TSP and Taxes

TSP and Taxes

"...Do you know the circumstances under which you can withdraw funds from your Thrift Savings Plan account without a tax penalty? Are your heirs..."    

Source: www.govexec.com

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Memorial Day

Veterans talk about holiday's significance

"..."They wanted to amputate my legs, but I wouldn't let 'em. I still have the letter to prove it," said the 77-year-old retired postal worker...."    

Source: www.ocala.com

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Corporate cherry-picking isn't delivering the goods

"...of public service privatisation and commercialisation. Not for them the pickled nostrums of the past: if the corporate world could deliver the goods, it had to be given the freest of reins. The farce of their claims couldn't have been more clearly demonstrated than in the liberalisation and creeping privatisation of Britain's postal service...."

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

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New USPS Processing and Distribution Center Construction in Nashville

Postal Service to build massive center near airport

Nashville Post (subscription) -

"... Panattoni Development Co. will oversee construction and is working with the USPS on traffic studies of the area. The new facility is likely to employ more ...
The US Postal Service plans to build a 626000-square-foot processing and distribution center near Nashville International Airport..."

Reference: www.nashvillepost.com

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TSP Investing

Who's Investing What, and Where?

"...Do you ever ask, or wonder, how your coworkers invest in the TSP?..."

Reference: www.federalnewsradio.com

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Potter at the National Postal Forum

Postmaster General Embraces Change

"...Potter spoke about new technologies that are providing these solutions — Intelligent Mail Barcode and the Flat Sequencing System (FSS). FSS is new technology that will speed the sorting and delivery of large envelopes, catalogs and magazines, quadrupling productivity. FSS machines also will be able to read the Intelligent Mail Barcode, allowing mailers and the Postal Service to track mail throughout the sortation process, improving service and reducing costs to mailers and consumers...."

Reference: www.usps.com

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Mail Network Protection Act

Support for Mail Network Protection Act Tops 100

"...The legislation, introduced last November by Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA), would require the Postal Service to bargain with postal unions before it engages in significant contracting-out and protect inexpensive, trustworthy mail service for the American public..."

Reference: www.apwu.org

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Advanced Facer Canceller Systems 200 (AFCS 200)

Siemens wins $245M contract from US Postal Service

"...from the United States Postal Service (USPS) for 550 Advanced Facer Canceller Systems (AFCS) 200 to replace and modernize its existing fleet of AFCS. The AFCS currently being used has been in service for almost 20 years and is used by the Postal Service(TM) to cancel First-Class mail...."

Reference: siemens.com

More Related Resources: Siemens Postal Automation

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Federal Worker COLA -v- Retiree COLA

You Can't Take It With You

"...The horse race between a pay raise for workers and a COLA (cost of living adjustment) for retirees has some working feds thinking..."

Reference: www.federalnewsradio.com

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Baxter The Postal Cat Needs Home

Holland cat up for adoption after joyride under postal truck's hood

"...Baxter is in need of a good home, but keep him away from postal trucks...."

Reference: www.wzzm13.com

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TSP Rewards the Patient Investor

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TSP posts positive returns as interfund transfers drop

"..."Those people who stuck it out [and did not made withdrawals], they probably have come back to pretty much flat," FRTIB Chairman Andrew Saul said, suggesting that positive returns could begin to compensate for the market's decline earlier in the year..."

Reference: www.govexec.com

Resources: TSP investors should understand the concept of Dollar Cost Averaging.


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Netflix offers service alternative to Post Office shipping of DVD

Netflix to Sell a Device for Instantly Watching Movies on TV Sets

"...Netflix, which pioneered the business of offering DVD movie rentals by mail, is now offering its 8.2 million subscribers an option to watch movies easily on their televisions without involving the post office..."

Reference: www.nytimes.com

Other Resources: Netflix Ready Device

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Halma Post Office Closure

Minn. - Sen. Coleman fights to save Halma P.O.

"...has sent a letter to the U.S. Postmaster General to call attention to the closing of small-town post offices in Minnesota and the dwindling number of qualified postmasters in the region..."

Reference: www.grandforksherald.com

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More Post Office Closures

Some peeved by post office plans

"...“The boundaries you talked about far exceed Rockaway Beach — are you telling us you’re going to take our post office out of our city?” resident and business owner Carol Szabo asked...."

Reference: www.bransondailynews.com

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Encoding Center Closing

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Selma Postal Encoding Center Closing

"...About one hundred full-time workers will be offered transfers, while about three hundred part-time workers will loose their jobs..."

Reference: www.cbs47.tv

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Postal Service Faces Challenges

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Economy and Internet challenge U.S. Postal Service

"...This year, the Service expects about 10 percent growth in Priority Mail, Express Mail and related products that compete with Fedex Corp, United Parcel Service and other companies, Donahoe said. ..."

Reference: www.reuters.com

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PRICHARD, AL. -- Prichard postal worker shot

"...shot in the chest with a pellet gun while delivering the mail. Postal worker stated that he felt a sharp pain to his chest, it was later discovered he had sustained a minor injury to the chests and was not transported to a hospital..."

Reference: www.myfoxgulfcoast.com

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Postal Service remote-encoding center to close

Postal service to close East Pittsburgh facility

"..."We've closed 47 of these centers across the country already. Pittsburgh is one of the last eight of these sites," said Tad Kelly, a postal service spokesman for the Pittsburgh region..."

