Best Date To Retire - Whenever "...If you retire on the 31st (FERS) or of December, or January 1, 2 or 3rd, several good things will happen..."
[Reference: Mike Causey at Federal News Radio]
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This is a novel idea ...wooden postcards! These unique items are great for sending a romantic message to that special person in your life. Just like in the movies of decades past when loved ones carved their initials in a tree, imagine the reaction when your recipient gets a message that you took the time to personally carve in the wood. You have that opportunity at www.suck.uk.com.
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KNOW YOUR FACTS: MAIL MOVES AMERICA "...How devastating is this legislation? The mailing industry is estimated to be worth about $800 billion a year to the American economy. Nine million jobs are tied to the industry. It provides work for mail handlers and other USPS employees, printers, envelope manufacturers, truck drivers, paper producers, and many other workers. It is the life-blood of many small businesses, such as a corner pizza parlor that sends out buck-off coupons to build its clientele...."
[Reference: National Postal Mail Handlers Union]
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Here are some informational resources for Nalcrest,Florida. Wikipedia desribes Nalcrest, Florida, as a retirement community in Polk County. The community's ZIP code is 33856. The unusual name comes from the large postal carrier union, the National Association of Letter Carriers, as the community was developed by the union as a retirement community for its members (NALC-rest).
National Geographic has an article about Nalcrest.
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Official: U.S. Postal Service will install mailbox units in all new Casper developments "...People like Weir are becoming more common. The days of stepping out of your front door and walking to your mailbox in your slippers are passing as the U.S. Postal Service installs more mailbox units. You don't have to worry if you already get mail to your house. Unless you sign away that right, the post office won't take it from you, but if you are looking for a new house, expect to walk a block or pick your mail up on the ride home..."
[Reference: www.jacksonholestartrib.com]
File Under: USPS Cluster Boxes
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Rolling Thunder "Ride for Freedom" Motorcycle Rally - May 25, 2008 "...APWU will join with thousands of supporters from across the country to demonstrate on behalf of our troops, our veterans, and our POW-MIAs. ..."
Event Flyer [PDF]
L’Enfant Plaza Hotel
[Reference: www.apwu.org]
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PC Postage Saves Time, Money, and Headaches "...Both Endicia.com and Stamps.com let you prepare and print stamped labels and envelopes on your computer; both also offer a host of time-saving features such as integration with your contacts database and real-time address verification, e-mail shipping and receipt notifications for both you and your recipient, scale integration, electronic generation of customs forms, pickup scheduling, supply ordering, and usage reports. Each provides deeply discounted third-party insurance and free delivery confirmation for Priority Mail...."
[Reference: www.pcworld.com]
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LOST IN THE MAIL: POSTAL WORKER SPOTS "..."I think the post office and the U.S. government, frankly, have to bear responsibility to find parking for their employees," said Councilman Mike DuPont. "The residents are entitled to their street."..."
[Reference: www.redbankgreen.com]
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Great Falls, Montana - Postal possibilities "...interested in careers with the nation's mail carrier have the chance to apply with the USPS. Or at least register to take a test to qualify to apply for openings....
[Reference: www.greatfallstribune.com]
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Related Information: How do I get a job with the U.S. Postal Service?
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Chicago - U.S. Postal Service mailbox blown up on Northwest Side "... A blue collection box on the sidewalk "took an explosion of some sort," blowing the container open and sending mail flying, Shipp said. ..."
[Reference: www.chicagotribune.com]
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This information comes to us from the National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU).
COLA OF $479 TO BE ADDED TO BASE WAGES
The third of ten guaranteed cost-of-living adjustments to be paid to all mail handlers under the 2006 National Agreement has been set at $479, based on changes in the National Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) for the period running from July 2007 through January 2008. This COLA is being added to wages effective March 15, 2008, and will be reflected in paychecks on April 4, 2008 (P07-2008). The COLA of $479 represents an increase of 23 cents per hour.
To view the new Mail Handler Pay Wage Scale Chart click the following link: Mail Handler Pay Scale
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Would you like a handy reference to the Federal Holiday Schedule(s)? Click a link below to view each listed year:
Postage Rate Increase Continues Disturbing Trends "... There are some troubling aspects of the most recent rate case:
* Although the Postal Service price structure trims some of the excess, discounts for “workshare” mail continue to exceed the costs the Postal Service avoids when mailers perform some mail-sorting duties themselves. By the Postal Service’s own calculations, workshare discounts for 3-digit and 5-digit automation letters and 3-digit automation cards exceed the costs avoided.
