(This article first appeared in the November/December 2018 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine) 

By Secretary-Treasurer Liz Powell

One of the overwhelming responsibilities of all officers, shop stewards and representatives of the union is to ensure it holds its money and property solely for the benefit of the union and its members. When union officials express an interest in leadership positions, they inherit the responsibilities entrusted to them, which includes maintaining a financially sound local...Make sure you mark your calendar for any of the 2019 national training seminars the Secretary-Treasurer's department will be scheduling. In addition to the scheduled training opportunities, local unions can also schedule training webinars. Please contact Annette August-Taylor, Executive Assistant to the Secretary-Treasurer, at 202-842-4215 or via email to aaugust@apwu.org.

(This article first appeared in the November/December 2018 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine) 

By Vice President  Debby Szeredy

Going forward there are more battles ahead: the fight against privatizing the Postal Service, against consolidations and closures of plants and post offices, and the fight to expand services like postal banking and community services that help take care of our neighbors across this country.

Our battles need mobilized members from all our locals to participate in building alliances with congressional members and local politicians, as well as community organizations and our sister unions. We must mobilize. 

(This article first appeared in the November/December 2018 issue of the American Postal Worker magazine) 

By President Mark Dimondstein 

“We won’t let the postal eagle be replaced by the vulture.” What a great response by Legislative Grassroots Coordinator Janice Kelble to the White House of Office Management and Budget (OMB) proposal to sell-off the Postal Service to corporations for private profit. The eagle symbolizes that the public Postal Service belongs to, and serves, all the people. The vulture represents those who want to pick the public good apart and devour it for private Wall Street greed.

In a strong show of solidarity, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA produced a video to educate flight attendants about the importance of public services and the role of solidarity in winning our fights. “The U.S. Postal Service mail and packages fly on our planes. The routes we fly to communities across the country depend on a strong United States Postal Service. We’re standing with our sisters and brothers from [the four postal unions] to stop privatization!”