“I can see this mail being backed up for another six to eight weeks,” Casselli said. If Biden fills all vacancies, then Democratic members would hold a majority, though the board is officially bipartisan. Vice President. Jay Geller said it took 30 days for a birthday card mailed after Christmas from his mother-in-law in Iowa to reach her 8-year-old grandson at his home in Cleveland. When Can I Get The COVID-19 Vaccine In Pennsylvania, New Jersey Or Delaware? The pandemic-depleted workforce fell further into a hole during the holiday rush, leading to long hours and a mountain of delayed mail. The Board of Governors, which selects the postmaster general, is currently made up of Trump appointees. “Put the sorting machines back. “Aisles were blocked with mail.” Taking command of your finances can lessen the stress for both you and your wallet. The holidays are over, but some are still waiting for packages from the USPS. Contract Campaigns Join APWU Research. Union workers at the postal service said the organization is facing demand unlike anything it has ever seen, especially this holiday season. Some critics hoped President Joe Biden would fire DeJoy, but a president can’t do that. “It’s sad just because around the holiday time, people are expecting packages,” Patel said. Let them work the overtime hours.”. Mark Dimondstein, president of the American Postal Workers Union, said he’s hoping for some “bold appointments” by Biden. Dimondstein said the recent announcement of more than 10,000 more permanent jobs in distribution hubs is a down payment on addressing problems. “By the time they arrived, they were hard as rocks and smushed flat,” he said. DONNA ALVIN Treasurer. The post office is turning packages left and right, yet the load doesn’t seem to get any lighter. “I’m trying to understand why it would go from Pennsylvania to Illinois then to Delaware,” Lewis said. National NPMHU President Hogrogian’s April 29, 2020 Message to the Membership. Packages and letters piled up in distribution hubs. Terri Hayes experienced “Christmas in January” when many of her packages arrived late in Medina, Ohio. In 2014, the firm was hired by the U.S. Mary Clare Jalonick, The Associated Press and Matthew Daly, The Associated Press, Money Minute: Financial preparation for PCS, Money Minute: How to decide whether to take advantage of a balance transfer, Money Minute: How to spot and avoid tax scams, Money Minute: When is the best time to ask for a credit limit increase, New bill aims to lift union restrictions at the VA, Federal employee protections included in new COVID relief bill, Senate confirms Ohio Rep. Fudge as housing secretary, Congress OKs $1.9T virus relief bill in win for Biden, Dems, Workforce shortages are ‘significant’ to agencies’ high-risk problems, https://www.federaltimes.com © 2021 Sightline Media Group. 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Overtime couldn’t make up for the impact of postal workers’ COVID-19 illnesses and quarantines. The postmaster general and board are working on a 10-year plan that will include improvements. She sympathizes with overworked postal workers but also worries about more important items, like bills, being delayed. That’s a huge complaint by many, paying for a service that doesn’t deliver. We've got you covered. The postmaster general and deputy postmaster general vote on some but not all issues brought before the board. When you receive PCS orders, a lot more than your address is going to change. “We must confidently plan for our future — which we believe is bright for the Postal Service and for America,” they said in a statement. Delays grew by days, and then weeks. In September 2018, Morgan Lewis was hired by McDonald’s to craft strategy to defeat the Fight for $15-and-a-Union campaign. “I looked into one of the containers, two-day priority mail, and the dates were Dec. 1, Dec. 5, Dec. 10,” Casselli said. CONTACT US. No party may hold more than five seats on the nine-member board. “I just wish that they would put things back to the way they were when it worked,” Hayes said. In 1972 four separate unions merged together to form the St. Louis Local 8 of the APWU. 864 Main street. Casselli says postal workers are doing the best they can, but with a hiring freeze and no allotted overtime, packages are simply backed up. At the holiday peak, tractor-trailers chock full of mail were left idling outside some postal-sorting facilities across the country because there was no room inside. Statement from NPMHU President Paul V. Hogrogian on House passage of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, H.R. “At Christmastime, you could barely move in the facility,” said Scott Adams, local president of the American Postal Workers Union in Portland, Maine. “Mail backed up to the ceilings,” Nick Casselli, the local American Postal Workers Union president, said. One package from Nordstrom Rack has been en route since Dec. 3. Topics will include the campaign for a pro-postal majority on the USPS Board of Governors, the recent creation of 5,000 new union career jobs and the upcoming opening of bargaining on the APWU/USPS Contract. By giving us your email, you are opting in to the Daily Brief. Americans were using the Postal Service at unprecedented level because of the pandemic. Philadelphia Postal Worker 2021 1st Quarter Edition. Join us in holding our leaders and institutions accountable to fulfill the promise of democracy. “Mine was shipped mid-November and it said it was actually delivered Dec. 3,” Anand Patel said. It’s here to serve the people.”