APWU Celebrates Dedication of the History Center

On the evening of Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, officers, staff, and guests of the APWU gathered for the dedication of the APWU History Center. Built around the theme “The Struggle Continues,” the History Center celebrates the courage, unity, and collective action of postal workers throughout our nation’s history.

Special guests who attended include the National Association of Letter Carriers President Brian Renfroe; National Postal Mail Handlers Union President Paul Hogrogian; former APWU Executive Vice President Greg Bell, USPS Governor Anton Hajjar, and Labor Heritage Foundation Executive Director Elise Bryant.

APWU President Mark Dimondstein and Secretary-Treasurer Elizabeth “Liz” Powell co-hosted the ribbon cutting ceremony and welcomed guests to the event with special remarks.

 “We are so thrilled that you took your time and this opportunity to join with us for the grand opening of [the] American Postal Workers Union History Center. On behalf of all the officers of the APWU and our retirees, we thank you,” said Secretary-Treasurer Powell.

“We’re really honored that you’re all here, because our history belongs to the entire working class and the entire working-class history belongs to us,” said President Dimondstein. “We don’t look back at history for nostalgia, we look back on our history for lessons learned, inspiration, and guidance. As Moe Biller… our [APWU] president for 21 years always said, ‘the struggle continues,’ and so it does.”

The center offers an inspirational look into our history including the Great Postal Strike of 1970 and the merger of the five unions into one American Postal Workers Union. The center highlights some of our struggles, campaigns, and victories – such as the ongoing fight against postal privatization, for strong union contracts and safe workplaces, organizing the unorganized, vote by mail, legislative challenges, and much more.

The APWU History Center, which opened in May 2023, is located at APWU National Headquarters in Washington, DC.

Members visiting Washington, DC are encouraged and welcomed to visit the APWU History Center and to experience the origins of our great union, and the storied and ongoing fights for good jobs, fair pay, and benefits and a vibrant public Postal Service.

The union is working to digitize the History Center so it can be viewed online.