POSTAL NEWS

...from various sources.

8.14.2023

Postal Service Mail Handler Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) set at $978

  Mail Handler Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) set at $978

Effective August 26, 2023 (Pay Period 19-2023), all career Mail Handler craft employees are scheduled to receive a cost-of-living (COLA) adjustment as outlined in Article 9.3 of the 2022 National Agreement. This is the second 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 2023 Index, using the July 2022 CPI index as a base. The resulting calculation provides an annual increase of $978 for all Steps in Table 1 and for Step P of Table 2. The remaining Steps in Table 2 will receive the proportional COLA increase percentages as outlined in Article 9.3 of the National Agreement.

Reference: NPMHU via NPMHU Local 317

8.10.2023

The Postal Service will release its Life Magnified stamps on Aug. 10.

"The pane features 20 images that explore life on Earth as few have seen it. Using powerful microscopes and specialized photographic techniques, the subjects — which include the surface of an oak leaf and freshwater protozoans ..."   
Source: usps.com

Visit Our Homepage

8.09.2023

Long Island Postal Workers Organize Spirited Response to Attempted Assault by Manager

"management failed to take action against a USPS Labor Relations Specialist who attempted to physically assault the local’s vice president. ...On May 5, 2023, a Labor Relations Specialist from the New York-2 District physically lunged at me with her hand raised to hit me," said Long Island Area Local Vice President Michelle Nadeau. "The United States Postal Service has a zero-tolerance policy. They do not treat managers the same way as they do postal employees." The Postal Service has failed to take any disciplinary action at either the Area or the District level in the two months that have passed since the incident occurred. "We are here to send management in the New York Postal District Number 2, here on Long Island, a clear message that the zero-tolerance policy throughout the postal service not only pertains to craft union members"   
Source: apwu.org

Visit Our Homepage

8.05.2023

USPS may stop processing mail in Eugene and Medford

"The United States Postal Service (USPS) is considering moving mail processing for nearly all of Oregon to its new processing center near the Portland International Airport. ...The Eugene and Medford mail processing centers were slated for closure in 2015, but that plan was scrapped after Oregon’s entire Congressional delegation called on the USPS to keep them open. ...items would be first trucked to Portland, then trucked back. In the case of a letter or parcel mailed in Medford to a Medford address, they’d have to be trucked more than four hours each way to and from Portland. That could add up to an additional day to delivery time."   
Source: nwlaborpress.org

Visit Our Homepage

7.05.2023

UPS Labor Talks Stall as Union Balks Over ‘Unacceptable’ Offer

"...“This multibillion-dollar corporation has plenty to give American workers — they just don’t want to,” Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said in a statement. “UPS had a choice to make, and they have clearly chosen to go down the wrong road.” The union tweeted that the company presented an “unacceptable offer” that “did not address members’ needs.” ..."   
Source: www.msn.com

Visit Our Homepage

7.01.2023

U.S. Supreme Court Decision in Groff v. DeJoy is a Win for Religious Accommodation and the American Worker

  U.S. Supreme Court Decision in Groff v. DeJoy

RE: U.S. Supreme Court Decision in Groff v. DeJoy (pdf)

On Thursday, June 29, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in the lawsuit Groffv. DeJoy.

The case was brought by Gerald Groff, who delivered mail as a Rural Carrier Associate (RCA) from 2012 to 2019 in central Pennsylvania. Groff is a Christian who observes Sunday as the Sabbath. Citing those religious beliefs, Groff consistently refused to work on Sundays. For several years, Groff and the Postal Service attempted to find workarounds, such as having volunteers take over his Sunday slots. Eventually, however, the Postal Service began disciplining Groff for his refusal to work on Sundays, and in 2019, Groff resigned. After resigning, Groff sued the Postal Service. He argued that under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act , the Postal Service was required to reasonably accommodate his religious beliefs by exempting him from Sunday work.

Before turning to the specifics of the Court's decision, we note at the outset that the Court's decision leaves in place the longstanding recognition that it would be an "undue burden" to provide an accommodation that would violate a seniority system in a collective bargaining agreement, like the National Agreement between the NPMHU and the Postal Service.

The Court's decision did proceed to answer two principal questions:

On the first question - whether the Court should disapprove the "more than de minimis cost" test for determining whether a religious accommodation was an undue hardship - the Court disapproved of the "more than de minimis cost" language. In its place, the Court held that an employer can show that a religious accommodation creates an undue hardship under Title VII if that accommodation causes a substantial burden in the overall context of the employer's business. The Court held that this is a fact specific inquiry. "Courts must apply the test to take into account all relevant factors in the case at hand, including the particular accommodations at issue and their practical impact in light of the nature, size, and operating cost of an employer."

