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

By Legislative & Political Department Director Judy Beard 

The 2018 Midterm elections are quickly approaching! On Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018, one-third of the U.S. Senate, every U.S. House Representative, dozens of governorships, and countless local and state positions are in play. These candidates want our vote. Before you head to the polls, find out where these candidates stand on preventing the privatization, in part or in full, of the United States Postal Service.

Privatization means ending our publicly owned and operated Postal Service to be replaced by private corporate interests. It means ending our jobs that pay a living wage and jeopardizing our hard-earned retirement and healthcare.

To see if your representative supports House Resolution 993, (which calls for Congress to ensure that the USPS is “not subject to privatization,” go to tiny.cc/993. We have more than 190 sponsors so far, both Democrats and Republicans.

**Editors Note: Click Here to Pledge to Fight for the People’s Post Office!**

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

By Central Region Coordinator Sharyn M. Stone 

This is a tough article to write because by the time you read it, we could either have a contract or be headed for binding interest arbitration. Our Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) expires on September 20, 2018. Hopefully we have achieved a fair and just contract and maintained the hard-fought protections we have achieved. Our negotiations’ team, headed up by President Dimondstein, serves us well.

Even if all is complete with the CBA, we have miles to go before we sleep. The constant threat of Article 12 excessing, reorganizing, mismanagement, harassment, coupled with the President’s threat to privatize the Postal Service into oblivion is still in play.

Have you called your member of Congress? Nothing should be more inspiring and more motivating than a threat to our livelihood and the continued existence of the Postal Service committed to serving every community...

Twenty-one hundred APWU members departed from the union’s 24th Biennial National Convention in August uplifted, united and ready to continue Fighting Today for a Better Tomorrow!

Four days of rousing speeches, an enthusiastic rally against the privatization of the public Postal Service, as well as vigorous debate over resolutions on work floor topics and social issues reflected the APWU’s spirit of activism and a commitment to strengthen the union.

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

By Industrial Relations Director Vance Zimmerman 

“It is the responsibility of management to provide safe working conditions in all present and future installations and to develop a safe working force.”

This is how Article 14 of our Collective Bargaining agreement with the Postal Service begins. That one sentence is very powerful and tells all of us that the highest-ranking postal manager – the Postmaster General – recognizes that ultimately it is their responsibility to provide a safe and healthy work environment.

You may hear supervisors and managers say that safety is “everyone’s responsibility” or that every accident is “preventable.” But how often do you hear that safety is every worker’s right?

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

By Secretary-Treasurer Liz Powell 

It starts with the process for nominations. One of the ways to alleviate and hopefully prevent complaints, Local Election Committee (LEC) and National Election Appeals Committee (NEAC) appeals, and Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) investigations, is for local affiliates to ensure elections are conducted in accordance with Department of Labor (DOL) guidelines.