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January 17, 2025Stop the Slowdown! The Postal Service proposed plans to decrease service standards to the detriment of our communities. Here’s why hundreds of thousands members of the public are standing up and fighting back against efforts to degrade the country’s mail system. Let’s keep the pressure on! magazineA Grand Alliance to Save Our Public Postal Service The Postal Service has once again proposed serious cuts to mail service in large swaths of the country. A Grand Alliance to Save Our Public Postal Service is standing up and fighting back against efforts to degrade the country’s mail system, as it has time and again since its creation in 2013. The current proposal from the Postal Service will spell the end of afternoon collection of mail from post offices, stations, and branches across the country. Instead, mail will be picked up the following morning. While this may not seem like a big operational change, it means much of the country’s First-Class Mail can be expected to take an additional day to reach its destination. Perhaps even more outrageous, is that the Postal Service is proposing to no longer count Sunday as a day towards its service standards – the goal it sets for delivery times for mail. As in 2021, when the USPS last proposed changes to its service standards, the Postal Service is required to seek an opinion from its regulator, the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), and to give the public an opportunity to comment on its proposals, before proceeding with making the changes. And once again, members of A Grand Alliance and its allies stood up and flooded the Postal Service with their views. More than 50,000 postal workers, family members, and allies submitted comments to the Postal Service’s public notice-and-comment process. More than 300,000 members of the public sent messages directly to the Postal Board of Governors and their members of Congress. And, almost universally, those who had a chance to read about the Postal Service’s proposals had a clear message: Stop the Slowdown! Many commenters noted that they have no viable alternative to the Postal Service, and slowing the mail down would hurt their household finances or their small businesses. Many who live in rural areas noted that they are entirely dependent on the Postal Service to take of all sorts of critical tasks, such as sending bills, receiving medication, or making medical appointments. With slower mail, they’re not just worried about costly late fees, but sometimes with decisions about their health as well. Several writers said that, because they live in rural areas of the country, they do not have access to alternative shipping services like FedEx, UPS, or Amazon. Some commenters added that internet access is unreliable where they live. Many repeated that the Postal Service is a lifeline to their families and communities. Others noted how further slowing of the mail would only degrade the Postal Service’s standing with the people. They noted that the Postal Service, as one of the few universal services in the country, was unique in its ability to reach every community in the country, no matter who you are, or where you live. One person said, “It is a source of pride to live in a country which guarantees reliable postal service to all of us.” The PRC can only offer an advisory opinion on the Postal Service’s proposed changes. Ultimately, it is up to Postal management to decide if their proposal is in the best interest of the country and the people they serve. Our hope is that our voices are heard loud and clear, in the many hundreds of thousands, that the people demand reliable, quality, and speedy mail service now and for generations to come. Postal Workers and Allies: Stop the Slowdown!0Continue reading→

January 17, 2025This month in Labor History, we look back at two major strikes that shifted their industries: the General Electric and Westinghouse nationwide strike of over 800,000 auto and steelworkers, and the New York City Transit Strike which shut down the city’s public transit for 12 days. Learn more here: magazineLabor HistoryAPWU History National Strike Against General Electric Sparks Shutdown of Major IndustriesContinue reading→

January 16, 2025In November 2024, The Postal Regulatory Commission reversed course on a slew of postal consolidations, retaining local mail processing at 16 additional facilities across the U.S. This is a win for the public postal service, as we believe local mail should remain local. magazine In November 2024, the Postal Service notified the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) in two rounds of announcements dated Nov. 12 and Nov. 22, that 16 additional facilities that will retain local mail processing, reversing their recommendation for consolidation, as originally planned. The APWU applauds this decision. While we agree that the current network needs upgrades to handle the change of mail-mix from a majority of envelopes and flats to packages, we believe that local mail being consolidated and sorted hundreds of miles away from its entry into the mail flow, only to return a day later, further delays America’s mail. We stand with the people of our country and agree that we need improved postal services. During the peak season for holiday mail, we anticipate too many delays. But we also know how well the Postal Service can operate. During the 2024 General Election season 97.7 percent of them were delivered within three days. When we have the proper staffing in place and enact measures to ensure that our system runs efficiently, like we did during the 2024 election season, we can ensure that every community from coast to coast – and beyond – has dependable mail delivery service. “The APWU believes that the Postal Service must modernize its network to improve service and deliver mail reliably to its customers,” said APWU President Mark Dimondstein. “We are happy to see the USPS responding to feedback that local mail should stay local, but we also know that moving the goal posts on service standards and ending afternoon collections for certain facilities will not improve the public’s trust or experience with our Postal Service.” ■ APWU Applauds Decision to Keep Local Mail Local0Continue reading→

