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Update on CARES Act temporary loan and withdrawal options The CARES Act allows us to offer temporary loan and withdrawal options to TSP participants affected by COVID-19. We are working as quickly as possible to add these options to our system so you can count on efficient processing of these requests. You can check this webpage for updates about these options and when they will be available to you. We will post the next update by May 15, 2020.

Our number one priority during the Coronavirus pandemic is keeping members safe. It’s clear that the White House is withholding the funding that the USPS needs for safe and sustainable operations during this crisis. It’s so clear that the crisis at the Postal Service has now hit the headlines. Congress needs to hear from you! The White House refused relief for the Postal Service in the last stimulus and Congress left us out of the bill. Without immediate relief, the Postal Service could run out of cash by summer. Our jobs, our pensions and the vital service we provide is at risk. Big corporations are lobbying against the Postal Service because they want to boost their profits. We need to make sure that Congress hears us instead. That’s why you need to send a message to Congress. Congress needs to provide urgent funding in the next stimulus for the Postal Service to keep the country moving through the crisis. Everything is on the line and your voice can make the difference. Send them a message today: Tell them to provide the resources we need! In solidarity, American Postal Workers Union

The APWU Health Plan will continue to evaluate benefit enhancements as a result of COVID-19. For the most up-to-date information visit our website at www.apwuhp.com/coronavirus-outbreak-update/ The Health Plan will: New! Cover health care provider office visits, urgent care center visits and emergency room visits that result in an order for or administration of a diagnostic test for COVID-19 at no cost* to the member** Cover COVID-19 testing at no cost* to the member when testing is prescribed by a clinical professional Cover telehealth visits at no cost* to member when visits are performed through the Health Plan’s telehealth providers: High Option: Visits through Amwell are available at www.amwell.com at no cost* to the member Consumer Driven Option: Virtual visits through AmWell, Teladoc, and Doc on Demand are available at www.myuhc.com at no cost* to the member Cover telehealth visits to network providers at no cost* to member when related to COVID-19 Waive inpatient prior authorization requirements related to COVID-19 Reminder: Members are encouraged to use mail order for maintenance medications which provides a 90-day refill and the delivery is free *All deductible, coinsurance and copays will be waived **Your provider should be aware of this Families First Coronavirus Response Act and CDC guideline. If you are charged a copay or coinsurance at the time of your visit, you will be reimbursed by the Health Plan

The Postal Service has informed the APWU of the date that Postal Support Employees (PSEs) who have been employed in 125 workyear or larger offices for more than 2.5 years (30 months) will be converted to career status. Over 2,500 current PSEs will be converted on May 9, 2020, the beginning of pay period 11. These conversions are consistent with the Interest Arbitration panel’s award issued on March 10, 2020. Conversions of PSEs was one of the demands your negotiators made from the very start of negotiations. “Being able to achieve career status for PSEs was an important goal for us,” President Mark Dimondstein said. “These newly converted employees will see an immediate pay increase, an increase in benefits paid for by the Postal Service, guaranteed work hours, and in most cases fixed schedules.” As a reminder, as newly converted career employees, these PSEs will have sixty-days (60) from May 9, 2020 (July 8, 2020), to make benefit decisions. New career employees may choose new health insurance plans, enroll in the Federal Employee Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) plan, choose how much to contribute to the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), where to allocate TSP funds, and other benefits decisions. The Postal Service is supposed to send each newly converted employee a “benefits” book with all the necessary forms and instructions for making these extremely important decisions. The sixty-day limit is a hard limit and cannot be extended. Employees are encouraged to begin looking at their new benefits and not wait until the very end of the 60 days to decide. “The importance of these conversions cannot be overstated,” Clerk Craft Director Lamont Brooks said. “This isn’t the end of our battle for more career employees. We are proud that the APWU did not see an increase in the allowable usage of non-career employees in our new contract and we will continue to fight for what is right — an all-career workforce.”

