CURRENT ISSUES
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03/25/21
Procedural Overview of the Advisory Opinion Process - PRC
The Postal Service announced a 10-year strategic plan on March 23, 2021. Prior to implementation, some parts of the plan require the Postal Service to request an advisory opinion from the Postal Regulatory Commission (Commission). The law requires the Postal Service to seek such an opinion for changes that generally affect service on a nationwide or substantially nationwide basis. On March 23, the Postal Service filed a notice of pre-filing conference with the Commission Continue Reading
03/22/21
USPS has extended the Special Exempt pay for Exempt Postmasters that was originally approved on May 20, 2020
03/19/21
March 19, 2021 Update from Dan Heins, UPMA National President
03/12/21
March 12, 2021 Update from Dan Heins, UPMA National President
03/05/21
March 5, 2021 Update from Dan Heins, UPMA National President
03/03/21
USPS District Restructuring Information Released
Today, the United States Postal Service has announced a restructuring of the Retail and Delivery Operations and Logistics and Processing Operations Continue Reading
02/26/21
February 26, 2021 Update from Dan Heins, UPMA National President
02/24/21
February 2021 transcript of From The President's Desk
Review the transcript of the February 2021 From the President’s Desk video message covering the latest news including details of Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy addressing the National Executive Board at their meeting in Arlington, Virginia, Doug Tulino, the Chief Human Resources Officer of the Postal Service discussing issues with the Fast Track hiring process, District restructuring and Voluntary Early Retirement Authorization (VERA), Upcoming UPMA Chapter conventions, the just announced limited time new EAS membership offer and other information of interest to our members. Continue Reading
02/19/21
February 19, 2021 Update from Dan Heins, UPMA National President
02/12/21
February 12, 2021 Update from Dan Heins, UPMA National President
02/05/21
February 5, 2021 Update from Dan Heins, UPMA National President
01/29/21
January 29, 2021 Update from Dan Heins, UPMA National President
01/28/21
January 28, 2021 transcript of From The President's Desk
Review the transcript of the January 28, 2021 From the President’s Desk video message addressing the latest news including Post PEAK season, UPMA Pay Talks Team, Voluntary Early Retirement Authorization (VERA), hiring/promotional freeze, 2021 Goals and the NPA and PFP matrix, Training topic for February will be the PS Form 150 and other information of interest to our members. Continue Reading
01/22/21
January 22, 2021 Update from Dan Heins, UPMA National President
01/15/21
January 15, 2021 Update from Dan Heins, UPMA National President
House and Senate Legislation to Repeal USPS Prefunding Requirement Introduced
Posted by Frank Augustosky on 02/04/21
The USPS Fairness Act (HR 695/S145) was introduced this week in the US House and US Senate. The bill repeals the requirement to prefund Postal Service health and retirement benefits as mandated under the PAEA of 2006.
In the House the bill is sponsored by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Rep. Peter A. DeFazio (D-OR), Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Rep. Colin Alred (D-TX). It has already garnered 223 cosponsors (218 is a majority). Maloney chairs the House Oversight and Reform Committee that has jurisdiction over postal legislation, increasing the likelihood the bill will come up for consideration. Maloney was quoted on Monday saying, she is “laser-focused on fixing the Postal Service’s financial problems” and that Congress should quickly pass the bill. Rep. DeFazio said the Biden White House could make that happen, as Biden pledged during his campaign to repeal the mandate.
In the Senate the bill is sponsored by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), and Kevin Cramer (R-ND). In describing their motivation for the bill Sen. Schatz said, "There is no reason we should be requiring the USPS to pre-fund its future health and retirement benefits.”
Last year, the House passed the USPS Fairness Act by a 309-106 vote. It never received a vote in the Senate.
UPMA believes in repealing the prefunding requirement and continues to fight for reforms that will strengthen the USPS in the long term – while protecting Postmasters and Managers pay and benefits. All postal labor unions expressed their support for the change.
UPMA 2021 Legislative Summit Rescheduled
Posted by Frank Augustosky on 01/12/21
UPMA to Postpone the 2021 Legislative Summit
The United Postmasters and Managers of America National President Daniel Heins announced on January 12, 2021, that the Legislative Summit scheduled for February 21-24, will be postponed until September 26-29, 2021.
