Fighting for Our Future!

Fourth Biennial Legislative Conference Convenes

The APWU Legislative and Political Department held its national Legislative Conference on Oct. 5 in Las Vegas, NV. With the constant attacks on working people and the ever-looming threat of privatization, the conference theme of “Fighting for Our Future” could not be more relevant. Attendees participated in several workshops with spirited engagement. “Legislative Advocacy and Lobbying” gave attendees a fundamental understanding of the state of play in Congress as well as helpful tips when meeting with their elected officials; “Understanding the Hatch Act” provided critical information about the rules that postal workers are bound by concerning political engagement, and how we can still be involved in the process; “Reshaping Democracy at the State and Local Level” took a deep dive into the different ways that we can enact change within our immediate communities in a time when the federal government is at a standstill; “Media Relations” provided the necessary tools to utilize the media in building support for our issues; and “History of the Labor Movement” showed how we can drive member engagement and enthusiasm by reforging the connection between our past struggles and our current fights.

The conference moved forward with regional breakouts that focused on the elections of signifi cance in each region, noteworthy ballot measures, the APWU’s nonpartisan Committee on Political Action (COPA), and discussion on how to break through the political noise and get more members involved in legislative issues.

Legislative and Political Director Judy Beard updated the conference on the current fights at hand and how we found success this year in beating back the recent attacks on our retirement benefits and privatization attempts. APWU President Mark Dimondstein followed with remarks on the legislative success of the union, and the importance of solidarity.

A dynamic panel engaged the general session with powerful anecdotes of how they became engaged in the fight to empower people and their communities to enact change and build power. The special guest panelists were: Jamal R. Watkins, NAACP senior vice president of Strategy and Advancement; Augustus Wood, assistant professor at the School of Labor and Employment Relations University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Sondra Cosgrove, executive director and chair of the Board for Vote Nevada; and Larry Cohen, former president of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Each panelist gave words of encouragement to attendees to remember who they are fi ghting for and to use that to drive themselves to action.

The conference rounded out with a salute to outgoing President Mark Dimondstein, thanking him for all of his leadership in our legislative fi ghts over the last 12 years.