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Providing NAPS Headquarter News to You
 
 
 
April 29, 2011
 
Louis Atkins
Louis Atkins
Letter from Louie

 

     NAPS Headquarters has been very busy these last two weeks between NAPS state conventions, meetings and correspondence with USPS Headquarters. On April 18 NAPS sent a letter to PMG Donahoe regarding EAS employees working in Address Management Systems (AMS) and the number of AMS positions in the new structure to see if they need to be increased.  We are concerned that the work done in supporting the AMS database will be compromised with the proposed staffing levels.

     We also wrote, on April 18, requesting a meeting with the PMG concerning NAPS representation of EAS employees at the HRSSC in Greensboro, NC.  These members were represented by NAPS prior to the transfer of their reporting relationship from the field to USPS Headquarters.  USPS no longer recognizes NAPS' right to represent these employees and NAPS Headquarters is seeking a return of that right.

     In addition, a letter was sent to John Cavallo, Acting Manager, Labor Relation Policy Administration, on April 18 requesting information on the Operations Support Specialist (OSS) positions in the District offices.  NAPS is requesting the review, analysis and methodology used for eliminating those positions and not including them in the newly titled Operations Programs Specialist (OPS) EAS 17 positions in the District offices as "successor positions" created for CSA and D/RA.

     I also wrote to Headquarters on April 18 in opposition to the proposed revision of several provisions in the Post Office discontinuance procedures, as published in the Federal Register on March 31, 2011.

     Your Headquarters officers attended a meeting on April 19 regarding the proposed preamble to ELM 354.2.  ELM 354.2 is a compilation of instructions, rules and regulations that were developed by the USPS in conjunction with federal statutes and rules of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in governing Reductions-in-Force. On April 20 NAPS sent a written response to the USPS to address its proposal of the addition of exclusionary language as a preamble to ELM 354.2.  It is NAPS' belief that this proposal does not sufficiently define a RIF and does not conform to federal statutes and rules of the OPM within the section. NAPS is asking USPS for an explanation of which part(s) of ELM 354.2, in their opinion, is interpretive and what part(s) is required by applicable law.

     NAPS is still awaiting a reply to our request of April 4 seeking an agreement from USPS that the representation rights of NAPS be continued for the FMLA Coordinator positions that have had a transfer of reporting structure from the field to Shared Services. USPS has agreed that FMLA coordinators may apply for locally posted positions during the posting phases I and II of the RIF.

     Your resident officers are addressing all of the RIF issues nationally.  We are giving it our best efforts with your interests in mind.

 

Brian's Bits
Update at NAPSHQ

Brian Wagner

     With the USPS Redesign (RIF) going full throttle, it will result in numerous members working in different positions not to mention different USPS finance numbers.  As you may know, our NAPS HQ membership program, a.k.a. DCO, assigns member affiliation to a branch based on the member's USPS finance number.  If your USPS finance number changes, so could your NAPS branch affiliation. 

     In the new USPS Redesign and upcoming June and July EAS postings, a member may receive a new postal position with a new finance number, but remain in the same postal facility where they have been working.   As an example, if a member has worked for a particular Post Office and has now become a District domiciled employee in that same building, the member may be assigned to the NAPS branch associated with the District finance number and not the local branch they had been a member for years.  Again, this is all due to how our NAPS DCO system was programmed using USPS finance numbers as a branch affiliation default. 

     With the proliferation of USPS finance numbers along with USPS Area and Headquarters' domiciles in the field, this has caused much confusion with some of our members as to which NAPS branch they belong or should belong.  In some cases, we have members living in one state, but their branch affiliation is across the country in another state, only because the USPS finance number for domiciles is affiliated with the branch in that one state.

     The easiest way to check your membership for branch affiliation is to look at the address block of your Postal Supervisor magazine.  You will notice right above your name a line that starts with "PSUP" which is then followed by your Branch number.  If you believe you have been assigned to the wrong branch, contact NAPS HQ. 

     However, if you are in the correct branch, but are domiciled away from your branch in another geographical area or state you may request an exception for branch affiliation in accordance with Article 3, Section 6 of our NAPS National Constitution to the NAPS branch affiliated with the Postal facility you work.

     A form to request such an exception can be found on our NAPS website at www.naps.org or contact NAPS HQ for a copy.  The exception form must be approved by your respective NAPS Area VP. Our goal is to ensure, in accordance with our NAPS National Constitution & Bylaws, that your dues are properly allocated to the branch, which represents you as a member.

