ASHEVILLE – The man who pleaded guilty in attempted murder and carjacking of a mail vehicle in connection with the shooting of a Madison County resident in the face will be sentenced this week. Jaden Garay, 25, of Weaverville, was federally indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice in October 2023 after the Sept. 5 shooting of Hot Springs … Read more
The House Budget Committee has approved a budget outline that would require substantial cuts to numerous government programs, including most likely federal employee retirement and health insurance benefits. The budget “resolution” now moves to floor voting in the House, where it would take virtual unanimity among Republicans to pass—which has not been the case in … Read more
Automatic upload of W-2 form information to TurboTax and H&R Block for tax year 2024 is unavailable to Postal Service employees. Employees can use PostalEASE to view, print or request duplicate W-2 forms. To access PostalEASE, employees must log into LiteBlue.
President Trump and Republican majorities in the House and Senate are planning to advance “budget reconciliation” legislation focused on their tax and spending policy priorities, which, on their own, could increase federal deficits. They have circulated lists of alternative spending cuts to offset the costs of funding those priorities, including several options targeting federal retirement and health benefits. These proposed changes either reduce … Read more
The Act was signed into law on January 5, 2025. The Act ends the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). These provisions reduced or eliminated the Social Security benefits of over 3.2 million people who receive a pension based on work that was not covered by Social Security (a “non-covered pension”) because … Read more
The phrase “going postal,” which means to become uncontrollably angry, appeared as a slang term in American English in the 1990s. It emerged after a spate of shootings at post offices carried out by employees who were angry about their working conditions. The first recorded use of the term came in 1993, when a Florida … Read more
Amazon’s expansion of its delivery network into rural areas is replacing the United States Postal Service (USPS) as its last mile delivery service and threatening the livelihoods of rural carriers. The e-commerce giant has extended its reach into smaller markets and rural areas, a move that has significant economic implications for rural carriers and raises … Read more
The Social Security Administration said Friday that under its current budget, it could take more than a year to adjust benefits and pay all retroactive benefits under the Social Security Fairness Act, and explained how many recipients would actually be covered under the new law. “SSA’s ability to implement the law in a timely manner … Read more
Sprawling duties of the postmaster The postmaster general overseas a vast operation. Over 44% of the world’s mail is processed and delivered by the U.S. Postal Service, making it the largest delivery service in the world. In 2023 alone, the Postal Service handled 116.2 billion pieces of mail. And while processing and delivering mail is the key … Read more
GOP lawmakers are once again considering a litany of proposals that would require federal workers to pay more in exchange for less retirement and health care benefits. A 50-page document, compiled by GOP members of the House Budget Committee and first reported by Politico, outlines a list of provisions that could be included in the package, which … Read more
Inside the United States Postal Services’ regional facility on Gardiner Lane in Louisville, packages and mail — many long past due to their destination — fill bins as workers try to clear a backlog created by staffing shortages and icy routes.
On January 16, Representative Gerry Connolly, D-VA-11, reintroduced the Equal COLA Act, H.R. 491, to provide Federal Employees Retiree System (FERS) employees full cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) to their federal annuities. Currently, FERS retirees do not receive a full COLA when consumer prices increase by more than 2 percent. If consumer prices increase between 2 and … Read more
President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team is vetting candidates to replace Postmaster General Louis DeJoy even though Trump won’t have direct authority to fire him, according to four people familiar with the conversations, an early signal of the incoming administration’s plans to exert control over — or privatize — the nation’s mail service. The postmaster general serves at … Read more
UPS SurePost packages are now being delivered by UPS drivers only, rather than a large portion of those parcels going to the U.S. Postal Service, a Teamsters union spokesperson told Supply Chain Dive. “Millions of packages moved away from SurePost and the United States Postal Service and returned to UPS package cars this month, now … Read more
The Postal Service’s Local Transportation Optimization initiative particularly impacted on-time delivery for rural customers, per an agency watchdog report. The U.S. Postal Service’s initial efforts to consolidate some transportation operations have negatively impacted service to customers, the agency’s Office of Inspector General said in a Dec. 18 report. The Postal Service’s goal is to move more … Read more
The ZIP Code was introduced in 1963 to improve the speed and efficiency of mail processing by using machine-readable codes. Over the years, it has become ubiquitous in the marketplace and the culture in general, and it’s one of the Postal Service’s most valuable assets. When it comes to postal rates and service standards, all ZIP … Read more
One of the U.S. Postal Service’s key reform initiatives is worsening service and raising costs, a recent inspector general report found, contrasting the agency’s claims about the impact of its changes. The IG said a pilot program to test USPS’ Regional Transportation Optimization plan, which requires mail to sit overnight at post offices instead of … Read more