Wow! Where to start? This is a crazy time we are going through. The first day we heard about the coronavirus, it was happening in another country. It didn’t make an impact since we didn’t see it firsthand. Then the virus traveled to the U.S. Now, our lives have changed. You see it at the grocery store; empty shelves, schools and restaurants being closed. Next thing, I was getting calls from my dentist office canceling appoint-ments. The list goes on and on. The governor has called for social distancing. This is a pain, but it works. This is an unprecedented time for our country. Trust me, I know it’s going to be a difficult and stressful time. I am the guardian of a 10 and 12-year-old. Try telling a 12-year-old girl she can’t hang out with her bff. Kids don’t understand the dangers of the coronavirus, but some adults aren’t taking the situa-tion seriously either.

Window clerks are especially in a precarious situation. They are front and center with customers. I don’t know how you feel. I know I am uncomfortable just going to the grocery store. I have received several calls from our members regarding working on the window. The Postal Service is not going to shut down retail functions. People count on the Postal Service to de-liver everything from medicine, medical supplies, online shopping, gifts, bills and paychecks. The list goes on and on. Management is mandated to provide gloves, sani-

tizer, wipes and masks for their em-ployees. And yes, clerks can wear masks on the window. If supplies are not available, let your steward know or call the Union Hall. There is also a mandate to provide a bar-rier on the window. Some stations are putting up plexiglass. I heard Management was also looking at clear plastic shower curtains.

We have had several memos and mandates that have come down

dealing with the coronavirus. I have included a few in this issue of the Vindicator. If you have any ques-tions, ask for a steward or call the Union Hall. There is expanded family and medical leave for speci-fied reasons related to the corona-virus. The flyer explaining these rights is included in this Vindicator.

This is a time where we all need to pull together. We can get through this. Let’s keep it simple.

Practice good hygiene, wash your hands until you are sick of it, and be cautious. Stay home when you can. Check on your friends and neighbors. Practice social distanc-ing. Get out and take a walk when you can. Stay safe.

Jennifer SigmonAPWU PresidentColumbus, OH Area Local 232by Jennifer Sigmon

The President's Message . . .

Columbus ohio AreA loCAlServing ColumbuS and Central ohio

Volume #48, Issue #4 April, 2020

AreA OffIces Union furnaceAmlin Brice circleville frazeysburg Grove city Johnstown Magnetic springs New Albany Pleasantville reynoldsburg stoutsville Unionville ctr.Alexandria canal Winchester coshocton fredericktown Harrisburg Kilbourne Marysville Newark Powell rockbridge sugar Grove Wash. ct. Hse.Baltimore canesville Delaware fresno Haydenville Lancaster Milledgeville Pataskala Prospect rushville summit station WestervilleBloomingburg carbon Hill Dublin Gambier Hilliard Logan Mt. Vernon Pickerington radnor sedalia thornville West JeffersonBremen carroll etna Groveport Jeffersonville London Murray city Plain city raymond south solon thurston West Lafayette

2 THE VINDICATOR April, 2020

eDItOrIAL POLIcy The Vindicator is published monthly and is the official publication of the CoLUMbUS AreA LoCAL/APWU, 610 Lancaster Ave., reynoldsburg, oH 43068, 614-501-1900. Opinions expressed in the Vindicator are those of the individual workers and not necessarily those of the c.O.A.L. the editor reserves the right to approve material submitted for publica-tion. the deadline for all articles is the 16th or at our regular union meeting, whichever is first. If for any reason the editor is not present at month-ly meeting, the article is to be given to the presi-dent. Articles are to be typed, double-spaced and in duplicate. Article should not exceed approxi-mately 11/2 pages typed.

retirees corner

Kim Harrington-ferguson

WelcomeWelcomeTo the

AmericAn PosTAlWorkers Union

I am sitting at home, doing my part to “Shelter in Place”. These are some crazy times. We don’t think about these things happen-ing to us here in the United States. but it has. I hope that you are do-

ing your part to slow the spread of this horrible virus. When we talked at the last meeting things were just really starting to hap-pen. Amazing the difference a few days make. but we are strong and will get through this. I know you have heard this all before but remember to only go out when necessary, wash your hands and try not to touch your face.

If we have a meeting in April, we will be voting on a Constitutional Amendment to in-clude Trustees. Trustees oversee the financial aspects of the Chap-ter. If we don’t have a meeting in

April, the vote will take place at the next meeting.

