APWU Brothers and Sisters, 

As you are aware, President Trump has recently made comments that concern the Postal Service.  If these statements come to fruition, the Postal Service will be changed, in what the union believes, for the bad.  The President has spokenmultiple times of potential privatization in the past statements.  If this happens, it will degrade service standards even more as corporations would only look at the profit margin and not the service aspect, driving customers to our competitors.   

Please join us March 20, 2025, from 12:00 – 1:00 pm at the Charleston Main Post Office 1002 Lee Street on the public sidewalk near the flagpole.  APWU headquarters has requested simultaneous rallies across the nation during this time.  We understand this time is not convenient for those scheduled to work, but if you are available during this time, we would greatly appreciate your participation. There will besigns, banners and pamphlets to pass out to the public.  It is OUR job to inform OUR customers of the potential effects of President Trumps deliberations and how it will impact them.  

Thank you, 

Tim Holstein 

Vice President APWU 133

https://wvpublic.org/charleston-postal-employees-rally-against-federal-workforce-cuts/

https://federalnewsnetwork.com/agency-oversight/2025/03/usps-will-let-doge-team-tackle-its-big-problems-dejoy-tells-lawmakers/?readmore=1

Federal Retirement Fairness Act Reintroduced!

On Feb. 24, 2025, the Federal Retirement Fairness Act, or H.R. 1522, was reintroduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Gerald Connolly (D-VA-11) and Rep. David Valadao (R-CA-22). This bipartisan bill would allow temporary postal and federal employees who are promoted to career positions the option of “buying back” the time that they had worked as a non-career employee to use toward their retirement.

Temporary postal employees are non-career employees, such as postal support employees (PSEs), transitional employees, and casuals, who are unable to make contributions to their retirement benefits until they become USPS career employees.

Prior to 1989, postal workers were allowed to make retroactive “catch up” contributions to their retirement benefits, after they made career status, for all the time they worked as a temporary employee. Unfortunately, the authority to make retroactive payments expired on Jan. 1, 1989.

Under the proposed “buy back,” eligible postal workers and federal employees have the voluntary option to make a deposit equal to the amount that would have been contributed to their retirement benefits had they been career employees since their employment began. The calculation of the amount is determined by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). This legislation would help postal and federal employees retire earlier by counting the time they worked as a non-career employee toward their retirement. It would affect more than 100,000 APWU members who have converted from temporary to career positions.

As of March 3, 2025, the Federal Retirement Fairness Act has 25 cosponsors in the House of Representatives. Please keep an eye on apwu.org for future information on a Call to Action Day for the Federal Retirement Fairness Act. Remember, an injury to one is an injury to all. We are much stronger together in solidarity, so please help your fellow union members in this collective fight for full, on-time retirement benefits!