POSTAL NEWS

...from various sources.

1.16.2023

Multifactor Authentication Now Required for USPS LiteBlue Access

"...On Sunday, January 15, the USPS is deploying the MFA (Multifactor Authentication) solution for LiteBlue as an additional security measure to protect employees’ IDs, passwords, and other personal data from unauthorized access and misuse. At this time, employees are required to sign up for MFA to obtain access to LiteBlue. As a part of the MFA implementation, there are a few steps employees must complete. These steps include ..."   
Source: npmhu317.blogspot.com

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1.12.2023

Cyber incident hits UK postal service, halts overseas mail

"...Britain’s postal service said it was hit Wednesday by a “cyber incident” that is temporarily preventing it from sending letters or parcels to other countries. ...The British government’s National Cyber Security Center said it’s aware of the incident and is working with Royal Mail and the National Crime Agency “to fully understand"   
Source: www.seattletimes.com

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1.11.2023

Pennsylvania postal workers ordered to repay 'fraudulently obtained' pandemic unemployment assistance benefits

"... United States Attorney Jacqueline Romero announced that the two workers will have to pay back hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Jaire Chance, 27, of Philadelphia, has agreed to a consent judgment of $100,399. Robert Day, 42, of Center Valley, Lehigh County, has agreed to a consent judgment of $110,610.

Officials said the repayment will resolve allegations that the two violated the False Claims Act by improperly seeking pandemic unemployment assistance...."   
Source: www.wgal.com

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1.06.2023

APWU JCIM is Available: Order Yours Today!

"...The 2023 (Nov. 2022) Joint Contract Interpretation Manual (JCIM), a resource for the administration of the 2021-2024 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), is now available for members! Members can order their JCIM for $10 from the APWU Store on the APWU website, or you can click here for an electronic copy. The JCIM is an APWU and USPS jointly prepared manual for interpreting issues related to the union contract and serves to address and resolve disputes as well as ensure contract compliance. The JCIM is a collection of agreed-upon interpretations ..."   
Source: apwu.org

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1.05.2023

Postal worker's murder: Letter Carriers Association pushes back against details in court documents

"One week before Cross was murdered, he allegedly scanned one of those packages as "Delivery Attempted — No Access to Delivery Location." The criminal complaint said that the scan was made more than a mile away from the address it was intended for. ..."   
Source: www.tmj4.com

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You've Got Jail: PLG Postal Worker Who Stole $4M Sentenced, DOJ Says

"Former Utica Avenue postal worker Jaleesa Wallace, 31, was sentenced to two years six months in prison — and ordered to pay $4 million in restitution — following her conviction of postal theft, said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace “The defendant exploited her position with one of our most trusted institutions, the United States Postal Service ..."   
Source: patch.com

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23 major brands suspected of illegally sourcing products made by forced labor in China

"... In 2021, an investigation by The Information found that seven of Apple's suppliers were linked to suspected forced labor of Uyghur Muslims and other persecuted groups. The 2020 report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said Apple's suppliers in China had used thousands of Uyghurs..."   
Source: www.businessinsider.com

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US bans imports from companies accused of using forced labor

"... Last year, President Biden signed a similar bill banning imports from China’s Xinjiang region also because of forced labor, reports The Hill. The law banning imports using North Korean forced labor passed in 2017. Customs did not provide details of what the 3 companies did and the companies did not reply to requests for comment. A 2018 U.S. report estimated that the North Korean government takes 70-90 percent of earnings from its workers. ..."   
Source: asamnews.com

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DOJ Says Post Office Can Continue Flooding Red States With Abortion Pills

"... “The [Office of Legal Counsel] analysis confirms that the Comstock Act does not require the Postal Service to change our current practice, which has been to consider packages containing mifepristone and misoprostol to be mailable under federal law in the same manner as other prescription drugs,” a USPS spokesman told the Daily Caller News Foundation. USPS Position on Abortion, ..."   
Source: www.shorenewsnetwork.com

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1.04.2023

PMG Louis DeJoy is Saving the Postal Service

"For the postmaster general, that is sort of the point. It is a sign of progress. He inherited a U.S. Postal Service in 2020 that was directionless, losing billions of dollars per year, shedding countless jobs and allowing mail delays to spike, all without a serious plan to turn things around. You may not like what he is doing about it, but he ...will continue pushing forward. He describes his biggest accomplishment as “juicing the place up:” namely, getting his management team and the rest of the 650,000 postal employees to embrace a mindset of change.  And when things go wrong, DeJoy and USPS will course correct. "   
Source: www.govexec.com