Under the new 2018 – 2021 National Agreement, employees will receive four retroactive pay raises. The current rates went into effect on February 29, 2020 and will be reflected for the first time in earnings for Pay Period 09-2020. Pay Period 09 begins Saturday, April 11. Pay checks will be dated for May 1, 2020. Retro pay covering the period from September 24, 2018 through April 10, 2020 will follow. The Postal Service has yet to confirm a date that employees will receive retroactive pay. Recently passed laws regarding the COVID-19 pandemic providing new and additional benefits to employees require immediate and extensive programming and have delayed the Postal Service’s confirmation of the date. WHAT IF I AM NO LONGER WORKING AT USPS OR IN AN APWU BARGAINING UNIT? Employees who worked during the retroactive period will be paid the higher rates due for that work. Workers who transferred, separated, quit, retired, deceased, etc. will be compensated for any time worked when higher rates were due. The higher rates will be reflected in adjustments to TSP, Retirement, terminal leave payments, and life insurance. Retirees will eventually get any necessary adjustments to annuity payments – including retroactive annuity adjustments. NEW SCHEDULE, NEW STEPS Employees in the new pay schedule in Grades 5 through 7 could not progress beyond Step J in the last contract. With the new contract, employees in Grade 5 can progress to Step K and those in Grades 6 and 7 can move into steps K and L. Employees in Grade 8 stopped at Step K in the last contract; now they can progress into Steps L and M. The step wait time for all steps for Grades 5 though 7 is 36 weeks. For Grade 8 steps, the wait time is 30 weeks. Most employees on the new schedule are well below the previous top steps, but about 200 employees are immediately eligible to move into the new steps. Eligible employees will be moved into the higher steps in Pay Period 11, effective May 9. They will move based on time waited in the previous top step. For example, a Grade 6 Step J employee who has been in Step J for 20 weeks would wait another 16 weeks before moving to Step K. Someone who has waited 40 weeks in Step J would move into Step K in PP 11-2020 with 4 weeks of wait time credit for advancement to Step L. An employee with 72 weeks of wait time in Step J would skip Step K and move into Step L in PP 11-2020.

Since the early days of the Postal Service, we postal workers have helped stitch the fabric of the country together. Even in times of crisis – whether natural disaster, conflict, or economic calamity – the Postal Service has always been there, steadily reaching every American home and business in their time of need. Today is a time of crisis unlike any we’ve seen in generations. A global pandemic threatens the health of millions and is leading to an economic collapse that could dwarf the Great Recession. Hundreds of millions of people are sheltered in their homes, avoiding the grocery, pharmacies and other stores as we attempt to slow the spread of the virus. Many workers will soon be without paychecks. Public health officials are desperate to effectively disseminate health-saving information, tests, and drugs. The United States Postal Service is critical to the country’s public health and economic stability in this moment. Postal workers are up to the task. Our network of 157 million daily delivery points, 35,000 post offices and more than 500,000 dedicated public servants is uniquely positioned to serve the country in the weeks and months ahead. The Postal Service is the only way for millions of people to receive their medications. Last year, we delivered over a billion prescriptions. It’s the only way to disseminate stimulus checks and critical public health information and supplies to every household. Vote-by-mail will be essential to holding elections in November. And, in this new era of “social distancing,” it’s still a time- tested way to connect families and friends no matter where they are. But if the Postal Service is to meet the challenge of the times, two immediate issues need to be resolved: First, postal workers must have safe workplaces. Our union is working feverishly to ensure the Postal Service provides for the health and safety of our members and the mailing public. We have already secured important changes to leave, staffing and post office policies. We remain concerned that the distribution of personal protective equipment and sanitizers has been uneven across the country. Every member from the shop floor to the national office must continue our demand that we have safe workplaces, safe staffing and the necessary equipment and supplies to fulfil our mission. Second, Congress must act immediately to ensure the financial viability of the Postal Service. We were deeply disappointed that stimulus legislation nearing passage Wednesday does not include vital relief for the Postal Service. The economic fallout of the pandemic calls for measures far beyond the prefunding repeal we’ve long sought. House legislation initially sought in excess of $25 billion in direct relief for the USPS. If Congress does not act soon and on a similar scale, the Postal Service will run out of cash in the coming months. Every member must demand of their representatives that postal relief is included in the next stimulus. Reports surfaced this week that the White House and Treasury Department oppose cash support for the Postal Service. Their resistance would condemn the country’s most trusted and highest- rated federal agency to its demise. It would destroy the one institution capable of reaching every person, hinder the country’s public health response, and cripple the $1.4 trillion mailing and shipping industry. Our union had planned to spend much of this month commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Great Postal Strike. Those plans have obviously changed. But let us remember one important lesson the 1970 strike proved: the country relies on the hard work of dedicated postal workers, especially in the toughest of times. I believe our current crisis underscores the value of our work and the universal network we uphold. Finally, let me conclude by recognizing the extraordinary role postal workers have already played in the throes of this crisis. These are unusual times and many of us are understandably anxious – for ourselves, our families, our jobs and our communities. I, like so many others, am heartened by the extraordinary courage of seemingly ordinary workers serving their neighbors in times of need. Together, let’s support each other, encourage each other, demand safe workplaces together and continue to serve each other in these extraordinary times. ----------- We constantly update resources available to members at apwu.org/coronavirus

