News

District 19 Wins Restoration of Shift Breaks for CPKC Members in Minnesota

When IAM Local 112 (District 19) members suddenly lost their long-standing shift breaks, they knew they needed to get their union involved. Members at the Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway (CPKC) diesel maintenance shop in St. Paul, Minn., had for decades received a 20-minute shift break, in addition to their lunch break. Suddenly, management ended The post District 19 Wins Restoration of Shift Breaks for CPKC Members in Minnesota appeared first on IAMAW.Continue reading→

Women’s History Month Profiles: Julie Stein

Women's History Month Profiles: Julie Stein For Women's History Month, we're taking a look at a group of leaders who are currently active making women's history across the labor movement. Check back daily for a new profile and meet some of the people working to improve not only their community, but also to improve conditions for working people across the country. Today's profile is Julie Stein of the United Steelworkers (USW). Julie Stein began her career in 1984 as a laborer at the Appleton Coated paper mill in Combined Locks, Wisconsin. As a member of USW Local 2-144, she served in various elected positions. In 2006, Stein came to work for the USW and was actively involved in the Women of Steel and political programs. Today, Stein serves as director of the Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees (SOAR) program, helping USW members engage in lifelong activism. Kenneth Quinnell Sun, 03/16/2025 - 09:44 Tags: Women's History MonthContinue reading→

Women’s History Month Profiles: Michelle Christen

Women's History Month Profiles: Michelle Christen For Women's History Month, we're taking a look at a group of leaders who are currently active making women's history across the labor movement. Check back daily for a new profile and meet some of the people working to improve not only their community, but also to improve conditions for working people across the country. Today's profile is Michelle Christen of the Utility Workers (UWUA). Michelle Christen serves as the second vice president of UWUA Local 601, which represents approximately 1,200 customer service workers at Public Service Electric & Gas in New Jersey. She has been instrumental in negotiating labor contracts, including an agreement ratified in April 2023 that secured a 13.64% wage increase over four years and recognized a bilingual call center position with additional compensation. In 2022, she collaborated with Local 601 members to organize fundraisers for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, contributing to cancer research and support. Kenneth Quinnell Sat, 03/15/2025 - 09:46 Tags: Women's History MonthContinue reading→

