International Association of Firefighters Votes to Endorse ‘Don’t Buy Staples’ Movement

The International Association of Firefighters (IAFF), representing more than 300,000 full-time professional firefighters and paramedics in every state of the U.S. and Canada with more than 3,100 affiliates, has joined the ‘Don’t Buy Staples’ movement.

The IAFF Executive Board voted unanimously to endorse in the boycott. On the IAFF’s website, the organization notes, “The Staples deal is bad for consumers who will pay the same for less service. What’s more, if Staples and the USPS move forward with this deal, it could lead to the end of the Postal Service as we know it.”

“The IAFF supports the APWU in its efforts to protect good-paying jobs and ensure the highest possible standards of customer service,” said IAFF General President Harold Schaitberger.

“IAFF affiliates, members and families have done a substantial amount of business at Staples. This no-bid contract between Staples and the USPS is an attack on postal workers and middle-class jobs, and yet another attempt to shift good union jobs to part-time, low-wage non-union hourly workers.”

Support from Others

The Nalcrest Foundation, a Retirement Community owned and operated by the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), sent a letter to Staples Corporate [PDF] on June 26 announcing its support for the boycott. “The agreement between Staples and the US Postal Service to have Staples employees do the work of Postal Employees in Staples stores, causes Nalcrest to cancel doing business with Staples. Nalcrest acquired Staples Credit Cards to shop in store and online have been destroyed,” wrote Matty Rose, president of Nalcrest Trustees.

Delaware State AFL-CIO also sent a letter to Staples [PDF] and adopted a resolution [PDF] endorsing a boycott of the retail giant.

On June 27, West Virginia AFL-CIO unanimously passed a ‘Don’t Buy Staples’ resolution [PDF] at a Special Convention of the union.

In a June 21 letter to Staples CEO Ronald L. Sargent [PDF], California Area Local #4635 AFL-CIO President Sonia E. Canchola wrote, “We have an account with your company and we refuse to purchase any more items your company online or otherwise.”

“We oppose to your type of business practice that encourages low-wage, non-union “postal” jobs at Staples that will inevitably replace the living-wage union jobs of U.S. Postal Service employees and Staples store will inevitably replace U.S. Postal Offices.”