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Web News Article #: 39-2019 It is that time of the year when the Postal Service wants to take your pulse! Like previous years, the 2018 Postal Pulse survey showed the USPS what we already knew: Your work environment is not good; your supervisors treat you poorly and morale is low. The mean score changed by less than one-tenth of a point—suggesting nothing has changed at the Post Office. One statistic that trended in the right direction in the APWU’s opinion, was employee participation in the survey. It went down from 46% in 2017 to 42% in 2018. The APWU’s goal is a zero-participation rate. The APWU implores you once again: Do not participate in the 2019 Postal Pulse Survey. View the full article

Web News Article #: 38-2019 The American Postal Workers Union is mourning the sudden loss of Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) International President Larry Hanley. We extend our deep condolences to his immediate family and his extended ATU family. Brother Larry Hanley will be missed. His life’s work in the cause of justice for working people has bettered the lives of countless workers and his example of bold leadership will inspire working people for generations to come. View the full article

Web News Article #: 37-2019 The APWU National officers are asking members to actively support the 27th Annual National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive on Saturday, May 11. Each year on the second Saturday in May, Postal workers come together to collect and donate millions of pounds of food for local food banks. Click here for more information. View the full article

Web News Article #: 36-2019 Activists at the 25th Bi-Annual Hawaii State Convention took the pledge to fight against the privatization of the US Postal Service. Delegates to the HAPWU Convention dedicated an entire afternoon of training to the fight against privatization to ensure the mission of the Postal Service to serve every American community. View the full article

Web News Article #: 35-2019 The APWU is continuing to move forward towards interest arbitration. Preparation of hearing presentations, evidence, and witnesses is occurring every day. The craft directors and their assistant directors are working together with the lead negotiator, President Mark Dimondstein, and the negotiation’s chief spokesperson, Industrial Relations Director Vance Zimmerman, on the issues that their craft will be facing in the interest arbitration hearings. For example, the crafts are all currently working on presentations that show how important each of their respective craft’s work is, the complexity of the jobs postal workers do, and how critical each job is to the mission of the postal service. View the full article

Web News Article #: 34-2019 A change has been made to page number 43 of the 2019 Rules and Regulations printed in the March/April magazine by deleting the paragraph referencing five (5) regional Election magazines. To receive an updated copy, please contact apwuelectioncommittee@apwu.org. View the full article

Web News Article #: 32-2019 On Monday, Apr. 29, members of Congress introduced H.R. 2382, the USPS Fairness Act. This legislation would repeal, in full, the onerous prefunding of retiree health care benefits mandate Congress put in place in 2006. The mandate requires the Postal Service to prefund its retiree health care benefits 75 years in advance, paying for retirement health care for individuals who haven’t been born yet, let alone enter the workforce. The mandate is accountable for 92 percent of the Postal Service’s net losses since 2007 and is a constant threat to the financial sustainability of the Postal Service. Call 844-402-1001 to contact your member of Congress and ask them to cosponsor H.R. 2382, the USPS Fairness Act. Be sure to also promote H.R. 2382 on social media using #repealprefunding #HR2382 #peoplebeforeprofit and/or #unfairburden. Reach out to your family, friends, and neighbors and ask them to call their representatives as well. This legislation affects every American household. View the full article

Web News Article #: 33-2019 In an Apr. 30 hearing, The House Committee on Oversight & Reform (COR) examined the financial conditions of the United States Postal Service. The committee invited Postmaster General Megan Brennan, Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) Director of the Office of Accountability and Compliance Margaret Cigno, President and CEO of Quad/Graphics Joel Quadracci, National Association of Letter Carriers President Fredric Rolando, and Cato Institute Director of Tax Policy Studies Chris Edwards to testify. Ahead of the hearing, APWU President Mark Dimondstein submitted a statement for the record, calling for four common sense solutions. These include: repealing the prefunding mandate in full; allowing investment options for the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund to boost investment returns; expanding on new products and services; and restoring the 2013 exigency rate surcharge permanently. View the full article

Web News Article #: 30-2019 On May 1, workers around the world gather together to renew the fight for workers’ rights. It is International Workers’ Day, also known as May Day, the annual holiday commemorating the universal struggle of all working people. If you take part in an event, please send pictures of you, your family and/or co-workers to communications@apwu.org for a chance to be featured on the APWU website or in future publications. Remember to wear your union gear! View the full article

Web News Article #: 31-2019 On April 28, APWU members wore stickers to honor Workers Memorial Day. The stickers had a simple but strong message, Safety is every workers right! If you honored Workers Memorial Day, please send pictures to communications@apwu.org. Bakersfield Area Local View the full article

Web News Article #: 28-2019 Each year on Workers Memorial Day (April 28), working people throughout the world remember those who were hurt or killed on the job, and recommit to the struggle for a safe workplace. Virtually every safety and health protection on the books today exists because union workers fought together to win them, the most notable being the Occupational Safety and Health Act. On April 28, 1971, the Occupational Safety and Health Act became effective and the Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was formed. Since the law was passed, significantly fewer workers have been killed on the job each year; however, there is still a long way to go. Right now, the federal government is reversing safety regulations and slashing resources for safety enforcement. View the full article

