April NBA Report
by National Business Agent David Teegarden
HIPP Training
A few months ago, I sent out the updated HIPP stand-up talks to the branch presidents. These stand-up talks are designed to supplement the training requirements sent out in 2025. The Postal Service will require initial completion of an online training course on heat stress by all employees in every facility during employee orientation. After initial training during employee orientation each employee will receive the Heat Illness and Prevention #2501, refresher training as an annual refresher prior to April 1 each year. Employees who are absent when the refresher training is provided will not return to the street prior to completing the training during the period April 1through October 31. I will resend the 2025 requirements and the 2026 supplemental stand-up talks to the branch presidents.
Temporary Suspension of FERS Contributions
The Postal Service announced to OPM that it will temporarily pause employer contributions to the defined benefit portion of the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) to conserve cash and preserve liquidity due to its ongoing financial crisis.
The Postal Regulatory Commission granted a waiver that allows USPS to repurpose billions of dollars in revenue normally reserved for retiree benefits. The waiver lifts restrictions on how USPS may use approximately $2.4 billion of revenue in fiscal 2026, and $3 billion each following year through the end of fiscal 2030.
This change will not affect employee contributions to FERS nor will it have any impact on employer or employee contributions to TSP. The move will free up about 2.5 billion dollars to cover other costs but will have no immediate impact on any current or future retired letter carriers.
Route Adjustments
As discussed at previous state and regional trainings the region 5 office has developed a program to assist branches with investigation and grievance’s regarding route adjustments. To this end we have trained several individuals that understand the Postal Service’s COR and DOIS adjustment processes, Chapter 2 of the M-39, M-41 the NALC Route Protection Program, the 2018 NALC Guide to Route Inspections, how to determine improper deductions, where to look for them and how to grieve them. We have developed a spreadsheet that calculates these irregularities and deductions in route adjustments and boils them down to a simple to read and understand explanation of how the contract was violated, where time was improperly deducted and what should have happened. We have created grievance starters and training designed to not only teach new experts on this process but train stewards on how to grieve these violations as well.
To our knowledge, what we have created hasn’t been done anywhere else across the country. We have had several inspections where we have utilized these experts to investigate and file appropriate grievances on improper route adjustments. We will continue to train our people to ensure that letter carriers across the region get what they deserve, a fair inspection!
We have developed these experts because we know that a systematic, unified and consistent approach is the key to long-term success in route count and inspection grievances. If you are scheduled to have a route inspection in your office, please make sure you contact us as far in advance as possible so that we can assist your branch and protect your members’ rights.
Region 5 Training
We are almost done scheduling our various training sessions across the region and the dates will be sent out to the branches soon. Please look for year 1, 2 and 3 steward college courses, route adjustment, arbitration advocate, and basic steward in addition to the National, State and Fall training courses already on the books.
Compliance-JWIP-Station Visits
Although I have not posted on social media, in the last two weeks, we have set up a compliance initiative with the KS-MO District Manager and met with the local parties in the Shawnee Mission, KS installation, done station visits in three offices and rolled out the agreed upon JWIP recommendations in Grand Island, NE and Davenport, IA. We will continue to visit stations when we are traveling whenever we can to meet carriers and address their concerns on the workroom floor. Thanks to all of you whom we met in the last two weeks for engaging with us and sharing your concerns. It was a pleasure meeting all of you!!
Until next time stay safe out there,
David A. Teegarden
National Business Agent
NALC Region 5