In March we discussed a trip to Amish Country in May. Not know-ing what is going to happen, we will probably have to postpone that trip until June or July. We will do our best to keep everyone informed. remem-ber that we do have a Facebook page, APWU retirees-Columbus ohio Area Chapter. Any information will be posted there.

I hope to see you all soon.Take care.

Kim Harrington-Ferguson PresidentAPWU Local 232 Retirees Chapter

Robert MayabbSteven Cardwell II

Aubrey ClarkNicholas Hicks

Kynee LakeKwasi OkyereMahesh PatelSteven WilgusJuan Smith

Nicholas AicheleRobert BozemanChidinma Uzozie

David AustinHarold Cottrell

uNioN organizingisn’t about signingcards – it’s aboutempoweringpeople andchanging lives

OffIcers AND stAffat your service:

execUtIVe BOArDJennifer Sigmon ...............................................PresidentFrank Payne .............................................Vice PresidentAngie Lyshe .................................... Secretary/Treasurerrick Farrell ....................................recording SecretarySherry Pickens ............................... Clerk Craft DirectorDave Collins ................................... MVS Craft DirectorLarry butts ......................... Maintenance Craft Director

cItyGAte cLerK cUBIcALPhone: 614-472-0595 .....................fax: 614-473-0690

tOUr INorma Quijas ...........................................Chief StewardJacob Wayt .........................................................StewardMelissa rubadue ................................................Steward

tOUr IICheryl Diltz ........................................................StewardSherry Pickens .................................. Clerk Craft Director and StewardFrank Payne .............................................Vice President

tOUr IIILarry Canady ...........................................Chief Stewardrick Farrell ........................................................StewardKevonia black ....................................................StewardTreniece Thompson ............................................StewardKhristin Johnson ................................................Steward

cItyGAte MAINteNANce cUBIcALPhone: 614-472-0596 fax: 614-473-0690

tOUr ILarry butts ........................................................ Citygate Maintenance Craft DirectorKen Hamrick ............................................... Twin rivers StewardDerrick Corne CitygateWalt Jones ...............................................................Twin rivers ..............................................................................

tOUr IIJames e. Miller ................................................. Citygate Assistant Maintenance Craft DirectorShannon Coburn................................................ CitygateXaviare reed ............................................... Twin rivers

tOUr IIISue eppard ........................................................ CitygateChris Griswold .................................................. Citygate

twin rivers cubiclePhone: 614-469-4290 fax: 614-469-4293

MVS CRAFT STeWARDSDave Collins ................................... MVS Craft DirectorKen bradley .......................................................Steward

stAtIONs AND BrANcHes steWArDsKen bradley .............................................Chief StewardDave Collins .......................................................StewardAngie Lyshe .......................................................StewardCandace radcliff ................................................StewardDevyon Shelton ..................................................Steward

AreA OffIcesJennifer sigmon...................................... 614-501-1900ALt: Jennifer staten ............................. 740-622-4821baltimore, brice, Carroll, etna, Groveport, Johnstown, Lancaster, New Albany, Newark, Pataskala, Pleasantville, Summit Station, Thornville

Kelly Bell ................................................. 614-882-2243Westerville

Jennifer staten........................................ 740-622-4821ALt: Jennifer sigmon ............................ 614-501-1900bremen, Carbon Hill, Conesville, Coshocton, Frazeys-burg, Fresno, Haydenville, Logan, Murray City, rock bridge, rushville, Sugar Grove, Thurston, Union Furnace, West Lafayette

Velekia March ......................................... 614-889-0531ALt: cheryl Horton ............................. 740-986-3665Alexandria, Amlin, Canal Winchester, Delaware, Dublin, Fredericktown, Gambier, Grove City, Hilliard, Kilbourne, Magnetic Springs, Marysville, Mt. Vernon, Pickerington, Plain City, Powell, Prospect, radnor, raymond, reyn-oldsburg. Unionville Center, West Jefferson

cheryl Horton ........................................ 740-986-3665ALt: Velekia March .............................. 614-889-0531bloomingburg, Circleville, Harrisburg, Jeffersonville, London, Midgeville, Sedalia, South Solon, Stoutsville, Washington Court House

Use designated steward first, then the designated alternate. Supervisors must call the designated steward’s Supervisor to ensure their release.