Q10C-4Q-C 10670819 Global Settlement Remedy Overpayment Award 3-14-2025

From: Charlie Cash Industrial Relations Director Date: March 14, 2025 Re: Arbitrator’s Award in Case Q10C-4Q-C 10670819Global Settlement Remedy Agreement Overpayments Arbitrator Daniel Brent ruled on the Global Settlement Remedy Agreement (GSRA) Overpayments case. The case surrounded the money to be paid to affected employees in a settlement dated December 5, 2014. The Postal Service agreed to pay Clerk Craft employees $56,000,000 as part of the settlement addressing Article 1.6.b grievances where postmasters and supervisors were performing more bargaining unit work than the fifteen hours allowed under the Global Settlement incorporated into the 2010 Collective Bargaining Agreement. The APWU painstakingly identified the employees who were to be paid, how much they were to be paid, and then provided the list to the Postal Service. When the payments occurred starting in January 2016, approximately 1,400 employees were overpaid. The Postal Service soon began issuing Letters of Demand to recover the overpayments. Local grievances and a national dispute were filed over these Letters of Demand to recover the overpayments. Arbitrator Brent recognized that the letters of demand were defective, and that the Postal Service did not stay collection efforts even after the national dispute was filed. Arbitrator Brent writes, “The Employer’s Demand Letters did not accurately describe the full range of options to submit repayment or protest repayment that were available to the employees under the Employee and Labor Relations Manual and the contract grievance procedure. Consequently, these letters cannot be construed as valid compliance with applicable governing provisions of the parties’ collective bargaining agreement or the Joint Contract Interpretation Manual.” 1 Regarding the collection efforts Arbitrator Brent states “Moreover, the collection efforts were not stayed after the instant grievance was filed, as explicitly required by Article 28, Section 4(A) of the collective bargaining agreement….”2 Recognizing the letters of demand to be defective, the Postal Service did not stop their collection efforts, and that the employees’ rights to due process were violated, just prior to laying out the remedy he writes, “Although all payees were entitled to their Global Settlement payments and to contractual due process, they were not necessarily entitled to keep the full amount of the overpayments they received. Therefore, granting waivers for all overpayments is not justified.”3 Beginning on page 34 of the award, Arbitrator Brent outlines the remedy. He ordered that the Postal Service issue a “written explanatory statement” to all current employees, retirees, and former employees whom the Postal Service took collection action against. The APWU will have the opportunity to review and provide input on the notification prior to it being sent out. The notice is to include an explanation of the cause of overpayment, the original amount the employee was entitled to receive under the GSRA, the amount the employee was overpaid, and any remaining balance owed by the employee. Arbitrator Brent further ordered the repayment of any surcharges, penalties, interest, and fees any employee, retiree, or former employee paid to a collection entity beyond the amount owed will be forgiven and shall be repaid by the Postal Service. Additionally, the Postal Service must contact the collection entities to take “…whatever action is necessary to cause such agencies or entities to purge from their records any adverse information concerning any payee against whom the Employer previously initiated any debt collection action to recoup any Global Settlement overpayment.” Regarding the overpayment debts, Arbitrator Brent ordered two different remedies. For retirees and former employees he writes, “Amounts overpaid to retirees and former employees are hereby waived.”4 For current employees, he ordered “…the Employer may commence recoupment of such overpayments by deducting not more than $20 per week from the gross amount that is earned each pay period until (1) the debt is paid in full if the overpayment was less than $800 or (2) if the overpayment was $800 or more until fifty-percent of the overpayment has been recovered, with a minimum recovery of $800.”5 The award provides strong language on what must be included in a letter of demand, that collection efforts must be stayed when a grievance is filed on a letter of demand, and employees must be given their full gamut of repayment and appeal rights in a letter of demand.   Charlie Cash Industrial Relations Director ---- 1 Award at p. 17 2 Award at p.15 3 Award at p. 33 4 Award at p. 35 5 Award at p. 36 Q10C-4Q-C 10670819 Global Settlement Remedy Overpayment Award 3-14-2025Friday, March 14, 2025DanielBrentNo Arbitration Decision , 1.6 Global Settlement Remedy Agreement 1.6b https://d1ocufyfjsc14h.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/q10c-4q-c_10670819_global_settlement_remedy_overpayment_award_3-14-2025.pdf Craft:  Clerk Document Type:  Memorandum0Continue reading→

Updates on Maintenance Division Part-Time Regular Settlement Payments

March 14, 2025By this time, most eligible recipients of the Maintenance Craft Part-Time Regular (PTR) settlement distribution have received their first payments, totaling over $10 million. Arbitration Awards & SettlementsMaintenance Division By this time, most eligible recipients of the Maintenance Craft Part-Time Regular (PTR) settlement distribution have received their first payments, totaling over $10 million. However, some Employee Identification Numbers (EINs) were rejected because they were unable to match them to Social Security numbers. Therefore, the payments for about 600 PTRs workers bounced back. A common issue we noticed from the workers whose EINs were rejected is that they have either multiple names on file, have changed their last name, or are no longer a postal employee. The Postal Service is currently working on a resolution. In addition, the Maintenance Division is working to identify approximately 50 conversions to full-time positions per the PTR agreement. The goal is to find PTRs who are already working at least 25-30 hours per week, and all PTRs who can pick up additional hours doing other duties, like lock changes. We have received inquiries about the second and final distribution. We are not releasing the second round of payments until all the first round has been completed. We anticipate that the second payment distribution will take place around June 2025 and the payments will range from $100 to $400. Thank you for your continued patience. Updates on Maintenance Division Part-Time Regular Settlement Payments0Continue reading→

