outside the Federal Employee Health Benefit Plan (FEHB). The new Postal Service Health Benefits Program would only be implemented if all of the unions and the Postal Service agree. This section also requires USPS to consult with organizations representing supervisory and other managerial employees of the Postal Service in the course of its negotiations over the health care plan, and provides that any postal employee not represented by a recognized employee union may participate in any new Postal Service health plan agreed on by the Postal Service and the unions at the option solely of that employee.
Section 105 – Arbitration; Labor Disputes
This section would require that arbitrators deciding a contract dispute between the Postal Service and one of its recognized unions take into consideration such relevant factors as the following when rendering a binding decision: 1) the financial condition of the Postal Service; 2) the requirement in law that the Postal Service consider comparability of wages and benefits to those offered in the private sector; and 3) the polices of Title 39, the section of the U.S. Code that deals with postal matters.
Title II: Postal Services and Operations
Section 201 –Postal Facilities
This section requires certain steps before the closure of a mail processing facility:
1) A complete and published study that includes the feasibility of downsizing rather than closing the facility;
2) A 45-day public comment period after publishing the study;
3) A 30-day period for the Postal Service to consider any concerns raised, culminating with the publication of a justification on its web site, which shall include:
a) Responses to public comments;
b) A discussion of the effect of closure on the affected community, including any disproportionate impact on a State, region or locality;
c) The change in travel times and distances for affected customers;
d) The change in delivery times for all classes of mail;
e) A consideration of geographical factors such as remoteness, weather related factors, and broadband availability;
f) Any other appropriate factors.
4) A waiting period of at least 15 days after the publication on the USPS web site of the closure justification before USPS may close the processing facility.
Section 202 – Additional Postal Service Planning
This section requires the Postal Service to consider how its plans to increase the use of alternate retail might affect customers‘ access to the products and services offered by the Postal Service, and how to improve access to postal services where possible. Current law requires the Postal Service to report annually on its efforts to change and streamline its network of processing and retail facilities. One aspect of the required report involves a discussion of the Postal Service‘s plans to expand the use of retail alternatives to post offices. This section builds on that report. It