“The Labor Movement was the principal force that transformed misery and despair into hope and progress.”—Martin Luther King, Jr.

Published by the NY Metro Area Postal UnionVol. 59 No. 8 | November/December 2016

— page 8

APWU National Election Results — page 5

Postal workers remember anthraxvictims Joseph P. Curseen, Jr. andThomas L.Morris, Jr.

Official publication of the New York Metro AreaPostal Union.The Union Mail (ISSN 0049-5298) is publishedmonthly except combined in March/April,May/June, July/August, November/December by theNew York Metro Area Postal Union at 350 West 31stStreet, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10001. Periodical postage paid at New York, NY. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Union Mail, New York Metro Area Postal Union,350 West 31st Street, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10001.Flo Summergrad, editorNora Taggart, managing editorBernadette Evangelist, graphic designerTo contact your officers, call 212.563.7553.www.nymetro.org

President Jonathan Smith Ext. 108Executive Vice PresidentTiffany Foster. Ext. 110Dir. Ind RelationsDaniel Zachman, Jr. Ext. 106Secretary-TreasurerSharon Tyrrell Ext. 107Dir. Organization Kevin Walsh Ext. 105

2 The Union Mail | November/December 2016

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

Unions are our strength

no postmaster is there. Think aboutit: back into the building, secure thetruck, walk around, open the stationand take off the alarm. Next, returnto the truck and pull in to load orunload the mail. This was addedwith no notice or discussion with theunion. The drivers themselves hadto tell us. That’s improper unilateralaction, a violation of the CBA,Article 5, and labor law.And it’s unsafe. The stations are

in areas which could be dangerous.Some streets are deserted. Some arenear late night bars or clubs. Tohave a driver coming regularly toopen a post office in the dark createsan atmosphere where our driverscan get robbed, killed, or raped.Management has conductedabsolutely no study to determine thesafety of the drivers in these neigh-borhoods.The Union has filed a 10J with

the National Labor Relations Boardrequesting an immediate injunction.We filed an Article 14 Safety griev-ance directly to Step 2. We haveasked for Postal Police protection.We had meetings with managementshowing they are putting postal driv-ers at risk. The most we got back sofar is that they will try to send twodrivers with routes close to eachother to go together “when theycan.” This should not be optionalbut required. Why do we have towait for something bad to happenbefore management is willing toaddress it?This is not the first time. In 1993,

Willie Gonzalez, a young driver outof Bronx GPO, was brutally mur-dered due to the indifference of

As unionizedpostal work-

ers we have payand benefits.Nobody just gaveus that. If youlearn nothing elseas a worker, real-ize that manage-ment doesn’t giveanything they

don’t have to. Unions have won bet-ter wages, hours, and working condi-tions through organized struggle.Through sacrifices of time, energy,and money. Sometimes sacrifices oftheir jobs, their freedom, and eventheir lives. So life can be better forworkers. Unions are the best of what

America has to offer. That’s ourstrength. There’s an increasing num-ber of “right-to-work” states wherepeople wish they had a union. Wetake it for granted. We take for grant-ed things like labor laws, collectivebargaining, health and safety protec-tions, social security. Shame on thepeople I see on Facebook who arealways talking bad about the Union.But never anything bad about man-agement! Fighting dangerous workingconditions for driversAfter a long struggle, Motor Vehiclebids were finally awarded inManhattan and the Bronx. The Form4533 that goes with each jobdescribes everything the driver mustdo. But after the bids were complet-ed, management arbitrarily addedduties to some of the drivers’ jobs.On Sunday morning the driver isrequired to open the station because

Postal management. For weeks hereported that a car was followinghim when he went on a remittancerun. 1767s and grievances were filedand ignored. He, the union, andthe postal police themselves askedfor police protection and wereignored.The robbers knew the time of

his run. One of them got in the caband shot him at point blank range.The plate number he had put onthe 1767s led to the killer, but thiswas no use to him. BrotherGonzalez was dead at age 27, leav-ing behind a 6-year-old daughter.And why? Because postal manage-ment DID NOT LISTEN. Just likenow, they refuse to do the rightthing to protect the drivers. But weas the Union are committed to thisfight. +

Jonathan Smith

Cover photo of memorial by Eugene B. Horton

The Union Mail | November/December 2016

Stand up for health and safety

In my last arti-cle, I wroteabout theunhealthy workconditions inHamilton GrangeStation. I talkedabout the impor-tance of fillingout PS Form 1767.