Statement by APWU Executive Board on DOGE and the USPS

March 14, 2025Members likely heard the recent news of an agreement between the Postmaster General and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by the un-elected billionaire Elon Musk, and not established by Congress. It is no surprise that DOGE has set its sights on the people’s Postal Service. Members likely heard the recent news of an agreement between the Postmaster General and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by the un-elected billionaire Elon Musk, and not established by Congress. It is no surprise that DOGE has set its sights on the people’s Postal Service. It is not clear exactly what the agreement spells out, but the PMG’s letter to Congressional leaders gave management’s perspective. The APWU position is clear: There is no legitimate role for DOGE in the USPS or any other Federal agency. The public Postal Service was created by Congress as an independent government agency with robust oversight from the Office of Inspector General, the Postal Regulatory Commission and the Board of Governors as well as Congressional Committees. The National Executive Board, in a meeting of March 14, discussed the developments and confirmed that the union remains on full alert and will continue to monitor the situation. The moment there is any indication that DOGE is seeking access to personal and private information regarding employees, the APWU is prepared to take immediate legal action. Our collective bargaining agreement is between the APWU and the Postal Service. Any effort by DOGE, or any other entity, to weaken our union rights or target our contractual protections and working conditions, will be met with immediate and sustained resistance by postal workers. Members likely heard the recent news of an agreement between the Postmaster General and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by the un-elected billionaire Elon Musk, and not established by Congress. It is no surprise that DOGE has set its sights on the people’s Postal Service.0Continue reading→

Statement by APWU National Executive Board on DOGE and the USPS

March 14, 2025Members likely heard the recent news of an agreement between the Postmaster General and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by the un-elected billionaire Elon Musk, and not established by Congress. It is no surprise that DOGE has set its sights on the people’s Postal Service. Members likely heard the recent news of an agreement between the Postmaster General and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by the un-elected billionaire Elon Musk, and not established by Congress. It is no surprise that DOGE has set its sights on the people’s Postal Service. It is not clear exactly what the agreement spells out, but the PMG’s letter to Congressional leaders gave management’s perspective. The APWU position is clear: There is no legitimate role for DOGE in the USPS or any other Federal agency. The public Postal Service was created by Congress as an independent government agency with robust oversight from the Office of Inspector General, the Postal Regulatory Commission, and the Board of Governors, as well as Congressional Committees. The National Executive Board, in a meeting on March 14, discussed the developments and confirmed that the union remains on full alert and will continue to monitor the situation. The moment there is any indication that DOGE is seeking access to personal and private information regarding employees, the APWU is prepared to take immediate legal action. Our collective bargaining agreement is between the APWU and the Postal Service. Any effort by DOGE, or any other entity, to weaken our union rights or target our contractual protections and working conditions, will be met with immediate and sustained resistance by postal workers. Members likely heard the recent news of an agreement between the Postmaster General and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by the un-elected billionaire Elon Musk, and not established by Congress. It is no surprise that DOGE has set its sights on the people’s Postal Service.0Continue reading→

IAM Union Demands Increased Protections After United Airlines Passenger Assault at Dulles Airport

WASHINGTON, March 14, 2025 – Brian Bryant, International President of the 600,000-member IAM Union, and Richie Johnsen, IAM Air Transport Territory General Vice President, issued the following statement demanding stronger protections for airline customer service representatives following a violent assault on a United Airlines employee/IAM Union member at Washington Dulles International Airport yesterday:  “Our members deserve a workplace The post IAM Union Demands Increased Protections After United Airlines Passenger Assault at Dulles Airport appeared first on IAMAW.Continue reading→

IAM Union Demands Increased Protections After United Airlines Passenger Assault at Dulles Airport

WASHINGTON, March 14, 2025 – Brian Bryant, International President of the 600,000-member IAM Union, and Richie Johnsen, IAM Air Transport Territory General Vice President, issued the following statement demanding stronger protections for airline customer service representatives following a violent assault on a United Airlines employee/IAM Union member at Washington Dulles International Airport yesterday:  “Our members deserve a workplace The post IAM Union Demands Increased Protections After United Airlines Passenger Assault at Dulles Airport appeared first on IAMAW.Continue reading→

