PRC To Consider Creating Inspector General Office, Position
The Postal Regulatory Commission will meet on Thursday, February 1, 2007 at 10 a. m. to consider establishment of the following positions and offices:
Office of the Inspector General and
Position: Inspector General of the Postal Regulatory Commission.
Office of Public Affairs and Congressional Relations and
Position: Director, Office of Public Affairs and
Congressional Relations.
The meeting is open to the public.
Burrus: Postal Workers Must Include COLA Raises in Wage Comparisons
Postal employees often compare our negotiated wage increases with those of workers in other industries and conclude that postal raises don’t measure up. Postal increases in the range of 1.5 percent or less, they assert, don’t match the increases of 5 percent or more that the media reports for workers in other industries.
These comparisons are flawed, however, because they fail to take into account that the raises provided in the APWU contract consist of general wage increases and cost-of-living adjustments.
Beginning with the first contract negotiation in 1971, the union sought to include cost-of-living adjustments as part of the wage package — and succeeded. The negotiators of each successive agreement have continued this practice.
Of course, we have the option of giving up cost-of-living adjustments and loading all of the wage adjustments into once-a-year, percentage-based increases. But there are serious drawbacks to this approach: No matter how high inflation rises, wage increases would be frozen at the negotiated amount. (more…)
Two election workers convicted of rigging 2004 presidential recount
This is not postal news but it may add to the growing chorus to implement voting by mail in all states.
(Cleveland, Ohio) Two election workers in the state’s most populous county were convicted Wednesday of illegally rigging the 2004 presidential election recount so they could avoid a more thorough review of the votes…A third employee who had been charged was acquitted on all counts. .Jacqueline Maiden, the elections’ coordinator who was the board’s third-highest ranking employee when she was indicted last March, and ballot manager Kathleen Dreamer each were convicted of a felony count of negligent misconduct of an elections employee…The felony conviction carries a possible sentence of six to 18 months
…they worked behind closed doors three days before the public Dec. 16, 2004, recount to pick ballots they knew would not cause discrepancies when checked by hand so they could avoid a lengthier, more expensive hand recount of all votes.
Ohio law states that during a recount each county is supposed to randomly count at least 3 percent of its ballots by hand and by machine. If there are not discrepancies in those counts, the rest of the votes can be recounted by machine. A full hand-count is ordered if two random samples result in differences.
New Prescription Benefit for Postal Employees Injured On Duty
From USPS via PostalReporter Reader:
USPS employees with job-related injuries now have a new drug benefit — including a personal card — to use when purchasing medications.
The new workers’ compensation benefit replaces out-of-pocket costs for medications purchased before the acceptance of a claim. The benefit also means injured workers don’t have to pay for prescriptions even if the Office of Worker Compensation Program (OWCP) denies a claim.
Cardholders won’t have to file reimbursement forms or save prescription receipts. More than 58,000 pharmacies throughout the country — including all major drugstore chains — accept the card.
When injured workers file a claim, they will receive a temporary prescription card from their supervisors. They can use the temporary card to purchase medications prescribed to treat the injury at a pharmacy of their choice while the claim is under review. Once OWCP accepts a claim, the injured worker will receive a permanent drug card in the mail.
Employees with questions about this new benefit should contact their local Injury Compensation Office or call toll-free 1-888-297-0822.
Related link: USPS Unveils Prescription Drug Card for Workplace Injuries
GAO: Medicare Subsidy Could Have Lowered Health Premiums in 2006
According to the Washington Post: Federal employee groups favored the subsidy. The U.S. Postal Service wanted the subsidy. But the Bush administration said no.
… the U.S. Postal Service, petitioned Medicare in 2005 to provide the subsidy but was rejected on the grounds that postal workers are covered by the health benefits program. Postal officials sought the subsidy because it would save the agency about $250 million annually. Agency officials said the subsidy would have helped rein in operating expenses, which are financed through postage rates.
