Safety Letter (1).docx

https://www.apwunpc.com/index.cfm?zone=/unionactive/view_page.cfm&page=APWU20NPC20Debate20of20National20Candidates20

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 

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  

https://www.wowktv.com/news/west-virginia/south-charleston-usps-facility-works-to-get-items-shipped-for-the-holidays/

2025 contribution limits — The Internal Revenue Code places specific limits on the amount that you can contribute to employer-sponsored plans like the TSP each year. See how the contribution limits have changed.

New in 2025: higher catch-up limit for ages 60, 61, 62, and 63

Beginning January 1, 2025, participants age 60, 61, 62, and 63 who are eligible for catch-up contributions will have a higher catch-up limit than the regular catch-up limit. In the years participants turn 64 and older, the catch-up limit will be the lower, regular catch-up limit amount.

This change is part of the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2022 (SECURE 2.0).

Medicare and APWU Health Plans

Both the High Option (HO) and Consumer Driven Option (CDO) have Medicare benefits without enrolling in the UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage Plan. 

Please keep in mind that once you retire, you no longer receive the APWU discount on the CDO option, but as long as you stay an APWU member at the retiree rate (36 dollars per year), you do not need to pay the $35 yearly associate fee charged to non-members. Keep in mind that the following information is for retired employees.

CDO benefits 

New for 2025 you can use your PCA dollars to cover the Medicare Part B premium, and you can receive Medicare Prescription drug coverage (Part D) at no extra cost. If you are a retired CDO member, you will be automatically enrolled in the UnitedHealthcare Part D plan. It includes a $2,000 out of pocket maximum for prescription drugs, which uses the total cost of the drug. (what the insurance pays plus what you pay). This means that your drug costs would be covered at 100% after meeting this amount. It also includes home delivery service. For more details call the UnitedHealthcare Medicare Rx Part D at 888-201-4265 Monday thru Friday 8 am to 8pm local time)

HO benefits

Even if not enrolled in the APWU Health Plan Medicare Advantage (Part C) you will be automatically enrolled in the ExpressScripts Medicare for the APWU Health Plan. It has the same benefits as the CDO option, with the $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket expenses and home delivery service. For details about this plan, call Express Scripts Medicare at 844-818-8790 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or visit apwuhp.com. 

UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage Plan for APWU Health Plan. 

**To enroll in this plan you must have the High Option and have both Medicare Parts A and B***

Benefits Include 

It also includes fitness membership through Renew Active, which is free through fitness centers participating in their nationwide network. 

You can also receive home health care through their UnitedHealthcare Healthy at Home program. This provides support you may need after an inpatient hospital or skilled nursing facility stay. You can receive home-delivered meals, transportation to medical appointments and pharmacy, and in-home non-medical personal care to assist with daily activities, all at no additional cost. 

It also has hearing aid benefits through their UnitedHealthcare Hearing program. You must contact UHC Hearing and use a UHC hearing provider for this coverage. There are 6,500+ hearing providers nationwide, and you can receive a hearing exam and access to one of the widest selections of prescription and non-prescription hearing aids at significant savings. You’ll also receive personalized care and follow-up support from experienced hearing providers. 

For more information or to enroll, call a Customer Service Advocate at 855-383-8793 TTY 711, 8am – 8pm local time, Monday through Friday, or visit retiree.uhc.com/apwuhp.

As always, visit keepingposted.org and  apwu.org/retirees for more information on retirement or how to stay involved after retirement. Retirees can provide a vital service by being a voice in the community or mentoring younger members. If you are interested in being more involved regardless of your employment status, please reach out to us!

Finally, as was promised! The Medicare Article! 

As many of you are aware, the changes are happening to our health care because of the Postal Service Reform Act (PSRA) of 2022. This new law also made changes in Medicare requirements for eligible current postal workers and retirees. Medicare (which is through the federal government, is not to be confused with Medicaid (through the state government) 

What is Medicare? 

Medicare is a federal health insurance program for: 

Annuitants (i.e. Retirees)

The PSRA is designed, in part, to promote Medicare integration. Beginning Jan. 1, 2025, the PSRA requires certain Medicare-eligible Postal Service annuitants to enroll in Medicare Part B to keep their PSHB coverage in retirement. 

After Jan. 1, 2025, annuitants who are enrolled in Medicare Part B must stay enrolled to keep PSHB coverage, unless an exception applies. 

Medicare health plans (more specific coverage  information available for Medicare Parts  A and B here.) You can also root around on the Medicare.gov website, but I personally found it a bit hard to navigate. 

Part A (Hospital Insurance) - If you or your spouse worked at least 10 years in Medicare-covered employment, you qualify for premium-free Part A coverage. Most Postal Service employees, retirees and covered eligible family members are entitled to Medicare Part A at age 65 without additional cost. It covers inpatient hospital care, skilled nursing facility care, nursing home care, home health care and hospice. If you receive Social Security Benefits prior to your 65th birthday, you should be automatically enrolled. 

Part B (Medical Insurance) – You are charged a monthly premium for Medicare Part B. For more information on rates, visit Medicare.gov. It covers certain doctor services, outpatient care, preventive services and medical supplies. You may also pay a penalty if you do not sign up for Part B when you first become eligible. There is NO CAP to this penalty, and you will pay it as long as you have the Medicare Part B plan, so be vigilant! 

There are some exceptions to the Medicare Part B enrollment requirement under the PSHB Program. You may be responsible for providing proof of eligibility for the applicable exception(s) to the designated agency. They are :

-Residing outside of the United States and its territories. You are required to follow the policy and procedure set forth by the Postal Service to be eligible for this exception. This exception requires that an annual certification be submitted to the Postal Service with proof of residency. 

