Category: Content

HURRICANE SANDY

While most of the general population of New Yorkers escaped the grasp of Hurricane Sandy, the shorefront homes and businesses of the 5 Boroughs did not.  Brooklyn, Staten Island, Far Rockaway and parts of Long Island received a blow to the stomach. Destruction of homes, boats, cars, businesses, was the norm as people started to dig out. New Yorkers are survivors and will rebuild but this hurricane will be etched in our memories forever. People who lived close to the water refused to leave their homes and unfortunately paid the ultimate price. The last count of fatalities from Sandy was 28. PLEASE SEE PHOTO’S OF HURRICANE SANDY LISTED UNDER EVENTS on my website, only then will you see the destruction this Hurricane caused. As usual with New Yorkers when the going gets tough New Yorkers get going. Neighbors helping neighbors, businesses helping the general public any way they can.

On the day after the hurricane I was trying to get to work in Brooklyn and was rebuffed at the Verrazano Bridge. I made a right hand turn and somehow approached Father Capadonno Blvd. This boulevard runs along the shore in Staten Island. What I witnessed there will remain with me forever. Houses completely destroyed, Boats ripped from its moorings came ashore and were imbedded in the homes. People walking all over the place in a daze; believe me it was like a war zone. I was told that the water surge came all the way to Hylan Boulevard which is about 1 mile in from Capadonno Boulevard. This surge took no prisoners and destroyed everything in its path. Now I know what the people of Louisiana went through with Hurricane Katrina. Sandy was a category 1 hurricane while Katrina was a category 4. WOW.

F.E.M.A. was on hand right away and began helping. Businesses and volunteers set up kitchens outside and began feeding people who were actually homeless at the time. Donations of clothes, food, and other necessities came rolling in from all over the country, people helping people. During this crisis I even witnessed our Democratic and Republican politicians helping out any way they could. The highlight was when our President came and told the people that the Government would stay until everything was finished. I heard over and over again, we came through 911 we will get through this. Power has been restored and New York is already rebuilding. And guess what, the Postal Service never stopped getting the mail to the people affected, this tells you something about the people of New York and our Postal Service.

In closing let me say THANK YOU to all our friends for their concern and offers of help, we are on our way back and hopefully everyone can enjoy their Holidays.

“A Christmas Carol”

The famous story by Charles Dickens can be re-told as Postal Past, Present, and Future.

The past which many of us complained about is actually NOW the good old times. Words such as RIF, soft landing, consolidation never entered our vocabulary. Instead we worried about the next promotion, pay raise, specific assignments, but NOT the trauma that we ARE FEELING TODAY. I THINK OF OUR LEADERSHIP THAT WE HAVE LOST IN THE PAST, Rubin Handelman, Vince Palladino and my dear friend Andy Sozzi. I wish they were all here to help us with the Postal Present.

The Postal Present is filled with so much uncertainty, that this Postal/Military Veteran cannot see the Postal future. So many of us made the Postal Service a career choice because it provided the security and steady paycheck that we all need as family men and women. All of this security has now eluded us as we receive General RIF Notices via certified mail. The pain is tremendous but we must continue in the hope that the politicians and Postal Leadership will finally rectify this situation.

The Postal Future remains murky. The help we require is just around the corner with this “Lame-Duck” session of Congress. Will the partisan difference be put aside for the good of USPS and ultimately the American Public that we serve?

Please if all of this stress is affecting your physical/mental health, seek professional help. Be it an MD, or therapist, do not allow this mess to make you sick. Stay Strong as Andy would tell you.

I wish everyone the happiest of holiday seasons and even a Merry Christmas to Scrooge!

You Never Walk Alone

To My Friends,

It has been a difficult period for my family the past several months with illnesses. We want to take this opportunity to thank you for your thoughts and prayers during this time of uncertainty.

