HR FAQs

POST PLAN
1. What is the Postal Service doing? It is offering a $20,000 early out incentive to all full-time career postmasters except Postal Career Executive Service (PCES) postmasters. It is offering a prorated incentive to all part-time career postmasters. Postmasters have until June 22, 2012, to accept the offer and agree to leave the Postal Service by July 31, 2012. 2. How many postmasters does that cover? Approximately 21,000. 3. How will they receive the $20,000? Full-time postmasters accepting the offer will receive two payments $10,000 on Dec. 30, 2012, and $10,000 on Dec. 31, 2013, less taxes and other withholdings. Part-time postmasters will receive prorated payments on the same dates. 4. Why isnt the incentive being paid in one lump sum payment? Issuing the payments over a two year period helps the Postal Service better manage its cash flow. By offering two payments in separate years, some postmasters accepting this offer may see a savings on their income taxes. 5. How many postmasters do you anticipate will accept the offer? Accepting the incentive and choosing to leave the Postal Service is a personal decision and therefore we dont know how many postmasters will accept the offer. 6. What is a PCES Postmaster and why are they not included? Postal Career Executive Service (PCES) postmasters typically manage Post Office Operations in the nations larger cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. They have not been extended this offer because their customer base continues to grow. 7. What is a postmaster relief employee and why arent they included? Postmaster relief employees typically fill-in for postmasters on their days off and are ineligible because they are not career employees. 8. What happens to postmasters who choose not to leave? Will they be laid off? The offices of postmasters who are impacted by this change will have the hours of operation adjusted to the appropriate number required based on workload. Postmasters who remain in offices where hours are reduced will be downgraded by the reduction-in-force (RIF) process. Impacted postmasters will have opportunities to apply for other positions prior to the RIF effective date in 2014. 9. What is the RIF process? RIF is a uniform and systematic way of making organizational changes. The Postal Service must implement the RIF process in a competitive area if at least one career and/or certain non-career employees will be demoted or separated due to reorganization. A reorganization can include, for example, a change in the number, type, level, and/or duty station of positions in a continuing competitive area, and/or the establishment of a new competitive area.

Updated: May 15, 2012