Much is at Stake, Much is Possible

New Year's Greetings to One and All!

Your membership in the American Postal Workers Union is the foundation of our strength as we fight for workplace and social justice. I salute you, the thousands of union members and activists, for your contributions to the well-being of all postal workers – active and retired, career and non-career.

I encourage those who are not yet “union active” to commit some of your time in the coming year. There is something for everyone to do: Attend union meetings, volunteer to serve on a committee, act as a shop steward, write an article for your local union paper or website, join a protest at Staples, urge your members of Congress to defend postal workers and the public Postal Service, support fast food and Walmart workers in their demands for $15 per hour and a union, and get involved in our fight for a new APWU union contract in 2015.

The survival of the public Postal Service and our jobs is at stake and you can help make a difference. Yes, each and every one of us has an important role to play. Think about how much stronger we would be if every member volunteered just an hour or two each month for union activism.

The Nov. 14 National Day of Action calling on the Postmaster General and the USPS Board of Governors to Stop Delaying America’s Mail was an example of the kind of activism we need. Hats off to all those who participated in the events, which were held in all 50 states! At postal headquarters in Washington, DC, we packed the public meeting of the Board of Governors, and when they refused to allow all of us in the meeting, hundreds of postal employees took over the lobby and sent our message loud and clear.

Not an Accident

And it was surely not an accident that on the National Day of Action, sponsored by all four postal unions, Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe announced the big news that he is stepping down, effective Feb. 1. Struggle can lead to good things!

This was welcome news to postal workers and an important development that deserves some perspective.

For too long, the APWU shied away from calling for his ouster. That course changed last July, when 2,000 National Convention delegates unanimously voted for his removal, citing his “crimes against the public Postal Service.” After the vote, a spontaneous demonstration erupted on the convention floor, with delegates chanting, “Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, Donahoe has got to go!”

Our stance was nothing personal. Our demand was for the public good, for the public Postal Service and for public postal workers.

We called Donahoe the “Trojan horse for Wall Street and corporate interests” because of his slash-and-burn tactics of degrading service, attacking workers, and setting up the Postal Service for ever-increasing privatization.

While the end of his reign is good news for postal workers and the postal public, the struggle continues…

Calling for Donahoe’s resignation was only one part of the equation. The other part was our demand that any newly appointed Postmaster General must be a true defender of the public institution he or she is entrusted to lead.

We congratulate incoming PMG Megan Brennan on her appointment. Time will tell if she will be the Postmaster General our country needs.

We have called on her to reverse Donahoe’s destructive policies and address some of the pressing concerns of the APWU and other postal workers. Most urgently, we have asked her to stop any further reduction in service standards, which are scheduled for Jan. 5, and to stop the closure and consolidation of mail processing facilities.

The new PMG has an opportunity to “reset” the direction of the USPS – away from the downward spiral of service cutbacks – and work with the unions and public to protect our national treasure.

No matter who is at the helm, we have the same demands, the same desires, the same goals – good union jobs, job security, good public service, and a vibrant, public Postal Service for generations to come.

Notable Achievements

   Even with the many challenges we faced last year, there were notable achievements. Among them are:

• We built a Postal Union Alliance with the four postal unions;

• We negotiated an agreement that outlined a path to career employment for Postal Support Employees (PSEs), which resulted in the conversion to career of more than 10,000 PSEs and the conversion to full-time of more than 1,000 part-time flexibles;

• Through bargaining, we won a good contract for workers covered by the Information Technology and Account Services contract – after they worked for more than three years without one;

• We gained more than 9,000 new positions in small offices covered by the POStPlan;

• Although our campaign to get Staples out of the postal business continues into the new year, we have already won a partial victory by keeping full-blown “knock-off” post offices from being placed in 1,500 Staples stores nationwide;

• We held a spirited, debate-filled National Convention that helped set a strong course for the future.

   Great challenges will continue into the new year. We have a lot of work to do to reverse the downward trend of wages, rights, and benefits.

• We open negotiations for a new contract with the Postal Service on Feb. 19.

• Management appears to be moving ahead with the destructive reduction in service standards, so we must continue to coordinate the necessary fight-back.

• We will launch a “Grand Alliance” with the community to unite postal workers and the public to defend the Postal Service.

• We will establish a coalition to persuade the USPS to enter the important field of postal banking and offer other expanded services.

• The day-to- day battles to enforce the contract and defend the rights of union members will continue in full force.

  Whatever the battle, our success rests with you, the activist member. Together we must build solidarity with the other postal unions and the labor movement, and forge a strong alliance with the people of this country. Forward together in the new year!