I even provided you with the con-tractual support and the languagefor what is required when you fillthis form out. Now, I’m going to talk about an

issue that affects you all, garbage.How often is the garbage collectedwhere you work? Managementseems to think that a once a weekgarbage pickup is sufficient. Whatdo you think? Do you leavegarbage in your home for a week ata time? We are at work more thanwe are at home with our familiesmost times. If the garbage is onlybeing picked up once a week inyour station or facility where youwork, what have you done about it?What are you going to do about it?Doesn’t management have an obli-gation to provide you with ahealthy work environment? There are stations where the

garbage dumpster is kept inside thefacility in close proximity to wherethe employees work. Where is itlocated in your station or facility? Ican name several stations wherethis is the norm, but one station inparticular is Morningside. This sta-tion has a dumpster located on theinside of the station. It sits in frontof the stairs that lead up to theemployee’s locker and swing rooms.

The employees must walk aroundthe dumpster in order to get to theirlocker and swing room. Now remember, I stated earlier

that management feels a once aweek garbage pickup is sufficient.Do you think they work in anunhealthy environment? Is it alrightthat you don’t? What have you doneabout it? What are you going to doabout it? Doesn’t management havean obligation to provide you with ahealthy work environment? The union has requested a copy

of all the garbage collection con-tracts for the Manhattan and BronxInstallations. We want to see the fre-quency of the garbage collection. Asyou can guess, the union hasn’treceived this information yet. LaborBoard charges will be filed becausemanagement has violated Articles17, 31 and the National LaborRelations Act, which says the unionis entitled to information relevantand necessary for collective bargain-ing, enforcement, administrationand interpretation of the collectivebargaining agreement. Motor Vehicle Safety issuesOutside the stations, there are alsosafety hazards. The Motor VehicleOperators completed their bidprocess in early September of 2016.Soon after, management blindsidedthem and the union with additionalduties that were not part of the dutyassignments when they made theirselections. Article 39.2.D mandatesmanagement to state specific infor-mation on the duty assignmentnotices. The union negotiated this sothat the employees will be able tomake informed choices about the

3

By Tiffany Foster, Executive Vice-President

Tiffany Foster

duty assignments they choose and itprevents management from justadding duties at will. Management’s decision to send

drivers out alone to perform theduties of their supervisors and man-agement by opening stations is with-out regard for the employee’s safety.There are several concerns theunion and the employees havebrought to management’s attentionbut they don’t care. As ourPresident says, the Postal Service isabout profit over people. The union has taken action.

Labor Board charges and grievanceshave been filed. But what are youdoing about this unsafe practice? Isovertime more important than yoursafety? Does someone have to getattacked or even worse killed beforemanagement will stop this unsafepractice?Every employee has a right to

make a complaint to OSHA(Occupational Safety and HealthAdministration) about unsafe orunhealthy working conditions.Calling OSHA isn’t solely a unionresponsibility. You can even file acomplaint online at www.osha.gov.Collectively, we can do more, butalone we are just that—alone. Thedefinition of a Labor Union is anorganized association of workersformed to protect and further theirrights and interests. Ask yourself isthis what we are? This administration has been and

still is intent on educating you aboutyour rights. M.E.T.R.O.’s motto: Members,Educated, Trained, Respected,Organized. +

4 The Union Mail | November/December 2016

USPS to help them pay for the PartB premiums over the three yearsafter enactment, and it provides forone-time-only waiver of Part B’s lateenrollment penalty. With that mod-est change, the bill would fully pro-tect any truly vulnerable seniors.Also, many mailers and NALC

strongly oppose the bill’s mandatoryconversion from door delivery tocentralized delivery for perhaps mil-lions of American businesses. Thiswould be counter-productive -- busi-nesses generate mail volume andrevenue, and pick-ups and doordelivery in the age of e-commerceare more essential than ever.Considering some of the lan-

