And the Winners Are...

Drum roll, please! APWU President William Burrus has announced the winners of the national election Voter Participation Contest. The challenge, intended to encourage union members to vote, offered rewards to the locals and retiree chapters that were most successful in organizing APWU members to cast ballots. 

The contest provided that the top three locals in several categories would be rewarded, with the categories based on the size of the local. The program stipulated that any local that achieved 100 percent would be rewarded, and that to be eligible, locals and retiree chapters must have achieved voting levels of at least 50 percent. 

The payments are to be used at the discretion of the locals on behalf of the membership. The money can be used to purchase T-shirts, to pay for tickets to movies or ball games, or to defray the cost of membership parties or other activities. 

In the category of 1-99 members, 26 locals had 100 percent participation. Each local will be awarded $200, to be used on behalf of the members. They are: 

Three locals with membership of 100-499 people earned rewards of $1,000 each, with participation levels well above the required 50 percent: 

Two locals in the 500-999 member category were eligible. They will receive $2,000 each. 

One local qualified for the $4,000 reward offered to locals of 1,000 members or more.

One Retiree Chapter, in the 1-99 member category, achieved participation of 50 percent or more, and will receive a reward of $200. 

“Congratulations are in order,” said APWU President William Burrus. “These locals have demonstrated a strong bond with their members, and we should all learn from their example.” 

Results were provided by the American Arbitration Association, which conducted the balloting under the supervision of the APWU Election Committee.