First, my 87 year old father-in-law, who was a 100% disabled veteran and an amputee, was diagnosed with multiple cancers eight months ago. He determined that he did not want to go through chemotherapy and decided to let the disease take its’ course. He wanted to once again join his wife of 55 years Mary who preceded him over two years earlier. Since her passing he lived alone and Mary was always on his mind.

Recently he began to fail and his children took turns providing him 24 hour care so he could remain at home. Only four days before his passing he moved to the Veterans Administration Hospital because of the difficulties he had in moving as an amputee. He passed with dignity and had a wake and funeral that was attended by his entire family and hundreds of friends.

Also, for the past several months, my wife Suann has been suffering from extreme fatigue that could not be identified or resolved. The condition became so severe she could not perform everyday functions. Tests found that her liver enzymes were extremely high and her liver was enlarged. Suann had extreme abdominal pain and no energy.

We began many anxious days fearing the unknown. But, all of the tests taken did not produce a cause. She underwent ultrasounds, CT Scans, X-rays and a liver biopsy in rapid succession. It was not until four days before her father’s passing that a diagnosis of Epstein-Barr syndrome, a transient fatigue condition was diagnosed and other more serious conditions were rejected as causes.

During this entire time, the support we received from you was invaluable. You were a source of strength in difficult times. Every email I received was shared with Suann and Jessalyn, our ten year old daughter. Jessalyn was concerned about her best friend’s (her mother) health and she was also in the process of losing her only remaining grandparent with whom she had a close personal bond.

It was comforting to my family to have the support, thoughts and prayers of so many people who have come into our lives as a result of our affiliation with NAPS. NAPS is indeed a family, a family who stands ready to provide support and comfort in difficult times.

We wanted you to know how much your concern and support meant to us. May your holidays be blessed as we are blessed to have you as friends.

Suann, Jessalyn and Jay Killackey

NAPS Executive Board Teleconference Minutes – November 14, 2012

NAPS HQ held its first Post NAPS/USPS Consultative Executive Board teleconference to review and discuss the responses from the USPS regarding NAPS’s November 14 2013 NAPS/USPS Consultative agenda items. President Atkins briefed the Executive Board on the following agenda items. (Note: November 2012 Consultative Minutes will be sent to Executive Board)

          1. The status of the recommendations of the Fact Finding panel pertaining to eight EAS positions under review for potential upgrades.

          2. An update on the current closure and consolidation plan of plants for 2013 & 2014.

          3. Current status of the new SWCs model being implemented to the field.

          4. NAPS would like an update on the remaining impacted employees in the field.

          5. NAPS would like an update on the posting of vacant positions in the field.

Click here for full Teleconference Minutes.

NAPS/USPS Consultative Meeting Minutes – November 14, 2012

1. As a result of the recommendations of the Fact Finding panel, NAPS and the USPS agreed that an evaluation of the following positions would be undertaken for proper leveling:

                    Supervisor, Maintenance Operations
                    Supervisor, Maintenance
                    Supervisor, Transportation
                    Manager, Transportation
                    Mail Flow Controller
                    Supervisor, Vehicle Maintenance
                    Manager, Vehicle Maintenance
                    Operations Support Specialist

NAPS would like to be briefed on the status of the evaluations of these positions.

USPS Response:  USPS Organizational Effectiveness (OE) has completed the evaluations on the above EAS positions. The OE Office will brief Deborah Giannoni-Jackson VicePresident, Employee Resource Management; and Anthony Vegliante, Chief Human Resources Executive Vice President, next week on the evaluation findings.

There is no specific date set on when NAPS will receive a final decision from USPS HQ regarding the above agenda item. However, NAPS expects a decision soon after the Giannoni-Jackson and Vegliante briefing.

2. NAPS has been advised from the field that there have been changes in the restructuring plans that are moving Plant closures and consolidations from 2013 to 2014.

At our October, 2012 Consultative Meeting we requested an update on the consolidation plans and were advised that there was no information available for release. Once again we are requesting that updates on closures and consolidations be provided to NAPS at the same time the decisions are made that cause a change in plans. We request an update on the current closure and consolidation plans.

