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January 14, 2026
Happy Birthday, EAP
On Nov.12, the USPS Employees Assistance Program turned 40 years old. The first postal EAP program — then known as the Program for Alcoholic Recovery (PAR) — opened its doors in San Francisco. From those humble beginning...
January 14, 2026
Dual Casual Reports
Dual casual reports are provided to the union on an Accounting Period basis. The report monitors the use of Postmaster Reliefs, Rural Reliefs and other employees whose primary appointment is outside of the APWU crafts,...
January 14, 2026
e-Team Report, May 20, 2014
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has not been able to garner support for his extreme and anti-worker postal reform bill, H.R. 2748. As such, he has adopted a new...
January 14, 2026
Arbitrator Rules ‘Separation of Casuals’ Language in Article 12 Applies Only to Casuals in the Impacted Craft
In a recent National Association of Letter Carriers’ (NALC) national arbitration award, Arbitrator Shyam Das ruled that “[t]he provision in Article 12.5.C.5.a (2) for ‘separation of all casuals’ applies to casuals in the...
January 14, 2026
Know Your Credit Score
Credit card companies and lending institutions are tightening their approval standards, making it harder for people with low credit scores to get new lines of credit. Everyone should know their credit score, which is the...
January 14, 2026
Dispute Over USPS Refusal to Accept FMLA Medical Certification Appealed to Arbitration
The APWU has appealed to arbitration a dispute over the Postal Service's refusal to accept medical certification for chronic conditions covered under the Family and Medical Leave Act if not submitted at the time of the a...
January 14, 2026
e-Team Report, Jan. 24, 2014
S.1486 Postal Reform Act of 2014 Amended “Carper/Coburn Bill” Breaking News: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2013 Union Membership Report
January 14, 2026
Happy Grandparents Day!
Sunday, September 7 is Grandparents Day. In Ohio, Alliance members are celebrating the day with an event in Cortland. In Illinois, Alliance members in the East St. Louis area are celebrating the holiday today with Rep. W...
January 14, 2026
Operation Care Package
Care packages provide warm messages and familiarities from home. Packages are sent to servicemen and women serving in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Recipients include members of all branches of the military, from eve...
January 14, 2026
Up Next: Preparing for Local Negotiations
The 2010-2015 collective bargaining agreement has been ratified by the membership, and it is now time to move to the enforcement phase of our new contract. This agreement has many sweeping changes, and there is much work...
January 14, 2026
Dispute: Non-Traditional Full-Time Assignments in Function 5 and Function 7
This Step 4 dispute protests Postal Service instructions to the field authorizing the creation of Non-Traditional Full-Time (NTFT) assignments in Finance (Function 5) and in Bulk Mail (Function 7).
January 14, 2026
Summary of Regulations Governing COPA Solicitations
Summary of Regulations Governing COPA Solicitations
January 14, 2026
Waste Management
In the January-February issue, the regional coordinator’s article addressed the Postmaster General’s DRIVE (Delivering, Results, Innovation, Value, and Efficiency) program and what management was planning for you — inclu...
January 14, 2026
Reviews Can Lead to Upgrades
Veterans who believe they received an inaccurate disability rating may be eligible to have their award reviewed by the Physical Disability Board of Review. The PDBR was created to address inconsistencies in disability ra...
January 14, 2026
Award on Applicability of TCOLA to Promotion Pay Anomaly Payments [pdf]
This is an NALC case in which the APWU intervened. The issue was whether the Postal Service's failure to pay Territorial COLA (TCOLA) as part of the promotion pay anomaly payments due under the June 13, 1990 Memorandum o...
January 14, 2026
Intermediate Travel for Training Settlement
This settlement (case #H0C-NAC 19002) reinstates the language of Section 716.123 of the ELM that existed prior to 1991, which permits intermediate travel (for employees on an extended duty assignment) to a location other...
January 14, 2026
Leyman Lift Gate Problems
Survey for Locals about problems with International and Freightliner trucks
January 14, 2026
USPS Revises Standard Operating Procedures for Handling Hazardous Materials
The Postal Service has revised its Standard Operating Procedures for the Handling of Hazardous Materials.
January 14, 2026
e-Team Report, July 7, 2012
Check Your Mail! Mitt Romney and the Postal Service Frankly Speaking Businesses Feeling the Impact of Declining Service
January 14, 2026
PMG’s Credibility In Doubt Again
At Senate hearings in September on proposed postal legislation, "Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe made several statements that once again call his credibility into question," notes APWU Executive Vice President Greg Be...
January 14, 2026
Contract Manual Helps Resolve Grievances
January 14, 2026
Building Self-Esteem
Of all the judgment calls we make, none are as important as the ones we make about ourselves. Low self-esteem can lead to a wide range of personal problems, often masking what is truly wrong, and resulting in underachiev...
January 14, 2026
USPS Unleashes NRP (Phases 1 & 2)
In mid-December, the APWU was notified that Phase 1 of the National Reassessment Process had been implemented nationwide. The Postal Service estimates that 33,707 limited duty and rehabilitation employees will be reasses...
January 14, 2026
Activate Your List Protect Your Right to Vote
In the January-February issue of this magazine, I asked readers to make a list of contacts who will serve as a support network for the midterm elections. Now that you have your list together, it’s time to put it into act...
January 14, 2026
A Take on TSP Accounts
Retired postal workers who voluntarily contributed to a TSP while employed did so to accumulate tax-deferred savings: During retirement, there is no federal income tax on these savings as long as account-holders comply w...
January 14, 2026
PTR Compliance Reports
PTR Compliance Reports are provided to the union on an Accounting Period basis to determine compliance with Article 7.3.D of the 2006 National Agreement, which states that the number of part-time regular employees who ma...
January 14, 2026
January 14, 2026
Unemployment Compensation And The National Reassessment Process (NRP)
Injured employees who undergo the National Reassessment Process (NRP) and are told by the Postal Service either that there is only partial day work available or that there is no work available, should consider filing for...
January 14, 2026
Protecting Our Social Security Benefits
Many postal employees and retirees who depend on Social Security benefits to supplement their postal annuities are wondering: How much income can I count on in years to come?
January 14, 2026
Dispute Over Restrictions on Casuals Hired for Dual Assignments Appealed to Arbitration
The APWU has appealed to arbitration a dispute concerning whether the provisions of Article 7.1.B.3 of the National Agreement that prohibits casuals from performing assignments that require training and testing includes...