Apwu133

Hundreds of postal workers demonstrated outside of USPS headquarters on Tuesday, May 9 at a rally coordinated by the APWU National Presidents Conference. The rally, which coincided with a meeting of Postal Service Board of Governors, called for a stop to plant consolidations, the restoration of previous mail service standards, and adequate staffing in postal operations. “We gathered to let the Board of Governors, Postmaster General DeJoy, and the public know that … small or large, we can’t take this essential service away from [our]communities,” said West Virginia State President, Sinikka Melvin, one of the event’s main organizers. “We need to keep up our momentum,” she added. Customer service is severely strained due to a lack of staffing in retail locations and other postal operations, and customer confidence in the Postal Service has taken a sharp drop. USPS’s own data show a 12.5 percent decrease in the number of retail counter clerks who staff post office retail counters and distribute mail to letter carriers (79,182 in 2006 to 69,298 in 2023). While mail volume has decreased in that timeframe, package volume has surged from 1.2 billion in 2006 to 7.2 billion at the end of 2022. “I salute the NPC for their efforts to stand with the people of this country in defense of a vibrant, public Postal Service,” said APWU President Mark Dimondstein. “Together, we’ll fight to restore the kind of service that is promised under the law and the people need and deserve, and to ensure that no community and neighborhood post offices are closed and services cut behind any management reorganization plans.”

Starting April 25 through May 26 2023, the USPS is pushing its annual Postal Pulse Survey. The APWU leadership urges you to not let the Postal Service take your Pulse! APWU is set to begin contract negotiations with the Postal Service in 2024. In the past, management has used surveys as a weapon against us in negotiations, while not producing any real positive change for employees at the Postal Service. The survey will arrive in mailboxes and via email, sent by Gallup. Nowhere in this survey is there a disclaimer that it is voluntary. Regardless of pressure from supervisors or managers, letter correspondence, excessive emails, or other tactics, employees are not required to participate in this survey. APWU urges you to not participate in the Postal Pulse. We have a negotiated grievance process, a negotiated labor-management cooperation process and national negotiations to address workplace issues. As we address the toxic work environment at the USPS, it is more important than ever that we deny management an opportunity to present an inaccurate picture of the state of our workplaces. On April 28, we kicked off our public campaign to bring awareness to the unsafe and toxic workplaces that our members face, and demand postal management to be held accountable. The membership has mobilized nationwide to demand dignity and respect, and continues to take solidarity actions such as recording a video, wearing a sticker, or taking APWU’s clearly marked workplace environment survey – look out for the union logo. For more information, visit apwu.org/respect. Stay united, and don’t be fooled by management’s tricks created to divide us. Over years of struggle, we’ve won a negotiated grievance process, a labor-management cooperation process and national negotiations to address workplace issues. These are the proper channels for management to seek input from postal workers, not a management survey put together without any input from the APWU or the other postal unions.

On March 29, 2023, the APWU and USPS agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will immediately begin to allow PTFs or PSEs assigned to Level 4 Remotely Managed Post Offices (RMPOs) to decline a career or full-time conversion opportunity if they choose to do so. The decision not to convert to career or full-time is strictly limited to those PTFs and PSEs in Level 4 RMPOs. There are approximately 306 PTFs domiciled in Level 4 RMPOs as a result of receiving an exemption to remain in their offices by the POStPlan MOU and Addendum agreed to in 2014. In those circumstances in which the opportunity to convert is declined, any PTFs or PSEs in the same installation/bid cluster will have the opportunity, by PTF installation seniority or PSE relative standing on the rolls, to elect to be converted to full-time/career. Following that step, the pecking order to fill the career or full-time vacancy is identified in the 3-29-23 MOU. PTFs and PSEs within 50 miles of the office where the vacancy exists will be given the opportunity to accept the residual vacancy or PTF vacancy. These opportunities will be offered in the canvas posting in regular eReassign for preference of PTFs and PSEs within a 50-mile radius of the residual vacancy/PTF vacancy. The order of selection will be by PTF installation seniority and PSE relative standing on the rolls. If the position remains unfilled after this step, it will be filled by the external career hiring process. Based on the most recent report from the USPS on the Small Office Complement (3-24-23) – 5,175 PSEs are staffing the Level 4 RMPOs. PTFs are currently numbered at 306, although the Postal Service is required to maintain a number of at least 318 PTFs in the Level 4 RMPOs. A resolution was introduced at the 2018 National APWU Convention that proposed to allow PSEs the opportunity to decline conversion to career, but that resolution was defeated by the delegates. A similar resolution was reintroduced at the 2022 National APWU Convention that originally asked for all PTFs and PSEs to have the right to decline a conversion opportunity. It appeared the resolution was headed for defeat; however, the resolution was amended to include only PTFs and PSEs in Level 4 RMPOs. Level 4 RMPOs are in small rural communities and are several miles from their Administrative Post Offices (APOs), even though they are considered a part of the same installation/bid cluster. POStPlan eventually allowed RMPOs to be as much as 50 miles from their APOs. There was heated debate relating to the resolution before it was passed, as amended, by the delegates. As a result, leaders at the national level were obliged to negotiate with the Postal Service over this issue, which led to the signing of the MOU. The Clerk Craft officers at the headquarters level struggled with the concept of this resolution because we continue to support the creation of an all-career workforce. In order to protect our position of an all-career workforce, the parties added language in the MOU that requires the filling of the career position even if the end result is an external career hire.

