APWU

Contract Negotiations Between APWU and Postal Management Nearing ‘End Game’

Posted in: APWU

May 14, 2025Contract Negotiations Between APWU and Postal Management Nearing ‘End Game’
Contract Negotiations

The APWU’s contract negotiations have been taking place as two other postal unions have also been in negotiations with management. The National Association of Letter Carriers finished their nearly two-year negotiations with a mediation-arbitration award issued by arbitrator Dennis Nolan on March 21. To view the award, visit: bit.ly/NALC-2025-Award
Then on April 18, the National Rural Letter Carriers Association reached a tentative agreement with postal management that is now in the ratification process. Their contract expired in May 2024, four months prior to the expiration of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the USPS and the APWU. The APWU has fully studied and discussed both of these results, as the outcome of negotiations with our sister postal unions certainly have an impact, positive or negative, on our negotiations with postal management.
The APWU is now seven months past the Sept. 20, 2024, expiration of our contract. As of May 14, the APWU is considering one of two paths: we will either have a new voluntary agreement, which will have been presented to the Rank & File Bargaining Advisory Committee, per the APWU Constitution, for its decision on whether to put it out to a vote of the entire membership. Or alternatively, we will have begun the process of interest arbitration to determine the provisions of a new contract.
“Negotiations are never easy and never will be. However, these negotiations were complicated by the almost two-year length of time it took our sister union, the NALC, to complete their negotiation process,” declared President Mark Dimondstein. “Most importantly, the political shift in the administration and ongoing assaults against federal workers, their unions, and union contracts, made negotiations even more difficult, as well as vital, to secure a new ratified and signed agreement.”
What a Difference Worker Power Through Our Union Makes!
APWU members often view the general wage increases (GWIs), which have been relatively modest over the last 20 years, as the sole compensation package of our Collective Bargaining Agreement. Our negotiated compensation package is much more, and includes:
• General Wage Increases
• Full Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLAs)
• Regular Step Increases
• Night Differential
• Sunday Premium
• Overtime, including Penalty Pay
Just consider this one example of union-won results from the last nine years of three union contracts (2015, 2018, and 2021):
If an APWU-represented employee was hired in August of 2015 as a Level 6 career employee, this employee is now earning $31,000 more every year based on union-secured modest GWIs, full COLA, and regular Step Increases!(Excluding overtime, increases to the Thrift Savings Plan, etc.!) This amounts to an incredible 83% increase over those nine years!

Contract Negotiations Between APWU and Postal Management Nearing ‘End Game’0

Join Webinar on Tuesday, May 13 at 7PM ET to Protect Our Postal Pensions!

Posted in: APWU

May 12, 2025Postal and Federal Pensions are at risk – APWU will be hosting a Legislative webinar on Tuesday, May 13 at 7-8PM ET titled Protect Our Pensions: Fight Back Against Proposed Retirement Cuts to explain its devastating impacts and how we can combat them.

Postal and Federal Pensions are at risk – On April 30, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform voted to advance a number of significant cuts to the retirement benefits of postal and federal workers, that are now advancing through Congress.
APWU will be hosting a Legislative webinar on Tuesday, May 13 at 7-8PM ET titled Protect Our Pensions: Fight Back Against Proposed Retirement Cuts to explain its devastating impacts and how we can combat them. RSVP for the webinar by clicking here, and continue reading to find out more about its negative impacts if passed into law.

RSVP for Protect Our Pensions Webinar

Protect Our Pensions Webinar
Tuesday, May 13 7PM ET

Protect Our Pensions: Fight Back Against Proposed Retirement Cuts Webinar

Posted in: APWU

On Tuesday, May 13 at 7PM ET, join APWU for a Legislative webinar titled, Protect Our Pensions: Fight Back Against Proposed Retirement Cuts where we will explain the devastating impacts of these cuts and how we are fighting back.
May 13, 2025 – 7:00PM to 8:00PMVirtual via ZoomNationalNoNo2025-05-14 00:00:00https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_TS54LXXqQHaMS0NDxN0-ZgProtect Our Pensions: Fight Back Against Proposed Retirement Cuts WebinarClick here to register.
For more ways you can take action, dial 844-402-1001 or visit apwu.org/call to urge your House Representative to oppose any cuts to postal and federal pensions.
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February Contract Negotiations Update