Reference: www.pittsburghlive.com

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Anger Over TV Series Titled Going Postal: 15 Shocking Acts of Violence

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William Burrus, President of the American Postal Workers Union recently wrote an article stating that the E! Television Series Is Offensive to Postal Workers. “The title of the series is an affront to more than 700,000 hard-working postal employees who are stigmatized by the cruel stereotype that suggests that postal workers are violent sociopaths,” APWU President William Burrus wrote in a letter to Brian L. Roberts, Chairman and CEO of Comcast [PDF], which owns E! “Of course, statistics show that postal employees are no more likely to engage in acts of violence than the public at large,” the union president said.

NOTE: We at The Postal Newsgroup understand this is television and the American people are intelligent enough not to lump all posties into the category of crazy. You can bet there will be as many postal employees watching this program as anyone else. I have my DVR programmed in that direction already! On that note, we thank Mr. Burrus for standing up for postal employees as he should, while at the same time we thank E! for the insight into these horrific events. Maybe this will help us identify the signs of people that are over the edge ...in all walks of life.

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RALEIGH, NC, USPS Telecommunication Services Office: Employment Opportunity

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While surfing the net for quality articles to provide our readers, we found an "Employment Opportunity" with the USPS.The position is in RALEIGH, NC, at the USPS Telecommunication Services Office. This looks like a great job. SPECIAL NOTE: Current career Postal Service employees are ineligible to apply to this posting. The closing date on this position is May 21, 2008. External Recruitment Announcement
Information Technology.

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Postal Early Out: VERA Information in case the rumors come to fruition

Are you contemplating a possible early retirement from your postal career? If you are, and you are reading this, then you are already one step ahead of the majority. You are obviously someone who is seeking information so you can make the most informative decision you can make. Anyone keeping up with the economics of the mailing industry can tell you there are changes going on in this industry. The leader in this industry is the United States Postal Service. The mailing industry has been seriously eroded by the internet. The USPS has been damaged not only from the internet, but by the corporate competition of large mailers and large mail movers. These groups have pressured congress to force the Postal Service to relinquish the monopoly it had once held. They have found success in convincing government and the masses, that the USPS should compete with large mailers. So unless the Universal Service requirement prevails, the postal service employment numbers will decline substantially. According to the USPS, mail volume has declined substantially. As we have been taught, "for every action, there is an equal..." or greater reaction. So the writing on the wall is this: Mail volume is rapidly declining, the postal service must reduce employees. The hopes are that this reduction will take place through attrition. However, it must be factored in that people are working longer than in the past due to a greater life expectancy, as well as the fact that cost of health care and energy have made retiring cost prohibitive. Therefore, as the rumors support, the USPS will more than likely have to convince employees to retire by offering some type of voluntary early retirement incentive. Most likely, since the USPS has been forced to compete with private industry, the employees of the USPS and their unions, will insist on buyout incentives equating to large cash offers, no early-out "age" penalties, and reasonable health insurance coverage. OPM has the basic starting point for this. The OPM website explains this as VERA or Voluntary Early Retirement Authority, which allows agencies that are undergoing substantial restructuring, reshaping, downsizing, transfer of function, or reorganization to temporarily lower the age and service requirements in order to increase the number of employees who are eligible for retirement. The authority encourages more voluntary separations and helps the agency complete the needed organizational change with minimal disruption to the work force. By offering these short term opportunities, an agency can make it possible for employees to receive an immediate annuity years before they would otherwise be eligible.

An agency must request VERA and receive approval from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) before the agency may offer early retirement to its employees. The approval from OPM will stipulate a period of time during which the option will remain available. Many agencies have been granted agency-specific VERA and are not required to seek OPM approval for their use of this option.

With this being said, as a postal employee or federal employee, you should familiarize yourself with VERA. Take a look at OPM's website at https://www.opm.gov/employ/vera/vera01.asp.

The website says, Voluntary Early Retirement offers apply to employees covered under both the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). When an agency has received VERA approval from OPM, an employee who meets the general eligibility requirements may be eligible to retire early. The employee must:

1. Meet the minimum age and service requirements -
* At least age 50 with at least 20 years creditable Federal service, OR
* Any age with at least 25 years creditable Federal service;
2. Have served in a position covered by the OPM authorization for the minimum time specified by OPM (usually 30 days prior to the date of the agency request);
3. Serve in a position covered by the agency's VERA plan; and
4. Separate by the close of the early-out period.

There is no annuity reduction in FERS for employees who retire on an early voluntary retirement under age 55. A FERS Transferee with a CSRS Component in his/her annuity, who retires before age 55, will have the CSRS portion of the payable annuity reduced by one-sixth of one percent for each full month he/she is under age 55. No reduction will be applied to the FERS component of the annuity.

A FERS Annuity Supplement is payable to an employee who has completed at least one calendar year of FERS service when he/she reaches Minimum Retirement Age (MRA). MRA is age 55 to 57, depending on date of birth. The annuity supplement is payable until eligibility for Social Security begins at age 62, subject to an earnings limitation.

The OPM VERA website is very informative and a "must" read for all postal employees considering retirement.

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Postal Service revoked Centralia's ZIP code

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Centralia Mine Fire

"...Centralia is a borough in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, United States. Its population has dwindled from over 1,000 residents in 1981 to 12 in 2005[1] and 9 in 2007,[2] as a result of a 46-year-old mine fire burning beneath the borough. Centralia is now the least-populous municipality in Pennsylvania..."