This decision was made based on the issues with the COVID-19 Pandemic that continue to plague the nation and the fact that the UPMA members that would attend in February would not have access to the members of Congress on Capitol Hill. This is not a decision that was reached easily; however, Heins felt that this was the best choice for our membership at this time.
In the interim we will be offering some Legislative training classes via ZOOM in the coming weeks. The information on those sessions will be shared with the membership through email and on the national website unitedpma.org.
We are rescheduling for September because the Government Relations Team and Mr. Heins feel it is very important that we have a presence on Capitol Hill at some time this year, This need is heightened with so many new members and the urgent need to get some type of long term meaningful Postal Reform legislation passed.
President Heins stated that it is his prayer that by the end of September the nation will be able to reopen after the vaccine has been made available to the majority of the country and we will be able to once again walk the halls of Congress. If you have registered for the conference this year your registration will be brought forward for the September dates unless you request a refund. If you choose to receive a refund, you can contact Gerri Swarm at the UPMA National Office and she will see that your fee is returned. Gerri’s email address is gswarm@unitedpma.org.
January 8, 2021 Update from Dan Heins, UPMA National President
January 1, 2021 Update from Dan Heins, UPMA National President
December 25, 2020 Update from Dan Heins, UPMA National President
Extension of Memo - Modification of Pay Provisions for FLSA-Exempt Postmasters
Posted by Frank Augustosky on 12/23/20
Modification of Pay Provisions for FLSA-Exempt Postmasters extended through March 26, 2021.
December 24, 2020 transcript of From The President's Desk
USPS 2021 EAS Salary Schedule
Posted by Frank Augustosky on 12/21/20
The USPS 2021 Executive and Administrative Schedule (Schedule E) and Part-Time Postmaster Schedule (Schedule F) are below.
December 18, 2020 Update from Dan Heins, UPMA National President
December 11, 2020 Update from Dan Heins, UPMA National President
December 4, 2020 Update from Dan Heins, UPMA National President
November 27, 2020 Update from Dan Heins, UPMA National President
November 24, 2020 transcript of From The President's Desk
November 20, 2020 Update from Dan Heins, UPMA National President
FY 2020 National Performance Assessment (NPA) Unit Mitigation Process
Posted by Frank Augustosky on 11/16/20
FY 2020 NPA Unit Mitigation Process information and methodology
FY 2020 National Performance Assessment (NPA) Unit Mitigation Process (PDF)
FY20 NPA Mitigation Methodology (PowerPoint)
November 13, 2020 Update from Dan Heins, UPMA National President
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November 6, 2020 Update from Dan Heins, UPMA National President
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October 30, 2020 Update from Dan Heins, UPMA National President
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October 23, 2020 transcript of From The President's Desk
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October 16, 2020 Update from Dan Heins, UPMA National President
Posted by Frank Augustosky on 10/16/20
Friday Message – October 16, 2020
The 2020 UPMA National Convention will take place October 29th and 30th at the Marriott Grand Hotel in St. Louis. The registrations closed this past Wednesday, and we have 104 people that have been registered by their Chapter Presidents to attend in person, or via ZOOM to represent their chapters. The ZOOM feed will be open to anyone that wants to observe the convention proceedings; however, only those individuals that have been registered by their chapter presidents, or by the National Office, will be allowed to speak during the convention. All the ZOOM link information will be posted on the national website unitedpma.org on Monday, October 19th for those of you that want to connect in. As a reminder, if you are an active employee and you want to watch the convention you must be in a non-pay status and you many NOT use Postal Service equipment to watch the convention. We will be receiving a recording of the convention and I will be working with company that is providing the Audio-Visual expertise for the convention to get that recording posted on our website. There will be more details on that in the future. Also, I am pleased to report that I have received information from Postmaster General DeJoy’s office that he is planning to join us in St. Louis and address the convention on Friday morning.
It is my understanding that meetings were held at the USPS Headquarters level this week regarding the 2020 NPA program and how the payouts for individuals covered by that program will be handled for this past Fiscal Year. As of today, I do not have any further information, however, I expect that we will have more information early next week before the final scorecards for 2020 are released by the end of next week. At that time, we should also be receiving additional information on the timelines for the mitigation process and the procedures to follow to submit those mitigation requests. Again, I would remind you that there is a video presentation on the mitigation process available in the UPMA Learning Center on our national website. You can log in with your member identification number and the first two letters of your last name to enter the site and view the video at your convenience.
