All News
The Latest from your Union—All in One Place
fighting for justice
Filters
Filter By
January 12, 2010
USPS Medical Units Phase-Out Begins
In the first stage of a process that will affect approximately 130 APWU-represented nurses, most of the 51 Postal Service clinical-care medical units were set to shut down Jan. 11, with the rest scheduled for closure by...
January 5, 2010
We Want to Hear From You
January 1, 2010
OSHA Standards
Safety standards published by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) require employers to provide appropriate electrical protective equipment to employees working in areas where there are potential elec...
December 31, 2009
Black Women Advance Labor’s Cause In an Unlikely Setting: 1881 Atlanta
A little known yet largely successful job action waged in 1881 by black women in Atlanta is credited with helping to set the stage for a century of labor and civil rights struggles.
December 28, 2009
Clerk NBA Shirley McLennan
The APWU was sorry to learn that National Business Agent Shirley McLennan passed away on Dec. 24 after a long battle with cancer.
December 15, 2009
USPS Cuts List of Stations Considered for Closure to 168
The USPS announced Dec. 14 that it has reduced the number of stations and branches under consideration for closure to 168, but cautioned that the new list does not represent a final decision on consolidation.
December 10, 2009
Healthcare Open Season Ends Soon
There are only a few days left to take part in the 2010 Open Season for the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program, and union President William Burrus is encouraging postal workers to give careful consideration...
December 10, 2009
Department of Labor to Reconsider Bush’s Last-Minute FMLA Changes
Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis announced Dec. 7 that she is reviewing changes made early this year to regulations governing the Family and Medical Leave Act.
December 8, 2009
APWU, Other Federal Unions Assail Senate Bill’s Excise Tax on Healthcare
Calling it “absolutely the wrong way” to pay for healthcare reform, APWU President William Burrus was among leaders of federal and postal unions objecting to the Senate bill’s proposed excise tax on many insurance plans.
November 20, 2009
Postal Service Trims List of Targeted Stations
The USPS announced Nov. 20 that it has reduced the list of stations and branches under consideration for closure to 241 [list] (from 371 in early October) but warned that the new list does not represent a final decision...
November 18, 2009
Pay Raise Set for Nov. 21
APWU-represented postal workers will receive a 1.2 percent increase in their annual salaries effective Nov. 21. ALSO: APWU members are being asked to contact their U.S. Senators and urge them to support healthcare reform...
November 17, 2009
APWU Health Plan Offers Two Great Options
With health plan Open Season underway, the union urges postal and federal employees to consider the two great options offered by the APWU Health Plan.
November 13, 2009
Remember George: Give the Gift of Life
In a 90-day campaign launched in April, the APWU, the Postal Service and the National Marrow Donor Program took part in a nationwide marrow-registry drive, both to support the program in general and in the hopes that a d...
October 31, 2009
Garment Worker Expanded Union Ideals Beyond the Workplace
Every time people take a stand to improve the lot of others, “they send forth a tiny ripple of hope,” Robert F. Kennedy once observed. Chicago garment worker Sidney Hillman spent a lifetime sending forth ripples that mad...
October 28, 2009
Victory: FERS Sick-Leave Credit Becomes Law
President Obama signed legislation Oct. 28 that will allow postal and federal workers who retire under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) to receive credit for sick leave when they retire.
October 28, 2009
Social Security to Host Webinar for Wounded Warriors
The Social Security Administration will host a Webinar, “Social Security for Wounded Warriors,” to address benefit programs and the expedited processing of disability claims available to wounded veterans.
October 27, 2009
Congress Must Fix Funding Requirement; USPS Must Expand Goals, Burrus Says
In a follow-up to testimony before a Senate subcommittee, APWU President William Burrus explored alternatives to station-and-branch closures, facility consolidations, and five-day mail delivery — which the Postal Service...
October 23, 2009
Unions Protest As Health Insurers Plot to Kill Reform
APWU officers and staff joined hundreds of other union members and healthcare advocates at a spirited demonstration Oct. 22 to demand that the health insurance industry end its efforts to thwart reform legislation.
October 22, 2009
Congress Approves FERS Sick-Leave Credit
At long last! After a protracted campaign, postal and federal workers who retire under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) will receive credit for sick leave when they retire.
October 20, 2009
Incentive Offer Leads to One-Time Exception on Casual Cap
In accordance with the agreement to provide a $15,000 incentive to employees who retire or separate, the APWU and the USPS have reached a settlement regarding the use of casuals in excess of the limitations outlined in A...
October 19, 2009
Pay Raise Set for November 21
APWU-represented postal workers will receive a 1.2 percent increase in annual salaries effective Nov. 21, based on the grades and levels in effect on Sept. 6, 2006. The raise will be reflected in paychecks issued Dec. 11...
October 19, 2009
Powell Approved As Union’s New Secretary-Treasurer
Liz Powell, the APWU’s Northeast Region Coordinator, has been tapped to serve as the union’s national Secretary-Treasurer, making her the first woman executive officer in the union’s history.
October 14, 2009
APWU Issues a Challenge
The Postal Service’s precarious financial condition has prompted APWU President William Burrus to issue a challenge to Postmaster General Potter:
October 9, 2009
Union Vows Fight to Keep Stations Open
The Postal Service announced Oct. 9 that 371 stations and branches in Level 24-and-above post offices remain under consideration for possible closure, but cautioned that “the filing does not represent a final decision on...
October 9, 2009
FERS Sick-Leave Credit Included In Defense Authorization Bill
The campaign to win sick-leave credit for workers who retire under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) got a big boost this week when it was included in a compromise version of the 2010 Defense Authorization b...
October 7, 2009
National ‘Call-In’ Days For Health Care Wednesday and Thursday
The APWU is joining labor's push to reform the healthcare system with two lobby and call-in days Oct. 7 and 8.
October 7, 2009
Unusual Areas of Agreement
The Institute for Research on the Economics of Taxation, a conservative think tank, and the APWU rarely see eye-to-eye; but a recent exchange of letters between IRET Senior Economist Michael Schuyler and union President...
October 1, 2009
Burrus to Retire at End of Term
In an emotional closing to his speech at the union’s All-Craft Conference Sept. 30, APWU President William Burrus announced that he would not seek re-election in November 2010, ending a 53-year career in which he fought...
September 30, 2009
Senate Approves Short-Term Relief for USPS
The Senate approved an appropriations bill Sept. 30 that includes emergency financial relief for the Postal Service.
September 25, 2009
H.R. 22 Included in Stopgap Spending Bill
A House-Senate panel included the provisions of H.R. 22, which would provide temporary financial relief to the Postal Service, in a stopgap funding bill that would keep the federal government afloat for a month after the...