National Association of Postal Supervisors (NAPS) Legislative Update -12.12.14
NAPS: Congress Urges USPS to Complete AMP Study Before Starting Plant Consolidations
The $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill winding its way through Congress impacts the Postal Service in several ways:
— It preserves the longstanding mandate that the USPS deliver mail six days a week.
— It encourages the Postal Service, before closing any more mail processing facilities, to complete the necessary area impact analyses and community outreach.
— And it directs the Postmaster General to report to Congress on steps the USPS will take to improve postal worker safety.
The 1603-page spending bill is expected to clear the Senate by this weekend, after narrowly squeaking through the House on Thursday night. The House also passed a 2-day continuing resolution by unanimous consent to give the other chamber a few days to act without shutting down the government.
Meanwhile, a last-ditch effort by Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) and Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) to push a pared-down postal reform bill through the Senate, without debate, failed.
Impact on Processing Facility Consolidations
The explanatory report accompanying the government spending bill contains language aimed at encouraging the Postal Service to update and complete the necessary AMP studies associated with the planned closure of 82 more mail processing facilities. The report language reads:
The USPS Office of Inspector General reported [pr added link] that the USPS had not completed all of the impact analysis as required in the Area Mail Processing feasibility studies under the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006. The USPS is encouraged to complete the required analysis in advance of the proposed closings, with sufficient outreach and communication to the affected communities.
More than 200 House and Senate lawmakers earlier had pushed for a strict delay or moratorium in the Postal Service’s move to consolidate the 82 processing facilities in 37 states.
Earlier this week, the Postal Regulatory Commission responded to a NAPS request that the Commission update its own two-year old assessment of the impact of the planned consolidations.
NAPS had pointed to procedural failures by the Postal Service, as documented by the Office of Inspector General of the Postal Service, to adequately study the impact of the consolidations on mail service in affected areas, and requested the Commission to reopen its prior 2012 docket or initiate a new proceeding to reassess Phase II of the Postal Service’s network rationalization initiative, slated to begin in January.
In a December 8 letter to NAPS from PRC General Counsel David Trissell, the PRC said the Commission’s rules did not permit it to reopen a completed advisory opinion docket, despite the recognition that the network rationalization slows down the mail, by increasing the days to delivery for certain types of mail. Trissell pointed to the Commission’s Annual Compliance Determination review as a means of assessing USPS compliance with its performance goals.
Impact on Employee Pay
The spending measure under approval by Congress also will indirectly impact the future pay of USPS employees, which is guided by adjustments in civil service or federal worker pay. The spending measure provides a 1 percent pay raise in 2015 to federal civil service (non-postal) employees and military service members. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) said the 1 percent boost in the omnibus “builds on the modest pay raise for federal employees in 2014.” Mikulski, who represents many federal workers in her state, said government employees “have been undervalued and underappreciated for too long.”
PRC denies NAPS request to open inquiry on plant consolidations and expected mail slowdown
160 House Members Urge USPS Plant Closure Moratorium
Senators Send Bipartisan Letter Demanding USPS postpone planned plant closings
Senator Bernie Sanders: Don’t Destroy the U.S. Postal Service – Protect Our Postal Service
Boston delayed mail increased 56%, more carriers working late after consolidation
Senator Hoeven: USPS Needs to Reevaluate Closing the Minot Mail (ND) Processing Center
SAVE OUR NATIONAL TREASURE “THE UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE”
Postal service has plenty to $$ to surrive. The postal service keeps the Gov’t going… This is to you who want to destroy the POSTAL SERVICE
and get your hands in the till. Leave our NATIONAL TREASURE ALONE.
let’s see…. nothing happened in 2010 with Postal Reform, nothing happened in 2011 with Postal Reform, nothing happened in 2012 with Postal Reform, nothing happened in 2013 with Postal Reform, and nothing happened in 2014 with Postal Reform……. the PO has been talking about eliminating Saturday delivery since the early 1970’s….. this whole thing is nothing but a political game- always has been and always will…… I sure hope people realize that soon, and just sit back and laugh at all of this, just as I do….. NOTHING IS GOING TO CHANGE! this business makes too much $ for anything to change
ISSA a Carper in every group, carpin’ about this and carpin’ about that.