From what I understand from many of you this was indeed the week that was out in the field from the standpoint of mail volume. I want to say thank you to all of you for your efforts and for the efforts of your employees. I have heard from a number of you that you had more packages this week with the Columbus Day holiday than in some cases you have ever seen in your offices. From what we are being told on the national level, this is just a foretaste of what is to come during PEAK season. As always, remember to take care of yourselves and your families throughout these challenging times. Make sure that if you need support you either reach out to a fellow UPMA member, or you reach out the EAP program. EAP has some excellent help available and they are there for you and your families as a benefit provided by the Postal Service. Do not think you have to do it on your own, get the help you need.
With all of the buzz that I am hearing about a Voluntary Early Retirement (VER), I just want to say that while it has been approved there have been no decisions made at the Headquarters level as to whether a VER will be offered and if it is offered, who will receive the offer. As I receive any information, I will do my best to share what I can. So, I would caution you about listening to rumors regarding a VER. As I stated, we do not know if one will for sure be offered, if it is offered who will receive it and what the timeframe may be. At this point everything is up in the air.
Have a great weekend, stay safe and take care of yourselves and your families.
Dan Heins
UPMA National President
October 9, 2020 Update from Dan Heins, UPMA National President
Posted by Frank Augustosky on 10/09/20
Friday Message – October 9, 2020
Our National Convention is set to take place on October 28-30, in St. Louis. As I have stated previously because of restrictions at the hotel it is necessary for us to limit the attendance to up to two representatives per chapter. The registration materials for this convention have been sent to the chapter presidents and I want to remind them that the registration deadline is this coming Wednesday, October 14. We will be offering a ZOOM feed of the convention for viewing by our members; however, I do not have that information at this time. It will be shared when it is available. If you have any questions, please contact me and I will get you an answer.
On Wednesday of this week the UPMA National Executive Board voted to adopt the changes that had been proposed regarding the Postal Area Coordinator position. The decision was made based on the restructuring within the Postal Service that we would realign our Postal Area Coordinator position to align with the new areas. For those of you that may not be aware following his appointment as the Postmaster General, Mr. DeJoy made the decision that we would go from seven areas to four and that those areas would be renamed. When the Postal Service had the seven areas, UPMA actually had eight Postal Area Coordinators. There was one in each area with the exception of the Western Area which was divided into Western 1 and Western 2. For each of the eight Postal Area Coordinator positions we annually have assigned a member of the National Executive Board to be the advisor to one of the Areas.
With the new reorganization, the board has made the decision that we will have four Postal Area Coordinators, one in each of the areas. Another change that is part of this reorganization is that there will be two National Executive Board members assigned to each area. So the new areas, the Atlantic, the Southern, the Central and the Western/Pacific Areas will have one Postal Area Coordinator and two Executive Board Members that will handle issues that arise in those areas.
The other change that the board adopted was a change to Article VII of the National Bylaws that changes the term of office from three years to one year. However, we did not change the language that says that the Postal Area Coordinator is the only position on the national level within UPMA that can run for unlimited terms. Normally the election of the Postal Area Coordinators would happen during the Area meetings that we have historically held during our National Convention. So, with the change in format for the National Convention for 2020, we will be holding special elections this year to fill these one year terms. It should be noted that all of the Postal Area Coordinators terms were due to expire on October 31, 2020, because it was in 2017 that we held the first full term elections for this position.
With that in mind, the National Executive Board members that are assigned to each of the four areas will be working with the Chapter Presidents to hold these elections within the first few days of November this year. So, if serving as a Postal Area Coordinator is something you would like to do, speak with your Chapter President to let them know you are interested. Once the Executive Board members have opened up a nomination period for five days, they will then have a meeting of the Chapter Presidents where formal nominations will be done and a vote will be taken to elect the new Postal Area Coordinator. The plan calls for those that are nominated to be allowed to give a speech outlining their desire to serve and their qualifications before the vote is taken. Once the election takes place, those persons elected will serve until the 2021 National Convention. If you have any questions about the position, or the election process do not hesitate to reach out to me and I will do my best to answers those questions for you.
