WVPWU

Postal Management and the American Postal Workers Union signed a major Memorandum of Understanding to help address the chronic understaffing at mail processing facilities throughout much of the country.

Under the terms of the new agreement, over 5,500 new career positions will be created at 192 installations. The number of career positions will vary by installation based on management’s determination. 5,524 PSEs will be converted to career status as soon as possible, but no later than March 13, 2021.

As a transition to the creation of the new career positions and PSE conversions, combined with the severe backlog of mail and packages, the APWU has agreed to extend the period where management can retain “peak season” PSEs above the PSE cap.

“This is a major breakthrough and a great way to bring in the New Year, said APWU President Mark Dimondstein. “The Union has consistently been raising staffing shortage problems. Postal management has finally gotten the message and we appreciate that this agreement will take pressure off the current “Function 1” workforce, better the lives of over 5,500 PSEs and enable postal workers to better serve postal customers.”

Full Article

Newsletter 10232020.pdf

Download to view the full Newsletter

Local Memorandum Of Understanding ( LMOU ) has been re negotiated for all MAL members represented by the West Virginia Postal Workers Union.

In Solidarity Sini Melvin

Please download the attached file for viewing

 WV MAL LMOU 2018-2021.pdf

Union Member Benefits

Insurance

• APWU Health Plans Learn about the differences between the two health plans so you can choose the one that meets your needs.

      High Option 

      Consumer Driven  - available to PSE's after one year of service

• The Voluntary Benefits Plan provides voluntary insurance benefits designed especially for APWU members. It offers disability, life, dental, hospital indemnity, automobile insurance, as well as numerous other programs.
• AFLAC Specified Health Event and Cancer Insurance These comprehensive, affordable benefits, made available through American Family Life Assurance Company of Columbus (Aflac), are being offered exclusively to APWU members and their qualifying family members.
• Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance In addition to the Basic, there are three forms of Optional insurance you can elect.

Union Plus Discounts and Services

• Travel + Fun
• AT&T Discount
• Auto Discounts
• More!

APWU Scholarships

• The E.C. Hallbeck Memorial Scholarship
• Vocational Scholarship
• UnionPlus Scholarship Program

Financial and Retirement

• APWU Union Plus Credit Card
• Mortgage Program
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Thrift Savings Plan

Hardship

• Accident Benefit Association provision for the payment of benefits to its members and their beneficiaries in case of temporary disability, dismemberment or death resulting directly from a covered accident
• Postal Employee's Relief Fund To aid postal employees and retirees whose homes are completely destroyed or left uninhabitable as a result of a major natural disaster or house fire

"When you respond to the 2020 Census, you help inform how billions of dollars in federal funding flows into communities across West Virginia,including money for schools, hospitals and health clinics, roads, public transportation, and other vital services. Unfortunately, West Virginia has one of the lowest 2020 Census response rates in the country. If we don’t respond to the Census, we will miss out on important federal funds that make our communities stronger. Every person in West Virginia that does not respond to the Census equates to $20,000 lost in federal funds for West Virginia and our communities over the next ten years. If 100 people do not respond, that's $2 MILLION lost in federal funds to West Virginia over the next ten years. We simply can’t afford that. So please, Be Counted and respond to the census today by visiting 2020census.gov or call 844-330-2020. Responding to the Census by phone or online is safe and secure, and it only takes a few minutes of your time. So again, please respond to the Census today by visiting 2020census.gov or call 844-330-2020. Thank you."

                                                                                          - JOE

More Information

In Solidarity Glenn Wilson Legislative Director

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed every aspect of our daily lives, including how Americans and West Virginians will be able to vote this year. The 2020 election is quickly approaching and West Virginians need access to accurate, reliable information on how to vote during these unprecedented times. This week I launched a voting resource page that compiles accurate facts on how to register to vote, polling locations, requesting an absentee ballot and more. Every eligible West Virginian should exercise their right to vote and have their voice heard this fall.
                                                                                                                                                                                                    - JOE
To view the voting resource webpage please click here.

Information provided by Senator Joe Manchin

In Solidarity Glenn Wilson Legislative Director

Senator Machin with Clarksburg APWU President Sini Melvin and 5 local delegates for Mon County helping us fight  #SaveThePostOffice

We want to thank Senator Joe Manchin, Doug Skaff Jr, Sen Corey Palumbo, and Ben Salango for visiting the Charleston WV Post Office and them calling for protection of the USPS #SaveThePostOffice

With the election nearing and many parts of the U.S. in the grips of COVID-19, mail-in ballots have become a prominent issue. But President Trump has disparaged both the U.S. Postal Service and the integrity of voting by mail. What effect could his criticism have? William Brangham talks to Mark Dimondstein of the American Postal Workers Union and then Spencer Cox, lieutenant governor of Utah.