Paula D. "Lala" Barker-Harless ( February 23, 2023 ) Paula D. “Lala” Barker-Harless, 60, of Cross Lanes, went Home to be with the Lord, on Thursday, February 23, 2023, after a short illness. Lala was born on February 3, 1963 in Charleston, WV to the late Barbara and Harold Barker. She was a 1981 graduate of Stonewall Jackson High School, she was a former employee of the Charleston Newspapers, and was retired from the US Postal Service, she was the former president of the American Postal Workers Union, Local 133 in Charleston. Lala was a member Community Chapel Church in Cross Lanes. Lala was also preceded in death by her sister Carol D. Tawney and her mother-in-law Ann G. “Nubby” Bonds. Left behind to cherish her memory are her husband of 28 years Tommy L. Harless, brother-in-law Jeff Tawney, sister-in-law Becky Harless, nephews Adam Tawney and Tommie “TA” Harless, niece Lusinda Harless, and her special canine companion Kylla Jaxx. A Memorial Celebration of Lala’s life will be held at 1:00 PM Friday, March 3, 2023 at Community Chapel Church, 5287 Big Tyler Road, Cross Lanes, WV 25313 with Pastor Jacob Burgess and Jeremy Mace officiating. Her cremated remains will be placed at Tyler Mountain Memory Gardens, Cross Lanes, WV. The family will receive friends from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM on Friday at the church.

It is with great sadness the Charleston WV Area Local was made aware of the passing of former President Paula Barker-Harless. Paula passed away on Thursday February 23, 2023. Paula served the Local in various capacities during her time with the U. S. Postal Service. She will be greatly missed.

Charleston WV Area Local Members Register on this webiste with your First and Last name and a current Email address and be entered in to a drawing to win up to $1000.00 You may be contacted to verify identity. You cannot use a usps email address.

In accordance with the 2021-2024 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), career employees represented by the APWU will receive a $0.10 per hour cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), effective March 11, 2023. The increase is the result of a rise in the January Consumer Price Index (CPI-W). It will appear in paychecks dated March 31, 2023 (Pay Period 07-2023). The value of the COLA for full-time employees in each step and grade will increase by $208.00 annually for full time, career employees. The COLAs are in addition to general wage increases. This is the third cost-of-living increase under the 2021 CBA. The first increase, effective in February 2022, amounted to $0.63 per hour or $1,310.00 annually. The second, effective in August 2022 was $1.18 per hour, or $2,455.00 annually. The COLAs received so far during the 2021-2024 CBA total $3,973.00. In light of the fact that Postal Support Employees (PSEs) do not receive cost-of-living increases, they have received several additional increases beyond the general wage increases for all employees in the APWU bargaining unit under the 2021 contract. Rising inflation underscores just how important the continuation of our negotiated COLA is in our outstanding new CBA. The COLA is our best protection against inflation. Postal Workers are some of the few U.S. workers who receive these increases. Even in the postal world, we are the only postal union that has maintained full COLA in our CBA.

