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Supreme Court deals defeat to workers' rights, upholding arbitration for individuals only

Mon, 05/21/2018 - 2:42pm

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court has sharply restricted the rights of American workers to join with others to challenge their company for allegedly violating federal laws on wages, hours or civil rights.

The justices by a 5-4 vote Monday agreed with Trump administration lawyers on two key issues.

First, workers do not have a right to go to court to sue over alleged violations of federal workplace laws. They must accept industry-sponsored arbitration.

Second, the arbitration rules may require employees to bring their complaints as individuals and not as part any group or class.

About 60 million nonunionized workers in the private sector are covered by arbitration agreements that bar them going to court to sue over alleged violations of federal workplace laws, according to a survey by the Economic Policy Institute, a liberal leaning group based in Washington.

Justice Neil M. Gorsuch delivered the court's opinion in Epic Systems vs. Lewis and said Congress had decreed that arbitration clauses must be enforced.

In Memoriam Remembering President Emeritus William Burrus December 13, 1936 - May 19, 2018

Mon, 05/21/2018 - 2:40pm
WEB NEWS ARTICLE #: 
50-2018

05/21/2018 - Former APWU National President Emeritus William Burrus passed away on Saturday, May 19, 2018 at the age of eighty-one.

William Burrus served as elected National President of the American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO from 2001-2010. He was the first African-American to be elected president of any national union in direct balloting by the membership.
Prior to his assuming the presidency, William Burrus served as APWU Executive Vice-President for 21 years, from 1980 to 2001, working alongside APWU President Moe Biller.

As a top national APWU officer, Brother Burrus helped negotiate substantial gains for the members with improved wages, and benefits, rightfully earning his reputation as a skilled negotiator and powerful advocate for postal workers. He led the union negotiations of four Collective Bargaining Agreements between the APWU and the USPS, and was also directly involved with every national negotiations between 1980 and 2006. Over his decades of union leadership, he was responsible for countless Arbitration settlements and Memorandums of Understanding with postal management which greatly enhanced workplace benefits, rights and safety of APWU represented employees.

 

What will it take to get you involved????

Mon, 05/14/2018 - 11:22am

Let's discuss how to get more people to attend the general meetings. Please everyone, send your answers!

Washington’s Latest Attempt to Slash our Pay & Benefits

Fri, 05/11/2018 - 9:41am
WEB NEWS ARTICLE #: 
47-2018

05/10/2018 - On May 4th, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) sent a series of legislative proposals to House Speaker Paul Ryan. In line with the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2019 budget attacks released earlier this year, the ongoing fight to slash the pay and benefits of postal and federal workers continues. OPM proposes:

  • Increasing employee FERS contributions 1% a year up to 7.25%;
  • Eliminating FERS Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA), and reducing CSRS COLAs by 0.5%;
  • Eliminating the FERS Social Security retirement supplement;
  • Reducing retirement benefits by using a “high five” salary average formula, rather than the current “high three” average;

“Such changes would mean thousands of dollars taken out of active workers’ paychecks and thousands more in reduced benefits for retirees,” said APWU Legislative and Political Director Judy Beard. Taken together, the proposals outlined by OPM would take a staggering $144 billion out of the pockets of dedicated civil servants over the next ten years.

 

Power to the Workers – New Bill to Strengthen Unions

Fri, 05/11/2018 - 9:39am
WEB NEWS ARTICLE #: 
48-2018

05/10/2018 -

On Wednesday, May 9, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduced the Workplace Democracy Act, with Representative Mark Pocan (D-WI) introducing the companion bill in the House of Representatives.

This Act would protect the rights of the working class to form a union and collectively bargain for fair wages, benefits, and safe working conditions.  “It is no secret that stagnant wages and the growing economic injustice in the United States has been the direct result of the all-out assault on working families and our unions over the past few decades,” said APWU Legislative and Political Director, Judy Beard. 

 

APWU WEB NEWS ARTICLE 49-2018 President Dimondstein: "Let's Deliver Mail, not Myths"

Fri, 05/11/2018 - 9:38am

05/11/2018 - APWU President Mark Dimondstein busts myths and sets the record straight on the Postal Service, "a national treasure belonging to all the people of the United States." Click here to read the entire column as it appears in the Boston Globe.
 

 

The Rebellion Continues… Arizona and Colorado Workers Join the Fight for Quality Education

Thu, 05/03/2018 - 11:17am
WEB NEWS ARTICLE #: 
44-2018

05/02/2018 -


Arial view of protestors marching on
Arizona State Capitol Building in Phoenix

 

Arizona and Colorado education workers are following the lead of their brothers and sisters in West Virginia, Oklahoma and Kentucky and have taken to the streets demanding justice for workers and students. These workers, among the lowest paid teachers and school workers in the country, see the results of tax cuts and incentives for corporations and the wealthy in their daily working lives, not merely in their take-home pay and benefits, but also in dilapidated facilities, cuts to arts programs, outdated textbooks, shortened school days, expanded class sizes and limited resources for students.

