On Tuesday, March 11, APWU President Jonathan Smith hosted a livestream that celebrated the Great Postal Strike, a week-long work stoppage in March of 1970 that secured collective bargaining rights, vastly improved wages, and other benefits that assured a better life for generations of postal workers and led to the formation of the APWU.
The hour-long livestream celebrated the 56th anniversary of the Great Postal Strike of 1970, honored the sacrifices striking postal workers made fighting for (and winning) the rights and benefits that we still enjoy today, and discussed the needs of the next generation of postal workers to fight privatization and build a thriving public Postal Service.
President Smith invited a guest panel of 1970 strikers and APWU young members to discuss our past and present struggles, which shape the APWU and our mission. Guest panelists who participated in the 1970 strike included Leona Draper from the New York Metro Area Postal Union, Bruce Jackson from the Cleveland William H. Burrus Retiree Chapter, Teddie Days from the Saint Louis Gateway District Area Retiree Chapter, Yvonne Tatum from the Detroit Metro Area Retiree Chapter, and Tommy LaFauci from the Charlotte Area Local.
President Smith also invited APWU young members Ebony Wright from the New York Metro Area Postal Union, Eric Chornoby from the 480-481 Area Local, and Liset Hernandez from the Modesto Area Local to join the livestream and engage with the strikers. By bringing together active young members who are building the future of our union with strikers who shaped the rights and benefits postal workers have today, the livestream helped unite the illustrious history of the APWU with the present fights postal workers are still waging, encouraging current union members to carry on in the fight for dignity, respect, and justice for working people.
The livestream also debuted the launch of the APWU’s Digital History Center—an online version of the APWU History Center located at our headquarters building in Washington, D.C. The digital history center serves as a permanent archive of the APWU’s storied history, which you can view online at historycenter.apwu.org.
You can watch the stream here:
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