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April 3, 2026
Dispute: Level 4 Post Office Clerks in Level 15 and 16 Post Offices
This dispute protests management’s unilateral decision to create a Level 4 Post Office Clerk PSE (Postal Support Employee) job description for use in Level 15 and Level 16 post offices.
April 3, 2026
College Offers Discounts
Excelsior College is an accredited, nonprofit, distance-learning institution that caters to working adults. The Postal Service’s partnership with Excelsior College enables USPS employees and their spouses or domestic par...
April 3, 2026
Obama Picks Carolyn W. Colvin to Lead Social Security Administration
Late last week, President Obama announced his intent to nominate Carolyn W. Colvin to lead the Social Security Administration (SSA). A longtime government administrator, Ms. Colvin has been the agency’s acting commission...
April 3, 2026
The War at Home
Pollutants from open-air burn pits, fires and clean-up operations are believed to be causing serious health problems for our military men and women. At least 1,000 troops and veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan h...
April 3, 2026
Decision in Maintenance Management Order (MMO) Dispute – Sept 30, 2005
Arbitrator Das sustained in part, denied in part and remanded in part the APWU's grievances challenging three Maintenance Management Orders (MMOs) regarding preventive maintenance guidelines for the Delivery Bar Code Sor...
April 3, 2026
APWU’s Retirees Director Retires
John R. Smith, director of the APWU Retirees Department since its creation in 1993, retired May 7. Replacing him will be Douglas C. Holbrook, the union’s secretary-treasurer from 1981 to 1998, APWU President William Burr...
April 3, 2026
USPS Instructs Facilities Not to By-Pass Biohazard Detection Systems On Their AFCS
The APWU recently became aware that postal facilities with the Biohazard Detection System (BDS) on their Advanced Facer-Canceler Systems (AFCS) machines have made local decisions to by-pass the AFCS and utilize alternate...
April 3, 2026
e-Team Report, July 14, 2012
Postal Reform Delayed USPS Likely to Default on Pre-payment
April 3, 2026
Alzheimer’s, CPI, Debts to USPS
Alzheimer’s disease has touched the lives of most Americans, either through family members, friends or neighbors. Many of us have thought, “Are misplacing my keys a few times a month temporary moments of memory loss or a...
April 3, 2026
Arbitrator Issues Decision in Dispute Over Two-Tour Initiative
Arbitrator Das denied the union’s grievance challenging the Postal Service’s two-tour initiative.
April 3, 2026
The Government Pension Offset Why It Should Be Repealed
During the last Congress, bills were introduced in the House and Senate to repeal the Government Pension Offset provision of current Social Security law. Although the legislation had many co-sponsors, it never made it ou...
April 3, 2026
USPS Reassessment Process Background
The Postal Service aggressively monitors limited duty and rehabilitation assignments, and in May, 2005 notified the APWU that the USPS would begin a reassessment of rehabilitation jobs and limited duty assignments. The t...
April 3, 2026
We’re Not a Fee-for-Service Organization
There seems to be a misconception that labor unions are fee-for-service organizations. This notion is likely fostered by the fact that union dues fund activities that serve union members. Dues enable unions to negotiate...
April 3, 2026
HCR Subcontractor Safety Records
A Web site of the Department of Transportation (DOT) that provides safety information on trucking companies may be a valuable tool for members of the MVS Craft. The site lists information about accidents and tickets incu...
April 3, 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...
April 3, 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,...
April 3, 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...
April 3, 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...
April 3, 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...
April 3, 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...
April 3, 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
April 3, 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...
April 3, 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...
April 3, 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...
April 3, 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).
April 3, 2026
Summary of Regulations Governing COPA Solicitations
Summary of Regulations Governing COPA Solicitations
April 3, 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...
April 3, 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...
April 3, 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...
April 3, 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...