guage, no postal reform might bebetter than a bad one.Sen. McCaskill introduces billto prevent emergency postalsuspensionsU.S. Senators Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) intro-duced legislation (S. 3452) to bar theU.S. Postal Service from permanent-ly closing postal locations withoutcommunity notice or appealprocess. The bill would prevent theU.S. Postal Service from using itsemergency suspension process—

meant to be temporary—to indefi-nitely close post offices withoutnotice to the community, opportu-nity to appeal, or a timeframe foreither reopening or permanentlyclosing the facility“These post offices are part of

the lifeblood of our communities—asource of employment and a lifelinefor commerce—and we can’t allowthe Postal Service to balance itsbooks on the backs of small com-munities by shuttering post officeswhere they’re often most needed,with little transparency or explana-tion,” said McCaskill in a newsrelease.Of the 650 postal facilities that

were “temporarily” closed underemergency suspensions since 2011,511 remain closed today. Residentsin those communities have not beentold by postal service officialswhether or not those post officeswill reopen.McCaskill, a longtime advocate

for postal service in rural communi-ties, is widely credited with havingwaged a successful campaign overseveral years to save rural postoffices and maintain delivery stan-dards. She even questioned the U.S.

Postal Service’s pricing forits “last mile” of deliveryin rural areas because shebelieves it may be losingmoney by under-chargingcompetitors such as UPSand FedEx to carry mailto those areas. +

By Nora Taggart, Legislative and Political Director

The current 114th Congress (2015-2016) might break the record ofbeing the least productive in modernhistory. The 112th Congress (2011-2012) broke the record for passingthe fewest bills into law since clerksstarted keeping track several genera-tions ago. Even if Congress this yearmanages to avoid the record, it’s ontrack to be among the worst.The possibility that several postal

legislations will see the light of dayare slim to none. That includes thePostal Reform Act of 2016 (H.R.5714). This bipartisan legislation hasfour cosponsors, and as with any leg-islation, there are other issues to beworked out as the legislation movesthrough both houses of Congress.For example, it proposes to adoptprivate sector best practice to reducethe cost of future retiree health bene-fits by integrating federal healthinsurance coverage of postal seniorcitizens (age 65 and older) withMedicare. It may seem unfair to aminority of current seniors whowould now be required to enroll inMedicare Part B after choosing notto do so when they turned 65. TheAPWU has been playing a proactiverole calling for a hardship exemp-tion and the need for it tobe part of the overallpackage. The HouseCommittee on Oversightand Government Reform(OGR) actually took stepsto address these affectedseniors – the bill requires

LEGISLATIVE REPORT:

Postal Reform Act of 2016

The Union Mail | November/December 2016 5

Agent, NE, Dave Sarnackiand Retiree NationalConvention Delegate, NE,Dolores Young!Although our members

did not participate as fullyin the balloting as weshould have, we definitelyplayed a significant role inwinning these very impor-tant positions. Both Dave

and Dolores are a tremendous assetto the entire APWU and friends toNY Metro in particular.We congratulate all the re- elect-

ed and newly elected officers andlook forward to working with themover the next three years With themat the helm, we will continue tobuild the American Postal WorkersUnion, a proud and respectedorganization, which is a leader inFighting for Justice! +

In a clear affirmation of thecurrent administration'saccomplishments and goals,President Mark Dimondsteinand his team scored aresounding victory in theNational APWU elections.The resulting Executive

Board and national officersreflect the diverse member-ship of the American PostalWorkers Union, including a growingnumber of able and dynamic sisters.Almost all the winners were candi-dates endorsed by the NY MetroArea Postal Union and we know theywill continue to move us forward.Our Local's votes played an

especially important role in the suc-cess of the two contested positionsin the Northeast Region. We arepleased and proud of the victoriesfor Maintenance National Business

By Flo Summergrad

National elections showsupport for APWU’sdirection: Fighting forJustice!

