Service & Solidarity Spotlight: AFT and NEA Rally to Protect Students and Public Education
Service & Solidarity Spotlight: AFT and NEA Rally to Protect Students and Public Education
Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
On Wednesday afternoon, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA) rallied in Washington, D.C., to protect students and our public schools.Educators, parents, lawmakers and community leaders gathered to stand up for our schools in the face of funding attacks and policies that put politics before students. This demonstration came after the AFT held a press conference in the morning calling for Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, to be barred from accessing sensitive Department of Education data. “Inside the Education Department, the world’s richest man and his minions have been rifling through 45 million people’s private student loan accounts and feeding the data into artificial intelligence in one of the biggest data hacks in U.S. history,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “That’s why this week, we sued the Education Department, [Office of Personnel Management] and Treasury for violating the Privacy Act by improperly disclosing the sensitive records of millions of Americans to DOGE staff.”
Kenneth Quinnell
Fri, 02/14/2025 – 10:09
UAW Members at Rolls-Royce Vote to Authorize Strike
On Thursday, February 13, UAW members at Rolls-Royce voted by a resounding 99.5% to authorize a strike, if necessary, with 86% of the membership participating in the vote.
The post UAW Members at Rolls-Royce Vote to Authorize Strike appeared first on UAW | United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America.
New Hampshire Teamsters Celebrate House Vote Against “Right to Work” Bill
(CONCORD, N.H.) – Teamsters Local 633 is celebrating their successful mobilization against anti-worker legislation after the New Hampshire House of Representatives voted for indefinite postponement of any further progress for House Bill 238 (HB 238), which would impose a “right to work” law on the state. “Right to work” is a lie designed to weaken […]
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Protecting our Members’ Jobs: IAM, NFFE-IAM Join Labor Coalition in New Lawsuit Over Illegal Gutting of Federal Workforce
The IAM Union and the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM) joined a coalition of labor unions in filing a lawsuit against the Trump Administration’s orders to gut the federal workforce. The complaint challenges the firing of probationary employees, the deferred resignation ploy to pressure employees to voluntarily resign, and large-scale reductions-in-force (RIFs) that violate
The post Protecting our Members’ Jobs: IAM, NFFE-IAM Join Labor Coalition in New Lawsuit Over Illegal Gutting of Federal Workforce appeared first on IAMAW.
The Danger of Trump’s Plan for a Private USPS
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/02/trump-cut-doge-post-office-usps/Tuesday, February 11, 2025US Mail Not for SaleU.S. Mail is Not for Sale!Mother Jones interview with President Mark Dimondstein January 2025
Read More....2-11-25 PVO Pilot MOU – Lansing MI
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
BETWEEN THE
UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
AND THE
AMERICAN POSTAL WORKERS UNION, AFL-CIO
Re: Pilot – Tractor Trailer Operator and Postal Vehicle Operator Position – Expansion – Lansing, Michigan
The parties agree to expand piloting the establishment of the career bargaining unit position titled, Postal Vehicle Operator (PVO), Level 6. The parties have agreed to the job description and qualification standards for the PVO position that will be in effect during the pilot and any additional sites where this concept is determined to be feasible for expansion. The parties have also agreed to include Tractor Trailer Operator (TTO) Level 8 assignments into this Pilot.
The PVO position is intended to assign the Motor Vehicle Service (MVS) Craft to perform the transportation of bulk quantities of mail without driving a vehicle that requires a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). All other work rules remain in effect, including the prohibitions of supervisors performing bargaining unit work consistent with Article 1.6.b. except where explicitly changed by this agreement. The following provisions will apply to the pilot:
1. The positions will be established in the Lansing, Michigan area, which is currently designated as a non-Postal Vehicle Service (PVS) site.
2. The Postal Service will establish and fill a minimum of 12 Tractor Trailor Operator (TTO) positions; and I PVO positions, consisting of 600/o Full Time Regular (FTR) and 40o/o Part Time Flexible (PTF) in the Lansing, Michigan area. For the FTR positions, the rounding up rule of .5 will apply After six (6) months, the parties will review the FTR/PTF ratio to ensure those ratios are proper for the work being performed.
3. The PVO positions will be posted internally According to Article 39 for non-CDL APWU career employees to bid. The senior internal bidders will be placed in a “pending qualification” status until the employees have been certified by the Driver Safety Instructor. These career PVO positions will also be posted externally, during which noncareer employees may apply.
