Every August, members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate spend most of the month at home in the districts or states they represent. This is because Congress is on recess and not in session, meaning they are not working in Washington, D.C. This year, members of the House of Representatives are not in session from July 24 to Aug. 30, and members of the Senate are not in session from Aug. 8 to Sept. 13.
This time away from our nation’s capital provides local and state unions an opportunity to interact with our representatives and senators. APWU leadership encourages locals, states, and retiree chapters to meet with their members of Congress in August!
After getting approval from your local, state, or retiree chapter president, gather a group of APWU members. When scheduling a meeting, your group should have a direct request in mind. While you can always find APWU’s latest fight by visiting our website at apwu.org or calling our Legislative Hotline at 844-402-1001, here are three of the biggest issues we’re currently fighting for:
Issue #1: Promoting Financial Reforms for the Postal Service
On May 1, 2026, the four postal unions signed a letter addressed to members of Congress regarding the Postal Service’s finances. This letter, found in the Legislative Action Center on the APWU website, asks Congress to increase the USPS’s borrowing authority and approve a new investment strategy for USPS retiree health and pension funds. The USPS’s current $15 billion borrowing authority has not been increased in decades, and its investments currently sit in U.S. Treasury securities, which do not have high annual returns.
Issue #2: Gaining Support for House and Senate Resolutions Against Postal Privatization
Selling the Postal Service to the highest bidder would not only lead to a reduction in service and higher postage rates but also place postal workers’ health insurance, retirement benefits, collective bargaining rights, and jobs in jeopardy. House Resolution 70 and Senate Resolution 147 both express the support in Congress for taking all appropriate measures to ensure that the Postal. Service is not subject to privatization
Issue #3: Adding Cosponsors to the Federal Retirement Fairness Act (H.R. 1522)
Postal workers who begin their postal career as temporary employees are currently not allowed to make contributions to their retirement benefits until they become USPS career employees. This bill, if signed into law, would correct this injustice by providing career employees with the opportunity to make catch-up contributions to their retirement benefits and earn credit for the time they worked as temporary postal employees.
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