Reference: en.wikipedia.org

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Nalcrest Florida 33856 ...Postal Retirmement Community

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Nalcrest: A retirement that's union-made

"...Bill Doherty turned the first shovel of earth on July 1, 1962, and Nalcrest—it stands for National Association of Letter Carriers Retirement, Education, Security and Training—began to take shape in central Florida.

Down the road is one of only a handful of union-built communities in the country, but Fedhaven went bankrupt years ago. No so for Nalcrest, which remains nonprofit. In 2002, the Nalcrest Foundation made its final mortgage payment and is no longer under U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development regulations...."

Reference: www.nalc.org

Postal Service service must act more like a private company

Price of Stamps Not the Only Thing to Change for U.S. Postal Service

"...A new federal law mandates that the mail service must act more like a private company by showing profits. Also, it has not and will not receive government subsidization. "Tax payers aren't paying our wages. They haven't for years, and a lot of people still think that we're government subsidized and we're not," says Liz Snow, an Idaho Falls Post Master..."

Reference: www.localnews8.com

Postal Rate Change Tips

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USPS Rate-Change Tips for E-tailers

"...No Fuel Surcharge for USPS
While this may discouraging, Mike Colgate, of Endicia, said that one benefit of the USPS service is that there are no extra charges. "There are about 90 different surcharges you can get from private carriers, the top four being for fuel, rural addresses, incorrect addressing and residential status," he said. "Private carriers can cost up to three times as much as the USPS with these added to the bill."..."

Reference: www.ecommerce-guide.com

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Undelivered Mail Found at Former Postal Service employee's home

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100,000 Pieces Of Undelivered Mail Found At Postal Worker's Home

"...the mail was taken to the Raleigh distribution center where they are still going through the mail to determine what can and can not be delivered at this late date..."

Reference: www.nbc17.com

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Postage Stamps Rise 1 cent on Monday, May 12, 2008

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USPS Announces New Prices as of Monday

"...The restructured price list offers some savings, among which reduced Express Mail prices for items shipped to addresses closer to home, lower online postage prices for Express Mail and Priority Mail and Volume Express Mail price rebates for frequent shippers...." Reference: www.efluxmedia.com

From the Auderbach Collection

Posted: 05.11.2008 @ 10:00 PM Central

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2008 Federal SES Executive Pay Schedule

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OPM has posted the 2008 Salary Tables at their website.



Reference: http://www.opm.gov/oca/08tables/

OPM Issues Findings from the 2008 Survey of the Senior Executive Service

News Advisory

"...On Tuesday, May 13, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will issue the governmentwide results from the 2008 Survey of the Senior Executive Service. The Survey, which was administered on-line in January and February to all SES (career, noncareer and term), focused on the new SES pay-for-performance system, executive development and general attitudes toward work..."

Reference: opm.gov

Frank Sinatra Stamp

Postal Chairman of the Board to Deliver ‘The’ Chairman of the Board
"...Frank Sinatra Stamp to be issued May 13 Special Ceremonies in New York City, Las Vegas and Hoboken, NJ..."
Reference: www.usps.com

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Unions Attempt to Preserve Postal Universal Service for the American People

Postal Reform Act Is No Endorsement of Privatization
"...“The issue of the Universal Service Obligation is a public policy issue; it cannot and should not be driven solely by economists of any political stripe or of all political stripes,” Reid testified. “The Postal Service belongs to the American people. It is a fundamental service provided to the American people.”..."
Reference: www.apwu.org

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U.S.P.S. Post $707 Million Loss Quarter 2, 2008

U.S. Postal Service lost $707 mln in 2nd quarter

"...The Postal Service has cut costs and increased efficiency, reducing its work hours by more than 18 million during first two quarters of 2008 compared with same period in 2007..."
Reference: www.reuters.com

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FERS Special Retirement Supplement

QUESTION: Does the Special Supplement approximate the amount of Social Security I will get at age 62?

ANSWER: No. The Special Supplement approximates the portion of an estimated Social Security benefit that you would earn during civilian service that is creditable toward the FERS portion of your annuity. Since the formula for the Special Supplement assumes a working life of 40 years, each year of FERS service is worth one-fortieth of the estimated Social Security benefit.

This information and more on the FERS Social Security Supplement can be found at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management Online

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FERS Social Security Supplement

Under the Federal Employees Retirement System, what needs to be provided to receive the Social Security supplement for those retiring before age 62? "...meant to mimic the Social Security benefit (based only on your FERS civilian service), it actually is paid as part of the FERS basic retirement benefit from the Office of Personnel Management. Receiving the FERS supplement does not affect the amount of your Social Security benefit at 62...." Reference: www.govexec.com

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Mail Handler National Convention

OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL MEMBERS TO GET INVOLVED IN 2008 NPMHU NATIONAL CONVENTION "...The Credentials Committee is chaired this year by Local 321 (Colorado) Vice President Don Gonzales, and also includes (in alphabetical order) Mark Addington, President of Local 327 (Montana); Bob Blum, Vice President of Local 300 (New York metropolitan area); Don Chapman, President of Local 325 (Mississippi); Julio Figueroa, President of Local 313 (Puerto Rico); Lisa Greer, Recording Secretary and N. Metro Branch President of Local 310 (Georgia); Teresa Harmon, Virginia State Executive Board Member of Local 305 (Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and the District of Columbia); Jessie Leonard, President of Local 317 (Alabama); and Bruce Phillips, President of Local 329 (Arkansas and Tennessee).

