Who’s More Concerned? I recently attended a District Labor-Management meeting with a very interesting agenda: Locals, for the most part, were concerned with what were traditionally considered managerial concerns, not labor issues. All of their complaints were legitimate and reflect a deep concern about our industry’s viability, which makes one wonder: Who’s more concerned about […]
The following are excerpts from two APWU Regional Coordinators addressing the issue of USPS excessing: It is no secret that low mail volume has led to massive excessing. The APWU has responded by fighting relentlessly to protect our members’ rights. The battle is complicated enough without the addition of other parties. Recently, however, the installation […]
The following is an article written by Stephen Lysaght, APWU President, East Bay Area Local #47 located in Walnut Creek, CA. The issues raised in his article is happening in many USPS districts across the country–and not just in the Bay-Valley District. After years of excessing Clerks outside their installations and thereby gutting the workforce in […]
Article written exclusively for PostalReporter.com by Robert R. McGill,Esq. Whether you call it “Postal Disability Retirement”, “Federal Disability Retirement”, or “OPM Disability Retirement”, the available options under the National Reassessment Program all lead to the same road: the injured Postal Worker is being squeezed out of the workplace, and it is time to secure one’s […]
An exclusive Editorial to PostalReporter.com from Guy Nohrenberg Confessions of a Former Station Manager In days of double digit unemployment, where trillions of dollars of national debt mount, the leader of one of the largest civilian employers in the free world just up and declared that soon he’s retiring, because he can, with no reason given. […]
In recent VERAs the Postal Service issued FERS annuity estimates that omitted the employee’s FERS annuity supplement. The FERS annuity supplement is often nearly equal the basic annuity amount. Was that to discourage early retirements so they can justify weakening the no-layoff clause in upcoming contract negotiations? The method of calculating the FERS annuity supplement […]
This Seattle Times police blog article presents two controversial issues: Seattle police say they sometimes pose as mail carriers. How do mail carriers feel about being put at risk this way? Does the Postal Service know about this police practice and approve its use? In some undercover operations, officers pose as utility workers, mail carriers […]
by Attorney Robert R. McGill As with most things in life, attempting to secure a Federal Disability Retirement annuity under FERS or CSRS requires an extraordinary amount of time, effort, planning, and the collection, formulation and coordination of a compendium of information. Multiple questions arise at the early stages of planning: Can I live on […]
It came as no surprise to me that few postal employees accepted the latest voluntary early retirement offer, especially those under the new retirement system, FERS. The annuity estimates given to FERS eligibles between minimum retirement age (MRA) and age 62 omitted their FERS Special Retirement Supplement. It was a substantial amount to leave out–$1,000 […]
by Jim Burke, APWU Eastern Region Coordinator A problem that continues to be a plague on the Postal Service workplace is abusive supervisors. There are certain supervisors who simply cannot manage to treat employees with dignity and respect. And there are other supervisors — including many good ones — who are victims of the system: […]