"...postal service has lost people by attrition, instituted a hiring freeze and made it clear that 16,000 employees without six years on the job lack protection from layoffs. It also is offering voluntary early retirement to those who have reached the age of 55 with 20 years' service or anyone with 25 years on the job....."
"...The Dec. 1 cost-of-living adjustment for military and federal civilian retirees, disabled veterans and survivors will be 5.8 percent, with the increase first appearing in Jan. 1 checks. The same increase will go to Social Security recipients...."
"...The termination of Tour 2 mail processing may be intended to force senior employees to retire or accept unfavorable hours of work: If that is the intent, my advice is to reject this insidious option. Layoffs continue to be a possibility..."
"...Elroy Fenner had to come up with some clever ways to get the mail where it was supposed to go – especially when there were heavy rains; he would have to take a detour from his regular route in order to get the job done...."
"... Will there be layoffs at the U.S. Postal Service? That’s the buzz among the agency’s 670,000 workers as signs grow that the agency is sliding further into financial trouble. The Postal Service has already extended early-retirement offers to more than 156,000 postal workers — roughly 20 percent of its work force...."
"...Postal carriers were punched in the face, caught in shootouts and nearly run over in Milwaukee during recent months — all as they were trying to deliver the mail, officials said...."
"...In 1910, Congress created a postal savings system. The Post Office offered small savings accounts to individual Americans. The system boomed during the Depression and World War II, with a balance of more than $3 billion in 1947 — almost $30 billion in today’s dollars. But F.D.I.C. insurance of private bank accounts removed the advantage of security from the postal savings system, and its fixed 2 percent..."
"...Featuring paintings by renowned automobile illustrator Art Fitzpatrick, the stamps showcase a 1957 Chrysler 300C, a 1957 Lincoln Premiere, a 1957 Pontiac Safari, a 1957 Studebaker Golden Hawk and a 1959 Cadillac Eldorado. The stamps roll out today..."
"...Judy Goza, T-2 Expediter at the Reno P&DC, won First Place for her 16” x 21” individual wall hanging at the Nevada State Fair in Reno, NV on August 20, 2008. The hand-embroidered, machine quilted wall hanging of the Reno MSC area (in 1994) for ZIP Codes 894, 895, 897, and 961, (representing the largest land area of any SCF),..."
"...Vision plans will provide comprehensive eye examinations and coverage for lenses, frames and contact lenses. There are no deductibles or waiting periods. Other benefits such as discounts on lasik surgery may also be available...."
"...COLUMBUS, Ohio—A man who drives a mail truck in Columbus has come to California for a special pickup: an award naming him the Postal Service's top driver. Herb Sharfenaker has never had an accident making mail runs for 43 years, going more than a million miles. He was honored Tuesday in Anaheim, Calif...."
"...Postmasters from communities around rural Alaska have been charged with embezzling funds over several years totaling several thousand dollars.
The crimes, involving postal employees from Noatak, Selawik, New Stuyahok, Minto, Stebbins and Hooper Bay, occurred over a period of several years, dating back to 2003, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Anchorage. ..."
"...Enrollees with self-only coverage will pay, on average, $4.83 more each pay period (about $125 per year) next year. Family coverage will cost an average $11.12 more per pay period. FEHB enrollees pay - on average - 30 percent of the total cost of a plan's premium, while the government pays 70 percent.
This year's Open Season begins November 10 and runs through December 8, 2008, giving employees the opportunity to change or add to their portfolio of health- and family-care insurance products.
In 2009, 10 fee-for-service plans and a number of Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO) will expand coverage of hearing benefits for adults. This enhancement follows OPM's challenge last year to health carriers - which a number accepted - to improve the coverage of diagnostic tests and hearing aids for children in 2008.
Often cited as a model health-care system, the FEHB Program is not immune to external factors that influence the cost of medical care. In fact, two private studies predict medical costs next year will rise between 9.6 percent and 10.6 percent, with the aging population, the rise of prescription drug costs and patient demand for services fueling much of the increase.
Next year's rise in the average FEHB premium is significantly less than rate hikes some are predicting for large, employer-sponsored private-sector programs.
Premiums, including the government share and the enrollee share, will increase an average 7.0 percent next year. Overall, the average enrollee share of the premium will increase 7.9 percent. Twenty percent of FEHB enrollees would see their share of premiums rise by less than 5.0 percent, based on 2008 enrollment data.
Enrollees in the Blue Cross Blue Shield Standard Option, the most popular FEHB plan choice, would see their share of the premium increase 12.9 percent for self-only coverage and 13.4 percent for self and family coverage...."
"...The U.S. Postal Service has indefinitely frozen all hiring, promotions and other personnel changes in its latest response to a worsening financial position.
"A freeze on all organizational structure changes is effective immediately," USPS Chief Human Resources Officer Anthony Vegliante wrote in a Wednesday memorandum to agency officials. "The freeze includes position upgrades, additions to complement, position neutral exchanges, and requests for new positions."..."
"...a bizarre accident while he was delivering mail Saturday afternoon on Highland Avenue. Diller was flown to York Hospital's shock trauma unit after being hit by a car and pushed into a bay window by a vehicle..."
"...This agreement provides steps that are to be taken in such an instance occurs. Those employees who's jobs may be eliminated will be moved to another opportunity within the Fort Scott Post Office or will be given a job at a different post office within a 50 mile radius. Some of the employees in the afternoon/evening shift made the decision to accept early retirement before the changes were announced. Others have been offered early retirement and were given to the end of September to make their decision. ..."
"...Just why dogs hate carriers so much remains a mystery. Some carriers have a theory that it has something to do with smell, while others feel it’s more territorial. “Dogs bark and the carrier leaves, or maybe it’s the smell of the mail that’s been touched by so many people,” Gowans said...."
"...As a current or former employee of the Federal Government, you can find general and personal information about retirement benefits and make changes concerning your annuity payment. ..."
