All of the information included in this article was received during the Tri-State (Ohio-Indiana-Kentucky) Fall Educational Conference.  During the Conference the officers and stewards heard from APWU President Mark Dimondstein, Vice-President Debbie Szeredy, Clerk Division Director Clint Burelson, Legislative/Political Director John Marcotte, Regional Coordinator Sharyn Stone, and National Business Agents Vance Zimmerman, Mike Schmid, and Randy Downard.

1.  During negotiations for the 2010 contract the USPS recieved give backs from the Union totaling $4 billion and from all unions totaling $13 billion.

2.  Negotiations for the new contract stalled due to the USPS wanting another lower wage career employee with less benefits and no COLA.

3.  Expects interest arbitration for the new contract to start in January, 2016.  Still deciding on neutral arbitrator.

4.  Some non-career employees qualify for public assistance.

5.  25,000+ PSEs have been converted to career employees in the past year.

6.  The 50-mile radius agreement was signed due to union agreeing to unlimited PSE holiday employees.

7.  The APWU Executive Board has endorsed Bernie Sanders for president.

8.  When a PSE is converted to career that represents a $26,000 a year increase in wages and benefits.

9.  Between 9/20/13 and 9/20/15 the clerk craft complement increased by 15,000 employees marking the first increase in many years.

10.  Do you know that in 1832 there were more postmasters in the USA than federal troops?

11.  A commission was established in 1968 to "fix" the USPS and one of their ideas was to privatize it.

12.  Each year the Postal Service gives out over $15 billion in discounts to mailers.

13.  First class mail makes up half the volume of mail and standard mail is the rest but only accounts for 26% of postal revenue.

14.  Private mailers process 60% of first class mail and make over $11 billion in profits.

Terry Grant, President OPWU AFL-CIO