USPS Response: After NAPS had submitted this agenda item, NAPS headquarters had contacted COO Megan Brennan on this issue. Therefore, this consultative meeting will not address this issue, since it is already being addressed by Ms. Brennan’s office.

Click here for full Consultative Meeting Minutes.

NAPS/USPS Consultative Meeting Minutes – October 18, 2012

1. NAPS would like to be briefed on the projected Plant closings and consolidations now under development for 2013 and 2014. We would like to be provided with a spreadsheet that shows all changes and the Plants that will be gaining the workload from the closing or consolidations of workload in Processing & Distribution.

USPSResponse: The report is under development and the USPS will give to NAPS when available. It is constantly changing. NAPS is requesting an updated list, but nothing has been finalized.

NAPS understands things are in flux, but local management is telling members they are impacted, but we need to know if the USPS is looking or not looking at a plant. NAPS stated it would be good to know the plants involved to let our members know if their facility is under review. We have had instances where members are called in with EAP present, but not sure what is happening. Then members find out it is a restructure. There are facilities that are not closing but the structure is changing, so they are starting a RIF on the staffing changes, though the facility is not closing or consolidating.

USPS Response: A person who is officially impacted will be notified with a General RIF letter on November 6, 2012. In addition, the originally “potentially impacted” list of EAS was 3,029. USPS stated that there is no prohibition to take laterals, from impacted or non-impacted EAS.
 

2. NAPS would like an update on the implementation of EAS restructuring in the Network Distribution Centers. Although our briefings have indicated that the plan has been approved for implementation, we are being advised that the changes that are involved in the restructuring have not been implemented in the field.

USPS Response: The NDC changes were implemented on the same time line as the Plant Consolidations. USPS made all organizational changes on the NDC’s. The USPS went over the process and timeline with all NDC parties involved.

NAPS stated that there are Operation Support Specialists (OSS’s) in NDC’s that have not been told they are impacted or where they are to report. Though USPS HQ’s work appears to be done, the field it is not accomplishing their work. Nothing is being done in the NDCs to help impacted EAS be placed.

Click here for full Consultative Meeting Minutes.

No new buyouts on Postal Service horizon

No new buyouts on Postal Service horizon

federalnewsradiologo

 

Thursday – 11/8/2012, 8:10am ET

By Julia Ziegler
Federal News Radio                                                                                                             

After three separate buyouts in 2012, the U.S. Postal Service says it has no plans for any new offers in the foreseeable future.

“Right now, we have all our plans in place,” Anthony Vegliante, the agency’s chief human resources officer, told Federal News Radio. “So I don’t see anything other than to focus on completing, making the transition, and getting our employees in the right place.”

In an exclusive interview on Federal News Radio’s Agency of the Month show, Vegliante said he expects the number of buyouts taken by Postal Service employees to total 23,000 – 27,000 by the end of January.

He said 4,200 postmasters accepted buyouts after an offer released in May, while 3,000 were accepted by mail handlers under an agreement with the National Postal Mail Handlers Union. In October, USPS put another buyout on the table for approximately 115,000 members of the American Postal Workers Union. Vegliante said he expects 16,000 – 20,000 employees to take that offer.

If the projections hold, the Postal Service’s career workforce will drop to about 500,000 employees by the beginning of 2013 — its lowest level since 1966.

While the agency has no more plans for buyouts in the near future, it does plan to continue shrinking the size of its workforce. The agency has said it would like to have closer to 400,000 employees by 2016. In addition to the 25,000 – 30,000 people who retire each year due to normal attrition, Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said he expects to lose another 35,000 – 40,000 employees if the agency moves to five-day delivery. Congress, however, has yet to pass the legislation needed to allow that.

