Effective immediately, Employee and Labor Relations Manual (ELM) sections 547.54d, 615.79, 652.31, 652.44, 664, and 673.222 are revised to reflect the responsibilities of the Office of Inspector General (OIG).
Employee and Labor Relations Manual (ELM)
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5 Employee Benefits
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540 Injury Compensation Program
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547 Third Party Liability
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547.5 Third Party Recovery Action
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547.54 Investigation
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[Revise 547.54d as follows:]
d. If an investigation of the incident was previously made by the local police, Postal Service Vehicle Services, Postal Service safety personnel, Inspection Service, Office of Inspector General, or any other organization, obtain a copy of the reports and the investigative file.
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6 Employee Relations
610 Employee Services
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615 Social Recreational Program
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615.7 Audits
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615.79 Inspection Service Audit
[Revise 615.79 as follows:]
The Office of Inspector General may periodically audit the employee social and recreational committee operations and funds, and must have complete access to all records and documents pertaining to the committee activities.
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650 Nonbargaining Disciplinary, Grievance, and Appeal Procedures
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652 Appeal Procedures
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652.3 Appeal of Letters of Warning in Lieu of Time-off Suspensions and/or Time-off Suspensions for Office of Inspector General Employees
[Revise 652.3 as follows:]
The employee may appeal the letter of decision in writing within 15 calendar days of receipt. If the employee is assigned to Headquarters or a Headquarters field unit or is in the Inspection Service, or if an area vice president is the deciding official in an action taken, the request is directed to the vice president of Labor Relations at the address shown in the letter of decision. If the employee is assigned to the Office of Inspector General, the request is to be directed to the Inspector General, or designee, at the address shown in the letter of decision. If the employee is assigned to a field installation, the request is directed to the area Human Resources manager at the address shown in the letter of decision. The review of the appeal is based solely on the record, and there is no opportunity for the employee or his or her representative to meet with the reviewing official. The reviewing official issues a written decision, and there is no further right of administrative appeal.
652.4 Other Appealable Actions
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652.44 Review
[Revise 652.44 as follows:]
The employee or representative may request a review of the Step B decision. The request of an employee administratively responsible to the area vice president is directed to the area Human Resources manager. The request of a Headquarters, Headquarters field unit, or Inspection Service employee is sent to the vice president of Labor Relations, or designee, with a copy to the Step B official, who forwards the file to the reviewing official. If the employee is assigned to the Office of Inspector General, the request for review is to be directed to the Inspector General or designee. The request is in writing and gives specific reasons why the employee believes the Step B decision should be reviewed. The request is made within 15 calendar days from receipt of the Step B decision. The reviewing official replies in writing and states the disposition of the employee’s request. This reply is final.
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660 Conduct
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664 Bribery, Undue Influence, or Coercion
[Revise 664 as follows:]
An employee must report immediately to the Office of Inspector General:
a. Any instance in which a person either within or outside the Postal Service uses or attempts to use bribery, undue influence, or coercion to induce or attempt to induce the employee to act or neglect to act in regard to official responsibilities.
b. Any information that causes the employee to believe that there has been a violation of a federal criminal statute or any law or regulation directly or indirectly related to the responsibility of the Postal Service.
Note: A copy of the report must be sent in a sealed envelope clearly marked “Restricted Information—To Be Opened by the Addressee Only,” to this address:
US POSTAL SERVICE
OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL
HOTLINE
1735 N LYNN ST 10TH FL
ARLINGTON VA 22209-2020
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670 Diversity, Equal Employment Opportunity, and Affirmative Action
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673 Policy
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673.2 Specific Commitments
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673.22 Prohibiting Discrimination and Harassment
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673.222 Sexual Harassment
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[Revise the second paragraph of 673.222 as follows:]
Postal employees who believe that they are the victims of sexual harassment may bring the situation to the attention of impartial supervisors or Human Resources managers at the appropriate organizational level. Any possible criminal conduct should be reported to the Postal Inspection Service, the Office of Inspector General, or both.
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We will incorporate these revisions into the next printed version of the ELM and into the online update available on the Postal Service PolicyNet website:
n Go to http://blue.usps.gov.
n Under “Essential Links” in the left-hand column, click PolicyNet.
n On the PolicyNet page, click Manuals.
The direct URL for the Postal Service PolicyNet website is http://blue.usps.gov/cpim.
— Office of Inspector General, 1-14-10
