for Periods of Leave Without Pay (LWOP) or Insufficient Pay.
According to the notice: The proposed regulation is ”to ensure that employees who are entering LWOP status, or whose pay is insufficient to pay their FEHB premiums, are fully informed when they decide whether or not to continue their FEHB coverage.”
The regulations require “Federal agencies to provide employees entering leave without pay (LWOP) status, or whose pay is insufficient to cover their Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) premium payments, written notice of their opportunity to continue their FEHB coverage. Employees who want to continue their enrollment must sign a form agreeing to pay their premiums directly to their agency on a current basis, or to incur a debt to be withheld from their future salary.”
usps annual report& eeoJun 26 2006 10:14 am
EEOC Annual Report on U.S. Postal Service Work Force
From EEOC: This report covers the period from October 1, 2004, through September 30, 2005 and contains selected measures of agencies’ progress toward model EEO programs
The FY 2005 Annual Report on the Federal Work Force, addressed to the President and Congress, presents a summary of selected EEO program activities in the federal government, including a work force profile of 59 federal agencies.
Summary of report on U.S. Postal Service
Of the 6,926 complaints filed at USPS, the top 3 issues of alleged discrimination were: (1) Harassment - Non-Sexual; (2) Terms/Conditions of Employment; and (3) Time and Attendance.
The top 3 bases of alleged discrimination were: (1) Reprisal; (2) Disability - Physical; and (3) Sex - Female.
Costs: USPS agreed to pay $418,522 for 5,385 pre-complaint settlements, of which 377 were monetary settlements averaging $1,110. USPS expended a total of $7,103,157 for 6,403 complaint investigations, for an average expenditure of $1,109. USPS agreed to pay a total of $24,655,279 for 1,429 complaint closures through settlement agreement, final agency decisions, and final agency orders fully implementing AJ decisions. For complaint closures with benefits, the average award was $17,254.
Permanent Workforce: Out of 701,979 employees –there are 61.08% men and 38.92% women
Major occupations
227, 604 city carriers - 73.80% men | 26.20% women
220,992 clerks - 44.53% men | 55.47% women
33, 257 Supervisors - 63.78% men | 36.22% women
781 Senior Pay Level - 72.98% men | 27.02% women
See Full EEOC Annual Report on the Postal Service Work Force
Senate Approves Bill to Restore Whistleblower Rights
Government Accountability Project reports: Legislation Added to Defense Bill Would Restore Free Speech Rights Canceled by Supreme Court for Federal Government Workers on the Job
“The Senate yesterday acted quickly to plug a government accountability loophole created less than one month ago, when the Supreme Court’s Garcetti v. Ceballos decision canceled constitutional free speech rights for government workers carrying out their job duties. Senate bill S. 494, which includes that reform amidst a general overhaul of the Whistleblower Protection Act, was agreed to by unanimous consent as an amendment to the 2007 National Defense Authorization Act, passed 96-0 last evening. For the last three Congresses, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) approved similar legislation, but until yesterday Senate leaders had refused to permit a floor vote.”
Federal Employee Protection of Disclosures Act of 2005
Date Introduced: 03/02/05
Bill Number: S.494
Long Title: A bill to amend chapter 23 of title 5, United States Code, to clarify the disclosures of information protected from prohibited personnel practices, require a statement in nondisclosure policies, forms, and agreements that such policies, forms, and agreements conform with certain disclosure protections, provide certain authority for the Special Counsel, and for other purposes (added by Postal Reporter)
“The House version of the defense bill does not address whistleblower rights, although the House Government Reform Committee has passed an even broader-ranging version of the Senate reform, with two bills (HR 1317 and HR 5112) that together provide jury trials for whistleblowers and extend protection to national security employees and government contractors. The fate of S. 494 will be determined by a conference not expected until late in the session. But the Senate action makes it a foregone conclusion that federal whistleblower law will be strengthened.”
U.S. Senator Susan M. Collins Press Release (more…)
veteransJun 25 2006 01:26 pm
VA Barred From Publicizing Offer To Vets Affected by Data Theft
(Associated Press) A federal judge temporarily has barred the government from publicizing its free credit monitoring offer to veterans whose personal data was stolen and wants to see if they might get a better federal offer.