Department of Labor Announces New FECA Procedures for COVID-19 Cases The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) expired on January 27. The APWU has opposed the expiration of those provisions of the act that protected federal workers who contracted COVID-19 (COVID). We are providing the following as information to members on the new procedures for COVID-related workers’ compensation (OWCP) claims through the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA). The ARPA included presumptions for federal workers who were exposed to COVID in the course of their employment. Postal workers who tested positive for COVID and had been working in the Postal Service were presumed to have contracted their illness while at work. Workers’ compensation claims were to be processed through the Department of Labor (DOL) by submission of form CA-1, Notice of Traumatic Injury. Traumatic Injury claims allow for the benefit of Continuation of Pay (COP). The ARPA expired on Jan. 27, 2023. For workers who test positive for COVID after Jan. 27, 2023, the DOL has announced their procedures for processing workers’ compensation claims in FECA Bulletin 23-02, available online. In most instances, workers’ compensation claims for COVID should now be filed on form CA-2 Notice of Occupational Disease (unless the injured worker is capable of positively identifying their exposure to a single event or a single work shift). There is no entitlement to COP in an occupational disease claim. Any claim for wage loss benefits will need to be pursued through filing a CA-7 through the DOL. Any claims for COVID benefits based on testing after Jan. 27, 2023 and filed on a CA-1 will be administratively converted to a CA-2 by the DOL, and COP will be denied. The injured worker will receive written notice of any such change. There is also a three-day waiting period and the employee will initially need to use their own leave until the claim is approved. For claims based on positive testing after Jan. 27, 2023, the injured worker will have the burden of establishing all five (5) essential elements to workers’ compensation entitlement to include a causal relationship (there will be no more presumptions). A causal relationship is established by providing a physician’s reasoned medical opinion as to why he or she believes that a positively tested COVID diagnosis was attributable to work place exposure. The claims examiner will issue a developmental letter explaining in more detail the evidence needed to establish the claim. All COVID claims based on positive testing through Jan. 27, 2023 were assigned case number with a prefix of 19. COVID claims based on testing after Jan. 27, 2023 will be assigned a prefix 55, like most other claims received by the DOL.

The Debt Ceiling & Postal Workers No postal worker or federal retiree will see a gap or reduction in pension payments or healthcare coverage. January 20, 2023 The Treasury Department announced on Thursday that the United States government has hit its statutory “debt limit.” The next several months will be full of political drama, with serious risks at hand for working people and working-class retirees. While the debt limit was technically reached this week, the Treasury Department has begun certain accounting measures to extend its ability to pay the government’s bills. Among the “extraordinary measures” announced by Treasury are some that are of serious concern to postal workers. The Treasury Department has announced it will begin a “debt issuance suspension period” which will affect the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund (CSRDF), the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefit Fund (PSRHBF), and the G Fund of the Thrift Savings Plan These funds are normally invested in U.S. Treasury bonds. By suspending the debt issuance, Treasury temporarily saves the interest that would normally be paid into the funds. While the political brinksmanship around the debt ceiling is a shameful reflection of Congress’s disregard for working peoples’ interests, postal workers and other federal employees should rest assured that their retirement benefits are secure at this time. No postal worker or federal retiree will see a gap or reduction in pension payments or healthcare coverage. The law further requires that the Treasury Department make whole the effected funds once the debt ceiling has been either raised or suspended. Treasury has previously taken similar actions, and in each instance, benefits continued to be paid and the CSRDF, the PSRHBF and the G Funds were fully reimbursed for the temporary losses incurred by the funds. Today, the law makes that reimbursement automatic once the debt ceiling issue is resolved. The debt limit showdown is a manufactured crisis, the product of decades of tax cuts for the wealthy led by a political elite that is more comfortable debating cuts to already-starved social programs and hard-earned benefits than ensuring the federal government works for working people. The new Republican majority in the House is demanding the Biden Administration agree to steep cuts in federal spending in exchange for raising the debt ceiling. It’s projected that the Treasury Department will be unable to pay bills in a few months, putting the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. government in question and risking an unnecessary recession that would surely hit working people hardest. “Make no mistake working people and our unions won’t stand for benefit cuts in exchange for what should be a routine act of Congress,” said APWU President Mark Dimondstein. “The debt limit has been increased on a bipartisan basis dozens of times before, including three times during the Trump presidency. The cynical hostage-taking is unnecessary and dangerous.” The APWU leadership is following the developments closely and will continue to demand our political leaders don’t sacrifice working people’s benefits in exchange for a debt limit increase and will keep members informed of any new developments.