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1.01.2023

OPM | Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) Program FAQs

"...Enrollment in a PSHB plan will not disrupt enrollment in other insurance and benefits programs, including:

Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP)
Federal Flexible Spending Account Program (FSAFEDS)
Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (FEGLI), or
Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP)

..."   
Source: www.opm.gov

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USPS Prepares for a ‘Year of Implementation,’ and the Shaping of Louis DeJoy’s Legacy

"“We have a terrible network,” DeJoy said. “We have a terrible operating strategy.”  Previously, he said, that all got swept under the rug, but that will no longer fly ... Employees will not lose their jobs, but some may have to report a different space. ...DeJoy himself admitted the electric vehicle plan was critical because without it, “we deal with a bunch of crap forever.”“That's why I'm here seven days a week, 15 hours a day,” DeJoy said, “because we are in a race against time.”
 "   

Source: www.govexec.com

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12.26.2022

USPS Issues Employee Communications Update Regarding PostalEASE Website Fraud

"...Please see the latest information regarding the PostalEase website fraud. FRAUD ALERT ** Postal Service Releases ...Letter to be sent to only impacted employees notifying them of their situation and share information and next steps."   
Source: NPMHU Local 317 - Alabama

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12.22.2022

2 Massachusetts teens charged in armed robbery of USPS mail carrier

"...Melrose police said the robbery happened the afternoon of Dec. 10 on Orchard Lane, where the two juveniles were sitting on the steps to a home when the USPS worker arrived in a vehicle. According to investigators, the letter carrier delivered mail to a home on the street and as she approached the driver's door of her truck, the two juveniles approached her, pointed an airsoft pistol at her and showed her a knife ..."   
Source: www.wcvb.com

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USPS: Delivery influx, storm could lead to shipping delays

Mail processing 2022
"...The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) says it added thousands of seasonal hires, hundreds of new package processing machines and even leased extra space to handle a significant increase in packages this holiday season.  ..."   
Source: www.newsnationnow.com

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12.21.2022

USPS PMG DeJoy to transform delivery fleet with 66,000 electric vehicles by 2028

"...The USPS said Tuesday its investment is expected to reach $9.6 billion, about a third of which comes from the Inflation Reduction Act. The funding will help the Postal Service build what has the potential to be one of the largest electric vehicle fleets in the country, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said in a statement. “We have a statutory requirement to deliver mail and packages to 163 million addresses six days per week and to cover our costs in doing so — that is our mission,” DeJoy said. “As I have said in the past, if we can achieve those objectives in a more environmentally responsible way, we will do so.” ..."   
Source: www.cnbc.com

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12.20.2022

Official Postal Call In Number | Proper Procedures for Calling Out Sick at the U.S. Postal Service

"...the postal call-in number that the U.S. Postal Service provided its employees for requesting unscheduled leave as they called in sick (Official USPS Sick Call Procedure) or for community disasters. The postal call in sick call number(s) are: 1-877 ..."   
Source: Postal Call In

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12.19.2022

Priority Mail Express holiday adjustment will implement a no-refund policy for Priority Mail Express

"...Postal Service will implement a no-refund policy for Priority Mail Express packages shipped from Dec. 22 through Dec. 25 under the following two conditions: • The one-day shipment was mailed between Dec. 22 and Dec. 25 and was delivered, and • Delivery was attempted or achieved within two business days of the mailing date. The policy is a response to the increased package volume and winter weather conditions ..."   
Source: link.usps.com

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12.16.2022

Postal worker ‘rifled through’ letters, stole gift cards from Louisiana mail, feds say

KEISHAN WILSON, age 38, of New Orleans, Louisiana pleaded guilty on December 8. "During a “covert surveillance operation” at a New Orleans processing facility in July 2020, the woman was seen removing greeting cards from letter trays, going through them and then throwing them away, according to court documents. ..."   
Source: www.sacbee.com

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11.20.2022

Owney the Postal Dog | National Postal Museum

"... "Owney was a scruffy mutt who became a regular fixture at the Albany, New York, post office in 1888. His owner was likely a postal clerk who let the dog walk him to work. Owney was attracted to the texture or scent of the mailbags and when his master moved away, Owney stayed with his new mail clerk friends. He soon began to..."   
Source: The Postal Newsgroup


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9.27.2022

King Charles to appear on coins, stamps within months, while banknotes are held for 2024