Lawyers who have filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of the 26.5 million veterans and active-duty troops affected contend that accepting the government’s offer could jeopardize their chance of winning more money in the privacy suit.
The suit seeks free monitoring and other credit protection for an indefinite period as well as $1,000 in damages for each person — or up to $26.5 billion total — in what has become one of the nation’s largest information security breaches.
FULL STORY
Related links:
- Personal Data of 26.5M U.S. Veterans Stolen
- IRS to Hire Private Contractors To Notify Victims of VA Data Theft
usps& postal newsJun 23 2006 06:57 pm
USPS Backs Out of Nuke Lab Arrangement
Statement by Azeezaly Jaffer,Vice President, Public Affairs and Communications, U.S. Postal Service - “Some recent news reports have overstated the involvement of the U.S. Postal Service with the Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Lab. We have decided not to go forward with this arrangement .” Press Release
Nuke Watch: Postal Service Funding Nuke Labs -”$2.1 billion dollars a year ain’t enough for the brains in charge of Los Alamos National Lab, apparently. So the world’s most important nuclear research center has turned to the U.S. Postal Service , of all places, to fund its new, 400,000 square foot “Science Complex. Funds for the new Science Center weren’t anywhere to be found in the Energy Department’s publicly-available budgets. Nuke Watch had to file a Freedom of Information Act request to find out that the Energy Department was digging into the U.S. Postal Service’s pockets for two new buildings (one classified, the other not) and a parking lot.” “As a justification,” Nuke Watch notes, the department “cited a vaguely worded federal law that authorizes the USPS to furnish property and services to executive branch agencies and vice versa.” Nuke Watch: Victory! USPS Backs Out| Los Alamos Goes Postal | Nuclear Watch: Off-Budget Nuclear Weapons Lab Financing Scheme (PDF)
Injured On DutyJun 23 2006 06:13 pm
Status of Pacific Area Reassessment Program in dispute
by Dan Sullivan
June 23- Omar Gonzalez, the source for a story reporting that the USPS had put the Pacific Area Reassessment Program on hold, isn’t backing down from his claim despite a denial made through the union by the postal boss in charge of the program in Washington, D.C., Kevin McGovern.
Gonzalez, the APWU Western Region Coordinator, insists Pacific Area Human Resources Manager Manuel Botello told him at a May 17 meeting that the program had been temporarily halted in the area.
But McGovern told APWU Human Relations Director Sue Carney that Botello denies telling Gonzalez the program was put on hold.
The purpose of the Reassessment Program is to cull injured workers from the payroll by dumping them on Workers’ Compensation and then retraining them for private sector jobs.
“I went back to review my notes taken on the 17th of May,” Gonzalez said in an email received yesterday. “At that meeting I was prepared to discuss issues of Rehab Reassessment . . . It was Mr. Botello who expressly stated, ‘Oh, that is on hold pending review of the impact of EEOs, MSPBs and grievances.’ Of course, they deny it.”
Gonzalez also said that a story of mine, which quoted him telling delegates to the California APWU Convention on May 18 that the program had been put on hold, failed to report that he also told delegates “I believe management like I believe Bush.”
In a June 22 posting on the web site 21cpw.com, Gonzalez dismissed the USPS denial as hearsay, noting that the source of the story, APWU Human Relations Director Sue Carney, “said that USPS Manager McGovern said that Botello said he denied telling Western Region Coordinator Omar Gonzalez the Rehab Reassessment project was on hold.”
The Postal Service has refused requests for interviews about the Reassessment Program, referring all questions to the union, which they say has been briefed on the project.
Gonzalez said he rejected a request from USPS Pacific Area management that the two sides sit down and review general issues arising from the controversial program instead of the union filing multiple grievances.
“I informed them we needed to intervene not just review. I also informed them the withdrawal of a limited duty job offer could generate a grievance over violations of the Rehab Act, a grievance over a violation of the ELM 540, a grievance over failure to make a real effort to find work, a separate grievance over non accommodation of deserving employee and a host of other related issues.”
Gonzalez believes the union must aggressively oppose the Reassessment Program.
“Not only do we have to assist injured employees, fight dirty management and their HQ bosses, but we must also educate able bodied members that it is the rights of all employees we are fighting for,” he wrote on 21cpw.com.
“The fact is we know we are under attack whether the attack is on hold or not. We can’t trust management will do the right thing.”