Vegliante said the number of buyouts has allowed the Postal Service to avoid reductions in force, known as RIFs, for the most part.

       buyoutphoto

“The fact that we’ve RIF’d very few people is because we have a rigorous RIF- avoidance process, meaning we offer voluntary early retirements, we offer incentives, we offer the opportunity for people to move to other jobs and other locations. … When you get voluntary participation versus forced participation things go a lot smoother. People get choice, which we’re fine with people having choices.”

While jobs are being cut due to consolidation throughout the agency, Vegliante said USPS is doing everything it can to take care of its employees who aren’t ready to leave the Postal Service.

“In our collective bargaining process, we have a provision, which we implement, which allows us to reassign people to other facilities doing the same work or to other crafts doing different work within their own and other facilities. So, we have a pretty well-established process where we move people around to where the work is.”

Despite the significant drop in the size of its workforce, Vegliante said the Postal Service is still getting its job done.

“I don’t really have a concern about work falling between the cracks. And the reason I say that is because the Postal Service is probably at an all-time high of delivery service to its customers,” Vegliante said. “Our customer satisfaction measurements are all increasing. Our productivity has been solid for the last decade. … I believe we have the management team in place, the processes which keep us focused on what’s important. Obviously, at the end of the day, service to the customers and the indicators are what tell you whether you’re doing good or bad.”

Employee Reaction

Vegliante said employees understand USPS needs to make changes in order to deal with declining mail volume and how Americans are now utilizing the Postal Service.

“People are telling us, ‘We understand what’s going on. We understand the need to do certain things. We need to do it.’ I can appreciate that because if you’re the one that’s subject to change, once you understand it, once you accept it, you want it to happen.”

However, Vegliante said, he also recognizes that change isn’t easy.

“Any time you change, people perceive it to be unnecessary. There’s an old adage, ‘The only person who likes change is the one who thought of it.’ You have to overcome that.”

That’s especially true if that change means a job reassignment in a new location with different work hours.

“It’s not going to make [me] happy if I work 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. four blocks from where I live and now I have to work 3:30 p.m. to 12 a.m., 20 miles away. I don’t have a fix for that. But, the one thing I’m very comfortable with, we always have been able to find jobs for our employees.”

Priorities

In addition to overseeing the consolidation of the Postal Service’s workforce and keeping an eye on labor costs, Vegliante said he is also focused on the agency’s succession planning initiatives.

“One of my most important tasks this past year and going forward into the future is leadership, talent and development,” Vegliante said. “We have a lot of people in higher-level positions that are closer to the end of their career than they are the beginning of their career. Not that any particular person is going to leave, but you want a strong bench, you want people ready to step up.”

Vegliante, himself, has been with the Postal Service for more than 30 years. He began his career as a distribution clerk in New Haven, Conn., in 1978. In 2010, he was named a fellow at the National Academy of Human Resources — the first public sector employee ever to be given the distinction. According to the organization’s website, fellows are those who “have made sustained and exemplary contributions to the broad field of human resources and to their organizations and communities” and “have played a substantial role in shaping human resource management thinking and policy.”

 

Copyright © 2012 by Federal News Radio. All rights reserved.
Thank You from Kirstin Gillibrand

Thank You from Kirstin Gillibrand

Thomas,

Last night was an important night for our country, from re-electing President Obama to sending men and women to the Senate who will work across the aisle, find common ground and end the partisan gridlock.

We did this because people like you worked for it and voted for it.

From the bottom of my heart, I can’t thank you enough for the honor and privilege of continuing to fight for New York families in the U.S. Senate.

We have a lot of work to do. Our state is still in great crisis. Communities across New York, in New York City, Long Island and the Lower Hudson Valley, are still recovering. Even with unprecedented federal response, people are still hurting. Lives have been shattered. Homes destroyed.

We will rebuild. When we face down challenges, we always rise to them. It’s because we believe something both simple and profound: “We’re all in this together.”

Today we go back to work. And I know, because of you, we’re up for any task.

Thank you. Not just for being there for me, but for our friends and neighbors here in New York.

Sincerely,
Kirsten

 

kirsten gillibrand