APWU
Senate Passes Social Security Fairness Act, Securing Economic Justice for Postal, Federal, and Public-Sector Retirees
December 21, 2024The Senate voted 76-20 to pass the Social Security Fairness Act, righting a decades-old wrong, and winning economic justice for postal, federal, and public-sector retirees by repealing the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO).
Social SecurityRetireesLegislative & PoliticalLegislative and Political
Last night, the Senate voted 76-20 to pass the Social Security Fairness Act, righting a decades-old wrong, and winning economic justice for postal, federal, and public-sector retirees by repealing the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). “No longer will public retirees see their hard-earned Social Security benefits robbed from them thanks to this bill,” said Senate Majority Leader Schumer. “It’s a very good thing that one of the final acts of the 118th Congress is delivering a huge win for working Americans.”
For years, APWU members have been fighting to repeal these decades old Social Security laws that unfairly penalized postal and federal Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) retirees despite meeting the requirements for Social Security benefits and paying their fair share into the program.
Getting the bill to final passage was no easy feat. To move the bill forward in the House, cosponsors of the bill, Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA-06) and Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) held a press conference on Sept. 19 with several public-sector union leaders, including APWU President Mark Dimondstein, to rally support for a discharge petition that could force a vote on the House floor. APWU members around the country jumped into action and contacted their representatives urging them to sign the petition. Our efforts were successful, and the bill moved to the House floor for a vote.
When the date of vote was announced, APWU members mobilized once again to call their representatives to urge them to vote “yes!” A coalition of public-sector retirees from the National WEP/GPO Repeal Task Force, including Retirees Department Director Nancy Olumekor and APWU retiree members, made their way to Capitol Hill to speak to congressional staffers, hand out informational fliers, and ask representatives for their support. It passed the House that night by an overwhelming majority of 327-75.
On December 11, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer stood alongside labor leaders and union members in the pouring rain, rallying outside the Capitol, and pledged to bring the bill to the floor for a vote, a commitment he saw through.
Thanks to the hard work of the APWU leadership, members, and our coalition, the legislation passed in both the House and Senate. The Social Security Fairness Act will become law once signed by the president.
“I, along with many other retirees, have been cheated out of our hard-earned social security benefits for decades,” said APWU retiree Joyce Debnam. “Congress has finally repealed the unjust WEP/GPO provisions! Social Security Fairness would not have been possible without the work of a dedicated coalition of APWU retirees and active members who worked hand in hand with members of Congress and other affected labor unions. I want to sincerely thank the tireless advocacy of the APWU leadership – President Dimondstein, Legislative and Political Director Judy Beard, and Retiree Director Nancy Olumekor who made this issue a legislative priority for so many years and never wavered in their support.”
“This bipartisan effort shows that we can right the wrongs of the past when we stand together as working people,” stated APWU President Mark Dimondstein. “I’m proud of the actions our members took to encourage legislators to move this bill forward.”
“We simply could not have achieved this level of bipartisan support without the continued activism of our members,” said APWU Legislative and Political Director Judy Beard. “Your stories made national headlines and allowed us to put pressure on Congressional leaders to finally correct this decades-long injustice. When we fight together, we win!”
Senate Passes Social Security Fairness Act, Securing Economic Justice for Postal, Federal, and Public-Sector Retirees0
Read More....2025 Biennial Conference of the APWU National Postal Press Association
The 2025 Biennial Conference of the APWU National Postal Press Association will take place from July 29 to August 1 in Altoona, Iowa. A full day of workshops will precede the conference on July 29. This event, established in 1967, aligns with the PPA’s mission to help communicators enhance their roles in informing and energizing our union membership. The four-day program will include diverse communication-related topics, general sessions, networking opportunities, and a dinner with plans to host an awards banquet. The venue is The Prairie Meadows Casino, Racetrack, and Hotel, located at 1 Prairie Meadows Drive, Altoona, IA, with a guestroom rate of $149.00 per night plus taxes (currently 12%) available in the conference block. Reservations must be made by midnight (12:00:00 AM CST) on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, or before the reserved rooms are sold out. Post-cutoff date, the hotel will assess total reservations and release rooms accordingly.
Below is your hotel link information:
https://book.rguest.com/wbe/group/1609/PrairieMeadowsRacetrackandCasino/auth
Group Code: APWU0725
Attendee Password: 863002485
July 29, 2025 – 8:00AM to August 1, 2025 – 5:00PMPrairie Meadows Casino, Racetrack, and Hotel1 Prairie Meadows Drive
Altoona, IA 50009
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Group Code: APWU0725
Attendee Password: 863002485
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Read More....MI postal union speaking out against proposed USPS cuts
https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2024-12-19/consumer/mi-postal-union-speaking-out-against-proposed-mail-slowdown/a94188-1Thursday, December 19, 2024Protecting ServiceU.S. Mail is Not for Sale!As Michiganders mail their Christmas cards and gifts, postal union members warn that proposed changes could slow mail delivery. The plan to cut costs in the Postal Service includes ending evening pickups in remote regions, holding some mail overnight before processing, and reducing transportation frequency, potentially causing widespread delays – especially in rural communities.
Read More....Momentum builds around Social Security reforms ahead of Senate vote
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5040145-social-security-senate-vote/Saturday, December 14, 2024Social SecurityMomentum builds around Social Security reforms ahead of Senate vote
Read More....Maintenance PTR Settlement Payout 2024 -2025
December 16, 2024The Maintenance PTR Settlement Payout for 2024-2025 will be disbursed to eligible maintenance PTR employees. Provide your EIN to check your eligibility.
