Get Energized to Vote in November!

The election this November is about much more than who will occupy the Oval Office. When we cast our ballots on Nov. 8, from president on down to local council races, we have the opportunity to determine America’s future, to chart our collective course. This year, I am encouraged by a number of planks in the Democratic Party platform.

This election can be about recommitting to the promise of the American dream – that those who work hard and play by the rules can succeed. I strongly agree when the Democratic platform says, “We must break down all the barriers holding Americans back and restore the basic bargain that built America’s mighty middle class.”

While American workers haven’t seen a real raise in 20 years and collective bargaining rights face constant assault, the platform recognizes that “the current minimum wage is a starvation wage” and that “Americans should earn at least $15 an hour and have the right to form or join a union.”

This election can be about fulfilling the promise of retiring with dignity and financial security. That’s why I support the Democratic platform commitment to lift the Social Security tax exemption for those with incomes over $250,000 to help “make sure Social Security’s guaranteed benefits continue for generations to come.”

This election can be about turning the page on the politics of privatization. For too long, our nation’s public infrastructure has eroded due to insufficient funding, and our local, state, and federal public services have been chipped away by privatization schemes. That’s why I’m pleased that Democrats heeded the APWU’s call to “embrace a vibrant, public Postal Service that offers universal service, and reject any effort to privatize or marginalize it.”

The union also urged the Republican Party’s platform committee to champion a public Postal Service. While the Republican Party’s 2016 platform does not address postal issues, that’s an improvement from its 2012 position, which advocated postal privatization and equated the Postal Service to the Pony Express.

These are just a few of the reasons I’m enthusiastic about voting. Of course, for all of the positive attributes I’ve described, platforms are political documents, not law. We’ll need to work hard and in concert with our allies to see it enacted into law. See you at the polls!

What You Can and Can’t Do at Election Time

Your active participation in the political process is essential! As public employees, postal workers need to be familiar with the Hatch Act, which limits how we can participate in party-related political activities.

Below are permitted and prohibited activities, based on guidance from the Office of Special Counsel, the federal agency that enforces the Hatch Act. For more information, visit www.osc.gov or contact the APWU Legislative and Political Department.

Postal employees NOT on postal property, in uniform or on the clock:

• MAY be candidates in non-partisan elections.
• MAY register to vote and register others to vote.
• MAY donate money to candidates.
• MAY attend political rallies and meetings.
• MAY campaign for – or against – candidates and issues.
• MAY get out the vote.
• MAY distribute campaign literature and express opinions.

Partisan politics on the clock, in uniform, or on postal property may violate the law, so please keep the rules below in mind.

• NO political activity while on the clock.
• NO political activity in a postal or federal building.
• NO political activity while in a postal uniform.
• NO political activity while driving a postal vehicle.
• NO political activity using official postal equipment
• NO political activity via social media (including email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) while on duty or in a postal facility.

APWU is challenging the restrictions on postal workers’ use of social media for political activity, but employees should adhere to these guidelines in the meantime.