Apwu133

Not a better time than NOW! Summertime is finally here! Fresh cut grass, baseball, vacations, going swimming on a hot day and sitting on the front porch. All the things we look forward to when you can’t find the ice scraper on a ten-degree Monday morning in January. Now that it finally is here, will it just be like those of the past or will you do something with purpose and reward? Just like the weather changes, so does your union. Retirement, health and personal issues affect us all, causing some of the normal faces to come and go. But the one thing that doesn’t change is the responsibility we have as officials to represent our members. If you have had thoughts about becoming active in the union, there is not a better time than now. Whether attending a union meeting for the first time or wanting to become an alternate steward for your tour, rest assured, someone will be there if you need help or have questions. Assistant Clerk Craft Director Thompson holds basic steward training whenever new stewards or alternates step on board. So, if you feel like it’s time for you to stand and fightfor the contract, yourself, coworkers and the future, please reach out to either Clerk Craft Director Kayla“Cuppy” Reynolds at kaylacuppy@apwu133.com or Maintenance Craft Director Tiffany Copley at tiffanycopley@apwu133.com and let them know you’re ready to fight. Tim Holstein Vice Pres. WV State APWU Vice Pres. APWU Local 133 Charleston, WV

I was asked to write a small notice to inform the members and distribute some information regarding some of the talks about the potential privatization of the post office. It is becoming a real possibility of privatization in the post office and our National APWU Legislative Director Judy Beard has put together some information. It is highly encouraged to call the phone number listed in the first picture will connect people to the proper senator for their residential zip code and they can leave a comment urging support for the following resolutions in the second picture. I have both listed there so people can read and get an understanding of both of the resolutions. They deal with anti-privatization and would be beneficial for all postal workers and all community members who receive mail to reach out. The phone number can be called by all community members not just postal workers so please feel free to share this information with friends, family, and communities. Thank you - Chase Dawson APWU Local #133 Legislative Director

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

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://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!

https://www.facebook.com/share/18oCQJNaze/?mibextid=wwXIfr

APWU 133 Clerk Craft Director Kayla Reynolds attends the Washington DC Rally with her leadership class in opposition of President Trumps potential change to the Postal Service.

Postmaster General (PMG) Louis DeJoy has informed the Postal Board of Governors that he will soon depart the Postal Service. The Board of Governors, who by law is solely responsible for hiring the PMG, will begin the process of identifying DeJoy’s successor and DeJoy has committed to working with the Board to ensure a smooth transition once the Board has chosen the next PMG. The APWU calls on the Board to appoint a Postmaster General who values the important role the public Postal Service plays in communities across the country. At this critical moment for the Postal Service, we need a PMG who is committed to making the USPS a world-class delivery and service provider, able to meet the changing demands of our digital age with an unmatched physical and human network. To do this, the next Postmaster General must recognize and respect the postal workers who make the USPS run, our health and safety, our union rights, and our commitment to serving the public. Postal workers are proud to reach 167 million addresses six days a week, “binding the Nation together” as the law requires us to do. The Postal Service, enshrined in the Constitution, is older than the country itself. And as we saw during the pandemic, or following natural disasters, postal workers never stop working to serve our communities and provide the essential services they need. Now, in a moment when public servants are under severe attack, postal workers and the people we serve in every state and every Congressional district, are prepared to defend our critical public service and ensure the continued success of a vibrant, public Postal Service for generations to come. Postal workers are deeply dedicated to the long-term success of the Postal Service and our union calls on the Board to select a Postmaster General who shares our goals of improving and expanding service and investing in the public servants who make the Postal Service a true national treasure.

“STATE OF THE UNION” Recently, at the last union meeting, it was discussed that some time ago local union officers wrote articles with updates on issues they were currently involved with. We decided that this would be a great opportunity to inform members of what we are doing currently and how we are combating the issues we face daily as brothers and sisters. Our intent is that members will come out with a better understanding of what happens after you leave the union office and the door closes. There will be articles on everything from custodial Line H settlements, pending class action grievances, health plan information, upcoming union activities and whateverelse falls in between. With that being said, here we go…….. You were just made aware by a co-worker that you were grieved last week. What do you do? The first thing you do after finding out you were grieved is IMMEDIATELY ask your supervisor to see your union representative. Management is to release you to see a union representative, normally, within two (2) hours of your request. If this cannot happen, THE SUPERVISOR is to notify yourself or the steward as to why this request is delayed. Normally, if the request does not happen immediately, it should happen by the end of your tour. If you’re not released upon request or during your tour, you are to be IMMEDDIATELY released at the beginning of your next tour. Management has a long-standing history of kicking the can down the road in hopes that the employee will give up or just forget. We fight this through being informed and being persistent, both as employees and union representatives. If you’ve asked once already, ask again. Inform the supervisor you have the right to have your complaint heard today. Take notes of the conversation and what was said as to why you are being denied. If you do not get to see your steward that day you are to be released upon the beginning of the tour the next day. Make sure to remind your supervisor once again that you did not receive the time you requested yesterday, and they are obligated to give you the time today at the beginning of your tour. The union has multiple ways to fight management in the denial of steward time and we have been successful in the past. Upon your union time with the steward, be sure to have as much information available. Have a statement, notes or anything you think may help in an investigation. Oftentimes, we can look at clock rings to see if the information you have been told is correct, finding out if there is a grievance immediately. From there, the steward investigates, looking through clock rings, interviewing management or employees and reviewing all the information that will help prove your case. At this point the union must complete its investigation and conduct a Step 1 meeting within fourteen (14) days of learningof its cause. From there, the steward meets with the immediate supervisor and presents her/his argument. Unfortunately, moreoften, grievances are denied at Step 1 regardless of how much evidence the steward has in support of the claim. Upon receipt of the Step 1 denial, the steward now has ten (10) days to appeal that decision to Step 2. After completing the Step 2 appeal form, your craft director meets with their corresponding management representative. This meeting further discusses the grievance, delves deeper into contractual provisions and examines any new information added to the case after Step 1. Often time case law arbitrations revolving around the issues are discussed and argued. This is the last opportunity the union has to settle the grievance “locally”. If the union and management fail to come to an agreement at Step 2, management must respond to the union in writing as to why the grievance was denied. Upon receipt of this denial, the union must complete its “additions and corrections” within 10days and submit them to both labor and the unions’ NBA(National Business Agent). At this moment the grievance is completely out of your local unions hands and relies solely on the NBA to settle the case. The timeline to a possible settlementis a lengthy process due to managements ill-faired philosophy of deny, deny, deny . This ultimately leads to the monstrous backlog of Step 3’s, Step 4’s and pending arbitrations we have across the nation. So, what does the union do? We continue to fight to protect workers’ rights and advance the interest of our cause. We fight for health care and retirement benefits. We consistently aim for safer working conditions for our members, and non-members as well. We negotiate through a collective bargaining agreement, often against corporations and businesses that do not want to pay feasible wages to their employees and constantly want more for less, while breaking the exact contract they have agreed upon. So what do we do, WE FIGHT BACK and continue with what you have elected us to do. There has never been a better time to fight and join the union. A member does not always have to fulfill the role of a steward or elected officer. Ask your steward or any officer as to what you can do to help in this fight. For the members in this fight with us, we say thank you, and if you are not a member, please ask your steward for a union sign-up sheet and join us! Tim Holstein Vice President APWU #133