APWU Industrial Relations ZOOM Seminar: Emergency Federal Employee Leave (EFEL)

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…

 Continue reading

USPS Memo Addressing Emergency Federal Employee Leave (EFEL)

NPMHU – March 19, 2021 Please find linked below a copy of the above referenced memorandum from the Postal Service regarding the American Rescue Plan Act – Emergency Federal Employee Leave (EFEL). According to the Postal Service, this memorandum supplements the March 12, 2021, memorandum addressing the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) – Emergency Federal…

 Continue reading

COVID-19 is an Act of God (Nature)

The USPS COVID-19 decision tree (1-21-2021) says when a non-symptomatic employee shares a household with a COVID-19 positive individual or has been exposed outside of work to a COVID-19 positive individual, they are to be sent home without pay unless they use their own annual or sick leave. The employee that reveals this private information…

 Continue reading

USPS: Benefits enrollment period begins next week

Open season, the annual period when Postal Service employees can change their health benefits or enroll in a new plan, begins Monday, Nov. 9. A variety of health, vision and dental coverage is available through the following plans and programs: Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB) USPS Health Benefits Plan (USPSHBP) for non-career employees only…

 Continue reading

2021 FERS Cost Of Living Adjustment will be 1.3% 

HOW THE COLA IS CALCULATED The 2021 FERS retiree COLA is based on the third quarter (July, August, September) average CPI-W index (1982-84=100) in 2020 over the 2019 third quarter average. However, if the CPI-W quarterly average increases 3% or more, they subtract 1%. For example, a 5% increase in the quarterly CPI-W average results…

 Continue reading

USPS Mandatory Stand-Up Talk: Impacts of New Leave on Retirement and TSP

“Since the introduction of the new leave types, the Office of Personnel Management has provided official guidance that leave payments under the FFCRA are not eligible for retirement and Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) deductions.” Related: USPS: OPM clarifies pandemic leave effect on retirement deductions

 Continue reading

USPS reminds employees to update their beneficiary forms

The Postal Service wants employees to have up-to-date beneficiary forms for life insurance and other benefits. While completing a beneficiary form is not mandatory, doing so allows an employee to choose who will receive payment. If an employee does not name a beneficiary, payment will be made to the next of kin according to a…

 Continue reading