Clerks in Small Offices to Receive Payout

By: Steve Lord

Back in December of 2014 a settlement was reached between the APWU and the USPS regarding Postmasters doing bargaining unit work in small offices. The settlement had two parts.

The first part dealt with Postmasters doing bargaining unit work in small offices from December 5, 2014 forward. Postmasters in Level 18 offices are now required to report their bargaining unit hours worked on an electronic 1260 form. Many clerks from Level 18 offices began receiving payouts this summer due to their Postmasters doing more than the allowed 15 hours of bargaining unit work.

The APWU at a national level gets the 1260 reports and disseminates them to the state and local organization so that they can contact the designated management person to begin the process of payment to the appropriate clerks. To date over $200,000 of payments have been scheduled in Wisconsin alone. If you work in a Level 18 office and think your Postmaster is doing more than 15 hours of bargaining unit work per week you should be getting a payout from the settlement. If you have not gotten a settlement payout you should contact the appropriate APWU representative.

The second part of the aforementioned settlement deals with the time before December 5, 2014. An award of 56 million dollars was achieved for that time period. The award time period goes from May 7, 2011 through December 5, 2014. If you were a PTF or NTFT employee at a small office (Level 18 and below) you should be in line for a payout. The payout works like this. The time period mentioned consists of 187 weeks. Each week that a NTFT or PTF employee worked will entitle that employee to one share which is worth $26.23. If an employee worked the entire time period it would amount to approximately $4900.

To those APWU members in these offices, thank you for being a member. You have contributed union dues which has helped the union financially and enabled the APWU to continue these long dragged out and expensive struggles. If you are a non-member reading this an 1187 form will be sent to you asking you to help contribute to these struggles. If you know a non-member encourage them to join. The APWU will continue to fight for the small office employee, but it is not cheap.

Alice in Dairyland Showcases Flavors of Wisconsin Fairs and Festivals

MADISON – Are you ready to “Taste Wisconsin” this summer? Wisconsin’s fairs and festivals season is here. This brings a bounty of delicious foods and flavors to tempt your taste buds, everything from protein packed food “on-a-stick” to a sweet treat or two.

Rochelle Ripp, the 65th Alice in Dairyland, will be traveling the state highlighting the Wisconsin agricultural flavors that can be sampled at Wisconsin fairs and festivals. 

“Wisconsin has a variety of foods and flavors we are known for – cheese, sauerkraut, specialty meats, cherries and berries and a whole lot more,” said Ripp. “Wisconsin agriculture has something for everyone.”

For example, it wouldn’t be a fair without something “on-a-stick”. A favorite is a pork chop on-a- stick, served up by the Wisconsin Pork Producers Association. One pork chop serving is a great way to get protein into your diet. One chop has more than 20 grams of protein and can be paired with some great Wisconsin cranberry chutney or horseradish.

Fresh or fried, these bite-sized squeaky treats are a hit! Cheese curds are a fair and festival favorite. Cheddar or mozzarella, Wisconsin has over 600 varieties, types and styles of cheese to enjoy. It takes ten pounds of milk to make one pound of cheese. A gallon of milk weighs about eight pounds, so that’s just a little over one gallon of milk.

What starts in a field quickly transforms into a light snack over a stove or in a microwave – popcorn. Toss in a little Wisconsin butter, sprinkle with a bit of salt, or flavor with cheese or maple syrup, and you have a treat that is sure to make your mouth ‘pop’ this summer. There are two types of popcorn – snowflake and mushroom – which are named because of their shape. Snowflake popcorn is what we find at fairs and festivals; mushroom popcorn is used with flavorings because it is a sturdier type.

You haven’t been to the fair until you’ve had your cream puff. The Original Cream Puff® is a summer staple at the Wisconsin State Fair. The cream puff shell is filled with dairy goodness. In 2011, the Wisconsin State Fair Park Dairy Bakery sold 355,478 cream puffs and set a Guinness World Record for the “World’s Largest Cream Puff,” weighing in at 125.6 pounds! New this year, the State Fair cream puff box will feature the Something Special from Wisconsin™ logo.