There has been a lot of talk about the Voluntary Early Retirement (VER) option being offered and who will be receiving the offer. At this time the Postal Service has received the authorization from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), to offer the VER. What has not been determined at this time is who may, or may not, receive an offer. I have been told that the letters to those that are eligible will not go out until sometime in December. When I have more details and have the okay from the Postal Service to release them, I will do so.
With the Columbus Day holiday on Monday, I know that some of you will be able to enjoy some time off. For others of you it is going to be a workday and for all of you it will add to the stress level on Tuesday with all of the added parcels and from what I am hearing the amount of political mail in some parts of the country is over the top compared to some elections. You couple all of that with the weather and fire issues that are prevalent in many parts of the country and it may seem at times that there is no end in sight. Just remember to take care of the things that need to be taken care of. Get as much of the mail delivered as you possibly can and if there is mail that just cannot be delivered, REPORT IT!! You need to make sure you let your manager know early in the day if you are going to be struggling in your office and ask them for their assistance. If they are unable to help you find support let them know what your office will look like at the end of the day. While I know that it is ingrained in us to make sure that we deliver every piece every day, there are just some times that that is not possible and we need to recognize that and make sure that the managers above you are aware of the situation and what the outcome will be in your office.
In closing, I want to wish you all the best this weekend and continue to stay safe.
Thanks,
Dan Heins
UPMA National President
October 2, 2020 Update from Dan Heins, UPMA National President
Posted by Frank Augustosky on 10/02/20
Friday Message – October 2, 2020
Let me begin by wishing you all a Happy New Year Fiscal Year2021! It is at this time every year that we reflect back on the last year and look ahead to the next one. I certainly wish that I could tell you that we know exactly what the goal and objectives are going to be for FY 21; however, those number have not been determined at this time. I continue to work with Postal Service Headquarters and the management team there to try to determine what direction should be taken for this year and it is still a work in progress.
As we look back at FY 2020, to say that it was a challenging year would be an understatement. With all of the natural disasters that many parts of the country have had to deal with such as hurricanes, tornadoes and wildfires, it has been a challenging year. However, as we all know there is one issue that none of us could have predicted at this time last year and that none of us ever imagined happening and that is the COVID-19 Pandemic. As I have said many times over the past seven months, I truly do appreciate the leadership you have shown in your offices and in your communities in dealing with everything related to this ongoing issue that must be dealt with. While I believe we are all praying that we will have a vaccine available sooner, rather than later, we all have to face the reality that at this time we just do not know when that is going to happen. With the huge spikes in the number of packages that you have been receiving in your offices, to the shortage of staffing that many of you have experienced, these truly are unprecedented times. As I listened in to the Western-Pacific Area end of year/kick off meeting being broadcast yesterday, it reminded me of the challenges and the opportunities that are out there now and into the future. I realize that at times it can be overwhelming and you may want to just throw in the towel. However, I want to remind you that there is a reason that you and the people you work with in your offices are called essential workers, because that is INDEED just what you are. Without your dedication and attention to details the commerce of this country and the ability of the citizens of this country to get basic supplies would be severely handicapped and may be impossible for many of them. So, once again, thank you for everything you do.
With that in mind, I wish that I could tell you that there had been a decision made on what the NPA/PFP ratings and pay outs were going to look like for last year. Again, this is an area that I am in contact with Headquarters on a regular basis. It is my hope that well before the final numbers for FY 2020 are released we have a resolution regarding how everyone will fare and what the plan for administering the program will be. I am sorry to have to ask you to hang on, but that is just what I am going to have to do for now.
The Election Mail Task Force that is meeting at the national level has been hard at work to address issues that are important to the Postal Service and to the mailing public. As I have said from the beginning, we have delivered mail and absentee ballots for many election years without any issues being raised and I am confident that we can do so again. One of the initiatives that has been put in place is Local Election Mail Task Forces at every plant in the country. I have been working with the Chapter Presidents to put together a list of UPMA members who are willing and able to assist at the Plant level to address issues as they come up. Another line of communication that is open to all of you is the Election Mail Coordinator at the District Level. If you see issues in your office from how the mail is addressed to errors in the mailing list, report it. We cannot get things corrected if we do not bring it to someone’s attention. So, if you do not know who to contact, get in touch with your manager and find out! Then report it.
