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Friday Message – May 28, 2021

Upcoming Training – In the month of June we will once again be offering our training sessions that we sponsor in cooperation with FedPoint.  The training will cover the topic: It Looks Like I Might be Getting Discipline - What Do I Do?   The first session will take place on Thursday, June 10^th at 7:30 PM EDT and the second one will be Thursday, June 17^th at 9:00 PM EDT.   The links to sign up for the training is on our website, unitedpma.org.   If you click on this link, it should take you to the page to sign up for either of the sessions.  Online Training Schedule (unitedpma.org).   We are offering these sessions to give you the opportunity to gain some information that you may not currently have, and this class is offered to prepare you in case you get that unexpected call from your manager that they want to see you in their office and when you ask if it could lead to discipline and they say yes, you will be prepared and know what to do.

NPA 2021 – Last week I shared the information that the Postal Service has released the numbers and the plan for Fiscal Year 2021.    Well, they put out the numbers and we have posted that information on the website; however, since that time I have found out that this has not been finalized and we do not actually know what the NPA and the Pay for Performance (PFP) system will look like for 2021.   As I receive more information, I will be sure to share it with you.

National Convention – Last week I had the opportunity to meet with members of the Ohio Chapter at their convention at the Kalahari Resort in Sandusky, which will be the site of the 2021 National Convention.    We were able to come up with some great ideas for fun and exciting events that you will have the opportunity to enjoy along with the convention business sessions.   This year we will not be having a dance on Saturday night, instead we will be offering a number of activities for you to take part in.   There will be an evening dinner cruise and city lights tour that will be going out of the harbor in Cleveland.  You will be able to take a bus over to Cleveland and after the boat ride you will be returned to Kalahari.   There is more information on the cruise on our website, or it will be available in the next issue of the UPMA Leader magazine.  Also, on Saturday night we will be offering a Trivia Contest hosted by National Vice President Rich Springer, a Jewelry Making Class by Ohio’s own Jill Groves, a Paint and Wine event, possibly a cupcake decorating class, and a class on taking the best pictures possible with your cell phone.   The details of the cupcake decorating, and the photography class are still being worked on.   Also, be sure to check out the website and the last issue of the Leader for information on the tours and the golf tournament that we will be offering on Tuesday, August 17^th starting around 11 AM.   All of this is, of course, in addition to the other speakers we have invited from Postal Service Headquarters and the training sessions we have planned on Monday and Wednesday afternoons.   More details on the training sessions should be included in the next issue of the Leader, as well.

Restructuring – The restructuring process is moving forward and all the employees that will be receiving Reduction in Force (RIF) letters should be receiving those today.     The letters will outline how the individual will be affected and what their rights are regarding bidding and the potential landing spots that will be available to them.    The first round of bidding for impacted and non-impacted employees in the target areas will begin this coming Tuesday, June 1.    At any time if you are one of the impacted individuals, your best source for information is either your District, or Area, Human Resources office.    I would remind you to just keep in mind that the process is evolving and could change if situations warrant those changes, but I have been assured that the USPS will do everything possible to keep everyone informed as changes happen.   I also know that there are a number of you out in the field who do not understand why all of the over 4,000 EAS vacancies that are out there are not open to everyone at this time.   This RIF process and the process of placing individuals following this restructuring are in some cases dictated by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and some are long standing policies that have been in place as long as these types of events have been happening in our organization.    The goal is to have a process that is as minimally disruptive as possible to the people who are directly affected by the job changes, or in some cases the elimination of their positions.

Chapter Conventions – If your chapter has not yet held their Chapter convention, I would encourage you to take advantage of the opportunity that the convention presents to allow you to have your questions answered by UPMA and Postal leadership to allow you to stay as well informed as possible.   If you are not sure when your convention is taking place, check out our website under the events tab for the spreadsheet that gives you the dates and locations of all  the chapters we have heard from here at the National Office.   If at any time you have questions and want to verify that the information on dates and location are correct, I would recommend that your contact one of your state officers for further information.   If you do not have the officer’s contact information you can either find it on the website or call us here at the National Office and we will give you that information.

Memorial Day – As we head into the long Memorial Day weekend, please take time to think about the ultimate sacrifice that many people have given over the years in the many wars our countries military has been involved in.   Also, as always, remember when you have a chance to thank a veteran for their time in the service.   Without the work of our veterans, our country would be very different and we would not be able to enjoy the many freedoms that we have.

As always, take care and stay safe and follow the guidelines as presented by the CDC and the Postal Service.    

Have a good week!

Dan Heins
UPMA National President