Maple sugar cotton candy is a fun, fluffy finale on your taste buds. Made from pure, natural, granulated sugars tapped from our Wisconsin maple trees and sugar bushes, this is a sweet reminder of summer fun. Marathon County claims the title as the highest maple syrup producing county in Wisconsin.

“I encourage you to get out and ‘Taste Wisconsin’ at the fairs and festivals this summer,” concluded Ripp. “Buying Wisconsin products is a great way to support our local farmers, communities, economies, and our Wisconsin way of life.”

Alice in Dairyland is Wisconsin’s agriculture ambassador. She travels over 40,000 miles each year to spread the word about our diverse agriculture industry. Alice in Dairyland can be reached by writing to Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), 2811 Agriculture Drive, PO Box 8911, Madison, WI 53718. You can schedule Alice for an upcoming event by contacting the Alice in Dairyland Program at 608.224.5115 or by e-mail at DATCPAlice@wisconsin.gov. To learn more about Wisconsin’s $59 billion agricultural industry visit her travel blog at www.wisconsinagconnection.com/alice or become a friend on Facebook (Alice Dairyland), follow on Twitter (Alice_Dairyland) or LinkedIn (Alice in Dairyland). 

May 8 Primary Voter Guide

With the May 8 recall primary elections less than two weeks away, we wanted to be sure that you had the necessary information to cast an informed ballot at your local polling location.

 

You can look up your polling place and check to see if you are a registered voter by visiting https://vpa.wi.gov/. Early voting is now underway in all six recall primary races. You can cast an in-person absentee ballot until the close of business on May 4 at your local municipal clerks’ offices.

Remember, you do NOT need a state issued ID to vote and can register to vote in-person on the day of the election. For more information on how to register to vote visit http://www.wisconsinvote.org/.

There are two statewide primary elections being held on May 8. One for the office of Governor and one for Lieutenant Governor. There are also primaries in four Senate Districts. Republicans are running fake Democrats in all six primary races so it is important to know the facts about the candidates before heading to the polls.

The Wisconsin State AFL-CIO has made the following endorsements:

• Lori Compas - Senate District 13
• John Lehman - Senate District 21
• Kristen Dexter - Senate District 23
• Donna Seidel - Senate District 29
• Mahlon Mitchell – Lieutenant Governor
• Kathleen Falk – Governor

The above candidates are committed to fighting for worker rights, education, health care and a fair economy. They will work to advance the needs of working class and middle class Wisconsinites – not out-of-state millionaires and billionaires.

Cast your ballot on Tuesday, May 8 and mark your calendars for the general election which will be held on Tuesday, June 5.

Source: Wisconsin State AFL-CO Blog

Memorial of the 2001 Anthrax Attacks

 

Click on Poster to Enlarge

First they came…

First They came... - Pastor Martin Niemoller

First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Events in Tucson

Twelve days ago the entire country was shocked by the tragic events in Tucson. Congresswoman Giffords now begins a long road to recovery.

If APWU members, particularly veterans, would like to send get well wishes and to thank her for support in the past they can do so by simply clicking the link below:

org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6676/p/dia/action/public/

Postal Service Denies Plans for Oshkosh Town Hall Meeting

By Chris Hrapsky

Postal workers in Oshkosh say a town hall meeting will take place in November to discuss the potential closing of the mail processing facility in the city. It's a claim the U.S. Postal Service denies.

Postal Service workers in Oshkosh fear their plant is one step closer to shutting down for good. [Full Story]

Source: WBAY TV Green Bay, WI

Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Elects New President, Secretary-Treasurer

Convention delegates adopt the “Solidarity Wisconsin” vision with jobs at the top of their agenda

(Green Bay, WI)  It should come as no surprise that the theme of the 26th Biennial Wisconsin State AFL-CIO Convention, which concluded today, was “Good Jobs Now!”  These are trying times for workers. High unemployment is crushing the dreams of millions of families.  Millions more are bringing home smaller paychecks and have fewer benefits.  Meanwhile, companies are sitting on record profits and cash reserves.  Yet the mood of the convention was optimistic as delegates representing 250,000 Wisconsin workers in over 1,000 affiliated unions chose new leadership and committed to a plan of action.