4. Employees holding fulltime TTO and PVO positions will initially be considered unassigned regular employees and will be assigned schedules in accordance with Article 39. Full time unassigned regular employees assume, as their regular work schedule, the hours worked in the first week of the pay period in which the change to unassigned regular occurred. The posting of the TTO and PVO bid duty assignments will occur 90 days from implementation of PVS services.
5. The PTF to FTR ratios will be maintained throughout the Pilot, additional conversions to Full Time Flexible (FTF) will be according to the Maximization/Full Time Flexible MOU.
6. Full-time TTO and PVO duty assignments will be as follows:
Normally eight (8) hours within nine (9) hours; and,
A workday of eight (8) hours within ten (10) hours may be appropriate when eight-hour schedules contain report to a dispatcher time or idle time or where an additional trip is not possible due to time restraints in the middle or nearing the end of tour.
7. Employees holding a PTF TTO and PVO positions will be guaranteed a minimum work schedule of 24 hours per service week.
8. Within 30 days of the initiation the Pilot, the Postal Service will solicit volunteers, and will make available the required training to obtain a CDL for interested PVO employees who volunteer to be trained. A copy of the solicitation, and the PVO training records will be maintained for the Union to review.
9. Following successful completion of the CDL training and receipt of a CDL, employees holding PVO positions will be considered qualified to bid for available Motor Vehicle Operator (MVO) and/or Tractor Trailer Operator (TTO) positions. The assignments shall be posted and awarded in accordance with the provisions of Article 39 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
10. During the pilot, there will be a one (1) year lock-in period for PVOs who were provided CDL training by the Postal Service, for placement in the MVO or TTO position, during which the following restrictions will apply:
employee must remain in the MVS Craft;
employee must remain in the Lansing, Michigan, installation, and;
employee is restricted from bidding to a lower-level position.
The Pilot expansion associated with this agreement will run for six months after the pilot is fully implemented, unless it is mutually agreed to extend. The national parties will meet monthly and exchange data and review results of the Pilot, to include the possibility of the percentages of PTF employees where it is economically and operationally feasible. The national parties agree to review the effectiveness of the training program including the retention of MVOs trained as TTOs and make adjustments, if necessary.
Modifications made to work rules as stated in this MOU will not be citable in any future proceedings. An Alternative Dispute Resolution Process will be established at the National Level for the handling of any alleged violations of this Pilot MOU.
Shannon Richardson Michael Foster
Director, Contract Administration (APWU) Director, Motor Vehicle Service Division
Labor Relations American Postal Workers Union
United States Postal Service AFL-CIO
The parties agree to expand piloting the establishment of the career bargaining unit position titled,
Postal Vehicle Operator (PVO), Level 6. The parties have agreed to the job description and
qualification standards for the PVO position that will be in effect during the pilot and any additional
sites where this concept is determined to be feasible for expansion. The parties have also agreed
to include Tractor Trailer Operator (TTO) Level I assignments into this Pilot.Tuesday, February 11, 2025No Pilot MOU
https://d1ocufyfjsc14h.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/2-11-25_pvo_pilot_mou_-_lansing-_mi.pdf
Craft:
Motor Vehicle Service
Document Type:
Memorandum of Understanding0
Read More....2-11-25 PVO Pilot MOU – Mid Florida FL
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
BETWEEN THE
UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
AND THE
AMERICAN POSTAL WORKERS UNION, AFL-CIO
Re: Pilot – Tractor Trailer Operator and Postal Vehicle Operator Position – Expansion – Santa Barbara, California
The parties agree to expand piloting the establishment of the career bargaining unit position titled, Postal Vehicle Operator (PVO), Level 6. The parties have agreed to the job description and qualification standards for the PVO position that will be in effect during the pilot and any additional sites where this concept is determined to be feasible for expansion. The parties have also agreed to include Tractor Trailer Operator (TTO) Level 8 assignments into this Pilot.
The PVO position is intended to assign the Motor Vehicle Service (MVS) Craft to perform the transportation of bulk quantities of mail without driving a vehicle that requires a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). All other work rules remain in effect, including the prohibitions of supervisors performing bargaining unit work consistent with Article 1.6.b. except where explicitly changed by this agreement. The following provisions will apply to the pilot:
1. The positions will be established in the Mid Florida, Florida area, which is currently designated as a non-Postal Vehicle Service (PVS) site.