I am writing to give you an update on APWU's response to the Coronavirus Pandemic. As this Coronavirus crisis unfolds, we are in constant discussion with USPS management, demanding temporary leave policies, telework provisions where possible and better safety policies, supplies, and equipment. One thing is clear. Our very first priority is ensuring that the Postal Service provides for the health and safety of our members. Postal workers are on the front-lines of the pandemic response. We need to ensure that the hardworking people who keep medicine, medical equipment, food, supplies and other essential goods moving through the mail are protected, as the country relies on us in ways they never have before. You can find out more at APWU.org/Coronavirus about the policies we have secured from management. They include: A Maintenance Management Order for each post office to increase their cleaning standards (including using cleaning products from before the CTC implementation) and provide gloves, masks, hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes. New Memoranda of Understanding concerning pay, telework and leave include: Temporary Expanded Sick Leave for Dependent Care During COVID-19, Temporary Additional Paid Leave for PSEs, Telework for IT/AS unit, Customer Care Centers, and Mail & Shipping Solutions Center, and HRSSC. The newly announced policy of "Liberal Change of Schedule and Leave." It is important that postal workers come together to help each other. Please follow the recommended safety procedures, sound the alarm to your local when management has not supplied the necessary equipment or implemented improved cleaning standards, and stay home if you are not feeling well. We are all in this together. Read more about our work on Coronavirus at apwu.org/coronavirus. In Union Solidarity, Mark Dimondstein President, APWU

We Have a New Union Contract!! Read the Full Article #APWUUnited https://www.apwu.org/news/new-union-contract https://youtu.be/vfdTuX0fq8A

Read full report Download [1.29 MB] Source: USPS Office of Inspector General

On Feb. 25, postal workers and the communities we serve are standing up for our public Postal Service. It's time to protect America's most cherished institution. The House of Representatives has overwhelmingly passed the USPS Fairness Act. Now let's get it through the Senate. We are telling our Senators to pass the Senate companion bill, S.2965. In 2006, Congress saddled our public Postal Service with an unfair and unsustainable burden of pre-funding retiree health care benefits for the next 75 years! That means paying now for USPS workers who aren't even born yet. The USPS Fairness Act will start to put that right by removing the unfair burden. By repealing the prefunding mandate, the Postal Service would then be able to focus on investing and innovating services in order to better meet its mission to service every American household and business. Join us supporting our public Postal Service. Sign up to call your Senators to support S.2965 on Feb. 25, 2020.