Mark Dimondstein

APWU NATIONAL ELECTIONRESULTS 2016

PRESIDENTMark Dimondstein 33,538Jerry Stidman 6,618

EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENTDebby Szeredy 17,495Jeff Kehlert 9,690Greg Bell 12,940

INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS DIRECTORTony D. McKinnon 10,244Vance Zimmerman 18,277

LEGISLATIVE/POLITICAL DIRECTORJudy Beard 27,778Thomas R. Benson 11,641

HEALTH PLAN DIRECTORJohn L. Marcotte 22,057Robert Furbush 4,505Sarah J. Rodriguez 6,380Lisa A. Norwood 6,512

RESEARCH AND EDUCATION DIRECTORJoyce B. Robinson 18,754Charles P. Smith 9,468

CLERK DIVISION DIRECTORClint Burelson 13,559Ross Baker 6,095

CLERK ASSISTANT DIRECTORLynn Pallas-Barber 14,135Renee Breedon 5,543

MAINTENANCE DIRECTORSteven G. “Steve” Raymer 3,558Robert (Bob) Hock 2,679

MAINTENANCE ASST. DIRECTORTerry B. Martinez 3,343Michael “Mike” Burris 2,824

MAINTENANCE BUSINESS AGENT, NEChristopher Howe 464Dave Sarnacki 669

RETIREES DEPARTMENTNancy E. Olumekor 7,191Karen Swift 1,548Desi Neurohr 1, 258Joe Gordon 1,354

RETIREE NATIONAL CONVENTION DELEGATE, NEDolores Young 1,147Michael Bruno Ganino, Jr. 535

Know your union!For the members who said they “don’t know who any of these people are,”we encourage you to go regularly to the websites: www.apwu.org andwww.NYMetro.org and union Facebook pages. Read your American PostalWorker magazine and The Union Mail. NYMAPU newsflashes and wallpostings from the APWU should be available on your bulletin boardsand at the branch offices. There are lots of short videos that explaincampaigns and accomplishments of the APWU that will make you feelgood about belonging to a strong national union that is respected forFighting for Justice! +

6 The Union Mail | November/December 2016

Stop Staples!

Photos by Randy Zelznick

We lost a goodfriend and

APWU brotherSaturday night.Oliver Drummondsuccumbed to cancerafter a long and hardfought battle with thedisease. Oliver was amember of theAPWU PhiladelphiaRetiree Chapter. Hewas a very dedicatedactivist in our fight tosave the PostalService. Oliver wasalso a Philadelphia

Stop Staples campaign organizer. Up until just very recently, he hit thestreets five days aweek fightingStaples privatizationof window clerkjobs. It was myhonor and privilegeto call him myfriend and brother.God Speed BrotherDrummond!

—Randy Zelznik 21stCentury Postal Workerpost Oct 3, 2016

Meet Saul

He’s in sixth grade.Yesterday hewas one of hundreds, maybe

thousands, of people who went tothe debate site on Long Island toraise the battle cry Fight For $15--And A Union!When he saw Dennis, one of the

New York crew, in a Stop Staples teeshirt, he came right up and pro-claimed, "Not one thing in my back-to-school stuff came from Staples!"His mother chimed in that it wasn'teasy, but Saul refused to shop at thechain because of our boycott andthey managed!The entire NYC posse thanks

you, Saul, and all the other kids whoknow right from wrong! (And theparents who help them.)

—Dennis O’Neil Facebook post

The staunchest campaigners against the USPS/Staples contract are our retirees. These activistsare fighting to preserve what they won for us. Brother Oliver Drummond was one such laborhero. His dedication serves as an inspiration to all. We feel it is appropriate to include this trib-ute in a page about the ongoing struggle at Staples rather than in a memoriam, because his spiritis here with us. —UM Editors

Goodbye, Brother OliverDrummond

Oliver (center) with other Stop Staples! demonstra-tors in Philadlphia

Photo by Dennis O

’Neil

Look forward to the Lettersto SantaProgramat JAF! – comingin late November

7The Union Mail | November/December 2016

Don’t let the One Percent stealthe people’s post office

By John Dennie

The management of theUnited States PostalService is attempting to trans-mogrify good union jobs atthe post office into non-union, low-wage “associate”jobs at Staples.Any public spin that postalmanagement mouthpieces tryto put on this union-bustingscheme is belied by therecent unearthing of a secretreport prepared by a privateconsulting firm hired bypostal bosses. The keystoneof the union-busting recom-mendations prepared by thefirm of McKinsey & Co. wasto shift work to “mail part-ners,” Staples being the firstretail chain to bite on the car-rot being offered by postalmanagement. . . .The American Postal