Posted in: APWU

February 13, 2025The difficult battle for a new APWU contract covering the wages, benefits, and rights of 200,000 postal workers continues. This current round of bargaining has a new and complicated ingredient: during the APWU’s ongoing negotiations with the Postal Service, the NALC reached a tentative agreement for their new contract in November 2024.
Contract Negotiations

The difficult battle for a new APWU contract covering the wages, benefits, and rights of 200,000 postal workers continues. This current round of bargaining has a new and complicated ingredient: during the APWU’s ongoing negotiations with the Postal Service, the NALC reached a tentative agreement for their new contract in November 2024. In January, the NALC completed the contract ratifi cation process, and the members soundly rejected their negotiated tentative agreement. As of today, Feb. 13, 2025, it appears they will likely move to interest arbitration to determine the terms of their new contract. Postal workers are weakened by the fact that the four postal unions negotiate separately. We do not have one postal union dealing with one postal management, nor do we jointly bargain together during negotiations. The APWU is actively pursuing our two-pronged strategy: keep meeting at the negotiating table to reach a new voluntary agreement, while also moving forward towards interest arbitration. Interest arbitration means that a neutral, third-party arbitrator will make the fi nal and binding decision on a new contract, including our wages and benefi ts, after a series of hearings and presentations. “While we are doing everything in our power to reach a voluntary agreement that rewards our members for their dedication and hard work, given the progress of negotiations, it is likely we will soon declare an impasse and head into interest arbitration. Stay tuned!” said APWU President Mark Dimondstein. We will continue to provide regular updates on the status of APWU negotiations on apwu.org, and through news bulletins, emails, text, social media, videos, and podcasts. In the meantime, stay union strong! Wear your union gear, join contract rallies, and build union power by signing up non-members. Send management, and any arbitrator, the message that we are indeed united in our demands for a good new contract. “Union Proud, Say it Loud!”

WestPac Olalla, WA Intent to Revert 5-6-25

Posted in: APWU

Tuesday, May 6, 2025Western AreaWestern notice_of_intent_to_revert_olalla_5-6-25.pdfWestPac Olalla, WA Intent to Revert 5-6-25

WestPac Camas WA Maint Position Reversion 5-8-25

Posted in: APWU

Thursday, May 8, 2025Western AreaWestern westpac_camas_wa_maint_position_reversion_5-8-25.pdfWestPac Camas WA Maint Position Reversion 5-8-25

PRESS RELEASE: Americans Overwhelmingly Oppose Privatizing the U.S. Postal Service, Finds New Survey from Democratic and Republican Polling firms

Posted in: APWU

May 8, 2025WASHINGTON – New polling shows that postal customers strongly believe that proposals to privatize the United States Postal Service should be marked “Return to Sender.” In a national survey of 1,402 registered voters, those surveyed oppose postal service privatization by an overwhelming 34 points.
U.S. Mail is Not for Sale!WASHINGTON – New polling shows that postal customers strongly believe that proposals to privatize the United States Postal Service should be marked “Return to Sender.” In a national survey of 1,402 registered voters, those surveyed oppose postal service privatization by an overwhelming 34 points.

Americans Overwhelmingly Oppose Privatizing the U.S. Postal Service, Finds New Survey from Democratic and Republican Polling firms