2. The Postal Service will establish and fill a minimum of 25 Tractor Trailer Operator (TTO) positions; and 30 PVO positlons, consisting of 60% Full Time Regular (FTR) and 40% Part Time Flexible (PTF) in the Mid Florida, Florida area. For the FTR positions, the rounding up rule of .5 shall apply. After six (6) months, the parties will review the FTR/PTF ratio to ensure they accurately reflect the efficiency of the work being performed.
3. The PVO positions will be posted internally according to Article 39 for non-CDL APWU career employees to bid. The senior internal bidders will be placed in a “pending qualification” status until the employees have been certified by the Driver Safety lnstructor. These career PVO positions willalso be posted externally, during which noncareer employees may apply.
4. Employees holding fulltime TTO and PVO positions will initially be considered unassigned regular employees and will be assigned schedules in accordance with Article 39. Full time unassigned regular employees assume, as their regular work schedule, the hours worked in the first week of the pay period in which the change to unassigned regular occurred. The posting of the TTO and PVO bid duty assignments will occur 90 days from implementation of PVS services.
5. The PTF to FTR ratios will be maintained throughout the Pilot, additional conversions to Full Time Flexible (FTF) will be according to the Maximization/Full Time Flexible MOU.
6. Full-time TTO and PVO duty assignments will be as follows:
Normally eight (8) hours within nine (9) hours; and,
A workday of eight (8) hours within ten (10) hours may be appropriate when eight-hour schedules contain report to a dispatcher time or idle time or where an additional trip is not possible due to time restraints in the middle or nearing the end of tour.
7. Employees holding a PTF TTO and PVO positions will be guaranteed a minimum work schedule of 24 hours per service week.
8. Within 30 days of the initiation the Pilot, the Postal Service will solicit volunteers, and will make available the required training to obtain a CDL for interested PVO employees who volunteer to be trained. A copy of the solicitation, and the PVO training records will be maintained for the Union to review.
9. Following successful completion of the CDL training and receipt of a CDL, employees holding PVO positions will be considered qualified to bid for available Motor Vehicle Operator (MVO) and/or Tractor Trailer Operator (TTO) positions. The assignments shall be posted and awarded in accordance with the provisions of Article 39 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
10. During the pilot, there will be a one (1) year lock-in period for PVOs who were provided CDL training by the Postal Service, for placement in the MVO or TTO position, during which the following restrictions will apply:
employee must remain in the MVS Craft;
employee must remain in the Santa Barbara, California, installation, and;
employee is restricted from bidding to a lower-level position.
The Pilot expansion associated with this agreement will run for six months after the pilot is fully implemented, unless it is mutually agreed to extend. The national parties will meet monthly and exchange data and review results of the Pilot, to include the possibility of the percentages of PTF employees where it is economically and operationally feasible. The national parties agree to review the effectiveness of the training program including the retention of MVOs trained as TTOs and make adjustments, if necessary.
Modifications made to work rules as stated in this MOU will not be citable in any future proceedings. An Alternative Dispute Resolution Process will be established at the National Level for the handling of any alleged violations of this Pilot MOU.
Shannon Richardson Michael Foster
Director, Contract Administration (APWU) Director, Motor Vehicle Service Division
Labor Relations American Postal Workers Union
United States Postal Service AFL-CIO
The parties agree to expand piloting the establishment of the career bargaining unit position titled,
Postal Vehicle Operator (PVO), Level 6. The parties have agreed to the job description and
qualification standards for the PVO position that will be in effect during the pilot and any additional
sites where this concept is determined to be feasible for expansion. The parties have also agreed
to include Tractor Trailer Operator (TTO) Level 8 assignments into this Pilot.Tuesday, February 11, 2025No Pilot MOU
https://d1ocufyfjsc14h.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/2-11-25_pvo_pilot_mou_-_mid_florida-_fl.pdf
Craft:
Motor Vehicle Service
Document Type:
Memorandum of Understanding0
Read More....2-11-25 PVO Pilot MOU – Santa Barbara CA
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
BETWEEN THE
UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
AND THE
AMERICAN POSTAL WORKERS UNION, AFL-CIO
Re: Pilot – Tractor Trailer Operator and Postal Vehicle Operator Position – Expansion – Santa Barbara, California
The parties agree to expand piloting the establishment of the career bargaining unit position titled, Postal Vehicle Operator (PVO), Level 6. The parties have agreed to the job description and qualification standards for the PVO position that will be in effect during the pilot and any additional sites where this concept is determined to be feasible for expansion. The parties have also agreed to include Tractor Trailer Operator (TTO) Level 8 assignments into this Pilot.
