Under terms of the 2001-2006 National Agreement, letter carriers will receive a 1.3 percent salary increase effective November 26. The amount of the increase will be based on the basic annual salary for the grade and step in effect as of November 16, 2001 – at the start of the contract.

The new wage adjustment will bring the top scale for most city carriers (Grade 1, Step O) to $47,950 annually.

It is the fifth and final regular salary increase under the contract, in addition to cost-of-living increases and a one-time lump sum payment at the start of the contract. The current contract expires in November 2006.

The NALC and Postal Service have reached agreement on an additional Memorandum of Understanding (M-01553) to assist letter carriers in the Gulf Coast relocate to new postal stations in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Under the agreement signed by NALC President William H. Young and USPS Vice President-Labor Relations Doug A. Tulino, the Postal Service will "make reasonable efforts to hold, until November 25, 2005, residual city letter carrier craft full-time duty assignments which are available after assignment of unassigned full-time regulars and full-time flexible employees."

Young said the new memo "is intended to expedite the procedure by which letter carriers who were victimized by Hurricane Katrina may transfer voluntarily to new locations."

The held assignments will be used to transfer impacted full-time city letter carriers during the Voluntary Transfer period cited in the October 21, 2005 Memorandum of Understanding regarding Employee Reassignment/Work Issues Arising from Hurricane Katrina.

The new memorandum adds:

"The period in which duty assignments are held pursuant to this memorandum will not be considered in any dispute over whether there was an unreasonable delay in filling residual vacancies. Any assignments held but not filled pursuant to this MOU will be released after November 25. This agreement is without prejudice to the position of either party in this or any other matter."

An energized labor movement, including numerous NALC members and political strategists, handed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s anti-union, anti-worker agenda a crushing blow November 8 when voters in California defeated Proposition 75 that would have reduced the ability of public employee unions in that state to represent their members on political and legislative issues.

With virtually all precincts reported, Proposition 75 was defeated by a 53.5 percent to 46.5 percent margin.

Led by NALC President William H. Young, NALC activists fanned out across the state to help deliver the message to all working men and women of the potential danger posed to all federal and postal employees should Proposition 75 be approved. Critical to the success was the hard work of California NALC President John Beaumont and 10 letter carriers who volunteered their time and effort.

The initiative, strongly backed by Schwarzenegger, would have prohibited public employee unions in the state from using dues for political purposes without written consent from members. It would not, however, require business corporations to have a similar consent from stockholders before funneling money from their political war chests to candidates.

NALC has learned that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has decided not to take any further appeals from the Merit System Protection Board’s ruling in Hatch v. OPM. MSPB decided that an injured full-time postal employee who returned to limited duty consisting of less than 40 hours per week is entitled to a retirement annuity calculated as if he had been in full-time status. (See NALC Bulletin 05-18)

The MSPB ruling involved a case brought by retired letter carrier David Hatch of Lynn, Massachusetts Branch 7 who challenged an OPM decision that based his annuity as if he had been a part-time employee after he returned from an injury, but could only work 20 hours a week. The MSPB ordered OPM to recompute Hatch’s annuity, crediting him with full-time service, but OPM petitioned the Board to reconsider its ruling. On September 28, the MSPB again rejected OPM’s argument.

Hatch’s attorney subsequently notified NALC that OPM had decided not to appeal the matter further.

NALC recommends that any similarly situated retiree who feels that his/her annuity has been calculated improperly write a letter to OPM requesting a recalculation based on the Hatch decision. NALC retiree members may contact the NALC Retirement Department (1-800-424-5186) for advice regarding the content of such a letter.

For the next month, NALC members have a once-in-a-year opportunity to enroll in the one federal employees health benefit plan that was created with them in mind, and is still today operated and administered by your own elected union leaders. It is the NALC Health Benefit Plan.

Why is this important?

It is important because the well-being of yourself and your family may depend on the choice you make. You surely want health coverage that comes at a reasonable cost, but you also want the best that those dollars and cents can buy.

With the NALC Health Benefit Plan, you get both, along with speedy service, a top-level mail-order prescription program, and comprehensive medical coverage to take care of everyone from infants to the elderly, including services provided by physicians, inpatient and outpatient hospital services, emergency treatment, and mental health and substance abuse treatment.

Regular savings are available to NALC Health Benefit Plan enrollees by using the Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) network of hospitals and physicians, and the Plan’s special prescription drug program.

You should do two things:

• Read the information packet that has been sent to all NALC members about the NALC Health Benefit Plan, as well as a special insert and other articles in the November issue of the Postal Record.
  
• Obtain information about 2006 rates and benefits for other Plans (possibly the one in which you are currently enrolled, if not the NALC Plan). Compare the rates and benefits and assess the needs of yourself and your family.

"We are confident that if you take the time to examine the pluses and minuses of the various health benefit plans available during Open Season, you’ll choose the NALC Plan, and as the year goes on, you’ll find that it was a wise and prudent decision," said NALC President William H. Young.

For those already enrolled in the NALC Plan, you need do no more. Your coverage will automatically continue into 2006.

If you wish to join the NALC Health Benefit Plan for 2006, contact your USPS Personnel Office to sign up using PostalEase, or see your branch health benefits representative. But you must act by December 12, the end of Open Season.

This is a summary of some of the features of the NALC Health Benefit Plan. Detailed information on the 2006 NALC Health Benefit Plan can be found in the Official Brochure. Before making a final decision, please read the Plan's officially approved Brochure (RI 71-009). All benefits are subject to the definitions, limitations, and exclusions set forth in the Official Brochure.