The Struggles That Unite Us

(This article appeared in the September/October 2025 issue of The American Postal Worker magazine)

On a cloudy August day outside Washington, DC’s National Airport, flight attendants from regional airline, PSA, walked their picket line. The workers lost two of their union siblings when the company’s flight AA 5342 was struck by a military helicopter on Jan 29, 2025.

After more than two years of contract bargaining with the American Airlines contractor, members of the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) were mobilizing against “insulting” proposals from management that do not meet industry standards or acknowledge the massive cost of living increases we all face. As they huddled for bargaining updates afterward, AFA President Sara Nelson acknowledged those who had joined the picket in solidarity. At the mention of APWU, the crowd spontaneously burst into a chant of “U-S-Mail, Not-For-Sale.”

When we stand up for each other, it makes us all stronger – that’s solidarity. The more we learn about each other’s fights, the more we realize what we have in common. And solidarity is not just the key for the labor movement – many civil rights, community and campaign groups and their members are facing the same attacks.

That shared interest is why we have built A Grand Alliance to Save our Public Postal Service. It helps us mobilize the whole community that relies on the Postal Service. And solidarity is a two-way street.

One organization that has long supported our public Postal Service as part of the Alliance is Greenpeace, USA. As we reported in the May-June edition of the American Postal Worker, Greenpeace is appealing against a so-called SLAPP lawsuit (strategic lawsuit against public participation) from a giant multinational oil company called Energy Transfer.

Lawsuits like this are designed to stop organizations from challenging the vast power of giant corporations. In the case of Greenpeace, Energy Transfer successfully sued them for participating in the Keystone XL protests, despite the fact that their actions were peaceful – focused on training participants in conflict de-escalation at protests and providing equipment.

Greenpeace is appealing the decision, but it faces $666 million in damages – for an organization with an approximately $40 million annual budget. It is devastating. In 2023, a Supreme Court decision opened the door for corporations to try the same against workers who strike.

For Public Citizen, the nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that was a founding member of A Grand Alliance, the current administration has them fighting on more fronts than ever. From unregulated crypto-currencies and artificial intelligence to insurance corporations yanking homeowner policies after climate disasters and the fall-out of the “Big Ugly Bill”, which made huge cuts to Medicaid. Public Citizen has long been an advocate for health care reform that provides coverage to everyone – Medicare for All. As campaigners for a stronger democracy, they also advocate for Vote-by-Mail. They are organizing a series of house parties to get new members of the public active. They were also one of the sponsors of the May Day Strong coalition’s Labor Day actions.

The NAACP – another strong ally of postal workers is also fighting back. They announced a series of Town Hall meetings to engage and mobilize Black communities around urgent threats to healthcare, education, food access, environmental justice, and more.

Each event highlights how federal budget decisions impact Black lives locally and makes demands of Congress, state lawmakers, and public agencies to protect our communities.

These are just a few of the organizations that make up A Grand Alliance to Save our Public Postal Service. Our coalition is stronger when we get involved at the grassroots level to build relationships and solidarity. To find out how you, your local or state organization can build those relationships, email info@agrandalliance.org. ■