“We don’t think Labor’s best days are behind us. In fact, we believe the time is right to inspire a new generation to fight for justice and prosperity for all workers.  Together we can turn a new page in the history of Wisconsin’s labor movement,” said Phil Neuenfeldt, the newly elected President of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO.

Prior to Monday’s election, Neuenfeldt had served four terms (16 years) as the Secretary-Treasurer of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO.  Stephanie Bloomingdale, who was until recently the Public Policy Director for the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Care Professionals, AFT, was elected to the office of Secretary-Treasurer.  Neuenfeldt and Bloomingdale ran on a detailed “Solidarity Wisconsin” platform.

“Solidarity Wisconsin is the vehicle through which Wisconsin’s workers will build a bridge to a new era for organized labor in our state,” explained Bloomingdale.  “We are guided by the principle that each union is only as strong as our overall movement. We commit ourselves to this important work in the firm belief that working people must organize and stand together in order to be fairly paid for the work that we do.”

“Moving forward, we will honor the struggles of the union brothers and sisters who went before us, and recognize that their hard-won gains on behalf of the labor movement are under assault,” pledged Neuenfeldt.  “We will stand together to mount an aggressive response to the challenges of the 21st century and bring justice and prosperity to Wisconsin’s working families.”

Other highlights of the convention included a speech by national AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and remarks by AFL-CIO endorsed political candidates including Sen. Russ Feingold, Rep. Steve Kagen and gubernatorial candidate Tom Barrett.

Over the course of three days, prominent speakers from academia and within the labor movement discussed a plethora of topics related to job creation and the economic power of Wisconsin working families including: international manufacturing and the need to renegotiate failed trade policies; the effective use of economic stimulus to retain existing jobs and spur job creation; the implementation of the health care reform bill and the long-term strategy to achieve quality, affordable health care for all; eroding retirement security and what can be done to reverse the trends; the need for sensible immigration reform; and corporate media consolidation and the implications for labor news coverage.  The Union Sportsmen’s Alliance also introduced its first “Boots on the Ground” conservation project, in which union members will weld deer traps for a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources white-tailed deer study.

“Don’t be fooled; there is an economic recovery happening in America today — but it’s banks and businesses that are benefiting, not America’s working families,” warned President-elect Neuenfeldt.  “By developing a common agenda, coordinate strategy and hold each other accountable, I believe that working people can reign in Wall Street, and in the process, bring good jobs and a higher standard of living to Main Street.”

 WISCONSIN STATE AFL-CIO OFFICER BIOGRAPHIES

PRESIDENT PHIL NEUENFELDT began his career with fourteen years in the manufacturing sector where he was elected shop steward, and he still believes that making things in Wisconsin is key to long-term prosperity and a viable middle-class.  As an active member of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, Phil fought for fair contracts, improved health and safety conditions, and economic development that benefited union workers as well as the community at large.  He held various positions of leadership in his local union, including Chair of the bargaining committee.

Prior to his election as President, Phil served the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO in many capacities, most notably as Secretary Treasurer and Legislative Director.   As Legislative Director, Phil put the Wisconsin labor movement on the offensive and advanced a working family agenda which included extending the ability to organize, workers’ rights, installing prevailing wage protections, defending the Family and Medical Leave Act, teaching labor education in the schools, creating fairer tax codes which close corporate loopholes, preventing the outsourcing of public services, creating and retaining manufacturing jobs, and adopting green energy initiatives which will include family-wage jobs.

Because individual workers and the labor movement as a whole must continuously evolve to keep up with changing conditions, Phil continues to develop strategies to upgrade workplace skills and address changes in technology and the economy.  Some of his programs have been used as national models.