Web News Article #: 28-2019 Drivers from the newly unionized Salmon Co. in El Paso, TX unanimously ratified the terms of their first Collective Bargaining Agreement. These APWU new members received most of the terms of the negotiated Salmon contract for the Dallas Area Local. Due to the organizing efforts and continued support of Texoma Local representatives Sonny Castleman and Michael Robinson, the members now have bargaining rights and proper representation. These members are happy to now deal with the company on an even playing field. 100 percent of the membership voted to ratify the terms. View the full article

Web News Article #: 27-2019 On April 15, Tax Day, thousands of APWU members and allies took to the street to spread the news that the US Mail Runs on Zero Tax Dollars! At more than 100 locations from Hawaii to New England, activists fighting for the public good passed out flyers and spoke to citizens about the vital, public good the USPS provides, all without a dollar of taxpayer money. View the full article

Web News Article #: 26-2019 On Thursday, Apr. 11, nearly 31,000 workers at over 240 Stop & Shop grocery stores in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut walked out, beginning a strike that stretched into a seventh day on Wednesday. The workers, unionized under five New England-based locals of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), began the strike after months of negotiations with Stop & Shop reached an impasse and the collective bargaining agreement expired on Feb. 23. The strike is the largest private-sector work stoppage in the United States since 2016’s Verizon strike by members of the Communications Workers of America. View the full article

04/12/2019 For Immediate Release WASHINGTON – U.S. Postal Service employees joined by community supporters will engage postal customers outside post offices and leaflet at more than 100 locations from coast-to-coast Monday, April 15 -- Tax Day. Through leafleting, advertising, viral messages, and one-on-one conversations with customers, postal workers want to make it clear that USPS takes NO tax dollars. A common misconception is the postal service is tax-supported. View the full article

Web News Article #: 25-2019 The lighthearted video below makes a crucial point – of all the many things the Postal Service will accept from the public, tax dollars are not one of them. The video advertisement's release is in coordination with Tax Day actions all over the country on Monday, April 15. Watch and share the video with your friends and family. Post to Facebook ► Share on Twitter ► View the full article

Web News Article #: 24-2019 In our continuing efforts to get the contract the members deserve, the APWU invoked mediation on April 3, 2019 – sending a letter to the Acting Director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service and to the Postal Service. The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) is a federal agency that provides public and private-sector labor-management mediation, and by law it is responsible for facilitating the APWU’s demand for mediation with the Postal Service. View the full article

Web News Article #: 23-2019 Each year on April 28 we observe Workers Memorial Day. It’s a day when working people throughout the world remember those who were hurt or killed on the job and recommit to the struggle for a safe workplace. This year we are standing united against ongoing attacks on workers’ rights and protections. Click here to order Workers Memorial Day material for your local or state organization and Stand Up for Safe Jobs! View the full article

(This article first appeared in the March/April 2019 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine) By Health Plan Director John Marcotte As I have previously reported, and as all of us unionists see in our paychecks, the cost of health care is spiraling out of control. Recently, ABC News reported on this issue in a story that both reinforced my outrage at drug company profiteering and broke my heart as a parent. I would like to share some of that information. View the full article

(This article first appeared in the March/April 2019 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine) By Retirees Department Director Nancy Olumekor Dedicated APWU unionist Eleanor G. Bailey passed away on December 12, 2018 at the age of 87. Over the course of her life, Eleanor never stopped fighting and organizing. View the full article

(This article first appeared in the March/April 2019 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine) By Human Relations Director Sue Carney On Dec. 27, the United States Postal Service awarded a contract to New Directions Behavioral Health to provide Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services to USPS employees and their eligible family and household members. Founded in 1995, the company reports it is one of the fastest growing behavioral health care companies in the industry; providing assistance programs and consulting services to private and public health plans, student organizations, Fortune 100 companies, large and medium employers and labor groups – more than doubling its membership to 16 million members in the last five years. View the full article

(This article first appeared in the March/April 2019 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine) By Research & Education Department Director Joyce B. Robinson Because women earn less than men, they must work longer for the same amount of pay. In 1996, The National Committee on Pay Equity originated Equal Pay Day to illustrate the gap between men’s and women’s wages and create a symbolic day when women’s earnings “catch up” to men’s earnings from the previous year. This year, Equal Pay Day will be celebrated on Tuesday, April 2, 2019. View the full article

(This article first appeared in the March/April 2019 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine) Last month, the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017 finally went into effect after having been signed into law on Aug. 23, 2017. It is said to represent one of the most significant statutory changes expected to benefit veterans in decades. Reform has been a long-time goal of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and its stakeholders; so much so that the VA sponsored an Appeals Summit three years ago, in Mar. 2016. The VA, Congress, veteran service organizations and advocates worked together during the event to design a new appeals system. The law is intended to deliver reform to veterans on the legacy appeals system. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of many, veterans now have a choice in how unfavorable decisions will be reviewed. Veterans should also realize more timely resolutions of appealed decisions through the new streamlined process. View the full article