January 16, 2025The USPS Board of Governors elected governor Amber F. McReyolds as a new board chair at its fourth and final meeting of 2024, Now three vacancies exist upon the expiration of Anton Hajjar's term on December 8.  magazine On Nov 14, in its fourth and final meeting of 2024, the Postal Board of Governors elected fellow governor Amber F. McReynolds to serve as chair of the Board. She also currently chairs the Board’s Election Mail committee. Additionally, the governors elected Derek Kan to serve as vice chairman. At this meeting, the Board discussed the Postal Service’s 2024 financial report, reports from the Audit and Finance committee, Compensation and Governance committee, Operations committee, and Election Mail committee. It was also the final meeting for Governor Anton Hajjar. Hajjar’s seat on the Postal Board of Governors expired on Dec. 8, adding an additional vacant seat to the two existing vacancies. Outgoing President Joe Biden had already submitted three nominees to fill these seats, which include Val Butler Demings, William Zollars, and Gordon Hartogensis. But, by the time of publication for this issue of The American Postal Worker, the Senate failed to move to confirm the president’s nominees, and the vacancies are expected to carry over to a new Trump administration. The Board provides the important oversight in ensuring that this institution continues to provide high-quality service to every community. The gridlock to confirm these qualified nominees is frustrating, but it further demonstrates the necessity of grassroots actions and vigilance at the state and local level to ensure that the Postal Service is treating employees well and moving the mail to every door, without exception. The Postal Board of Governors does not have the final say in how our mail runs – the people do. No matter who Trump nominates to the Board, the APWU will keep fighting for the exceptional service and delivery standards our communities deserve. Stay tuned for more updates. usps board of governors elects new leadership0Continue reading→

January 16, 2025The reinstatement of Trump’s 2020 “Schedule F” Executive Order may be on the horizon with Project 2025, reclassifying many civil servants into at-will employees without job protection. Organized labor must stand together and prepare to fight back: magazine The American Postal Worker has reported on the conservative-created, Trump-supported Project 2025 in past issues. Please see the August- September 2024 and October- November 2024 issues for more background information. Americans everywhere depend on efficient government services to support our communities, foster economic stability, and provide a social safety net for neighbors in need. Civil servants, at all levels of government, help make sure public services like Social Security payments, disaster relief, and public education are accessible to everyone who wants them. Keeping high quality public services available and open to the public also means keeping civil servants with expertise in these jobs. Project 2025 seeks to undermine this expectation of efficiency and expertise in public services by dismantling the Federal Government and reinstating Trump’s 2020 “Schedule F” Executive Order. This would allow the ruling administration to reclassify many civil servants as policymaking or policy-evaluating workers, thereby removing their civil service protections and making them at-will employees. President Trump could then install whomever he pleases based on favoritism and loyalty to his administration. Deploying Schedule F to replace dedicated civil servants with inexperienced cronies removes the very people who are experts at their jobs and have the knowledge to help our government serve our communities in the best possible way. Installing employees based on “who you know” favoritism effectively removes the nonpartisan and professional nature of civil service – civil servants should simply be the most qualified for the job. That’s why tests like the ones postal workers must take for employment exist. An unbiased exam means that workers earn their jobs based on their skills, not who we know or what color our skin is. Furthermore, in the long run, this practice could effectively dismantle public trust and efficiency in government services, letting billionaires like Donald Trump and Elon Musk make the case for a privatized, capitalistic government that profits off its citizens, instead of a government that exists to uplift workers and our communities. Our union family at the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is preparing to fight back and protect their workers who are providing essential public services at the federal level. We must stand together as working people and fight back against attacks on the AFGE and our other union families, to protect knowledgeable, dedicated federal employees and great public services for everyone. ■ Project 2025 Seeks to Undermine Public Services with Schedule F0Continue reading→

January 16, 2025During the 2024 General Election, voters weighed in on more than just candidates; in many states, they also voted on state-specific ballot measures that mattered most to them as individuals, such as increasing the minimum wage, preserving public education, protecting reproductive rights, and the right to unionize. magazineElections During the 2024 General Election, voters didn’t just choose candidates to represent them in their respective local, state, and federal elections, but in many states they also voted on ballot measures on specific issues that mattered most to them as individuals. Ballot measures, or ballot propositions, are state-level measures that give citizens the power to change laws through a vote, meaning that the voters decide on the issues. Ballot measures can be a key tool to allow voters to pass measures at the state level. In 2024, voters decided on issues that affect working class people, irrespective of partisan affiliation, such as increasing the minimum wage, expanding paid sick leave, preserving public education, banning anti-union captive-audience meetings, protecting reproductive rights, and the right to unionize. In many cases, the same states who voted in favor for the issues above also elected candidates that opposed them, showing a dissonance between the progressive policies voters want and the conservative policies elected officials enact. Working people need a party that will focus on the issues that affect us – and fight for those same issues when they are in office. Voters said enough with the status quo and empty promises, they sought change that will impact their lives and families. The results in this election, for both candidates and ballot measures, show that if we are going to win for working people, we need candidates who will fight for us, not the billionaire class. ■ 2024 Ballot Measures: Wins for the Working Class0Continue reading→

