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Friday Message – October 1, 2021

Legislative Summit – We had a VERY successful 2021 Legislative Summit earlier this week.   We had over 200 of our members that gathered here in the Washington, DC area.   In addition to the training our members were able to have a number of visits with the members of the US House of Representatives and the United States Senators, or their aides, either virtually, or in many cases in person up on Capitol Hill.    While the procedures have changed for getting into the office buildings including needed an escort and to be checked in, it was refreshing to have that actual face time with the members, or their aides, to discuss our issues.   The two issues that we continue to put forward are mainly the “Postal Service Reform Act of 2021” (HR 3076); and the “Social Security Fairness Act of 2021” (HR 82).    The Postal Service Reform Act is the newest Postal Reform Bill, and the Social Security Fairness Act has to do with eliminating the unfair burden that is placed on Civil Service retirees (both those that have retired from the Postal Service, but also those that have retired in the other branches of government, as well).    Both of these bills are currently waiting for action by the House Ways and Means Committee before they can come to the floor.    We are cautiously optimistic that HR 3076, will come to the floor of the House for a full vote by the end of October.    During our visits we were able to secure a number of new cosponsors on both of these bills and that is always a good thing to drive the Congressional leadership to take some action.    If you wish to contact your Representative or Senator and need the information, our position paper can be found on our website, unitedpma.org, under the link: Government Relations (unitedpma.org) and is entitled the “2021 UPMA Legislative Issue Paper.”    As always, if you need any assistance, please feel free to reach out to us here at the National Office, or to one of the members of our Government Relations Team for additional information.    The contact information for the Team is also located under the same link that I have above.   

 It is not too early to start making your plans to attend our 2022 Legislative Summit which will be held February 13-16, 2022.    While we realize that this not only falls over Valentine’s Day, but it also happens to be Super Bowl Sunday on February 13^th.    We will be looking into options to have a large Super Bowl Party and if you bring your significant other, you can spend Valentine’s Day learning some valuable information and still have time to celebrate.   The registration form will be available online in the near future and will also be included in an upcoming issue of the UPMA Leader Magazine.

 Presidential Transition – President-elect Carley and I have been meeting over the past few days to work on a number of issues related to the transition of leadership on Monday, November 1, 2021.   We are working to make this transition go as smoothly as possible and make sure that Edmund has as many of the questions he might have answered.   At the same time Dave Ravenelle and I will be working on transitioning me into the position of Executive Director that also takes place on November 1.   

Chapter Member Representative Academies - We have completed the first two of our four Chapter Member Representative (CMR) Academies and we are looking forward to the last two which will take place later this month.   On Saturday, October 16 we will be having a session in Boise, Idaho and on Saturday, October 23 we will be in Omaha, Nebraska.  If you have not registered yet, I would encourage you to speak with your Chapter President and have them get you signed up.    This training is appropriate whether you are a seasoned veteran CMR, or if you are just wanting to get some information on the program.   You will find it very beneficial either way.    We do need to know by October 1, who will be attending in Boise and by October 11, who will be going to Omaha.   Thank you for your cooperation.

Special Exempt Pay – On Thursday I received a letter from Postal Service Headquarters extending the eligibility of FLSA Special Exempt Pay for Postmasters that was authorized last year until November 30^th.   The letters are both posted on our website.

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

 Have a good week!

Dan Heins, UPMA National President