Protecting Our Labor Union and the Public Postal Service

The threat of postal privatization has never been more real. From the report of an executive order that would absorb the USPS into the Commerce Department, to the Wells Fargo report highlighting the financial benefits of selling off the USPS to corporations, our public Postal Service is at a pivotal moment in the fight against privatization.

Amid these threats, we have engaged with lawmakers in a bipartisan fight to protect the independence of the Postal Service. With post offices and APWU members in every ZIP code across the country, we are building a strong coalition in Congress to send the message that the U.S. Mail is NOT for Sale.

On Jan. 28, 2025, a bipartisan group in the House of Representatives led by Representatives Lynch (D-MA-08), LaLota (R-NY-01), Connolly (D-VA-11), and Garbarino (R-NY-02) introduced House Resolution (H.Res.) 70, which expresses the “sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should take all appropriate measures to ensure that the United States Postal Service remains an independent establishment of the Federal Government and is not subject to privatization.” At the time this issue of The American Postal Worker went to press, H. Res 70 had 202 cosponsors.

On March 27, a bipartisan group in the Senate, led by Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Thom Tillis (R-NC), introduced Senate Resolution (S.Res.) 147, which serves as the companion resolution to H.Res 70. At the time this magazine was sent to press, S.Res 147 had seven cosponsors.

While resolutions are not binding like laws, they help us gain congressional support for the issues that most matter to us as postal workers and retirees. Millions of Americans rely on the Postal Service and members of Congress must be reminded that our work has value.

For ways you can take action to protect our public Postal Service, visit apwu.org/action.

Anti-Union Bills to Watch

On March 25, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform advanced several anti-union bills out of committee, including:

• Protecting Taxpayers’ Wallets Act (H.R. 1210): This bill would charge federal unions for official time (“union time”) and for the use of agency resources.
• Preserving Presidential Management Authority Act (H.R. 2249): This bill would give the U.S. president the ability to negotiate or terminate federal union collective bargaining agreements (CBAs).
• The Paycheck Protection Act (H.R. 2174): This bill would restrict all federal and postal unions from deducting dues from employee paychecks. In addition to union dues, this bill would restrict deductions for “fees or political contributions,” which may mean all other deductions, such as the APWU Committee on Political Action (COPA) and the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP).

The Paycheck Protection Act specifically calls out postal unions in the bill text and would have devastating impacts on our union if Congress passes the bill and it gets signed into law. The Legislative Department is closely monitoring H.R. 2174, and we are meeting with both Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill to fight against this bill moving forward. ■