On Monday, April 3, 2023, the SAMLU meeting was convened in Reno, NV. After staff introductions, National President Hogrogian acknowledged the thirteen newly elected and re-elected Local Presidents including Wayne Foster (Local 298), Keala Parker (Local 299), Danny St. Marie (Local 301), Tony Coleman (Local 302), William Bip McLemore (Local 304), June Harris (Local 306), John Gibson (Local 308), Lisa Greer (Local 310), Nick Mosezar (Local 318), Sharee Rogers (Local 324), Steve Buksch (Local 327), Todd Larsen  (Local 328) and Monica Marshall (Local 333). In addition, President Hogrogian congratulated other recently elected and re-elected Local Union Officers who were in attendance.

National President Hogrogian provided a comprehensive report to the attendees on a variety of topics beginning with a review of USPS finances and mail volumes by category for Q1 of FY 2023. The USPS had a net loss of $1 billion for the fiscal year and a net operational loss of $187 million. This is particularly concerning because Q1 figures include the 2022 peak mailing season. The USPS posted a profit of $880 million for the same period last year. First-class mail volume declined in Q1-2023, continuing the fifteen-year trend. For the same quarter, marketing mail declined 4.7% and parcel volume dropped by 2.4%, but both categories remain higher than pre-pandemic levels. Postmaster General DeJoy remains optimistic that the Postal Service can increase parcel volume and be competitive with UPS, Amazon and FedEx. 

The USPS has begun implementation of the Ten-Year Plan, Delivering for America.  DFA 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: passing postal reform, a commitment to 6/7 day delivery, acquiring rate flexibility through the Postal Regulatory Commission, package growth, establishment of 46 (short-term) package support annexes, revised delivery service standards, a shift from air to ground transportation, stabilizing the non-career workforce and a consolidation of mail processing operations in select installations as part of a major network redesign that includes the conversion of NDCs to package only facilities.

President Hogrogian also spoke about the forthcoming redesign of Surface Transfer Center (STC) network and postal efforts to improve truck utilization, containerization, visibility and achieve a reduction of ground transport mileage. He addressed the union’s challenges with STC subcontracting and the ramifications of the recent favorable Kansas City decision. President Hogrogian also addressed the NPMHU’s progress in returning Terminal Handling Services (THS) work to the mail handler craft including tender and receipt of mail to and from airlines and FedEx.

Much of President Hogrogian’s presentation was spent reviewing the terms and implementation schedule of the recently ratified National Agreement. The USPS has provided the following tentative schedule of economic related provisions:

• Stop-Gap for contractual pay actions – PP09-2023 (04/08/2023).
• Date of new Step B for MHAs – PP14-2023 (06/17/2023).
• Date of Elimination of Step BB – PP14-2023 (06/17/2023).
• Date that step waiting period will be changed to 48 weeks – PP14-2023 (06/17/2023).
• MHA Automatic Conversions/Step Changes/Employee Classification – PP14-2023 (06/17/2023).
• Date of Advanced Annual leave for eligible MHAs and PTFs – PP14-2023 (06/17/2023).
• Retro Pay – PP19-2023 (08/26/2023) which is pay date 9/15/2023.

National Secretary-Treasurer Hora next provided a detailed presentation and entertained questions and comments on a variety of topics, including a review of Q4 2022 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. Brother Hora spent significant time reviewing local-by-local membership figures, as well as outlining recruitment strategies. Brother Hora also provided further updates on MHA conversions, noting that, in Pay Period 06-2023, the NPMHU surpassed 40,000 conversions to career fulltime regular positions.  

After concluding his traditional report to SAMLU attendees, Brother Hora announced his impending retirement.  Mike has served the membership of the NPMHU in a variety of positions and assignments at the local and national level for nearly thirty years, most notably sitting on the Field Negotiating Committees in preparation for the five previous rounds of national negotiations and on the national bargaining team in 2011, 2016, 2019 and 2022.

Brother Hora served as a National Representative in the Contract Administration Department, as Executive Director of the NPMHU-sponsored health plan known as the Mail Handlers Benefit Plan, and as Assistant to the past two National Secretary-Treasurers. In February 2019, Brother Hora was inducted as NPMHU National Secretary-Treasurer, a position he will hold until his retirement on June 9, 2023.

By a unanimous vote of the National Executive Board, Local 300 President Kevin Tabarus has been selected to fill the forthcoming vacancy as National Secretary-Treasurer, effective June 10, 2023.

Brother Kevin Tabarus started as a Mail Handler in 1987. He has served the NPMHU performing a variety of tasks and positions. He first became a shop steward in 1990 in Hicksville, on Long Island, NY. In 2001, Brother Tabarus was appointed as Branch President of the NY PMPC/NY L&DC (now Bethpage P&DC) Branch. In 2007, Kevin joined the Local 300 Executive Board as the Local 300 Treasurer. Brother Tabarus began his tenure as Local 300 President in 2015.

Brother Tabarus has also served on several Committees for the NPMHU, including: Field Negotiating Committee and Constitution Committee. Kevin has also instructed officers of the NPMHU during recurring Financial Management Training programs and as an Arbitration Advocate.

“We congratulate Mike is his forthcoming retirement and Kevin on his new position.  I am sure I speak for all Union representatives when I say that we look forward to working with Kevin in this new role as we face the many challenges that lie ahead,” said President Paul Hogrogian.