As to the second question - whether an employer may demonstrate undue hardship under Title VII by showing burdens on co-workers - the Court held - using language consistent with the position the NPMHU took in its amicus brief to the Supreme Court, that impact on coworkers is relevant to the extent those impacts affect the conduct of the business. The Court acknowledged that "an accommodation's effect on co-workers may have ramifications for the conduct of the employer's business, but a court cannot stop its analysis without examining whether that further logical step is shown in a particular case."

The Court concluded by sending the case back to the lower court to consider Groff's claim in Iight of the standard described above.

As we wrote to you previously, the NPMHU supports employees' rights to receive reasonable accommodations for their religious beliefs and practices, and will continue to urge the Postal Service to provide those accommodations consistent with the terms of the National Agreement.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the National CAD.

Reference: NPMHU via NPMHU Local 317
 

6.12.2023

Post Office Delivers Package 13 Years Too Late

"...The South African Post Office seems to have adopted an unofficial motto of ‘better late than never.’ A Durban family, the Hanekoms were amused to find two ‘shabby’ parcel arrival notification slips in their mailbox last week. The initial surprise of receiving anything in their seldom-used post box Read more: https://www.2oceansvibe.com/2023/06/12/post-office-delivers-package-13-years-too-late/#ixzz84QcV7zd5 ..."   
Source: www.2oceansvibe.com

Visit Our Homepage

5.30.2023

Would YOU move 7,500 miles to work as a postman? Post Office advertises jobs on British Overseas Territory near Antarctica (but you'll need to sail 800 miles from the Falklands to get there)

"...The Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands said: 'An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the team for the 2023-24 austral summer as Post Officer, working at South Georgia, running one of the most southerly Post Offices in the world.' READ MORE: From an underwater letterbox in the South Pacific to a sorting room in Antarctica, the world's most remote post offices revealed They added: 'This role requires an individual who has exceptional customer service skills, and who iscomfortable working in a fast-paced environment. 'Detail orientated ..."   
Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

Visit Our Homepage

5.08.2023

Man killed by police after pointing gun at officers in Post Office parking lot

"...Plant City police said they were forced to shoot a man who aggressively pointed a gun at them. Officers responded to a 911 call of a suicidal man in a parking lot of the U.S. Post Office at 2501 Walden Woods Drive at 5:16 p.m. Sunday. According to a release from the Plant City Police Department, when officers arrived, they saw a man armed with a firearm. Officers attempted to "de-escalate the situation," but the man pointed a gun at the officers. After the man pointed the gun at officers, he was shot and killed by police. ..."   
Source: abcactionnews.com

Visit Our Homepage

5.03.2023

New USPS electric vans delayed until mid-2024, according to court docs

"...Enthusiasm over the announcement was rapidly tempered, however. The NGDV has been designed to be powertrain-agnostic and can be fitted either with electric motors and a lithium-ion battery or an internal combustion engine. And it rapidly became clear that only a small minority of NGDVs—10 percent in fact—would be battery-electric vehicles. Insult was added to injury the following year when it emerged that the internal combustion engine version of the NGDV was barely any more efficient than the current vehicle unless it was operated without the climate control system. ..."   
Source: arstechnica.com

Visit Our Homepage

4.26.2023

USPS delays rollout of new pay system after data shows major cuts for rural carriers

"...The Postal Service is delaying the implementation of a new pay system that would currently lead to many rural carriers seeing significant pay cuts. The National Rural Letter Carriers Association announced last Friday it reached an agreement with USPS to postpone the new pay system, the Rural Route Evaluated Compensation System (RRECS). Deputy Postmaster General Doug Tulino told the union in a memo last Friday that USPS now plans to push the launch of RRECS from April 22 to May 6. ..."   
Source: federalnewsnetwork.com

Visit Our Homepage

4.01.2023

Postal Service just shuttered post offices in several different places

"The USPS is continuing to close California post offices. ...the agency has been keeping California customers updated on which facilities are currently closed and which ones have been reopened on its Service Alerts website. Two post offices in the state are still dealing with ongoing weather concerns ..."   
Source: bestlifeonline.com

