Category: Legislative

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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A new nationwide opinion poll shows that the public overwhelmingly supports funding for the U.S. Postal Service in the next stimulus bill to prevent USPS from running out of cash. Postmaster General Megan Brennan has reported to Congress that due to a decline in revenue linked to the pandemic, USPS will run out of money by September, without financial support. The survey, conducted by YouGov on behalf of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU), also […]

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President Trump’s shameful comments today that the Postal Service “is a joke” and that USPS “should raise package prices four to five times” current levels is no laughing matter to the American people. His comments are an insult to the forty-four postal workers who have died carrying out their vital public service in the midst of this pandemic. It’s also disheartening to the 600,000 proud postal workers who continue to carry out our essential mission […]

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“It’s a power grab to destroy the public Postal Service. Shame on them,” responded APWU President Mark Dimondstein to shocking reports from the Washington Post that the Trump Administration is attempting to use the coronavirus crisis to force draconian cuts to the Postal Service. “The Post’s reporting confirms what our union has long known: This Administration is committed to fulfilling the decades-long pursuit by some to sacrifice our public Postal Service at the altar of private profit,” […]

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SAVE THE POSTAL SERVICE: During this public health emergency and horrific pandemic, the Postal Service is needed now more than ever. Join our virtual town hall with the leaders of the country’s major postal unions on how we must act to save the postal system: — BURLINGTON, Vt. – Sen. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday will host a virtual town hall with the leaders of the country’s major postal unions on how the federal government can […]

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As the heroic role of postal workers in the midst of a pandemic grabs headlines (MSNBC, Boston Globe, NY Times), the Postal Service has taken one more accolade – it is once again the public’s highest rated federal agency in an annual survey released by Pew Research Center. With 91 percent of those surveyed viewing the Postal Service favorably, the ranking is an increase from recent years’ high marks and far outstrips any other federal agency. The poll […]

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Postal workers are keeping our country moving and US economy working for us during this time of crisis – getting prescriptions delivered to people sheltering in place, making e-commerce possible and keeping families connected. It is the emergency distribution system when our country is in crisis. But at this unprecedented time, that work is under threat. The Coronavirus shutdown is plummeting postal revenues while increasing costs. The Postal Service could run out of money as […]

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