Nov. 8
Regular Union Meeting
Detroit APWU Union Hall

Nov. 4
Webinar for Wounded Warriors
Hosted by the Social Security Administration
2 p.m. E.S.T.

Nov. 11
Veterans Day

Nov. 26
Thanksgiving Day

Open Season: Nov. 9 - Dec. 14
APWU Offers Two Great Health Insurance Plans

Health Plan Web site Health Plan News Bulletin Oct. 30, 2009 Magazine Feature [PDF]

APWU Web News Article #138-09, Nov. 10, 2009

As the Health Plan Open Season gets underway, APWU President William Burrus urges postal and federal employees to give careful consideration to the two great healthcare options offered by the APWU.

The national debate over healthcare reform has focused on the dilemma facing workers with pre-existing conditions, and has highlighted the need for a public option and employer
mandates, Burrus notes in a new video.

“These factors, which are so important to millions of Americans, are non-factors in the APWU Health Plan. We offer two of the best health plans in the country.”

Check out the video.

National Marrow Donor Program
Seeks Donors
Remember George: Give the Gift of Life

APWU Web News Article #139-09, Nov. 13, 2009

In a 90-day campaign launched in April, the APWU, the Postal Service and the National Marrow Donor Program took part in a nationwide marrow-registry drive, both to support the program in general and in the hopes that a donor-match would be found for George Goetschel, a USPS clerk and union member who in 2008 had been diagnosed with cancer. Sadly, George’s health declined this fall; he passed away on Nov. 8.

This does not mean that the dozen “Let’s Do It For George” events hosted by APWU Local and State organizations were in vain. Hundreds of names were added to the donor registry, and NMDP organizers believe that publicity for marrow drives always leads to more events being staged and countless other donors stepping forward.

There are more than 200,000 APWU members, and any one of us could be a match — possibly the only match — for someone whose life depends on it. Although George lost his battle, there are thousands of others like him who need a marrow transplant.

The odds against finding a match are high: Just 3 out of 10 who need a marrow transplant can be expected to get the life-saving treatment they need. The more people who join the registry, the better chance these people have of finding a suitable donor. You could be the match for someone.

The NMDP registration process is easy and absolutely painless — in most cases, you simply provide a “cheek cell sample.” [PDF] The NMDP typically charges a fee (at an average cost of $52) to cover the expense of tissue typing, but under the Postal Service’s “Delivering the Gift of Life” campaign, there is no cost to potential donors.

All postal employees, their spouses, and dependents between the ages of 18 and 60 who have not previously joined the NMDP Registry and who meet the medical eligibility guidelines can participate. Check out the FAQS at www.marrow.org to learn whether you are already registered with NMDP.

Once you determine your eligibility, contact your designated USPS District Coordinator to show your interest. If your postal district is not listed, send an e-mail to marrowcampaign@usps.gov

According to the marrow-donor program, more than 6,000 men, women, and children search the NMDP Registry each day. If it turns out that you are a suitable match for a patient, you may be asked to donate bone marrow or circulating blood cells. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, you can be a life-saver.

Please visit these links to learn more about the procedure, and the importance of keeping your commitment if you have a chance to be a match for someone. APWU-represented employees who turn out to be a match for someone in need will be eligible to receive up to seven days of paid administrative leave [PDF] to cover qualification and donation.

“Do It for George”

A 35-year employee of the Postal Service, mail processor George Goetschel was a proud member of the Terre Haute (IN) Area APWU. He was also a U.S. Army veteran.

George is survived by his wife Nancy, and three children. During his courageous 14-month struggle, he credited prayer, his family and the friendship of his fellow parishioners, co-workers, and other people in the community with keeping him going. According to Nancy, George felt that he was blessed, and he was truly appreciative of everyone’s efforts to help him and his family.

Expressions of sympathy can be sent to: The Goetschel Family, 2227 First Ave., Terre Haute, IN 47803.

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The Challenge: Postal Wages and Discounts

Burrus Update 17-2009, Oct. 30, 2009

In a continuing effort to influence our contract negotiations, the postmaster general and spokesmen for major mailers have repeatedly suggested that postal employees’ wages and benefits are excessive.

