Convention Planning Moves Into High Gear

As the APWU’s 19th Biennial National Convention nears, planning for the event is in full swing at the union’s national headquarters.

As of the end of July, 3,009 delegates representing 425 locals had registered for convention credentials. More than 3,100 delegates are expected to attend.

This is the first time delegate registration has been conducted online, and very few glitches have been reported: Registration already exceeds attendance at the last convention; the highest daily delegate count for the 2006 convention was 2,892. Many local presidents have reported that the online delegate-registration process was easy and straightforward.

Resolutions

To help delegates prepare for the convention, CDs containing the resolutions that will be debated and voted upon will be mailed during the week of Aug. 4 to locals and state organizations that have registered delegates. The CDs will include all resolutions that were submitted to the Screening Committee, including proposals to change the union constitution, resolutions about labor-management issues, and craft-specific items, as well as resolutions on legislative topics, human relations, safety and health, and the APWU Health Plan. 

“Mailing the resolutions will give local delegations the opportunity to discuss issues before the convention begins,” President William Burrus said. “When they arrive in Las Vegas, each delegate will receive copies of the resolutions in booklet form, which they will be able to review as issues are debated.”

Seating 

As in the past, seating on the convention floor will be determined by the progress that states — based on their size — have made toward their COPA goals. The seating plan is designed to reward states who have worked hard to reach their goals, and to encourage those who have lagged behind. The measuring period was July 1, 2006, through June 30, 2008.

The top-ranking COPA-contributing states are: Nebraska, North Dakota, Idaho, Hawaii (including American Samoa, Saipan and Guam), Arizona, Iowa, Wyoming, Alabama, Vermont and New Hampshire. Their delegations will be seated right up front! 

COPA Night 

Fund-raising for COPA will be a recurring theme at the convention: There will be two raffle drawings each day, one for qualified contributors in the hall, and one for the COPA givers who are unable to attend the convention. APWU members who have given $25 or more this year or who contribute through a recurring-payment plan such as PostalEASE or via EFT contributions will be eligible.

The number of raffle tickets entered in the drawings for each contributor will be based on the amount donated; delegates will have the opportunity to improve their odds by making donations throughout the week.

Delegates who contributed at least $100 in 2007 or 2008 — or who are scheduled to donate that much this year — will receive two tickets to the always-popular “COPA Night,” which will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 19. Ticket-holders’ children can also attend.

The theme for COPA Night will be APWU Olympics. Put on your tennis shoes and be ready to dunk, sprint, box, joust, and participate in many other activities. There will also be karaoke and dancing.