Leadership Gathers in Louisville, KY for Semi-Annual Meeting of the Local Unions

               On Monday, April 25, 2002, the SAMLU meeting was convened in Louisville, KY. In attendance were the National Executive Board Members, General Counsel, all NPMHU National Office Department heads, National and Regional Contract Administration Representatives, Officers, and Representatives of all thirty-six Local Unions.

           National President Hogrogian in his opening remarks congratulated the three recently re-elected Local Presidents; Felandria Jackson (Local 305), Jim Haggarty (Local 307) and Bob Griffith (Local 330). In addition, President Hogrogian congratulated other recently elected and re-elected Local Union Officers who were in attendance.

          National President Hogrogian recognized recently retired Western Region Director and Denver Field Office Manager, David Ross. National President Hogrogian and National Secretary-Treasurer Hora thanked Brother Ross for his forty years of dedicated service to the NPMHU.

          National President Hogrogian provided a comprehensive report to the attendees on a variety of topics to include:

• Update on USPS year-end financial report for FY 2021. The USPS had a net loss of $6.9 billion for the fiscal year and a net operational loss of $2.4 billion.
• Total mail volume in 2021 was down 0.21% compared to last fiscal year. Due to the total mail volume decline, the USPS is projecting a deficit of $10 billion annually and $160 billion over the next 10 years. The recently enacted postal reform and Postal Rate Commission rate determination should significantly reduce the projected deficit.
• The USPS Ten-Year Plan sets forth a series of strategies by which USPS Management hopes to improve service and financial stability. The major points of the Ten-Year Plan include: (1) commitment to 6/7day delivery; (2) new delivery vehicles; (3) planning for package growth; (4) establishing 46 package support annexes; (5) stabilizing the non-career workforce while retaining employee benefits; (6) consolidating and standardizing mail processing operations in select installations; (7) post plan-retail improvements; (8) increased utilization of ground transportation versus air transportation; (9) service standards modification that include 4 & 5 day delivery standards; (10) postal reform; and (11) acquired rate flexibility.
• Update on closing and consolidations, mail moves, and refreshing of Area Mail Processing feasibility studies. In addition, the Postmaster General’s conceptual network redesign based on facility proximity, volume, standardization, and transportation opportunities.
• Subcontracting and redesign of STC network and National level disputes filed.
• Comprehensive update on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. All existing COVID-19 Memorandum of Understandings expire on May 6,2022.
• Mail Handler craft complement and the Mail Handler Assistants path to career. Four prominent MOUs were signed in December 2020, March 2021, June 2021, and March 2022 which resulted in the conversion of 13,974 MHAs to full-time regular. There has been a total of 31,967 MHAs converted to full-time regular career status.
• National Bargaining and negotiations for the 2022 National Agreement start on June 10, 2022. Over eight hundred contract proposals were reviewed and debated by the Field Negotiating Committee which met February 7-11, 2022, in Washington DC. The National Office will widely disseminate special bulletins throughout the bargaining process.

           NPMHU Women’s Committee Report was presented by Committee Chair and Vice President Central Region/ Local 306 President June Harris.

          NPMHU Legislative and Political Director Katie Maddocks provided a report on legislative accomplishments of the union, as well as what can be expected with the 2022 midterm elections. While this is a significant win for NPMHU by putting the Postal Service on the path to fiscal stability, our members have questions about how this law will affect them. To this point, Katie discussed the impact of the Medicare integration provision on current and retired postal employees within Postal Service Reform Act (PSRA). Additionally, NPMHU has put together a page at npmhu.org that features frequently asked questions about the PSRA and Medicare. Political Director Maddocks also reviewed contributions and trends to the NPMHU Political Action Committee.

       Contract Administration Department Manager Teresa Harmon then provided a full report and entertained questions and comments from various attendees on the activities of the Contract Administration Department since the last meeting of the Local Unions. CAD Representative Tom Ruther led discussions on the RI399 Update memorandum and provided a comprehensive report on the activities of the Article 12 Task Force.

       National Secretary-Treasurer Hora next provided a detailed presentation and entertained questions and comments on a variety of topics, including a review of Q4 2021 finances and historical net assets, deficit control measures, quarterly and annual expense and revenue projections, dues allocations, and analysis and a craft complement and membership review.