Their claims are spurious, but our disagreement on this subject will not be resolved through debate between mailing-industry white papers and articles in union publications. The best resolution would be for one side to accept the logic of the other, and apply the result to wage-setting for postal employees.

We are willing to accept the premise of our adversaries: Postal executives and the mailing industry defend the postage discounts the USPS offers to major mailers, saying they are equal to the costs the Postal Service avoids as a result of worksharing.

Accepting their analysis of the value of sorting and applying barcodes, the American Postal Workers Union has issued a challenge: We will accept their conclusion and we demand that the Postal Service compensate mail-processing employees accordingly. Set wages at a rate that would be slightly less expensive than the workshare discounts the USPS offers to major mailers.

If the true value of discounts for letters and flats that have been bar-coded and pre-sorted to five digits is 10.5 cents, postal employees will sort every letter and flat for 10.4 cents – and we will process parcels for free! We will take the raw mail, as it arrives in collection boxes, and sort it all the way to 11 digits, at a lower cost than the discount “worksharers” receive now for five-digit sortation.

Our proposal would reduce the Postal Service’s costs significantly, improve efficiency, and make better use of underutilized employees and equipment.

If management’s assertions about the discounts are true, the USPS should jump at our offer.

William Burrus
President

Victory: FERS Sick-Leave Credit
Becomes Law

APWU Web News Article #134-09, Oct. 28, 2009

(10/28/09) President Obama signed legislation Oct. 28 that will allow postal and federal workers who retire under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) to receive credit for sick leave when they retire. The new benefit was included among a number of pay and retirement provisions in a compromise version of the 2010 Defense Authorization bill.

The law includes a provision long sought by the APWU and other organizations representing federal employees, which allows FERS-covered workers to receive a 50 percent credit for unused sick leave until Dec. 31, 2013. Starting on Jan. 1, 2014, they will receive full credit. Employees covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) already receive credit for sick leave when they retire.

“This is a great accomplishment for APWU and other organizations representing federal employees,” said APWU Legislative and Political Director Myke Reid. “We have always believed sick-leave credit for FERS employees is a matter of basic fairness.”

The FERS sick-leave provision was originally introduced in the House of Representatives as a stand-alone bill by Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA), but the bill suffered numerous setbacks.

The Defense bill — including the FERS benefit — was passed by the House on June 25, by a vote of 389-22. But a month later an amendment granting the benefit was withdrawn at the insistence of Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), who threatened to filibuster. “Until this amendment is withdrawn, I will stay here, or I will have a colleague stay here, and we will talk about how this country is out of control in its spending,” he said. “We’ve institutionalized sick leave. We’ve made it an entitlement.”

Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI), the main sponsor of the amendment, agreed to withdraw it, but continued to defend the provision, saying, “This amendment will ensure that all federal employees are treated the same.”

On Oct. 7, 10 weeks after he withdrew the provision, Akaka was instrumental in getting it through a House-Senate conference committee, Reid said.

The House adopted the Defense Authorization bill — including the FERS sick-leave credit on Oct. 8, and the Senate followed suit on Oct. 22.

Rep. Edolphus Towns, (D-NY), the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Federal Workforce Subcommittee, were also key to the effort to convince conferees to include the sick-leave credit and other workforce provisions.

The compromise legislation also includes a provision that would make it easier for federal agencies, including the Postal Service, to rehire retirees (for a limited time) without forcing them to take a cut in their annuity checks. “This provision will help eliminate the USPS objections to APWU’s efforts to return postal retirees to employment,” Burrus said. “If the bill is passed, the union will renew our discussion with management on this issue.”

The bill also includes:

• A provision that would allow employees who choose to work part-time toward the end of their careers to use a higher salary figure in calculations for how the reduced work factors into their retirement benefits.
  
  
• A provision that would move workers in Hawaii, Alaska, the Virgin Islands and other U.S. territories from cost-of-living adjustments to a locality-pay system. [The territorial COLAs, as they are known, would be applied differently to postal employees than to other federal workers. The T-COLAs would not be taxed and would not be credited towards retirement; for other federal employees these earnings would be taxed and would be credited toward retirement.]
  
  
• A provision that would allow FERS employees who left and then returned to government service to redeposit savings in the retirement system and earn credit for years they had previously worked.