OSHA Affirms Whistleblower Protection For Employees Reporting Workplace Injuries

Reporting work-related injuries and illnesses is “a core employee right,” the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has pointed out, “and retaliating against a worker for reporting an injury or illness is illegal discrimination.”
In a March 12 memo, OSHA noted, “If employees do not feel free to report injuries or illnesses, the employer’s entire workforce [...]

APWU Calls for April Actions To Save the Postal Service

The APWU is asking state and local organizations to participate in two nationwide activities in April: Lobbying your senators at their home offices during the Easter recess, and informational leafleting on Tax Day, April 17.
“Time is running out for Congress to enact postal legislation,” said APWU President Cliff Guffey. The moratorium on post office closings [...]

Maintenance Craft PSE National Dispute Resolved

(03/30/12) The APWU and the Postal Service settled a Step 4 grievance [PDF] on March 30 regarding the use of Postal Support Employees (PSEs) in the Maintenance Craft. The settlement [PDF] stipulates that PSEs will only be used in custodial positions.

PMG Tells Congress To Take Postal Workers Out of Federal Healthcare Program

Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe urged lawmakers to take postal employees out of the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) at a House hearing on March 27, claiming such a move would save the USPS $7 billion annually. The PMG said the Postal Service should be allowed to develop and run a separate health insurance [...]

Senate Action on Postal Bill Expected in Mid-April

The Senate is expected to vote on postal legislation in mid-April, following a congressional recess, APWU Legislative and Political Director Myke Reid has reported. The postal bill, S. 1789, is expected to be the Senate’s first order of business when lawmakers return to the Capitol on April 16.
The APWU has been sharply critical of the [...]

APWU Says USPS Explanation of Secret Study Is Misleading and Inaccurate

The Postal Service’s recent attempt to justify the decision to keep market research secret is misleading and inaccurate, the APWU has charged. The research, which was conducted in August and September 2011, indicates that revenue losses from the USPS plan to degrade service standards could eliminate any potential savings from consolidating or closing 223 mail [...]

APWU Makes Progress On Shared Services

Computerized bidding is undoubtedly here to stay, but until recently, problems with the Postal Service’s Human Resources Shared Services Center (HRSSC) have thoroughly frustrated employees, local union representatives and national officers alike. Since the Shared Services Center opened five years ago, almost all personnel services have been centralized in the Greensboro NC office.
The computerization of [...]

APWU Says Revenue Losses Could Wipe Out Savings

USPS Market Research on Consolidations:
Revenue Losses Could Wipe Out Savings
In testimony before the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) on March 21, a USPS witness made a startling admission: The Postal Service’s initial research on the network consolidation plan indicated that it could result in revenue losses of $5.3 billion, with net revenue losses as high as [...]

APWU to Develop New Web Based Grievance System

Union to Develop New Web-Based Grievance System
100 Locals Needed to Participate in Pilot
The APWU is developing a new web-based grievance system to improve the efficiency of our grievance procedure, and plans are underway to begin a pilot to test the program in August. The goal of the program is to eliminate the need for paper [...]

USPS Has Not Considered Combined Effect of Proposed Changes

A Stunning Admission: USPS Hasn’t Considered Combined Effect of Proposed Changes
In response to a motion filed by the APWU, the Postal Service admitted March 9 that it has not considered the combined effect of several of its major proposals, including plans to:

Degrade service standards; end overnight delivery for first-class mail and periodicals, and slow mail [...]