On Thursday, Oct. 31 the APWU conducted the installation of the newly elected national officers with a message of unity and determination to fight for the future of postal workers and working people everywhere. Secretary Treasurer Elizabeth "Liz" Powell Presided The night’s theme was “Moving Forward Together” and the ceremony was presided over by APWU Secretary Treasurer Elizabeth “Liz” Powell. The guest of honor at the ceremony was AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Tefere Gebre who administered the oath of office. After an introduction by Executive Vice-President Debby Szeredy, Gebre addressed the gathering, praising the work of APWU’s officers and leadership, “Your union, led by your president, Mark Dimondstein, has been a leader in our movement with the creation of a A Grand Alliance to Save our Public Postal Service, the successful fight to Stop Staples, the campaign to expand the role of the Postal Service, including vote by mail and postal banking -- Fighting to defend the common good, public services and public sector unionism.” He spoke of the fight during the tough times we face, with working people experiencing cruel and unnecessary hardships with low wages, unsafe workplaces, voter suppression, families ripped apart and refugees turned away. But he expressed his hope in the face of this adversity: “…Hope in each of you...serving your communities. Hope in striking teachers. Hope in the 60 million Americans who would join a union today if they could. Hope of a brighter day,” he said. AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Tefere Gebre APWU President Mark Dimondstein gave the keynote speech, congratulating all who were elected and thanking the outgoing officers for their contributions and dedication to the APWU and postal workers. With the union election over he pointed out that, “Now principled unity is key, as we battle corporate greed, Wall Street privatizers, a hostile political environment, and those in management who are undermining the Postal Service.” After summarizing our substantial progress over the last six years, Dimondstein raised, “But we cannot rest. We are working, living and struggling when there is an all-out war on workers, our families, communities and our organizations. It is Them vs Us, Wall St. vs. Main St., Capital vs. Labor,” he said. He set out some of the priorities for the coming years: “We will complete the ongoing interest arbitration for a new and good union contract… We will bolster our efforts for new opportunities for postal services, revenue and jobs, including expanding financial services and vote by mail....We will advance the ongoing efforts to gain postal legislation that strengthens the public Postal Service.” President Dimondstein Gives the Keynote Speech “A new broad union education program is already in the works,” he said and advocated that, “Our Stand Up for Safe Jobs campaign needs deeper roots among the members. And together we must find ways to improve staffing of facilities and address the ever-increasing hostile work environments.” Most importantly, Dimondstein raised, “The paramount job security battle of our time is to ensure the public Postal Service remains just that. Our jobs, our union and the people’s democratic right enshrined in the Constitution depend on our determination and success. Since the White House plans for full-blown postal privatization emerged, the APWU has mobilized all hands-on deck. With a soon to be new Postmaster General chosen by the Trump-controlled Postal Board of Governors, this critical battle will greatly intensify.” He encouraged members to, “…attend meetings, join committees, write articles, stand up for safe jobs, sign up non-members, wear union gear with pride, welcome young workers, lobby politicians, fight for postal banking, stand in solidarity with all workers, speak up and defend the public post office.” He ended with the call to action, “…We must carry on the crusade to save the public Postal Service and our collective bargaining rights and to take on corporate Wall Street power with more workers’ power! Let’s continue to stand up and fight back, hand in hand with each other, all crafts, active, retiree and auxiliary members, postal and other unions, community allies and the people who support the public post office and trust postal workers.” APWU National Officers Say the Oath of Office

Per the rules and regulations governing the 2019 APWU National Election, candidates’ statements have been updated to include any new information and/or new submissions submitted by the September 1, 2019 deadline. Statements by candidates for national union office are posted on www.apwu.org in accordance with Article 11.3.c.2 of the APWU Constitution. To view the statements click here and follow the log-in instructions for the Members Only section.

On September 15, big changes are coming to your Thrift Savings Plan withdrawal options. You’ll be gaining options of how and when you can access money from your TSP account. TSP breaks it down here: Flexible Withdrawals Begin September 2019 Current Rules You can customize your installment payments and change your payment frequency at any time as your needs change. You can choose among monthly, quarterly, and annual installment options. Requests to change monthly installment amounts can only be made once each year during a designated open season. You never have to make a full withdrawal election. When you need to make IRS-mandated required minimum distributions (RMDs) at age 70 and after, we'll automatically send you the right amount if you don't withdraw enough during the year. A full withdrawal election is require-d the year you are separated and 70 years older, or your account becomes abandoned. You'll request withdrawals easily using fast and secure online tools by logging into My Account on tsp.gov. Paper forms must be submitted by mail or fax to make or change a withdrawal election. You can choose to withdraw traditional money only, Roth money only, or a proportional amount of both. All withdrawals include both traditional and Roth funds as a pro rata (i.e., proportional) distribution. Any in-service withdrawals you make have no effect on the number of post-separation partial withdrawals you can make. You can make partial withdrawals even if you receive installment payments. Only one age-based in-service withdrawal or one post-separation partial withdrawal allowed in a lifetime. Then a full withdrawal election is required. Now is a great time to review your TSP account and ensure your information and contribution is current and accurate, visit TSP.gov or LiteBlue. Click here for TSP’s downloadable Questions and Answers about Changes to TSP Withdrawal Options.