The PVO position is intended to assign the Motor Vehicle Service (MVS) Craft to perform the transportation of bulk quantities of mail without driving a vehicle that requires a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). All other work rules remain in effect, including the prohibitions of supervisors performing bargaining unit work consistent with Article 1.6.b. except where explicitly changed by this agreement. The following provisions will apply to the pilot:
1. The positions will be established in the Santa Barbara, California area, which is currently designated as a non-Postal Vehicle Service (PVS) site.
2. The Postal Service will establish and fill a minimum of 15 Tractor Trailer Operator (TTO) positions; and 10 PVO positions, consisting of 65% Full Time Regular (FTR) and 35% Part Time Flexible (PTF) in the Santa Barbara area. For the FTR positions, the rounding up rule of .5 shall apply. After six (6) months, the parties will review the FTR/PTF ratio to ensure they accurately reflect the efficiency of the work being performed.
3. The PVO positions will be posted internally According to Article 39 for non-CDL APWU career employees to bid. The senior internal bidders will be placed in a “pending qualification” status until the employees have been certified by the Driver Safety Instructor. These career PVO positions will also be posted externally, during which noncareer employees may apply.
4. Employees holding fulltime TTO and PVO positions will initially be considered unassigned regular employees and will be assigned schedules in accordance with Article 39. Full time unassigned regular employees assume, as their regular work schedule, the hours worked in the first week of the pay period in which the change to unassigned regular occurred. The posting of the TTO and PVO bid duty assignments will occur 90 days from implementation of PVS services.
5. The PTF to FTR ratios will be maintained throughout the Pilot, additional conversions to Full Time Flexible (FTF) will be according to the Maximization/Full Time Flexible MOU.
6. Full-time TTO and PVO duty assignments will be as follows:
Normally eight (8) hours within nine (9) hours; and,
A workday of eight (8) hours within ten (10) hours may be appropriate when eight-hour schedules contain report to a dispatcher time or idle time or where an additional trip is not possible due to time restraints in the middle or nearing the end of tour.
7. Employees holding a PTF TTO and PVO positions will be guaranteed a minimum work schedule of 24 hours per service week.
8. Within 30 days of the initiation the Pilot, the Postal Service will solicit volunteers, and will make available the required training to obtain a CDL for interested PVO employees who volunteer to be trained. A copy of the solicitation, and the PVO training records will be maintained for the Union to review.
9. Following successful completion of the CDL training and receipt of a CDL, employees holding PVO positions will be considered qualified to bid for available Motor Vehicle Operator (MVO) and/or Tractor Trailer Operator (TTO) positions. The assignments shall be posted and awarded in accordance with the provisions of Article 39 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
10. During the pilot, there will be a one (1) year lock-in period for PVOs who were provided CDL training by the Postal Service, for placement in the MVO or TTO position, during which the following restrictions will apply:
employee must remain in the MVS Craft;
employee must remain in the Santa Barbara, California, installation, and;
employee is restricted from bidding to a lower-level position.
The Pilot expansion associated with this agreement will run for six months after the pilot is fully implemented, unless it is mutually agreed to extend. The national parties will meet monthly and exchange data and review results of the Pilot, to include the possibility of the percentages of PTF employees where it is economically and operationally feasible. The national parties agree to review the effectiveness of the training program including the retention of MVOs trained as TTOs and make adjustments, if necessary.
Modifications made to work rules as stated in this MOU will not be citable in any future proceedings. An Alternative Dispute Resolution Process will be established at the National Level for the handling of any alleged violations of this Pilot MOU.