As a veteran and a father, Phil has deep roots in his community.  His vision for the labor movement extends beyond current union members, and Phil continues to take on projects that expand the sphere of solidarity and improve the lives of all working families.  Even beyond his union activity, he plays an active development and implementation role within the nonprofit community.

SECRETRARY-TREASURER STEPHANIE BLOOMINGDALE has more than 20 years of experience in labor as an organizer, negotiator, trainer, and activist. As Director of Public Policy for the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, she held a key role in the struggle to strengthen the power of nurses and healthcare workers throughout Wisconsin. In arbitrations and grievance hearings, she is known as a tough negotiator. In her electoral work, she has a statewide reputation for managing effective voter mobilization campaigns and holding elected officials accountable.

During a career that began as an activist at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Stephanie has been committed to the ideals of organized labor and the power of collective action to create a strong middle-class. She is dedicated to building grass-roots, member-driven campaigns that advocate for social and economic justice for everyone.

Stephanie was raised by working-class parents who often struggled but always believed in hard work and education.

Fake United States Postal Service Emails Distribute Trojan Downloader

Fake United States Postal Service Emails Distribute Trojan Downloader
Source: Softpedia

Lessons of Financial Collapse Can’t Be Ignored

If the nation ignores the history of what caused the collapse of the financial system, says Phil Angelides,

“We will be doomed to bail it out again.”

Angelides is chairman of the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission charged with finding the causes and culprits behind the nation’s economic disaster. Speaking at panel discussion this afternoon at the America’s Future Now conference, Angelides said he dubbed the meltdown, “the immaculate financial crisis” because no one on Wall Street, the Big Banks or the deregulating policy makers that controlled the reins of the system, will take responsibility.

There has been almost no reflection by Wall Street over the crisis because the American taxpayers gave them $1 trillion. Wall Street reform is a start, not an end. We have to commit to changes in our financial system so it works for the many, not the few.

Read the rest of this entry »

Source: AFL-CIO Now Blog

Workers Memorial Day - April 28th

Remember the coal miners.

Obama Executive Order on Labor Management Forums: Deadline Dates and Requirements

No, is not a typo. Government adores an acronym. So will the President's new National Council on Federal Labor-Management Relations be called the "en-co-flemer"? What else could it be? In any event, March 9th is the deadline for Agencies to submit the following: [Full Story]

Source: FedSmith

STATE CONVENTION - OFFICIAL CONVENTION CALL OF THE APWU OF WISCONSIN

Official notification is hereby given that the Convention of the APWU of Wisconsin will convene on Thursday April 29, 2010 and continue through Saturday, May 1, 2010. It will be held at the Radisson Paper Valley in at 333 W. College Avenue in Appleton, WI . The Hotel is located in Downtown Appleton and reservations MUST be made by March 15, 2010 to reserve your room.

In addition on the afternoon of Thursday, April 29, 2010 a training seminar will be held in conjunction with the convention. Please phone the hotel at 920-733-8000 to reserve your room as soon as you can.

Again this year a new part of our constitution will go into effect. In past years the convention was concluded with the banquet on Saturday evening. The banquet is always a nice time to reflect on the Brotherhood and Sisterhood of our Union. Unfortunately a number of Brothers and Sisters left after the convention recessed on Saturday afternoon and missed the camaraderie of the banquet. This year the banquet will be held on Friday night and the fee for the banquet will be included with the registration fee.

Some of the governing portions of the State Constitution appear below.

NOTICE OF ELECTIONS

Nomination and election of all Officers of the APWU of Wisconsin will take place at this convention.

On the afternoon of the opening day of the Convention, the Chairman of the nominations committee shall declare the convention open for nomination for all offices and the Convention City at which the next Convention is to be held. Article VI Section 7,(2).

The nomination shall proceed in the following order: 1; General President, 2; Secretary-Treasurer, 3; Director of Legislation, 4; Director of Human Relations, 5; Director of Education and Organization.

The election of officers shall take place on the afternoon of the second day of the convention. Article VI Section 7 (4).

