Category: Legislative

On February 27th, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1319, the “American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.” This bill promises to help stabilize communities across the country and provide emergency assistance to the working class. If passed in the Senate and signed into law by the President, the $1.9 trillion package will provide workers long-overdue and much-needed relief they deserve.  Many workers had hoped that the previous package which passed in December would have […]

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Statement by American Postal Workers Union President Mark Dimondstein on today’s Hearing on Legislative Proposals to Put the Postal Service on a Sustainable Financial Footing and the Nomination by President Biden to Fill Vacancies on the USPS’ Board of Governors I want to thank the chair of the House Committee on Oversight Committee and Reform, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, for holding today’s hearing on legislation that will allow the United States Postal Service to uphold its […]

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This week, both the House of Representatives and the Senate, re-introduced the bi-partisan USPS Fairness Act (S. 145 and H.R. 695). This legislation would repeal, in full, the onerous prefunding of retiree health care benefits which Congress required when it passed the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA) in 2006. This law, forced the Postal Service to prefund its retiree health care benefits 75 years in advance, paying for retirement health care for individuals who […]

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During his campaign, President Biden promised to stand with workers, and direct the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) to implement stronger coronavirus safety standards to keep workers safe. On January 21, President Biden fulfilled one of his promises, issuing the “Executive Order on Health and Safety.” The order mandates that “the Federal Government must take swift action to reduce the risk that workers may contract COVID-19 in the workplace. That will require issuing science-based […]

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What is the Postal Board of Governors and what does it do? The Postal Service has a Board of Governors that is responsible for major decisions about the Postal Service’s operations, policies and expenditures. The Board’s responsibilities also include hiring and firing the Postmaster General. The Board is usually made up of nine members who are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Why should we care about the Board? President-Elect Joe Biden […]

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We have entered the new year and, with it, a flurry of Congressional activity. Following the passage of H.R. 113, Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act on December 27th (which included funding for the Postal Service), the House and Senate voted to override the Presidential veto of the National Defense Authorization Act, a bill that provides military funding. On December 28th, the House passed H.R. 9051, a bill which would increase the $600 direct payments provided […]

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In the face of continuous attacks on the Postal Service, voter suppression, and a pandemic, the APWU’s Legislative and Political Department launched Labor 2020 – our campaign to mobilize voters, elect leaders who will work to better the lives of working families, and guarantee the future of the public Postal Service. “APWU members knew that the fate of the Postal Service and the working class were at stake in this election,” said President Dimondstein. “That’s […]

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A changing political landscape offers new opportunities for the Campaign for Postal Banking to advance an agenda for expanded postal financial services. Of course, simply electing politicians who say they support us is only part of our struggle to secure and expand the public Postal Service. We must also hold them accountable to their commitments. In this case, the Democratic National Convention adopted a platform that includes postal banking and other helpful considerations for the […]

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On Monday, Judge Victor Marrero on the federal district court for the Southern District of New York issued the second nationwide injunction against the Postal Service on election mail. This case, unlike the case decided last week in Washington State, raised legal issues only about voting and voting rights. In a lengthy decision, the Court found that even if the Postmaster General did not intend his recent changes, ideas, and statements to impact election mail, […]

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Yesterday, Judge Stanley Bastian of the federal district court in Washington state issued a nationwide order prohibiting the Postal Service from making major operational changes before the November election. The lawsuit was led by the State of Washington, and it was joined by Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin. The Court was concerned that Postmaster General DeJoy was making or allowing operational changes or policies […]

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On Tuesday, headlines from news outlets across the country read: “Postal Workers Day of Action.” As the country continues to rise up in defense of the public Postal Service and against the new policies that have significantly delayed mail, thousands took to the streets under the banner “Save the Post Office.” An estimated 300 actions took place in almost every state. Postal workers; labor, civil & human rights activists; community allies; and lawmakers made clear […]

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Statement by Mark Dimondstein Postmaster General DeJoy’s mid-July implementation of a series of new policies slowed down and delayed the mail. These included the arbitrary canceling of overtime, limiting mail transportation runs, and demands that everything run on time, even if it meant leaving large quantities of mail undelivered. APWU members are deeply committed to our mission of serving the public with “prompt, reliable and efficient” services to all communities. This has been powerfully underscored […]

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The Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 is clear: “The United States Postal Service shall be operated as a basic fundamental service provided to the people by the Government of the United States, authorized by the Constitution, created by Act of Congress and supported by the people. The Postal Service shall have as its basic function the obligation to provide postal services to bind the Nation together…It shall provide prompt, reliable and efficient services to patrons […]

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The Postal Service is in a crisis, caused by the Coronavirus, and Congress needs to act, urgently. The Coronavirus shutdown is plummeting postal revenues while increasing costs. The Postal Service could run out of money by the end of the summer and the Trump administration is trying to leverage the crisis to sacrifice our public Postal Service at the altar of private profit. Call your Senators urgently. Tell them to support stimulus funding for our […]

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The Legislative & Political Department will be hosting a Hatch Act Zoom Training Webinar on July 22, 2020 at 2:00 PM EST. The upcoming 2020 Election is quickly approaching. It is vital that all members know their rights and responsibilities pertaining to the Hatch Act. Click here to register. The Hatch Act is a federal law passed in 1939. The Hatch Act limits certain political activities and restricts postal and federal employees from engaging in […]

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On July 3rd, Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Diane Feinstein (D-CA) introduced the Postal Service Emergency Assistance Act, S. 4174. This legislation would create a $25 billion fund for the Postal Service to recoup COVID related losses and expenses. This is a standalone bill that is currently separate from any Senate stimulus package. The key components of this legislations would: Require the USPS, in order to receive any part of the $25 billion, to declare […]

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The American Postal Workers Union’s National Executive Board has voted to endorse Joe Biden for President of the United States. In their decision, the Board recognized his record of advancing the cause of unions, his support for the public Postal Service, postal workers, and his opposition to postal privatization. As our country has confronted the pandemic, postal workers have heroically highlighted once again the importance of an affordable, universal and public Postal Service. Even as […]

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On May 11, over 60 Labor leaders sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, copying both the Postal Board of Governors and the Postmaster General, urging them support the United States Postal Service. The letter states, “As representatives of our 17 million members and all American workers, we write to thank you for your national leadership during this ongoing crisis to protect the wages, salaries, and benefits of […]

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(This article first appeared in the May/June 2020 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine) The ongoing COVID-19 crisis places an unprecedented financial strain on the United States Postal Service, with plummeting mail volumes and billions in lost revenue. Without immediate and substantial funding by Congress, Postmaster General Brennan stated before Congress that the USPS will run out of cash before October, threatening the Constitutional role of the public Postal Service, its universal service mandate […]

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