On Aug. 8, the Maintenance Craft reached a settlement with the USPS regarding Handbook MS-1, TL-5 and TL-6 Revisions and Related Maintenance Management Orders, originally grieved by current Maintenance Division Director Idowu Balogun. On Sept. 13, 2017, Arbitrator Goldberg remanded the MS-1 revisions case nos. Q10T-4Q-C-14171644/ Q10T-4Q-C-16481407 back to the APWU and USPS for resolution, directing the Postal Service to provide the APWU with all data and data analysis collected by the Postal Review Team. The new settlement designates that maintenance work in stations and branches transitioning to Field Maintenance Operations (FMO) as a result of MS-1/TL-6 will continue to performed by the employees currently performing those duties. It also stipulates that: When attrition at the installation results in a staffing level below the authorized complement, management may determine the occupational group of the employee(s) that will continue to perform the work in the stations and branches… due to the transferring of maintenance work of stations and branches from plant maintenance to FMO, the FMO authorized staffing may increase in order to provide maintenance for the stations and branches. For FMO staffing increases that exceed the available plant LDC 37…those positions shall be posted and filled under the FMO in accordance with Article 38 and the Joint Contract Interpretation Manual (JCIM). The Postal Service will publish the final versions of MS-1 TL 6 and MMOs on Aug. 8, 2019. Click here to see the full settlement on Q10T-4Q-C-14171644/ Q10T-4Q-C-16481407. Register today for MS 1 TL5/TL 6 Settlement and Implementations on Monday Aug 19, 2019 2:00 PM EDT. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

We have been engaged in an effort to assist our locals and states with organizing by using the APWU Health Plan as an organizing tool. Our PSEs are eligible for the wonderful union-negotiated benefit of being able to be enrolled in the highly-rated APWUHP Consumer Driven Option (CDO). This plan is chosen by tens of thousands of career federal and postal employees and the improvement in benefits for our members and their families when choosing the APWUHP is dramatic. The APWU Health Plan sends a letter from the director to every PSE as they become eligible for APWUHP CDO (PSEs become eligible when they are reappointed after a 360-day appointment with no more than a five day break). If they are a union member, I congratulate and inform them that this benefit is yet another benefit of their union membership. If they are not a union member, I inform them of this wonderful union-negotiated benefit and ask them to join the APWU so they can receive it and include a 1187. This letter is signed by myself and the Organization Director. After we complete the monthly mailing, we have the mailing list placed under the “Members Only” section of the website. The list can be accessed by your local President or Secretary-Treasurer with their dues check-off list information. To get a brief idea of how much better the APWUHP CDO is than the USPS Health Insurance Plan please see the information below. To answer your questions on Federal Employee Health Benefits program, come to the 2019 APWUHP Open Season Seminar. It will be held this year in beautiful downtown Portland, Oregon! This informative, motivating seminar will be from October 26-28 and all meals are provided. Together Better Health! Health PlanPSEs

The Senate confirmed three appointees to the Board of Governors on Thursday, August 1, before adjourning for the summer recess. Ron Bloom, Roman Martinez IV, and John Barger will join current Governors David Williams and Robert Duncan. Bloom previously served in the Department of Treasury and was an advisor in the Obama White House. Additionally, he worked in the labor movement as a Special Assistant to the President of the United Steelworkers. Martinez comes from the private sector as an investment banker for Lehman Brothers, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, and corporate restructuring. Barger also comes from a financial background, and also served as the Director on the Investment and Retirement Boards of the Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association, the largest county pension fund in the United States. With the confirmation of these individuals combined with the currently sitting governors, the Postal Board of Governors has finally reached a quorum for the first time since December 2014. The Board of Governors has the responsibility to direct and control expenditures; review USPS practices; and, ensure USPS meets its statutory obligations. Additionally, the Senate approved the nominations of Ann Fisher and Ashley Poling to the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC). They are replacing Tony Hammond and Nanci Langley, respectively, whose terms expired in late 2018. The PRC is an independent agency that provides regulatory oversight to the Postal Service. Fisher worked as staff to the PRC, having been the chief of staff to former Chairman Dan Blair and the Director of Public Affairs and Government Relations. Poling has a legislative background as the Director of Governmental Affairs and Senior Counsel to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC). Prior, she served as Senior Policy Counsel to the HSGAC Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs and Federal Management. “The APWU looks forward to working with these new members of the Board of Governors and the PRC in defense of the public Postal Service and its workers,” said APWU National President Mark Dimondstein. “We will forthrightly promote the issues vital to our members and the postal public, oppose the management 10-year business plan targeting workers’ benefits and service, and continue advocating for expanded and enhanced postal services.” Postal Regulatory CommissionPostal reform

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