APWU Locals Prepare for Nationwide Day of Picketing

Momentum has been building for the APWU nationwide day of picketing to be held Thursday, Oct. 26, at locations across the country.

Delegates at the 18th Biennial APWU Convention in Philadelphia adopted a resolution to conduct a day of picketing that will highlight the potentially damaging effects of the Postal Service’s plans to consolidate postal facilities and expose USPS policies of catering to big mailers at the expense of individual customers and small businesses.

Timed to take place right before this year’s mid-term elections, the nationwide day of picketing will involve locals from every corner of the country. At many of the events, postal workers will be joined by community leaders and local, state, and federal elected officials who will help them bring the message to citizens and the press.

More than 100 APWU locals have ordered posters, flyers, and postcards to alert postal customers about USPS actions, and to encourage them to get involved by calling the “Save Our Service” hotline (1-8-777-OUR MAIL).

“Locals around the country — along with a host of community leaders and elected officials — are taking part in this nationwide day of picketing to send a clear message to the United States Postal Service: We will not accept any more attacks on the nation’s mail service,” said APWU President William Burrus.

The plans have already garnered press coverage in some locations. In Fort Myers, FL, for example — where the local sorting facility appears on a recently-disclosed list of potential consolidation targets — hundreds of local postal workers are expected to take part in the picket, the Fort-Myers News Press reported.

Radio or newspaper interviews have also been conducted in: Newark, NJ; Sioux City, IA; Cleveland, OH, and Waco, TX. Coverage is expected in dozens of media markets on Thursday.

The nationwide day of picketing is an extension of the “Save Our Service” campaign being conducted by the APWU. To date, the campaign has aired television and radio ads in a number of areas where facilities have been slated for consolidation. The results have been impressive, and are being noticed by the Postal Service, which has cancelled or postponed consolidation plans in several locations.

“By galvanizing the support of citizens, we are forcing the Postal Service to rethink these ill-advised plans in many locations,” Burrus said. “We will continue to make our voices heard in the defense of a postal system that serves all this nation’s citizens, not just special interests.”