Dan Sullivan can be contacted at
Correction: In previous stories I referred to USPS Pacific Area Human Resources Manager Manuel Botello as Manuel Vetello.
Florida Congressman Questions Postal Consolidation Plan
(St. Petersburg Times) Rep. C.W. Bill Young wants more data on potential savings and service changes. Mayor Rick Baker points to an audit critical of the plan.
A powerful local congressman and a critical government audit are pressuring the Postal Service to re-examine its plan to eliminate the city postmark and consolidate the area’s mail sorting in Tampa. Rep. C.W. Bill Young on Thursday echoed city leaders questioning the rationale behind the proposal to eliminate 19 jobs in St. Petersburg and reroute incoming first-class mail to Tampa. The city, local postal employees and many residents object to the plan, saying it will slow delivery times and tear at the city’s identity by replacing the St. Petersburg postmark with a Tampa one. FULL STORY
postal& outsourcingJun 22 2006 07:10 am
USPS Gains Efficiencies Through Contracting (Outsourcing)
(Federal Times) Though the U.S. Postal Service has been ramping up its spending on outside contractors, some industry observers say it will have to outsource even more of its work if it aims to improve efficiency and remain competitive. For fiscal 2005 the Postal Service spent about $12 billion on contractors for goods and services, including fuel, according to David Hendel, attorney with Wickwire Gavin in Vienna, Va. which monitors Postal Service contractor spending.
And main question is, why isn’t the Postal Service doing less of some kinds of work?” Hendel asked. “Especially in the area of transportation, they save when they contract out. Postal employees are very expensive — about 80 percent of all their costs. FedEx, the biggest Postal Service supplier by far, last year was paid more than $1.36 billion dollars to move agency mail. That is up from $1.16 billion in 2004 and from $1.07 billion in 2003. Fedex’s seven year contract is up next year. FULL STORY
U.S. Postal Service Reveals Top 10 Suppliers for FY 2005 (Wickwire Gavin)”In response to a FOIA request from Wickwire Gavin, the U.S. Postal Service has announced its Top Suppliers for Fiscal Year 2005. Ironically, Federal Express - one of the Postal Service’s main competitors - takes the top supplier spot for the third year in a row. Learn who else is on the list by reading Wickwire Gavin’s January 31, 2006, press release and the accompanying Top Suppliers List. For more information on contracting with the U.S. Postal Service, visit the Postal Contracting section of our Web site.”
Senate Confirmation Hearings Set for USPS Board Nominees
The U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs will hold a public hearing on June 28, 2006 at 10: A.M. to consider the nominations of :
Mickey D. Barnett (New Mexico, Attorney) to be a Governor, U.S. Postal Service;
Katherine C. Tobin (New York) to be a Governor, U.S. Postal Service;
Ellen C. Williams (Kentucky) to be a Governor, U.S. Postal Service
Place: Dirksen Senate Office Building, Rm. 342
Senate Committee Notice
Read previous articles on two of the three nominees:
“According to the blog published by Joe Monahan, “He’s controversial and he’s tenacious. ABQ GOP lawyer-lobbyist Mickey Barnett, ousted by fellow R’s from his national committeemen post in 04′, has found some friends in the White House and has been nominated by President Bush as a governor of the U.S. Postal Service. His friends will be rooting him on, and his enemies promise to hold his feet to the fire when he goes before the U.S. Senate for confirmation hearings. Insider R’s report that former GOP state legislators Earlene Roberts and Ron Godbey are prepared to testify, or submit written testimony opposing Barnett’s’ nomination to the 11 member board. Roberts was defeated in 04′ by fellow R Keith Gardner who was backed by the Barnett group. ABQ’s Godbey easily defeated several Barnett backed foes in GOP primaries before leaving the Legislature and moving to Texas.” Read More
The President intends to nominate “Ellen C. Williams, of Kentucky, to be a Governor of the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service, for the remainder of a nine-year term expiring December 8, 2007, vice John S. Gardner.” Ellen C. Williams has served on the Kentucky Public Service Commission. She also has served as chairman and executive director of the Republican Party of Kentucky. Also, Williams is listed as a lobbyist under her Father- Retired Lt. General John B. Conaway’s Lobbying Firm “Conaway Group.” Read More
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