* The Postal Service calculations understate the excess. USPS uses a calculation method that was rejected by the Postal Regulatory Commission during the last rate case. The Postal Service should use methods and data that appropriately measure the costs it avoids when mailers engage in worksharing — and then set prices accordingly.
..."
[Reference: www.apwu.org]
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To look up rates throughout the continental United States (CONUS) go to http://www.gsa.gov
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Postal Service to remove stamp machines across the country "... Customers wanting to avoid standing in line for stamps at the counter could simply feed coins or dollar bills into a machine to buy postage. ..."
[Reference: www.dailymail.com]
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"...America's union members deserve justice, and the eight convictions this month represent a success against those who would abuse their trust..."
[Reference: www.foxbusiness.com]
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Thrift Savings Plan Crackdown Is Working "... Efforts to discourage "market timers" in the Thrift Savings Plan are showing progress. Only 549 people last month defied a new policy limiting trades in the TSP ..."
[Reference: www.washingtonpost.com]
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Art College in Oregon Will Take Over Historic Post Office "... designed by the San Francisco architect Lewis P. Hobart after a 1913 competition..."
[Reference: chronicle.com]
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Inspector General: USPS Wasted $17.8 Million on FedEx Contract "... the Postal Service’s Pacific Area incurred approximately $17.8 million in unnecessary costs by the use of "expensive" FedEx transportation to move mail that could have been moved on low-priced surface transportation or on less costly passenger airlines. “The Postal Service also paid FedEx to sort mail when they could have avoided those costs..."
[Reference: www.apwu.org]
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As of mid-March, 55 members of the House of Representatives have signed on as co-sponsors of an anti-subcontracting measure supported by the APWU. The Mail Network Protection Act (H.R. 4236), which was introduced in November by Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA), would require the Postal Service to bargain with postal unions before it engages in significant contracting-out.
[Reference: APWU]
Click here for more from the APWU on the Mail Network Protection Act
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Postal Service buyout? "... I have heard rumors about a possible buyout or some sort of monetary offer that may be coming for USPS employees...> [Reference: www.federaltimes.com]
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The U.S. Postal Service is introducing the new eCareer Postal Job Application Tool. Postal Employee's have a new automated way of applying for internal jobs. USPS will soon be mailing postcards to the workforce detailing how to log on the new online system that will replace the PS Form 991. With eCareer, an employee can create an online candidate profile, that will contain your experience, skills, education and training. To create a profile, sign in to LiteBlue with your employee ID and postal PIN. Next "click" on "My Life" and the eCareer link under the Internal Jobs heading on the right side of the page. Then, "click" on "Search and/or Apply for EAS Jobs". After that click on the Candidate Profile link on the Personal Page to complete the candidate profile. Some EAS jobs are being posted now. All EAS vacancies will be posted beginning April 1, 2008.
eCareer site
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Bill Would Give Retirees Partial Pay for Unused Sick Leave "... FERS employees would be eligible for a lump-sum payment of up to $10,000 for their unused sick leave. The proposed benefit would apply to accrued sick leave exceeding 500 hours. ...">
[Reference: www.washingtonpost.com]
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Apparently, some savvy traders in the Thrift Savings Plan are having a major impact on cost of TSP trades. According to the data provided in a Federal Register Document found at tspshareholder.org, it gives the appearance that this day-trader technique was fairly profitable for the individuals. It appears it was a relatively small group of investors with large account balances that had this impact. An example taken from the document identifies the following data:
—;$295 million of those transactions
was attributable to 2,018 participants
who purchased on 10/19 and
redeemed on 10/24.
—323 of these participants transferred
$250,000 or more for a total of $110
million on each day.
—In the previous 60 days, these 323
participants had completed 5,804
exchanges of the I Fund for a total
dollar amount of $1.9 billion.
Mike Causey, over at Federal News Radio says, "The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board has contacted roughly 3,000 federal-postal workers who are considered "frequent traders" in his article subtitled, "TSP Trading Limits", which can be found in the article titled, "Reluctant Road Warriors."
The following explanation of the problem is an excerpt from the document found at: http://tspshareholder.org/docs/FRTIB.pdf. Please note this article is in Acrobat Reader format. [Reference: http://tspshareholder.org]
The Problem
This situation began to change in
2006. As the number of interfund
transfers increased and as a small
number of participants with relatively
large account balances engaged in
frequent interfund transfers, a pattern
started to emerge. These participants
began to focus on the International
Index Investment (I) Fund, which tracks
the Morgan Stanley Europe, Australasia,
and Far East Index. The attraction may
have been based on the notion that by
the noon Eastern Time deadline for
submitting an IFT request, a participant
might anticipate whether overseas
markets would open up or down. Since
an IFT request is processed based on the
closing price for the previous day, this
was seen as an opportunity for arbitrage.
