Workforce Executive Orders Will Not Affect the Postal Service

by | Jun 15, 2018

Last Updated January 23, 2023
mail box post office van

The Office of Personnel Management confirmed the federal employees of the Postal Service will be exempt from the executive orders President Trump recently signed. The orders aim to streamline the disciplinary process for the federal employees, boost oversight of official time, and revamp collective bargaining between unions/agencies.

The EO’s concern chapters of Title Five of the U.S. Code that don’t apply to the Postal Service. That goes along with an analysis conducted by outside attorneys for the National Association of Letter Carriers, said union president Fredric Rolando. Even though his organization is exempt, Rolando called the orders “an outrageous attack on America’s civil servants.”

“The NALC stands in solidarity with…all the federal unions and will work with them to reverse these executive orders,” he said.

The postal unions are relieved by this updated clarification. The official time order would prevent employees from spending more than 25% of their work hours on representational duties. The collective bargaining order required agencies to complete negotiations within a year and creates a working group to identify “wasteful” provisions in CBA’s and set “model ground rules” for labor-management talks. The 2 largest federal employee unions, AFGE and NTEU, have already launched lawsuits to block the orders.

Since 1971, the Postal Service has been set up as an independent agency and operating to resemble a private enterprise, it’s often exempt from governmentwide provisions. For example, USPS was unaffected by the hiring freeze Trump enacted on the civilian workforce.

This clarification comes at a key time because USPS is set to begin negotiations with the American Postal Workers Union. Their current collective bargaining agreement is set to expire in September.

All of this doesn’t mean Postal employees won’t face changes in the future. Trump has created a task force to examine their operations and the state of its workforce. The group has held meetings with stakeholders and plans to issue a report of recommendations by August 10.

Message us & find out if you qualify today!

Recent Articles

Reasonable Accommodation FAQs: A Guide for Federal Employees

If you're struggling to do your federal job because of a medical condition, reasonable accommodation may help you stay in your position a little longer - but it’s also a key step if you're considering a way out of federal service through an option like Disability...

Make Sense of the 3112D, AKA the HR Form, With these Tips

The application for Federal Disability Retirement is full of confusing terminology, complex paperwork, and specific standards, like the SF 3112D - also called the Agency Certification of Reassignment and Accommodation Efforts. This is the HR form your agency will fill...

Pay Freezes May Be Next for Federal Employees: Here’s What You Can Do

After months of various incentives and plans to trim up the federal workforce, President Trump is now proposing a freeze in federal employee pay. That means that employees won’t get their raise in 2026.  With unpredictable job security because of RIFs and layoffs, and...

Federal Employee Resources

Our ever growing library of federal employee resources give you the knowledge you need to make smart choices about your future.

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Get the answers you need on-demand, from a team of federal employee benefits professionals.

View FAQ
Webinars

Federal Benefit Webinars

Twice per month we host webinars to help federal employees better understand their benefits and answer their questions LIVE.

See Webinar Schedule
Guides

Benefit Guides

From guides to detailed charts, these educational resources will help clarify confusing federal employee benefits topics.

See our resources