APWU Members Trained to Take US Mail – Not for Sale Campaign Out to the Field

(This article first appeared in the March-April 2018 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine)

Sixteen APWU members participated in a “train-thetrainer” for the APWU’s US Mail – Not for Sale Anti-Privatization campaign. Members from coast-to-coast came to learn about the current White House proposals to sell the public Postal Service, and to acquire strategies to develop worker power to stop the sale.

The training was held at the Tommy Douglas Conference Center in Hillandale, MD from Feb. 26-28. Legislative & Political Director Judy Beard organized and taught the course, with the assistance from staff members on the US Mail – Not For Sale national committee.

President Dimondstein and Secretary-Treasurer Elizabeth “Liz” Powell also addressed the group. “This is the first time in history that the corporate cronies are not going after just parts of the USPS. They want the whole thing,” President Dimondstein explained. “The OMB’s (Office of Management and Budget’s) plan is to build up the USPS, make it ripe for sale by getting rid of the union contracts and universal service mandate, and then sell it to the highest bidder.”

Four Regional Coordinators – Omar Gonzalez, Sharyn Stone, Mike Gallagher, and Ron Suslak – also attended the training to help facilitate as necessary and share their insight.

The new campaign trainers will attend APWU state and regional trainings, conferences and conventions across the country to develop the field network necessary to win this fight and preserve the public Postal Service.