APWU Position on Employees Who Have Had Direct Deposits Stolen in LiteBlue Fraud January 20, 2023 APWU national officers have filed a national dispute with postal management on behalf of members who have had their pay stolen by cyber-criminals and are unable to recover the money. Several hundred postal workers have had pay stolen by cyber-criminals who used fraudulent websites to obtain sensitive personal data that was used to divert and steal direct deposit payments. The thefts mainly occurred during Pay Period 26 of 2022 but continued into Pay Period 1 of 2023. The thefts led the Postal Service to shut down employee apps on LiteBlue and through PostalEase on any computer or device not connected to an internal Postal Service Intranet network. While many workers have been able to recover money that has been recovered from banks, Postal Service management has taken the position that any unrecovered loss of pay as a result of the fraud is the fault of postal workers. However, management was aware of the risk of cyber fraud but did not send warnings to employees. It is also known that the Postal Service was aware of security threats to the LiteBlue application because they had been working on the creation and implementation of a Multifactor Authentication (MFA) process since mid-2022, but did not inform the APWU of this until the last week of November 2022. The banking industry and secure websites have been utilizing MFA processes for years because of the everyday security threats on the internet. Yet the Postal Service chose not to implement these processes until just this week, when a Stand-Up Talk was issued on December 17. Although not every APWU represented employee has had their pay stolen, we understand that anyone who has lost money has been affected deeply, and these issues must be addressed by the Postal Service immediately. APWU President, Mark Dimondstein, said: “It appears that the number of affected people is not huge, but a paycheck is a family’s lifeline and not one single worker should be left without money as a result of this attack.” “The criminals behind this attack are to blame, but postal management must also take its share of the responsibility,” said Charlie Cash, APWU Industrial Relations Director. “It is clear that Postal management knew for a long time that LiteBlue had this security risk by they made no serious attempt to warn workers or upgrade security until it was too late for hundreds of workers.” TAKE THE FOLLOWING STEPS IF YOUR DIRECT DEPOSIT HAS BEEN STOLEN: Call the Accounting Service Center to report the fraud at 1-866-974-2733 Report the loss to the USPS Cybersafe unit at cybersafe@usps.gov Call the Human Resources Shared Service Center (HRSSC) at 1-877-477-3273 and either change the direct deposit information or cancel it entirely Request a pay advance, but note the advance will more than likely be denied as the Postal Service takes the position that due to employee negligence, no advance is owed. A grievance can be filed on the denial of the advance at this point The employee can file a PS Form 2146. The PS form 2146 is a claim for employees lost personal property while on duty or while on postal premises. An employee’s pay is personal property and is connected to employment. Once the claim has been submitted, the Postal Service must act on it. The Supervisor must complete their portion, send to the Area, and a decision must be rendered within 30-days of receipt at the Area Level. Employee and local officers and stewards need to make sure the form is submitted to Area ASAP. If a negative decision is rendered, the denial should be appealed directly to arbitration. There is no guarantee this will lead to the Postal Service paying the lost funds to the employee--this is only one possible action an employee can take on the issue and it is up to each employee whether or not to make such a claim. If the Postal Service recovers the funds lost and returns them to the employee, each employee and union official must then evaluate any grievances or claims currently active and make a determination on the continued processing of such grievances or claims.

Protecting LiteBlue from Cyber Criminals: Multifactor Authentication Required After January 15 January 20, 2023 APWU national officers are continuing to advocate for members who have had had their wages stolen in the recent online fraud attack on USPS systems. Below is an update on management’s introduction of multifactor authentication (MFA) for LiteBlue log ins. MFA is a tool that banks and other institutions use when dealing with sensitive personal information to prevent cyber-attacks. It is an identity verification method where users have to use two or more methods to gain access to an online account. Entering a password and then a text message confirmation code is an example of MFA. Management has provided an update about the implementation of MFA to log into LiteBlue after cyber criminals gained access to sensitive employee data using fake websites that closely resembled LiteBlue. The fraudsters used this information to make changes to net-to-bank and allotment accounts to divert and steal direct deposit funds. A Stand-Up Talk issued on January 17 announced that the Postal Service began requiring MFA in order to access LiteBlue on Jan. 15, 2023 as an additional layer of protection to strengthen online security measures for postal workers personal data. When employees log into LiteBlue, they will be required to set up their MFA preferences. Once an employee’s MFA setup is enabled, these ID confirmation factors will be required each time they log in. WHAT YOU NEED TO DO After Jan. 15, 2023, when you log in to LiteBlue: Reset your Self-Service Profile (SSP) Password. Verify the last four digits of you Social Security Number (SSN. Set up your multifactor authentication preferences. After set up, you will be required to confirm your credentials each time you log in. For more information or to view support materials, go to the LiteBlue login page and select “Multifactor Authentication.” Resource materials, including an Instructions to Enroll and Sign in to LiteBlue with Multifactor Authentications (MFA) user guide, are also available below. LiteBlue MFA Documents & Materials Stand-Up Talk: Multifactor Authentication Now Required for LiteBlue LiteBlue with MultiFactor Authentication Instructions (Jan 15 2023) LiteBlue MFA - Manager HERO Email (1-17-23) LiteBlue MFA - Employee HERO email (1-15-23) Manager Talking Points - LiteBlue MFA Multifactor Authentication for LiteBlue - LINK Article Multifactor Authentication Posters D4 USPS Officers Letter - Multifactor Authentication for LiteBlue