Awards and SettlementsMaintenance Division
Maintenance PTR Settlement Payout 2024 -2025
Read More....USPS Report: PSE Compliance Report Pay Period 25 – November 29, 2024
https://d1ocufyfjsc14h.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/apwu_pse_compliance_report_fy25_pp25v03.xlsUSPS Report: PSE Compliance Report Pay Period 25 – November 29, 2024
Read More....Social Security Fairness Act Passes House, Senator Schumer Pledges to Bring Bill to a Vote
December 13, 2024On Dec. 11, standing alongside labor leaders and union members in the pouring rain, Sen. Schumer joined the Social Security Fairness rally outside the Capitol and pledged to bring bill H.R. 82, The Social Security Fairness Act, to the floor for a vote on the Senate floor.
Social SecurityLegislative & PoliticalLegislative and Political
On Nov. 12, APWU members were alerted that the Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82), would be brought to a vote in the House of Representatives. This bill seeks to repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO), which are two separate provisions of an over 40-year-old Reagan-era Social Security law that unfairly reduces or eliminates hard-earned Social Security benefits for almost three million civil servants, including postal workers, many state employees, and federal annuitants, as well as their survivors. The GPO and WEP unfairly penalize postal and federal Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) retirees despite meeting the requirements for Social Security benefits and paying their fair share into the program.
Responding to the APWU’s call to action, our members mobilized to make calls urging their representatives to vote “yes.”
Helping to push the legislation over the finish line was a coalition of public-sector retirees from the National WEP/GPO Repeal Task Force, including APWU members, who spent the day on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, visiting offices of the bipartisan cosponsors of the bill to thank them for their support for H.R. 82, and to remind them to vote “yes” later that evening. Retirees Department Director Nancy Olumekor took the APWU delegation to Capitol Hill to speak to congressional staffers and leave them with information fliers about the bill.
Finally, in a bipartisan effort on the evening of Nov. 12, the House of Representatives passed the Social Security Fairness Act by an overwhelming vote of 327-75. But the fight for retirees’ justice was not over.
The next challenge was to get Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to move the bill to the Senate floor for a vote. With no commitment from Sen. Schumer to move the bill forward, APWU members mobilized once again. Joining with the coalition, APWU members quickly assembled to support a rally at Capitol Hill to demand action. And senators responded.
On Dec. 11, standing alongside labor leaders and union members in the pouring rain, Sen. Schumer joined the rally outside the Capitol and pledged to bring the bill to the floor for a vote. At the time of publication on Dec. 12, the bill has not yet been put up for a vote.
“This bipartisan effort shows that we can right the wrongs of the past when we stand together as working people,” stated APWU President Mark Dimondstein. “I’m proud of the actions our members took to encourage legislators to move this bill forward.”
“We simply could not have achieved this level of bipartisan support without the continued activism of our members,” said APWU Legislative and Political Director Judy Beard. “Your stories made national headlines and allowed us to put pressure on Congressional leaders to finally correct this decades-long injustice.” ■
Click here to see photos from the Dec. 11 rally.
At labor rally, Schumer commits to Senate vote on Social Security Fairness Act
https://federalnewsnetwork.com/congress/2024/12/at-labor-rally-schumer-commits-to-senate-vote-on-social-security-fairness-act/slide/1/Wednesday, December 11, 2024Legislative & PoliticalLegislative and Politicalhttps://federalnewsnetwork.com/congress/2024/12/at-labor-rally-schumer-commits-to-senate-vote-on-social-security-fairness-act/slide/1/
Read More....APWU POWER’s Women’s History Month Program (Virtual by Zoom)
APWU POWER invites you to join its Women’s History Month Program by Zoom, on Saturday, March 8, 2025. The program will start at 12:00 noon Eastern Standard Time and adjourn by 6:00 p.m. Though free to attend, registration is only open to APWU members and retired dues paying APWU members.
March 8, 2025 – 12:00PMVirtual Via ZoomNationalNoNo2025-03-08 00:00:00https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEscuCqqzwtE9DH7A1nrp8MEKdI1U6v4JMbAPWU POWER’s Women’s History Month Program (Virtual by Zoom)You Are Invited: APWU POWER invites you to join its Women’s History Month Program by Zoom, on Saturday, March 8, 2025. The program will start at 12:00 noon Eastern Standard Time and adjourn by 6:00 p.m.
Registration: Only APWU Members and Retired Dues Paying APWU Members are authorized to participate and registration is free. Once registered, participants will receive confirmation by email, along with a link to join the seminar by Zoom.
Focus: The program will focus on “Preserving Your Mental Health” and will highlight women making a difference in APWU POWER.
To Register Click on This Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEscuCqqzwtE9DH7A1nrp8MEKdI1U6v4JMb
Trouble Registering: If you have trouble registering, contact Hannah Decker, Executive Assistant to the Secretary-Treasurer, at hdecker@apwu.org.
To Join the Zoom Link on March 8th: APWU members should log on to the Zoom Link emailed to them starting at 11:45 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on Saturday, March 8, 2025.
Additional Information: For additional information, contact the Research and Education Department at jrobinson@apwu.org.
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1186/1187 PROCESSING SCHEDULE 2025
https://d1ocufyfjsc14h.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/1186-1187_processing_schedule.pdf1186/1187 PROCESSING SCHEDULE
2025