All News
The Latest from your Union—All in One Place
fighting for justice
Filters
Filter By
September 2, 2014
AFGE President Seizes the Moment
At a training session sponsored by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the union’s president – a fierce supporter of the APWU’s campaign to Stop Staples! – collected 423 signatures on postcards to Sta...
August 31, 2014
The Real Norma Rae
Early On May 30, 1973, the J.P. Stevens textile mill in Roanoke Rapids, NC, fired 32-year-old Crystal Lee Sutton. Before Sutton left the plant, she climbed atop a table on the shop floor and raised above her head a piece...
August 29, 2014
OIG Asks: Should the Postal Service Continue Its Consolidation Plan?
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is conducting a poll on its ‘Pushing the Envelope’ blog to determine whether it should advocate for or against the Postal Service’s plan to resume consolidation and closure of up to...
August 25, 2014
COLA Increase
Career employees represented by the APWU will receive a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) of $686 per year in September 2014, in accordance with the 2010-2015 Collective Bargaining Agreement. The raise is the result of an...
August 21, 2014
Don’t Buy Your School Supplies at Staples!
With the back-to-school season in full swing, the APWU is asking union members and supporters to make sure parents and teachers get the message: Don’t buy your school supplies at Staples. To spread the word, union member...
August 21, 2014
Statement on Ongoing Events in Ferguson, Missouri
By APWU General Officers Mark Dimondstein, President; Debby Szeredy, Executive Vice-President; Elizabeth Powell, Secretary-Treasurer Fair-minded people from all walks of life are deeply concerned and outraged by the kill...
August 20, 2014
e-Team Report, Aug. 20, 2014
On August 14th, 50 U.S. senators sent a letter to the leaders of the Senate Appropriations Committee urging congressional action to preserve service standards and prevent the closure or consolidation of mail processing f...
August 20, 2014
Tell Your Congressman: Sign the Letter!
A bipartisan group in the House of Representatives – five Republicans and five Democrats – has drafted a letter to leaders of the House Appropriations Committee calling for a one-year moratorium on Postal Service plans t...
August 20, 2014
USPS Guilty of Bad Faith, Unlawful Tactics
The Postal Service engaged in delaying tactics that constituted an unlawful refusal to provide the APWU with information about the agency’s deal with Staples, an NLRB judge wrote in an Aug. 13 decision. The USPS “did not...
August 14, 2014
Convention Photos Posted Online
Photos from the APWU 22nd Biennial Convention in Chicago have been uploaded to the union's Flickr account where members can view and download high-resolution photos from all convention events. To download a photo, click...
August 14, 2014
It’s Okay to Post
Postal management may not prohibit or otherwise interfere with the display of the APWU’s Wanted poster on union bulletin boards, APWU attorneys report. The poster features a picture of Postmaster General Patrick R. Donah...
August 14, 2014
‘Stop Postal Service Cuts and Plant Closures’
Half of the U.S. Senate has called for a one-year moratorium on Postal Service plans to close mail processing plants and slow down mail delivery. An Aug. 14 letter signed by 50 senators said Congress should block a propo...
August 12, 2014
IT-AS Members Ratify New Contract
APWU members in the IT-Accounting Services Centers (AS) ratified a new Collective Bargaining Agreement by a vote of 592 to 38 in voting that ended Aug. 7, Support Services Director Steve Brooks has announced. The new agr...
August 11, 2014
Ask Senators: Stop Service Cuts and Plant Closures
The work of APWU members and supporters across the country is paying off: Fifty senators have agreed to co-sign a letter to the leaders of the Senate Appropriations Committee urging them to stop devastating cuts to Ameri...
August 11, 2014
It’s Making Money from Operations
USPS management is doing its best to keep the good news quiet, but facts are facts. According to reports released by the USPS on Aug. 11, as of June 30, three-quarters of the way through Fiscal Year 2014: Operating incom...
August 11, 2014
Don’t Buy School Supplies at Staples
As the back-to-school season moves into high gear, the APWU is ramping up its ‘Don’t Buy Staples’ campaign, with online ads directed at educators and parents. The ads ask them to buy school supplies elsewhere. The APWU h...
August 7, 2014
The Senate Can Help Stop Service Cuts and Plant Closures
A move by the USPS that will slow America’s mail service and that threatens tens of thousands of jobs requires an urgent response, said APWU President Mark Dimondstein. On June 30, the USPS announced its intention to clo...
August 7, 2014
Maintenance Wins Significant Award
The APWU won an important arbitration award on August 06, when Arbitrator Shyam Das ruled that the Postal Service may not detail a maintenance craft employee to perform higher level work in a different occupational group...
August 1, 2014
e-Team Report, Aug. 1, 2014
On June 30th, USPS announced its intention to close and consolidate 82 mail processing facilities in 37 states throughout the country beginning in January 2015. Today, August 1st, 2014, service standard changes were pri...
July 31, 2014
Resolution Sets Goals for Contract Negotiations
On July 25, the last day of the APWU’s 22nd Biennial National Convention, delegates adopted a resolution that spells out the priorities for the upcoming contract negotiations with the USPS.
July 31, 2014
Danny Glover Tells Convention: ‘I’m In!’
Actor Danny Glover gave an impassioned speech on the final day of the APWU’s 22nd Biennial Convention, declaring that he would be part of the fight to keep the Postal Service in the hands of the people.
July 28, 2014
The Boycott is Still On!
When the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) voted to join the ‘Don’t Buy Staples’ movement on July 12, it struck fear into the hearts of Staples bosses and USPS management. So much so that just two days later Staples...
July 25, 2014
Deliberations Continue on Constitutional Resolutions
Acting on the first resolution reported by the Constitution Committee during Wednesday’s session, as a cost-savings measure, delegates amended the APWU Constitution, shortening the time frame for National Conventions fro...
July 25, 2014
Ed Schultz, Rev. William Barber: Together, We Will Win!
Convention delegates were inspired by rousing speeches from two great supporters of working people. Ed Schultz, host of The Ed Show on MSNBC addressed the delegates on day 4 of the National Convention and Reverend Willia...
July 25, 2014
Young Activists Watch and Learn
Union members age 35 and under said their first convention gave them insight to the inner workings of the APWU. Many young members said the convention’s theme of Standing Up, Fighting Back mirrored their beliefs of what...
July 24, 2014
Postal Banking: An Urgent Public Need
Nearly 150 Convention delegates attended the Postal Banking Forum on Wednesday after the convention adjourned. The session, moderated by Eastern Region Coordinator Mike Gallagher, included Denis Lemelin, president of the...
July 24, 2014
OUR Walmart, Fast-Food Workers Inspire Convention Delegates
The Convention theme of 'Stand Up, Fight Back' was on display Tuesday and Wednesday when two of the most exciting labor struggles in the country honored the assembly with their presence.
July 24, 2014
APWU POWER Caucus Held
At a caucus held after adjournment of Monday’s convention session, members and supporters of the APWU Post Office Women for Equal Rights (POWER) heard inspiring accounts from a number of sisters about their life experi...
July 24, 2014
Retirees Answer the Call
“You are, and we are, a value to the union!” Retirees Department Director Judy Beard said at the Retiree Conference on Saturday, July 19. Retiree members from all over the country gathered at the conference to send a cle...
July 24, 2014
International Solidarity
The 22nd Biennial Convention continued the tradition of hosting union leaders and activists from around the globe. Their presence is an expression of building solidarity on an international level. The delegates who atten...