-Annuitants who are enrolled in healthcare benefits provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

- Eligibility for health services provided by the Indian Health Service. 

Part C (Medicare Advantage plans) – Medicare Advantage plans are Medicare- approved plans from a private company that offers an alternative to Original Medicare (Parts A and B) that provides health and drug coverage. CAREFUL WITH THESE. Private plans are required by law to let you know they are not part of a Government plan. If you see the phrase *Non Government Entity* be wary. 

***Both the High Option and Consumer Driven Option coordinate with Medicare and have their own benefits, but the High option is more advantageous. More about those specific benefits next week!***

Part D (Prescription coverage) – A standalone prescription drug plan with Medicare that helps cover the cost of prescription drugs. Medicare Part D will be included in all PSHB plans for Medicare eligible participants. You will not have to pay a separate premium for prescription coverage. Each PSHB plan will specify how your prescription coverage works in combination with Medicare Part D. If you drop part D, you WILL NOT have prescription coverage under the PSHB plan. You can re-enroll during open enrollment however. 

Still have questions? Of course you do! Medicare can be complicated and has what feels like 40 billion rules. This article is not meant to be exhaustive. While information on the workroom floor can be scant or, more likely, highly inaccurate, there is a lot of information available on LiteBlue. As a matter of fact, most of the information in this article was blatantly plagiarized from a booklet available on Liteblue. To find my source material, log in to your Liteblue account and go to MyHR. From there go to the Pay & Benefits tab, and then scroll down until you see the Postal Service Health Benefits link. Click on it. Scroll to the PSHB resources link. Click on that and then scroll further down until you see the heading “PSHB tools.” The third link under this heading is my source material. There is a lot more information on there than I was able to put in this article. I see you all on your phones, so I know you have time to research! An educated membership is an empowered one. 

Keepingposted.org has all sorts of useful links and information for your burning Medicare questions as well. Medicare can be complicated! Make your life easier and reach out to retirementbenefits@usps.gov or call (833) 712-7742 for answers to your retirement questions. 

Speaking of Retirement, keep in mind that, for whatever reason, Retirement is NOT a Qualifying Life Event. This means that any changes you wish to make to your insurance coverage will need to happen either during Open Enrollment or during a Qualifying Life event (Marriage, Divorce, birth or death, etc.)Becoming eligible for Medicare IS a Qualifying Life Event. Visit  OPM for a more exhaustive list of events that allow you to change insurance coverage. 

If you have been enrolled in the FEHB/PSHB Program from your first opportunity to enroll or for the full five years of service immediately preceding retirement, you may carry your coverage into retirement. All 5 years are not required to have been on the same plan. 

As I said above, next week I will cover some benefits that the APWU health plans have for Medicare! Remember that Open Enrollment ends December 9th, and it will be here much faster than you think it will be. 

Kayla Reynolds

https://apwu.org/news/magazine/year-end-review

While I was planning on writing this weeks article about Medicare, it has come to my attention that quite a few people are trying to use PostalEASE to make changes to their healthcare. Unfortunately this quite frankly simple and easy tool is no long available to us, specifically for healthcare changes. You may still use it for all the other tools. 

Postal Employees wanting to make changes to their Health Plan need to do so by creating a login.gov account, by first visiting health-benefits.opm.gov. If technologically averse, by filling out and faxing in form SF 2809. While the form itself is 18 pages, you only need to fill out the last two. You can also make changes via phone, by calling the PSHB Helpline at 844-451-1261. I imagine if making changes over the phone, you will need to know your PIN number.

*** If you don’t know your PIN, there is a self-service reset option on Liteblue, but it will come to you via mail. So don’t waste time if you want to use this option.***

If you and technology are friends (or merely acquaintances), creating the login.gov account is fairly simple. I would recommend doing it on your phone, since to verify your identity,it will ask you to take a picture of your driver’s license. Otherwise, it will want you to go to a Post Office to verify your identity, and none of us want to go to the Post Office in our off time. 

If you had a Flex Spending Account with FSAFEDS this year, you will already have a login.gov account. Part of the reason the Post Office switched carriers this year was because FSAFEDS was hacked, and midway through the year, all account holders were required to use login.gov to access their account afterwards. 

***Even if you already have a login.gov account, you need to use the OPM link  get to the correct prompt to link to the Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB).***

*Fun bonus fact, you can also link you Social Security Account to see where you stand as far as work credits, review your earnings history for a fun trip down memory lane of how poor you used to be (or alternatively wonder where all your money went), and (hopefully) fanaticize about retirement* 

If you have technical issues with your Login.gov account, Login.gov operates a 24/7 contact center via phone at (844) 875-6446 or website contact form.

***If/when you switch to the APWU CDO, you are going to see the full amount for the premiums, not the discounted amount that members who are career and have had a Federal plan for a year are entitled to. The Health Plan is aware of this problem. The CEO of the Health Plan met with OPM on 11/13/2024 to request that the APWU rate be displayed. We don’t yet have an update on the status of this request.***

Please keep in mind that in addition to being the Health Plan Coordinator, I am also a Steward and Auto clerk, during the busiest time of the year for postal workers. If I look a bit frazzled, it’s because I am! I can safely say that this goes for pretty much all of our Stewards and Officers this time of year. Please help us help you by telling a supervisor that you need to see a steward if you think you have a grievance. This helps to get us off the floor so we can devote our full attention to your issue. Sadly, unlike Batman, we cannot stalk the plant looking for violations. We were not left millions by our parents and have to work for a living. 

Unions, much like the government, work best when people are involved. We need the membership to keep us informed of what is going on, and to write statements. It is never a waste of anyone’s time to get a correct answer. Misinformation runs amok on the floor and it hurts everyone. 

Good luck and as always, I am happy to help!