CREDENTIALS

Credentials will be mailed out by the Secretary - Treasurer by February 21, 2010. They shall be properly signed, returned and in the hands of the Secretary-Treasurer by April 1, 2010 so that committee assignments can be made by the State President, and committee members can be properly notified.

REPRESENTATION

The voting power of the members of the American Postal Workers Union of Wisconsin , AFL-CIO, at State Convention shall be as follows: Article V section 1:

“EACH LOCAL UNION AND AREA LOCAL SHALL BE ENTITLED TO REPRESENTATION IN STATE CONVENTION OF ONE (1) DELEGATE AND ONE (1) VOTE FOR EACH 25 MEMBERS OR FRACTION THEROF:”

The convention can at its pleasure give visiting Members at Large a vote; providing not more than three Members at Large attend the Convention. If more that three attend, the Chairman of the Credentials Committee with the consent of the Convention, shall apportion one-third vote to each Member at Large. Article V Section 2.

Voting delegates shall be based on the average amount of per capital tax paid by each local/area local during the two (2) preceding calendar years of the convention year. Any local whose charter has not been in existence for this period, shall receive voting delegates based upon the average per capita one month previous to the month the convention is held. Article V Section 5.

RESOLUTIONS

All resolutions to be presented at the Convention must be in the hands of the Secretary-Treasurer at least four (4) weeks prior to the opening of the Convention in order to be printed in the Convention Book. Article VI Section 5. ALL RESOLUTIONS MUST BE IN THE SEC/TREAS HANDS BY APRIL 1, 2010.

All proposed Constitution changes must be in the hands of the Secretary-Treasurer at least four (4) weeks prior to the opening of the Convention in order to be printed in the Convention Book. Article VI Section 8. ALL CONSTITUTION CHANGES MUST BE IN THE SEC/TREAS HANDS BY APRIL 1, 2010.

All Officer’s reports shall be ready and in the hands of the Secretary-Treasurer four (4) weeks prior to the opening of the Convention. Article VII Section 8.

REMINDERS:

ALL LOCAL DELEGATES MUST BE ELECTED BY SECRET BALLOT VOTE OF THEIR MEMBERSHIP, UNLESS YOUR LOCAL CONSTITUTION PROVIDES FOR AUTOMATIC DELEGATE(S) TO A CONVENTION. MAL’S are to get their authorized credentials from the State Secretary-Treasurer. These procedures must be followed or delegates will not be seated.
Education classes will be held on April 29, 2010. The programs have not been confirmed at this time.

The official opening of the Convention will be at 10:00 AM on Friday, April 30, 2010, the convention will close with a the installation of officers on Saturday May 1. 2010.

Now is the time to start preparing any resolutions that you wish to submit to the convention for consideration by the delegates in attendance and to be forwarded if acted on to the National APWU convention.

Please bring any COPA donations from your local to the convention.
　
Dale Anderson
Secretary/Treasurer
American Postal Workers Union of Wisconsin

Help One of Our Own

email sent from APWU of WI President Steve Lord:

Dear brothers and sisters,

Attached to this email you will find a letter from SPC Erik Mckenna. He is the son of our brother Paul Mckenna the Milwaukee Area Local President. I know from time to time you get requests to help our young men and women in the military. Here is a chance to help a service member of our own APWU of Wisconsin union family. I hope I can count on your local or members of your local to help with some of the items in the letter. Some of the items are higher ticket items that your local or members of your local would like to contribute money to help buy. If you are willing to help please post this letter on your union board and bring it up at your next local union meeting. If you have items or dollars to contribute please call me at 920-426-5285. Thanks in advance for your help.

Steve Lord, President
APWU of Wisconsin

5-day delivery: Depends on your perspective

Bottom line: it seems that technology will increasingly take the place of postal service in the years to come. This time around, Saturday service may be eliminated. But give it a few more years, and we might see Monday-Wednesday-Friday service. One day, USPS may be eliminated entirely. (Full Story]

Source: FEDERALTIMES.COM

"Good Morning America" / Wal-Mart Linked to Swine Flu

Dear Friends,

If you missed Friday’s ABC "Good Morning America" report on Wal-Mart's punitive sick-leave policies -including demerits and docked wages, driving Wal-Mart employees to work no matter how sick they are-you can still see it at:

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=f90i7aSGjBl3GN0192fd1Y2n6y3uxuQP

An estimated 14,886,054 viewers saw the program.