Workers Union has launched amulti-pronged fight back Postalworkers, retirees and communityallies have been standing in front ofStaples locations handing out leafletsdescribing what is going on andturning away potential customers.Postcards have been printed andsent by the thousands to StaplesCEO (see: StopStaples.com). Theunion charged the postal servicewith violating contract provisionsregarding subcontracting. TheNLRB issued a complaint againstthe USPS which is currently await-ing the decision of an AdministrativeLaw Judge. The NLRB has issued

subpoenas to USPS bosses whichwere stonewalled until a 90,000page document during a couple ofweeks before the start of hearings.28,000 pages were deemed “confi-dential” but the USPS lawyers inad-vertently included the McKinseyReport with the non-confidentialmaterial.The AFL-CIO and many of its

affiliates have endorsed the StaplesBoycott, but some affiliates are stillbuying their office supplies fromStaples. (To the tune of some$3,500,000 in fiscal year 2015.) Weare sure this is simply a case ofword not filtering down to the pur-

chasing department andthose unions who have beencontacted immediately can-celed their Staples contracts.(To find out if [a] union iscurrently buying fromStaples, contact the writer atjohndennie20@gmail.com).In NYC, the crew from“Stop Staples NYC” (Findthem on Facebook) joineddemonstration sin supportof the CWA workers in theirstrike at Verizon. We real-ized the Verizon strikerswere fighting for the entireworking class. Among thegroups which have comeout in all kinds of weatherto support the NYC postalworkers and retirees are theParty of Communists USA,TWU Local 100 (retirees),UAW, Granny Peace Brigade,

Occu-Evolve, Solidarity withBangladeshi Garment Workers,Students Against Sweatshops, andmany more. “Workers of the worldunite; You have nothing to lose butyour chains.” +

[Reprinted from Labor Today, fall/winter 2016]

�

Honorary NY Metro member, retired MH JohnDennie, getting the word out about Staples at NYLabor Day march

8 The Union Mail | November/December 2016

15 years later: 200l anthrax victims rememberedBy Flo Summergrad

On October 21, 2016, a ceremo-ny was held at the Brentwood

Post Office in Washington, DC, tounveil a monument memorializingthe two clerks who died in 2001after inhaling anthrax sporesreleased through mail sortingmachines. Joseph P. Curseen, Jr.,and Thomas L. Morris, Jr., werelong time APWU members, postalworkers just doing their job.Although the world remembers

the attacks of September 11, 2001,many people forget the ongoing ter-ror and stress that affected ournation’s postal workers for monthsafterwards. In the weeks after 9/11,letters containing deadly anthraxspores surfaced in the offices of twoU.S. Senators and in the mailboxesof news media. Law enforcement focused on the

addressees, ostensibly the targets ofbioterrorists. Congress was closedand inspected. The Florida Sun andother news organizations weresealed. But there was little concernthat the deadly bacterium anthraxwas in envelopes sorted by postalworkers. Postal authorities dismissedthe concerns of long time postalworkers at the Brentwood facilitywho came down with flu-like symp-toms in mid-October. By October 21,2001, Thomas Morris called 911 andtold the dispatcher that he suspectedhe had been exposed at work tolethal spores. He was worriedbecause his symptoms fit a descrip-tion of anthrax poisoning.Two hours later, he died. The

next day, Clerk Joseph Curseenpassed away. On October 23, the

diagnosis of inhalation anthrax wasconfirmed. Postal workers from theNJ Hamilton Township facility, whoalso handled the toxin, were poi-soned through their skin. Severalwere rendered permanently ill orcrippled. Both the Brentwood andHamilton offices were closed foryears of decontamination whileworkers were displaced.Postal management, however,

refused to consider shutting key mailhubs in NYC and NJ, although con-tamination was found on machinesin Morgan Station. The union fought

fiercely for safety protocols, inspec-tions, and clean-up. There wereprotests and press conferences; thetainted machines had to be cleanedmore than once. Morgan workerswere issued antibiotics, whichcaused side effects and unease. InJersey City, BMC workers held alunch time rally to get the plant’smachinery tested.Today it’s hard to imagine the

anxiety of working in the post officeduring the anthrax terror. At theOctober 21st commemoration, DenaBriscoe, President of NationalCapital/Southern MD Local APWU,said, “Many workers’ lives wereshattered.” She expressed pride thatdespite the danger, postal workerscontinued to perform their duties.When the mail processing centerwas reopened in December 2003,most employees “bravely walkedtogether back into the building.”It takes courage to function

through fear to do ordinary butimportant jobs. Those who serve thepublic today can take pride in thoseof us who moved the mail during2001 and 2002. The theme of“Postal Workers are Heroes Too”replaced the false characterization of“going postal.”We have to ensure that brothers

