APWU Web News Article 74-2012, June 13, 2012
The APWU filed a complaint with the Postal Regulatory Commission on June 12 seeking to stop the Postal Service from implementing Phase 1 of its consolidation plan, which calls for the USPS to consolidate 48 mail processing plants this summer and to lower service standards effective July 1. The USPS cannot implement the changes without first obtaining an advisory opinion from the commission, the complaint says.
Federal law requires the USPS to seek an advisory opinion from the PRC whenever it plans to make nationwide changes in service, but the commission doesn’t expect to issue a formal opinion on the plan until close to Labor Day.
Noting that “the Postal Service case is extremely lengthy, technical and complex,” the APWU complaint [PDF] alleges that the USPS failed to submit the plan to the PRC far enough in advance of the July 1 implementation date.
The complaint points out that the Postal Service has made numerous revisions to its plan, as well as to the testimony of USPS witnesses in support of the consolidation plan and projections for savings.
The USPS announced a modified, two-stage version of its network consolidation plan on May 17, and filed a formal notice of the revised plan on May 25. In addition to the consolidation of 48 Processing and Distribution Centers by the end of August, Phase 1 calls for another 92 plants to be consolidated or closed in 2013. Phase 2 calls for an additional 89 plants to be consolidated by the end of 2014, for a total of 229 – half of the nation’s mail processing centers. The PRC was considering an earlier version of the plan when the USPS announced a revised timetable, along with changes to plans for service standards reductions and revised projections for savings.
Under the modified plan, overnight delivery of first-class mail will be limited to “intra-SCF” [sectional center facility] mail beginning July 1. Periodical mail will also be slowed. Beginning in 2014, overnight delivery of first-class mail would be available only to large presort mailers and periodical mail will be further slowed.
The complaint also contends that the service cuts scheduled for July 1 are unnecessary, unsupported by the evidence, and in violation of federal law that establishes criteria for service.
At a June 7 hearing on the modified plan, the APWU asserted that the Postal Service justify the plan by relying on testimony and evidence presented to the commission about the earlier version of the plan.
“Given the complete lack of analysis and evidence, there appears to be no justification for management’s claims of an estimated $1.2 billion in savings from Phase 1 of the plan,” APWU counsel told the panel.
“The Postal Service is attempting to make an end-run around the requirement to seek an opinion from the PRC before implementing a nationwide change in service,” APWU President Cliff Guffey said. “This is a disservice to the American people, who rely on the USPS to deliver mail, medicine and packages in a timely manner.”
The commission is currently considering four separate USPS proposals to cut service, including its proposal to downgrade service standards and a proposal to reduce the hours at approximately half of the nation’s post offices.
In May, in response to stiff opposition to a plan the USPS presented in October 2011, the Postal Service announced it would implement the consolidations over a two-year period. The USPS projects savings of $1.2 billion per year during Phase 1 and $2.1 billion after Phase 2, but the Postal Service cannot support the projected savings, the union noted at the hearing.
District Manager
Help, please tell us where you get your information. I hope you are correct.
jacnorcal, Hang On……Just Hang in there. It will be offered in just days. Looks like 15K. 7500……… then another 7500 minus taxes. Its just a matter of days now. You are 100% spot on. Many of use check every day on various websites to see if a VER is offered.
Personally, I have been preparing for leaving the Postal Service the past three years. At this point in time I don’t even care if an incentive is offered (of course it would be better) because I’m ready. Why couldn’t they (OPM, Post Office, Board of Governor’s, PMG, who ever the Hell) just come up with VER with no penalties? Just like the housing crunch, everyone could have been offered 4% loans back in 08. Now interest rates are less than 4% and many people cannot finance a loan because of bad credit. Everything is Political. Let us access our TSP annunity along with our Social Security which we all paid into without raking us across the coals in taxes.
All I can say is what happened to our VER offer? What I see our APWU doing is holding these other issues over the heads of the PO to negoiate them before they do our offer, I’m going to make this as clear as possible, not just me, but many, many of us clerks accross this nation, WANT OUR EARLY OUT OFFER ! WE SCAN THESE WEBS EVERY SINGLE DAY LOOKING AND HOPING FOR ONE AND ALL YOU DO IS STALL, STALL, STALL, PLEASE HEAR US, NEGOIATE OUR OFFER SO WE CAN GET OUT! We know that you’re trying to save your own jobs, and that of many of the reamaining clerks and maintinance workers, but please also think about us poor, tired, overworked, long, too long postal clerks who just want out. Your membership will survive because you know as well as I do that the PO will turn around and hire thousands of PSE’s which is cheap labor for them, and of course you have the right to unionize them, so do it, replace them with us, and you can go on. I believe eventually that Congress will be forced to save us at the last minute, even though it probably won’t be the perfect solution for the PO as we are hoping for. But life goes on, you’ll survive in one way or the other. But just let us go and reitre in peace, pleas consider us before you object to everyting else.
