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Give to COPA —
Let Your Voice Be Heard!

Convention’s COPA Night
APWU’s most generous contributors to COPA, the union’s Committee on Political Action, will enjoy a night of fun and will be eligible to win valuable prizes at the union’s 19th biennial National Convention in August. [read more]

To help give our union a stronger voice in national politics, APWU's Committee on Political Action (COPA) collects donations from union members and distributes them to candidates who will stand up for postal workers and working families. With the support of tens of thousands of APWU members, COPA raised more than $2.5 million during the 2003-2004 election cycle.

Why Give?

Convention Seating Again Based on COPA Goals
 Seating on the floor of the APWU National Convention in Las Vegas in August will again be determined by the progress that states — based on their size — have made toward their COPA goals. The seating plan is designed to reward states who have worked hard to reach their goals and to encourage those who have lagged behind.

COPA fund-raising never stops, and there will be two COPA raffle drawings each day. APWU members who have given $25 or more this year or who contribute through a recurring-payment plan (e.g., PostalEASE or via EFT contributions) will be eligible. One drawing will be for qualified givers in the hall, and one for the COPA givers who are unable to attend.

The number of raffle tickets will be based on the amount donated; delegates will have the chance to improve their odds by making donations throughout the week.

Delegates who contributed at least $100 in 2007 or who have donated that much this year will receive two tickets to the always-popular “COPA Night,” which will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 19. Ticket-holders’ children can also attend.

Much is at stake in the ongoing debate over the future of the Postal Service and how it treats its workers and customers. Simply put, postal workers need a strong voice in politics. By law, union dues and general treasury funds cannot be used to make contributions to candidates for elective office.

What's at Stake?

Well-funded mailing industry interests continue to demand below-cost postage discounts that rob the Postal Service of the revenue it needs. In the wake of the postal "reform" legislation passed in 2006, the mailing industry and its pro-privatization allies in Congress will continue to press the same anti-worker agenda adopted by the President's Commission on the Postal Service. That agenda calls for:

  • Cutting postal pay.
  • Closing thousands of "low activity" post offices.
  • Closing or consolidating processing and distribution plants with virtually no input from affected workers and communities.
  • Making health care and retirement benefits — currently guaranteed by law —"negotiable," and cutting workers' compensation benefits.
  • "Outsourcing" postal jobs to the lowest private-sector bidder.
  • Eliminating no-layoff protection for APWU members.
  • Rolling back collective bargaining rights.
  • Below-cost discounts for the mailing industry.

How to Give to COPA

There are several convenient ways that you can help support COPA. Click here to find out how.

This COPA solicitation is paid for by the American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO, 1300 L St., N.W., Washington, D.C. (202) 842-4200; it is not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. Contributions or gifts to COPA are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. COPA will use the contributions it receives for political purposes, including making contributions to candidates for federal, state and local offices, and addressing political issues of public importance. Contributions to COPA are voluntary. More or less than the suggested amount may be given, and the amount given or the refusal to give will not benefit or disadvantage the person being solicited. Federal law requires political action committees to report the name, mailing address, occupation, and employer for each individual whose contributions aggregate in excess of $200 in a calendar year.

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Give to APWU COPA

ABOUT COPA

APWU COPA, the union’s Committee on Political Action, was created to raise voluntary political campaign contributions from our union’s active, retired and Auxiliary members to support the campaigns of candidates for public office.

Campaign contributions from members of organizations who give through a fund such as a political action committee often have a major influence on congressional elections, thereby influencing votes on many important issues.

The APWU must have a strong voice in political affairs, and we must support the elected officials who advance our interests and help defeat those who oppose them. If we sit on the sidelines, organizations that oppose our goals will go unchecked.

Simply put, our union has too much at stake to turn a blind eye.

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