__________________________________________________________________________________

Latest Local - National News

and Updates

Letter carriers should first educate themselves on heat safety. One way to do this is to download and install the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)’s Heat Safety Tool Smartphone App. Once the app is installed, it can detect your location and provide you with the current temperature, humidity and heat index (combination of temperature and humidity). It also will provide the expected heat index for the balance of the workday. For more in

House oversight committee holds hearing on the impact of Delivering for America Plan

On May 17, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability’s Subcommittee on Government Operations and the Federal Workforce held a hearing titled “Tracking the Postal Service: An Update on the Delivering for America Plan” to seek updates from Postmaster General Louis DeJoy regarding implementation of the 10-year Delivering for American Plan, including the Postal Service Reform Act (PSRA)—a cornerstone of the plan. During the hearing, committee members highlighted concerns regarding the financial stability of USPS, mail service reliability, staffing, network realignment and more. Lawmakers also pressed the Postal Service regarding its plan to ensure a safe working environment for USPS employees, and how it is combating mail theft and crime, particularly violent assaults on letter carriers. In opening remarks, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) highlighted an assault on May 15 on his district office staff, which was interrupted by a letter carrier who startled and distracted the assailant, enabling staff to escape a violent attack that could have been even worse. “One of the heroes in the story was actually the postman,” Connolly said. “He came to the office while the attack was going on…and that allowed the woman who was being beaten on the head to escape. He’s an unsung hero in our story.” Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-MD) criticized DeJoy’s recently announced plan for combating the issue of mail-related crime as “light on proactive protection for letter carriers.” He emphasized that this problem has become increasingly serious, noting that more than 2,000 letter carriers have been assaulted or robbed since 2020, with 305 carriers targeted so far in 2023. Raskin, along with Reps. Kweisi Mfume (D-MD) and Connolly, sent a letter to Postmaster General DeJoy ahead of the hearing, requesting details on the Postal Service’s new plans to protect postal employees. Overall, DeJoy did not offer any specifics on USPS’s plan to protect letter carriers and committed to getting back to the committee with more information by June 12, as requested in the letter. In addition to concerns around the increase in assaults on letter carriers, lawmakers also questioned DeJoy on what USPS is doing to protect other aspects of the health and safety of employees. They indicated that a large number of letter carriers and postal workers have reached out directly to their offices to raise concerns, and legislators pointed to specific instances of letter carriers getting injured on the job, facing exposure to dangerously hot or cold temperatures, being affected by lack of staffing and high turnover, and more.

DeJoy recognized these issues and said that the Delivering for America plan is meant to improve these conditions and address these concerns, but that financial limitations present a significant challenge in responding to these issues. NALC is committed to using every available resource to address the increase in attacks on letter carriers, including engaging the public, coordinating with law enforcement, pursuing legislation and seeking strategies such as enforcement measures and protective video technology that will better protect letter carriers. On the issue of Postal Service finances, several lawmakers and DeJoy recognized the increased financial stability that USPS has seen over the last year following the passage of the bipartisan PSRA. However, many members pressed DeJoy on the agency’s finances. Specifically, Rep. Gary Palmer (R-AL) questioned DeJoy about when he expected the Postal Service to “break even.” DeJoy pointed out that the 10-year plan accounts for executive action on the Postal Service’s obligations to Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) pensions. This was a reference to the Segal Report, a 2010 report from the Postal Regulatory Commission that directs the Office of Personnel Management to accurately value USPS’s CSRS pension assets and liability. If these recommendations, which can be achieved only through executive action, were implemented, the Postal Service would save billions of dollars annually. For years, NALC has been advocating for administrative action on this issue, which complements the repeal of the pre-funding mandate and other financial victories from the PSRA. Rep. Palmer also questioned DeJoy on the Postal Service’s investment strategy with regard to the $299 billion in assets and employee pensions currently on the Treasury’s books. Palmer pinpointed the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and CSRS investment model for the rest of the federal government and asked whether an alternative investment model would benefit the agency. The question comes following a recent inspector general audit report—“Postal Service Investment and Interest Rate Risk”—that outlined how other investment strategies would result in a significant return on investment. DeJoy acknowledged that if the $299 billion on the Treasury Department’s books were invested differently, USPS’s investment funds could more than double. DeJoy noted that any change to the existing investment strategy would have to be approved through congressional legislation. NALC has long advocated for recalculation of Postal Service pension liabilities by the White House and will continue to do so. With regard to investment, NALC is encouraged to see support and congressional interest in a sounder investment approach, and we will work with lawmakers to pursue legislation.

NALC and USPS continue Contract Negotiations

May 21, 2023

NALC and the Postal Service have agreed to continue negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement. The current agreement, which was set to expire at 12 o’clock on the evening of Saturday, May 20, 2023, will remain in full force until a new negotiated or arbitrated agreement takes effect.

A mandatory 60-day mediation period will follow, as required by statute. NALC will continue to work towards reaching a negotiated agreement with the Postal Service during this 60-day period. Issues that remain in dispute after the mediation period would be addressed through an interest arbitration process, which would result in a final and binding decision on the contents of a new national agreement. The parties will select a neutral arbitrator to chair an arbitration board that would also include one management and one union arbitrator.

Further updates will be provided as the process moves forward.

The NALC has created an App to keep track of your work hours. Check out the information and the benefits of using it. Protect your pay from Management and Time Keeper errors. Get the App thru your App store, it's free. The NALC website App for your phone/tablet is also available thru the App Store. It's free and you'll have the latest National Letter Carrier News and ALL the Postal/Letter Carrier Manuals, Guides and PS Forms at your fingertips. IN ADDITION:

You can also save our branch website on your phone/tablet home screen
through Safari, Firefox or your Android web browser and have the same information available including Branch 193's local news. You will have access to all manuals and forms including the National Agreement, Letter Carrier guide and all reference books.

____________________________________

Always Remember This:

A letter carrier’s job is a daily challenge. Letter carriers must use both mental and physical faculties to get their jobs done under deadline while overcoming all sorts of obstacles. Though it’s not always obvious, the union has a large impact on letter carriers’ daily lives. NALC’s advocacy efforts, past and present, are aimed at assuring letter carriers are treated and paid fairly in accordance with the National Agreement, the law and other applicable agreements and regulations. These efforts extend from the shop steward level to the regional and national staff.

When disputes arise, NALC is there to handle them, whether they involve a single carrier or thousands. NALC works with both carriers and management to make a carrier’s job safe, but if a carrier is injured on the job, NALC is there to help the carrier get the benefits he or she deserves. And NALC works to protect retirement benefits and help carriers at the end of their careers get the benefits they earned after years of hard work.

This page is the hub for finding information on workplace issues and how NALC represents letter carriers in the workplace. The fastest way is by searching for your issue in the search bar below, or using one of the search terms on the left.

__________________________________________________________________________________

The NALC Guide to Identifying

Intentional False Editing of Clock Rings

The NALC Guide to Identifying Intentional False Editing of Clock Rings was created to assist union representatives when investigating grievances concerning clock ring edits that impact letter carriers’ pay. The guide provides instruction on reading the TACS Employee Everything Report, examples of improperly edited clock rings, and includes a grievance starter to help build successful case files.

____________________________________________________________________________