Blog | American Postal Worker’s Union

1 March 2022

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The New Union Contract is Ratified!

94% of Voters Say YES!

The main Collective Bargaining Agreement (union contract) between the APWU and the USPS has been overwhelmingly ratified by the members. The contract was signed by APWU President Mark Dimondstein and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on February 28, 2022.

Ninety-Four percent (94%) of the members who voted, voted “Yes!” in favor of ratification. The vote tally was 36,632 votes for ratification and 2,290 against.

“I am ecstatic that the membership recognized the solid gains that this Agreement provides to the 165,000 APWU members from all crafts,” President and lead negotiator Mark Dimondstein stated. “Every member should be very proud of this huge accomplishment. Our power at the bargaining table begins with each of you, the foundation of our union.”

Director of Industrial Relations and chief spokesperson, Vance Zimmerman said, “I am proud of this Agreement and am happy that the membership recognized the hard work of the National Negotiating Committee, the other officers who helped with the negotiations, and the diligent work of our support staff to make this contract a reality.” He continued, “Now the work of implementation begins in earnest.”

For the full article, please click here.

8 February 2022

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PTF and PSE canvass in eReassign

To all APWU family,

Please see the below, it is a screen print of the message display in eReassign for the PTF/PSE canvass process. This went live on the message board in eReassign yesterday. Management has informed me that Zoom meetings with the Districts on this process were completed yesterday.

Canvass Bullentin Board Stand Up Talk

7 February 2022

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Questions About COVID Home Tests? A Pharmacy Expert Has Answers

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We’ve added Health News to our website to give you the latest news on health issues. We’ll be sending you one article weekly, and you can find more on our website by clicking here. Be in the know about health, and have a healthy week.

Questions About COVID Home Tests? A Pharmacy Expert Has Answers

THURSDAY, Feb. 3, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Those hard-to-find COVID-19 home tests are becoming more available, particularly with the U.S. government offering four free tests for every household.

So far, roughly 60 million American households have ordered the free tests, according to the White House. But many folks still have a lot of basic questions about them, said Krist Azizian, chief pharmacy officer for Keck Medicine of the University of Southern California.

These rapid at-home tests are called antigen tests, he said.

“Antigen tests detect a high volume of viral load, and the results are generally available within 15 minutes,” Azizian said in a university news release.

However, you shouldn’t test yourself immediately after you think you’ve been exposed to COVID, Azizian said.

“COVID-19 has an incubation period of five to seven days, so you should get tested at least five days after exposure or upon the onset of symptoms,” he said.

“The biggest testing mistake I see is people taking tests too soon before the viral load can be detected,” Azizian continued. “Testing too soon can waste at-home tests, cause people to needlessly spend money on lab tests and give them a false sense of assurance should they test negative.”

If you’re self-testing, a positive result from an antigen test means you’ve probably got COVID, while a negative result means you either don’t have COVID or you don’t have enough virus in your nose for the test to detect.

Your doctor’s office also can perform an antigen test on you, but they are “not necessarily” more accurate than a test you’d perform on yourself at home, Azizian said.

“Antigen tests conducted at a clinic or lab are very likely comparable to tests purchased over the counter,” Azizian said. “The only reason lab testing may be more accurate is because some people may use the at-home tests incorrectly or may misinterpret the results.”

Doctors can offer another type of COVID test called the PCR test. This is the “gold standard” for accuracy but does not return rapid results and is not available for home use.

PCR tests look for the specific genetic material of COVID, so they can detect lower levels of virus than an antigen test and are less likely to produce inaccurate results, Azizian said. A lab must run the test, and it can take anywhere from a few hours to several days to get the results.

How can you get your free at-home tests?

You can order your four free rapid antigen tests from COVIDtests.gov, Azizian said.

“If your household requires more than four tests, you may be eligible to be fully reimbursed for tests you purchase or get them free of charge through an insurance reimbursement program launched Jan. 15,” Azizian said. “You can contact your health insurance provider for further information.”

When buying a test yourself, look for one that’s authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Azizian said.