. And FedEx and UPS dumped packages on the Postal Service when they reached their limit. Get the top federal headlines each morning. “We want a Board of Governors that understands fundamentally this is not called the United States Postal Business,” he said. The Philadelphia . Instead, Biden could and likely will use appointments to reshape the Board of Governors, which meets Tuesday for the first time since his election. We must seize every opportunity to protect and advance our civil rights and liberties — in legislatures, the courts, and our communities. US Labor Department Lawsuit Accuses IBEW Local 98 Leaders Of Intimidating Challengers, Family Remembers Police Officer Who Died After Suffering Injuries During US Capitol Riot, By viewing our video content, you are accepting the terms of our. The Philadelphia Postal Workers Local Union 89 president says these delays are unnecessary. Brothers and Sisters, Mail Handlers and postal workers from around the country continue to courageously perform essential federal service under the extraordinary circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic. All told, the Postal Service successfully delivered more than 130 million ballots to and from voters during the general election. “It’s not a profit-making business. A change in tone, at the least, would be welcomed by postal workers after former President Donald Trump called the Postal Service “a joke” last year in criticizing business practices that led to a growing operating deficit. “It’s not a profit-making business. A number of factors contributed to the nightmare. “Aisles were blocked with mail.”. The last gift to arrive was a necklace and charm sent by a friend in Maryland on Dec. 5. That leaves a chairperson, Robert Duncan, who is a former Republican National Committee chair, along with three other Republican members and two Democratic members. CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora Says It Could Happen, 1 Injured After 3-Alarm Fire at Apartment Complex In Mount Laurel. The American Postal Workers Union. Postal Service’s stretch of challenges didn’t end with the November general election and tens of millions of mail-in votes. Despite the pandemic, on-time rates for first-class mail topped 90% for most of the year until DeJoy took office in June and began instituting changes that raised concerns about the delivery of mail-in election ballots. APWU Local 89. PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — It’s been two weeks since Christmas and yet some are still waiting on Santa to deliver their packages. The Philadelphia Postal Workers Local Union 89 president says these delays are unnecessary. A White House spokesperson declined to comment on upcoming appointments. On its website, the USPS has an alert stating unprecedented volume increases and limited employee availability due to the impacts of COVID-19. “I can see this mail being backed up for another six to eight weeks,” Casselli said. It's unclear how swiftly Biden's administration will move. A White House spokesperson declined to comment on upcoming appointments. The Postal Service contends it has now returned to “pre-peak” conditions, and DeJoy and six members of the board said they’ve learned from the election and the record holiday season in which more than 1.1 billion packages were delivered. The normal six to nine business days have long passed. And Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., a New Jersey Democrat, wants Biden to fire the entire Postal Service Board of Governors for what he called dereliction of duty. CBS News has reported that there are six million packages left behind every day. Darby, Pa 19023. “At Christmastime, you could barely move in the facility,” said Scott Adams, local president of the American Postal Workers Union in Portland, Maine. “We want a Board of Governors that understands fundamentally this is not called the United States Postal Business,” he said. Eyewitness News morning anchor Jim Donovan received his priority one-day delivery 20 days later, and there are similar stories across the region. Commercial flights that transport mail operated on reduced schedules. Or he needs to go,” Dimondstein said. APWU President Dimondstein as he reports back to members on the work and challenges we face as we move into 2021. But by the time Christmas arrived, it had gotten so bad that more than a third of first-class mail was late, a dismal performance, even though DeJoy had backtracked on some of his changes by then. NICK CASSELLI President. DeJoy has to come around to further changes to improve service and morale, he said. The American Postal Workers Union. PORTLAND, Maine — The U.S. Stay Informed Subscribe to receive important information from your union. Mark Dimondstein, president of the American Postal Workers Union, praised the nominees and said they represent an experienced group who will oversee any potential changes to … In an online petition addressed to President Biden and Senate leadership, the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) is asking the leaders to quickly fill the four vacancies on the Postal Board of Governors in order to oust Postmaster Louis DeJoy. ... APWU President Mark Dimondstein spoke about the push to make voluntary vaccinations available for postal workers… Monica Lewis mailed a package to her mother in Delaware with an expected delivery two weeks later. April 29, 2020. Mark Dimondstein, president of the American Postal Workers Union, said he’s hoping for some “bold appointments” by Biden. ©2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. “It just doesn’t make sense to me.”. Postal Service to represent management’s interests during contract negotiations with the American Postal Workers Union. Critics have called for DeJoy to be fired. It arrived on Jan. 28. The American Postal Workers Union AFL-CIO was formed after the Great Postal Strike of 1970 and the subsequent establishment of the United States Postal Service. The AFL-CIO is an expression of the hopes and aspirations of the working people of America. And don’t get him started on the homemade scones from Minnesota, which were late and inedible. “I reached out to USPS and I filed a complaint and I got no word back until I just found it on my doorstep actually yesterday morning.”. Sign up to get the top federal headlines each morning. It’s unclear how swiftly Biden’s administration will move. “He’s either going to do right by the people of the country. The vice chair resigned in protest over the Trump administration’s actions. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has vowed to make improvements after facing withering criticism and calls for his removal for his actions that slowed delivery of mail before the election. Personal finance expert Jeanette Mack explains. Phone: 610-522-4520. It’s getting to the point where they’re starting to lose their patience. Workers decried DeJoy for limiting overtime and late or extra trips, resulting in delayed mail, and the dismantling of sorting machines ahead of the election. It’s here to serve the people.” 842