"The image or silhouette of King Charles III will replace those of the late Queen Elizabeth II, marking the first replacement of a monarch in more than 70 years. Coins and regular postage stamps portraying the new king will be released in the coming months, the Royal Mint and Royal Mail said in separate announcements. ..."   
Source: www.washingtontimes.com

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9.20.2022

Yay! President biden Declares "the pandemic is over"

"..."We're still doing a lot of work on it. But the pandemic is over," said Mr Biden in a television interview. ...Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeting: 'Biden now says 'the pandemic is over' as he's kicking tens of thousands of healthy soldiers out of the military with his COVID vaccine mandate.'"   
Source: www.bbc.com

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9.17.2022

Biden scores deal on rail strike, but worker discontent emerges

"...will receive a 24 percent pay increase by 2024, including an immediate 14 percent raise; $1,000 annual ..."   
Source: NPMHU Local 317 - Alabama

APWU Second 2022 COLA = $1.18/hr

"In accordance with the 2021-2024 Collective Bar­gaining Agreement (union contract), career employees represented by the APWU will receive a $1.18 per hour Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA), effective August 27, 2022. The adjustment is the result of a rise in the Consum­er Price Index (CPI-W) – one of the federal government’s measures of inflation. It will appear in paychecks dated September 16, 2022 (Pay Period 19-2022). This new COLA represents an annual increase in pay of $2,455 for all full-time career employees. ..."   
Source: APWU

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9.11.2022

Noticias postales para el 15 de septiembre de 2022

Noticias postales para el 15 de septiembre de 2022

Comunidades más atractivas y lucrativas para los inmigrantes

Grandes sonrisas como felices Decenas de migrantes llegan a Martha's Vineyard en vuelos chárter. "Vamos a cuidar de ustedes", dijo el sheriff del condado de Dukes, Robert Ogden, a los migrantes, según The Martha's Vineyard Times. "Hemos recibido llamadas de restaurantes que ofrecen comida, personas que intentan ayudar. Es increíble".

"Florida puede confirmar que los dos aviones con inmigrantes ilegales que llegaron a Martha's Vineyard eran parte del programa de reubicación del estado para transportar inmigrantes ilegales a destinos santuario", un comunicado de la oficina del gobernador de Florida, Ron DeSantis. "Hemos recibido llamadas de restaurantes que ofrecen comida, personas que intentan ayudar. Es increíble".

Los migrantes inteligentes han aprendido que si solicitan e insisten en ser transportados a estados como Illinois, Massachusetts, Nueva York y California, que son designados como estados santuario. Los migrantes han descubierto que los estados del sur de los Estados Unidos y las ciudades fronterizas de los Estados Unidos y México están superpoblados y no pueden ayudar a los migrantes. La vicepresidenta Kamala Harris ha invitado a migrantes a su área en Washington, D.C. Algunos ya han llegado. Dos autobuses que transportaban a unos 100 migrantes de Texas llegaron la madrugada del jueves afuera de la residencia de la vicepresidenta Kamala Harris en el Observatorio Naval en Washington, DC. Kamala Harris da la bienvenida a los migrantes a D.C. Los migrantes, muchos de ellos de nacionalidad venezolana.

Citation: Noticias de empleados postales

8.29.2022

Yay! Free Money for Those Who Took Out Loans to Attend College and a Thanks to You SUCKERS That Pay Your Debts. But We Want More!

Black women, burdened by student debt, say Biden's student loan policy doesn't go far enough

"...say they won't stop pushing for more action on student loans. Cross qualifies for $20,000 in loan forgiveness under Biden's plan ..."   
Source: abcnews.go.com

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8.25.2022

How Retirees Can Keep Federal Employee Health Benefits – FEHB

"...No, you don't need to purchase a Medigap policy since FEHB and Medicare will coordinate benefits to provide comprehensive coverage for a wide range of medical expenses. The Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program and Medicare FastFacts (PDF file) [67 KB] ..."   
Source: www.thebalance.com

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8.18.2022

NPMHU | Last of Six Possible COLA Increases (Current Contract) Set at...

"Effective August 27, 2022, all career Mail Handler craft employees are scheduled to receive a cost-of-living (COLA) adjustment as outlined in Article 9.3 of the 2019 National Agreement. This is the last of six possible COLA increases under the terms of the current agreement. This COLA increase is based on the upward change in the relevant Consumer Price Index (CPI) following release of the July 2022 Index, using the July 2019 CPI index as a base. The increase will appear in paychecks dated ..."   
Source: NPMHU

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8.09.2022

APWU: After Pressure, Management Sets Retroactive Pay Date!