Sherry Pickens Craft Director ..................614-472-0595renie Nelson, Veteran’s Affairs officer ...614-501-1900bruce Pargeon, Chief Steward Aos .........740-345-4021

Union Hall – 614-501-1900610 Lancaster Avenue

reynoldsburg, ohio 430687:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. MoN. - FrI.Union Hall Fax – 614-501-1917

OffIce stAff Kim Ference - Secretary

VINDIcAtOre-mail: Vindicator – apwulocal232@yahoo.com

Website: vindicator232.wordpress.com

April, 2020 THE VINDICATOR 3

AtteNtION ALL MeMBers Of APWU 232 cOLUMBUs, OHIOtHe UNION Is AtteMPtING tO estABLIsH A

DAtA BAse Of eMAIL ADDresses AND PHONe NUMBersOf tHe MeMBersHIP.

If yOU WIsH tO receIVeMeetING DAtes,

UPcOMING PArty NOtIfIcAtIONs,ONLINe VINDIcAtOr

AND cONtrAct UPDAtesVIA eMAIL Or text,

text rONALD ferGUsON614-946-1100.

recording secretary

Brothers and Sisters, I would like to educate or re-mind everyone about something called your Weingarten rights. If you are ever requested to be interviewed by management or es-pecially if there is a Postal Inspec-tor present, you should first ask if this is anything that could possibly lead to discipline. If the answer is yes, then you should state that you request union representation. You should state that you are willing to participate in any inves-tigation but that you are invoking your Weingarten rights. Weingar-

ten rights guarantee an employee the right to union representation during an investigative interview. These rights established by the Supreme Court, in 1975 in the case of J” Weingarten Inc.” must be claimed by the employee. A supervisor has no obligation to inform an employee that he or she is entitled to Union representation. You cannot be punished for making this request. You can in-voke your Weingarten rights be-fore participating in an interview or at anytime during the interview. once you invoke these rights a supervisor, representative of man-agement or Postal Inspector must immediately end the interview until your Union representative is present. If a supervisor etc. denies your request and continues to ask questions, this is an unfair labor practice and the employee has the right to refuse to answer. The employee cannot be disciplined for the refusal but is required to

sit there until the supervisor ter-minates the interview. Leaving before this happens may constitute punishable insubordination. The steward can take the em-ployee aside for a private confer-ence before the questioning begins and is allowed to speak during the interview. The steward may also give the employee advice on how to answer a question. We are basi-cally your lawyer. one of my first cases when I became a steward involved an employee that was accused of threatening a supervisor. I was in a meeting with the employee, the supervisor and their manager. The manager started the meeting explaining why we were there and what the charge was. The manager then proceeded to ask the employee several questions. I then attempted to ask a question of the employee to clarify what was already said. The manager then stopped me and stated that this was his interview, that he asked

the questions and that I could not participate and that I was only there as an observer and stated that I should remain quiet for the remainder of the interview. I let the manager finish his interview and then I filed a griev-ance that the employee had his Weingarten rights violated as I was not allowed to represent the employee and provide any defense or participation. I won the grievance and the charge was expunged. It is very rare for an employee to be called in for an investiga-tion during their career but you need to be aware of the rights that you have so as not to incriminate yourself and to know that you are entitled to the best representa-tion that your union will provide. Hopefully you will never need to invoke these rights but know that you have these rights if needed.

Yours in solidarity,Rick Farrell

Rick Farrell

American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO

SaveTheDate

2020 APWU/COALAnnual Picnic

To be held Sunday, July 26, 2020At: Jackson Lake

3715 Cedar Hill Rd. NW Canal Winchester, OH 43110

Time: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm

More information to follow.

On the phone –On the web –

In an offi ce near you

USPS Emplyee Assistance Program1-800-327-4968

(1-800-EAP-4-YOU) TTY:1-877-492-7341www.EAP4YOU.com

Something for Everyone

Counseling – Consultaion – Coaching

EAPThe USPS EAP has

something just for you.

Counseling – Everyone strug-gles at some point. The EAP is there to help you through what you are experiencing.

Consultation – Not sure how to address a situation? Consult an EAP professional for guidance.

Coaching – No matter how focused, sometimes goals are hard to reach. An EAP Life Coach can help ensure you reach yours.

4 THE VINDICATOR April, 2020

Stimulus Bill Passes Congress but the Fight Continues...

We are pleased that some

working families will be getting a check as a result of the $2.2 tril-lion stimulus but are also aware that those gains were paired with a corporate bailout of hundreds of billions of dollars. The final language of this bill reflects the Postal Service was all but cut out of the economic relief many pri-vate corporations will receive.

