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920 Dues Withholding for Employee Organizations

921 Voluntary Withholding of Dues

Employees who are members of supervisory, managerial, or labor organizations that have approved dues withholding agreements with the Postal Service (see 923) may voluntarily authorize the Postal Service to withhold periodic dues from their salary payments. The organizations for which dues deductions are authorized include those encompassed by the provisions of the Postal Reorganization Act.

922 Dues Collection Schedule

Dues for the National Association of Postmasters of the United States (NAPUS), the National League of Postmasters (the League), and the National Alliance of Postal Employees are deducted in the pay period that includes the first day in a calendar month and are reflected in the salary check for that pay period. Dues for all other labor organizations and for the National Association of Postal Supervisors (NAPS) are withheld each pay period.

923 Eligible Organizations

The following organizations have been approved to participate in dues withholding. They are identified in data processing records by the indicated alphabetical code designations:

a. Labor organizations:

b. Supervisory and managerial organizations:

924 Authorization for Dues Withholding

924.1 Authorization Forms

924.11 Supervisory or Managerial Organizations

Standard Form (SF) 1187, Authorization for Deduction of Union Dues, is used by members of supervisory or managerial organizations for authorization of dues withholding.

924.12 Labor Organizations

One of two revised versions of SF 1187 is provided by the unions and used by members of labor organizations for authorization of withholding of dues, which may include the yearly subscription price to the union's publications. The forms used are:

a. For transitional employees, SF 1187, Authorization for Deduction of Union Dues for Transitional Employees.

b. For other bargaining unit employees, SF 1187, Authorization for Deduction of Union Dues.

924.2 Employee Eligibility

924.21 Employment Status Requirement

924.211 General

Employees who are members of approved organizations are eligible to participate in dues withholding procedures.

924.212 Exception

Because of the intermittent nature of their employment, casual and most nonbargaining temporary employees are excluded from this policy.

924.22 Multiple Dues Withholdings

An eligible employee may have dues deducted for up to three organizations at one time. A separate authorization is required for each organization.

924.3 Distribution of Authorization Forms

924.31 Function of Organization Representative

The organization representative:

a. Distributes appropriate forms to members who voluntarily desire to have the Postal Service withhold dues from their salary payments.

b. Makes certain that the top portion of the form is completed: indicating the name and alpha code (see 923) of the organization; identifying each member by name, address, and Social Security number; and showing the name and finance number of the installation where such member is officially assigned.

c. Certifies the amount of dues to be withheld biweekly or each month from the employee's compensation.

924.32 Limit on Time and Place

Distribution, collection, and certification of such forms should not be made on official time in a work area.

924.4 Submission of Completed Authorization Form

924.41 General

The organization representative submits the original SF 1187 to the postal installation where the member is employed. The installation head makes sure that the "date of delivery to employer" is entered and the form is promptly forwarded to the servicing distributed data entry/distributed reporting (DDE/DR) site. This date cannot be entered by the organization representative, except as noted in 924.422.

924.42 Exceptions

924.421 Postmasters

The National League of Postmasters (the League) may submit the original SF 1187 through regular payroll channels to the servicing DDE/DR site. The National Association of Postmasters of the United States (NAPUS) processes the SF 1187 for its members to initiate dues withholding.

924.422 Rural Carriers

The NRLCA National Office, which is responsible for entering the "date of delivery to employer" at the time of transmittal, submits the SF 1187 for a rural carrier.

924.423 American Postal Workers Union

The APWU processes SF 1187 for its members to initiate dues withholding.

924.5 Implementation of Dues Withholdings

The Eagan Accounting Service Center (ASC) begins dues withholdings with the first full pay period following the receipt of a properly completed SF 1187 at the DDE/DR site. In the event that an SF 1187 is received at the DDE/DR site without the date of delivery filled in, the DDE/DR site enters the date of receipt as the "date of delivery," and proceeds to process the form, using the "date of delivery" as the anniversary date. The DDE/DR site sends a copy of this annotated form with an appropriate explanation to the installation of origin for transmittal to the organization.

924.6 Certification of Amount to Be Withheld

924.61 Function of Organization Representative

The appropriate official of each employee organization properly certifies the amount to be withheld.

924.62 Change by Organization

When the organization changes the amount to be withheld, a blanket authorization listing the affected employees is accepted and used for such purpose by the Eagan ASC. Such notice includes the employee's name, Social Security number, finance number, effective date, and "from" and "to" dues amounts. The notice is certified by a regional or national official of the organization and forwarded to the manager of human resources in the area office, who indicates approval and forwards it to the Eagan ASC.

924.7 Confirmation of Correct Deduction

924.71 Notation or Earnings Statement

The amount withheld for dues is shown on PS Form 1223-A or PS Form 1223-B, Earnings Statement. If the employee has authorized withholdings for more than one organization, the earnings statement shows the organization code and deduction for each organization.

924.72 Procedure in Case of Error

If an erroneous dues amount is withheld, the employee follows normal payroll inquiry procedures in questioning such deduction. The personnel office maintaining the employee's official personnel folder (OPF) rechecks the amount authorized by the employee on the current SF 1187, and the DDE/DR site changes the employee payroll master record if it is in error. The Eagan ASC does not make a retroactive adjustment unless the Postal Service is responsible for the error in dues withholding; e.g., if it fails to process a properly submitted SF 1187, or deducts an incorrect amount, or makes deductions for the wrong organization.

925 Cancellation of Dues Withholding Authorization

925.1 Voluntary Cancellations

925.11 Form Used

Employees use PS Form 1188, Cancellation of Organization Dues from Payroll Withholdings, to cancel dues withholding.

