On Nov. 14 postal employees from every craft in more than 125 locations will send an urgent message to Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe and the USPS Board of Governors: Stop Delaying America’s Mail!

Donahoe and the Board are poised to make devastating cuts in service to the American people – cuts that would forever damage the U.S. Postal Service.

• On Jan. 5, the USPS is slated to lower “service standards” to virtually eliminate overnight delivery – including first-class mail from one address to another within the same city or town.
• All mail (medicine, online purchases, local newspapers, newsletters, bill payments, letters and invitations) throughout the country would be delayed.
• Beginning Jan. 5, 82 mail sorting centers are scheduled to close.

This is the same misguided thinking that’s behind efforts to end Saturday and door deliveries, cut back post office hours, and make other reductions in service.

Degrading service would hurt residents, small businesses and communities across the country – and eventually destroy the Postal Service by driving away customers.

And it’s not necessary. In fiscal year 2014, the USPS earned more than $1 billion in operating profit, and its finances have been improving for four years.

On Nov. 14, the Board of Governors will hold its final public meeting of the year. “The four postal unions are joining forces to protect service, fight for our livelihoods, and defend our great national treasure, the U.S. Postal Service,” said APWU President Mark Dimondstein. “We have many allies in the fight against the proposed changes, including more than half the Senate and 160 U.S. Representatives,” the union presidents said.

For an event near you, visit www.StopMailDelays.org.

Pay Raise Set for Nov. 15

APWU-represented postal employees will receive an increase in their annual salaries effective Nov. 15, which will be reflected in paychecks dated Dec. 5. The increase will apply to all employees covered by the  2010-2015 Collective Bargaining Agreement between the APWU and the USPS.

Beginning Nov. 15, career employees will receive an increase of 1 percent of the salary that was in place on the effective date of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Career employees received a cost-of-living adjustment of $686 in September.

PSEs (who are not eligible for cost-of-living increases) will receive a raise of 2.5 percent.

The upcoming raise was negotiated during bargaining in 2010 and 2011 for the 2010-2015 contract. Under the terms of the APWU Constitution, an across-the-board salary increase results in a small dues adjustment. Dues for career employees will be increased by 60 cents per pay period, with 40 cents going to locals and state organizations and 20 cents going to the national union. Dues for PSEs will be increased by 88 cents per pay period, with 59 cents going to locals and states and 20 cents going to the national union.

Updated pay scales were included in the November-December edition of The American Postal Worker magazine and can be viewed on the union’s website  at www.apwu.org/resource-types/pay-scales.