This is a good question. There has been no official notification provided to the masses of postal employees. Many are speculating there will be an offer. Would it not be a good time to inform yourself relative to the VERA regulations? Take a look at the OPM website on this subject at http://www.opm.gov/Reduction_In_Force/vera/vera01.asp
"...The move came just days before OPM was scheduled to launch wave two of the retirement project for employees at the U. S. Postal Service. Currently, 26,000 employees at the General Services Administration have converted to the system, with OPM expecting to transfer all federal employees to RetireEZ by February 2009...."
Postal Service to build massive center near airport
"...Nashville Post (subscription) -
The US Postal Service plans to build a 626000-square-foot processing and distribution center near Nashville International Airport... Panattoni Development Co. will oversee construction and is working with the USPS on traffic studies of the area. The new facility is likely to employ more..."
Reference: www.nashvillepost.com
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Support for Mail Network Protection Act Tops 100
"...The legislation, introduced last November by Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA), would require the Postal Service to bargain with postal unions before it engages in significant contracting-out and protect inexpensive, trustworthy mail service for the American public..."
Reference: www.apwu.org
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Postmaster General Embraces Change
"...Potter spoke about new technologies that are providing these solutions — Intelligent Mail Barcode and the Flat Sequencing System (FSS). FSS is new technology that will speed the sorting and delivery of large envelopes, catalogs and magazines, quadrupling productivity. FSS machines also will be able to read the Intelligent Mail Barcode, allowing mailers and the Postal Service to track mail throughout the sortation process, improving service and reducing costs to mailers and consumers...."
Reference: www.usps.com
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Postal Service Launching Competitive Expedited Mail Prices "...All Express Mail and Priority Mail customers can save money simply by going online to purchase postage, including customers using Click-N-Ship at usps.com. Express Mail customers will receive 3 percent off the published retail prices and Priority Mail customers will save an average 3.5 percent. Customized contract pricing will also soon be available for large commercial customers...." Resource: www.usps.com
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Court Upholds Unfair Labor Charge Against USPS "...The case stemmed from an incident on Aug. 25, 2004, when an employee at a Florida post office discovered white powder in a tray of letters. Mindful of incidents involving anthrax in the mail, several workers protested the supervisor’s instructions to process the mail. The supervisor told the shop steward at the Destin post office to shut up, and an employee filed an unfair labor practice charge, alleging that the supervisor had refused to allow the shop steward to perform his duties...." Resource: www.apwu.org
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These postal workers are done delivering and have own town "...The ZIP code is 33856, and it belongs only to them.
Well, them and a few alligators.
To make the waiting list for an apartment, an applicant must fork over a postal money order for two months' rent. No checks, thank you. Only a transfer issued by the Postal Service will do..."
Reference: www.miamiherald.com
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Postal Service provides ‘sneak peek’ at Classic Car Stamps "...Ever wanted to own a classic car but couldn’t afford one? Later this fall, 50 million Detroit classics will roll out of the nation’s 37,000 Post Office show rooms as the second issuance in the America on the Move commemorative stamps series. The 50s Fins and Chrome 42-cent First-Class stamps go on sale Oct. 3, and feature paintings by renowned automobile illustrator Art. M. Fitzpatrick—a ’57 Chrysler 300C, ’57 Lincoln Premiere, ’57 Pontiac Safari, ’57 Studebaker Golden Hawk and a ’59 Cadillac Eldorado. The stamps were modeled after cars still on the road today...."
Reference: www.usps.com
Mailbox flags may be tipping off thieves
"... Residents who pay bills by putting a check in an envelope, placing the letter in a mailbox outside their home and pulling up the little red flag are making it too easy for thieves in Thousand Oaks..."
Source: www.toacorn.com
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Board to press for automatic TSP enrollment of new employees
"...draft legislation prepared by the board, new or rehired employees would have 3 percent of their basic pay automatically contributed to one of TSP’s L Funds as soon as they begin work, unless they specifically decline to participate. Employees would have 90 days to opt out of the program and receive a full refund. ..."
Source: www.federaltimes.com
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New equipment to lower USPS costs as revenue declines "...Postmaster General John Potter said the agency’s quarterly revenue indicators were “bad.” “These are not normal times,” Potter said. “Economic problems have deepened … and they have been sending waves of turbulence through the Postal Service.”..."