Meeting in July will be several committees that will consider all proposals that are timely submitted to amend the NPMHU constitutions or for adoption as resolutions by the elected delegates. To become involved in this process, mail handlers who are members in good standing of the NPMHU are allowed to submit proposals for consideration first by these committees, and ultimately by the delegates meeting in Convention. To submit proposals, mail handlers must follow the requirements set forth in the NPMHU National Constitution...." Reference: www.npmhu.org

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Graffiti on USPS Mailboxes...

Painting graffiti on private or public property is a crime

"...U.S. Postal Service spokeswoman in Indianapolis, Kim Yates, said one postal employee is assigned to handle mailboxes damaged by graffiti. He uses a cleaner to remove the graffiti paint. If this doesn't work he paints the box on site or swaps it for another one. Yates said the Postal Service in Indianapolis averages graffiti removal on five boxes a week. Report such graffiti to your local post office..."
Reference: indystar.com


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Forever Stamp Humor

Now's the time to become a stamp collector
"...I am going to take my hoard of stamps, put them away in the safety deposit box like savings bonds, then one day when the rest of you are paying $4 to mail a water bill, I'll be doing the same at a tenth the cost. I shared this brilliant financial strategy with my wife, in hopes she might let me invest the government rebate check George Bush is mailing out this month..."

Reference: chronicle.augusta.com

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Postal Employee Jury Duty Scam

Postal worker gets 5 months for fraudulent jury service
"...summoned for jury service in October 2003 and served on a jury. But then he submitted fraudulent documents to his boss showing he was away on jury service many days past the time he was dismissed. He was caught when a supervisor became suspicious when he repeated the scam in 2006...."
Reference: www.examiner.com

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Postal Service Launching Competitive Expedited Mail Prices

Express Mail Will Be the Best Overnight Deal in the Country for Most Shippers "...“We are excited to offer our customers these price incentives — a first for the Postal Service,” said Gary Reblin, vice president, Expedited Mail. “We already have world-class products and first-rate service, and our new prices make us the best value in the market.”..." Resource: www.usps.com

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USPS Retaliation for Unfair Labor Practice

Court Upholds Unfair Labor Charge Against USPS

"...The case stemmed from an incident on Aug. 25, 2004, when an employee at a Florida post office discovered white powder in a tray of letters. Mindful of incidents involving anthrax in the mail, several workers protested the supervisor’s instructions to process the mail. The supervisor told the shop steward at the Destin post office to shut up, and an employee filed an unfair labor practice charge, alleging that the supervisor had refused to allow the shop steward to perform his duties...."

Reference: www.apwu.org

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Forever Stamps

Postal customers buy Forever stamps before prices rise

"...On May 12, the cost of sending a first-class letter will rise a penny to 42 cents. But the United States Post Office's Forever stamps -- which are always valid for mailing a letter -- still are selling for 41 cents...."

Reference: www.islandpacket.com

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TSP Returns April 2008

Thrift Savings Plan Return April 2008


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Bryant Annex Post Office Postal Supervisor Problems

Postal workers go postal with picket
"...Limin said. “He’s a bully with a big ego. ”Branch 214 also sent us a letter signed by dozens of workers demanding that post office managers intervene: “[Malig] constantly threatens most of the employees with discipline even without basis just to harass and intimidate us. He yells and screams at almost anyone who disagrees with him. His continued unprofessionalism created a … hostile environment for all the employees under his supervision. He lacks integrity, honesty and truthfulness in every interaction with the employees … This strange, erratic and sarcastic behavior is of great concern to each and every one of us.”..."
Reference: www.sfbg.com

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Air Force Reserve 60th anniversary pictorial cancellation

The Air Force Reserve 60th anniversary pictorial cancellation will continue through June 14.




Above is a pictorial cancellation stamp to be used by the U.S. Postal Service to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Air Force Reserve. The stamp will be used from April 14 to June 14 at the Marietta, Ga., Post Office.

Pictorial Postmarks
60th Anniversary of the USAFR Station
257 Lawrence Street
Marietta, GA 30060-9998

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Carrier Arrested After Boxing Dog Running Wild In Neighborhood

Here's a sad story ...sad for the innocent little puppy and sad for the postal carrier that protected the little pup from getting ran over and squashed by putting it in a box on a politician's porch to highlight the loose dog issue. Unfortunately, the puppy may have been injured in his escape from the box. Unfortunate as well, is the fact that the postal carrier may have accidentally injured his own career while attempting to protect the dog and shed light on a problem of dogs running loose in the neighborhood. Take a look at an article on the story from the Dallas News. The story: Irving postal carrier who left dog on mayor's doorstep arrested. We offer best wishes to the puppy in his recovery, as well as the postal carrier in his efforts to clear his name.

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Most Expensive Stamp Ever: lenticular technology

Austrian Post has created a stamp using lenticular technology. The stamp was created by superposing 48 recorded television images on the stamp. This creates an optical effect producing what appears to be a three minute film. For more information on the stamp go to: http://www.post.at/en/271_7694.php
To order the stamp go to: http://www.post.at/eshop/philatelieshop/detail.php?prod=208240


© Austrian Post 2008

Reference: Visit Austrian Post (English version) at: http://www.post.at/en/
Visit Austrian Post in Native Language at: Die Post ...Die Post bringt allen was.