"The retroactive payments will be processed on October 11, 2022. They will appear as a pay adjustment on paychecks received October 28, 2022. “Those in management responsible for overseeing these payroll changes had so little respect for postal workers that they apparently thought a May 2023 date for the retroactive payments would somehow be acceptable. This was outrageous,” said APWU President Mark Dimondstein ...We will keep members updated on the grievance process regarding this unacceptable delay. ..."   
Source: apwu.org

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5.08.2022

How to vote in Alaska's first all-mail election

"The special election for Alaska's lone U.S. House seat is unprecedented in many respects. It's the first all-mail election in the state, it's the first under Alaska's new election laws that put all candidates on a single primary ballot regardless of party affiliation, and the field encompasses 48 candidates, more than in any other primary in the state. It's no wonder voters have a lot of questions..."   
Source: yahoo.com

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4.13.2022

Health benefits -- New law creates Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) Program for employees, others

"The Postal Service reform legislation that President Biden signed into law on April 6 will involve changes to employees’ health and retirement benefits. USPS understands that employees have many questions, so here are a few things to know..."   
Source: NPMHU LOcal 317

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4.12.2022

DeJoy says USPS will expedite midterm ballots

"... Will the Postal Service commit to using the same “extraordinary measures” — dedicated ballot-expediting procedures — in the 2022 midterm elections that it used in elections in 2020 and in 2021?..."   
Source: www.washingtonpost.com

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2.11.2022

Another Biden Fail: Postal Service has only been able to ship around 10 million of the 60 million household requeted covid test

"... According to the agency, the shipment of these tests was expected to occur within seven to 12 business days. If you ordered your set right away, you should have received your delivery by Feb. 4, CBS-affiliate WUSA 9 in Washington, D.C., reported. But many households still have not received their tests nearly a week later. ..."   
Source: www.yahoo.com

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2.08.2022

Mailbox and Postal Blue Box Users: Check Washing Crime Reduction

"
... Many postal blueboxes and residential mailboxes are being robbed of handwritten checks. Thieves steal these checks and wash them. Check washing is the erasing of the written amount and altering that amount..."   
Source: npmhu317.blogspot.com

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2.03.2022

Amazon settles with Washington state AG over price-fixing allegations

"... Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) has agreed to a multimillion-dollar settlement with Washington state over price-fixing ..."   
Source: www.bizjournals.com

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1.19.2022

Today You Can Order Your Free At-⁠Home COVID-⁠19 Tests

  Today You Can Order Your Free At-⁠Home COVID-⁠19 Tests

Every home in the U.S. can soon order 4 free at-⁠home COVID-⁠19 tests The tests will be completely free—there are no shipping costs and you don’t need to enter a credit card number.

Ordering begins today, January 19.


Reference: www.covidtests.gov

1.18.2022

U.S. Postal Service Reveals New Stamps for 2022

"...This is a partial list of the 2022 stamp program, with more to be announced in the weeks and months ahead. All stamp designs are preliminary and subject to change. ..."   
Source: www.prnewswire.com

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1.14.2022

No More Surprise Medical Bills: 5 Things To Know about the No Surprises Act Taking Effect

  No More Surprise Medical Bills: 5 Things To Know about the No Surprises Act Taking Effect in 2022

New Year. New Law. Beginning January 1, 2022, new federal protections will shield millions of consumers from surprise medical bills. Surprise medical bills – unexpected bills from an out-of-network provider, out-of-network facility or out-of-network air ambulance provider – is common among those with private insurance. Nearly one in five patients who go to the emergency room, have an elective surgery, or give birth in a hospital receive surprise bills, with average costs ranging from $750 to $2,600 per episode. Learn about how the No Surprises Act can protect you from surprise medical billing. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Reference: https://www.hhs.gov/

1.08.2022

Most Popular Commemorative 'Saved' Stamp

1993 Elvis Stamp
"...Elvis: The most popular (in terms of number saved, not sold) commemorative stamp issued by the USPS is the 1993 Elvis stamp. Over 124 million of this colorful 29-cent stamp featuring the famous singer have been saved, nearly half again the number of the next most popular, Wonders of America, issued in 2006. ..."   
Source: www.saltlakemailing.com

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1.02.2022

Santa Claus computer-vended stamp is Scott official

"... Included in this month’s listing is the Scott number for the nondenominated (58¢) Santa Claus, Sleigh and Reindeer in Flight computer-vended postage stamp. What do these Scott numbers signify? In short, each stamp’s listing in an upcoming edition of the 2023 Scott catalogs. ..."   
Source: www.linns.com

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