APWU Launches National Campaign to Celebrate USPS 250th Anniversary Locally

As the Postal Service celebrates its 250th anniversary, the APWU has launched a national campaign to mobilize support for the public institution amid growing threats of privatization.

This campaign encourages APWU members to work their union officers and collaborate with local and state government bodies — including city councils, county commissions, mayoral offices, and state legislatures — to pass proclamations recognizing the milestone and affirm support for the public Postal Service.

The 250th anniversary gives us a great opportunity to build even more support for the public Postal Service in the face of billionaire-led efforts to privatize this national treasure. These efforts seek to remove the Postal Service from public ownership and turn it over to private companies for profit.

The APWU sees the proclamations as a critical tool in building public support for the Postal Service, good
union jobs, and expanding services at a time when the Postal Service is facing an existential threat from
a presidential administration that is openly hostile to public services, and a new postmaster general with ties to the private-shipping corporation, FedEx.

With deep connections to every single community across the country, postal workers move mail to every home and business in America, no matter who you are or where you live. By partnering with the communities postal workers serve, the campaign will reinforce the need for a public, independent Postal Service, while celebrating the achievements of the USPS for the last 250 years.

The APWU has provided local, state, and auxiliary leaders with sample proclamation language and is encouraging meetings with elected representatives to build support for local resolutions. The APWU also recommends mobilizing postal workers, customers, and community members to attend meetings and speak in favor of the proclamations.

“Strong proclamations from government bodies of all sizes — from large cities to small towns — will help firm up the defense of the Post Office,” the statement said.

The Post Office was established on July 26, 1775, when the Second Continental Congress appointed Benjamin Franklin as the first postmaster general. Today, it remains one of the country’s largest employers and most trusted public institutions.

For more information on the campaign and to access the sample proclamation, visit: apwu.org/250