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Record Profits For Big Oil Companies

Exxon’s $10.9-billion profit disappoints...
"...Last year, ExxonMobil’s record $41 billion in earnings was the highest ever for a U.S. corporation. At the same time, oil prices this year have nearly doubled from 2007, at times rising well above $100. Drivers also are outraged over retail gas prices topping $4 around the USA...."
Reference: www.freep.com

GPS Mail Logger

Here is an interesting item we found on the internet while searching for interesting articles to post. This item is a GPS mail tracking unit that can identify where your mail has been. This looks like a great item for bulk mailers to determine where mail delays may be taking place. Take a look at the website for the BrickHouse Security Micro GPS Mail Logger. The site reads as follows:

Discover Delays And Inefficiencies In Delivery With GPS Location
The U.S. Postal Service delivers more than 212 billion pieces of mail annually and they are constantly looking for new ways to improve efficiency and eliminate delays. The answer? The GPS Mail Logger. At half of an inch thin, this GPS Mail Logger is the world�s only GPS Tracking Device that can be mailed in an envelope. Evaluate the effectiveness of your delivery service by pinpointing inefficiencies or delays in the delivery process.

Features

* Tracks your mail with GPS location
* Records your mail�s downtime to pinpoint inefficiencies and delays in the delivery process
* Customized time interval records your mail�s movement as often as your like
* Battery lasts for up to 2 weeks on motion-activated "e;Tilt Mode"e; or 20 continuous hours with minute-by-minute updates
* Fits into an envelope at � of an inch thin
* Integrates directly with Google Earth
* Use it to track mail anywhere in the world
* GPS Location information is stored onto a removable MicroSD card for later review
* Records location, speed, and altitude anywhere in the world for later review

If you have used this item, please leave a comment or a screen capture of a tracking report. Thanks!

new automation mail preparation standards

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Ross-Simons Slams Proposed USPS Rule Change For ‘Slim-Jim’ Processing
"...the USPS says in its proposal that “many slim-jims will jam letter automation equipment or become significantly damaged during processing. To avoid these problems, slim-jims often are run on flat-sorting equipment, where they process without significant problems, but at significantly greater cost. To rectify this situation, the Postal Service is developing new automation mail preparation standards for letter-size booklets and folded self-mailers that more accurately characterize which pieces can be run on its primary letter-sorting equipment”..."
Reference: multichannelmerchant.com

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Postal Carrier Dogged for Making a Point

Chihuahua delivered to mayor's doorstep "...contends that he has complained about the puppy wandering loose in his neighborhood, and animal control failed to correct the problem. After the pooch "made sexual advances"..."
Reference: blogs.roanoke.com from a story in the Dallas Morning News

How can I be a postal service mystery shopper?

Postal Service looking for secret shoppers: The Real Deal 4/30/08 "...You can’t just sign up for the program, however. Certain zip codes are chosen, and people living in those zip codes are sent letters at random. While secret shoppers may get to keep items they buy while on the job, the Postal Service isn’t offering you anything in return for your taking part in the program..."
Reference:

The National Postal Museum Needs Your Help

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The Smithsonian National Postal Museum is looking for photographs and memorabilia of postal employees
"...especially interested in photographs of employees from the 1940s to the present. The photographs are being sought in connection with the upcoming “Portrait of the Postal Worker” exhibit, scheduled to open in March 2010...."
Reference: www.npmhu.org

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schedules for economic stimulus payments

Below are the schedules for economic stimulus payments related to tax returns processed by April 15, 2008:

Letter Carriers Food Drive is May 10, 2008

ABOUT STAMP OUT HUNGER
On Saturday May 10th, letter carriers in more than 10,000 communities will collect food items and deliver them to local food banks to help some of the millions of Americans, including an estimated 13 million children, who face hunger every day.

Since 1993, families have donated more than a half-billion pounds of food to Stamp Out Hunger. You can help make this year our most successful ever.
Simply place bags filled with nonperishable food items like canned meats and fish, canned soup, juice, pasta, vegetables, cereal and rice next to your mailbox on Saturday, May 10th. *

Your letter carrier will pick up the bags and deliver them to your local food bank.

* Please do not include out-of-date items or those in glass containers.

Forever Stamp

Every Time a Bell Rings… Another Forever Stamp is Sold: Postal Service Customers Prepare for New Prices on May 12 "...The Forever Stamp, as the name suggests, can be used to mail a one-ounce First-Class Mail letter at any time in the future without additional postage, regardless of when the stamps are purchased or used and no matter how prices may change. Customers who buy Forever Stamps now at the current First-Class Mail stamp price of 41 cents will save a penny when the price of stamps — including the Forever Stamp — increases to 42 cents on May 12...."
Reference: www.usps.com

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www.fedexwatch.com References Book

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New York Times Reporter Writes About FedEx in New Book "...The New York Times is serializing parts of Greenhouse’s book. The April 20 Sunday Times had an extensive excerpt that focused on former FedEx Ground driver Jean Capobianco..."
Reference: www.fedexwatch.com

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Cookeville Postal Retiree Serves Online Radio To The Masses

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We always like to find articles about what postal employees do when they retire. Here's an article on Bill Barnes who is riding the waves ...internet waves that is. Surf on over. Support a retired postal worker by dropping by his website and requesting a song. Tell him "The Postal Newsgroup" sent you! Here is the article out of Cookeville, Tennessee.Cookeville man hits the Internet radio waves "...COOKEVILLE -- Bill Barnes of Cookeville has amassed thousands of songs in his years as a DJ for hire. Now he's going to share those songs with the whole community through a two-hour online radio show which airs from 3-5 p.m. every Monday through Friday at http://community.loudcity.com/stations/thebman38502-yahoo-com...."
Reference: www.herald-citizen.com