Thomas Morris and Joseph Curseenwill never be forgotten. They died inthe performance of their postalduties. They symbolize why we fightto preserve America’s Postal Service—a network of dedicated men andwomen who serve the public. Theyare part of the legacy that says: theU.S. Mail is not for sale! +

Joan Jackson, Joseph Curseens’ssister, views memorial

APWU Local president Dena Briscospeaking at unveiling of monument

Unions stand forgood living wage

jobs for all people andjustice in the work-place as well as in theneighborhoods welive and work in, Weneeded our membersto start taking a stand. One of our co-

workers got shirtsmade that saidBLACK LIVESMATTER and a lot ofthe workers decidedto ask if we could all wear them ona particular day. So when theyasked me as a steward if it would be

ok, and I agreed it should be doneand said, I'm in full support, I willwear mine as well, they felt a little

more comfortable. This was about 32

workers all on thesame tour at DVD.Not just black workers— other cultures worethe shirts as well. Aslong as we are uni-fied, we can't be bro-ken! +

[Editor's Note: At the2016 NationalConvention, the APWUadoped a strong

Resolution to support the "Black LivesMatter" movement, This is putting thatResolution into practice,]

The Union Mail | November/December 2016 9

DVD workers take a stand forBlack Lives Matter

Statements win money for lead clerks

By April Branch, Steward at DVD, Tour 2

Clerk CraftDirector

Diane Erlangerfiled grievancesfor threeCustomerService clerkswho were hold-ing Lead Clerkbids while partof their administrative duties wereperformed by a 204-B (ActingSupervisor). This violation continuedover a one-year period, despite con-

tract language that limits the time ofa supervisory detail to 90 days. The grievants worked in Old

Chelsea, Port Authority, and PatchinStation. The grievance cited lan-guage from the Local Memorandumof Understanding (LMOU), theJCIM Appendix C, and APWU webnews article #51-2012 on the specificduties of Lead Clerk-CustomerService as well as interviews with themanager who tried to justify the vio-lations by claiming the Lead Clerks“didn’t want the responsibility.” This

was clearly rebutted by the evidencesubmitted.The Union prevailed in the griev-

ance at Step 3, winning $900 apiecefor the aggrieved workers and re-posting the clerk bid of the long-term 204B. Diane attributes the suc-cess of the case to the fact that theclerks provided clear Statementswith specific facts. They worked withthe steward to prove the violations.As President Smith constantlyreminds us: “Arguments don’t wingrievances. Evidence does.” +

QuanishaMcNeal is NERegional Rep tothe APWUNational YoungMemberCommittee!

New York Metro is proud toannounce that Quanisha

McNeal has been appointed as theNortheast Regional Representativefor the APWU National YoungMembers Committee. ThisCommittee, for members 35 andunder, was founded at the 2016National Convention.NE Regional Coordinator John

Dirzius took names from theAPWU Locals in the Region andsent recommendations to theAPWU President. President MarkDimondstein appointed our ownQuanisha, a PSE steward from NYMetro Area Postal Union. At theOctober 19, 2016, GeneralMembership meeting, Quanishatold us that she will work to get the35 and under workers to under-stand the importance of being inthe union and educate them aboutthe contract. She will strive to getyoung members involved for theirfuture and the future of the PostalService. +

10 The Union Mail | November/December 2016

STAPLES TUMBLES TO NEAR 20-YEAR LOW IN WAKE OFFAILED MERGER Staples fell to lowest in almost 20 years. Enthusiasm onWall Street is hard to find in the wake of Staples' failedbid earlier in the year to merge with Office Depot. Stapleswill close 46 to 50 stores in North America this year, as itattempts to slash costs and restore investor confidence. Ithas closed more than 300 stores since 2011.

