COLA PAY RAISE!!

By Laviena Vargas, President

Thank You APWU for the latest Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) raise that was paid out starting in March 2024. The APWU successfully negotiated the COLA raises in our last Contract Negotiations in 2021. Career Employees are seeing a $354.00 increase annually or $13.60 per pay period. Hope everyone enjoys the COLA raise compliments of Our Union!

Postmaster General (PMG) DeJoy BLAMES employees for the postal service's recent failures!

By Laviena Vargas, President

On April 16, 2024, the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee held hearings on the Oversight of the USPS with the PMG Louis DeJoy. Along with PMG DeJoy providing testimony were Roman Martinez IV, U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors, Michael Kubayanda, Chairman, Postal Regulatory Commission and Tammy Hull, Inspector General, U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General.

During this hearing, PMG DeJoy was asked about the recent failures of the USPS, his response was that a lot of failures “Were in fact employee attendance issues!”  So, the PMG of the USPS blames the hard-working employees for all the failures of his Management Failed Plans!

That is an absolute disgrace at the highest level. It is only because of the hard-working USPS employees that our Postal customers can receive and send their letters and packages. The hard-working employees continue to provide a service where there are staffing shortages. The hard-working employees provide service while the PMG is closing and consolidating stations nationwide.

The PMG is directing all management to cut overtime and to disallow any penalty overtime. He wants a hard-working employee to perform job duties that should be done by 3-4 employees on any given day. Yet, this PMG wants to loudly and proudly tell the Senate Chairman at the hearing that the USPS failures are the fault of the hard-working employees!!! NONSENSE!

You can watch the hearing in its entirety by going to the National APWU website at apwu.org

“Building Union Power” National Organizing Campaign Underway

By Laviena Vargas, President

With our Contract Negotiations set to start June 25, 2024, it so very Important that our Union has every employee as an active Union member. During negotiations, the USPS will run a report and use the number of Non-members to their advantage saying that this amount of USPS employees DO NOT Want the many benefits that the APWU is fighting for.

Management is going to say that IF these NON-Union member employees agreed with getting paid overtime after 8 hours or work, or if they agreed with the NO LAY OFF clause, these employees would join the Union and pay dues IF they wanted and agreed with these benefits. The Non-members enjoy the benefits that the Union fights so hard for, but they do NOT PAY their FAIR SHARE! It really is quite a shame that some adults can stand by and watch Union members pay dues every pay period and yet they feel the least bit embarrassed that they are NOT contributing to the cause.

SMH- Yes, I’m shaking my head! We Union members must take the time to help educate the NON-members, we must let them know that by them being NON-members it weakens the fight of the Union. We must make sure that our Union is as strong as it needs to be. Especially as we prepare to fight in Contract Negotiations. We must make sure every NON-member gets signed up to be a Union Member and that they contribute to the Union!

Please contact your union steward for the Postal form 1187 to sign up a new member. There is a $100.00 bounty paid for every Career Non-member you sign up and a $50.00 bounty paid for every PSE Non-member you sign up as a new member. To obtain the cash bounty, simply put your name at the top of the 1187 form for the new member and the Denver Metro Area Local will pay you for signing up that new member. You can request an 1187 from your Craft Director or the union steward in your section. You can also call our Office Secretary Michaela at #303-365-1524 and she can mail or email you the 1187 form. Electronic 1187 forms can also be found on the APWU website.

 Help Us Help You by building our Union’s Strength with New Members!

Young Members Are Our Future

By Muriel Ponder, Maintenance Craft Director

APWU is searching  across the country for our future leaders.   Are you a future President at the national level or, perhaps a Craft Director at a local, regional or national level?  Why should you consider the idea?  Just look at the current officers in our local.  While I do not know every officers age, I’m pretty sure the median falls somewhere in the 50’s.  Most of us are already thinking about retirement.  Who will be ready to take our place?  Will it be you?

The path to union leadership begins the day you become a member.  The next step is volunteering to help with union activities and/or becoming a steward.  We cannot succeed without our stewards, our front line troops.  Stewards are the first to know your issues. They’re your source of advice and sometimes, your advocate. They are my heroes!

Becoming a steward is a straightforward process.  Becoming a good steward is a longer process during which you learn the contract, how to interpret it, where to find answers and how the entire grievance process works from start to finish.  You’ll learn that unions, like our employer, have a chain of command and standard procedures to make things work smoothly.  None of this is  difficult if you are committed to the process and to the people you represent. Your fellow stewards and your officers are good resources.  An open mind and willingness to think outside the box and learn new things.  Perhaps the hardest part is being part of a larger team rather than a solo star of the production.

This is YOUR Union!  Yours to shape to fit your future in the Postal Service, yours to foster or to allow to wither away.  The choice is yours. Make the wisest choice.  If you would like to see the reasons WHY a union was necessary to the survival of the Post Office, visit YouTube and watch The Great Postal Strike of 1970.  That led to the birth of APWU and all the benefits and protections the National leadership has won for us all over the 54 years.

National APWU Has a YOUNG MEMBERS PROGRAM that provides special perks and opportunities to our members 35 years and younger.  Local  229 is offering an additional $50 door prize for members under 35 years of age who sign into a member’s meeting BEFORE the scheduled start time, either virtually or in person. Saturday meetings begin at 9:00 a.m. and Wednesday meetings begin at 5:00p.m. 

The virtual link opens at least 15 minutes before the actual start times for day or evening meetings.  The next Member’s Meeting is Wednesday, April 24, 2024, and will begin at  5:00 p.m.  For info on young members, go to https://apwu.org/young-members-committee .  See YOU there as you start your journey to leadership!