March 5, 2010

Thank you for contacting the NAPUS Hotline. This is Executive Director Ken Engstrom at the NAPUS national office in Alexandria, Virginia on Friday March 5, 2010.

Note: The Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) on March 2, 2010 issued a “NOTICE” establishing “Docket SS2010-1” to conduct a review of the Civil Service Retirement System (CSPS) pension liability of the United States Postal Service. Upon the Commission’s receipt and approval of the actuary’s report, together with any comments the Commission may choose to make, the report shall be submitted to the Postal Service, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and Congress.

Need to Know: The Postal Service has announced that based on the volume of applications in the “short-term supervisor selection process” and due to the effects of recent inclement weather and effects of the rural mail count process, the “short-term” supervisor selection process time limits is extended. Over 1800 vacancies were posted, with over 61,000 applications received in this process. The March 2 completion date for selections and higher level approvals has been extended to April 14.

Interesting Facts Postal Service:
CSRS Postal Employees current: 99,913 Postmasters-6,853
Oldest post office in the same building: Hinsdale, N.H. 1816
Smallest post office: Ochopee, FL. (8-feet-4-inches by 7-feet-3-inches)
Longest rural route: Route 1, Fordsville, N.D., 176.5 miles daily to serve 174 mailboxes
Shortest rural route, Route 42, Henderson, NV. 1.9 miles daily, 640 mailboxes
Number of mail pieces handled daily in 2009, 584 million
Payroll every two weeks, salary and benefits, $2.1 billion

Closing/Consolidation Post Office Committee: Chair Betty Eickler and her Committee received 134 queries on Post Offices being suspended since March 26, 2009. To date there have been 77 success stories in keeping the Post Office open. Thank you to Betty and her Committee for a job well done.

On Monday, March 1, 2010 President Bob Rapoza attended a meeting at Postal Headquarters on the issue of “redundant reporting” A report will be soon going to the “field” from the Postal Service outlining the new reporting processes.

Need to Know: (eRecourse) If you believe one or more of your core requirements ratings do not substantively reflect a fair assessment of your contribution to the work unit, NAPUS strongly recommends you document your concerns and rationale in the Performance Evaluation System (PES). As of February 5th, Postmasters have 45 days to file a recourse action. Remember if your evaluator is not in agreement and disapproves the rating recourse request, you may request a review by the next higher level evaluator within 10 days of the disapproval. The last date to file will be March 21, 2010.

As always, I am here to help you.

Ken Engstrom
Executive Director

February 26, 2010

Thank you for contacting the NAPUS Hotline. This is Executive Director Ken Engstrom at the NAPUS national office in Alexandria, Virginia on Friday February 26, 2010. Reminder: The NAPUS National 2010 Leadership & Legislative conference is fast approaching. It will be held March 20-25, 2010 and you can still attend by going to the NAPUS …Continue Reading

February 19, 2010

Thank you for contacting the NAPUS Hotline. This is Executive Director Ken Engstrom at the NAPUS national office in Alexandria, Virginia on Friday February 19, 2010. Notice: The NAPUS National 2010 Leadership & Legislative Conference is held this next month March 20-25, 2010. To register please visit the NAPUS web page under the icon titled Leadership …Continue Reading

February 12, 2010

Thank you for contacting the NAPUS Hotline. This is Executive Director Ken Engstrom at the NAPUS national office in Alexandria, Virginia on Friday February 12, 2010. REMINDER: Now is the time to register for the NAPUS 2010 Leadership & Legislative Conference which will be held over March 20-25, 2010 at the Marriott Crystal Gateway Hotel in …Continue Reading

February 5, 2010

Thank you for contacting the NAPUS Hotline. This is Executive Director Ken Engstrom at the NAPUS national office in Alexandria, Virginia on Friday February 5, 2010. Safety Alert: Many parts of the nation are being hit with severe snow and ice weather this week. Remember to dress in layers and practice the cold weather safety procedures. …Continue Reading