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January 1, 2016
What is ALEC?
(This article first appeared in the January-February 2016 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.) “ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council, is not a lobby or a front group. It is much more powerful than th...
January 1, 2016
Committing to Better Health
(This article first appeared in the January-February 2016 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.) The start of a new year almost always brings New Year’s resolutions. Most people take the opportunity to start anew...
January 1, 2016
Retirees Educational Conference
Velma Chism, Ohio State Retirees president, (second from right), received the John R. Smith Award. (This article first appeared in the January-February 2016 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.) Over 200 retiree...
January 1, 2016
Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act
(This article first appeared in the January-February 2016 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.) President Obama signed the Wounded Warrior Federal Leave Act of 2015 into law on Nov. 5. After passing the House in...
December 31, 2015
APWU Members Show Up for CLUW Biannual Convention
December 31, 2015
Paul Robeson: Internationally Acclaimed Performer, Champion of the People
Robeson signs autographs after a 1924 concert for naval workers. Photo courtesy of Robeson Family Trust and Marilyn Robeson (This article first appeared in the January-February issue of The American Postal Worker magazin...
December 24, 2015
Happy Holidays!
December 19, 2015
Bernie Sanders Campaign’s Access Restored!
"Thanks to an immediate and massive protest by fair-minded individuals and organizations against the heavy-handed, anti-democratic tactics of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the Bernie Sanders campaign now has h...
December 18, 2015
Maintenance Division Files Suit to Enforce eWHEP Staffing Award
The APWU filed a complaint in federal court on Dec. 11 seeking enforcement of a national arbitration award on staffing at Bulk Mail Centers (BMC), Maintenance Craft Director Steve Raymer has announced. The complaint asks...
December 18, 2015
Congress Approves Spending Bill; Fails to Address Epidemic of Delayed Mail
Congress approved an appropriations bill on Dec. 18 to fund the government through 2016, but failed to include a measure that would have restored postal service standards to their pre-January 2015 levels.
December 17, 2015
‘Implement Postal Banking Now!’
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton,Rich Fiesta and Melanie Campbell present petitions to Deputy Postmaster General Ronald A. Stroman. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) joined members of the Campaign for Postal...
December 15, 2015
$56 Million Payment Delayed
The Postal Service failed to complete processing of a $56 million payment to clerks in small offices in time for the holidays, the union has learned. Management blamed the delay on a computer glitch technicians encounte...
December 10, 2015
PSE Conversions Top 25,000!
The APWU reached a major milestone in November: More than 25,000 Postal Support Employees (PSEs) – including some from every craft – have been converted to career over the last two years. “This is a life-changing event f...
December 10, 2015
Contract Update
Our fight for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement has moved to a new phase, APWU President Mark Dimondstein reports. “We are taking the preliminary steps necessary to proceed to arbitration,” he said. The first step is...
December 10, 2015
San Jose Fifth Graders Stand with Postal Workers
These San Jose fifth graders Stand with Postal Workers! The San Jose Contract Action Team and Regional Coordinator Omar Gonzalez visited 120 fifth graders at Donald J. Meyer Elementary School on Dec. 4, where they talked...
December 8, 2015
More Than 150,000 Have Signed Postal Banking Petition
More than 150,000 people have signed a petition launched by the Campaign for Postal Banking urging Postmaster General Megan Brennan to implement postal banking in post offices across the country. Organizers plan to deli...
December 7, 2015
FTC to Challenge Merger of Staples, Office Depot
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced today that it would seek to stop the proposed merger of Staples and Office Depot, the nation’s largest and second-largest office-supply chains. The agency filed an “administra...
December 4, 2015
Important Arbitration Win in Fight Against Plant Closures and Consolidations
Arbitrator Shyam Das ruled on Dec. 3, 2015, that the American Postal Workers Union and the National Postal Mail Handlers Union may now go forward with their Step 4 grievances challenging the Postal Service’s decision to...
December 3, 2015
2016 Arbitration Advocacy Training
The Research and Education Department will provide Arbitration Advocacy training to APWU arbitration advocates Feb. 28 to March 6, 2016. The program is designed to provide an in-depth knowledge of the techniques needed t...
December 3, 2015
84% Give Postal Service a Thumbs Up
According to a recent poll by the Pew Research Center, while only 19 percent of Americans trust the federal government, an overwhelming 84 percent view the Postal Service favorably – making it the most well-liked federal...
November 30, 2015
Western PA Staples Campaign Takes it to the Top
Members of the Western PA Postal Workers Solidarity Committee met with Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald on Nov. 20 to discuss the dirty deal between the U.S. Postal Service and Staples. “Fitzgerald listened to...
November 30, 2015
2015 Penalty Overtime Exclusion, New Leave Year
In accordance with Article 8 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, penalty overtime rules are not applicable for a four-week period each year during December. This year, the period starts with Week 2 of Pay Period 26-1...
November 30, 2015
‘Stand Up for Safe Jobs’ Campaign Gains Momentum
The APWU’s Stand Up for Safe Jobs campaign is gaining momentum! Across the country locals have been placing a renewed emphasis on workers’ right to a safe workplace and have been distributing fact sheets outlining those...
November 24, 2015
Peak Season Exception Period
The reporting period for the 2015 Peak Season Exception Period began on Nov. 14, 2015, and ends Jan. 8, 2016. The three consecutive pay periods will be the weeks of Nov. 14, 2015, to Dec. 25, 2015, or Nov. 28, 2015, to...
November 24, 2015
Happy Thanksgiving !
The officers and staff of the APWU wish you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving.
November 19, 2015
Tell the Postmaster General: Make Postal Banking a Reality Now
Did you know that nearly 28% of U.S. households are underserved by traditional banks? They turn instead to payday lenders, check cashers and other financial predators, spending on average nearly 10 percent of their inco...
November 18, 2015
Gear Day is Still Red Hot!
Members of the Greater Seattle Area Local in union gear on Nov.12 Days are getting shorter and temps may be dropping, but our fight for a good contract is still red hot! Show management that you are part of the fight f...
November 16, 2015
Disbursement Schedule for $56 Million Settlement for Small Offices
The Postal Service has notified APWU Clerk Craft officers that employees who are eligible for a portion of a $56 million monetary settlement are expected to receive payment prior to Christmas. However, our message is: Do...
November 16, 2015
Postal Service’s Financial Report Brings Good News
The Postal Service’s latest financial report, which showed an operating profit of $1.2 billion, is good news, said APWU President Mark Dimondstein. “The report shows there is absolutely no justification for cuts in servi...
November 13, 2015
Donald Trump’s “Wages are Too High” Mentality is an Attack on Social Security
During Tuesday night’s Republican presidential debate, Donald Trump answered a question about raising the minimum wage by saying that wages are too high. Rather than taking on Trump, Marco Rubio and Ben Carson helped rei...