 

2011 Restructuring Documents

 

NAPS logo

 NAPS RIF FAQs  

Additional RIF FAQs 

2011 Organizational Redesign Information 

2011 Organizational Redesign VER 

2011 Restructure-Westchester District 

2011 Restructure-Suncoast District 

2011 Restructure-Baltimore District  

2011 Special Incentive Off FAQs  

 

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Jay's Notes
Meeting the New Deputy PMG 

James Killackey
James Killackey

     The NAPS resident officers recently were visited by the new Deputy Postmaster General, Ronald A. Stroman who paid a call to NAPS headquarters to discuss the current political climate in Washington, D.C. and the possibility of new legislation that will be introduced in the United States Senate to help in resolving the Postal Service's financial crisis.   

     During our initial meeting we had the opportunity to learn that DPMG Stroman served for more than 30 years in government and legislative affairs prior to his appointment as Deputy Postmaster General on April 4, 2011.

     DPMG Stroman most recently served as staff director, Committee on Oversight and Government Relations for the U.S. House of Representatives. As our Deputy Postmaster General, Stroman will lead all outreach and communications with congressional and mailing industry leaders as well as dealing with the postal unions and management associations.

     The Deputy Postmaster General (DPMG) position, like the Postmaster General position, is appointed by the Postal Service Governors. As Deputy Postmaster General, Stroman will serve on the Board of Governors and on Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe's Executive Leadership Team. The vice presidents of Government Relations, Corporate Communications and Consumer and Industry Affairs will report to Stroman.

     We are looking forward to collaborating with our new DPMG on legislative issues as we work toward supporting passage of legislation that will help the Postal Service get our financial problems behind us.

 

Seth's Slant
Pay for Performance 
Seth Lennon

    

     Earlier this week during an interview with the Federal Times, Congressman Dennis Ross (R-FL), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce and the Postal Service laid out his vision for how to reform and realign federal employee compensation and advancement. The Chairman has made it his goal to radically reform how the Federal Government conducts  business, aiming   for what he believes is a cost-effective structure.

     When it comes to Federal Employee compensation, Ross specifically believes that the current General Schedule (GS) scale is antiquated and looks toward a pay-for-performance based system.

     The system that Ross is using for his "ideal" model is none other than the Pay-for-Performance system currently in use by the United States Postal Service, citing it as a measuring stick for how to "properly" compensate employees based on their contributions to their agency and each employee's knowledge, skills and abilities. Many of our members are very much aware of the issues and border line abuses that have occurred with the USPS's framework for pay-for-performance.

     While our discussions with Ross have shown a man receptive toward fixing the key financial issues that are facing the United States Postal Service, it also shows a gap in his understanding about the inner mechanics of the Post Office, a gap that grassroots postal advocates must close.

     While the concept of Pay-for-Performance makes sense in theory, its practice within the United States Postal Service along with the system that was in place for employees within the Department of Defense has been less than sterling. Ross and other stakeholders on Capitol Hill must be engaged on how to create a PFP system that truly rewards federal workers for their efforts and  reflects favorably when compared to the private sector.

     In addition, there must be sufficient safeguards against abuse and misrepresentation. From our perspective, how many EAS employees have seen their ratings changed arbitrarily without their actual performance taken into account? Solutions to these kinds of issues are key when it comes to evaluating any type of compensation structure.  While these discussions are not focused on the USPS, the endgame of this reform could very much steer where the USPS's own PFP process advances going forward.

     While this issue is low on our priority list when it compares to our mainstay issues of securing financial security of the USPS, it shows that legislatively we must keep our eyes open at all times. With discussions about Debt Ceilings and Pay Freezes, we must always be aware of the fact that the nature of the federal workforce is always changing and it is imperative that we shape this change in a way that ensures that the employees of the USPS are represented and protected during this evolution.

      

Tornado Victims 

     "Our hearts and prayers go to out to all of the victims of the recent tornadoes," said President Atkins upon hearing of the devastating damage, injury and loss of life from the storms.  "And, our condolences are sent to all members of the Postal Family, including the family of the Rural Letter Carrier and her three children who lost their lives in Tuscaloosa, AL."

     For any Postal employees who have sustained damage to their homes and property that is not covered by insurance, please remember to apply for assistance from the Postal Employees Relief Fund (PERF) that was established to assist postal employees in just such situations.