Tag: North America

The National Postal Mail Handlers Union has voted to ratify a new five-year contract with the U.S. Postal Service.
The contract provides a 1.2 percent retroactive increase effective Nov. 25, 2006, and another 1.2 percent increase effective Nov. 24, 2007. Handlers will receive a 0.6 percent increase on Feb. 16, 2008, followed by 1.2 percent increases each November from 2008 to 2010.
The agreement continues cost-of-living adjustments at current levels but cuts the Postal Service’s health insurance contribution by 1 percentage point per year. It also adds a new step at the top of the pay schedule, effective Nov. 25, 2006, and a new entry step to the beginning of the schedule, effective Feb. 3.
The contract, which follows a tentative Dec. 13 agreement between the union and USPS, runs through Nov. 20, 2011. It covers about 55,000 postal employees who transfer, load and unload mail.

Postal Service facilities in the United States will be able to purchase energy-saving equipment through a series of new contracts that let utility providers help fund upgrades.
The contracts invite energy auditors to assess facilities and determine where savings can be found through upgrades or new equipment. Agency officials then will have the option of paying for improvements through the regular budget process or through financing offered by the energy company and paid off through later cost savings.
Julie Rios, executive director of energy initiatives for the Postal Service, said the arrangement would help the agency meet new energy efficiency goals announced by President Bush on Wednesday. It will also help to reduce recurring energy costs, she said.
Improvements under the program could vary widely based on the results of the facility energy audits, Rios said. The agency has dedicated funds for the replacement of chillers that rely on ozone-damaging chemicals, and audits could turn up other options like upgrading heating and air conditioning equipment, improving building insulation or changing lighting systems. Another possibility is improving the efficiency of the compressed air systems upon which mail processing facilities rely.
The Postal Service also is looking at making more use of renewable energy sources like solar and wind power. “You’re going to evaluate these technologies where there are the right physical conditions, and in general you do need the right support” from economic incentives from states and utilities, Rios said.