Category: APWU News

To Our APWU Family: In a close election, former Vice President Joe Biden has prevailed in his campaign for U.S. President. He is now President-elect and Kamala Harris, is Vice President-elect. The APWU heartily congratulates both on their electoral victory. The APWU elected leadership applauds this outcome, as does an overwhelming majority of our members. Joe Biden was endorsed by the APWU National Executive Board based on a clear and stark choice. We will soon […]

Message from APWU National President Mark Dimondstein To All APWU Members: As we enter the final stage of the 2020 election, every postal worker should be proud of our role in securing the public’s most precious democratic right – the right to vote. This year, an unprecedented number of voters chose to “vote-by-mail.” Whatever craft we work in, we were an important part of the process, a process that will continue to receive priority treatment […]

*The following is a press release from the Social Security Administration: Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for approximately 70 million Americans will increase 1.3 percent in 2021, the Social Security Administration announced today. The 1.3 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits payable to more than 64 million Social Security beneficiaries in January 2021. Increased payments to more than 8 million SSI beneficiaries will begin on December 31, 2020. (Note: some […]

October 9 is World Post Day, a moment to celebrate the unique and vital role postal workers play in the civic, economic and social life of people around the globe. The date commemorates the founding of the Universal Postal Union, which since 1874 has united postal services internationally to ensure a harmonious worldwide postal system. In this year when the world has faced down a deadly and disruptive pandemic, postal services and postal workers have […]

Two federal district courts have entered a third and fourth injunction against the Postal Service to undo the policy changes that it implemented over the summer and to protect voting by mail. Judge Emmett Sullivan in Washington, D.C., found for a group of litigants led by the New York State Attorney General. The plaintiffs alleged that the policy changes implemented by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy over the summer were significant enough to be reviewed by […]

(This article first appeared in the September/October 2020 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine) Recently, management at retail post offices throughout the country unilaterally posted signage on the entrances of their facilities stating their offices would be closing for lunch periods and/or retail hours would be reduced. Weeks later a number of retail facilities posted signage stating their offices would be closed in their entirety. In response, the APWU Clerk Craft initiated National Dispute No. HQTC20200330. […]

(This article first appeared in the September/October 2020 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine) It is no joke when the U.S. President calls us “a joke.” It is most concerning for our jobs and future. We are outraged that those who want to privatize the public Postal Service shamefully use the pandemic to try to accomplish their aims. We are angry that there has been no COVID-19 fnancial relief for the USPS, while private corporations have […]

On July 30, Secretary-Treasurer Elizabeth “Liz” Powell was honored with the 2020 Shirley Chisholm Breakthrough Leader Award, named after the “unbought and unbossed” 1972 presidential candidate. The award was presented as part of The Summit for Civil Rights, an annual convening of civil rights leaders across labor, government, academia, faith and law to, “respond to the powerful and dangerous intersection of enduring racial disparities, widening economic inequality, and rising political polarization throughout our entire society.” […]

The USPS is once again starting their attempts to get their employees “engaged”. It is Postal Pulse time again! Most likely you have received emails, direct mailings, stand-up talks, and have seen wall postings encouraging you to take the survey. The APWU wants to remind all employees that we advise against participating in surveys that the Postal Service conducts. Recent surveys besides the Postal Pulse have be used to attack our jobs. In the past surveys have been used […]

Over the last four months, U.S. President Donald Trump has publicly criticized “vote by mail” over seventy (70) times, claiming it leads to corruption and massive voter fraud. The history and facts prove otherwise. “Vote by mail” is private, secure and has provided access to the ballot box for millions of voters, including President Trump and his family members who routinely vote by mail. Independent studies have determined that since 2000, more than 250 million […]

The three General Officers of the APWU, President Mark Dimondstein, Executive-Vice President Debby Szeredy, and Secretary-Treasurer Elizabeth Powell issued the following statement: Fair minded people from all walks of life and political viewpoints are deeply disturbed and rightfully outraged by the killing of unarmed and handcuffed African-American George Floyd at the hands of four Minneapolis police officers. George Floyd was pinned face down on the ground with a knee on his neck for over eight […]

A National Call for Moral Revival: June 20, 2020 Online at 10am & 6pm EST On June 20th, the Poor People’s Campaign will hold the largest digital and social media gathering of poor and low-wealth people, moral and religious leaders, advocates, and people of conscience in this nation’s history. The recent protests and the global pandemic are exposing the already existing crisis of systemic racism, poverty, ecological devastation, the war economy and militarism, and the […]

The deadline for the submission of applications for the E.C. Hallbeck academic scholarship ($8,000 over a four-year period), vocational scholarship ($3,000 over a three-year period) and Best Essay Award (one-time $2,000 towards four-year college tuition) has been extended to June 30, 2020, APWU Secretary-Treasurer Liz Powell has announced. Applicants must be the child, grandchild, stepchild, or legally adopted child, of a current, retired, or deceased APWU member and a senior attending high school or other secondary […]

Statement from Mark Dimondstein, President of the American Postal Workers Union, On the Appointment of Louis DeJoy as the 75th Postmaster General of the United States Postal Service Fifty years ago, postal workers waged a heroic nationwide strike to win better pay, benefits and the right to collective bargaining. This strike also recreated the United States Postal Service as an independent agency, designed to be free from the political patronage and cronyism that had plagued the […]

The worldwide COVID pandemic has tragically claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people in the United States, including over thirty-five postal workers and a number of APWU members. “The APWU extends our deepest sympathies to the families of our members who have lost loved ones during this terrible crisis,” said APWU President Mark Dimondstein. “The APWU family grieves as one.” We also hope for the speedy recovery of the many postal workers sickened […]

After much thought and consideration for the safety of our Local and State delegates, national officers, families, guests and friends, and the ability to have a democratic and fully participatory convention, the National Executive Board has made the difficult decision to postpone the APWU 25th Biennial National Convention scheduled in Los Angeles, CA this coming August. The National Executive Board will soon be discussing where to go from here. There will be no stones left […]

On April 13, President Dimondstein appeared on Craig Melvin Reports: Coronavirus Pandemic on MSNBC, which aired in more than 1.5 million homes. Dimondstein saluted postal workers for their heroic dedication to their public mission and highlighted the urgent need for postal relief in the next stimulus bill before Congress.

On March 27, Oregon Senator Jeffrey Merkley issued a letter of commendation and appreciation to the members of the APWU stating, “I want to take a moment to thank you for your efforts keeping the mail moving and our communities connected…Your service is foundational to our country, critical to our daily lives, and what enables people to stay home as we fight this pandemic together.” Senator Merkley closed his letter with, “During these difficult times […]