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May 1, 2026
Union Protests Assignment of ET Duties
The union has initiated a dispute at the national level (Case # Q06T-4Q-C-07270988) protesting the Postal Service’s decision to use contractors and other non-Maintenance Craft employees to install upgraded computer soft...
May 1, 2026
Union Wins Another Sunday Premium Case
In another significant win for the union, an arbitrator has ruled that the Postal Service must grant Sunday premium pay to employees who work on Sunday, even if the work is the result of an employee's request for a tempo...
May 1, 2026
Union Wins Another Sunday Premium Case
In another significant win for the union, an arbitrator has ruled that the Postal Service must grant Sunday premium pay to employees who work on Sunday, even if the work is the result of an employee's request for a tempo...
May 1, 2026
Union Wins Debt Collection Act Case
In a recent national-level award, Arbitrator Linda Byars ruled that the ELM 460 provision allowing for collection of postal debts by the Postal Service in increments greater than 15% of an employee’s disposable pay or 20...
May 1, 2026
Union Wins Debt Collection Act Case
In a recent national-level award, Arbitrator Linda Byars ruled that the ELM 460 provision allowing for collection of postal debts by the Postal Service in increments greater than 15% of an employee’s disposable pay or 20...
May 1, 2026
Union Wins Major Attendance Case
In an award issued Jan. 28, 2005, Arbitrator Shyam Das sustained the APWU's arguments on two of three outstanding issues in a significant attendance case.
May 1, 2026
Union: It’s Who We Are
During this year’s organizing campaign we will remind each other of a basic truth: We are the union. For everyone’s benefit we have joined together to fight injustice in the workplace and to bargain for better working co...
May 1, 2026
Unions Discuss Proposed FECA Changes
The APWU hosted a meeting of unions on Feb. 28 to discuss proposed changes to the Federal Employees Compensation Act. Analyzing the Federal Injured Employees Re-Employment Act (FIERA) were labor organizations that repres...
May 1, 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...
May 1, 2026
Updated list of 8,000 HCR Routes for Possible Conversion to PVS Routes
The USPS recently provided the APWU with a list of approximately 8,000 HCRs (Highway Contract Routes) for review. Unfortunately, management did not mark or identify what was new versus what was sent in a list of 4,000 H...
May 1, 2026
USPS Districts Currently Under Phase 2 Of the National Reassessment Process
The Postal Service continues to implement Phase 2 of the National Reassessment Process (NRP) in USPS Districts across the country. There is no set schedule that establishes a date when a particular District will begin Ph...
May 1, 2026
USPS Finally Gets It: We Care About Safety
It appears the USPS has finally figured out that our members and representatives take safety seriously. At a recent Eastern Area Labor/Management meeting, the area safety manager announced that the USPS was embarking on...
May 1, 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...
May 1, 2026
USPS Misrepresentations Lead to Barrage of Criticism
The Postal Service’s top management, including Postmaster General Donahoe, has been drawing fire from all sides in recent months, after a series of disturbing and embarrassing revelations. Criticism of postal management...
May 1, 2026
USPS Must Do More For Veterans
Although the Postal Service employs large numbers of veterans, not enough is being done by our employer to help qualified veterans secure jobs.
May 1, 2026
USPS Must Maintain All Factory Equipment, Including Air Conditioning
An e-mail from USPS headquarters dated Oct. 3, 2001, instructs managers in the field that former Emery vehicles incorporated into the postal fleet are now considered postal vehicles and must be maintained in a manner con...
May 1, 2026
USPS Partners With Align Networks
The Postal Service has notified [PDF] the APWU that it has established a relationship with Align Networks to provide physical therapy services for employees with work related injuries and illnesses. APWU strongly discour...
May 1, 2026
USPS Plays the Perception Game
On May 17, the Postal Service announced that it would begin implementing a “new” network consolidation plan. Unfortunately, the new plan is the same as the old plan. In February, the USPS announced that it had approved 2...
May 1, 2026
USPS Plays the Perception Game
On May 17, the Postal Service announced that it would begin implementing a “new” network consolidation plan. Unfortunately, the new plan is the same as the old plan. In February, the USPS announced that it had approved 2...
May 1, 2026
USPS Proposed Revisions to ELM Sections 512, 513 and 515 Appealed to Arbitration
The APWU has appealed to national-level arbitration an Article 19 Notification concerning USPS proposed changes to ELM subchapters 512, 513 and 515.
May 1, 2026
USPS Provided Incorrect Notification On FMLA Status to Employees
The Postal Service recently informed the APWU that it provided incorrect notification to 696 employees on a Designation Notice for FMLA Leave (Form WH-382) that was sent to them in late March.
May 1, 2026
USPS Publishes New Drug And Alcohol Testing Policy
In July, the Postal Service finally published a new Drug and Alcohol Testing policy that requires management to offer a Last Chance Agreement to employees who fail a drug test for the first time. The new policy became ef...
May 1, 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...
May 1, 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.
May 1, 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...
May 1, 2026
USPS Unveils Prescription Drug Card for Workplace Injuries
The USPS has announced a voluntary prescription drug card program for employees who suffer workplace injuries or illnesses. According to the Postal Service, employees who choose to participate in the program will submit...
May 1, 2026
USPS Withdrawal of a Limited Duty/ Permanent Rehabilitation Assignment
As the Postal Service’s National Reassessment Process (NRP) expands across the country, a growing number of limited duty and/or rehabilitation jobs are being withdrawn. At the national level the APWU will continue to mon...
May 1, 2026
USPS Withdrawal of a Limited Duty/ Permanent Rehabilitation Assignment
As the Postal Service’s National Reassessment Process (NRP) expands across the country, a growing number of limited duty and/or rehabilitation jobs are being withdrawn. At the national level the APWU will continue to mon...
May 1, 2026
Vehicle Maintenance Estimated Repair Times Cannot Be Used for Discipline
In a recent national arbitration award, Arbitrator Shyam Das ruled that the Postal Service was not required to provide Article 19 notice to the union before implementing a 1998 Vehicle Maintenance Bulletin (VMB) that inc...
May 1, 2026
Vehicle Maintenance Estimated Repair Times Cannot Be Used for Discipline
In a recent national arbitration award, Arbitrator Shyam Das ruled that the Postal Service was not required to provide Article 19 notice to the union before implementing a 1998 Vehicle Maintenance Bulletin (VMB) that inc...