“We have classrooms where students sit on counter tops because there aren’t enough desks or seats in the room,” said Jonathan Perrone, a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) teacher in Arizona. 

On Thursday, April 26; Friday, April 27; and Monday, April 30, both Arizona and Colorado education workers wore #RedforEd and stormed their State Capitol buildings (in Phoenix and Denver respectively) to demand funding for a quality public education. On Thursday, there were over 50,000 teachers in Phoenix alone. 

In Arizona, the Governor Doug Ducey (R) offered a proposal that included a 20% pay increase for teachers by 2020 and some increase in school funding. However, just like in West Virginia, the education workers in Arizona are planning to continue to fight until a bill is actually passed by the state legislature. "To ask us just to trust is hard because when you look at history, it's hard to trust," said third grade teacher Gwen Cordiak. "To ask us to go back to the classroom, when most people haven't even seen the bill... we're not going [back] on blind faith." 

 

Update on Contract Negotiation Preparations on April 23

Mon, 04/16/2018 - 2:25pm
WEB NEWS ARTICLE #: 
36-2018

04/12/2018 - Contract Negotiation Opening Day – June 26 – is around the corner.

Please join the APWU National Negotiations Committee (NNC) for a live Tele-Town Hall for updates on negotiation preparations that are under way. Members will also hear updates on the contract campaign and how they can get involved.

The Tele-Town Hall will be held at two times on April 23 - at 11AM and 9PM EDT (8AM and 6PM PDT). You can register for the call here.

When members sign up for the call, they will have the option to submit suggestions – for both the contract negotiations and the contract campaign.

If we’re going to win better working conditions and a better standard of living for APWU members and families, we need everyone ready for this fight.

Click here to sign up for the call.

 

President Issues Executive Order on USPS

Mon, 04/16/2018 - 2:24pm
WEB NEWS ARTICLE #: 
38-2018

04/13/2018 - President Trump has issued an Executive Order to form a “task force” to evaluate the finances of the United States Postal Service. Such evaluation will include pricing, policies and the costs of the workforce.

The Task Force will be chaired by the Secretary of the Treasury, and comprised of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management as well as other department and agency heads the chair may designate.

The Executive Order calls for a full report within 120 days to provide a “thorough evaluation of the operations and finance” of the USPS to include:

  • the expansion and pricing of package delivery
  • the USPS role in competitive markets
  • the decline in mail volume and implications of USPS financing
  • the USPS monopoly over letter delivery and mail boxes
  • the USPS business model, workforce, operations, costs and pricing.

The task force will potentially develop recommendations on administrative and legislative reforms regarding the U.S. Postal Service.

The primary reason for the financial challenges facing the Postal Service is the 2006 Congressional mandate forcing the USPS to “pre-fund” retiree health benefits 75 years into the future. This crushing burden is faced by no other company or agency and is being used by those who wish to destroy the postal service.

 “The APWU looks forward to working with anyone truly interested in maintaining a vibrant public Postal Service for generations to come. If given the opportunity to meet with the task force, we will forthrightly tell the truth, share our views and promote the protection of the rights and benefits of postal employees,” said APWU President Mark Dimondstein. “One step toward USPS financial stability is to fix the pre-funding debacle by passing the bi-partisan postal reform legislation currently stalled in both the House and the Senate.” 

The new Executive Order is of real concern to the APWU and we will continue to keep all members informed and up to date.

 

EEOC Decision is Final: National Reassessment Program Discriminated Against Injured Workers

Thu, 03/29/2018 - 7:51pm
WEB NEWS ARTICLE #: 
34-2018

03/28/2018 - The time is now for all current and former permanent-rehabilitation and limited-duty postal employees who were subjected to the USPS National Reassessment Process (NRP) between May 5, 2006 and July 1, 2011 to file a timely claim with the Postal Service to seek monetary damages and other relief.

The Postal Service has exhausted all of its administrative appeals in the class action discrimination complaint, McConnell v. USPS. The EEOC’s favorable decision, issued March 9, 2018, is final. The EEOC rejected the Postal Service’s request for reconsideration after finding the NRP discriminated against injured postal workers and violated their rights under the Rehabilitation Act. The Postal Service is now required to comply with a number of orders listed in the final decision.

More than 130,000 individuals, many belonging to the APWU, may benefit from this decision. Individuals were not required to file an EEOC complaint to be part of the class but members of the class are required to file a claim within 30 days of receiving notice from the Postal Service to avoid forfeiting any potential relief. Survivors of deceased class members are eligible and encouraged to apply within the designated time limits.  Notifications from the Postal Service were said to be mailed to all eligible class members on March 19 and 20.  

 

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