“thou shall not speak evil of the ruler of thy people…”
will this country ever get over racism?
Clean out the country of all those who deny the Christ!
If anarchy comes, so will Diarrhea Law! (Sharia law), and no one can say if Imodium ( Headhunters) will be in time!
Be careful you thugs, you cause trouble and Booger Hussein Osama will call for Diarrhea law, and all will cry out for Imodium! “We are all MooseLimbs”, president Barocky Oblama ,when speaking to the Jewish Defense league.
On the bloody heads of Saracen Kings, the talk is on and on, it is not a game of chess, more like checkers, the meetings are actually productive, just like the contract, no leaks,you don’t want the news until it is a done deal, come on brothers and sisters!, would Cliff let you down?, seriously, they have already made some deals,and they do have some time to do it in, but well before the convention.
USPS Offers Separation Incentive to NALC Employees
6.14.2012 – USPS reports: “USPS is offering a Voluntary Early Retirement (VER) opportunity to employees represented by the National Association of Letter Carriers ( NALC ) In addition, USPS has reached an agreement with the NALC to offer a separation incentive (up to $15,000) to employees the organization represents.” – NALC Statement – Federal Times
All I can say is how can the PRC make any decisions using the bogus and totally false information provided to them from PMG Donahoe and his cronies? You know the old computer saying…Garbage in, garbage out.
Racist pig.
Be careful you thugs, you cause trouble and Booger Hussein Osama will call for Diarrhea law, and all will cry out for Imodium! “We are all MooseLimbs”, president Barocky Oblama ,when speaking to the Jewish Defense league.
On the bloody heads of Saracen Kings, the talk is on and on, it is not a game of chess, more like checkers, the meetings are actually productive, just like the contract, no leaks,you don’t want the news until it is a done deal, come on brothers and sisters!, would Cliff let you down?, seriously, they have already made some deals,and they do have some time to do it in, but well before the convention.
ill Manley
Director
Support Services Division
8009-34th Avenue, South
Suite 1250
Bloomington, MN 55425
(952) 854-0093
(952) 854-0268 (FAX)
Sharyn Stone
Central Region Coordinator
55 E. Jackson Blvd.
Suite 400
Chicago, Il 60604
312-986-8645
312-986-8747 (FAX)
(312) 786-0390 (TDD)
Mike Gallagher
Eastern Region Coordinator
1401 Liberty Place
Sicklerville, NJ 08081
856-740-0633
(856) 740-0742 (FAX)
(856) 740-0715 (TDD)
John H. Dirzius
Northeast Region Coordinator
5 N. Village Ave., Suite 3
Rockville Centre, NY 11570
(516) 678-1327
(516) 766-0967 (FAX)
(516) 678-1813 (TDD)
Princella Vogel
Southern Region Coordinator
15055 Woodham Dr., S. 100
Houston, TX 77073-6024
(281) 821-9000
(281) 821-9028 (FAX)
(281) 447-5378 (TDD)
Omar M. Gonzalez
Western Region Coordin
APWU NATIONAL EXECUTIVE BOARD
Cliff Guffey
President
(202) 842-4250
(202) 842-4297 (FAX)
Greg Bell
Executive Vice President
(202) 842-4250
(202) 842-4297 (FAX)
Elizabeth Powell
Secretary-Treasurer
(202) 842-4215
(202) 842-8530 (FAX)
Mike Morris
Director
Industrial Relations
(202) 842-4273
(202) 371-0992 (FAX)
Rob Strunk
Director
Clerk Division
(202) 842-4220
(202) 842-8517 (FAX)
Steven G. Raymer
Director
Maintenance Division
(202) 842-4213
(202) 289-3746 (FAX)
Robert C. Pritchard
Director
Motor Vehicle Division
(202) 842-4240
(202) 842-8517 (FAX)
Bill Manley
Director
Support Services Division
8009-34th Avenue, South
The APWU should be ashamed for the poor representation of their membership!