Category: Legislative

On Monday, President Trump issued his budget for the next fiscal year. Among its proposals were the entirety of the recommendations of the 2018 White House Task Force on the Postal Service, which include service cuts, lower pay and for postal workers and accelerated outsourcing and privatization of postal work. “The President’s Budget is another broadside attack by this White House on postal workers, our union and our customers’ well-deserved right to a public Postal

On July 26, the Texas AFL-CIO adopted the resolution Fight to Save the Postal Service at their 60th Constitutional Convention. The resolution was introduced by Texas Postal Worker Union President Carlton Williams and two NALC delegates. APWU President Mark Dimondstein discussed as keynote speaker at the convention the struggles facing postal and other federal workers across the country and the path forward: Where our members work and proudly serve in the public sector, the public good is being

The Postmaster General’s (PMG) 10-year “business plan” was leaked to the press on Tuesday, June 18. It is clear management wants the burden of balancing their books on the backs of postal workers and the public. The PMG and the Postal Board of Governors want to impose $18 billion of cuts to workers’ rights and benefits by slashing postal workers’ sick and vacation leave, as well as raising current workers retirement contributions, eliminating federal retirement

Members of the United States Senate have joined members of the House of Representatives in saying, “Don’t Sell Our Public Postal Service”. On June 4, S. Res 99, introduced by Gary Peters (D-MI), gained its 51st cosponsor. The resolution expresses the sense that Congress should take all appropriate measures to ensure that the United States Postal Service remains an independent establishment of the Federal Government and is not subject to privatization. H. Res 33, the companion

On Monday, Apr. 29, members of Congress introduced H.R. 2382, the USPS Fairness Act. This legislation would repeal, in full, the onerous prefunding of retiree health care benefits mandate Congress put in place in 2006. The mandate requires the Postal Service to prefund its retiree health care benefits 75 years in advance, paying for retirement health care for individuals who haven’t been born yet, let alone enter the workforce. The mandate is accountable for 92 percent

March 29, 2019 The White House released its plans for the fiscal year 2020 budget this month. It once again attacks workers, calling for deep cuts to salaries, retirement and health benefits. It also echoes parts of the Postal Task Force December 2018 report that calls for the elimination of union negotiated collective bargaining rights over pay, creating a postal employee pay system similar to what is seen in the federal workforce. Further mirroring the Postal Task

12/04/2018 – If the White House Task Force on the Postal Service’s report was assigned a ZIP Code it would be 00000. This poorly conceived report makes many of its recommendations based on myth and misinformation that instead of improving mail services, would deliver higher prices and less service for the public. The facts are: The public Postal Service serves each and every person. According to recent surveys by Gallup and the Pew Research Center, it enjoys

By Legislative & Political Director Judy Beard  We know that when workers are actively engaged in the political process, we win. We witnessed it in Virginia’s governor’s race in November, when a corporate lobbyist was soundly defeated by the now Governor-elect who opposes Right-to-Work (for less) legislation and helped prevent the law from being enshrined in the state’s constitution in 2016. We witnessed it in New Jersey, where labor ran up the score by voting

10/27/2017 – After the 2018 Contract Campaign Slogan Contest was announced in the middle of August, slogans came pouring into headquarters with over 1,500 members taking action. Concern for the future, unity, respect and support for the union’s general bargaining goals were recurring themes. At deadline, more than 2,500 entries were received, with some members entering multiple suggestions. Around 1,300 All-Craft Conference (ACC) attendees got a chance to cast a ballot for their favorite pick

Web News Article #: 34-2017 04/10/2017 – In order to have a healthy, sustainable, public Postal Service, legislation is necessary to protect postal customers and postal workers from USPS’s current financial crisis. The bi-partisan Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA) of 2006 largely caused this crisis, sending the Postal Service on a severe downward spiral. The PAEA mandated the Postal Service “pre-fund” 100 percent of its retiree health benefit liabilities, 75 years into the future. This

APWU Weighs In, Calling for an End to CPI Price CapThe American Postal Workers Union (APWU) submitted comments before the March 20 deadline to the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) for their ongoing “10 Year Rate System Review,” required by Congress in the 2006 Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA). The Commission is reviewing the effects of the current rate system, capped by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), to see how it impacts the Postal Service’s

The National President Conference of APWU State and Local presidents, gathered in Washington DC for one of its periodic meetings. This time for their conference the State and Local Presidents and other APWU officers, members and their families descended on Capitol Hill, meeting with elected officials to discuss the Postal Reform Act of 2017 and other issues of importance to postal workers.“We need to let them know that the post office must remain viable, that