Emergency federal employee leave (EFEL) will no longer be available to Postal Service employees after Sept. 30. EFEL forms should not be used to cover any leave dates beyond this date. COVID-19-related absences after Sept. 30, and documentation to support such absences, must be addressed using the postal leave policies in effect at that time….
July 20, 2021 On July 16, the Postal Service unilaterally issued a revised face covering policy for employees. Under the revised policy, fully vaccinated employees are not required to wear face coverings. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), people are considered fully vaccinated…
Objective Our objective was to assess the Postal Serviceâs management of its employeesâ use of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) leave under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). In March 2020, the president declared COVID-19 pandemic to be a national emergency and signed the FFCRA into law, creating two new types of leave: Up to…
The Postal Service is continuing its efforts to educate employees about a new form of leave that has been created for federal workers in light of the coronavirus pandemic. The new leave, emergency federal employee leave (EFEL), was established under the American Rescue Plan Act, a law that took effect March 11. Under the American…
May 10, 2021 On May 7, Industrial Relations Director Vance Zimmerman wrote a letter to Kathleen McGettigan, Acting Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), requesting guidance on the interpretation of certain guidelines for Emergency Federal Employment Leave (EFEL). Director Zimmermanâs letter follows OPMâs release of the EFEL guidelines on April 29. Since the…
April 29, 2021 On April 29, 2021, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released their long-awaited guidance on EFEL. The Industrial Relations Department will be conducting a ZOOM Seminar to discuss the guidance on Thursday, May 6, 2021. The Seminar is open to National, State and Local Officers or their designees. Pre-registration is required. There…
March 19, 2021 President Dimondstein signed extensions on the COVID MOUs today (March 19), through June 4, 2021. The liberal leave policy has also been extended (see letter below). He also signed extensions on the annual leave carryover, which will allow 520 hours to be carried into leave year 2022 and career employees can also…
From: Vance Zimmerman <vzimmerman@apwu.org> Sent: Friday, March 12, 2021 Subject: New Leave Under the American Rescue Plan (ARPA) Under the new stimulus bill called the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) there was new leave for federal employees added called Emergency Federal Employee Leave (EFEL). Postal employees qualify for this leave. This evening, USPS management shared…
