News Around the Country | APWU - South Jersey Area Local 0526

Standing Against Deteriorating Mail Service

The United States Postal Service (USPS) is currently facing a myriad of challenges, including delayed mail, facility closures, intentional short staffing, and redirected mail logistics. These issues not only inconvenience millions of Americans but also threaten the integrity of a critical public service. Timely mail delivery is essential for individuals and businesses alike, impacting everything from bill payments to business transactions. Delays in mail delivery can lead to significant financial losses and missed opportunities, highlighting the urgent need for the USPS to prioritize efficient and timely service.

Furthermore, the closure of postal facilities exacerbates challenges for both USPS employees and customers. Such closures disrupt local communities and contribute to longer delivery times and increased workloads for remaining postal workers. Particularly in rural areas, facility closures can leave residents without convenient access to essential postal services, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a robust and accessible postal network. Additionally, intentional short staffing within the USPS poses significant problems, leading to increased stress and burnout among workers and compromising service quality. Adequate staffing levels are crucial for ensuring efficient mail processing and delivery.

In response to these pressing issues, it is vital for the public to mobilize and demand accountability and reform within the USPS. Citizens can take action by contacting elected representatives, participating in community protests, and advocating for legislative measures to address systemic challenges. By standing together, the public can send a powerful message that deteriorating mail service standards are unacceptable and demand better for themselves and future generations. It is essential to uphold the USPS’s vital role with excellence and integrity, ensuring it continues to serve as a cornerstone of society.

Use the attached documents to inform your neighbors, local businesses, local and state officials. Use the petition to gather our neighborly support!

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A Call to Action for Better Staffing

As we embark on a new year, the APWU Staffing Task Force Committee, comprising dedicated local and state leaders, is gearing up its Better Staffing, Better Service campaign. As postal workers, we stand at the forefront of the nation’s oldest and most trusted public service. Yet, years of management “cost cutting” and short staffing have eroded our ability to fulfill our mission to the public, undermining service quality, increasing workplace stress, and driving away business and revenue from the USPS.

In the coming year, our resolve to mobilize and unite with the public must remain steadfast as we demand staffing levels that ensure short retail lines, open post offices, and safer workplaces. The public deserves exceptional service, and so do we, the postal workers who tirelessly serve them.

Every member of our union, regardless of craft, holds a stake in a robust and thriving Postal Service. Each one of us can play a pivotal role in this endeavor. As we gear up for 2024, let us equip ourselves with the following strategies to bolster our campaign:

**Organize Locally:** Strengthen ties within your local union chapter. Organize meetings, discussions, and workshops to raise awareness about the importance of adequate staffing levels and the impact on both workers and the public.

**Engage the Public:** Reach out to communities, customers, and stakeholders. Educate them about the challenges faced by postal workers due to short staffing and the detrimental effects on service quality. Mobilize public support through petitions, rallies, and media outreach.

**Leverage Social Media:** Utilize social media platforms to amplify our message. Share stories, testimonials, and statistics highlighting the consequences of inadequate staffing. Engage with followers, encourage them to join the conversation, and spread awareness online.

**Collaborate with Allies:** Forge alliances with other labor unions, community organizations, and advocacy groups that share our commitment to better staffing and service standards. Pool resources, coordinate actions, and amplify our collective voice for maximum impact.

**Advocate for Legislative Action:** Work with elected officials at the local, state, and federal levels to advocate for legislation that addresses staffing concerns within the USPS. Lobby for funding allocations and policy changes that prioritize adequate staffing and support the Postal Service’s mission.

This is a fight that the APWU must lead, and victory is within our reach if we all actively participate, organize, and mobilize. Together, we can ensure a future where postal workers have the resources and support they need to provide exceptional service to the public.

Let us stand together, shoulder to shoulder, in solidarity and determination. Our voices matter, our actions count, and our cause is just. Together, let us make 2024 the year of Better Staffing, Better Service for postal workers and the communities we serve.

LiteBlue Not Working?

Late last week, LiteBlue had some issues and Direct Deposit/Net to Bank Functionality had been deactivated again. It was reactivated Monday and is up and running again. I will not go into the long details of why it was deactivated, but the short answer is the Postal Service identified patterns where certain applications were logging through anonymous VPN connections and making changes to direct deposit and net to bank. After investigation, the Postal Service found that the employees who were affected by this had voluntarily granted these apps access to make these changes by giving them their EINs, passwords, MFA information, etc. It should be common sense, but it is imperative no one give out this information or it can compromise the system. The apps that were identified as the apps making these changes were “CashApp” and “Albert”.

The Postal Service is now blocking all connections that use an anonymous VPN connection. If you are using an anonymous VPN you will not be able to login to LiteBlue. You will need to turn the anonymous VPN off in order to login.

Here is some additional messaging from the Postal Service on connecting to LiteBlue:

Due to elevated security threats, we implemented additional device and location security policies in LiteBlue in March 2023.
These policies monitor user log in activity to detect anomalies associated with known security threats, such as phishing, account takeover, etc.
Specifically, the additional security policies monitor IP addresses, locations, devices, and time between attempted log ins.
Ultimately, these policies are designed to safeguard employee account information by blocking attempted log ins from unrecognized devices or locations.

We are working with the helpdesks to improve the process when reporting issues.

If you do get your account reset you should set up MFA from their personal device to avoid potential issues with device / location security policies. We are updating the user guides and FAQ’s.

To address the last item that isn’t very clear —
When an employee has their account locked/blocked they need to get it reset. It may require a temporary password be mailed to the employee. The employee will need to call HRSSC to get that temporary password sent out (this process has been verified). Second, HRSSC will get them in contact/transfer them/have them call the IT helpdesk to get their account unlocked.

This is the important part: when the employee tries to log back in for the first time after a unlock/MFA reset they will need to make sure they do so from outside the Postal Service on their personal device — (a laptop or desktop; not your phone) that is not on the Blue network (a postal work computer). If they do log on from inside the “Blue” network and then log in from a personal device, they will be locked out again.

The Postal Service is working to improve the login process all the time. As I get updates I will let you know.