Wal-Mart said it will not change its sick leave policies-which put both workers and customers at greater risk of catching swine flu because, well…. "because it is our policy." In a real humanitarian step, Wal-Mart has promised that no employee will be fired for having the H1N1 virus.

The story hit a nerve. A flood of Wal-Mart employees are sending their horror stories both to ABC and to the NLC. Other companies are also being exposed, including Home Depot and the major airlines.

We encourage you to weigh in about Wal-Mart's punitive sick leave policy on ABC/Good Morning America's site. If we can reform Wal-Mart, other companies will follow. The door is open. We must run through it. Let's keep the pressure up.

-ABC/Good Morning America, November 6, 2009 "Risking Demerits or Spreading H1N1?-

National Labor Committee, "Wal-Mart's Sick Leave Policy Risks Spreading Swine Flu; Retail Giant Flouts Recommendations of Centers for Disease Control"

Source: National Labor Committee

FEINGOLD RETURNS NEARLY $270,000 IN OFFICE FUNDS TO THE TREASURY

Policy of Returning Office Budget Part of Feingold’s Commitment to Fiscal Responsibility

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Russ Feingold announced today that he recently returned $269,209.41 allocated to him as part of his office budget to the U.S. Treasury as part of his commitment to fiscal responsibility and curbing the deficit. Returning a portion of his office budget is a longstanding practice for Feingold, who over the course of his career has returned more than $3.2 million in office funding to the Treasury. Feingold is trying to expand this general practice Senate-wide in an effort that could save taxpayers $54 million. A provision in Feingold’s Control Spending Now Act, legislation to cut the deficit by more than one half trillion dollars over ten years, would cut five percent from this year’s allocation for House and Senate offices.

“We are staring down a record deficit that our children and grandchildren will pay for if we don’t take action,” Feingold said. “Returning this funding won’t get us out of the red but it will show the American people that some of us in Congress understand how important it is to cut the deficit.”

Trimming office budgets is one of several ways Feingold is proposing Congress tighten its belt to help cut the deficit. Feingold is also continuing his push to end automatic annual pay raises for members of Congress, which could save $80 million over ten years. Feingold does not accept pay raises during his term and, since 1993, Feingold has returned more than $70,000 in pay to the Treasury.

Feingold is also working to end wasteful spending by requiring campaign finance reports to be filed electronically. Despite presidential and House candidates having to file their reports electronically, the Senate has yet to enact Feingold’s legislation to do so. Instead, the Senate hires outside contractors to re-enter data that campaigns have readily available in electronic form. Ending this waste could save $2.5 million over ten years.

More on Senator Feingold’s legislation to cut the deficit by more than one half trillion dollars is available at http://feingold.senate.gov/deficit/index.html.

NARFE Thanks President Obama for Signing into Law Re-Employed Annuitant and FERS Sick Leave Bills; Association’s Persistence Results In Victory

National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) President Margaret L. Baptiste today commended President Obama for signing into law the Fiscal Year 2010 Defense Authorization bill, which includes several civil service improvements long sought by NARFE.

“Enactment of this legislation to eliminate inequities, increase productivity and address the skills shortage in the civil service is a great victory for active and retired federal employees — and something that NARFE has worked for behind the scenes for a long time,” said NARFE President Baptiste. “We are happy the president has signed this important bill into law, and we are grateful to our friends in Congress who moved heaven and earth to include the civil service improvements in the final legislation.”

