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APWU Offers Commemorative Inauguration Buttons

APWU Web News Article #121A-08, Dec. 15, 2008

As excitement builds for the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States, the APWU is offering union members commemorative buttons to mark the historic event.

Proceeds from sales of the buttons will help fund COPA, the union’s Committee on Political Action.

Buttons can be ordered via the union’s Web site, at www.apwustore.org, for $5 apiece, plus shipping and handling. The buttons are rectangular, 3 inches wide by 2 inches tall. They bear a likeness of the president-elect, and include the words, “Barack Obama — 44th President,” along with the APWU logo.

Because the sales will benefit COPA, payment cannot be made from the funds of local or state organizations. Only personal checks, personal credit cards, or money orders will be accepted.

“The APWU provided locals and state organizations with a great deal of material during the campaign,” said APWU President William Burrus. “The ‘Obama for President’ buttons were extremely popular and demand for them continued after our supply had run out. The inaugural buttons are almost identical and will serve as a memento of this historic occasion.”

If You Plan to Attend….

APWU members who plan to visit the nation’s capital for Inauguration Day festivities on Jan. 20 will be able to enjoy the event with other activists at a downtown hotel.

If you plan to attend, please send an e-mail to inauguration@apwu.org. Please provide your name, your Employee I.D. number, your local, the number of people you plan to bring, names, and a telephone number.

The union has secured a meeting room at the Madison Hotel, which is large enough to accommodate several hundred people. The hotel is located at 1177 15th St. NW, Washington, DC 20005.

Participants will be able to watch the festivities on large-screen televisions in the hotel meeting room. Those who wish to see the inaugural parade in person will have a long walk to spots along the parade route. The event concludes at the White House, more than half a mile from the Madison Hotel, and the rest of the parade route is farther away.

APWU members will be responsible for their own transportation and lodging. Inaugural events are expected to draw record-breaking crowds, so hotel rooms and transportation in the nation’s capital are scarce, and highly priced.

The national union will not provide tickets to the swearing-in ceremony or transportation to the site of the oath of office or the parade, due to traffic and security restrictions imposed by Inauguration planners. Tickets are not required for the parade; other parade details have not been announced.

“I look forward to celebrating the historic occasion with APWU activists who want to be part of this momentous event,” said APWU President William Burrus said. “The election of Barack Obama was a victory for working people — one that we are eager to commemorate together.”

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