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USPSNEWS@WORK


Open Seasons

Open Seasons are just around the corner!

Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) runs from Nov. 14 to Dec. 13 at 5:00 P.M. CT. During FEHB Open Season, employees have the opportunity to enroll or make changes to their existing plan.

Flexible Spending Account (FSA) runs from Nov. 14 to Dec. 31 at 5:00 P.M. CT. With FSA, employees can set aside money for medical and dental deductibles, co-pays and more - tax free.

Annual Leave Exchange (ALE) runs from Nov. 15 to Dec. 15 at 11:59 P.M. CT. ALE provides an option for eligible employees to receive a lump sum payment in exchange for a portion of annual leave that would otherwise be advanced at the beginning of the 2006 leave year.

And the Thrift Savings Plan? Open all year around!

When Open Seasons begin, use PostalEASE to make any elections. Have your employee ID and USPS PIN handy. PostalEASE is available at Employee Self Service kiosks, on the Postal Service Intranet and on LiteBlue, or you can use PostalEASE by calling 877-477-3273, (877-4PS-EASE) toll-free.

One-year EAS compensation packages developed

Pay consultations between the Postal Service and the National Association of Postmasters of the United States (NAPUS) and the National League of Postmasters (League) have concluded, resulting in a 1-year compensation package that will remain in effect through fiscal year (FY) 2006. In addition, pay consultations with the National Association of Postal Supervisors (NAPS) have concluded covering the same time frame.

Under the current Pay-for-Performance Program retained for FY 2006, postmasters and supervisors are measured on their individual contributions using a performance matrix that will make them eligible for pay increases of up to 12 percent.

Salary ranges will increase 2.25 percent for EAS 11 and above EAS postmasters and supervisors. Additional information soon will be provided to the field on the final EAS compensation package.

Headquarters/area office pay for performance extended to FY 2006

Salary ranges for Headquarters and area office EAS employees will increase 2.25 percent for EAS-11 and above, with the same pay provisions as field EAS and postmasters. The performance pay matrix remains the same as used in FY 2004 and 2005. Details will be provided to each officer shortly.

Premium Forwarding Service peak sign-up season

Handouts and Posters imageThe Connecticut District used PFS handouts, posters and customer letters to promote the new service.

Leaves are falling and "snowbird" season approaches - the perfect time to sign up customers for Premium Forwarding Service (PFS).

PFS - a 2-year experiment launched in August - ships mail to residential customers who are away from their main address for 2 weeks to up to 1 year.

Connecticut District Manager Gerry Ahern used several methods to announce PFS to postmasters and station managers so they could promote it to customers as another temporary forwarding option. The Connecticut District has enrolled 386 customers - accounting for almost half of PFS revenue-to-date for the Northeast Area.

More than 6,900 customers nationwide have chosen PFS since its kickoff. The average customer signs up for about 7 weeks of service.

Mail services re-established for all New Orleans ZIP Codes

Image of mail carrierLetter Carrier Brenda Branch makes deliveries along Royal Street in New Orleans' French Quarter.

Mail services have been re-established for every New Orleans ZIP Code.

Mail delivery resumed in the French Quarter and parts of the New Orleans business district. Carriers are making street deliveries where accessible, and over-the-counter service is available for all others.

For details of New Orleans service, go to www.usps.com; click on About USPS & News; then Postal News; then Go under Mail Service Updates. The direct Web site address is http://www.usps.com/communications/news/serviceupdates.htm.

Meanwhile, with the city of Houston ending its temporary housing operations for hurricane evacuees at the George R. Brown Convention Center, USPS has discontinued the temporary ZIP Codes for mail addressed to residents displaced by the hurricanes. Evacuees are reminded to file change-of-address forms for their new temporary or permanent forwarding address if they haven't already done so.

A Postal Service thank you

USPS has expressed its thanks to uniform manufacturers and distributors across the country - Ames Uniforms, Arslan Uniforms, Brocato Uniforms, Brookfield Uniforms, Elbeco, Fechheimer Brothers and Muscatello Uniforms - who donated uniforms to our offices and employees affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The Uniform Program also wishes to thank all employees who helped from the Southeast and Southwest Area district and local offices, as well as the American Postal Workers Union and the National Association of Letter Carriers for coordinating the collection and distribution of the donated uniforms.

PostalPEOPLE helps HR self service evolve

Kathryn  Mackey demonstrates personnel kiosk features to a St. Paul, MN, employee
Kathryn Mackey demonstrates personnel kiosk features to a St. Paul, MN, employee. Northland District is one of the pilot performance clusters in the PostalPEOPLE initiative.

There's an evolution going on at the Postal Service. Human Resources (HR) is evolving - getting rid of outdated, paper-driven systems that create more work for everyone.

PostalPEOPLE will bring most other personnel tasks up to the same standard by streamlining, standardizing and automating transactions - letting you take charge of HR needs yourself - when and where you want.

To visit PostalPEOPLE on the Postal Service Intranet (http://blue.usps.gov) and LiteBlue (http://liteblue.usps.gov), click on Inside USPS, then PostalPEOPLE/ Human Capital Enterprise/HR Shared Service. You'll need your employee ID number found on your earnings statement and your USPS PIN to access LiteBlue.

Supply chain management impact tops $2.15 billion

Supply chain management logo.The impact supply chain management (SCM) has had on the Postal Service has been tremendous - more than $780 million in FY 2005. Since 2000, cumulative SCM impact helped reduced costs and increase savings by more than $2.15 billion!

SCM best practices such as strategic sourcing, early supplier involvement, cross-functional integration, continuous process improvement, strategic cost management and technology innovation are used to determine SCM impact. Results from these best practices directly support the Postal Service's Transformation Plan objectives to reduce costs and increase customer satisfaction.