APWU Members Spread Message at Democratic Convention
July 29, 2016
APWU members interacted with thousands of delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia July 25-28, promoting A Grand Alliance to Save Our Public Postal Service, advocating postal banking and voting by mail, and dispelling common myths about the USPS.
Members of the Philadelphia PA Area Local and the Philadelphia BMC Local, including several retirees, staffed a table in the Convention Center, where they engaged delegates and the public in conversation, distributed flyers, and participated in meetings with a unified message: The public U.S. Postal Service is a national treasure that can thrive for generations to come.
Several national officers and local activists also took part in the activities of the convention. They attended caucus meetings during the day, participated in protests against the TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership) and other bad trade deals, and listened to the major speeches in the evening.
The Democratic Party adopted postal planks proposed by the APWU, following a presentation before the Platform Committee by President Mark Dimondstein in June. The invitation to address the committee was made by Sen. Bernie Sanders.
“The United States Postal Service is a national treasure. That is why Democrats embrace a vibrant, public Postal Service that offers universal service, and reject any effort to privatize or marginalize it,” the platform says. Click here for more on the USPS from the platform and here for the full platform.
The union proposed similar planks to the Republican Party Platform Committee. The Republican Party platform explicitly advocated postal privatization in 2012, but removed any reference to the Postal Service in this year’s platform.
Not shown: Philadelphia PA Local Retirees Cynthia Nesmith, June Cohen, Joe Barr, Oliver Drummond, Philadelphia BMC Local President Vince Tarducci, Chuck Camp, and Warren McLendon.
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