“It’s outrageous that the stimulus bill passed by Congress doesn’t include any financial sup-port for the USPS,” said President Mark Dimondstein. “Including needed funds to provide for the safety of workers and the mailing public.”

Initial language included in the House bill introduced on March 23, Take Responsibility for Workers and Family Act, in-cluded strong postal provisions the postal unions worked with our allies in Congress to secure:

A $25 billion emergency ap-propriation to the Postal Service for revenue forgone during the COVID-19 crisis.

A repeal of the prefunding mandate established by the 2006 PAEA.

Forgiveness of $11 billion in outstanding debt.

Repeal of the $3 billion an-nual limit on use of the Postal Service’s $15 billion in borrowing authority.

Unfortunately, despite the critical service the public Postal Service is providing during this time of crisis, as negotiations progressed with the Senate and the White House, the USPS was left with only a $10 billion line of credit, which, if utilized, would only further add to their debt. This was not only offensive to postal workers but demonstrates the continued disrespect this ad-ministration has for the valuable role of the public Postal Service.

“Postal Workers are on the frontlines each day ensuring that the millions of Americans whose lives have been disrupted can still receive deliveries of vital supplies and medicines,” said Legislative & Political Director Judy Beard. “The Postal Service is uniquely positioned to serve the public as it has done throughout many oth-er moments of national turmoil.”

We expect a fourth stimulus bill to be introduced to address the shortcomings of this recent

continued on page 5

April, 2020 THE VINDICATOR 5

GrievanceProcedure

Article 15 of the Collective bargaining Agreement governs the grievance procedure between the APWU and the Postal Service.

A grievance is defined in Article 15 as a “dispute, differ-ence, disagreement or complaint between the parties related to wages, hours, and conditions of employment.” That definition is very broad. You should never let a postal supervisor or manager tell you that you “don’t have a grievance”. If you have questions about whether or not you have a grievance you should request “union time” from your immedi-ate supervisor to meet with a local steward.

The grievance procedure con-sists of 4 “steps”.

step-1 where an individual meets and discusses the issue with their supervisor,step-2 where an union official meets with a Postal Service official if the issue was not resolved at step-1,step-3 where a nat ional APWU representative meets with an area postal official if resolution does not occur at step-2, andstep-4 finally, binding arbitra-tion in front of a neutral arbi-trator selected jointly by the parties to hear the grievance. In order for a grievance to be

considered “timely” it must be first discussed (“filed”) at step-1 within 14-days of when the em-ployee or the union learned, of may reasonably been expected to have learned, of the issue.

If you believe you may have a grievance or if you are unsure whether or not you have a griev-ance, please contact you state or local union representatives.

legislation. Not only is the future of the Postal Service at stake, but working families will also need more relief than only a one-time check. The APWU will continue to work with our sister postal unions and allies to advocate for strong legislation to swiftly ad-dress the financial crisis the Post-al Service is facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

APWU is also meeting with Congress to seek help to get safe-ty equipment to post offices na-tionwide. The safety and health of our members remains our top priority.

continued from page 4Stimulus Bill Passes

reprint from APWU.org

Wednesdaymay 20, 2020

at our new location 610 lancaster ave., reynoldsburg

at 7:00 p.m.

Due to the concerns of theCovid-19 virus, and social

distancing, the AprilMonthly Meeting has been

CANCELLED.If you have any questions or concerns – please con-

tact the Union Hall at 614-501-1900.

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serVIcesfax: Free at Union Hall. For emergency use only. Not to take the place of the postal service.copying: Limited Copying available at the Union Hall at no charge.Website: vindicator232@wordpress.com

IteMs Of INterestAprons: Male Denim $11.00 - Male Twill $12.00 - Female Denim $12.00t-shirts: Charcoal Gray and Navy blue – New - $10.00event Hall: Hall Rental available at a discounted rate for APWU Members. Available at Union Hall, 610 Lancaster Ave., Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43068 • (614) 501-1900

tIcKets–these discounts are better than AAA's andare exclusively for Members only–It Pays to Belong

AMc Movie tickets–$10.25 each member

All other tickets will be available online through the Tickets At Work website. Go to www.ticketsat-Work.com, then click “become a Member” to fill out your information. When asked to enter a Company Code you will type in KIAPWU.

"It Pays to Belong"

APWU WOrKING fOr yOU

Union Yes 3