President’s Report 

By Shelly R. Lucido 

Privatization 

The US Constitution Article 1, Section 8 and 39 US Code 101 (Postal Policy) states in part: 

Art. 1 Sec. 8: The Congress shall have the right to establish Post Offices and Post Roads 

§101. Postal policy 

(a) The United States Postal Service shall be operated as a basic and fundamental service provided to the people by the Government of the United States, authorized by the Constitution, created by Act of Congress, and supported by the people. The Postal Service shall have as its basic function the obligation to provide postal services to bind the Nation together through the personal, educational, literary, and business correspondence of the people. It shall provide prompt, reliable, and efficient services to patrons in all areas and shall render postal services to all communities. The costs of establishing and maintaining the Postal Service shall not be apportioned to impair the overall value of such service to the people. 

(b) The Postal Service shall maintain an integrated network for the delivery of market-dominant and competitive products (as defined in chapter 36 of this title). Delivery shall occur at least six days a week, except during weeks that include a Federal holiday, in emergency situations, such as natural disasters, or in geographic areas where the Postal Service has established a policy of delivering mail fewer than six days a week as of the date of enactment of the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022. The Postal Service shall provide a maximum degree of effective and regular postal services to rural areas, communities, and small towns where post offices are not self-sustaining. No small post office shall be closed solely for operating at a deficit, it being the specific intent of the Congress that effective postal services be insured to residents of both urban and rural communities. 

     We are currently in the fight of our lives not only to protect 650,000 great postal jobs, but also the very service that binds this nation together. Whatever your political party, it does not matter, we must stand together to save the Post Office and the service we provide to the American people. President Trump just illegally stripped one-million federal workers of their Collective Bargaining rights with the stroke of a pen. It is a fact, not made up. Yes, we are part of the constitution, but it does not say who does the work. A private company could do the work. The law could be changed to eliminate universal service. It would take an act of congress, but I do not have much confidence in congress not selling out the American people's post office to the highest bidder. If, with a stroke of pen the President takes away one million federal workers' rights, why would you believe he would not do it to Postal Workers? The Post Office is the heart of a two-trillion-dollar industry. There is money to be made, but the cuts that will be made will be devastating: cuts to delivery to rural America, price increases, no requirement to deliver to every household, collective bargaining agreement eliminated, reduction in wages and benefits etc. Please take this seriously and keep updated on what you can do by going to the CPWU Facebook page, CPWU.net (website), APWU.org. You need to participate and stand with our veterans, our federal workers, our teachers, stand up for our National Parks, host a rally in your town, get your community involved. There are resources, a petition, a link to email your representatives at APWU.org for your use. Please do something and do your part before it is too late. 

Contractual Violations 

     Another good way to eliminate your job is to not report contract violations or you yourself violating the contract. Let me remind you that the Collective Bargaining Agreement is a contract between the “United States Postal Service and the American Postal Workers Union”. Postal management and APWU-represented employees are required to abide by the contract and when an individual from either party violates the contract and your steward or I know about it we will file a grievance. I do not pick and choose who can violate the contract. Nobody has the authority to rewrite the contents or violate the contract. I have received complaints that I did not ask the union to file this or that grievance. We took an oath to uphold the contract, and we will continue doing just that. It is for the good of all APWU employees and to protect your job, even though you may not understand it. Also, Postmasters, Supervisors and other EAS employees are on the floor telling APWU represented employees that union officials file grievances because they receive a cut of monetary settlements, not true, very illegal and the postal service is responsible for payouts, not the union. If they saw us attempting to pay ourselves they would report us to the Department of Labor and have us arrested. The reality is they do not like to follow the contract and do not like being held accountable. Please report violations. You can go to CPWU.net and APWU.org for a copy of the contract and JCIM, educate yourselves. Also, you have the right to union representation for disciplinary interviews, OIG Interviews, Postal Inspection Interviews and to speak to your union steward regarding contract violations on the clock, always request a steward. 

Transportation Optimization 

     This is coming to a rural town near you. What the Delivering for America plan calls for is holding collection and retail mail overnight in any Post Office that is over 50 miles from a processing center, therefore dispatching with the only truck you will get in the morning. Please, if this is happening in your Post Office, kindly let me know. I believe it to be discriminatory towards rural Colorado. 

Welcome 

     We have a new website editor and an Associate Editor for the Voice of Colorado newsletter, Tom Marquez from the Denver NDC, has been appointed to the vacated positions by the CPWU Executive Board. Tom has already made wonderful changes to the website, and I want to thank him for stepping up to the challenge. The website has not been up-to-date for years, please go to CPWU.net and see the work Tom is doing on the website. 

Spring showers bring May flowers. Soon we will be enjoying warmer temperatures in beautiful Colorado. Take a vacation, spend time with your family, enjoy the great outdoors. Remember everybody deserves time off. If you request time off, and it is denied, please contact us immediately. At any given time except December, one employee should be allowed off, sick leave does not count, and short staffing does not matter. Hold them to it. Also, if you have a doctor's or dentist's appointment, they should not be denying these requests, request a steward. Your health is the most important thing. 

The CPWU Officers and Stewards are always available to answer any questions and assist you in any way possible. Please contact us anytime. 

In Solidarity, 

Shelly 

vpcpwu@gmail.com