[October 24th]

APWU-VER Dispute Information Form

The APWU has a pending national-level dispute over the Postal Service's refusal and failure to offer voluntary early retirement (VER) to all eligible APWU-represented employees.

It is not necessary to file individual grievances on this subject. The APWU is pursuing this dispute on behalf of all affected employees, including those who occupy jobs in excluded categories, as well as those who were notified they do not occupy positions that have been identified as excess.

The APWU at the national level is obtaining from the Postal Service information such as the identification of all VER-eligible APWU-represented employees, including those employees who received and completed a VER "Statement of Interest" letter, and those who submitted a "Statement of Interest" letter but were denied the offer for VER, the reason for disapproval, and other relevant information.

However, the union is requesting that eligible APWU-represented employees who would have exercised the option to retire early but were denied the opportunity to do so, print out, then complete the Dispute Form.

Completion of this form will help the union identify those employees who
would have retired early but were denied the opportunity.

        [October 23rd]

APWU Members Can Show Their Support

Thousands of our US service members are actively deployed overseas, serving in operation Iraqi Freedom and the fight against terrorism. Remind them they are appreciated and not forgotten.

You can participate in these APWU-sponsored programs to help out:
Adopt-A- Service Member
Create Your Own Care Package
Make a $25 USO Donation

Send Care Packages and USO Donations to:

APWU
1300 L Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
Attention: Human Relations Department

There is no deadline for these items, as they are being accepted indefinitely.

Follow the Adopt A Service Member Care Package Guidelines and follow
the do's and don'ts when creating your personal care package
to be sent to any service member,
or make a $25 donation check payable to:
USO
to purchase a USO Care Package to be sent to any service member.

        [October 17th]

View President Burrus's Report on the Commission's Findings

President Burrus discusses the proposals of President Bush's Commission to study the Postal Service. Please make the time to watch this report from your president on the impact that these recommendations might have and how we need to fight them.

View here for a streaming video if you have a phone/dial-up connection to the internet.

View here for a streaming video if you have a high-speed DSL/Cable connection to the internet.

        [October 13th]

Update on Voluntary Early Retirement Talks

While discussions between the APWU and USPS regarding the implementation of the Voluntary Early Retirement Agreement have clarified some issues, a federal district judge on Oct. 23 will hear arguments about the union’s right to arbitrate the dispute over management’s failure to offer VER to all eligible APWU-represented employees.

"While awaiting our day in court, we have cleared up some of the issues affecting employees who received a letter titled Voluntary Early Retirement Offer," APWU President William Burrus said. The long and apparently contradictory letters have left many employees who received them unclear about the status of their VER applications.

"We posed a series of questions to management regarding the letters the Postal Service sent to employees," Burrus said, "and yesterday we received a reply." If this subject interests you, please visit the APWU Web Site to read more about the talks and the response from the USPS.

        [October 10th]

Update on Postal Employee's Relief Fund

The Postal Employees' Relief Fund (PERF) is a tax-exempt charitable organization established in 1990 to provide relief assistance to qualified postal employees who are victims of major natural disasters when such losses are not reimbursed by insurance or grants.

To date, PERF has provided nearly $ 4 million in assistance to postal employees impacted by hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, mudslides, forest fires, etc. PERF receives contributions primarily from payroll deductions solicited through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC#9891) and through individual and group contributions sent directly to the Fund.

For PERF Information, Eligibility Criteria, Applications, To Make Donation or To Obtain PERF Brochures for Distributing During Your Postal District's Combined Federal Campaign Solicitation Period Contact:

Postal Employees' Relief Fund
PO Box 34422
Washington, DC 20043-4422
Tel: 202-408-1869
Email: perf9891@aol.com
Web Site: www.postalrelief.org

        [October 10th]

Request For Annual Leave Donation

We have received a request for annual leave donations from
SHELLY A (HOWELL) TEMPALSKI, a Mail Processing Clerk at the GMF.

Any career employee who is interested in donating annual leave, should contact the Personnel Office or union representative and request Form 3970-D, Request to Donate Leave.

The LSP Case Number is LSP 03-2F-150-019

Forms 3970-D with completed Parts I and II should be sent to:

Leave Share Program
U S Postal Service- Room 2337
1001 California Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15290-9421

        [October 9th]

US Dept. of Labor Responds to Letter from the PMAPWU Offices

A representative from the Employment Standards Administration, Wage and Hour Division in Washington, D.C. replied to a letter that the PMAPWU sent looking for information about the possible changes in overtime pay for American workers.

You can read the full text of the letter if you'd like.

        [October 9th]

New Web Site to Help Shoppers Support U.S. Jobs

Graduate students at the University of Massachusetts have teamed with the AFL-CIO to build an on-line database listing all goods and services produced by U.S. union members.

"Just about everyone has a relative, friend or neighbor who lost a job because their work was shipped to low-wage, nonunion countries like China or Mexico. Our website gives consumers a powerful way to support good U.S. jobs," explained Charles F. Mercer, president of the AFL-CIO Union Label and Service Trades Department.

"Consumers can 'vote with their dollars' by using the website to buy goods and services made by U.S. workers earning decent wages and benefits, with safe working conditions. Good jobs are the backbone of a healthy economy," Mercer explained.

In early September, the Union Label and Service Trades Department formed a partnership with the Labor Relations and Research Center graduate program at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst to have graduate students, represented by the UAW, build the new database and website.

The first phase of the new website will be a travel planner, where vacations and business trips can be arranged using everything from unionized hotels to unionized restaurants, theaters and transportation. The travel planner will be operational in early 2004.

The database will soon offer thousands of union-made products for home, commercial and industrial use, including clothing, automobiles and groceries, as well as insurance, health care and other services. The expanded, modernized website will replace an older, on-line database currently located at UnionLabel.org.

        [October 1st]

Sam Talerico Wins John T. Boxier Scholarship

The 2003 Pennsylvania Postal Workers Union "John T. Boxier Scholarship" has been awarded to Samuel Talerico of Clinton, PA. You may remember that Sam also won an APWU scholarship at the national level in July. Please visit the July bulletin board posting by clicking the link at the bottom of the page.

Sam is a graduate of South Side Senior High School and will be attending Grove City College. His father Fred is a member of the Pittsburgh Metro-Area Postal Workers Union.

The First Alternate for the scholarship is Adrian Gotteshall of Pottstown, who has plans of attending Penn State University. Adrian's mother Donna is a member of the Eastern Montgomery County Area Local.

Second Alternate is Amanda Pacheco of Philadelphia; she also has plans of attending Penn State University. Her father Eddie is a member of the Philadelphia BMC Area Local.

We would like to thank the scholarship committee for their time and professional commitment in their selections of these fine young people. The committee consisted of three University professors are associated with the Pennsylvania Labor History Society. They were selected by location, one in the Eastern, one in the Central and one in the Western regions of the Commonwealth.

        [October 1st]

Mutual Trade Desired within Pittsburgh Area

Current Position: PPDMO Clerk at BMC, Warrendale, PA

Seeking: Mutual trade to an Associate Post Office within
an approximate 1-hour driving distance of Pittsburgh

Seniority Date: March 29, 1997

Please Reply to:
Aaron Berman
PO Box 8146
Pittsburgh, PA 15217
412-576-7816
Email address: Aaron Berman