APWU Holds Regional Zoom Meetings

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

The National American Postal Workers Union greatly appreciates all of your terrific work in these difficult times. From health and safety challenges to the pandemic’s economic impact on the public Postal Service and our jobs, we are facing immense difficulties – but also great opportunities. This pandemic has caused every organization to alter the way business is normally done and such is the case with our union, causing the postponement and rescheduling (to October 4-7, 2021) of the 2020 APWU National Convention and the postponements/cancellations of state conferences and conventions, and retiree chapter meetings.

In the current environment, it was impossible to communicate with the leaders, activists and members the way we have become accustomed to and we are unable to have face to face conventions and conferences to give reports, share information, take questions, hear the debates and receive ideas and suggestions.

In order to continue all of our vital efforts to communicate with and build the union in these trying and challenging times, APWU Secretary-Treasurer Powell and her staff coordinated and scheduled five (5) separate Regional Zoom meetings, with the assistance from Regional Coordinators Stone, Foster, Jones, Gonzalez and Beasley. The Regional Zoom meetings included reports from the Regional Coordinators, President Dimondstein, Executive Vice President Szeredy, Secretary-Treasurer Powell, Industrial Relations Director Zimmerman, as well as Clerk, Maintenance, Motor Vehicle Service and Support Services Division Directors & Assistant Directors, National Business Agents, Headquarters Department Directors, the Health Plan Director and the APWU Auxiliary. Questions were entertained each day at the conclusion of the reports.

The Regional meetings were held in July, August and September. On the last day of each Regional meeting, President Dimondstein gave closing remarks.

“Though the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the lives of APWU members, our families, and our communities, the APWU is committed to finding solutions to keeping our union running strong,” said President Dimondstein. “I want to commend Secretary-Treasurer Powell and the Regional Coordinators for creating and setting up the regional Zoom meetings, successfully bringing members together and building solidarity.”

President Dimondstein Joins Panel at the Summit For Civil Rights

On July 31, as part of The Summit for Civil Rights, President Dimondstein joined a panel, titled “Who’s Profiting?,” to discuss how business interests and privatizers use racial discrimination and segregation as a tool for profit-making. President Dimondstein joined the panel along with featured speaker Keeanga Yamahtta-Taylor, assistant professor of African-American Studies at Princeton University, and Prentiss Dantzler, Assistant Professor in the Urban Studies Institute at Georgia State University. The panel was moderated by University of Kentucky School of Education Dean Julian Vasquez Heilig.

In his remarks, President Dimondstein discussed how the diverse workforce and strong unions in the public sector are obstacles for Wall Street in their attempts to privatize public services. He also raised that “if the Post Office was to be privatized, unions would be broken, good jobs would be gone, equal pay for equal work would be gone, and dignified retirement would be gone, so that a few companies could make huge profits,” President Dimondstein said. “The people would lose the ‘small d’ democratic right of postal services, no matter who we are or where we live.”