Visit Our Homepage

3.30.2023

Tornadoes ravage South | Post Offices in MS, AL close for repairs

"A Post Office in Camp Hill, AL, sustained water damage from the storm that spawned the tornadoes and has set up a mobile retail unit in that facility’s parking lot. Customers are also being advised that they can conduct retail transactions at the nearby Post Office in Dadeville, AL. ..."   
Source: usps.com

Visit Our Homepage

3.29.2023

Native American Heritage Month begins Nov. 1

"...the Postal Service will issue a stamp honoring Chief Standing Bear, the Ponca chieftain who won his freedom in court, setting an important legal precedent for Native Americans. More than 4,000 employees of the Postal Service identify as Native American or Alaska Native. More information on the observance can be found at nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov. ..."   
Source: usps.com

Visit Our Homepage

3.27.2023

Cyber breach affects eastern NC postal service

"The mail service is conducting an investigation, but employees are unhappy with the outcome so far, they said. Larisa Covington, from Jacksonville, said in February she was expecting her direct deposit to hit her account and realized her banking information had changed to one she had never heard of. “I had $2,000 stolen from my LiteBlue account,” Covington said. ..."   
Source: www.msn.com

Visit Our Homepage

Readers Digest | What Could Happen if the U.S. Postal Service Stopped Delivering Mail

"...the United States Postal Service (USPS) is chronically in debt and in danger of being disbanded entirely. This issue has been an even bigger concern as of late as citizens are worried that the reductions in USPS machines and other equipment could slow down the speed and accuracy of mail-in voting for the general 2020 election coming up in November. Having the option of mail-in ballots is pressing this year as many won’t be able to physically go to polling places due to COVID-19. Although the USPS just announced that there will no longer be any reductions until after the November election, many are concerned that the damage is already done. And those are just some of the newest developments in terms of what’s going on with the USPS. While it’s hard to imagine what an America without the USPS would look like, here are some possibilities. ..."   
Source: www.rd.com

Visit Our Homepage

3.23.2023

Mail truck driver union members protest reduced schedules

"Local members of American Postal Workers Union on Wednesday held signs reading ‘stop unfair labor practices’ in front of their employer 10 Roads Express, “We really want to sit down and understand why the routes are being changed the way they are and make sure we’re getting the most productive routes with the most hours for the company, for the workers,” said Arrion Brown, national support services director at American Postal Services Union. Local drivers said the company is changing route schedules and cutting hours without negotiating in good faith. ..."   
Source: www.centralillinoisproud.com

Visit Our Homepage

3.22.2023

United Parcel Service (UPS), Teamsters expected to ink labor contract deal no later than June 30

" A leading parcel industry consultant said Tuesday that he expects a contract agreement between UPS Inc. and the Teamsters union to be reached no later than June 30. ...Jindel has also gone on record as saying there is no chance there will be a strike. ..."   
Source: www.freightwaves.com

Visit Our Homepage

1.9 pounds of meth, 5.7 pounds of marijuana seized from 6 mail packages

"One of the packages contained more than 2 pounds of marijuana sent to an address at Jose P. Cruz Street in Talo’fo’fo’, from a sender in San Francisco. Another package from the same person contained about 2 pounds and was sent to a mailbox in Dededo. The third package had 1.5 pounds of THC products. It was sent from a Las Vegas address to an address at Artemio A. Cruz ..."   
Source: www.guampdn.com

Visit Our Homepage

3.21.2023

Postmaster describes ‘disturbing’ rise in crimes against Oakland postal workers

"The trend of postal worker attacks has not stopped in Oakland. In February, a postal worker in Vallejo was robbed of their keys and several mail items in the same week that another postal worker was robbed in Oakland. As Middle Class Tax Refund checks went out in droves, OPD warned the community about the increased threat of mail theft. ..."   
Source: www.msn.com

Visit Our Homepage

3.19.2023

USPS Corporate Library offers tools, training

USPS Corporate Library would like to remind employees that there is a treasure trove of online research tools at their fingertips. "These include Lexis, a source for the latest news, legal and business information, including company profiles and market research; EBSCO, a source for journal articles and financial data; and IBISWorld, a business and industry research tool. ..."   
Source: usps.com

Visit Our Homepage

3.14.2023

Art of the Skateboard U.S. Postage Stamps

Art of the Skateboard U.S. Postage Stamps
"The bold artwork emblazoned on a skateboard deck is often as eye-catching and individualistic as a skater’s most breathtaking moves. These four stamps celebrate the Art of the Skateboard with vibrant designs that capture skateboarding’s excitement and reflect the diversity and influences of the four artists whose work is featured. ..."    