Families running short on tests should know they can’t be reused, he added.

“These tests are for single application only,” Azizian said. “People are taking a tremendous risk of exposing others by using one swab for multiple family members. If one has COVID-19 and the others don’t, sharing a swab almost guarantees everyone will get it.”

Which test is right for you?

Rapid antigen tests are a good option for people who have developed symptoms of COVID, Azizian said.

“In general, viral load correlates to symptoms. If you are asymptomatic, your viral load may be too low to be detected by an antigen test,” Azizian said.

If you don’t have symptoms but you’re worried you have COVID, you should talk with your doctor about getting a PCR test. PCR tests also can be used as a follow-up to an antigen test, to make sure you really do have COVID, Azizian added.

“If you test negative on an antigen test, for greater reassurance, follow up with another antigen test at least 24 hours later or a PCR test,” Azizian said.

“While antigen tests are fairly accurate in detecting positive results, if you test positive on an antigen test, it’s best to follow up with a PCR test,” he advised. “However, you should quarantine upon receiving a positive result from any test.”

More information

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has a list of approved at-home COVID tests.

SOURCE: Keck Medicine of University of Southern California, news release, Jan. 31, 2022

Consumer news

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18 January 2022

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Free COVID Test Kits

Click here to get Free COVID Test Kits.

9 January 2022

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OWCP Case for COVID

Following national trends, there has been a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases at the Postal Service.

As a result of federal law and our strong union contract, it is your right to apply for worker’s compensation benefits to protect yourself and your family in the event you contract COVID-19.

If you are a postal employee, no matter if you are a career employee or non-career employee, you are entitled to file a claim with the Office of Workers Compensation Programs.

Sick with COVID? File your claim today

In order for your claim to be successful, you must have worked at the Post Office at some point during the 21-days prior to your COVID-19 diagnosis, and are required to complete an approved form of COVID-19 testing to prove you are sick.

Employees that have claims approved are entitled to have their medical costs and lost wages paid. Approved Claimants are also entitled to request that any annual sick or annual leave used be “bought back” and redeposited to their leave balances. Also, should a postal employee pass away due to COVID- 19, their survivors are entitled to benefits under the compensation programs if there is an approved claim.

Remember, we never know how COVID-19 will affect any one person. While some experience only mild symptoms and recover quickly, others develop long term illness which requires ongoing and expensive treatments.

Be smart – even if your symptoms are mild, be sure to get an official test to document your illness, and file a claim with the OWCP in order to protect yourself and your family from any future complications or medical bills.

Thank you for all that you do.

In solidarity,
The American Postal Workers Union

30 November 2021

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Local News

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Juneteenth National Independence Day

APWU Family,

Please see the attached letter that was sent out yesterday to USPS officers from Deputy PMG Doug Tulino. Juneteenth National Independence Day will be recognized as a holiday for eligible Full-time and part-time career employees starting in calendar year 2022.

You may disseminate.

To download a PDF copy of this notice, click here.

24 November 2021

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Penalty OT exception period

Just as a friendly reminder, please find attached a copy of the notification and previous email that was shared providing for the Penalty OT Exclusion period per Article 8, Sections 4 & 5 begins PP 26 WK 1 (12/4/21) and ends PP 01 WK 2 12/31/21).

Penalty Overtime Exclusion Period for 2021 Notice

Happy Hoildays,

Geraldine Laxa Manzo

APWU, Local 78

Exec. Vice President

7901 Oakport Street, Suite #2300

Oakland, CA 94621

Office: (510) 635-8497

Fax: (510) 635-8782

13 October 2021

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Local News

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2021 Virtual Open Season Health Fairs (HBO)

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Health Benefit Officers,

Welcome to our 2021 APWU Health Plan Virtual Open Season Health Fairs!

We wanted to give your employees an opportunity to meet with APWU Health Plan staff virtually and learn about our benefits. Postal, Federal, and Retirees who are eligible for the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program can access and attend our virtual health fairs safely online.