The Department of People Who Work for a Living: The Working People Weekly List

The Department of People Who Work for a Living: The Working People Weekly List Every week, we bring you a roundup of the top news and commentary about issues and events important to working families. Here’s the latest edition of the Working People Weekly List. AFL-CIO Rolls Out Week of Mass Action vs. Trump’s War on Workers: “Taking the fight against the GOP Trump regime’s war on workers from Congress and the courts but also to the streets, the AFL-CIO’s new Department of People Who Work for a Living—a title satirizing Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency—plans a week of actions nationwide from March 17 to 23, 2025. The events will include town halls; mass mobilization to descend on congressional offices (especially those of its ruling Republicans); a ‘democracy board,’ where people can share stories of the personal impact of the Musk-Trump carnage; and flooding Capitol Hill with calls and e-mails.”Trump Administration Must Rehire Thousands of Fired Workers, Judge Rules: “A federal judge on Thursday ordered six federal agencies to rehire thousands of workers with probationary status who had been fired as part of President Trump’s government-gutting initiative. Ruling from the bench, Judge William J. Alsup of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California went further than he had previously, finding that the Trump administration’s firing of probationary workers had essentially been done unlawfully and by fiat through the Office of Personnel Management, the government’s human resources arm. He directed the Departments of the Treasury, Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy and the Interior to comply with his order and offer to reinstate any employees who were improperly terminated. His order stemmed from a lawsuit brought by employee unions who challenged the legality of the mass firings.”Second Federal Judge Orders Temporary Reinstatement of Thousands of Probationary Employees Fired by the Trump Administration: “A second federal judge ruled Thursday that thousands of probationary employees laid off en masse by the Trump administration must be temporarily reinstated to their jobs. The new temporary restraining order from Senior Judge James Bredar, an Obama appointee, covers 18 agencies and will last two weeks, as a challenge to the terminations from Democratic state attorneys general moves forward.”More than 1,000 March in D.C. Against Possible Health Care Cuts: “According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the House Republicans’ budget goals can’t be reached without cuts to Medicaid. Millions of Americans rely on Medicaid, including children, older adults, people with disabilities and low-income adults. ‘Why would we do that to folks? That is cruel,’ Jackson-Hill said. ‘It’s evil. It’s hatefulness at a scale I have never seen before. And it’s actually our government doing it to us.’ Analilia Mejia is co-executive director for the Center for Popular Democracy, which organized the demonstration. ‘Taking away those resources will not happen silently, and we will not stand for it,’ Mejia said. ‘We are going to push through this budget reconciliation.’ She was impressed with the turnout, which included members of the nation’s largest nurses union, National Nurses United (NNU).”Whole Foods Workers Push Forward on Union Effort: “That unionization effort by workers at the Amazon-owned grocery chain will receive a hearing from a regional National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) panel on Wednesday, which is likely to be appealed by the company and to head to the full NLRB later this year. ‘I was on the right side of the law,’ United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1776 President Wendell Young IV told Supermarket News.”Weingarten (President of the American Federation of Teachers [AFT]: Trump’s Education Department Crusade Is a Cowardly Betrayal of America’s Children: “Many of America’s global competitors—and adversaries—are no doubt cheering President Donald Trump’s plan to dismantle the Department of Education. They know that countries who outeducate the rest of the world will outcompete it. And now brand-new Education Secretary Linda McMahon and Trump want to neuter, if not completely shutter, the entity that helps give all children in the United States access to the great public school education they deserve. On Tuesday, the department announced plans to cut nearly half its staff. McMahon says these catastrophic firings, alongside hundreds of so-called buyouts, are about ‘efficiency, accountability and ensuring that resources are directed where they matter most: to students, parents and teachers.’ The reality is far more cowardly.”Labor Board Member Returns to Work Six Weeks After Trump Fired Her: “The first Black woman to chair the NLRB returned to the agency Monday with a hero’s welcome after a judge ruled the previous week that she was illegally fired. Dozens of staff members cheered, clapped and waved signs that read, ‘Welcome back, Gwynne,’ as Wilcox returned to the independent federal agency charged with protecting employee rights.”Union Members Ratify First-Ever Contract at Bloomington Barnes & Noble: “After about a year of contract negotiations, Barnes & Noble workers in Bloomington voted Saturday to ratify their first-ever contract. Workers at the Empire Street store join just three others in the country as members of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union [RWDSU] with ratified contracts—all of which are based in New York City—and voted to approve their first contracts within the past week. ‘Workers at Barnes & Noble should be incredibly proud of what they’ve accomplished together in these historic first union contracts from Illinois to New York,’ said RWDSU President Stuart Appelbaum in a press release. ‘United in their fight for increased safety in their stores, it was their voices across the table that won. Now, we can finally say their longtime safety needs are codified in union contracts, which also include industry standard–setting wage increases, union health care and more.’”Las Vegas Strip Reaches Full Union Coverage as Fontainebleau Signs First Labor Deal: “The Culinary and Bartenders Unions have reached a historic agreement with Fontainebleau Las Vegas, marking the first time in the 90-year history of the Las Vegas Strip that all casino resorts are 100% unionized. This milestone results from a yearlong process and the dedicated efforts of thousands of hospitality workers.”Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act Reintroduced: Bipartisan Efforts to Strengthen Union Power and Protect Workers: “AFL-CIO President and Oregonian Liz Shuler also voiced support for the act, saying, ‘Americans believe in the power of unions, and tens of millions of working people would become union members tomorrow if they could. But American labor law is broken, weighted on the side of the bosses and against the workers.’ She urged elected leaders to advance the legislation to allow workers to ‘stand together and build better lives for themselves and their families.’” Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 03/14/2025 - 10:43Continue reading→

