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APWU Presidents Make a Difference
From Legislative Conference to Capitol Hill

Connecticut APWU delegation with Rep. Chris Murphy (second from right).

APWU Web News Article #029-09, March 18, 2009

Meetings between APWU local and state presidents and their Congressional representatives helped win support for several of APWU’s legislative priorities, said Myke Reid, the union’s Legislative and Political director. “In the days following the March 3 meetings, sponsorship for crucial bills spiked,” he said.

Support for the Employee Free Choice Act and H.R. 22 were among the topics APWU leaders discussed with lawmakers while they were in Washington for a legislative conference held in conjunction with the National Presidents’ Conference.

H.R. 22, which was introduced by Rep. John M. McHugh (R-NY) and Danny K. Davis (D-IL) on Jan. 6, would provide the USPS with temporary relief from a financial crisis so severe that it threatens the viability of the postal system. The bill has 179 co-sponsors.

With Sen. Amy Klobuchar (center), Minnesota APWU members Pat McCann, Judy McCann, Bruce Gutzky, Richard Haefner, Jerry Sirois, Michael Kaehler, Steve Brooks.

“This bill is essential to the survival of the Postal Service — and to our jobs,” said APWU President William Burrus. “It is imperative that union activists continue to ask their legislators to sponsor and support this bill.”

The Employee Free Choice Act, which would give workers greater freedom to choose to form unions and bargain for a better workplace, was introduced in the Senate (S. 560) and the House (H.R. 1409) on March 10. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Rep. George Miller (D-CA) introduced the bill, which is the top legislative priority of the APWU and the labor movement. It currently has 222 sponsors in the House and 39 in the Senate.

“Passage of the Employee Free Choice Act is essential to strengthening the middle class,” Burrus said. “The business community plans to spend $200 million on ads opposing the bill; union members must fight for the legislation, which will help us build an economy that works for everyone.”

Click here to view [PDF].

A brochure [PDF] distributed at the conference outlines the union’s legislative priorities, which also include healthcare reform, the Mail Network Protection Act, and measures that would achieve Social Security Fairness for postal and federal retirees.

“The election of President Barack Obama has given people from all walks of life a new sense of purpose, and victories by union-backed candidates in recent U.S. House and Senate elections have demonstrated the power of working people to make change,” the introduction to the brochure says. “Hope abounds — despite the economic crisis, war, and turmoil around the globe.”

“It is imperative that APWU members make their voices heard on the important legislative issues of the day,” Burrus said.

Colorado delegation with Rep. Diana DeGette (center).	Pennsylvania delegation with Rep. Joe Sestak (third from right).
Sen. Joe Lieberman (left) and Greater Connecticut Area Local President John Dirzius.	Norcross, GA, APWU President James Walker Jr. with Rep. Jim Marshall (right)

 

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