Washington, DC – U.S. Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Gary Peters (D-MI), today introduced the Protect Our Services Today (POST) Act which mandates that the U.S. Postal Services cannot close any post office facility during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last week, Senator Manchin asked Postmaster General DeJoy for clarification on reported post office closures across West Virginia and received assurances there would be no closures at this time. However, USPS did inform Senator Manchin that an ongoing review was underway which could significantly reduce facility operations throughout the Appalachian District. Specifically, USPS confirmed that 12 post offices were identified for feasibility studies for potential closures, and another 24 locations were proposed for reduced hours. Despite Senator Manchin’s explicit request for this information, USPS not disclose what locations were impacted, why they were selected, or when a decision might be made, leaving the door open for potential closures in the future.

“Post offices across the United States provide essential services to Americans and serve as hubs for our rural communities. In the Mountain State, they run rural mail routes serving West Virginians who are unable to drive long distances to retrieve their mail, including many of our Veterans who receive their medications in the mail, and support small businesses in the Mountain State who depend on these services to survive. It is unconscionable to consider interrupting these vital services during an ongoing pandemic, especially as millions of Americans, including many West Virginians, will rely heavily on mail in ballots to cast their vote in the upcoming presidential election,” Senator Manchin said. “That is why I introduced the Protect Our Services Today (POST) Act to ensure no post offices are closed in the middle of this crisis. We must ensure everyone has access to crucial postal services, no matter where they live in America. I will advocate for this language to be included in future COVID-19 relief packages and hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will join me in supporting this commonsense legislation.”

“The Postal Service is the only carrier that delivers to every address in the country, and it’s especially important for our rural communities who often don’t have any other options to stay connected or receive critical supplies,” said Senator Peters, Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. “As the Postal Service continues to make unacceptable changes that limit its effectiveness, this commonsense bill will prevent the closure of rural post offices and help ensure that services won’t be compromised for rural residents.”

Background information on the POST Act can be found here.

Bill text can be found here.

Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) asked the U.S. Postmaster General DeJoy for clarification on the reported closure of post offices and reduction in hours at additional post offices across West Virginia.

The Senator said in part, “I am receiving troubling reports from West Virginians that there are numerous post office locations in my state and across the nation that are scheduled for imminent closure or significant reduction in hours and services. Yesterday, there were signs hung in some of these locations announcing their proposed closure with an effective date of August 22nd or August 24th. This would likely be a violation of both federal law and United States Postal Service (USPS) rules that prescribe a specific closure process which requires, at minimum, 120 days’ notice. In response to this letter, I request a list of all the specific changes affecting mail delivery you have directed since assuming the role of Postmaster General, including a detailed list of any and all individual post office locations that are being considered for closure. In the event that there are specific locations being considered for closure, please also provide an explanation for why and a rough timeline for when those closures might take place.”

To view Senator Manchin’s letter to Postmaster General DeJoy, please click here.

Dear Postmaster General DeJoy:

I am receiving troubling reports from West Virginians that there are numerous post office locations in my state and across the nation that are scheduled for imminent closure or significant reduction in hours and services. Yesterday, there were signs hung in some of these locations announcing their proposed closure with an effective date of August 22nd or August 24th. This would likely be a violation of both federal law and United States Postal Service (USPS) rules that prescribe a specific closure process which requires, at minimum, 120 days’ notice. In response to this letter, I request a list of all the specific changes affecting mail delivery you have directed since assuming the role of Postmaster General, including a detailed list of any and all individual post office locations that are being considered for closure. In the event that there are specific locations being considered for closure, please also provide an explanation for why and a rough timeline for when those closures might take place.

Let me be clear, I have not, do not, and will not support any measures to privatize USPS. As a public service, USPS is legally required to deliver mail, to all postal addresses in all regions, at a flat rate, no matter how far it may have to travel. The Service’s affordability and continued accessibility are essential for rural communities, especially those with high rates of poverty. In many areas where reliable broadband is not an option, the Postal Service is their only link to medicine, social security checks, and family members. Nearly 18 percent of Americans pay their bills by mail. Among adults over 40 who take medication for a chronic condition, 20 percent get those pills by mail order. Under new social distancing mandates, the Postal Service has become even more essential in keeping rural communities connected and economically viable, allowing rural consumers the ability to get groceries, medical supplies, and other essential goods delivered to their doorstep.

