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Friday Message – March 12, 2021

Pay Consultations - There has been an update as it relates to the timeline for opening Pay Consultations for Postmasters.   It was announced this past Monday that the NALC has ratified their contract and that now starts the timeline for Pay Consultation to begin.   As Title 39 states, once the largest union has ratified their contract (in this case that is the NALC), then the Postal Service has up to 45 days to present a proposed Pay Package to UPMA for consideration.   So, the Postal Service has until April 22^nd to get that proposal to us.   Once we have that proposal, we will review it and we will review it and identify issues that we want to bring forward for consideration.    Once the meetings start to discuss the proposal and our UPMA issues there is no exact timeline regarding when the final pay package will be released.   However, I believe both sides are eager to have something settled and in place as soon as possible.    I will let you know what I can as things move forward.

Training/Informational Session - We had another excellent presentation last evening on the SWC’s program by Mari Beth Kirkland.    There will be another opportunity for you to participate next Thursday evening, March 18, at 9:00 PM EDT.    You can register for the session ahead of time using the link below, or by going to our website, unitedpma.org and registering there.

Title:  Do I Qualify for a Supervisor? Understanding the Supervisor Workload Credit (SWC) Program

Date: Thursday, March 18, 2021
Time: 9:00 pm EST

Meeting Link: https://ltcpartners.webex.com/ltcpartners/onstage/g.php?MTID=ed7ddf1b7ea0cee9413cd98f96428f425

We will continue to offer these types of training/informational opportunities over the coming months.   They will be held on the second Thursday of the month at 7:30 PM Eastern Time and on the third Thursday of the month at 9:00 PM Eastern Time.    The upcoming topics that will be covered are April – Webcoins; May – Grievance Handling and Requests for Information; June – It looks like I might be receiving discipline, what do I do; and July – I need to post a position in my office, what process do I follow.    If you have any suggestions for future topics, please get those to me at dheins@unitedpma.org.

Chapter Conventions - As the Chapter Convention season starts tomorrow with the Florida Convention, I wanted to remind you all to make sure that you are checking the website and checking with your chapter officers regarding what their plans are for a convention for your Chapter.   So far we have approximately 33 Chapters that have scheduled their conventions and have notified us at the National Office.   If you do not see your chapter on the list and the plans are in place, please contact Gerri Swarm and let her know so that we can get your chapter’s information publicized.

Membership Promotion - I just wanted to remind everyone that we have the special membership promotion going on from now until August 31, 2021.   Any EAS person who joins UPMA during this timeframe will not have to pay dues for the first year of their membership.    The last year has been a very trying one for membership as we were very limited in what type of activities we were able to take advantage of and with the limited face to face meetings, it proved to be a real challenge.    It is the hope of the Executive Board that this will encourage you to reach out to that non-member, Postmaster, Manager, or Supervisor and encourage them to join UPMA.   As always, if you need any materials to help you in your recruitment efforts, there a number of good resources on the national website, unitedpma.org, or you can call our Membership Director, Frank Augustosky at the National Office.   He will be more than willing to share some ideas with you.  

Political/Election Mail Checklist - If you have not all received the notification, it is my understanding that Postal Service Headquarters has shut down the AM/PM Political/Election Mail “All Clear” Checklist Certification requirement for Delivery and Retail facilities.   This change was made effective on Wednesday of this week.   I guess this proves that persistence in asking that they reevaluate this process has paid off.    As the notification that was forwarded to me states, this change is effective until the next national election or “when the need arises for activation during local or state elections.”   If for some reason you have not had this change put in place in your District, or Area, reach out and we will work on getting this correction made.

As I have said many times, stay safe, practice social distancing and wear your masks to protect yourself and others.

Take care,

Dan Heins
UPMA National President