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January 31, 2008
Anti-Subcontracting Bill Picking Up ‘Co-Sponsors
The Mail Network Protection Act (H.R. 4236), which would require the Postal Service to bargain with postal unions before it engages in significant subcontracting, has been steadily gaining sponsorship in the House. The l...
January 30, 2008
Union Wins $48 Million Settlement in MS-47 Handbook Grievance
The APWU and the Postal Service finalized a $48 million payout Jan. 29 to “remedy” the USPS violation of staffing procedures for custodial employees. The settlement will be in the form of lump-sum payments of $2,700 to m...
January 28, 2008
Union, USPS Sign Agreement For Offices Without a Local Union Structure
The APWU signed a landmark agreement Jan. 25, for Members-at-Large who work in small post offices and are not represented by a local union. The agreement, the Local Memorandum of Understanding for Offices Without a Local...
January 22, 2008
APWU, NALC Sue USPS and Inspector General Over Invasion of Medical-Records Privacy
The American Postal Workers Union and the National Association of Letter Carriers have filed suit against the Postal Service and the Office of Inspector General for systematic and widespread intrusions into the medical r...
January 18, 2008
NLRB Issues Complaint Against DHL in PA
The National Labor Relations Board issued a complaint on Jan. 10 against DHL Express in Allentown, PA, charging the company with committing unfair labor practices during an APWU organizing campaign last year.
January 18, 2008
Postal Service Says It Will Request Proposals to Outsource Some BMC Activities
The Postal Service has notified the union that it intends to issue a Request for Proposals for the outsourcing of some Bulk Mail Center activities.
January 14, 2008
Seeking COPA Success Stories
The APWU is asking local and state organizations to provide information about members who deserve recognition for their fund-raising activities on behalf of APWU COPA. The March/April edition of The American Postal Worke...
January 11, 2008
TSP Considers Restrictions on Inter-fund Transfers
Members of the Federal Employee Thrift Investment Board have authorized the TSP Executive Director to implement restrictions on inter-fund transfers as a result of what is being termed “excessive frequent trading” by a s...
January 9, 2008
Union President Asks Locals, States To Seek Support for Subcontracting Legislation
APWU President William Burrus has asked the union’s state and local presidents to encourage APWU members to write to their U.S. representatives and ask them to co-sponsor and support the Mail Network Protection Act (H.R....
January 7, 2008
They Love to Hate Us
Postal Points, a mailing industry newsletter, has enjoyed taking potshots at the APWU for quite a while, but the vitriol seems to have increased lately. And in a Dec. 21, 2007, article about the Omnibus Appropriations Bi...
January 2, 2008
Retirees COLAs Reflected In January Checks
Cost-of-Living Adjustments for retirees, which took effect Dec. 1, 2007, will be reflected in annuity payments dated Jan. 2, 2008. CSRS (Civil Service Retirement System) annuitants who have received benefits for at leas...
December 31, 2007
Labor Arbitrator Nicholas Zumas Dies
Nicholas H. Zumas, 76, a lawyer and labor arbitrator, died of lung cancer on Dec. 22, 2007, at his home in Washington, D.C. In addition to settling disputes for professional football and baseball, Zumas served as a posta...
December 31, 2007
Bayard Rustin: Unsung Crusader for Social Justice
Although he was always at the forefront of the civil rights movement, Bayard Rustin’s contributions to the struggle are often overlooked. Perhaps best known as the lead organizer for the 1963 March on Washington that set...
December 26, 2007
House ‘Mail Network Protection Act’ Gains Seven Co-Sponsors Prior to Holiday Break
Seven U.S. representatives have signed on as co-sponsors of H.R. 4236, the Mail Network Protection Act introduced by Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA). Introduced in the House on Nov. 15, the bill would require the Postal Servic...
