Joining the APWU Online is Now Easier Than Ever

(This article first appeared in the July/August 2021 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine)

As the APWU moves into contract negotiations, the APWU Organization Department launched an updated Join Online tool, available on apwu.org. The changes to the tool make it even easier for prospective members sign up at orientation or after a craft change. When a new member goes to apwu.org/join, they will be redirected to a “pre-application find me,” to determine what their current status in our records is. This way, they can fill out the online form whether or not we already have their information in our records, speeding up their processing time.

A guide to assist in using the “Join Online” tool was sent to national, state and local officers. Email organization@apwu.org if you would like a copy.

Organizing New Members is Key to the Upcoming Contract Negotiations

When we are negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement, bringing non-members into the union is more important than ever.

During negotiations, our wages, vacation and sick leave, seniority rights, overtime provisions, work hours, paid holidays and health insurance benefits are all on the table. Standing together in solidarity on the workroom floor is key to preserving and improving our rights and benefits. We must show management that we are united as one. Our slogan for this contract negotiation is APWU – Our Union, Our Contract, Our Future; in order to win the fight for a good contract and a positive future, we must show our strength as a union on the workroom floor as well as at the bargaining table.

During the APWU Live with the President event on June 1, President Dimondstein stressed that the conversations APWU members have with non-member co-workers are the best way to get them to join the union. “At the end of the day it’s the co-workers that have the most influence, who can break down those walls and make sure that everybody is in the union,” he said.

I urge every APWU member to be an organizer. If every member commits to having that conversation with a coworker about joining together in a union, we will all be stronger.

The union cannot be a spectator sport, where you’re letting everyone take the field and just sitting in the stands, either cheering it on or doing nothing. We need everybody to be a part of our team.

Members are encouraged to use all of the available resources in conversations with non-members about joining the union. The Organization Department page on apwu.org has the “Welcome to the APWU” book, containing a wealth of information on the benefits of signing up.