925.12 When Employees Can Cancel

925.121 General

Except as specified in 925.122, an employee can cancel an SF 1187 only in accordance with the terms of the authorization form that the employee signs to initiate the dues withholding. This holds true for members of organizations such as the American Federation of Government Employees or the National Alliance of Postal Employees, that are not "certified bargaining representatives" or "recognized organizations of supervisory and other managerial personnel."

925.122 Special Circumstances

Special circumstances that alter the conditions for canceling dues withholding are as follows:

a. Employees who enrolled in any organization before July 1, 1971, or who are members of supervisory or managerial organizations designated by Codes N, P, or S, may submit their cancellation notice at any time, but it is not processed until the first full pay period following March 1 or September 1, whichever occurs first after receipt of the form. These employees submit PS Form 1188 to the installation head, who forwards the form to the servicing DDE/DR site, except as noted in 925.122f (see Exhibit 925.1).

b. An employee using the revised SF 1187 described in 924.12 may cancel only by submitting PS Form 1188 to the installation head and via certified mail to the organization's national office not more than 20 days, and not less than 10 days before the anniversary date (date of the delivery to employer). PS Form 1188 must be date-stamped upon receipt. It is this date that is used to determine if the cancellation request was received in accordance with the above requirements.

Example: Assume an anniversary date of December 1. The employee signs and dates PS Form 1188 on November 10 and certifies that Copy 3 of the form has been sent to the organization's national office by certified mail. To comply with the 20/10 day requirement specified above, the employing office must receive and date stamp part B of the form between November 11 and November 21. If the DDE/DR site receives all three copies of PS Form 1188, the entire form is returned to the employee with the reason(s) noted. The 20/10 day rule is a requirement of the revised SF 1187 that can be waived only by the union.

c. An employee whose documented position is not within a recognized bargaining unit (such as a supervisor), but who is having dues withheld for a labor organization that is recognized as a bargaining agent (see 923a), may voluntarily cancel the dues withholding authorization, effective the first full pay period after the request for cancellation is received at the DDE/DR site. The PS Form 1188 should be annotated to reflect the employee's current job title and effective date.

d. The SF 1187 of a transitional employee stays in effect for 180 days following termination, even though the Postal Service does not withhold dues, to allow the employee the option of continued withholding if the employee is rehired within that 180-day period. If a transitional employee wants to cancel dues withholding when rehired, he or she may do so within 10 days by submitting PS Form 1188. A transitional employee may also cancel dues withholding according to the 20/10 day requirement, i.e., not more than 20 days, and not less than 10 days before the anniversary date. This anniversary date is the "date of delivery to employer" of the SF 1187 originally authorizing dues withholding, and this date remains fixed regardless of the number of consecutive appointments.

e. The APWU processes PS Form 1188 for its members to cancel dues withholding.

f. NAPUS processes PS Form 1188 for its members to cancel dues withholding.

Exhibit 925.1
PS Form 1188, Cancellation of Organization Dues From Payroll Withholdings

925.2 Discontinued Withholding

925.21 Separation

The Postal Service discontinues dues withholding upon separation of any employee enrolled in the dues withholding program, although the process is modified for transitional employees. Dues withholding is discontinued for a transitional employee at the end of a term of employment, but the SF 1187 stays in effect for 180 days. If the employee is rehired within 180 days, the dues deduction restarts, unless the employee submits a cancellation as specified in 925.122d. After 180 days, a rehired employee must complete another SF 1187 in order to activate dues withholding.

925.22 Organization Request

Withholding of dues is discontinued at any time upon written request from the organization for which the withholding is authorized.

925.3 Cancellation Notices

Cancellation notices must include the employee's name, date, dues deduction anniversary date, Social Security number, name and finance number of the installation where officially assigned, and name and alpha code of the organization involved.

925.4 Cancellation Procedures

The postal installation receiving a properly executed PS Form 1188 promptly forwards the original and Copy 2 to the DDE/DR site. The DDE/DR site promptly notifies the installation head or designee of any refusal to honor PS Form 1188, and the reason for doing so, by returning Copy 2 of the completed PS Form 1188 to the employing office. The installation head or designee, in turn, notifies the employee.

925.5 Filing Procedures

All SFs 1187 (as provided by the various eligible postal organizations as specified in 923) and PS Forms 1188 requiring a payroll adjustment are sent to the Eagan ASC for processing. The forms, however, are returned for filing with the permanent documents on the right side of the employee's OPF.

925.6 Transfer or Reassignment

When an employee who is having dues withheld for a management or labor organization (as listed in 923a or b) transfers or is reassigned to another postal installation, his or her dues withholdings are transferred to the local organization at the gaining installation. The dues amount remains the same unless otherwise changed by the new local organization. If a change in the dues amount is to be made, a request is submitted by the organization as provided in 924.62; however, such request is limited to the employee involved.

926 Coding Instructions

926.1 Organization Codes

Each national organization is identified by a specific alphabetical code as shown in 923.

926.2 Subdivision Codes

The post office finance number is used to identify each post office local organization. Official state codes are used to identify the postmaster and rural carrier organization subdivisions.

926.3 Remote or District Locals

In some cases, an employee working at one postal installation is a member of a local organization identified with a different post office. The postal installation finance number is used to identify the office of employment. In addition, the post office finance number used to identify such remote or district local organization is also entered.

926.4 Members at Large

If a member is attached directly to the national organization or state division instead of to a local organization, the words "Member at Large" are shown after the name of the organization. Such members include those at post offices that do not have local organizations. The finance number should be the state code followed by four zeros (i.e., 35-0000).