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Take a Solid Plan of Action

(This article first appeared in the January/February 2008 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine.)

If you want to know what’s happening with organizing in 2008, here’s the scoop: APWU’s strategy is simple. All local and state APWU offices should develop a yearlong campaign with committed organizing committees, healthy organizing budgets, and a solid plan of action. The campaigns should be coordinated with the national Organization Department and should be conducted in all postal facilities in the United States and territories.

National headquarters will provide organizing material and will reimburse local and state offices 50 percent of the cost of pre-planned and approved organizing drives within their jurisdictions. We intend to make organizing a top priority in the postal network and hope that this strategy will ensure success

William Burrus has put the full weight of his APWU presidency behind this year’s organizing effort. The campaign theme is “Organizing Is Our Future.” We all must accept the fact that unions as a whole are taking a beating, and that the only way the APWU can survive the onslaught from USPS management and its corporate cronies is to organize 24 hours a day, seven days a week, without pause.

The Story Thus Far

The American Postal Workers Union and its organizers can be proud of what we have been doing. Last year, more than 11,000 new members were signed up during the “Help Us, Help You!” campaign. Included in that total are nearly 6,000 women, many of whom joined the APWU during our, “A Woman’s Place is Her Union” organizing effort. More than 60 percent of the new members were signed up as a result of one-on-one meetings with APWU organizers; most of the rest became members after receiving information about the union in special nationwide mailings.

Our overall organizing effort was recognized as exemplary by the AFL-CIO in its report to the affiliate unions, and we can be proud that APWU has done its part in keeping union membership alive and well in the labor federation.

The APWU stands at nearly 80 percent organized in the postal workplace, which means it is one of the most organized unions in either of the labor federations. Although we can be proud of this accomplishment, we cannot sit still. Every APWU steward and officer must make organizing an every-day part of business. Every dues-paying member also should play a role in our organizing drive:We are asking for everyone’s help.

The Approach to Take

As you go through your daily lives, driving to and from work in your carpool, attending church, participating in local sports activities and other family events, talk to your non-union co-workers and make them part of our APWU family. It is about time that they gave credit to the dedicated people who make their job security a reality; we need their help in supporting our efforts to negotiate stronger contracts.

Working for the United States Postal Service is one of the best jobs in the country, and the reason is because of the efforts of the American Postal Workers Union. It’s time for everyone to do their fair share in helping us keep up the good work.

APWU’s Organization Department is here to assist members in every way possible to make local organizing campaigns a success. We offer a variety of new-member incentives that can help you develop a stronger plan of action.

If you are a member, steward, or officer, give us a call to sign on as an APWU organizer and receive an Organizing Kit and a list of non-members in your area. It’s time to get to work: We still have more than 50,000 non-members to sign up.

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