USPS ANNOUNCED TWO CENT PRICE INCREASE TO TAKE EFFECT JANUARY 2017The United States Postal Service today filed notice with the PostalRegulatory Commission (PRC) of price changes for Mailing Services prod-

ucts to take effect next year, following the end of the holidaymailing season. The new prices, if approved, include a twocent increase in the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp,returning the price to 49 cents, the price of a Forever stampbefore the Postal Service was forced to reduce prices by the

PRC as part of the exigent surcharge removal.

THREE YEARS AFTER PRIVATIZATION, ROYAL MAIL AT CRISIS POINTRoyal Mail is 500 years old this year, an anniversary marked with somefanfare last month. Today however, is three years since Royal Mail wasprivatized—and this is an anniversary we’re unlikely to be hearing muchabout. This year alone 11,000 jobs have been lost, a fifth of its mail centershave closed and 5% of its delivery offices have shut with more due to fol-low as shareholders are exerting more and more influ-ence to maximize their own profits. Put simply, withRoyal Mail on course to have paid out £650million individends over this period, the truth is that privatiza-tion has seen more money flowing out of Royal Mailrather than into it.It’s sad to say, but the story of Royal Mail’s privatization is a story of

our times: the loss of democratic control; the transfer of wealth and powerto the richest in society; and the growing pressure on working people towork harder and faster for less.

OBAMA TRIES NEW APPROACH TO SPUR FEDS’ ANNUAL GIVING

President Obama signed an executive order Thursday tomake it easier for federal employees to volunteer at charitableorganizations and for retirees to donate to them. Under the

new rules, federal workers will be able to make non-monetary pledges toCFC charities by instead committing to donating their time.

Postal News Briefs

11The Union Mail | November/December 2016

Wednesday, November 165:30 pmGeneral Membership MeetingAnnual Turkey RaffleHotel Pennsylvania401 Seventh Ave (between 32 and 33 Streets)Paris/Zurich Room, 6th Floor(check calendar in lobby for room change)

As per NYMAPU Constitution: NO DECEMBER MEETING

Wednesday, January 18,2017 5:30 pmGeneral Membership MeetingHotel Pennsylvania401 Seventh Ave (between 32 and 33 Streets)Paris/Zurich Room, 6th Floor(check calendar in lobby for room change)

Metro Night OutSunday, January 8, 201712:00 Noon76ers vs. Nets (Tickets $63)Sunday, February 5, 201712:00 NoonRaptors vs. Nets (Tickets $47)Members call to reserve ticketsNYMAPU office: 212-563-7553

CALENDAR

October/November/DecemberDon’t Buy Staples! Rallieswill be scheduled throughout our area. For loca-tions and times, check www.nymetro.org or callthe Union office, Kevin Walsh, 212-563-7553

NY Metro Area Postal Union Now Accepting Debit & Credit Card Transactionsfrom Members(in addition to Money Orders)Visa and MasterCard ONLY Postal ID required at time of transaction

APWU LOCAL 10 BLDG. CORPBeginning Balance as of 09/01/2016 ___________$ 291,695.49Total REVENUE September 2016 _________________$ 115,681.32Total Operating Expenses September 2016 _____$118,873.05TOTAL NET INCOME/LOSS __________________________$—(3,191.73)Closing Balance as of 09/30/2016 _______________________$ 288,503.76

NY Metro Scholarship FundUnion Plus works with our local to give scholarships tomembers and their families. Union Plus ScholarshipAwards honor achievement and union values. Each yearNYMAPU has worked to increase our scholarship fundto help with the burdensome costs of further education.Visit UnionPlus.org/education to learn more and

apply for the scholarship program.Application deadline is January 31, 2017.

Check Out the APWU Health Plan!Federal Employee Health Benefits

Open SeasonNovember 14–December 12, 2016

APWU Health Plan Representatives: J. Renee Bost, Barbara Harris, Mike Suchomel, Jackie Owens

Join NY Metro Postal Union Officers in Celebrating the Holidays!Friday, December 16, 2016

3 pm–10 pmAFSCME Building 420 W. 45th Street,1st floor, NYC (between 9th and 10th Aves.)

Food and Beverages ProvidedPlease present membership ID at the door.

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NY Metro wish our members and their loved ones a joyousholiday season and a healthy and happy NewYear!