Shannon Richardson Michael Foster
Director, Contract Administration (APWU) Director, Motor Vehicle Service Division
Labor Relations American Postal Workers Union
United States Postal Service AFL-CIO
The parties agree to expand piloting the establishment of the career bargaining unit position titled, Postal Vehicle Operator (PVO), Level 6. The parties have agreed to the job description and qualification standards for the PVO position that will be in effect during the pilot and any additional sites where this concept is determined to be feasible for expansion. The parties have also agreed to include Tractor Trailer Operator (TTO) Level 8 assignments into this Pilot.Wednesday, February 12, 2025No Pilot MOU
https://d1ocufyfjsc14h.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/2-11-25_pvo_pilot_mou_-_santa_barbara-_ca.pdf
Craft:
Motor Vehicle Service
Document Type:
Memorandum of Understanding0
Read More....United to Defend Our Rights Against Financial Abuse
February 13, 2025On Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, Donald Trump’s newly appointed head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and Project 2025 co-author Russell Vought announced that he had shuttered the agency’s headquarters in Washington, DC. He instructed employees by email to not come into the office Monday and to cease work, bringing their efforts to protect consumers from fraud, scams, and financial abuse in the banking industry to a standstill. The announcements follow a Feb. 7 post by Elon Musk on his social media platform X, which stated “CFPB RIP.”
public servicesPostal Banking
On Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, Donald Trump’s newly appointed head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and Project 2025 co-author Russell Vought announced that he had shuttered the agency’s headquarters in Washington, DC. He instructed employees by email to not come into the office Monday and to cease work, bringing their efforts to protect consumers from fraud, scams, and financial abuse in the banking industry to a standstill. The announcements follow a Feb. 7 post by Elon Musk on his social media platform X, which stated “CFPB RIP.”
The CFPB was created by Congress in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, which the banking industry caused, and is the latest target of Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) that is working to eliminate oversight by federal agencies. The CFPB regulates mortgages, student loans, credit cards, payday lenders, and other financial instruments that are central to household finances.
“Vought is giving big banks and giant corporations the green light to scam families,” said Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in a social media post over the weekend. “The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has returned over $21 billion to families cheated by Wall Street.”
DOGE representatives have already accessed internal systems and data at the CFPB. The National Treasury Employees Union, which represents nearly 2,000 workers at the CFPB, filed several lawsuits on Sunday in response to Vought and Musk’s actions. The first lawsuit seeks to block the agency’s shutdown so that it can continue its work to protect consumers, while a second suit aims to stop DOGE from accessing its members’ employee records and information, alleging the administration is violating the Privacy Act.
On Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, APWU representatives and staff attended a rally at CFPB headquarters to demonstrate against this hostile takeover of yet another government agency, and to keep the CFPB working for working people, not billionaires.
Effects of Killing off the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Eliminating the CFPB is a key commitment in Project 2025. Since its creation, the big banks and lenders on Wall Street have bristled against increased regulation and oversight brought on by the CFPB. In 2024, opponents of the CFPB brought a lawsuit to the Supreme Court, hoping to overturn the funding mechanism for the Bureau. While their lawsuit failed, the new Trump Administration could present their best chance yet to kill the CFPB.
Currently, the architects of Project 2025 are attempting to abolish the CFPB and in DOGE’s latest actions, hope to overturn many of the regulations that emerged after the 2008 financial crisis. Doing so would make everyone more vulnerable to predatory practices of banks, credit card companies, and other lenders.
There are a number of lawsuits the CFPB brought against some of the country’s biggest financial institutions in 2024, such as Capital One, Walmart, JP Morgan, Bank of America, among others, that are now in doubt, as the new Administration has overhauled the Bureau’s leadership and halted its operations.
Project 2025 also has proposals that would affect the way the Federal Reserve functions. While some of these would reduce compliance issues for banks – a gift to Wall Street – others would make it more difficult and expensive for banks to access funding. In turn, consumer borrowing could be more expensive, despite commitments from the authors to use the tools of government to drive down prices.
In this moment, we must stay united in our fight to defend our rights to be protected from financial abuse and keep building the movement to bring public options like postal banking to the world of finance.
United to Defend Our Rights Against Financial AbuseConsumer Financial Protection Bureau Latest Federal Agency Under Attack0
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New I.A.M. C.R.E.S.T. Associate Instructors Complete Train-the-Trainer Program
Fifteen new I.A.M. C.R.E.S.T. Associate Instructors from District 19, Local S6, District FD1, and other Norfolk Southern Railroad representatives recently completed the Train-the-Trainer program. This comprehensive training is specifically designed to equip workers with the skills needed to educate their peers on the hazards associated with the storage, shipment, loading, and unloading of dangerous goods
The post New I.A.M. C.R.E.S.T. Associate Instructors Complete Train-the-Trainer Program appeared first on IAMAW.