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TSP Snapshot

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Here is the April 2008 TSP SnapShot:
Click to enlarge image please


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The Juan Rodriguez Postal Collection

Postal collection reminds Juan Rodriguez of his years of service "...The pieces bring back memories of his time as a postal carrier in Miami, delivering mail to such places as residential neighborhoods and the Miami International Merchandise Mart..."
Reference: www.thevillagesdailysun.com

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Classic Car Stamps

Postal Service provides ‘sneak peek’ at Classic Car Stamps "...Ever wanted to own a classic car but couldn’t afford one? Later this fall, 50 million Detroit classics will roll out of the nation’s 37,000 Post Office show rooms as the second issuance in the America on the Move commemorative stamps series. The 50s Fins and Chrome 42-cent First-Class stamps go on sale Oct. 3, and feature paintings by renowned automobile illustrator Art. M. Fitzpatrick—a ’57 Chrysler 300C, ’57 Lincoln Premiere, ’57 Pontiac Safari, ’57 Studebaker Golden Hawk and a ’59 Cadillac Eldorado. The stamps were modeled after cars still on the road today...."
Reference: www.usps.com

TSP Auto Enrollment?

Board to press for automatic TSP enrollment of new employees
"...draft legislation prepared by the board, new or rehired employees would have 3 percent of their basic pay automatically contributed to one of TSP’s L Funds as soon as they begin work, unless they specifically decline to participate. Employees would have 90 days to opt out of the program and receive a full refund. ..."

Source: www.federaltimes.com

Collection Box Blues

Postal Worker Finds $2,300 In Envelope

"... The owner accidently dropped the enveloped in the postal collection box instead of the bank's deposit box...

Source: www.newsnet5.com

CPI-W

Charting average weekly earnings for U.S. workers
"... ..."

Source: www.reliableplant.com

Provide public comment on universal postal service

Postal Regulatory Commission Initiates Public Outreach on Universal Postal Service Study "...The Postal Regulatory Commission today established Docket No. PI2008-3 and invited public comment on universal postal service and the postal monopoly in the United States. The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA) requires the Commission to submit a report to the President and Congress on “universal postal service and the postal monopoly in the United States, including the monopoly on the delivery of mail and on access to mailboxes. The report is to be submitted not later than December 19, 2008...."
[Reference: www.graphicartsonline.com]

Reference Material:

Universal Postal Service: The obligation that everyone in every part of the country gets the same type of mail service for the same price.

Postal Regulatory Commission

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United States Postal Service ‘Electronic Postmark’

Striata Adds the United States Postal Service ‘Electronic Postmark’ to its Secure eDocument Delivery and eBilling Solutions "...This new offering guarantees email document delivery, increases inbox penetration, adds the legal protection of the United States Postal Service Electronic Postmark™ and significantly enhances consumer trust...."
[Reference: www.emediawire.com]

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OPM Launches Enhanced Telework Website

Does the postal service offer employees the opportunity to work at home via the internet/intranet? The postal service participate in telework. The telework website lists a telework cordinator.

U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Linda M. Springer today announced the launch of an enhanced interagency telework website, www.telework.gov. The updated site features a series of user-friendly improvements designed to make telework information more accessible and understandable to Federal employees.

The site: www.telework.gov/

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Postal Carrier Lisa Harrell Saves Baby

Postal worker saves infant who fell from second-floor window "...City police said Lisa Harrell was making a package delivery to 306 Second St. about 11 a.m. when she noticed the child in an upstairs window that was open and did not have the screen pulled down. Harrell started to walked to the front door when she was struck in the head, police said. Unsure of what hit her, she put her arms out and the child fell into her arms, according to police...."
[Reference: www.dailygazette.com]

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stamps were stolen

Melcher Used Newspaper, Tin Foil To Trick Machines, Prosecutors Say "...and four other people allegedly stole $10,486 worth of stamps and other postal property between October and December 2006, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The stamps were stolen from vending machines inside the post offices, the paper reported...."
[Reference: www.thebostonchannel.com]

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New USPS Equipment

New equipment to lower USPS costs as revenue declines "...Postmaster General John Potter said the agency’s quarterly revenue indicators were “bad.” “These are not normal times,” Potter said. “Economic problems have deepened … and they have been sending waves of turbulence through the Postal Service.”..."
[Reference: www.federaltimes.com]

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Postal Carrier Town USA: NalcRest, Florida

Retired postal workers have town to call their own "...Located on 300 acres, about 7 miles east of Lake Wales in Polk County, Nalcrest contains 500 apartments. They are full, almost exclusively, with former carriers and their spouses. The village is meant to provide a safe, social and warm retreat for the mail veterans, most of whom completed their 25 to 30 years of service...."
[Reference: www.palmbeachpost.com]

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New American Flag Stamps Issued

American Flag Never Looked So Beautiful "... Each of the four first-class stamps features a painting created by Laura Stutzman of Mountain Lake Park, MD. “I’m a huge fan of painted flags,” says Stutzman, who used gouache on illustration board to capture the “living, breathing force” of her subject.

The Flags 24/7 stamps will be available for purchase in Post Offices, on usps.com, and by calling 800-STAMP-24 starting Friday, April 18, 2008..."
[Reference: www.usps.com]

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Postal Arbitration

Profile: Qualified for Medicare and Still Works as Arbitrator-Mediator "...flying to Oklahoma City and, then, driving to Elk City, Oklahoma in order to arbitrate a dispute between the US Postal Service and the American Postal Workers Union there over a staffing issue. In fact, Helburn has often arbitrated contract interpretation and discipline issues in the past at many other US Post offices in the Southwest and Southeast, as he has also done at Federal Express and Southwest Airlines too, among others...."