Posted in: APWU

Thursday, May 8, 2025Jamie Horwitz
202-549-4921jhdcpr@starpower.net

WASHINGTON – New polling shows that postal customers strongly believe that proposals to privatize the United States Postal Service should be marked “Return to Sender.” In a national survey of 1,402 registered voters, those surveyed oppose postal service privatization by an overwhelming 34 points.
According to a polling memo prepared by prominent opinion research firms Hart Research Associates and North Star Opinion Research, when respondents were informed that the Trump administration wants to privatize postal services, “they oppose the idea by greater than two to one: just 26% favor privatization while 60% are opposed.” Privatized mail service means that mail delivery would be provided by private companies rather than a public postal service.
Opposition to privatization is both wide and deep across the country, crossing both partisan and demographic lines, especially in rural communities, the poll showed. “Rural voters mirror the country overall, in that they oppose privatization by 34 points (58% to 24%), which is surprising given their Republican partisan lean (Donald Trump beat Kamala Harris by 23 points among these voters), and likely reflects the extent to which rural voters rely on USPS services.”
Every age cohort also expressed opposition to privatization, the poll showed, with younger voters (under 35) voicing the strongest opposition (65 percent opposed, 20 percent in favor).
Fully 56 percent of Americans surveyed believe that privatization would result in higher prices for mailing letters and packages, while just 17 percent say that prices would improve. By a margin of 44 percent to 17 percent, those surveyed also anticipate a negative impact on the cost of online shopping.
“Postal customers should trust their gut when it comes to schemes to sell off or transfer the USPS,” said American Postal Workers Union (APWU) President Mark Dimondstein. The APWU commissioned the poll.
“Plans to privatize the Post Office are about enriching Wall Street and not serving Main Street,” he said. “Evidence shows that selling off the USPS would lead to higher prices for postal services as well as higher prices for shipping packages at FedEx and UPS.”
In March, the brokerage firm Wells Fargo Advisors told Wall Street investors that privatization of the postal service “would be positive for FedEx & UPS. In order to stand alone and earn a reasonable return we estimate USPS would need to raise price by 30-140 %.”
The Wells Fargo guidance also predicted that privatization would lead to closing, or as they term it, “harvesting,” neighborhood post offices. In the poll conducted by Hart Research Associates and North Star Opinion Research, those surveyed did not favor the closing of local post offices. In fact, 72 percent are opposed, according to the survey.
Speaking at a media and technology conference sponsored by J.P. Morgan earlier this spring, Trump advisor Elon Musk said that he was looking into selling off the USPS. The DOGE head went on to say that the USPS and Amtrak were his top targets for privatization. But, in the Hart/North Star poll postal customers saw little need for selling off the postal service because they like the USPS and the services it offers. Fully 82 percent believe that USPS is doing an “excellent” (35 percent) or “good” (47 percent) job today. They also view postal workers favorably (81 percent favorable, 5 percent unfavorable.) Nearly all (96 percent) report that mail service is “important” for their family, including 68 percent who said “very important.” And while most have other ways to receive packages and email has replaced some letter mail, 92 percent use USPS to receive packages; 90 percent use USPS to send letters or postcards; and 86 percent report that they rely on the USPS to receive bills.
These high marks are similar to the Pew Research Center study from August 2024, which found that the USPS was second only to the National Park Service when it came to favorability scores tied to any service or agency associated with the federal government.
The USPS, which is funded primarily through the sale of stamps and services – not taxes, has other means of raising revenue that are not tied to raising prices, going private, or cutting services. Respondents to the Hart/North Star poll embraced a number of alternative, non-privatization policies that would strengthen USPS’s finances. As a means of boosting revenue, 77 percent favor making office supplies available for purchase in post offices (15 percent opposed). Other options: 72 percent favor making hunting and fishing licenses available for purchase in post offices (15 percent opposed) and 60 percent favor making magazines and newspapers available for purchase sale in post offices (25 percent opposed).
APWU President Dimondstein listed myriad more ways the USPS could increase revenue, such as being allowed to ship wine and beer. Also, the USPS could expand its financial services from just processing money orders to also handling check-cashing and wire transfers for customers. This measure would both raise revenues and help those without bank options, he said. Local post office parking lots could be used for public EV charging stations. Broadband services could be made available in communities that lack it.
“There is so much more the USPS could do for our customers,” said Dimondstein. “This is the people’s postal service, emphasis on ‘service.’ It shouldn’t be sold off or diminished. The U.S. Mail is not for sale.”
North Star Opinion Research is a Republican polling firm based in Arlington, VA. They specialize in polling for center-right political candidates at all levels, as well as corporations, associations, and non-profits. In addition to helping to elect dozens of Republican candidates to the U.S. House and Senate since the firm’s founding in 1991, they have conducted opinion research for clients as wide-ranging as the U.S Chamber of Commerce, America’s Health Insurance Plans, and The Nature Conservancy. For more information, visit https://www.northstaropinion.com
Hart Research Associates was founded in 1971 and is one of the leading research firms in the United States. During that time, the firm has conducted well over 8,000 public opinion surveys including interviews among more than four million individuals, as well as undertaken more than 7,500 focus group sessions. Hart’s political division has been involved in hundreds of Democratic campaigns throughout all 50 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico. The firm has represented more than 40 U.S. senators, dozens of U.S. representatives, and over 30 governors. For more information, visit https://hartresearch.com/
The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) represents 200,000 employees of the United States Postal Service and is affiliated with the AFL-CIO. For more information, visit www.apwu.org
Note on Survey Methodology: Interviews were conducted online from February 26 to March 2, 2025, among a sample of 1,402 registered voters matched to the voter file. This includes interviews with 645 voters in rural areas. The survey has a confidence interval of ±3.1 percentage points.
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Postal customers have a very positive view of the USPS and believe that it meets their needs. They fear privatization will lead to higher prices at a time when inflation concerns remain elevated.0

