24th Biennial APWU National Convention

(This article first appeared in the March-April 2018 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine)  

Fighting Today for a Better Tomorrow is the theme of the American Postal Workers Union’s 24th Biennial Convention, which is set for Monday, August 20, through Thursday, August 23, 2018, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA.

The National Convention is the union’s highest decision-making body and helps the APWU chart its course for the future. Approximately 2,000 APWU delegates will debate and vote on resolutions that will be introduced on a wide variety of subjects. The resolutions give focus to the union’s goals and help us better serve our members.

Let Your Voice Be Heard

In accordance with the APWU Constitution and Bylaws, each local and area local is entitled to representation at the National Convention based on one delegate – and one vote – for each 25 members or fraction thereof. Each local is entitled to at least one vote.

State organizations are entitled to one delegate and one vote for each 25 members or fraction thereof in the state who are not part of a local. Each regional organization that is organized in place of a state organization, and where no state organization exists, is entitled to one vote for each 25 members or fraction thereof of the unrepresented members. No local, state or regional organization shall be represented by proxy.

Each national officer holding an elective office shall serve as a delegate with the right to speak and one vote. The convention can authorize members-at-large (MALs) to vote, provided not more than three attend the convention. If more than three attend, the convention can apportion one vote to every three MALs. Five elected Retiree National Convention Delegates, one from each region, shall be seated at the National Convention. Each will have a voice and a vote.

APWU locals and state organizations are urged to send their full quota of delegates. MALs also are encouraged to attend. Local, state, and regional organizations are reminded that they must adhere to the requirements of applicable federal laws when electing delegates.

Convention Credentials

Convention credentials must be authorized in the online process by the local president and the secretary, secretary-treasurer, or treasurer of the local. Beginning April 2, they will be able to log-on to the Members Only section of the APWU website, apwumembers.apwu.org, and in just a few easy steps will be able to register their members for credentials. Upon presentation of proper credentials, alternate delegates may be seated in place of regular delegates who will be absent from that point on.

Resolutions

June 4 is the deadline for the submission of resolutions for publication in the Convention Book. Resolutions are accepted from local or state affiliates, or from members-at-large (who are the only members permitted to submit resolutions under their own signature). Resolutions adopted at craft division meetings, either during an off-year or immediately prior to the National Convention, are also accepted.

Resolutions from local or state affiliates must be submitted electronically through a special link on the union’s website that will be accessible only to local/ state presidents and to local/state secretaries, treasurers, and secretary-treasurers. There will be a box to check certifying that the submitter is the authorized officer, which will serve as an electronic signature.

Members-at-large must sign and submit their resolutions directly to the National Secretary-Treasurer prior to the June 4 deadline. Resolutions must be typed, double-spaced and submitted individually (one per page). Resolutions not properly certified electronically or signed will be returned.

Per Article 5, Section 3, of the APWU Constitution, the National Secretary-Treasurer will submit the resolutions to the Screening Committee, which works to eliminate repetition and consolidate issues. Once the committee has completed its review, locals and pre-registered delegates will have an opportunity to view the resolutions on the APWU website.

Resolutions received after June 4 will be referred to the appropriate committees and will be presented at the National Convention as addendums, provided they have been properly authorized and signed, and provided they do not deal with subjects otherwise covered by the Screening Committee.

To achieve uniformity, it is requested that resolutions be structured as follows:

• The name of the appropriate committee to review the resolution, e.g., Labor-Management Committee;
• The article number and section of the Collective Bargaining Agreement or APWU Constitution and Bylaws the resolution addresses, if applicable;
• The resolution title;
• The names of the sponsoring locals, state organizations and/or member-at-large;
• The body or text of the resolution itself.

A resolution form can be viewed online on the Members Only website.

Other Convention Events

Several other important union events will take place in the days before the convention. The APWU Research & Education Department will conduct a series of workshops on Friday, August 17. Meetings for each of the Divisions – Clerk, Maintenance, Motor Vehicle Service, and Support Services – are set for the weekend of Aug.18-19, as is the APWU Retiree’s Conference. The BMC Conference will be held following the convention, on Friday, Aug. 24, 2018. The complete schedule of events can be viewed on the 2018 Convention page at www.apwu.org/convention.

Plan Your Stay Well Ahead 

Although the convention is months away it is essential that locals, state organizations, members-at-large, and retirees to make their arrangements as soon as possible. Everything you need to make your hotel and travel plans can be found at www.apwu.org/convention.

The APWU negotiated special room rates for this year’s convention at the following hotels: Wyndham Grand, Westin Convention Center Pittsburgh, Omni William Penn and DoubleTree Downtown Pittsburgh. The rates, cutoff dates and cancellation window for each hotel are listed below. Please note that the Westin Convention Center Pittsburgh is the headquarters hotel.

Please make your room reservations directly with the hotels. After these dates, rooms and rates will be based on availability. You must use a credit card when booking online. You will receive a confirmation of your reservation via e-mail. Be sure to mention that you are with the American Postal Workers Union in order to receive the negotiated rates.

For each room, a one night’s stay deposit, plus tax, is requested with payment by credit card. Failure to notify the hotel of a change in arrival date will result in cancellation of the reservation and the deposit will be forfeited. Cancellation policies will be outlined by the hotel on the confirmation received after making a reservation. Please visit www.apwu.org/convention for additional details.

Early departures are subject to a penalty, set by the individual hotels. If you do not cancel per the cancellation policies mentioned above or do not arrive on your confirmed arrival date, your full reservation will
be cancelled. APWU locals and state organizations may pay by check, but must send the full amount to the hotel 30 days prior to arrival.

Children’s Programs, Car Rental

KiddieCorp, a professional child care company, will provide activities for delegates’ children ages 6 months to 12 years during the four days of activities on the convention floor, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Reservations will be necessary. Submit the forms (available on the APWU website) by July 20.

APWU has made arrangements with Enterprise/National for discounted rates for convention delegates. Information regarding reservations can be found on the APWU convention webpage.