[Reference: www.federaltimes.com]
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Postmark Power "...The official reason for the shutdown was mold contamination. Not of the customers or employees, but of the building itself. But USPS brass have a long history of consolidating small post offices into giant city or suburban mail processing facilities. When this happens the local postmark often disappears. So, sometimes, do jobs. ..."
[Reference: www.federalnewsradio.com]
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Melcher Used Newspaper, Tin Foil To Trick Machines, Prosecutors Say "...and four other people allegedly stole $10,486 worth of stamps and other postal property between October and December 2006, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The stamps were stolen from vending machines inside the post offices, the paper reported...."
[Reference: www.thebostonchannel.com]
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People Profile --Weidner put ‘stamp’ on his family, postal career
"...a gentleman who likely never carried an extra pound of body fat — courtesy of a 17-mile all-walking route almost daily for years; and a route that eventually grew nearly 10 miles starting a quarter century or so back with the coming of a jeepster-looking vehicle that ushered in a more mechanized U.S. Post Office — Weidner can boom out a laugh that would make jolly ol’ Santa Claus proud when he recalls $1.38 per hour was his initial wage when he began working as a part-time postal service employee more than 50 years ago..."
[Reference: www.brenhambanner.com]
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Postal worker saves infant who fell from second-floor window "...City police said Lisa Harrell was making a package delivery to 306 Second St. about 11 a.m. when she noticed the child in an upstairs window that was open and did not have the screen pulled down. Harrell started to walked to the front door when she was struck in the head, police said. Unsure of what hit her, she put her arms out and the child fell into her arms, according to police...."
[Reference: www.dailygazette.com]
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Stamp to honor slain journalist, UTEP alum Ruben Salazar "...Credited with giving a voice to Hispanic Americans during the 1960s, University of Texas at El Paso alumnus Ruben Salazar will be honored on a U.S. postage stamp this month as part of the American Journalists Series...."
[Reference: elpasotimes.com]
2008 NPMHU NATIONAL CONVENTION "...scheduled to take place at Disney’s Grand Floridian Hotel in Orlando, Florida during the week beginning on August 10, 2008.
During the past several months, most of the Local Unions have conducted elections to choose those mail handlers who will serve as delegates at this year’s Convention. The results have been tabulated, and almost four hundred mail handlers from across the country will serve as elected delegates. ..."
[Reference: www.npmhu.org]
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Paul Fleischman: Politics hits home in Aromas "...claim that the rent for the site had quadrupled was contradicted by the owner's real estate agent. Though the asking price is low, he showed no interest in buying. Though it was confirmed that this office loses money, he went through verbal contortions to avoid saying so, no doubt because the U.S. Code specifically prohibits the USPS from closing rural post offices simply because they're unprofitable -- a Bill of Rights protecting the weak from the business model...."
[Reference: www.santacruzsentinel.com]
File Under: Universal Coverage
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Retired postal workers have town to call their own "...Located on 300 acres, about 7 miles east of Lake Wales in Polk County, Nalcrest contains 500 apartments. They are full, almost exclusively, with former carriers and their spouses. The village is meant to provide a safe, social and warm retreat for the mail veterans, most of whom completed their 25 to 30 years of service...."
[Reference: www.palmbeachpost.com]
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USPS launches "green" Web site "...promoting the agency's eco-friendly products and services, as well as recommended “green” practices for mailers. The new Web site can be accessed at www.usps.com/green. ..."
[Reference: www.dmnews.com]
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Lost in the Mail "...Now, postal officials from Texas to Virginia to USPS headquarters in Washington, who were alerted to the unfortunate set of circumstances late Friday by Inside the Beltway, are scrambling to find not only the remains, but also determine how something so horrific occurred in the first place..."
[Reference: washingtontimes.com]
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Profile: Qualified for Medicare and Still Works as Arbitrator-Mediator "...flying to Oklahoma City and, then, driving to Elk City, Oklahoma in order to arbitrate a dispute between the US Postal Service and the American Postal Workers Union there over a staffing issue. In fact, Helburn has often arbitrated contract interpretation and discipline issues in the past at many other US Post offices in the Southwest and Southeast, as he has also done at Federal Express and Southwest Airlines too, among others...."
[Reference: www.fedsmith.com]
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[Tuscaloosa, AL]Post office lacks customer service "...Joseph Breckenridge, the U.S. Postal Service's Alabama spokesman, tried to turn the situation on its head. The Postal Service didn't announce there would be extended hours on April 15, so customers shouldn't have expected them, he said...."