During Open Season, every Tuesday and Thursday, from 12-2pm EST a Health Plan staff employee will be online to answer questions and discuss plan features. Please forward this email to your employees so that they can participate. Click on the register now to confirm your attendance.

Once registered you will get an email confirmation with a GoToWebinar link and dial-in information. The day before the virtual health fair date you selected, you will receive an email reminder with the dial-in information and instructions.

Register Now! for any of our Virtual Health Fairs.

Tuesday, November 9 – 12pm-2pm EST

Tuesday, November 16 – 12pm-2pm EST

Tuesday, November 23 – 12pm-2pm EST

Tuesday, November 30 – 12pm-2pm EST

Tuesday, December 7 – 12pm-2pm EST

Thursday, November 11 – 12pm-2pm EST

Thursday, November 18 – 12pm-2pm EST

Thursday, December 2 – 12pm-2pm EST

Thursday, December 9 – 12pm-2pm EST

5 October 2021

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Local News

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Annual Leave Carry Over and Lump Sum Payments at Retirement

The Industrial Relations Department has been fielding multiple questions on the amount of annual leave someone would be compensated for when they retire. Attached are the two MOUs the APWU entered into with the Postal Service on annual leave during the pandemic.

Any employee can carryover up to 520 hours of earned annual leave into the 2022 Leave Year that begins on January 1, 2022. If an employee has more than 520 hours of earned annual leave and has used less than 75 hours of sick leave in the previous year, the employee may “exchange” (sell) up to 80 hours of annual leave back to the Postal Service. Employees who are eligible to exchange leave for cash will be notified prior to the “open season” or leave exchange which runs from November 15 to December 15 of each year. (See ELM Section 512.63).

Employees who are retiring are governed by ELM Section 512.7. 512.732.b states in part, “Bargaining unit employees may receive a lump sum leave payment… for accumulated annual leave carried over from the previous year; accrued annual leave for the year in which they separate, up to the carryover maximum for their bargaining unit….”

Currently, the maximum number of hours allowed to be carried over is 520 hours, therefore employees can be paid that amount. In an email exchange between current Vice-President of Labor Relations, Katherine Attridge and Industrial Relations Director Vance Zimmerman when the MOUs were first implemented for leave year 2020 to Leave year 2021, Director Zimmerman posed the question to the Postal Service of whether or not an employee would be compensated for up to 520 hours of leave carried over and any leave accrued in the current leave year. Ms. Attridge responded with, “I agree as well. The MOUs specifically state no other provisions related to leave carryover will be changed, so if 520 is the amount they carryover, then 520 should be the amount they should be compensated for.” It was also confirmed that the Postal Service reprogrammed their payroll systems to account for the increased carryover amounts and to make the proper terminal leave payments.

MOU Annual Leave Carryover for Leave Year 2022

MOU Annual Leave Exchange for Leave Year 2022

21 September 2021

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The Power of the PS Form 1767

What is a 1767?

A Powerful Form!

(PS FORM 1767-Report of Hazard, Unsafe Condition or Practice)

Officially documents and addresses employee’s safety hazards or concern in writing.
Requires a timely written response during your tour by management consistent with ELM Section 824.632.
It is tracked and identifies abatement date.
The Joint Local Safety and Health Committee is required to review all 1767s at their meetings.
User friendly form that is easy to complete – instructions are clearly printed on the back of the form.

The form must be readily available for an employee to use!

Not locked in a supervisor’s desk or any non-accessible area.

The employee must be provided a signed copy of the form (blue copy). It is also suggested you have your union representative make a copy before it is submitted to the supervisor.

This form can be used to document other safety and health related concerns as well (i.e. housekeeping issues, buildings not maintained, dirty bathrooms, bad lighting, abusive supervisors, etc.).

The form may also be completed anonymously and submitted directly to the safety office.

Text SAFETY to 91990 for link to the PS 1767 page.

For more information and assistance in establishing your own safety and health committee, please contact Your Regional Coordinator or Your Regional Safety Rep.

Click here to read the PDF document