January 16, 2025Volume Down, Revenue Up. The financial results of the Postal Service for the 2024 fiscal year have been announced, and the results may surprise you. While USPS remains a trusted public service, it must continue to adapt to changes in the mail mix to remain competitive. Read more: magazine The Postal Service released its 2024 Form 10-K on Nov. 14, 2024, which reports on its financial results for the 2024 fiscal year (FY) that ended on Sept. 30, 2024. Highlights of the report show that the total operating revenue for FY2024 was more than $79.5 billion, an increase of $1.35 billion, or 1.7 percent from FY2023. Revenue from shipping and packages was $32.26 billion, an increase of $625 million, or 2 percent from FY2023. Despite the increases in revenue, total volume was down 3.2 percent for the year. Package volume, however, increased 2.7 percent, with a 1.9 percent increase in revenue. First-Class Mail (FCM) volume declined by 3.5 percent, but revenue increased by 3.38 percent. The revenue increase results from four price increases on market-dominant products in 2023 and 2024. And while the USPS revenue was down 1.3 percent for single-piece FCM, revenue was up 5.4 percent for presorted FCM. The price increases easily made up for the modest volume losses. For the past decade, private companies such as FedEx, Amazon, and UPS have been investing in the expansion of their delivery networks at a financial loss in hopes for future gains, which has taken modest mail and package volumes away from the Postal Service. FedEx and Amazon have made the most investments, which may soon become profitable. This would allow them to gain more density in the market space, meaning that they would provide similar shipping and delivery services, and the Postal Service could lose its market share in the industry. While the Postal Service remains a trusted public service, it must continue to adapt to changes in the mail mix and declining mail volumes by expanding its products and services to remain competitive. This may be difficult if the Postal Service enacts additional proposed changes to service standards that would further slow mail, degrade services, and undermine the public trust. Expanded products and services, like postal banking, could also increase revenue for the USPS and should remain a priority for the USPS to become fiscally solvent. ■ Total Volume: Down 3.2%Total Revenue: Up 1.7%First Class Mail Volume: Down 3.5%First Class Mail Revenue: 3.38%   USPS Fiscal Year 2024 Financial Report Highlights Need for Adaptation, Expanded Services0Continue reading→

January 15, 2025Retirees Director Nancy Olumekor urges postal workers, whether you’re 5, 10, or 30 years from retirement, to prepare by attending retirement planning seminars hosted by the APWU Retirees Department and staying abreast of relevant legislation. magazineRetireesNancy Olumekor Every year, we make New Year’s resolutions to plan for the future. One area to plan for is retirement. Whether your retirement is five, 10, or 30 years down the road, there are several questions you need to get answered: First, what is your retirement system? Is it the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) or Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) Offset? Are you one of the handful of employees in CSRS, meaning that you already have over 42 years of service and will receive a pension of 80 percent? Do you know how your federal pension will be calculated when you retire, or what role Social Security will play in your retirement income? What about the Thrift Savings Plans (TSPs)? Do you understand how the money is invested, or why management pays a share? How does your sick and annual leave figure into the retirement equation? These questions can all be answered in the retirement planning seminars conducted online by the APWU Retirees Department at least once a quarter. For dates and times, visit apwu.org/events. In addition, we conduct in-person seminars at the local, state, and national levels. Contact us at RetireeQandA@apwu.org if you have questions. Our counselors are very knowledgeable and experienced in the matters related to your retirement. Legislative and Executive Actions Legislative or executive decisions made by Congress or the White House may affect your retirement. We must remain vigilant and ready to act on legislative issues that impact your retirement benefits. Congress enacted Social Security in 1935. Social Security is the only source of retirement income for many Americans. Postal workers and most postal retirees have paid into Social Security. Current postal workers pay into three retirement programs – the FERS pension, Social Security, and TSP. The retirement benefits you pay for as you work must be protected from the whims and plots of politicians. Think tanks, with the help of Congress, are looking at ways to reduce your benefits without your advice or consent. The APWU supports the following legislative priorities to protect and improve your retirement benefits. The Federal Retirement Fairness Act, if signed into law, would allow temporary postal and federal employees who are promoted to career status, the option of “buying back” the time that they worked as a noncareer employee to use toward their retirement. It would affect over 100,000 APWU members who have converted from temporary to career status. The Equal COLA Act would fi x the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) discrepancy created by Congress in the 1980s. Under the current system, all annual COLAs are based on the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for urban wage earners and clerical workers (CPI-W). CSRS retirees receive a COLA equal to the CPI-W increase, while FERS retirees only receive an equal COLA if the CPI-W increase is 2 percent or below. If CPI-W is over 3 percent, 1 percent is subtracted from the CPI-W for FERS. The Social Security Expansion Act would strengthen and enhance Social Security. Some features of the bill would subject income above $250,000 to Social Security taxes; calculate COLAs using the CPI for the Elderly (CPI-E), and make the Special Minimum Benefit 125 percent of the poverty line. It is estimated that this bill will make Social Security solvent for over 70 years, since the extremely wealthy would pay the same tax rate as the average employee. The Social Security Fairness Act would repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO), which are parts of a Social Security law enacted in the 1980s, that unfairly reduce, or sometimes eliminate, Social Security benefits for millions of local, state, and federal annuitants. What steps will you to take to ensure that your representatives on Capitol Hill are aware of your position on these issues? ■ Preparing for Retirement0Continue reading→