39 U.S.C. § 1005 — Applicability of laws relating to Federal employees

(a) (1) Chapter 75 of title 5 applies to Postal Service officers and employees unless inconsistent with an applicable collective-bargaining agreement or Civil Service Commission-approved Postal Service procedures. (2) Title 5 rules for a “preference eligible” applicant or employee apply in the same way and under the same conditions as in the competitive service. Neither a section 1004 program nor a chapter 12 agreement may change this paragraph. (3) This subsection does not apply to people appointed under sections 202, 204, and 1001(c). (4) Subchapter II of chapter 75 applies to preference eligibles who are employees under section 7511(a)(1)(B), and to supervisors, management employees, and non-purely-confidential clerical personnel workers who have 1 year of current continuous service in the same or similar positions. The preference-eligible protection against modification applies to the relevant part, while the protection for the other individuals may not be modified by a section 1004 program.

(b) (1) Except for paragraph (2), section 5941 of title 5 applies to the Postal Service. Postal pay is treated as fixed by statute, and basic pay means the established pay, excluding allowances and benefits. (2) From enactment of the Non-Foreign Area Retirement Equity Assurance Act of 2009, that Act and section 5941 apply to section 1003(b) and (c) employees whose duty station is in a nonforeign area, and section 1916(b)(2) of that Act applies to other Postal Service officers and employees.

(c) Postal officers and employees are covered by subchapter I of chapter 81 of title 5 for work-injury compensation.

(d) (1) Except Governors, Postal officers and employees are covered by chapters 83 and 84 of title 5. The Service must withhold and pay required amounts into the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund and pay required amounts into the Federal Retirement Thrift Savings Fund. (2) Specified rules in sections 8344 and 8468 apply to the Service, treating references to an Executive agency head as the Postmaster General and references to an employee as a Postal officer or employee.

(e) Postal officers’ and employees’ sick leave, annual leave, and compensatory time, whether earned before or after Postal operations began, are Postal Service obligations under this chapter.

(f) Compensation, benefits, and other employment terms in effect immediately before this section took effect continue until the Service changes them under this chapter and chapter 12. Subject to those chapters, specified title 5 unemployment and insurance chapters apply unless this subsection changes, adds to, or substitutes for them. Overall fringe benefits may not become less favorable than those in effect when this section took effect. For employees with a bargaining representative, a fringe-benefit change may be made only by agreement between the representative and the Service.