This Article is From: usps.com


Read our latest posts!

3.11.2023

No, you really didn’t order that. A postal scam comes to Fayetteville

"She looked up the order number from my mystery box and revealed that inside was an adapter that cost 41 cents. She told me she would make a note in the system with the scammer’s phone number and other identifying information. “You can just discard the item,” she added. “There is nothing we can do about it, and for the item.” Of course, she added, I could just keep it. ..."   
Source: yahoo.com

Visit Our Homepage

3.07.2023

Supreme Court to consider whether employers who make Christians work Sunday violate religious liberty

"The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to consider a case April 18 that could have broad implications for employees seeking religious accommodations from their employers. The high court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in Groff v. DeJoy, a case concerning Gerald Groff, an evangelical Christian and former U.S. Postal Service worker, who was denied an accommodation to observe his Sunday Sabbath by not taking Sunday shifts. Federal law prohibits employers from firing employees for who request religious accommodations unless ..."   
Source: www.osvnews.com

Tags: Religious Accommodation Visit Our Homepage

3.06.2023

Letters to the mountains | State-run Philippine Post Office (PHLPost) has the duty of delivering mail throughout the country

"...State-run Philippine Post Office (PHLPost) has the duty of delivering mail throughout the country, including remote areas. Here is a day in the life of a mailman who journeys through mountains to perform his job. ...Jordan H. Bungtiwen, 41, had been a kartero for the Philippine Post Office (PHLPost) for roughly five months when a team from BusinessWorld tagged along with him on Nov. 23, 2022. Mr. Bungtiwen services Tadian, a small town of 19 villages, in the mountainous Cordillera Administrative Region in North Luzon. Remote and landlocked, it has"   
Source: www.bworldonline.com

Visit Our Homepage

3.05.2023

The life-upending flaw that USPS won’t fix

"Change of address fraud can have lasting fallout, but USPS won't say how it plans to close the loophole ...The fraud relies on a simple flaw in how the U.S. Postal Service processes changes of address. It’s neither new nor a particularly sophisticated technique, and has long been known to fraudsters and federal investigators. A fraudulently filed change of address form can have lasting fallout for the thousands of individuals whose mail is hijacked and rerouted every year, with criminals able to obtain bills, credit cards and other sensitive information that can be used to raid bank accounts or make fraudulent purchases."   
Source: techcrunch.com

Visit Our Homepage

3.04.2023

USPS falling behind on financial goals for FY 2023, doubles projected losses

"...USPS, in a recent filing to the Postal Regulatory Commission, reported more than a $1 billion net loss for January 2023, and a more than $2 billion total net loss since the start of fiscal 2023. Both losses are more than twice what USPS had projected. USPS in its filing expected a $364 million net loss for January, and a $945 million net loss for the fiscal year to date. ..."   
Source: federalnewsnetwork.com

Visit Our Homepage

2.22.2023

Women’s Soccer stamp debuts

"...“This stamp honors more than a sport; it honors the women whose leadership continues to inspire the generations behind them,” said Amber McReynolds, a member of the USPS Board of Governors, who spoke at the ceremony. ...In 1991, the team competed in the first official FIFA Women’s World Cup, which was held in China, and won the championship. In 2019, the United States made history as the only team to win four FIFA Women’s World Cup titles. This summer, the USWNT will compete at the FIFA World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. ..."   
Source: usps.com

Visit Our Homepage

2.21.2023

USPS health insurance marketplace launch gives OPM plenty to do in a busy 2023

"The postal-only health insurance marketplace comes with its own unique specifications that don’t apply to federal employees under FEHB. The Postal System Reform Act requires all future postal retirees to enroll in Medicare Part B, in an effort to save USPS tens of billions of dollars over the coming years. “So [they’re] totally different requirements than the current Federal Employee Health Benefits system. That means our system is going to have to double-check and make sure that they enrolled in Medicare and that they’re eligible,” Cavallo said. ...the requirement for nearly all future postal retirees to enroll in Medicare requires OPM to build certain unique features into the PSHB system that aren’t built into its infrastructure for FEHB. ..."   
Source: federalnewsnetwork.com

Visit Our Homepage

2.16.2023

USPS Station Discontinued List POB22606

"Visit the latest Discontinued list here."   
Source: postalpro.usps.com

Visit Our Homepage

2.14.2023

This package shipped from Mississippi to Michigan — via Puerto Rico. Here's why some shipments go on circuitous journeys.

