Year-End Review

I am pleased to report that our Human Relations initiatives have been successful, due largely in part to our close work with APWU leadership and each of you. This collective effort is a priority and represents a key goal that I have wanted to achieve since taking office. Many of you already know that the foundation for the work of this office is inclusion, education, and action. Together, we have completed the initial phases of the plan.

With another successful year in the books, I’d like to highlight the accomplishments that we have made in 2024. Although we faced challenges, we were able to use the framework constructed in previous years to build on the successes, and fi nd solutions for some of the challenges, outlined below.

Coalitions

We continued to fortify the coalitions that we work with, which are comprised of groups that have diverse interests. We are satisfied to have established and enhanced our relationships with them.

One of our partnerships is with the Civil, Human and Women’s Rights Director and affiliate union directors at the AFL-CIO. The development of this coordination and unified approach around civil rights is promising, and a step in the right direction to set the stage for APWU to continue our involvement in ongoing civil rights issues. We look forward to working together with these groups in 2025.

Training on Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs

Some of you have requested trainings in your areas, and this office welcomes the opportunity. Across the country, we were able to provide informative training sessions on the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP). The feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive. I want to thank all locals and states for the willingness to participate and help facilitate the trainings, which were a huge success. We have trained over 1,600 members and officials in 2024 alone. Knowledge is power. We hope that members who attended our training will use that knowledge to help members navigate the OWCP process successfully. We will continue to build on the momentum and strive to train and educate all members, no matter where they are.

Employee Assistance Program

As many of you know, many challenges exist within the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). However, the challenges do not outweigh the benefits. We must push to make the program work for our members.

We worked hard to ensure locals have representation in the EAP. We made efforts to ensure that District Advisory Committees included representatives from the APWU. We also made efforts to ensure that the Joint Committee included APWU representatives. We have made progress and have seen an increase in representation, but we do not have 100 percent participation across the country yet. The additional representation has been a benefit to our members. This office will continue our efforts in this area and other strategies to strengthen EAP initiatives.

Veterans’ Rights and Benefits

I thank all of you around the country who have taken the time to sign up our veteran members for the communication network, an invaluable resource for our membership to receive information regarding all veteran issues. So, we encourage those who have not yet joined to join by logging onto Members Only at apwumembers.apwu.org, and designating your branch of service, as well as committing to receive veteran information from the department. Thanks again to all who are serving and who have served here and abroad.

We look ahead to a prosperous 2025, as we continue to tackle the issues of the day as we move forward. In solidarity, we are guaranteed victory!

Thanks everyone, and have a great holiday and a highly successful New Year. ■