Although ‘‘fair valuation’’ was
introduced to eliminate the arbitrage
potential, some participants,
nevertheless, continued this behavior.
Moreover, over the past year, this
behavior has become more frequent and
less random.
This activity disrupts the Agency’s
carefully designed cost-minimization
efforts in three distinct ways: Increased
transaction costs (including
commissions paid to brokers, transfer
taxes, and market impact); increased
futures/cash position; and forgone
interest.
Market impact, which is impossible to
calculate in advance, is a major problem
generated by the correlated actions of
those individuals attempting to actively
manage their TSP investments based on
anticipated short-term market
movements.
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Nevada postmaster turns comedian "... Musick is not only a U.S. Postmaster in Nevada and a Bucyrus resident, he is a professional cartoonist, humorous illustrator, comedian, spokesperson and ghost writer..."
[Reference: www.bucyrustelegraphforum.com]
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Dow Climbs 416.66 for Its Biggest Gain in Over 5 Years "... Standard and Poor’s 500-stock index closed up 47.28 points, or 3.7 percent, to 1,320.65. The Dow Jones industrial average finished up 416.66 points, or 3.6 percent, to 12,156.81. The Nasdaq was up nearly 4 percent. Major markets in Europe all rose at least 1 percent Tuesday. ..."
[Reference: www.nytimes.com]
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OPM Submits Short-Term Disability Insurance Program to Congress
"... OPM would leverage the purchasing power of the 2.6 million Federal employees in the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches, as well as the U.S. Postal Service, to obtain the best coverage at affordable premiums. Under the proposal, participation would be voluntary and insurance premiums would be fully paid by the policy holder.
..."
[Reference: www.opm.gov]
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Legislation would allow more feds to cash out sick leave at retirement "... Rep. James Moran, D-Va., said Monday that he planned to introduce a bill that would provide employees under the Federal Employees Retirement System with a one-time payment of up to $10,000 for any remaining sick leave at retirement. The benefit also would apply to employees covered under the Foreign Service Pension System and U.S. Postal Service. Moran spoke at the Federal Managers Association's 70th annual national convention in Arlington, Va. "Our current use-it or lose-it system under FERS hurts productivity ..."
[Reference: www.govexec.com]
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Things You Didn't Know You Could Do With Google "... You can track FedEx, UPS, and U.S. Postal Service shipments just by sticking the tracking number into Google's search field; do the same with zip and area codes, vehicle IDs, patent numbers, airplane registration numbers, and even UPC codes. ..."
[Reference: www.washingtonpost.com]
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Can you play it too safe with your Thrift Savings Plan account? Mike Causey, at Federal News Radio, details this issue very well in his article titled, Is It Safe?.
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The American Postal Workers Union is seeking the assistance of union brothers and sisters to help preserve YOUR RIGHTS under FMLA. Union Activists Urged to Fight Proposals to Gut FMLA, is the call for assistance from APWU President Burrus. The following is an excerpt from the APWU website identifying some of the regulation issues.
Among the anti-worker regulations presented by the Department of Labor:
* Employees with chronic conditions could be required to see their doctors more frequently than the current one time per year. Employees would have to pay for the extra visits out of their own pockets.
* Employers could authorize anyone they choose to demand information to support FMLA absences; under the current rules, employees are required to share medical information only with medical professionals.
* The proposed rules would widen the discretion of low-level supervisors to force employees to seek second medical opinions — at the employees’ expense— to determine the facts of a “diagnosis or prognosis.” Under current rules if those facts are unclear, the cost of a second opinion is charged to the employer.
* Employees who typically work overtime could be charged overtime hours as FMLA leave during their absence. In other words, they risk using FMLA protection at a faster rate.
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LiteBlue is the postal service extranet. It is packed with the information for postal employees about career development, revenue and service performance, products, recognition. You also have secure access to PostalEASE through LiteBlue to check, and during open season, change your benefits selections.
RetireEZ will quickly and accurately calculate your federal and postal retirement benefits. The program is in the first stages of roll out and postal employees will be the last group of employees to be able to use the new site. Subsequent rollouts of RetireEZ will cover the remainder of the Executive Branch, the U.S. Postal Service and the Legislative and Judicial Branches, with the fifth and final rollout scheduled for February 2009.
