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April 2, 2008
Federal Court Dismisses APWU Suit
A federal court has dismissed a lawsuit by the APWU and the Consumer Alliance for Postal Services (CAPS), which sought access to the meetings and records of the Postal Service’s Mailers Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC...
March 28, 2008
Bush Keeps Trying to Chip Away at Workers’ Rights
The headlines last July seemed to say it all: “Labor Department Study Affirms That FMLA Is Working as Intended.” So union activists were dismayed when seven months later the Department of Labor proposed sweeping new regu...
March 25, 2008
PRC: Postage Hike Exceeds Limit on Worksharing Discounts
Although a review by the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) of proposed USPS postage increases found that the rate hikes are within the price cap permitted by 2006 postal reform legislation, there was another less public...
March 17, 2008
Inspector General: USPS Wasted $17.8 Million on FedEx Contract
An audit by the USPS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has concluded that during Fiscal Years 2005 and 2006, the Postal Service’s Pacific Area incurred approximately $17.8 million in unnecessary costs by the use of “...
March 14, 2008
Mail Network Protection Act Steadily Gaining Co-Sponsors
As of mid-March, 55 members of the House of Representatives have signed on as co-sponsors of an anti-subcontracting measure supported by the APWU. The Mail Network Protection Act (H.R. 4236), which was introduced in Nove...
March 6, 2008
Union Activists Urged to Fight Proposals to Gut FMLA
APWU President William Burrus has issued a call to action, asking the union’s officers and activists to fight proposed new regulations that would weaken the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993. “The FMLA is the one of t...
March 3, 2008
Dispute Filed Over Postal Service Data Security Breaches/Missing Laptops
The APWU has filed a national-level dispute over the Postal Service's data security breaches involving missing or stolen laptop computers containing personal and confidential information of APWU bargaining unit employees...
February 29, 2008
1912 Textile Strike Put Women in the Line of Fire
Early in the 20th Century, fully half of the 80,000 people living in Lawrence, MA, labored in its textile industry. The typical workplace was dimly lit, dangerously cramped with machinery, cold in the winter, and hot in...
February 28, 2008
Anti-Subcontracting Measure Attracting Support
Several more “co-sponsors” have signed on to show their support for the Mail Network Protection Act (H.R. 4236), which would require the Postal Service to bargain with postal unions before it engages in significant subco...
February 28, 2008
APWU Requests Investigation Of Private Contractors’ Use of USPS Property
APWU President William Burrus has asked USPS Inspector General David Williams to conduct an audit of the postal practice of permitting subcontractors to park trucks and store equipment on USPS property free-of-charge. Th...
February 27, 2008
APWU Continues the ‘Family’ Tradition
The Fort Wayne Area Local’s organizing drive last year yielded 135 new members.Organizing Committee Co-Chair Amy Sutcliffe, left, and Stephanie DeBolt prepare a bulk mailing during the campaign. In 2007, when the APWU l...
February 21, 2008
Latest CPI Increase Means $479 Annual Pay Hike
The Consumer Price Index rose in January, the last month of the most recent six-month Cost-of-Living measuring period under the 2006 National Agreement. The rise in the CPI gives APWU-represented employees an annual rais...
February 21, 2008
New Law Enhances FMLA Leave for Military Families
Recent amendments to the Family and Medical Leave Act will allow postal workers and others covered by the law to take up to 26 weeks of leave to help eligible family members recover from a military service-related injury...
February 20, 2008
Some Custodial Employees To Receive Arbitration Payment This Week
The APWU has been notified by the Postal Service that approximately half of the eligible custodial employees will receive their share of a recent $48 million dollar settlement this payday, on Feb. 22, 2008. Each eligible...
February 14, 2008
USPS Notifies Union of Payroll Glitch
Pay increases associated with the Feb. 16 upgrades will be reflected in March 7 paychecks, but the USPS has informed the APWU that the new level adjustments have not been implemented because the Postal Service has failed...
February 6, 2008
APWU Members Can Access, Update Personal Information Online
APWU members can now access and change their personal contact information with the union online when they visit www.apwu.org. The updating process is simple and secure. Look for Members Only just under the blue page head...
February 6, 2008
Union Presidents, USPS Officials Discuss Postal Service’s Future
The Postal Service will broadcast a video in every postal facility beginning the week of Feb. 11, featuring a discussion with the presidents of the four craft unions. The conversation, moderated by Anthony J. Vegliante,...
February 6, 2008
Upgrades Reflected in March 7 Paycheck
The March 7 paycheck for all APWU-represented employees will reflect an upgrade negotiated in the 2006-2010 Collective Bargaining Agreement.
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
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...