Sister 2 Sister Newsletter Now Available.
Labor Day Parade Local 300 Represented
This year Local 300 once again marched with our sister unions in the annual Labor Day Parade in New York City. We walked up 5th AVE, or should I say we RODE on our very own float! Yes, that’s right. Local 300 showed up with a float. The attendees, members, family, and friends of Local 300 had a fantastic time.
Great Adventure annual event has been announced.
Local 300 once again is offering our members to purchase Great Adventure tickets packages at a great rate. This year you will have the option of participating in Fright Fest after the park entertainment. Please make sure to send your payments to the attention of the Treasurer: Local 300 or see one of the shop stewards at your branch. No cash please.
Cola announced at $978 affective August 26th 2023.
The cost of living increase was set for $978 for a full time regular mail handler at top step. This increase will take affect in pay period 19 and be reflected in the first paycheck in September.
U.S. Department of Labor COVOID-19 Claims Processing Guidelines Relating to Reinfections and Home Test
US Department of Labor amending previous FECA bulletins. COP for COVID-19
COVID-19 Positive? FECA OWCP Claims for Pay Compensation
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/owcp/FECA/InfoFECACoverageCoronavirus
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/owcp/FECA/regs/compliance/DFECfolio/FECABulletins/FY2020-2024#FECAB2109
Diagnosis of COVID-19. In order to establish a diagnosis of COVID-19, an employee (or survivor) should submit:
a. A positive Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) COVID-19 test result; or
b. A positive Antibody or Antigen COVID-19 test result, together with contemporaneous medical evidence that the claimant had documented symptoms of and/or was treated for COVID-19 by a physician (a notice to quarantine is not sufficient if there was no evidence of illness); or
c. If no positive laboratory test is available, a COVID-19 diagnosis from a physician together with rationalized medical opinion supporting the diagnosis and an explanation as to why a positive test result is not available.
In certain rare instances, a physician may provide a rationalized opinion with supporting factual and medical background as to why the employee has a diagnosis of COVID-19 notwithstanding a negative or series of negative COVID-19 test results.
Medical reports from nurses or physician assistants are acceptable if a licensed physician cosigns the report.
There is the possibility that Postal Employees can be compensated through OWCP. The hyperlink below has information on this. While the DOL states federal positions that interact with the public, we believe that Mail Handlers can claim similar exposure to other federal employees due to the confined nature of our works areas, since we work in a a high-risk environment.
All federal employees who develop COVID-19 while in the performance of their federal duties are entitled to workers’ compensation coverage pursuant to the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA). See https://www.dol.gov/owcp/dfec/.
DOL acknowledges, however, that it is difficult to determine the precise moment and method of virus transmission. Therefore, when an employee claims FECA benefits due to COVID-19, federal workers who are required to have in-person and close proximity interactions with the public on a frequent basis – such as members of law enforcement, first responders, and front-line medical and public health personnel – will be considered to be in high-risk employment, thereby triggering the application of Chapter 2-0805-6 of the FECA Procedure Manual. In such cases, there is an implicit recognition that a higher likelihood exists of infection due to high-risk employment. Federal workers in such positions routinely encounter situations that may lead to infection by contact with sneezes, droplet infection, bodily secretions, and surfaces on which the COVID-19 virus may reside. Therefore, the employment-related incidence of COVID-19 is more likely to occur among members of law enforcement, first responders and front-line medical and public health personnel, and among those whose employment causes them to come into direct and frequent in-person and close proximity contact with the public.
Accordingly, DOL has created new procedures to specifically address COVID-19 claims. Employees filing a claim for workers’ compensation coverage as a result of COVID-19 should file Form CA-1, Notice of Traumatic Injury through your employer using the Employees’ Compensation Operations & Management Portal. The new procedures will also call the adjudicator’s attention to the type of employment held by the employee, rather than burdening the employee with identifying the exact day or time they contracted the novel coronavirus.
- If a COVID-19 claim is filed by a person in high-risk employment, the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) DFEC will accept that the exposure to COVID-19 was proximately caused by the nature of the employment. If the employer supports the claim and that the exposure occurred, and the CA-1 is filed within 30 days, the employee is eligible to receive Continuation of Pay for up to 45 days.
- If a COVID-19 claim is filed by a person whose position is not considered high-risk, OWCP DFEC will require the claimant to provide a factual statement and any available evidence concerning exposure. The employing agency will also be expected to provide OWCP DFEC with any information they have regarding the alleged exposure, and to indicate whether they are supporting or controverting the claim. If the employer supports the claim and that the exposure occurred, and the CA-1 is filed within 30 days, the employee is eligible to receive Continuation of Pay for up to 45 days.
For full information, click below…
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/owcp/dfec/coronavirusfaqs
Join the Union Form
Standard Form 1187 is used to Join the Union. The form must be complete, the mail handler and union official must sign and date, and the completed document must be submitted Local 300 Headquarters for processing.