Before members of the House of Representatives left for the October recess, a majority of them signed on as cosponsors of H. Res. 993, which expresses the need to keep the United States Postal Service an independent establishment of the federal government and should not be subject to privatization. 

(This article first appeared in the September/October 2018 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine) 

During the 24th Biennial National Convention and pre-convention meetings, The American Postal Worker spoke with some of the dozens of young members in attendance. We asked the new APWU leaders about their experiences as postal employees, APWU members and, if applicable, local representatives.

“Being a young worker, and holding the title PSE [Postal Support Employee], management tries to treat us as ‘second rate’. They tend to assume we aren’t knowledgeable and that we aren’t aware of our contractual rights,” said Eveyana Cortez, New York Metro Area

(This article first appeared in the September/October 2018 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine) 

By Health Plan Director John Marcotte

As an advocate for workers and quality health care, I am disturbed by recent media reports about health insurance companies using data collected from non-medical sources. The implication is that this could be used to set rates for health insurance premiums.

First let me assure you that the APWU Health Plan does not do business this way. I personally find this practice discriminatory and reprehensible; it defies the entire construct of health insurance. The APWU Health Plan was created by postal workers banding together to share the financial burden of health conditions should any one of us be unfortunate enough to have or contract one of these conditions. This is a proud heritage and one I believe is worth fighting to defend.

(This article first appeared in the September/October 2018 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine) 

By Retirees Department Director Nancy Olumekor

Use your voice to let the candidates running for the U.S. House and the Senate know that you and your family will only vote for those candidates that are committed to protecting your hard-earned benefits. This includes your federal pension, i.e., CSRS or FERS; Social Security; Medicare; health insurance and life insurance.

Tell those candidates running for Congress in your area that you will only support candidates who are opposed to privatizing the Postal Service and the federal agencies such as OPM, Social Security and Veterans Administration. Let the candidates know that you are only voting for candidates who will fight to protect and preserve the Postal Service and federal agencies.