Official Northwest Illinois Area Local Website

Updated  June 15, 2009

     General Membership Meeting Sunday July 12, 2009 at 2:30PM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . See Updated Floorspread June 12, 2009 by NWIAL Pres. Jackie Engelhart . . . . . . .  . . . Click on Floorspread below . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . See NWIAL's Human Relations Report on "Airborne Paper Fiber-Nuisance Dust or Killer??" . . . click on NWIAL's Human Relations Report below . . . .     

Northwest Illinois Area Local Scholarship (PDF)

Pictures of NWIAL Retirement Seminar May 02, 2009

Burrus Calls on Labor Department to Reverse Bush FMLA Rules

APWU President William Burrus has called on U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Hilda Solis

 to rescind the new regulations [PDF] governing the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

 that were imposed by the Bush Administration just days before the former president left office.

Non-Members Fail to Appreciate What’s at Stake

In March I sent a letter to non-members, requesting that they join the union. 

Approximately one thousand decided to join, returning their signed applications; 

others chose to share their negative views about the union in the postage-paid 

envelopes supplied by the APWU.

APWU Locals Go to Bat
For Employee Free Choice Act

APWU members across the country are stepping up 

to the plate to help pass the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which would 

help level the playing field for workers who want to form unions.

Burrus Assails USPS Response to Financial Crisis

In testimony before a House panel May 20, APWU President William Burrus told

 lawmakers that if the Postal Service is to survive, it must re-examine its overall strategy. [full testimony - PDF]

Excessing: Know Your Rights

In response to significant reductions in mail volume and revenue, postal management 

is aggressively adjusting employee complements. These modifications are generating 

thousands of excessing notices to local unions and employees, indicating that junior full-time

 employees will be reassigned to other crafts or more distant facilities.

APWU, Mail Hauler Agree to One-Month Contract Extension

The APWU and the private-sector mail-haul firm Pat Salmon & Sons have agreed to

 a one-month extension of a contract covering more than 500 drivers. The collective 

bargaining agreement in effect since Aug. 30, 2006, had been set to expire May 15.

H.R. 22 Gains Support from
Twenty-Five More U.S. Representatives

Support continues to grow in Congress for much needed legislation to

 save the Postal Service from a crushing financial crisis.

As of May 6, 299 members of the House of Representatives have signed on as co-sponsors

 of H.R. 22 [PDF], which would modify a provision of the 2006 postal “reform” law that needlessly

 drains the Postal Service of billions of dollars per year and has contributed to a financial

 crunch so severe that it threatens the viability of the nation's 235-year-old postal system.

‘FMLA Restoration Act’ Introduced

A bill intended to reverse changes to the Family and Medical Leave Act regulations 

that were implemented just before President Obama took office has been introduced in the U.S. House.

Online Registration Now Available
For All-Craft, Retirees Conferences

The 2009 All-Craft Conference will be held Sept. 30 through Oct. 3 in Las Vegas. 

The event will feature a comprehensive series of educational workshops and general

 business sessions in which important craft issues and resolutions will be discussed and 

voted on. Craft-specific workshops will be offered for members of the Clerk, Maintenance, 

Motor Vehicle Services, and Support Services Crafts, as well as training sessions of general interest.

 The registration fee is $65 per person through Aug. 15; from Aug. 16 through Sept. 1, the cost is $100.

Union Asks Members to Contact Congress

More than half of the members of the House of Representatives have signed on as co-sponsors

 of H.R. 22 [PDF], which would modify a provision of the 2006 postal “reform” law 

that drains the Postal Service of billions of dollars per year and has contributed to 

a financial crisis so severe that it threatens the viability of the nation's 235-year-old postal system.