Baptiste praised Reps. Steny H. Hoyer, D-MD; Chris Van Hollen, D-MD; Frank R. Wolf, R-VA; James P. Moran, D-VA; Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-DC; Gerry E. Connolly, D-VA; John P. Sarbanes, D-MD; Donna F. Edwards, D-MD; Elijah E. Cummings, D-MD; and C.A. “Dutch” Ruppersberger, D-MD, for the significant role they played in this victory on behalf of NARFE and the federal/postal community. In addition, she thanked Reps. Edolphus Towns, D-NY; Stephen F. Lynch, D-MA; and Sens. Joseph I. Lieberman, I-CT; Susan M. Collins, R-ME; Daniel K. Akaka, D-HI; and Jim Webb, D-VA, who served as the Defense bill conferees, for helping to persuade their colleagues, particularly Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-MI, and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton, D-MO, to include the civil service provisions.

The new law allows federal agencies to re-employ federal retirees on a limited, part-time basis without offset of annuity; permits Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) workers to initially credit half, and in 2014 all, of their unused sick leave toward retirement; provides for retirement equity for federal employees in Hawaii, Alaska and the U.S. Territories; ends the Department of Defense’s pay-for-performance personnel system, the National Security Personnel System or NSPS, restoring employees to the federal General Schedule pay system; and includes other civil service provisions.

“During the past several years, NARFE has played a leading role, along with other federal and postal employee organizations, in overcoming many obstacles to achieve passage of these needed civil service improvements,” Baptiste said. “For example, absent NARFE’s persistence, legislation sponsored by Collins; Sen. Herb Kohl, D-WI; and Sen. George V. Voinovich, R-OH, (S. 629) to allow federal retirees to be re-employed by the government would not have been included in the final Defense bill. Many federal retirees continue to make critical contributions to our safety and well-being during this time of national need, when work force shortages have deprived some agencies of employees with critical and specialized skills,” Baptiste said.

Baptiste was particularly pleased that a compromise was reached on the FERS sick leave legislation by phasing in the allowance. “We recognize that the inequity in the treatment of accrued sick leave between FERS and CSRS has hurt productivity and increased agency costs,” Baptiste said. “For that reason, we have strongly supported the concept that all federal civilian retirement programs credit unused sick leave toward retirement.” The NARFE president specifically lauded Moran for being a long-time champion of this issue.

* * *

NARFE, one of America’s oldest and largest associations, was founded in 1921 with the mission of protecting the earned rights and benefits of America’s active and retired federal workers. The largest federal employee/retiree organization, NARFE represents the retirement interests of nearly 5 million current and future federal annuitants, spouses, and survivors.

Note: APWU of Wisconsin members (especially those under FERS) may want to write letters to Senator Herb Kohl and thank him for his support.

Save Our Service

by: John E. Durben

Members of the Northeastern Wisconsin Area Local APWU were joined by members of the Oshkosh Area Local as well as members from the National Postal Mailhandlers Union and National Association of Letter Carriers in an informational picketing. The picketing took place on September 15 at the General Mail Facility in Green Bay and was organized to inform the American Public of a study being performed by the Postal Service to take the outgoing mail operation as well as the Green Bay Postmark and send it to Oshkosh, WI.

The results of the postal survey are expected to be available in about 60 days. All APWU members, their families, relatives, and friends are urged to contact their Legislative Representatives and urge them to get involved and Save our Service in Northeastern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan . At last count there were 79 employees involved in the event.

Not only is the postal service threatening to take the mail to Oshkosh, they are also planning to close the Station A office on Chestnut Street. This Office is located in the West Side downtown area and has been run by one clerk for many years. Aside from a full service window unit the Station operates a post office box section. There goes some more service

Is it time to say good-bye to the Green Bay Postmark? Say hello to the Oshkosh Packers...

The Dream Shall Never Die

This is the cause of my life. It is a key reason that I defied my illness last summer to speak at the Democratic convention in Denver—to support Barack Obama, but also to make sure, as I said, "that we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American...will have decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not just a privilege." For four decades I have carried this cause—from the floor of the United States Senate to every part of this country. It has never been merely a question of policy; it goes to the heart of my belief in a just society. Now the issue has more meaning for me—and more urgency—than ever before. But it's always been deeply personal, because the importance of health care has been a recurrent lesson throughout most of my 77 years.

— Ted Kennedy