Congressman: New Hampshire Postal Workers Cheated Out of Wages

PostalReporter.com » Congressman: New Hampshire Postal Workers Cheated Out of Wages: "Congressman Paul Hodes issued the following statement after the Inspector General of the US Postal Service confirmed New Hampshire postal workers’ concerns that management had altered time cards and withheld payment that the workers had earned. Congressman Hodes had called on the Inspector General to investigate these concerns.
“This is a clear and deliberate violation of workers’ rights,” said Congressman Hodes. “New Hampshire families have suffered as a result of this scheme, and these hard-working postal workers deserve the wages that they have earned. The Postal Service should immediately reimburse these workers for the wages that were taken from them.”"

EEOC Proposes Broader Definition of Disability

PostalReporter.com » EEOC Proposes Broader Definition of Disability: "The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued a Federal Register Notice proposing to revise its Americans with Disability Act (ADA) regulations and accompanying interpretive guidance in order to implement the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, Pub. L. No. 110?325. Comments on the proposed regulations, 74 Fed. Reg. 48431-48450, are due no later than November 23, 2009. The EEOC described the nature of the revised regulations"

USPS OIG Letter To Congressman Paul Hodes On Falsification of Timecards

PostalReporter.com » USPS OIG Letter To Congressman Paul Hodes On Falsification of Timecards: "We received your May 21 letter on behalf of the New Hampshire branch of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC). They alleged manipulation of the Time and Attendance Collection System (TACS) by management at the Milford Post Office, Manchester South Station, and Manchester West Station. Specifically, they alleged postal management altered electronic timecards to avoid paying NALC carriers overtime and to falsify the reporting of work hour usage at these facilities."

MSPB: USPS ZZero Tolerance Policy Violation IS Not Automatic Grounds For Removal

PostalReporter.com: "A Postal Employee appealed USPS’ decision to remove him based on a charge of Improper Conduct/Violation of Zero Tolerance Policy after the employee engaged in a physical altercation with a co-worker. The MSPB sustained the removal, but the Federal Circuit Court reversed the penalty determination and remanded the case. The MSPB found that a 30-day suspension was the maximum reasonable penalty, and therefore, ordered USPS to cancel the removal. Cunningham v. U.S. Postal Service"

USPS perky benefits

USPS perky benefits

"...if you are tired of paying high health-insurance premiums and sick about increases coming next year, here's a tip: Join the service.

The U.S. Postal Service, that is.
Although the USPS is losing money, handling fewer letters (can you say e-mail and Twitter?) and trying to get thousands of workers to take early retirement, it continues to pay a much larger chunk of its employee health premiums than does the Justice Department, General Services Administration or most other federal agencies.

At a time when health premiums and medical costs are soaring — despite deflation in the general economy — having a good, affordable health plan is the perk de jour. And the Postal Service is once again leading the way."

APWU President William Burrus Announces Retirement

PostalReporter.com » APWU President William Burrus Announces Retirement: "President Burrus announced he will retire at the end of his term in 2010"

Advertising Delivery: A Governmental Function?

Courier, Express, and Postal Observer: Advertising Delivery: A Governmental Function? I d not think that President Burris or APWU membership is prepared to accept the privatization option that might be required to fully take advantage of the Postal Service's capabilities as a deliverer of advertising. For too long privatization has been tied to cutbacks in jobs and reductions in compensation for APWU members or leadership to accept. However, the current financial challenges of the Postal Service suggest that those cutbacks and compensation reductions may come even without privatization. President Burris' message to his members suggests that it may be the time for the APWU to seriously invest resources to flesh out how a Postal Service free to pursue all opportunities relating to advertising delivery, and for that matter any business that could use the capabilities of postal employees and network of sortation and retail facilities, could improve the long-term prospects of the Postal Service and the APWU members that it employees.

Story in Mailers’ Publication Pointedly Misses the Point About Postal Salaries

Story in Mailers’ Publication Pointedly Misses the Point About Postal Salaries: "In yet another attempt to promote the myth that postal employees are not deserving of their collectively-bargained salaries, the chief spokesperson at PostCom, a mailers-industry publication, has written a story that compares the salary schedules of USPS Electronic Technicians (ET 10) and ETs in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)."

Kalamazoo mail processing may be moved - MLive.com

Local mail processing may be moved - MLive.com: "The U.S. Postal Service is recommending a study of whether to move work from a Kalamazoo-area processing center to Grand Rapids, which would result in a loss of 300 jobs here, according to union officials."

Church-Run Post Office Forced to Remove Religious Materials

Church-Run Post Office Forced to Remove Religious Materials: "A federal appeals court made a church-state distinction and settled a long-running dispute Thursday when it ordered a church-operated post office in Manchester, Conn., to clear its postal counter of religious materials such as prayer cards and a collection box for a ministry that serves the poor."