In March, a few months before you assumed the role of Postmaster General, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act; P.L. 116-136) which included Section 6001 expanding USPS’s authority to borrow an additional $10 billion from the Federal Financing Bank (FFB) within the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The goal of this funding, as with many provisions in the CARES Act, was to help USPS navigate the immediate, unforeseen, and unprecedented challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic without gutting the essential services on which Americans have come to depend. Unfortunately, not only has little to none of that funding been utilized, you are now proposing the very cuts that we sought to avoid with that emergency line of credit.

As a former businessman, I respect and appreciate your desire to make government work more effectively and efficiently, but the USPS is not just another business. It’s a part of and a reflection of the communities all across America that it serves day after day.

The men and women of USPS provide a public service that is too critical to too many to be changed unilaterally without the input of those that will be most affected. I agree that USPS faces some difficult challenges, but they can only be fixed in an open, transparent, and bipartisan fashion.

I remain committed to supporting the ongoing operations of USPS, and I look forward to your prompt response to this letter.

Our movement is growing. Together we can save the Post Office and convince lawmakers to do their jobs!

Multiple bills have been introduced in the House and the Senate that would provide $25 billion in COVID-19 related relief for the Postal Service. But the clock is ticking and we mustn't run out of time.

The Senate will return from recess soon. We need to push even harder to get them to vote to end this crisis. We are planning to put in 10,000 calls to Congress on July 23.

Will you join us on this critical call-in day of action??

Sign Up!

Take time to thank your local postal worker. Encourage others to get the word out and to focus on making every postal worker’s day just a little bit better. #NationalPostalWorkerDay

APWU Health Plan COVID-19 Coverage Enhancements

As we work together to slow down the spread of COVID 19, our lives continue to evolve and change in ways we could have never expected. The APWU Health Plan will continue to evaluate coverage enhancements as a result of COVID-19. Because the spread of the virus has slowed down considerably, we are removing the inpatient prior authorization wavier. Initially, the Health Plan wanted to remove this administrative burden as hospitals were overwhelmed. As we get back to the new “normal,” authorizations should be obtained. 

For the most up-to-date information visit our website
at www.apwuhp.com/coronavirus-outbreak-update/

The Health Plan will:

• Cover  telehealth (medical and mental health) visits at no cost* to the member when visits are performed through the Health Plan’s telehealth providers:

  • High Option: Medical visits through Amwell are available at www.amwell.com and mental health visits through MDlive are available at www.mdlive/apwu at no cost* to the member
  • Consumer Driven Option: Virtual visits through AmWell, Teladoc, and Doc on Demand are available at www.myuhc.com at no cost* to the member 
  
  
• Cover telehealth visits to network providers at no cost* to the member when related to COVID-19  
• Cover COVID-19 testing at no cost* to the member when testing is prescribed by a clinical professional including antibody testing once it becomes widely available
• Cover health care provider office visits, urgent care center visits and emergency room visits that result in an order for or administration of a diagnostic test for COVID-19 at no cost* to the member**
• Cover in-network inpatient and outpatient care for COVID-19 treatment at no cost* to the member
• Reminder:  Members are encouraged to use mail order form maintenance medications which provides a 90-day refill and the delivery is free

*All deductible, coinsurance and copays will be waived
**Your provider should be aware of this Families First Coronavirus Response Act and CDC guideline. If you are charged a copay or coinsurance at the time of your visit, you will be reimbursed

The APWU Health Plan will continue to evaluate benefit enhancements as a result of COVID-19. For the most up-to-date information visit our website at

www.apwuhp.com/coronavirus-outbreak-update/

The Health Plan will:

• New! Cover health care provider office visits, urgent care center visits and emergency room visits that result in an order for or administration of a diagnostic test for COVID-19 at no cost* to the member**

• Cover COVID-19 testing at no cost* to the member when testing is prescribed by a clinical professional

• Cover telehealth visits at no cost* to member when visits are performed through the Health Plan’s telehealth providers:

  • High Option: Visits through Amwell are available at www.amwell.com at no cost* to the member

  • Consumer Driven Option: Virtual visits through AmWell, Teladoc, and Doc on Demand are available at www.myuhc.com at no cost* to the member

   

• Cover telehealth visits to network providers at no cost* to member when related to COVID-19

• Waive inpatient prior authorization requirements related to COVID-19

• Reminder: Members are encouraged to use mail order for maintenance medications which provides a 90-day refill and the delivery is free

*All deductible, coinsurance and copays will be waived
**Your provider should be aware of this Families First Coronavirus Response Act and CDC guideline. If you are charged a copay or coinsurance at the time of your visit, you will be reimbursed by the Health Plan