THE BULLETIN BOARD
September 2006
[September 23rd]OPM Announces Medical, Dental, Vision Premiums For 2007
excerpted from FederalTimes.com article by Tim Kaufmann
Good news for the 8 million enrollees in the federal health insurance program: Next year will mark the smallest average increase in premiums in a decade.
The average enrollee will pay $95 every two weeks for health insurance in 2007, up from nearly $93 this year. That represents an average 2.3 percent increase, compared with the 10 percent average hike this year.
The Office of Personnel Management announced on Sept. 19 the 2007 premiums for plans in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, including those for the new dental and vision plans.
"The news is very, very good — the best we've had in years," OPM Director Linda Springer said at a press conference.
Springer attributed the small increase in premiums mostly to enrollees using less health care than projected. That allowed OPM to apply some of the money it keeps in reserve for unexpected program costs toward lower premiums. Tapping into those reserves lowered premiums by 5 percent.
The biggest drivers of premium increases continue to be increases in enrollees' use of heath care, the cost of new technology and inflation, although those costs are rising at a slower rate; those factors accounted for 8.6 percent of next year's premium increase, compared with 9.5 percent this year.
Read the entire article at FederalTimes.com.
Look at the new 2007 Premium Rates at the OPM's website. They are viewable as a webpage, or downloadable as either PDF files or Excel spreadsheets.
[September 14th]Photos Posted from August APWU National Convention in Philadelphia
Your local sent 22 delegates to the 18th Biennial APWU Convention in Philadelphia, PA last month, August 14 - 18th.
Read about the delegation's activities and enjoy photographs of the contingent during their stay on our Convention '06 report page.
[September 12th]USPS Board of Governors Approve FY 2007 Financial Plan
(Press Release)- The U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors today approved a fiscal year 2007 integrated financial plan that includes cost reduction programs totaling $1.1 billion, while continuing to provide universal service to a continuously expanding delivery network.
These cost reductions contain a planned decrease of 40 million workhours from the estimated FY 2006 level. Savings will come from automation improvements and implementation of additional "breakthrough productivity" initiatives.
(emphasis is ours)
The Postal Service's 2007 fiscal year begins Oct. 1, 2006 and ends Sept. 30, 2007. The plan also calls for a 3.2 percent increase in revenue and a 2.6 percent increase in expenses over the current year's forecast, resulting in $1.7 billion in net income.
However, the estimated $3.3 billion escrow requirement results in a net deficiency after escrow of $1.6 billion. The plan assumes continued slower growth in the U.S. economy and implementation of the planned postage price adjustments in May, 2007.
[September 9th]Contract Negotiations Update
excerpted from APWU Web News Article #51-06
Negotiations between the USPS and the APWU over a new Collective Bargaining Agreement resumed Sept. 7 and 8, with preliminary discussions of non-economic issues. Discussion of economic issues, including upgrades, will take place later in the negotiation process.
Specific contract language on the non-economic issues was not suggested or addressed; instead, each party identified problems to be solved and suggested a general approach for doing so.
The APWU presented several proposals, gave a brief explanation of the concerns surrounding each one, and responded to USPS questions about the issues on Sept. 7. The USPS made presentations on issues and answered APWU questions about them on Sept. 8. Further discussion may take place on these items, and additional non-economic issues may be introduced.
The union's topics included workforce categories, job security, and issues involving the implementation of technological changes. The USPS issues included the expansion of "management rights" and the movement of employees.
"In these early stages of negotiations," APWU President William Burrus said, "it is not productive to elaborate publicly on specific proposals. As contract talks progress more information will be made available."
Negotiations are scheduled to continue on Sept. 14.
[September 1st]Latest CPI Rise Will Yield $812 Annual Increase
REPOSTED: excerpted from APWU Web News Article #48-06
The final Cost-Of-Living Adjustment under the National Agreement will give APWU-craft employees an annual raise of $812.
The Consumer Price Index rose slightly in July, the last month of the latest six-month Cost-Of-Living Adjustment measuring period in the extended 2000-2003 Collective Bargaining Agreement.
The 10th COLA (the second under the 2005-2006 extension) will be effective Sept. 2, and will be reflected in Sept. 22 paychecks (Pay Period 19-06). The adjustment will amount to a 39 cents per hour increase, or $31.20 per pay period.
"COLA raises have made important contributions to our members' wages," said President William Burrus. "This further shows the value of a union contract and strengthens our resolve to negotiate a strong new agreement."
The current collective bargaining agreement expires Nov. 20. Bargaining with the Postal Service is set to begin Aug. 29.
[September 1st]PMAPWU Website Search (Repost)
We provide a site-wide search function for our members and other visitor because of the volume of information stored on the website. We also have a Site Map to provide a general navigational tool to help access information here.
Also, over time, certain items of information may become less easily accessed as site organization changes. However, we do our best to keep an eye on the search statistics, noting what members search for, what they find, what they don't find.
Having reviewed our latest set of search statistics, we've prepared a list of general responses to what looks like specific areas of interest to our searching members. To take a look at this material, please visit our Search Response Information Page.
Past Issues of the Bulletin Board
[August 2006]
[July 2006] [June 2006]
Use our Search function to look up further back-issues of the Bulletin Board.