Recent Polling Shows Registered Voters Overwhelmingly Favor Public Postal Service, Expanding Services

Posted in: APWU

May 8, 2025In February, the APWU commissioned a national survey to better understand the public’s sentiment on the public Postal Service and attempts at privatization. Here are the key takeaways

In February, the APWU commissioned a national survey to better understand the public’s sentiment on the public Postal Service and attempts at privatization. To maintain an unbiased survey, the union commissioned the help of two firms from opposite ends of the political spectrum, the liberal Hart Research company and conservative North Star Research. Hart Research and North Star worked with the APWU to conduct a survey of registered voters to provide a deep exploration of their attitudes on the Postal Service and the question of postal privatization. To see how attitudes have moved or changed, the survey also included questions from a survey conducted on privatization in 2018.
Key Findings
1. American voters oppose Postal Service privatization by an overwhelming 34-point margin.
60% of voters oppose privatization.

Embracing privatization is also likely to be a political liability for candidates.

2. Opposition to privatization is broad, crossing partisan and demographic lines, and is notably strong in rural communities.

Opposition substantially exceeds support in every region of the country.

65% of voters under 35 voice the strongest opposition to privatization.

58% of rural voters oppose privatization, which is surprising given the 23 point Republican lean in the 2024 Elections.

94% use USPS to receive online purchases, 91% for sending and receiving letters, 88% to receive bills, and 70% for catalog purchases.

3. Voters worry that privatization will lead to higher prices at a time when inflation concerns remain elevated.

56% of voters believe that privatization would result in higher prices

Voters predict that privatization also would have a negative rather than positive effect on the quality of postal services in their community (40% worse, 25% better).

72% of voters are very unfavorable to the idea of closing many local Post Offices (a likely consequence of privatization).

4. Voters have a very positive view of the U.S. Postal Service, and they believe that it does a good job or meets their needs, so privatization does not speak to an appetite for change or address a perceived problem.

74% of voters have a positive view of the Postal Service and 81% have a favorable view of postal workers.

96% of voters say that mail service is important for their family, including 68% who say it is very important.

86% rely on USPS to receive bills

5. Voters embrace several alternative non-privatization policies that would strengthen USPS finances.

77% of voters favor making office supplies available for purchase in Post Offices.

72% favor making hunting and fishing licenses available for purchase.

60% favor making magazines and newspapers available for purchase.

The survey results indicate that the outlook is good in our ongoing fight against privatizers trying to sell off our public Postal Service for profit. We should remain steady in our message – the U.S. Mail Is Not for Sale!
The public is overwhelmingly on our side across partisan, demographic, and geographic lines. Additionally, 84% of voters indicate that the messenger who they want to hear from about fighting privatization is postal workers who know the ins-and-outs of our treasured public institution. So, we encourage you to make your voice heard at town halls, rallies, and with op-eds in your local newspapers. Even speaking with your friends, family, and neighbors can go a long way in educating our communities about the dangers of privatization. Together we will protect and preserve our public Postal Service.
Click here to read more about the Voters’ Views on Privatization of the Postal Service survey or download the PDF below.

Voters’ Views on Privatization of the Postal Service

Recent Polling Shows Registered Voters Overwhelmingly Favor Public Postal Service, Expanding Services0

Help Stamp Out Hunger – Saturday, May 10, 2025

Posted in: APWU

May 7, 2025We encourage your participation in the annual NALC Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive taking place on Saturday, May 10.

We encourage your participation in the annual NALC Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive taking place on Saturday, May 10. Each year on the second Saturday in May, Postal workers come together to collect and donate millions of pounds of food for local food banks from doorsteps across the country.
Postal customers in over 10,000 cities and towns, states and U.S. territories are asked to put non-perishable food donations in a sturdy bag and place the bag near their mailbox prior to their regular mail delivery on Saturday, May 10.
To determine if a NALC Branch covers your area, please use the search tool here: https://www.nalc.org/community-service/food-drive/branch-lookup

Help Stamp Out Hunger – Saturday, May 10, 20250