[Reference: www.fedsmith.com]

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Human Remains Lost in the Mail

Lost in the Mail "...Now, postal officials from Texas to Virginia to USPS headquarters in Washington, who were alerted to the unfortunate set of circumstances late Friday by Inside the Beltway, are scrambling to find not only the remains, but also determine how something so horrific occurred in the first place..."
[Reference: washingtontimes.com]

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Postal Service Goes Green

USPS launches "green" Web site "...promoting the agency's eco-friendly products and services, as well as recommended “green” practices for mailers. The new Web site can be accessed at www.usps.com/green. ..."
[Reference: www.dmnews.com]

Click Below to see a larger version of this screen capture

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Jacksonville Beach post office finds new home

The new site is at 1348 Beach Blvd. in a shopping center. "...The new post office at 1348 Beach Blvd. in a corner of the shopping center where two buildings join, will require four tenants to move to other space in the complex. Rosenberg said the agency will spend about $4.2 million to retrofit the 10,000-square-foot facility. The post office will make the move over a weekend so it won't disrupt service, he said..."
[Reference: www.jacksonville.com]
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Union Donation

[APWU] Union’s Big Contribution Helps Save Small-Town Post Office "...The APWU has given a one-of-a-kind gift to the people of McCausland, Iowa: a donation of $30,000 to help save their post office. The contribution will pay for renovations to a building the small town purchased in order to stave off threats by the USPS to discontinue regular postal service for its 300 residents...."

Reference: APWU]

Federal CSRS and FERS COLA

Retiree COLA Gets Sweeter "...FERS employees get a reduced COLA (usually 1 percentage point less than the actual rise in inflation) starting at age 62...."
[Reference: www.federalnewsradio.com]


File: 2009 COLA Forecast

Postal Service Ends Tax Night Tradition in Some Areas

Post office lacks customer service "...Joseph Breckenridge, the U.S. Postal Service's Alabama spokesman, tried to turn the situation on its head. The Postal Service didn't announce there would be extended hours on April 15, so customers shouldn't have expected them, he said...."
[Reference: www.tuscaloosanews.com]

File Under: Tuscaloosa, Alabama

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Post Office Extends Hours at Some Offices for Last Minute Tax Filers

Huntsville Alabama Post Office Hours, April 15 2008 Tax Day:
Drop your taxes at one of the following locations to get an April 15 postmark. The Following U.S. Postal Service Huntsville locations are open until midnight Tuesday night.

The Huntsville Processing & Distribution Facility, 3408 Wall Triana Hwy.

615 Clinton Ave.

645 Wynn Drive

2501 Mastin Lake Road

3605 Governors Drive

8401 Whitesburg Drive

File Under: Post Office Extends Hours
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Reference: Postal News Network

Post Office Extends Hours for Tax Filing Deadline

Many Post Offices across the nation will accept Blue Box collection mail until midnight April 15, to accommodate all of us procrastinating the filing of our taxes. Check your local newspapers and television stations to determine if your Post Office has extended hours for collection of tax filing.

File Under: Post Office Hours

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Food Inflation, Riots Spark Worries for World Leaders

IMF, World Bank Push for Solutions "...World Bank President Robert Zoellick warned in a recent speech that 33 countries are at risk of social upheaval because of rising food prices. Those could include Indonesia, Yemen, Ghana, Uzbekistan and the Philippines..."
[Reference: The Wall Street Journal]

File Under: Economy Worries World Leaders
World Bank

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Post Office Hours and Tax Time

Postal Service tips for last-minute tax filers "...Postal officials are encouraging customers to send their mail early in the day to avoid expected crowds and remind mailers to affix correct postage. First-class, letter-size mail requires 41 cents for the first ounce and 17 cents for each additional ounce...."
[Reference: deseretnews.com]

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National Center for Employee Development (NCED)

What is NCED? NCED is an acronym for the National Center for Employee Development which is a training and conference facility, centrally located in Norman, Oklahoma. The website explains it as the "main NCED campus at NCED is a 72-acre, postal-owned site at 24th and Imhoff Road in Norman, Oklahoma. Although the Postal Service is still NCED's biggest customer, whose employees attend job skills and information training, we also welcome other businesses and groups."

File Under: Postal Training

USPS: Age Discrimination Suit

Former letter carrier sues Postal Service "...After filing a formal complaint with the Postal Service's Equal Employment Opportunity Office in 2003, Marinelli says his boss refused to approve an incentive payment for buying a new personal vehicle, which rural carriers use to deliver mail; refused him leave and vacation time; demanded he show a doctor's note for a sick day; and unfairly increased his work load, among other complaints. Several of those disputes were settled in Marinelli's favor through his union, the suit says. Marinelli said he temporarily went on stress leave at the height of his problems...."
[Reference: www.metrowestdailynews.com]

More Sources: Age Discrimination (EEOC)

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Postal employee rights: Religion in the workplace

Circuit courts address religion in workplace "All four cases affect how much employees are protected in the workplace, and all four courts found in favor of the employer. In a final recent opinion that dealt with religion in the workplace, however (Sturgill v. UPS), a UPS employee prevailed over the delivery company that fired him for refusing to deliver packages after his Sabbath began on Friday evenings."
[Reference: www.firstamendmentcenter.org]

More Sources: Religious Accommodation (EEOC)

