Effective May 15, 2014, the Postal Service™ is revising the Employee and Labor Relations Manual (ELM) subchapter 920 to:
n update the terminology associated with recent collective bargaining agreements;
n update the filing procedures location from the Eagan Accounting Services Center to the Human Resources Shared Service Center; and
n add the option for using an Employee Identification Number.
Employee and Labor Relations Manual (ELM)
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9 Labor Relations
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920 Dues Withholding for Employee Organizations
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923 Eligible Organizations
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[Revise the text of 923 a. to read as follows:]
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924 Authorization for Dues Withholding
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924.1 Authorization Forms
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924.12 Labor Organizations
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[Revise the text of 924.12 a. to read as follows:]
a. For city carrier assistant employees, SF 1187, Authorization for Deduction of Union Dues for City Carrier Assistants.
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924.31 Function of Organization Representative
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[Revise the text of 924.31 b. to read as follows:]
b. Makes certain that the top portion of the form is completed: indicating the name and alpha code (see 923) of the organization; identifying each member by name, address, and Social Security number or Employee Identification Number; and showing the name and finance number of the installation where such member is officially assigned.
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924.4 Submission of Completed Authorization Form
924.41 General
[Revise the text of 924.41 as follows:]
The organization representative submits the original SF 1187 to the postal installation where the member is employed. The installation head makes sure that the “date of delivery to employer” is entered and the form is promptly forwarded to the Human Resources Shared Service Center (HRSSC). This date cannot be entered by the organization representative, except as noted in 924.422.
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924.42 Exceptions
924.421 Postmasters
[Revise the text of 924.421 to read as follows:]
The National League of Postmasters (the League) may submit the original SF 1187 through regular payroll channels to the servicing HRSSC. The National Association of Postmasters of the United States (NAPUS) processes the SF 1187 for its members to initiate dues withholding.
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924.5 Implementation of Dues Withholdings
[Revise the text of 924.5 to read as follows:]
The Eagan Accounting Services begins dues withholdings with the first full pay period following the receipt of a properly completed SF 1187 at the HRSSC. In the event that an SF 1187 is received at the HRSSC without the date of delivery filled in, the HRSSC enters the date of receipt as the “date of delivery,” and proceeds to process the form, using the “date of delivery” as the anniversary date. The HRSSC sends a copy of this annotated form with an appropriate explanation to the installation of origin for transmittal to the organization.
924.6 Certification of Amount to Be Withheld
924.62 Change by Organization
[Revise the text of 924.62 to read as follows:]
When the organization changes the amount to be withheld, a blanket authorization listing the affected employees is accepted and used for such purpose by the Eagan Accounting Services. Such notice includes the employee’s name, Social Security number, finance number, effective date, and “from” and “to” dues amounts. The notice is certified by a regional or national official of the organization and forwarded to the manager of Human Resources in the area office, who indicates approval and forwards it to the Eagan Accounting Services.
924.7 Confirmation of Correct Deduction
924.71 Notation or Earnings Statement
[Revise the text of 924.71 to read as follows:]
The amount withheld for dues is shown on PS Form 1223-B, Earnings Statement, or Electronic Earnings Statement in ePayroll.
924.72 Procedure in Case of Error
[Revise the text of 924.72 to read as follows:]
If an erroneous dues amount is withheld, the employee follows normal payroll inquiry procedures in questioning such deduction. The personnel office maintaining the employee’s official personnel folder (OPF) rechecks the amount authorized by the employee on the current SF 1187, and the HRSSC changes the employee payroll master record if it is in error. The Eagan Accounting Services does not make a retroactive adjustment unless the Postal Service is responsible for the error in dues withholding; e.g., if it fails to process a properly submitted SF 1187, or deducts an incorrect amount, or makes deductions for the wrong organization.
925 Cancellation of Dues Withholding Authorization
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925.1 Voluntary Cancellations
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925.122 Special Circumstances
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[Revise the text of 925.122 a.-d. to read as follows:]
a. Employees who enrolled in any organization before July 1, 1971, or who are members of supervisory or managerial organizations designated by Codes N, P, or S, may submit their cancellation notice at any time, but it is not processed until the first full pay period following March 1 or September 1, whichever occurs first after receipt of the form. These employees submit PS Form 1188 to the installation head, who forwards the form to the servicing HRSSC, except as noted in 925.122f.
b. An employee using the revised SF 1187 described in 924.12 may cancel only by submitting PS Form 1188 to the installation head and via certified mail to the organization’s national office not more than 20 days, and not less than 10 days before the anniversary date (date of the delivery to employer). PS Form 1188 must be date-stamped upon receipt. It is this date that is used to determine if the cancellation request was received in accordance with the above requirements.
Example: Assume an anniversary date of December 1. The employee signs and dates PS Form 1188 on November 10 and certifies that Copy 3 of the form has been sent to the organization’s national office by certified mail. To comply with the 20/10 day requirement specified above, the employing office must receive and date stamp part B of the form between November 11 and November 21. If the HRSSC receives all three copies of PS Form 1188, the entire form is returned to the employee with the reason(s) noted. The 20/10 day rule is a requirement of the revised SF 1187 that can be waived only by the union.
c. An employee whose documented position is not within a recognized bargaining unit (such as a supervisor), but who is having dues withheld for a labor organization that is recognized as a bargaining agent (see 923a), may voluntarily cancel the dues withholding authorization, effective the first full pay period after the request for cancellation is received at the HRSSC. The PS Form 1188 should be annotated to reflect the employee’s current job title and effective date.
d. The SF 1187 of a non-career employee stays in effect for 180 days following termination, even though the Postal Service does not withhold dues, to allow the employee the option of continued withholding if the employee is rehired within that 180-day period. If a non-career employee wants to cancel dues withholding when rehired, he or she may do so within 10 days by submitting PS Form 1188. A non-career employee may also cancel dues withholding according to the 20/10 day requirement, i.e., not more than 20 days, and not less than 10 days before the anniversary date. This anniversary date is the “date of delivery to employer” of the SF 1187 originally authorizing dues withholding, and this date remains fixed regardless of the number of consecutive appointments.
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925.2 Discontinued Withholding
925.21 Separation
[Revise the text of 925.21 to read as follows:]
The Postal Service discontinues dues withholding upon separation of any employee enrolled in the dues withholding program, although the process is modified for non-career employees. Dues withholding is discontinued for a non-career employee at the end of a term of employment, but the SF 1187 stays in effect for 180 days. If the employee is rehired within 180 days, the dues deduction restarts, unless the employee submits a cancellation as specified in 925.122d. After 180 days, a rehired employee must complete another SF 1187 in order to activate dues withholding.
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925.4 Cancellation Procedures
[Revise the text of 925.4 to read as follows:]
The postal installation receiving a properly executed PS Form 1188 promptly forwards the original and Copy 2 to the HRSSC. The HRSSC promptly notifies the installation head or designee of any refusal to honor PS Form 1188, and the reason for doing so, by returning Copy 2 of the completed PS Form 1188 to the employing office. The installation head or designee, in turn, notifies the employee.
925.5 Filing Procedures
[Revise the text of 925.5 to read as follows:]
All SFs 1198 (as provided by the various eligible postal organizations as specified in 923) and PS Forms 1188 requiring a payroll adjustment are sent to the HRSSC for processing. The forms are files with the permanent documents in the employee’s eOPF.
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We will incorporate these revisions into the next online update of the ELM, which is 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 Click Manuals.
The direct URL for the Postal Service PolicyNet website is http://blue.usps.gov/cpim.
— Labor Relations Policy and Programs,
Labor Relations, 5-15-14