December 21, 2007
Union Restructuring Committee Meets
The APWU restructuring committee, which met for the first time during the All-Craft Conference in Las Vegas, was addressed by President William Burrus during a teleconference meeting on Dec. 19. Burrus assured participan...
December 20, 2007
Spending Bill Includes Rider That Blocks 7 Consolidations
A provision attached to the appropriations bill awaiting President Bush’s signature would indefinitely postpone most of the Postal Service consolidation plans still awaiting implementation. The initial adjustment to the...
December 19, 2007
APWU Seeks Support for ‘Mail Network Protection Act’
The APWU has written to all members of the U.S. House of Representatives, asking them to co-sponsor and support the Mail Network Protection Act, which would require the Postal Service to bargain with unions before commit...
December 12, 2007
Board of Governors Approves Proposal That PRC Says Could Cost USPS Millions
The USPS Board of Governors approved a Negotiated Service Agreement (NSA) on Dec. 11 that had been sharply criticized by the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC). In a ruling issued Oct. 19, the rate commission concluded t...
December 12, 2007
Rep. Lynch Seeks Support for ‘Mail Network Protection Act’
Rep. Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA) has asked his congressional colleagues to co-sponsor legislation he introduced last month that would require the Postal Service to bargain with unions before engaging in significant subcontra...
December 10, 2007
Union Action Averts Safety Hazard
An objection by the APWU to a change in postal policy regarding the use of biohazard detection equipment has averted a potentially serious safety hazard. Management instructions issued Oct. 4, 2007, noted that the instal...
December 5, 2007
Mike Causey Applauds Postal Healthcare Coverage
“When it comes to paying health premiums, postal workers pay less than other federal workers,” said Mike Causey in a column posted on www.federalnewsradio.com Dec. 5. “They get the same coverage as employees with the IRS...
November 29, 2007
APWU Health Plan Video
With the Health Plan Open Season quickly drawing to a close, union members are encouraged to give careful consideration to the two great healthcare options offered by the APWU. For highlights of the plans, check out the...
November 28, 2007
All-Craft Conference Photos Available Online
Photos from the union’s 2007 All-Craft Conference and the Installation of Officers Dinner Dance can be purchased at www.alldigitalimaging.com. Photos from the speech by former President Bill Clinton are available as wel...
November 28, 2007
PTFs in Large Offices Eliminated as of Dec. 1
“Dec. 1, 2007, will be a historic day for postal labor,” APWU President William Burrus declared this week. “It marks the elimination of part-time flexible employment for the Clerk Craft in large offices. “As the result o...
November 27, 2007
Burrus Issues Stinging Rebuke To USPS Inspector General
APWU President William Burrus slammed the Office of the Inspector General recently, charging that in a September audit report on employee benefit programs the office had inserted itself into the collective bargaining are...
November 19, 2007
Legislation Would Compel USPS to Bargain Over Subcontracting
The APWU won a significant victory Nov. 15, with the introduction of a bill that would require the Postal Service to bargain with postal unions before engaging in significant subcontracting. The union has been strenuousl...
November 16, 2007
APWU-Backed Bill Introduced in Congress
The APWU won a significant victory on Nov. 15, when Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) introduced legislation that would require the Postal Service to bargain with postal unions before making a commitment to significant subcontra...
November 15, 2007
USPS Instructs Managers to Comply With CBAs
In response to criticism by APWU President William Burrus, the Postal Service has officially notified its managers that efficiency-improvement strategies must be in full compliance with collective bargaining agreements....
November 13, 2007
Nonprofit Guide Rates APWU Health Plan at the Top
The APWU Health Plan has been given high marks by Consumers’ Checkbook Guide to Health Plans for Federal Employees, which was released Nov. 12, the first day of the FEHBP Open Season. Industry analysts say that federal...
November 13, 2007
Burrus Issues a Call for Continued Progress
Although globalization and breakthrough technology have transformed the workplace, the APWU has enabled the workers it represents to pursue the American Dream without interruption, re-elected union President William Burr...