Also, make sure that you are working closely with the craft employees in your offices. On Thursday, I received a call from Ronnie Stutts the National President of the National Rural Letter Carriers Association. Mr. Stutts pointed out that his members are serving in every size office in the Postal Service and he asked if we as Postmasters, Managers and Supervisors could make sure that we keep lines of communication open with the craft members. In this way they are going to feel much more a part of the process to address issues and in turn they will be more willing to bring problems that they observe forward to be taken care of. So, I would ask that those of you that have craft employees in your offices to reach out to them and get them involved in making this a very successful election season.
As we move forward this coming year make sure that whenever possible that you take time off to take care of yourself. Take some time to spend with family and friends to get recharged and to prepare yourself for whatever challenges you may have and the issues that we all know will need to be addressed. As always if you, or a family member, are feeling like you just can’t go on, remember to reach out to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for help. Even if you just need someone to talk to that is why EAP is there and that is the very reason that the Postal Service has chosen to make that help available for all of you. Take advantage of it.
Please stay safe and healthy and have a good week!
Dan Heins
UPMA National President
September 29, 2020 transcript of From The President's Desk
Posted by Frank Augustosky on 09/29/20
Greetings everyone!
Welcome to the September edition of From the President’s Desk!
As we enter the last few days of the Postal Service’s Fiscal Year 2020, I want to once again thank each and every one of you for your efforts during this very trying year. While for many of you it has been very difficult to manage your offices these past seven months with all the COVID-19 pandemic issues, the challenges actually started earlier in the fiscal year. During PEAK season in late 2019, many of you were faced with parcel volumes like you had not seen in many cases ever in your career, or in the history of the Postal Service, for that matter. Now, over the last nine months you have seen volumes on many days that rival any day during PEAK season. You have had to take extraordinary measures to make sure that the packages are delivered and that they are delivered in a timely manner. I know that in many cases, you are not told often enough by your managers how much you are appreciated for what you and the employees that work with you do every day. So, I want to say thank you for all you do every day and all you have done in 2020 and I want to wish you an early Happy New Fiscal Year 2021!
Many of you are wondering what is happening with the National Performance Assessment (NPA) program for Fiscal Years 2020 and 2021. As of today, no final decisions have been made regarding the program for either year. Last week I sent a formal proposal to the Postal Service related to what I felt should happen to be fair to all of the EAS employees that have given so much this year and who deserve to be recognized for those efforts. At the present time that proposal is being considered, along with a number of other options and I do not expect to hear anything until sometime in early to mid-October on what the final decision will be. We should know what the decision is prior to the release of the final Fiscal Year 2020 scorecards toward the end of the month of October. It is important that you know what is happening before those numbers come out and you need to make as decision as to whether, or not you will be filing for mitigation due to factors that may have affected your final score.
As far as Fiscal Year 2021 is concerned we are also still in a consultative phase on what will happen next year. With FY 2021, as with FY 2020, with all the uncertainty right now as it relates to the COVID-19 Pandemic and everything associated with this national issue, it is difficult to make a lot of plans. Also, with the new restructuring that is taking place in the Postal Service, the organization is looking at how that may, or may not, affect what types of goals are laid out for next year. I assure you that as soon as I have any information that I can share, I will do so. However, remember to keep your focus on what are the items that you can control and take care of those issues and as much as possible to put those items that are outside of your control out of your mind, for now at least. There are enough pressures on you on a daily basis without spending your energy on anything other than what is before you for the immediate future, at least.
Earlier I mentioned the mitigation process. Hopefully we will be able to come to an agreement with Postal Service Headquarters that will lessen the impact on all of you and we will reach a point that you will not feel the need to file for mitigation. However, if that is not the case you need to make sure that you are prepared for whatever may come. With that said I want to remind you that in the Learning Center on our national website, unitedpma.org, we have a video on the mitigation process. It would be a good idea if you feel this is a road you may have to go down for FY 2020, that you take the time to look at the video. If you go to the website, you will find the link for the Learning Center under the Resources tab and the “Educational” link. From there there is a link that says “Enter the UPMA Learning Center”. When you get into the center you will find the video entitled “Unit Mitigation Process Overview”. The video is just over eight minutes long and contains some very valuable information that you will find helpful if you need to go down this path. You need to make sure you are prepared before the time comes to actually do the filing.