Women’s History Month Profiles: Christina McCafferty

Women's History Month Profiles: Christina McCafferty For Women's History Month, we're taking a look at a group of leaders who are currently active making women's history across the labor movement. Check back daily for a new profile and meet some of the people working to improve not only their community, but also to improve conditions for working people across the country. Today's profile is Christina McCafferty of the Electrical Workers (IBEW). Christina McCafferty is an exemplary model of service through her work as a supervisor, steward, elected treasurer in the Electrical Workers Minority Caucus Chapter 640 and elected officer of IBEW Local 640.  Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 03/14/2025 - 09:46 Tags: Women's History MonthContinue reading→

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Unions File Lawsuit Against DHS to Stop the Illegal Termination of TSO Contract

Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Unions File Lawsuit Against DHS to Stop the Illegal Termination of TSO Contract 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. AFGE, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) filed a lawsuit Thursday over the illegal and unilateral termination of a negotiated collective bargaining agreement that covers approximately 47,000 transportation security officers (TSOs).“This attack on our members is not just an attack on AFGE or transportation security officers. It’s an assault on the rights of every American worker,” said AFGE National President Everett Kelley in a press release. “Tearing up a legally negotiated union contract is unconstitutional, retaliatory and will make the [Transportation Security Administration] experience worse for American travelers.” Kenneth Quinnell Fri, 03/14/2025 - 09:44Continue reading→

In Shocking Move, Columbia University Fires Union President One Day Before Contract Negotiations Begin, in Further Crackdown on Free Speech

In the latest assault on First Amendment rights, Columbia University has expelled and fired Grant Miner, President of UAW Local 2710, which represents thousands of Columbia student workers. The post In Shocking Move, Columbia University Fires Union President One Day Before Contract Negotiations Begin, in Further Crackdown on Free Speech appeared first on UAW | United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America.Continue reading→

APWU Releases Special Edition Magazine Addressing Threat to USPS

March 13, 2025Read the special edition of The American Postal Worker here. Right after the March/April issue went to press, the public Postal Service, our jobs, and our union came under serious and unprecedented threat by the billionaire “Wall Street” class and the new presidential administration who are aggressively pushing to take over and dismantle the public Postal Service for their own private gains and profits. This is a threat unlike anything we’ve seen before, and it’s more important than ever that we fight back.  The important information in this special edition cannot wait until the next regular cycle of our magazine. The time is urgent! Never in our modern history have postal workers and postal unions faced such wealthy and organized forces arrayed against us and the people’s right to universal public postal services, no matter who we are or where we live. The Postal Service belongs to the people, not the billionaires. “The U.S. Mail is Not for Sale!” Read the special edition online here to learn more about what is happening, why, and how together we can fight back! Special Edition of The American Postal Worker: Fight Back Against Threats to the USPS! APWU Special Edition - Antiprivatization Read online here 70323_apwu_8pg_magazine.pdf0Continue reading→