"The package started out like normal. A small bubble wrap envelope of cosmetics shipped by the US Postal Service from Mississippi headed for Michigan — 750 miles away. But something happened when it got to Memphis, Tennessee, and suddenly... The USPS spokesperson declined to give a misload rate for the postal service. But UPS, for one, currently misloads one-quarter of one percent of packages, or 1 out of 400, according to CEO..."   
Source: www.businessinsider.com

Visit Our Homepage

2.11.2023

Post Office employee charged with statutory rape inside Knoxville mail processing facility

"A former Knoxville Post Office employee was arrested last week on charges he raped a teenager in the Knoxville Processing and Distribution Center on Weisgarber Road, federal court documents show. John Dusty Best has been charged with attempted enticement of a child and aggravated statutory rape. ..."   
Source: www.knoxnews.com

Visit Our Homepage

Royal Mail ransomware attack still impacting on international postal deliveries

"...ransomware attack on Royal Mail is continuing to have a detrimental impact on the postal service – almost a month after it first hit. The cyberattack which affects international deliveries has been ongoing since 11 January and there is still no date for when the postal service will return to normality. Discussing the impact this has had on customers, Jim McCafferty, sub-postmaster at Kennedy Centre Post Office said that coupled with the recent Royal Mail strikes, it has devastated their business. “It has been over three weeks since the cyber attack and we are still unable to ..."   
Source:

Visit Our Homepage

2.10.2023

Another Win for PMG Louis DeJoy | Most First-quarter Revenue is Up

"The Postal Service has reported its financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2023 (Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 2022). ..."   
Source: usps.com

Visit Our Homepage

2.09.2023

Postal Service severing mail contract with California trucking company

"Caminantes Trucking involved in 11 crashes — including 2 fatal wrecks — over 2-year period...The Long Beach trucking company officially has the same name as its owner, Jose Mauricio Coreas, but does business as Caminantes Trucking. Caminantes, listed as an intrastate-only company, has 46 power units and 37 drivers, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s SAFER website. ...The company’s contract carrier authority has been revoked and reinstated twice since its operating authority was granted in August 2008, according to FMCSA data."   
Source: www.freightwaves.com

Visit Our Homepage

2.06.2023

“I’ve never seen it this bad”: USPS staffing woes hit Seattle area

"...Staehli can’t count on regular deliveries for the route that includes her store, which manages mailboxes for about 150 residents. During the holiday season, she said, unsorted piles of packages were stuck behind Vashon’s post office, sitting on pallets in the rain. ..."   
Source: www.seattletimes.com

2.01.2023

Cybercriminals trick some USPS workers, steal paychecks

"Cybercriminals set up fake websites that looked like LiteBlue and employees mistakenly went to those sites and shared personal information. ..."   
Source: news.yahoo.com

Visit Our Homepage

1.31.2023

United State Postal Service to host job fair at Reno office Wednesday

"USPS will host a job fair on Wednesday, February 1 at its south Reno location to hire for mail handlers, letter carriers, retail associates and more. The job fair will be held at 75 McCabe Drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. ...or online at: usps.com/careers/"   
Source: mynews4.com

1.29.2023

Women can be prosecuted for taking abortion pills, says Alabama attorney general

"“Promoting the remote prescription and administration of abortion pills endangers both women and unborn children,” Marshall said in an email. “Elective abortion—including abortion pills—is illegal in Alabama. Nothing about the Justice Department’s guidance changes that. Anyone who remotely prescribes abortion pills in Alabama does so at their own peril: I will vigorously enforce Alabama law to protect unborn life.”...Officials at the U.S. Department of Justice issued an opinion that carriers with the U.S. Postal Service could deliver pills in states that banned abortion. The new rules will expand access through telehealth and mail-order pharmacies but could set up clashes with anti-abortion states such as Alabama. ..."   
Source: www.al.com

Visit Our Homepage

1.26.2023

Ring Mailbox Sensor is a battery-powered motion sensor that sends you real-time notifications via the Ring app when your mailbox opens

Article Title: Ring Mailbox Sensor is a battery-powered motion sensor that sends you real-time notifications via the Ring app when your mailbox opens

Ring Mailbox Sensor
Snippet of Article: "...When connected to Ring Bridge, Ring Mailbox Sensor allows you to receive a real-time notification in the Ring app or via connected Alexa-enabled device whenever your Mailbox Sensor detects motion. ..." Reference: Amazon Visit Our Homepage