For all of you, I would encourage you to go to the Learning Center to check out the many video presentations that are available. We have videos on a wide variety of topics on issues that you deal with sometimes on a daily basis. The nice thing about the Learning Center is that the videos are there for your use when it is convenient for you and you can watch them when you want. Also, you are able to print out the PowerPoint presentation that was used to produce the video so you can take notes while you are watching the presentation. The Learning Center is one of the many benefits you have due to your membership in UPMA.
The National Executive Board has set the dates for the National Convention. The convention will be held October 28-30, 2020, at the Marriott Grand Hotel in St. Louis. The board has made the decision that due to the current health and safety regulations that the size of the convention will be limited to up to two individuals per chapter who will be able to participate either in person or via ZOOM. However, with that said, as many people as wish to, may view the convention via ZOOM; however, we will be limiting who can speak during the convention to just those two individuals that have been registered by their respective Chapter Presidents. Also, please note that if you are an active member of the organization and you are designated as one of the two people representing your chapter, or if you just want to view the proceedings while they are taking place that you need to make sure you are not on the clock and that you are not using Postal Service equipment to do so.
There has been a request that we make a copy of the convention available for people who are not able to watch it live to do so at a later date. I am working with the company that will be providing the live feed to see what we can do to make that happen. When we get everything set up, we will post the information on how to access the ZOOM feed on our website so you will have it available to you.
Thank you for your time and I look forward to addressing you again next month.
September 25, 2020 Update from Dan Heins, UPMA National President
Posted by Frank Augustosky on 09/25/20
Friday Message – September 25, 2020
The USPS Election Mail Task Force has decided that one of the initiatives they will be undertaking is to put together “teams” at each one of the Processing and Distribution Facilities in the country. The teams will be made up of representatives from each of the craft unions, a representative from each of the management associations and the teams will be led by local leadership. Earlier this week I sent a request to each of the chapter presidents to provide the names of UPMA members near the plants that would be part of these teams. The team initial training will take place this coming week and then the meetings will begin. The purpose of the team is to address issues, not just at the plant level, but at the unit level as well. These teams will work closely with the District Election Mail Coordinator to make sure that we have as seamless a fall mailing season as we possibly can. With all the eyes that are on us this year, it is more important than ever that we do what we do best, serve the American public like we have never done before. At any time during this election mailing season if you have an issue with a county seat, an election official, or any other issues make sure you first reach out to your manager to make sure they are aware of the issue. After that, then use whatever reporting structure has been implemented in your District to make sure that you bring it to the attention of the District leadership to get some assistance to address the issue so it can be dealt with. When I have finalized the list of individuals filling these important team positions, I will post that list on the national website, unitedpma.org, so you can find out who the representative is for your plant if you have issues you want to bring to their attention as well.
This coming Thursday will be the start of a New Year, well, new Fiscal Year in the Postal Service. As always, make sure that you have all of your year end reporting and the necessary training completed as much as possible before the end of the year. Remember that with the start of the new year is the ability to start over. Starting over is going to be much more of a challenge this year with all the issues related to COVID that continue to plague the country and the Postal Service. It does not look like the increased parcel volume will be going away in the near future, or the longer term, for that matter. Continue to work with the other employees in your office to make sure that we are meeting the needs of all our customers, both the mailers and the recipients of the packages to get them delivered as soon as possible. Again, if you have issues with staffing make sure you are reaching out to someone to get assistance. The first call needs to be to your manager and then work with the leadership in neighboring offices to find any help that may be available out there.
With the end of the year approaching I know there is much apprehension out there regarding NPA and the PFP programs for this fiscal year. While I am not at liberty to say where our discussions are at on the national level at this time, I can tell you that I have been in contact with USPS Headquarters and have put together a proposal to address many of the issues with NPA that you are facing in the field and at all levels of the organization this year. With that said, I do not expect that we will be able to report what the final decision will be regarding NPA until sometime early in October. Whatever happens will have to be addressed by the Executive Leadership Team at USPS Headquarters and then the Board of Governors, as well. So, we are in a wait and see pattern at this time. As soon as I have any information, I will be sure to share it with you. For now, make sure that you are gathering the information that you need to file mitigation when the time comes so that you are prepared when that window of opportunity to file is announced.