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U. S. Postal Service charged expenses to government purchase cards

U.S. Postal Service defends $13,500 dinner charge "...For this occasion, USPS paid for 81 dinners averaging over $160 per person for customers of the Postal Customer Council at an upscale steak restaurant. Further, USPS paid for over 200 appetizers and over $3,000 of alcohol, including more than 40 bottles of wine costing more than $50 each and brand-name liquor such as Courvoisier, Belvedere, and Johnny Walker Gold...."
[Reference: usatoday.com]

Promotional postcards prove profitable, popular

A three-partner firm found a successful niche in offering ad and mailing expertise to small businesses "...they founded Minneapolis-based PostcardBuilder, a company that has accumulated more than 2,000 clients in virtually every state and has grown to nearly $4 million in annual revenue...."
[Reference: www.startribune.com]

File Under: Bulk Mail Services

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Lavish Postal Service Dinner Party

Lavish $13,500 Postal Service Dinner Party Held At Orlando Restaurant "...At Ruth's Chris Steak House, the motto is, "You can have it all," and a new report from the Government Accountability Office says that's what the U.S. Postal Service tried to give 81 special guests who were attending a national conference in Orlando in 2006..."
[Reference: www.wftv.com]

File Under: Postal Service Pork

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Turkeys Go Postal on Postal Workers

Postal Workers Attacked by Wild Turkeys "...the turkeys are attracted to the red, white and blue postal trucks...."
[Reference: www.channel3000.com]

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NAACP sides with Richmond-area postal workers

It asks FBI to investigate claims of 'unrealistic goals' set by local management "...executive director of the NAACP's Virginia Conference, said the civil-rights group got involved "because the people came to us." "We have heard from others who are afraid of retaliation," he said. "They want an impartial investigation, so why not ask the Federal Bureau of Investigation to do that?" He wrote a letter to the FBI's Richmond office on April 1 seeking an investigation...."
[Reference: www.inrich.com]

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Where did the candidates get their money

The amount raised by 2008 presidential candidates, according to www.whitehouseforsale.org, is $692,939,128. Where did that money come from? Much of the money comes from bundlers. Bundling is the practice of one donor gathering donations from many different individuals in an organization or community and presenting the sum to a campaign. This is a legal manner in which to give large sums of money, yet remain within the restrictions set by law. Go to www.whitehouseforsale.org to identify these bundlers.

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What is the best career for the future?

If you are looking for a new career or assisting your children in career choices, you will find the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH), 2008-09 Edition might come in handy. The Occupational Outlook Handbook tells you:

* training and education needed
* earnings
* expected job prospects
* what workers do on the job
* working conditions
Example: Postal Service Workers

Home Raided by Postal Inspectors

Postal inspectors raid home in identity theft probe "...Postal service officials declined to reveal who they were looking for or what they discovered with the federal search warrant. No one connected with the investigation was arrested. ..."
[Reference: www.theoutlookonline.com]

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Postal Customers Not Happy With Removal of Stamp Vending Machines

Postal Service fails us — again "...Private enterprise seems to be able to cope with the challenge of keeping vending machines, where everything from soft drinks to headache remedies can be bought, in operation. Why can’t the Postal Service?
..."
[Reference: www.messengernews.net]

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Postal Employee Retirement

Polled and Pushed on Diversity "...About 26,000 federal employees, who are paid through the General Services Administration, are in the first phase of RetireEZ. The U.S. Postal Service, with about 700,000 employees, will join the retirement modernization project next. The OPM expects that about 2,000 postal employees will file retirement claims every month and that will provide a better sense of how the new system functions, Springer said...."
[Reference: www.washingtonpost.com]

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Federal Pay Raise and COLAs

Pay Raise & COLAs "...The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) increased 0.5 percent in January 2008 according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (www.bls.gov/cpi or 202/691-6994). Released on February 20, the CPI-W for January is 206.7. For purposes of calculating the next COLA (cost-of-living adjustment) the index is currently 1.5 percent above the 2007 third quarter average base index of 203.6..."
[Reference: www.federalnewsradio.com]

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MILWAUKEE - Postal Workers Attacked

Two Postal Workers Recovering After Attacks "... MILWAUKEE - Two letter carriers in Milwaukee are recovering after attacks in their neighborhoods...."
[Reference: www.todaystmj4.com]

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Photo Stamps

Create your own real postage stamps with your photo of choice "...put your own picture on your stamps. Imagine sending a birthday card to your mother ...when she gets it in the mail, it has a stamp on it that is a picture of her holding you in her arms...."


[Reference: postal-edaily.blogspot.com]

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Chantilly Virginia Postal Employees Infected

Chantilly Postal Workers Test Positive for Tuberculosis "...a worker at the post office had an active case of the disease. Fairfax County health officials found that 32 of the more than 120 employees had been exposed..."
[Reference: www.washingtonpost.com]

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OPM Issues Report On Its New RetireEZ Program

New Program is permanently transforming retirement process "..."We are pleased to report the majority of cases that processed to date under RetireEZ matched the legacy calculation," said OPM Director Linda M. Springer. "In all Wave 1 cases OPM paid full retirement benefits at the payment commencement date. No longer are retirees under the new system receiving interim payments and waiting for months until their actual payment amounts are calculated. This success is directly attributable to the transformation of millions of paper records to automated data that underlies the modernization. All Wave 1 new retirees are getting better service because of RetireEZ."..."
[Reference: www.opm.gov]
www.retireez.gov

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