(This article appeared in the January/February 2026 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine)
In 2025, we provided our APWU veteran leaders with a strategic plan to fight back against the Heritage Foundation’s “Project 2025” plan to privatize and destroy the federal government’s VA Health Care system. In 2026, our strategic plan to fight back will continue.
A prominent leader in this fight is the Union Veterans Council (UVC), AFL-CIO (www.unionveterans.org). The UVC seeks to bring together union leaders and members who are veterans to speak out on veterans’ issues and influence public policy to improve the quality of life for U.S. veterans and their families. The two primary areas of focus for veterans are access to good jobs and quality health care. In addition, the UVC holds government officials, candidates, and elected officials accountable, encourages union veterans’ roles in organizations, and strives to form coalitions and alliances with other veterans groups around union veterans’ issues, bringing union veterans together on the issues that matter most to veterans and their families. If you haven’t joined us yet, please visit unionveterans.org and sign up now. Once you join, you will have access to communicate and share information with UVC members nationwide. It only takes about two minutes of your time to join.
Fighting back for our APWU veterans means learning and utilizing the “APWU Guide To Veterans Rights & Benefits,” which can be found at apwu.org/veterans. This reference guide covering the important rights and benefits of veteran postal workers is a valuable tool for Steward’s training and defending APWU 30 30 THE AMERICAN POSTAL WORKER veterans.
The Veterans Preference Act of 1944 (pages 6 & 7) is still the law that ensures veterans ve or 10-point preference during the hiring process. It also guarantees additional rights to APWU veterans for their job security.
Other important topics covered include:
Retirement Credit for Military Service-Military Buy-Back (pages 8 thru 12); Military Leave (pages 13 thru 16); Wounded Warriors Leave including PS Form 5980 (pages 17 thru 21); VA Appointments (pages 22 & 23); On-the-job injuries OWCP/VA Dual Coverage (page 24 & 25); Veterans and Mental Health (pages 26 thru 28); Layoffs and Reduction in Force (pages 29 Thru 31); Merit Systems Protection Board (pages 32 thru 35); Reinstatement & Reemployment (page 36); Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act Of 1994 (USERRA) (pages 37 & 38).
The valuable “APWU Guide to Veterans Rights and Bene ts” handbook is available at apwu.org/veterans. Hard copies are available at all National Conferences and Conventions, or by contacting the APWU Human Relations Department.
“Project 2025” was clearly operational throughout 2025, and the plan continues into the new year. We cannot allow the Trump Administration to ignore the constitutional rights and benefits of veterans while privatizing and destroying the VA Health Care system in 2026.
We have the leadership and the tools to fight back, including the Union Veterans Council and the “APWU Guide to Veterans Rights & Benefits” handbook. We also have the law and our APWU national agreement on our side. Our 2026 strategy to fight back is set, and our APWU veteran leaders have the tools they need to utilize it. ■
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