[Reference: www.tuscaloosanews.com]
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Retiree COLA Gets Sweeter "...FERS employees get a reduced COLA (usually 1 percentage point less than the actual rise in inflation) starting at age 62...."
[Reference: www.federalnewsradio.com]
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[APWU] Union’s Big Contribution Helps Save Small-Town Post Office "...The APWU has given a one-of-a-kind gift to the people of McCausland, Iowa: a donation of $30,000 to help save their post office. The contribution will pay for renovations to a building the small town purchased in order to stave off threats by the USPS to discontinue regular postal service for its 300 residents...."
Reference: APWU]
File Under: Unions Helping Communities, Union Donations
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Huntsville Alabama Post Office Hours, April 15 2008 Tax Day:
Drop your taxes at one of the following locations to get an April 15 postmark. The Following U.S. Postal Service Huntsville locations are open until midnight Tuesday night.
Same Uniform: Different Commander in Chief
"...Unlike the "white collar" civil service, where union membership is low in most agencies, the USPS is probably the most unionized operation in government. Eight of every 10 employees who are eligible to join a union do so. Other unions or groups representing employees include the Mail Handlers, Rural Letter Carriers..."
[Reference: www.federalnewsradio.com]
File Under: most unionized operation in government
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Food Inflation, Riots Spark Worries for World Leaders "...World Bank President Robert Zoellick warned in a recent speech that 33 countries are at risk of social upheaval because of rising food prices. Those could include Indonesia, Yemen, Ghana, Uzbekistan and the Philippines..."
[Reference: The Wall Street Journal]
File Under: World Bank
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Define and Describe Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA)
Voluntary Early Retirement offers apply to employees covered under both the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). When an agency has received VERA approval from OPM, an employee who meets the general eligibility requirements may be eligible to retire early. The employee must:
1. Meet the minimum age and service requirements -
* At least age 50 with at least 20 years creditable Federal service, OR
* Any age with at least 25 years creditable Federal service;
2. Have served in a position covered by the OPM authorization for the minimum time specified by OPM (usually 30 days prior to the date of the agency request);
3. Serve in a position covered by the agency's VERA plan; and
4. Separate by the close of the early-out period.
[Reference: www.opm.gov]
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USPS early retirement "...in regards to USPS early retirement options to CSRS employees. ..."
[Reference: www.federaltimes.com]
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Mailbox flags may be tipping off thieves "...At one time those small boxes outside homes seemed to be untouchable because of the strict penalties set by the federal government for anyone who tampered with them. Now there are thieves who drive around town opening one mailbox after another, emptying them of all of their contents, he said...."
[Reference: www.toacorn.com]
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This Round Is On You "..."A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single credit card." Adaptation of ancient Chinese proverb..."
[Reference: www.federalnewsradio.com]
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Illegal Alien Receives 3 Years For Stealing Gov. Checks From Mail "...Uliser-Reyes and his associates followed postal carriers on their postal routes. After the carriers deposited the mail in apartment panel mailboxes, the conspirators broke into the mailboxes and stole U.S. treasury checks and other government-issued checks...."
[Reference: somd.com]
File Under: Cluster Boxes
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200 Undelivered Packages Found At Driver's Home "...Authorities said most of the packages were sealed, but about 24 containing prescription drug deliveries for people in Union County were opened..."
[Reference: www.foxcarolina.com]
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U.S. Postal Service Again Honored as ‘Most Trusted’ "...“We have a 230-year tradition of trust. Americans depend on the security of the mail and they trust the Postal Service to protect their privacy,” said Delores Killette, vice president and consumer advocate. “Our employees work hard to maintain that trust. They earned this honor and recognition for their contribution to the value that trust brings to the organization, and to the country.”..."
[Reference: www.usps.com]
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Ten More U.S. Representatives Co-Sponsor Mail Network Protection Act "...The legislation, introduced last November by Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA), would require the Postal Service to bargain with postal unions before it engages in significant contracting-out and protect inexpensive, trustworthy mail service for the American public...."
[Reference: www.apwu.org]
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Find a USPS Blue Postal Mailbox in your area: Mailbox Locator
[Reference: www.payphone-project.com]
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Polled and Pushed on Diversity "...About 26,000 federal employees, who are paid through the General Services Administration, are in the first phase of RetireEZ. The U.S. Postal Service, with about 700,000 employees, will join the retirement modernization project next. The OPM expects that about 2,000 postal employees will file retirement claims every month and that will provide a better sense of how the new system functions, Springer said...."
[Reference: www.washingtonpost.com]
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