Deadline for Voting Extended

The APWU Election Committee has extended the deadline for voting in the national officers’ election because of reports that a large number of union members have not yet received their ballots. The new deadline for receipt of ballots at the post office box designated on the return envelope is Thursday, Oct. 14, at 2 p.m.

The American Arbitration Association, which mailed the ballots on Sept. 13, has notified the Election Committee that it has received a large number of requests for duplicate ballots. 

Members in good standing as of June 15, 2010, who do not receive a ballot by Tuesday, Sept. 28, should notify their local, or contact the American Arbitration Association between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. (EDT) at 800-529-5218 to request a duplicate. Ballots also may be requested by e-mail to apwu@adr.org. Requests for duplicate ballots will be accepted via phone until 5 p.m. on Oct. 7, and  via e-mail until 11:59 p.m. When requesting duplicate ballots, members must provide their name and the last four digits of their Social Security number, along with their local, craft, mailing address, and telephone number. 

If a union member submits both an original and duplicate ballot, only the duplicate ballot will be counted.

Because of the change in the deadline, the counting of ballots will be held at a new location: Four Points by Sheraton, 1201 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20005.

It’s your union. VOTE!

Congressman’s Call for Concessions Should Drive Postal Workers to the Polls

A recent guest editorial in the Washington Times by a California congressman demonstrates just how important the November elections are for postal workers, APWU President William Burrus wrote in an Update for union members.  In an article about the Postal Service and contract negotiations, Rep. Darrell Issa declared: “No union has or ever will lobby for a layoff, so it’s up to USPS management and Congress to demand concessions.”

Demand concessions?  Yes, Rep. Issa wants Congress to demand layoffs and other concessions from postal workers.

And if the Republican Party takes control of the House of Representatives in the fall election, Rep. Issa will become chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which oversees the Postal Service.  As chairman, he would have tremendous influence over legislation affecting postal employees and other federal workers — deciding which bills are considered and how they are handled.

Rep. Issa justifies his call for concessions by asserting that the American people could soon be asked for a postal bailout.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  

As Burrus pointed out in a Sept. 22 letter to the congressman, the Postal Service does not need a bailout, and no one has requested one — not the USPS, not its customers, not its unions, and not Democratic lawmakers.

In fact, two independent and respected auditors have concluded that the Postal Service has overfunded its retirement fund by $50 billion to $75 billion.  If the USPS were permitted to apply the overpayments to the its future retiree healthcare obligations, the agency’s financial crisis would be resolved.  That is the goal of H.R. 5746, which was introduced by Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) on July 15.  The bill to fix postal finances has 103 co-sponsors, but Rep. Issa isn’t one of them.

As the APWU has pointed out many times, the requirement to pre-fund future retiree healthcare liabilities was a politically-motivated feature of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006.  No other federal agency or private company is required to make such payments, which cost the USPS more than $5 billion annually for 10 years.

“For APWU members, the stakes couldn’t be higher,” Burrus said.  “It is imperative that union members vote on Nov. 2 and give serious consideration to what their vote will mean for the future of the Postal Service — and their jobs.”

Watch your mailbox for information about union-endorsed candidates. Visit  www.apwu.org for more information.