As always, stay safe and take care of yourself, your family, and your employees.
Have a great weekend,
Dan Heins
National President
Extending the Special Exempt pay provision for all Postmasters until December 31, 2020.
Posted by Frank Augustosky on 09/23/20
Please see the letter we received today extending the Special Exempt pay provision for all Postmasters until December 31, 2020. This is the pay that must be approved by your manager and must be as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Response to UPMA 9-23-2020 Temp Modified Pay Special Exempt
Daniel M. Heins
National President
United Postmasters and Managers of America
September 18, 2020 Update from Dan Heins, UPMA National President
Posted by Frank Augustosky on 09/18/20
Friday Message – September 18, 2020
National Convention – The National Executive Board voted on Monday, September 14 to set the dates for the 2020 UPMA National Convention to take place at the Marriott Grand Hotel in St. Louis, October 28-30, 2020. In order to meet the safety and health guidelines from the CDC and those that are in place in St. Louis at the present time, it is necessary to limit the in-person attendance to up to 122 people. For that reason, we are limiting attendance to two active members per chapter who will be registered by the Chapter President directly with the National Office. The materials for this registration process have been sent to the presidents. In addition, for the first time (and hopefully the last time it will be necessary because of the pandemic) we will be offering an opportunity for the members to view the convention via ZOOM. We have contracted with an audio-visual company in St. Louis to provide us with that technology. The individuals that are registered by the chapter president as representatives from a particular chapter will be able to participate in the convention via ZOOM; however, for everyone else, the ZOOM will be for viewing only. Also, it should be noted that in order to enter the convention hall in St. Louis you will have to have a badge issued by the National Office. We will only be issuing badges to those individuals registered by their chapters, members of the National Executive Board, members of the national office staff, and others who are invited to attend by the National President. Everyone else will have to use the ZOOM option to view the convention. Also, I want to make sure everyone is aware, if you are an activeemployee of the Postal Service and you wish to either participate in the convention in person, or if you are going to be viewing the convention remotely via ZOOM, you CANNOT be on the clock and you cannot use United States Postal Service equipment to view this convention. If you have any questions, please contact us at the National Office.
Legislative Update – On Wednesday of this week, we sponsored our monthly telecoms with the chapter Legislative and PAC Chairs. During the call we stressed the fact that while we do not currently have any particular bills that are pending that we want you to reach out to your members of Congress about, we do have a Legislative Position Statement posted on our website that was developed earlier this month that gives you some talking points to contact the members now. We need to stress the importance that they get on board with support for a COVID relief package that contains a direct appropriation for the United States Postal Service to cover the costs incurred as a result of the COVID pandemic. The figures that have been contained in other pieces of legislation have had figures ranging from $10-25 Billion. While we believe it should be the $25 Billion figure, at this point any relief would be appreciated. However, the position statement that we have on the website also encourages you, when you are talking with your members or their staffs, to remind that this relief is just that relief; in no way does it address the long term needs for comprehensive Postal Reform and that we will be working on that in the next Congress. I invite you to take a look at the information available on the website regarding legislative issues and to contact your members of Congress on a regular basis.
The USPS Election Mail Task Force continues to meet on a regular basis and is looking at a number of initiatives to assure that we stay on top of the ballot processing to make sure that we assist the country in having a seamless election process when it comes to mail in/absentee balloting. One of the items that is being looked at is putting together a team at each plant that would meet on a regular basis and then daily in the time leading up to election day. The teams will be made up of individuals from each of the craft unions and the management associations. With that in mind, after I receive the list of plants that are going to have the teams associated with them, I will be tapping a number of you on the shoulder to see if you would be interested in serving the organization and the Postal Service in this way.
Karen asked that I include the piece she put together at the end of this week regarding those chapters that have held, or are planning to hold conventions from the standpoint of the First Lady of UPMA.
As always, stay safe and take care of yourself, your family, and your employees.
Have a great weekend,
Dan Heins
National President
UPMA National President