Direct Deposit Theft suggestion with 2146 example (2).pdf PS2146 fillable (2).pdf

JCIM is Available: Order Yours Today! January 5, 2023 The 2023 Joint Contract Interpretation Manual (JCIM), a resource for the administration of the 2021-2024 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), is now available for members! Members can order their JCIM for $10 from the APWU Store on the APWU website, or you can click here for an electronic copy. The JCIM is an APWU and USPS jointly prepared manual for interpreting issues related to the union contract and serves to address and resolve disputes as well as ensure contract compliance. The JCIM is a collection of agreed-upon interpretations that have been made over decades of collective bargaining. Whether those interpretations have been made by simple discussion and agreement, interpreted by a national arbitrator in arbitration proceedings, agreed upon in memoranda of understanding, or through dispute settlements, the JCIM is the final word on issues printed in the booklet for all levels of the grievance process. The purpose of the JCIM is also stated at the beginning of the manual: “When a dispute arises, the parties should first go to the JCIM to determine if the issue in disputes is addressed. If it is, the parties are required to resolve the dispute in accordance with this manual. If the parties effectively use and consult the JCIM, many disputes can be settled early on in the grievance/arbitration process.”

Update to APWU Members on LiteBlue Fraud January 5, 2023 APWU National Officers continue to warn postal workers to be on the lookout for a fraudulent online scheme that has resulted in stolen direct deposit payments from USPS employees. The scam involves either a phone call from someone claiming to be a Postal Inspector or a fraudulent website that looks like LiteBlue, but sends workers’ log in details to the fraudsters. Once workers have provided the scammers with their security information, such as passwords and EINs, the scammers can log into their victims’ LiteBlue accounts and change their net-to-bank payroll information. USPS management warned workers about the fake LiteBlue sites in a Stand-up Talk on Dec. 23. On Dec. 29 the USPS disabled access to change PostalEase on external sites. Employees can still login through external computers, but can only view their direct deposit and other information. Employees who need to change their information will have to either login to PostalEase through an ACE computer at a postal facility or call the Human Resource Shared Service Center (HRSSC) directly at 1-877-477-3273 to make any necessary direct deposit or benefit changes at this time. An updated Stand-up Talk was posted on the subject on Dec. 30. However, it has been reported from the field that the Stand-up Talks are not being done in many locations and that managers are denying workers access to postal devices in order to log into their accounts. If you have not received the Stand-up talks regarding LiteBlue fraud, or are denied access to PostalEase through a USPS issued device, please contact your steward or other local/state officer for resolution. If local management refuses to resolve the problems, local and state leaders can inform the Industrial Relations Department to address the problem with Postal HQ management. APWU national officers are monitoring the situation and demanding that the Postal Service provide full updates on what has happened, what is still happening, and what is being done to remedy the situation, including the reimbursement of stolen funds Postal Service management will implement a Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) system, which will add an extra layer of security by requiring a code sent via email or text to log in. It is recommended that everyone ensure the Postal Service has a good email or phone number that can receive a text on file. The email or phone number provided to the Postal Service for MFA will only be used for this purpose. It is important that you should never share your LiteBlue/PostalEase login information with anyone. The Postal Inspectors will not call or ask for this information over the phone. If you are concerned that you might have entered your LiteBlue information on a fraudulent website or have provided that information from a phone call, please attempt to log in and check your LiteBlue/PostalEase account immediately. If you can’t log in, see unauthorized changes, or if anything seems suspicious, contact HRSSC immediately at 1-877-477-3273. FRAUD ALERT STAND UP TALKS Fraud Alert - Fake LiteBlue Websites - Stand Up Talk Fraud Alert - Net to Bank and Allotment Disabled in Postal Ease - Stand Up Talk