The following is a press release from the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE). At the bottom of this page is a chart of 10 largest FEHBP plans (including Postal Unions):
NARFE WELCOMES GAO REPORT THAT MEDICARE SUBSIDY COULD SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER FEDERAL EMPLOYEE HEALTH BENEFITS PROGRAM (FEHBP) PREMIUMS
National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) President Margaret L. Baptiste said that a report released today by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) confirms her association’s belief that Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) premiums were higher than needed because of the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) and Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) decision to forego a subsidy provided under the 2003 Medicare Prescription Drug Act. (more…)
Postal Cartoon: Workplace Hazard
“Management Claims She’s the Only Workplace Hazard We Have”
Cartoon by MIKE KONOPACKI at http://solidarity.com/
Postal Service Issues Notice on Whistleblower Protection Rights
The U.S. Postal Service issued the following Notice in the Federal Register:
The Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002 (No FEAR Act) requires that each Federal agency provide notice to all employees, former employees, and applicants for employment about the rights and remedies available to them under the anti-discrimination laws and whistleblower protection laws that apply to them. This document fulfills the Postal Service’s requirement under the regulations promulgated by the Office of Personnel Management to publish the initial notice of such rights and remedies in the Federal Register.
The full list of rights can be found at the Federal Register webpage
Some of the rights include:
Whistleblower Protection
A Postal Service employee with authority to take, direct others to take, recommend or approve any personnel action must not use that authority to take or fail to take, or threaten to take or fail to take, a personnel action against an employee or applicant because of disclosure of information by that individual that is reasonably believed to evidence violations of law, rule or regulation; gross mismanagement; gross waste of funds; an abuse of authority; or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety, unless disclosure of such information is specifically prohibited by law or such information is specifically required by Executive order to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or the conduct of foreign affairs. (more…)
SteelCloud Intervenes to Dismiss Contract Award Lawsuit Against Postal Service
SteelCloud Intervenes to Dismiss M&A Technology Complaint Against United States Postal Service
Rejected Bidder’s Filing Deemed Frivolous; SteelCloud Deliveries and Financial Forecast Remain on Schedule
HERNDON, Va., Jan. 23 — SteelCloud, Inc., a leading engineering and manufacturing integrator of network centric and embedded computing solutions, today announced it has intervened to contest a lawsuit filed by privately-held M&A Technology, Inc. against the United States Postal Service. SteelCloud intervened with the Postal Service for dismissal of the complaint on grounds that it is frivolous.
As previously announced, on November 21, 2006, SteelCloud was awarded a contract to manufacture and deliver special purpose computer servers to the United States Postal Service. Under the terms of the contract, SteelCloud has already delivered the required initial units. No work stoppage order has been issued by the United States Postal Service.
“We are surprised by M&A’s action coming nearly two months subsequent to SteelCloud’s receipt of this contract award, after an open and rigorous competition. We believe their filing is frivolous. Despite M&A’s request, no injunctive relief has been granted. Clearly it is not unusual for losing bidders to lodge complaints. Nevertheless, based upon review of M&A’s filing and the Postal Service opposition to their filing, we believe our contract will continue as awarded. The Company’s financial forecast for fiscal 2007 remains unchanged,” said Clifton W. Sink, SteelCloud President and CEO.
A final hearing for this matter has been set for March 23, 2007
Photo: Seco, KY Post Office Needs Makeover
Postal Service Ends Another Consolidation Study in Washington
Postal officials stick with Yakima, Washington
Yakima keeps its postmark, for now.
The Postal Service said today it has ended a study of mail processing in Yakima by concluding that moving some operations to Pasco wouldn’t improve service or efficiency.
But officials didn’t rule out changes in the future.
“This was a preliminary review,” said Seattle Postal District Manager Harold J. Matz, who is in charge of postal operations and post offices for western and central Washington. “The conclusion is that there will be no significant changes made at this time.”
http://www.yakima-herald.com/page/dis/288028003651927
