A Common Goal

(This article first appeared in the July/August 2020 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine)

APWU is not alone in our fight to secure funding for the Postal Service in the next stimulus. We are joined by workers, unions, community and civil rights organizations, city councils, seniors, social justice activists, mailers, small businesses and members of many households across the country.

We all share a common goal: to preserve the public Postal Service so that it can continue serving the American people six days a week, regardless of where they live or how much they make. The long-term impact of COVID-19 is causing huge financial losses for the Postal Service, which can only be fixed with stimulus funding.

Legislative Update

The House of Representatives acted on funding the Postal Service by passing the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act (H.R. 6800) on May 15. Below are important provisions included in the bill:

• An emergency $25 billion appropriation for lost revenue due to COVID-19, ensuring that USPS has the financial resources to continue serving the nation thru the end of the year and beyond;
• Ensures that USPS has access to the $10 billion line of credit in the CARES Act with no strings attached;
• Provides postal and other essential frontline workers the hazard pay they deserve;
• Protects the democratic process by ensuring that every voter can access no-excuse absentee vote by mail in the upcoming election, and every federal election thereafter.

The Senate has indicated they will be crafting their own stimulus package and have made no firm commitments it would include postal funding.

President Dimondstein and your Legislative & Political Department are actively meeting with Senators and their staff to explain the importance and urgency of including postal funding in Senate legislation. We have some bipartisan Senate support, but more is needed. The involvement of the APWU membership is critical in securing funding.

Summer of Action

We are asking all APWU members to continue taking action!

Whether you are attending a virtual meeting or town hall with your senator, writing an op-ed or letter to the editor for your local paper, or picking up the phone and calling the legislative hotline (844-402-1001), every Senator needs to hear from an APWU member. If you have contacted your Senators and have not received a positive response, contact them again. We want them coming back to D.C. with the understanding that they need to support the Postal Service and its workers, by including at least $25 billion in funding for the Postal Service in the next package.

We must hold the White House and Congress accountable, and pay close attention to who is moving legislation forward and who is fighting against it.

Postal Board of Governors

There have been changes in the makeup of the Postal Board of Governors. Postmaster General Megan Brennan and Deputy Postmaster General Ronald Stroman retired, Vice-Chairman David Williams resigned and two new appointees were confirmed by the Senate on June 18. The new Governors, Lee Moak and William Zollars, join Robert Duncan, John Barger, Ron Bloom, Roman Martinez IV, and the new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.

Prior to their nominations, Lee Moak served on the AFLCIO’s Executive Council and was the President of the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA). William Zollars served as chairman, president and CEO for YRC Worldwide, a transportation service.

Labor 2020

As we begin our Labor 2020 program, we are asking each of our members to make sure they and their families are registered to vote. You can go to vote411.org to check your voter registration status, register to vote and find information to request an absentee ballot.