May 5, 2014 – Thousands of former postal employees who took advantage of the Voluntary Early Retirement Incentive in 2013 will be returning to the post office where they last worked to pick up their final incentive check on May 23, reports Retirees Department Director Judy Beard.
This presents a great opportunity to invite these former APWU members to join the union’s Retirees Department, Beard said. “When the retirees arrive for their checks, union members and officers will have the opportunity to recognize them for the hard work they did as postal employees, thank those who were APWU members and who continue to support us as members of the Retirees Department, and recruit those who have not yet joined the department,” she said.
“If a retiree chapter is affiliated with your local, please include chapter members in your organizing drive,” she added. Local presidents and secretary-treasurers can download a list of retirees who haven’t joined the department. To do so, log-in to the Members Only section of http://www.apwu.org/ and select “Non-Member VER” on the left side of the screen.
Local officers who experience a problem downloading the report should contact Andrea Chapman in the Per Capita Department at 202-842-8555.
The Retirees Department has compiled material to help you explain the value of continuing APWU membership after retirement. Click the links below.
Retiree Department Membership Form [PDF]
You can also ask retirees to join our campaign against Staples and to sign the Stop Staples postcard [PDF] or the online petition at www.StopStaples.com.
Aging Americans Month
May is Aging Americans Month, and the National Executive Board adopted a resolution calling on locals and state organizations to celebrate our retirees’ achievements. Click to download a Retiree Commendation Certificate [PDF] to present to retirees who have done an outstanding job in your local, state, and/or community. Certificates may be awarded to retirees at local meetings, chapter meetings, ceremonies, by mail, or you can hand them to retirees when they pick up their incentive checks. “We need help from our retirees to stop attacks on seniors’ benefits as well as to join us in the fight to save postal jobs,” Beard said.
Maybe I’m all alone in my thinking but isn’t it a little inconsiderate for the Post office to make us travel back to our old work stations in order for us to receive our final incentive check? We are RETIRED. I could understand the first check since it was also a way for the Post Office to recoup IDs, Tools, issued items and keys etc., before turning over our first incentive check. Made perfect sense! But if making us travel to our old work stations just to get us to join the retired Union is ridiculous and uncalled for. We are older, some are ill, and many have moved away to greater distances than when they were working. The checks could have been easily either distributed to us thru the US Mail or deposited directly into our checking accounts. Also any solicitation for Union membership could have also been submitted thru the US Mail. Is the Post office and Union so desperate that they can’t afford a STAMP? Just a thought !
And, don’t forget to mail in those reduced retiree union dues!